The Fat Lady Sang

Well, it's finally over. I just landed in Taipei and in forty minutes or so, I'll be boarding the plane back to Los Angeles.

I am always a bit sentimental on my way home and one of my friends in Hong Kong sort of summed it up. She said I have one foot in Canada and one foot in the States but my heart is in Asia. I think that is probably true and under different circumstances, I might have chosen to move to the Far East. Not now, though. Besides the effects that such a move would have on my children, I can't imagine breathing that air for the rest of my life.

For some reason, the pollution seemed to be worse or perhaps I was just more aware. I traveled all over the eastern seaboard this trip and I did not experience ONE clear day. At eight o'clock in the morning, it was still dark enough to require lights on in the hotel room. The outdoor plants had a visible layer of grime on them. Besides the burning of coal for electricity, the emergence of the middle class, with their new found affluence has led to record auto sales and staggering traffic congestion. Carbon emissions are way up and the predicted results are noticeable. It's heartbreaking, really.

On a positive note, things went well at the fair. Trade shows are just a giant pain the the arse but this one is so well organized that you can focus on a single section and get heaps accomplished with limited time.

The naughtiest subtext during the show was boy watching. Again, I don't understand why I have never noticed before but WOW! European men dress distinctly differently than Americans. They tend to be more daring and their clothes always look tailored. One disturbing trend that I witnessed was capri pants....for men. Look, I know that they are comfortable. I've got a closet full of them and they are so convenient when one is trying to manage warmer temperatures but there is just no way to make those things masculine. In an understated, quiet, sucker punch kind of way, capri pants are flamboyant. You can put camo all over those bad boys and they're still going to look like they belong in Boy George's drawer.

On a weird note: I am some kind of freak Turkish man magnet. I'm not sure what the draw is (fat ass, perhaps) but I was approached several times and the conversation never varied much.

"Hello. Where are you from?" Usually asked while standing side by side in the booth, perusing aphrodisiacs like steak knives and vinyl flooring.

"US."

"Ah...American." Said with a knowing tone and a little nod which inexplicably made me feel like he might be friendly with some of the skeletons in my closet.

At this point, I usually smiled and tried to move away. In response, he would ask me where I was staying in Guangzhou and inquire whether I might like to meet later. I have never been to Turkey and I cannot talk intelligently about the culture. The one opinion I heard was from an old Greek roommate of mine and I would not characterize her opinion of the Turkish population as unbiased. Apparently, the whole Cypress issue is still raw. In any case, I declined the invitations because I was busy....getting massages...after work.
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I got called to board my plane before I could post so now I am in Los Angeles overnight. As we descended, you could see how the city was blanketed in ash from the fires. It's been devastating, especially for San Diego County. I spoke with one of my best friends who lives in La Mesa and she sent a few pics that I'll post over the next couple of days. I just hope that this disaster is handled better than some of the others the nation has faced over the past couple of years. In the shuttle on the way over to the hotel, we experienced a light sprinkle. I've never seen it rain BLACK before. Eerie.