Why? Why did I come back to Beijing? What would I do such a thing for?
Oh, yes, the intervention of real life. I really should think about preparing for the coming semester. And new students must be interviewed this weekend, presumably on Sunday. Ugh. Time flies when you’re doing your best to pretend it will stand still if only you ask really nicely.
Unfortunately yesterday afternoon’s trip back to Beijing was one of those trips that leaves you ready to explode in a gigantic firestorm of rage. Not because anything really bad happened, just a series of really minor little things, like stupid passengers on the bus, idiotic taxi drivers, heat, humidity, traffic and the stench of vehicle exhaust, all topped up with the absolute geniuses installing new central heating pipes who decided that the best place to pile up the dirt from the trenches they need to dig was right in the gateway and not in any of the nearby lawns or gardens, meaning I had to backtrack and walk up to the farthest gate to get home.
But nevermind, I got back safe and sound, that’s the important bit. And being back means I have broadband again, so I got that .NET fix downloaded and managed to install Live Writer on the laptop. I then turned it off and moved to the desktop because one thing China has taught me is to never, ever trust a school network. I’m quite happy with the university’s desktop getting cluttered up with viruses and spyware and other nasties, so long as I can keep them under control while I’m using it, but I’d rather keep my own computer as clean and safe as possible, therefore I strictly limit the time it spends plugged into the university broadband. Probably once school starts I’ll take it over to the office every day and use the wireless from there. Sure, there are computers in the office, but communal ones, and so having my own with my own internet connection will probably be a lot more convenient.
Anyway, it was a good week spent up in the village. Unfortunately, like all good things, it did have to come to an end, but it’s not so bad in Beijing. Just hotter, a lot more humid, and occasionally frustrating.
