The Vinyl Cafe Comes To China

Before I left Canada to live in China I was working part time at a dairy.  I was a lab technician and, among many other things, got to taste test ice cream for money.  It was actually my escape into the real world and for the most part consisted of shifts on Friday night (until 3:30am) or Saturday and every Sunday from 6am to 5pm.  I did this Sunday shift from about May of last year up until January of this year and I loved it.  One of my favorite parts, second only to the peace and quiet since I was the only one in the lab, was listening to the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation for those of you not familiar) on the radio.  Pretty much all of the shows are of the talk variety; for the most part there isn't a whole lot of music and when there is it is usually Canadian.  I learned a lot about what is going on in different parts of the world and my own backyard.  Before I started tuning in at work I had only listened to the CBC a handful of times when my dad would have it on but once I was hooked, it was the only thing I wanted to hear on the radio.  I was bored of most of the music that the commercial stations would play.

I had several programs that I really enjoyed, usually the funny ones, but one of my favorites was definitely the Vinyl Cafe, starring Stuart McLean.  He travels around Canada, and sometimes the US, visiting towns and cities and performing his show live with special guests.  There are stories, letters and music which are always very entertaining. 

When I stopped working in mid-January to go to Florida and didn't return to the lab afterward, I found it difficult to catch the show.  With all the packing, kid stuff, waiting on word from China and Tim travelling back to Bridgewater every Sunday, I never even turned on the radio.  I vowed that when we finally got to China and I found a new iPod (someone dipped my last one in milk) I would download the podcasts of the show and listen.  Well, I managed to download the episodes over a week ago but it wasn't until today that I finally turned them on.  In my own defense, I don't get to use the iPod all that often.  Ryan, who was up around 5am (ahhhh!), went for a nap and while he did Nicholas and I made lunch, cleaned the kitchen including the floor, and did some coloring, all while listening to three episodes of the Vinyl Cafe.  It was wonderful!  I had some good laughs and almost a few tears when Stuart read a letter from a woman whose son, named Nick, was seriously ill.  Eventually he did okay but it was a real tear-jerker.

By listening to the podcasts today I learned that another show I really enjoyed is also available so I will have to get it too.  It's just one more thing that keeps me connected to home.  Somedays it feels like I haven't really left.  Of course that would all come crashing down if I ever lost my internet, God forbid!

Aside from those activities we didn't do a whole lot this morning.  It was a rainy, dismal day outside and the kids were up way too early so I was more than a bit cranky.  On the plus side, the little mutts that live a few floors below us didn't make a peep last night.  We had to get the landlady to call and complain after a whole night of the dogs being left outside and barking continuously.  Usually they stick them outside around 4:30am to wake us up and that is annoying enough, but the constant noise for a whole night was more than we could handle. 

I also got a call today from our new friend, George, and our dryer has arrived!  They are going to deliver it on Sunday.  It's rather amusing because we were told that someone would bring it to the apartment but that we were not to open the box.  Sometime after the delivery another person would arrive to actually take it out of the box and, I don't know, assemble it?  I didn't think there would be much to setting up a ventless dryer, but who knows.  Perhaps it's a make-work project.  I don't care as long as the thing works.

We also found out that our shipment will be, most likely, at least another two weeks in getting to us.  On Monday Tim has to take his passport to work and apply for some sort of permit.  That application will take a week followed by some other process that also takes a week.  We knew it was probably going to take this long for everything to go through but now that we have been in the apartment for over three weeks, it just feels like our stuff should be here with us by now.  The place is very cozy and we are quite comfortable here, but it will feel more like a 'home' with some person stuff around.

For a Saturday adventure we have decided to take the kids to Royal Ocean World aquarium and water park.  It is in Fu Shun, about 45kms from Shenyang and they are supposed to have a dolphin show and other fun stuff.  I am going with the "hope for the best, expect the worst" attitude because you never know what you might get here.  I will be sure to take lots of pictures and hope that it doesn't all go too smoothly.  I want to have something to write about!

I hope you all have or have had a good Friday.  Enjoy your weekend and if you get a chance, check out the Vinyl Cafe on Sunday - hopefully you will enjoy it as much as my Dad and I do.