I used to have this awesome health insurance. I mean, we're talking phenomenal. When I was hired at my former employers', it was billed to me as "incentive-based", which I thought sounded like a crock of, y'know, marketing-speak.

It turns out this crockpot worked for me in a big way. What made it different was basically that you got rewards points for proving that you were healthy -- taking a fitness test every 6 months (and your results on said test), participating in some kind of physical activity event, etc.; these were all ways of amassing points that you could then redeem for all kinds of stuff.

Over the three years that I had this insurance (Guardian Life-Destiny, by the way; I'm all for plugging it so more people adopt it!), I chose to redeem my points mainly for (a) the digital point-n-shoot that was responsible for the photos and video on this blog, (b) the Slingbox, and (c) certificates for free hotel stays. The latter were really tempting to me as I like to travel to big cities, where hotels can be darn expensive, and have of late been going to lots of out-of-town weddings. And they were valid for roughly 14-16 months, so what was the risk, right?

Well, I didn't end up using any while I was in Asia, wanting to save them for places where hotels were more expensive. But now I'm back in the States, wedding season is a few months away, and I have some hotel nights to use up... two this month, in fact. Eeps! Where to go? I'm feeling somewhere warm and sunny, preferably with a beach, but it also has to be close enough for a two-night trip... Ah well, I can't complain; it's as good an excuse to get out of the office as any, right?  Wish me luck, and a couple days off work! 

For those of you who've been, I dunno, not paying attention, I'm back in the States these days. But yesterday, I had a wee moment of nostalgia, where I scolded myself for having readjusted from China in one way too many: I wasn't carrying my camera.

Yesterday, it snowed. A decent amount, for this area, and things were messy. At the best of times, this city does not deal with snow particularly well, and yesterday drifted from the white powdery stuff through the heavier, wetter variety, before ending up as freezing drizzle. The end result of this was that trudging home was a bit harder, and evidently not just for me.

I passed a woman who was dragging an airline carry-on bag behind her, inside of which was.... her elementary-school-age child.  All I could think was, "in China, that would have totally made the blog." AND I DIDN'T HAVE MY CAMERA.

But I decided to put it on the blog anyway, in honor. Or mourning.  Something like that.

Helloooooo?  Anyone still listening?  I feel bad about being such a slacker since I've been back, but things like jobhunting have been taking precedence. I don't suppose my posting absence has really affected your daily lives much, either, so maybe I'll just feel a little bit bad. (Oh, and in my defense, the last time I tried to post something, the site was acting up. Kindly ignore the fact that I then did not try to post again for the next 2.5 weeks.)

Anyway, I do in fact still have material to share, so -- case in point -- here are a couple of shots for you to enjoy during your three-day (maybe), no-rush-hours weekend.

Have I mentioned that there are a lot of people here?

It turns out there are some additions to the last post. Something I didn't realize I missed: squirrels. They're funny.

Something I won't miss at all: The Great Firewall.  However, I am without home internet at the moment, so you may encounter a slight delay in the blog's irregular programming. Sorry!

Guess what, folks, it's time for me to head home. It's been a great adventure, but at some point I was going to have to rejoin the world of the gainfully-employed, and that time is... well, as yet indeterminate, but rapidly approaching. I still have a few things to write about, so it's not the death knell for the blog just yet, but in the interests of transparency, future entries will not in fact be Made in China.

I thought I should take some time before I leave to reflect on my stay, and the best way I could think of to share some of that summary with all of you was to give you the following Top 5 lists. (After all, who doesn't like lists?)

Five Things I Will Miss About Shanghai
1. Chinese New Year fireworks -- 'nuff said.
2. Fresh food markets everywhere
3. (Relative) proximity to a large portion of my family
4. Fish in the subway and other things on the street that make me smile. There's another pedestrian passage that has big Van Gogh paintings for billboards. I like public art. And public oddity.
5. The non-waste mentality -- everything here that can be reused in any shape or form is. It's a nice break from the consume-dispose cycle to see things valued regardless of how old or used they may be.

No specific foods on the list -- are you surprised?  Sure, I like the dumplings, but they are in fact available elsewhere.

Five Things I Won't Miss About Shanghai
1. The layer of construction dust in the air -- I'm curious to see whether the tickle I've had in my throat for the last couple months goes away. And Shanghai is among the better Chinese cities in that respect.
2. Getting run over by wheeled vehicles on the sidewalk and the no-yield driving policy
3. Smoking in the elevators (restaurants, police offices, etc), despite signs, and all customary safety regulations to the contrary
4. The smell of stinky tofu
5. Chinese TV. Honestly, it's pretty bad. I can tell even when I don't understand the dialogue, that's how bad it is.