Ma Hartle approaches

I am bleary eyed, having just scrubbed down my entire apartment with the incredible help of Andrea and her German heritage. well, i mean, it's as clean as it will be until the day i move out. andrea was the main impetus for this amazing overhaul, and i do feel a measure of shame for not having cleaned it better for previous visitors. i don't even want to mention what came off the various surfaces of the bathroom. okay, look, just lots of dirt and soap and beauty products okay? those things...congealed together.

I look forward to an excellent time with the cocreator of Julie. My Yitaitai and I had such a fabulous time that I cannot but hope it will be equalled on my mother's first trip abroad, which she surprised me with for easter. she is now within a few hours of taipei, and i am just praying that she isn't too uncomfy--even has an empty seat beside her?--and that she has been taking full advantage of the 200 movies and tv shows available on Singapore Airlines and their phenomenal entertainment system. am also hoping her specially request indian vegetarian meal isnt giving her nasty gas. my healthy meal tonight gave me horrendous gas, not only frequency, but smell. I know you are thrilled to know this, but actually, I've been thinking about the cold, hard truth that when we get married we will be privy to such things as the food that give our loved one gas, or how garlic lingers on their breath for days even after brushing. My parents have always been wonderful examples, frankly. They laugh their heads off. I highly recommend it for future brides, ahem, Amy, I'm talking to you.

One thing I love about Taipei is that it continues to surprise me. I've found infinitely more new stores in the nightmarket--bought some very comfortable, and extremely cheap Indian style sandals at one. The stores in our neighborhood change every week, and I can never count o0n the food stall I loved at any mall to be there when I go again next month. The Miramar food court completely changed and lost the traditional chinese place that sold xiaolongbao, so instead julia had to go to another stall where she bought the carnivore's delight which was sausage and ham topped off by an enormous portion of fatty duck.

Speaking of fatty duck, i had the wonderful idea to wash my down comforter before my mom comes. 3 hours later constantly in the dryer and it STILL isnt dry. I attribute this to the feathers of the duck inside the Ikea cover. it seems odd to me because i thought duckies were supposed to repel water, not retain it for dear life. do you ever wonder if maybe they comforter was stuffed with the feathers of a few whole ducks, and maybe they are reorganizing right now, slowly transforming into their duck selves of yore and are going to cluck me to death when i open the dryer? i hear the music from psycho even as i type this.

There were infinite wonderful moments with yitaitai, but i can't type them all out now as she had hoped. i can tell you that i now know i can buy her packs of artificially peach flavored Hi Chews as well as cold green tea if i ever want her unswerving devotion. And she also confirmed that my pancake flavored Pretz sticks, are indeed one of the best snacks ever to grace the earth. The Japanese comapny that makes them simply marketed them to the entirely wrong people group. Too sweet for Asians, but perfect for the pancake-craving, but low-cal loving Western palate. when i told julia that i believed something, dr. pepper perhaps?, was too sweet, she was shocked and said that my palate has been fundamentally altered by Asia. and she may be correct, i keep thinkjing of how to make gingery broths for soup when i go back home, and lamenting about the almost certain lack of decent dumplings and xiaolongbao.

this might sound random, and against my general Quaker tendencies, but I actually think that Taiwan should buy some more powerful weapons to deter an invasion by China. I am basically echoing an editorial by the outgoing editor of my beloved Economist, who said that perceived American weakness because of failures in Iraq could cause other bullies in the world to test their boundaries. he gave the specific example of china over my beloved taiwan. To retain the status quo they really do need to make it too costly for the chinese. i mean, there are other fun ways, like a small percentage of the population engaging in guerrilla warfare. but that sucks, and so many civilians get caught in the crossfire. stockpiling a bunch of weapons that no one really wants to use sounds like a good way to go. i mean, since it seems like the day china puts their face aside and peacefully lets Taiwan be its own nation is less likely than a cold day in hell.

today we went to the orphanage and Gu En, my favorite little girl, barfed on me. It must be a right of passage from Onion. In any case, she will become the cutest Australian *ever* when she arrives there in 8 days. I've been speaking to her mostly in English to prepare her. Not in fake Aussie accented English, mind you, because even my inner self would judge me for that. She really cries a lot more than the other babies. I told her she can be a singer for hillsong, and she can write some good contemporary stuff. jessie and I see edge in her eyes.