Miss This, Not That

There's not a whole lot of exciting stuff going on these days, so I made a list of things I'm really starting to miss (besides food, that's obvious):

1. My sewing machine and Jo-Ann Fabrics. The only sewing materials I brought with me were a few sewing kits stolen from various hotels, one small scissors, and one spool of navy blue thread. And I am quickly running out of black and grey thread from hemming Adam's pants and sewing buttons back on. I also didn't bring a measuring tape. I thought I could live without one but I miss having one around. I bought a little sewing kit that I just happened by in a convenience store and it had a measuring tape inside. I didn't expect it to have an inch side but it did, so I thought, woohoo! I went to go measure my waist and the tape said it was 22". My waist has NEVER been 22", so I knew something was wrong. I compared this measuring tape with the tiny ruler Adam has in his planner, and saw that the inches on the tape were actually about 1 1/4" long. Oh well, they probably thought no one would ever know.

2. Our yard. Aside from privacy, I really just miss not having to clean up Smudgie's poop. Although, to be honest, we don't clean it up that often here. :S I think our housekeeper has been doing it for us once a week or something. Score! So I guess I just miss not feeling guilty about not cleaning it up when people walk by right as he's doing it. In PA, Smudgie's poop seemed to disappear in a matter of days from bugs eating it and whatnot, but here it just hardens and turns black. That is one thing I've noticed, there aren't very many bugs in Huainan. And I surely don't miss bugs.

3. Our dryer. Here, we have a washer/dryer combo, which I originally thought was cool but now I don't really like it. First of all, it doesn't let you just dry things. So if you come in with wet pants from a rainy day you can't just throw the pants in for a few minutes. Secondly, because it's also a washer, there is no lint trap. So the lint just ends up balling up all over your clothes.

4. Being able to drink tap water. No explanation needed, I just miss it.

5. Getting mail and ordering things from the internet. We don't know where our mailbox is at our apartment, if we even have one. So if we do order something online, we have to have it sent to the plant. And that's fine, but then everyone is nosey and wants to see what you got so I'm not going to be ordering things as much as I would in America.

Things I don't miss:

1. Driving. Adam misses it, but I kind of like being driven everywhere. I certainly don't miss having to pay for car repairs.

2. Religion. Whether they have it here or not, I can't tell. And that's the point! No one is shoving religion in your face. I've been keeping up with the Republican debates and it sickens me to see how many issues are being argued like this: "(Insert group here) shouldn't have their rights because the bible says it's wrong." If Rick Santorum gets elected, I'm not coming back.

3. Having to engage in mundane small talk with people. This is one of the best things about China and not knowing the language very well. People don't talk to me at work, unless it's important. And they don't expect me to join in the majority of the conversation at dinners. This might bother a normal person but I love it.

4. Snow. We've had snow a couple times here but it never stuck.

That's all I can think of for now. Here are some pictures of Smudgie!