People and cartoons just don't do it for me. Give me real stunts, like classic Chaplin (Working Days!) or Abbott and Costello. Now that's entertainment.

This is probably the last post before I go- and I plan to be incommunicado for the first 6 weeks or so. Less comfortable websurfing and blogging helps with integrating and learning language. China here I come!

But I may be back to see if there's any action here.

A knife.

Cuts.

Separates.

Severs a tie that I thought might last longer.

That I hoped against hope would not be cut thus.

Parts me from the past.

But I still have the incommunicable past.

May I heal from this wound.

Not a mortal wound, but a deep one.

Years of cherished memory live in this heart

            that now is being ripped

                        from a home it had for a time.

Healing.

Begins?

I died for beauty, but was scarce

adjusted in the tomb, when one

who died for truth was lain

in an adjoining room.

He questioned softly, why I failed?

For beauty, I replied.

And I for truth, the two are one-

we brethren are, he said.

And so as kinsmen met anight

we talked between the rooms

until the moss had reached our lips

and covered up our names.

There are just a couple things I don't understand.

-why do some guys enjoy moshing? I do have interesting thoughts as to that answer.

-once I was told one way to get rid of headaches is to drink water...is that really supposed to work? Hasn't lately.

Tonight two good bands performed in town here. One was headed by a 50-year old blind guitarist and singer, who enjoyed rockin' out to the crowd and playing around with a new guitar gadget (I didn't even realize he was blind until my friend who knew him told me) The other was headed by a 20-somethings who can't decide on a band name so they go by Reservoir for now. They played some head-bangin' hits that the crowd loved. There was a good fan-base, myself included, who took a lot of pleasure in seeing their 'kids' do well in a crowd. They actually have musicality. They should, they've been practicing 5 years or so now.

There are so many bands just like these kids. It's hard for me to be optimistic for them. So few get anywhere. But like Dakota Fanning's character in Dreamer, the best thing is probably just ride along with them as far as the dream takes them. Who knows- they may get somewhere with it after all.

It's easy to be jaded with it all and just let the negativity ride you out with the waves. It's fun to ride, after all. But the farther out you get, it's also as if you get farther away and there is less chance, possibility, opportunity to come back again...I sure do love it out in the ocean, but land and people are a couple things I would rather not live without- not for too long, anyway.

T-minus four weeks and counting, and so far six people in China are expecting me to stop in on them...at some point. Nevermind that we have only conversed through email and the sole connector for us is another person they may not have seen in years or only met in a short conversation several months ago. We, my friend, are connected to one another now.

It's not just anyone who hops a plane and moves to China for five months (with the aim to come back and stay longer). Perhaps that gets it some merit for me. Makes my stay more real and eagerly anticipated? Since someone is coming to be a part of their lives longterm, possibly? My sources say friendships in China are more longterm (i.e. lifelong) compared to most of my college relationships which flew by the wayside as soon as I left campus. So a lot of this China thing- is just amazing. Frickin' awesome, as some of my camp kids would say.

Frickin' Awesome.