Since moving to China, aviation has become a big part of my life. I’ve learned more than I ever wanted about engines, airfoils and flight controls. Were I to be stuck in an airplane with a dead pilot, (like that guy in Florida), I think I might be able to land the thing, with a [...]
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When I first went to work as an English teacher in China, I had a good chuckle over some of my student’s names. English names, that is. I thought the practice of choosing an English name was limited to people who interact with foreigners or students of English, but according to this Slate article, many in [...]
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Greenpeace Says Chinese Vegetables Tainted With Pesticides From China Retail News (emphasis mine) Greenpeace recently published a report on pesticide residues in vegetables and fruit in China, which shows five kinds of fruit and vegetables contained extremely poisonous pesticide and produce sold in supermarkets contain higher level of pesticide residue than those sold in agricultural markets. [...]
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What a beautiful weekend we had. Clear blue skies. Warm temperatures. Perfect days, really. How long will they last? Yet more evidence I am an aviation geek – one of our airplanes flew over the neighborhood yesterday and I stopped right in the middle of the road to watch it pass over. I was so [...]
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I wanted to write something witty. I wanted to tell you about our two students who earned their private pilot licenses this weekend. I wanted to share something interesting. I am seriously and severely incapable of doing any of that today. Not for lack of coffee, if nescafe counts. Not for lack of time as [...]
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Like any good pilot’s wife, I am learning about airplanes and how they fly… with the help of my Paper Airplane a Day Calender… Oh yes, they really do fly! There are orange ones… Blue ones… And even green ones. I feel my aviation education is very well-rounded. Either that or I need more hobbies.
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I hope the Easter Bunny brought you lots of delicious chocolate… He didn’t even bother stopping by here, but that’s okay cuz I’m cutting sugar out of my life. Buds and blossoms are out like crazy here and it is getting warmer by the day. Pretty in Pink Pretty is as pretty does Pretty as [...]
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Even though aviation seems more and more depressing by the day, I thought I would share some Chinese planespotting with you. Chinese Y-5 When I first saw this airplane parked at Linyi’s airport, I was pretty surprised. Being an airplane ignoramus, I believed that biplanes, (airplanes with two sets of wings), had gone out with [...]
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Not to rub your nose in it or anything, but the DH and I are in a regular pistachio heaven here in China! Our stash of “happy nuts” We buy our pistachios from a vendor on our street. She has a stand directly across from the old lady vegetable sellers I blogged about a few [...]
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The DH lights a lantern on the beach in Koh Samui, Thailand The first time I saw a paper lantern fill with hot air and gently float away, I was in awe. Not only in awe of how it worked, but how peaceful they seemed, moving along with the wind, eventually fading into the night. [...]
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I'm an American expat living on the fringe of Chinese society. Thanks to a lifetime spent moving around, I often feel like an outsider. This blog explores life in Beijing, China, the occasional aviation topic, expat issues, random travel experiences and interesting things I see, read and hear. If you want to know more about my latest hobby, visit Sewing on the Fringe, where I blog about learning to sew in Beijing. And for daily documentation of Beijing's ever changing air quality, visit My Beijing Window. And, yes, I do wear my santa hat year-round. ;)
