cold and rainy

Blogger is back and working again after the 40,000 - 80,000 reported 'scanner' employees spent the last three weeks checking for inappropriate posts. At least that's what I can only assume. So evidently, my blog has passed the test? Because it's still alive.

There have been many things I could have mentioned here over the last 3 weeks, and some of it I've put in emails and other forums etc. Tracey has been keeping her blog up to date, so check hers out as well. I'm hoping to make more of an effort to phone a few people and not spend as much time online. But now I'm working every night of the week (except Saturday and Sunday of course), so it will be more difficult to find a good time to phone.

It's been really cold and rainy for the past three or four days. But everyone says it will get really cold when the rain goes away. Right now, I think our maximum daily temperatures couldn't be any higher than about 12/13 degrees. We've finally worked out how to run the air conditioners as heaters at home which is helping a bit. But I have a big list of necessary clothing items to buy: gloves, scarf/s, beanie, slippers (that's right, not afraid of 'em), raincoat for my bike... I bought a heavy duty jacket the other day. It's kind of a cross between a military overcoat and one of those horrible jackaroo Australian jackets - what were they called again?

My Chinese is getting a little better. I now have 3 morning lessons a week with a Chinese student tutour and am also trying out a lot more stuff with the 2 Chinese staff here at work, and all the other people I meet in our daily life.

The other day I bought the complete series of Black Adder on DVD. My goal was to convince Tracey that Rowan Atkinson is funny. Tracey only knows him as Mr Bean and as that feeble wimpy character he often plays in movies (largely based on Mr Bean). Unfortunately, we sat down and watched the whole first series - which is really ordinary, and no where near as funny as series 2, 3 and 4. So now she's even less convinced...