It’s Really Very Hot Here

I want to think of a more clever title, but it’s a pretty all-consuming subject here-the weather. As with small talk anywhere, a large percentage of lunchtime banter is spent devoted to the heat. It deserves the time, though. I feel like I should be given a goddamn medal every time I come gasping into the front door in the morning. It still takes me a while to convert Celsius to Fahrenheit, so when my coworker asks me, “40 degrees, can you believe it?”, I have to think. Forty-two degrees, OK, that’s coat and jeans weather. Maybe a hat if you’re thin-skinned. But then I realize that it is nearly 102 degrees outside with like, 200% humidity, and a part of me wants to tear up as I sit at my desk in my own sweat:

Unlike CJ, I do not give the thumbs up to this prospect. That is the office, by the way.

I’m starting to feel like a regular here, which is nice. I like being able to notice people’s little idiosyncrasies, which takes time. She scuttles when she walks but keeps her head remarkably still; he picks up three or four different pieces of food with his chopsticks before choosing something to eat. I have more patience and appreciation for things I know relatively intimately, I’ve found, which makes working in a small office more rewarding. I also am not the biggest fan of cities, for this reason. I find myself inconceivably frustrated at somebody walking slower than I am on the way to the subway, and there’s really no reason for that.

This weekend, I’m planning on going to the former residence of Lu Xun, who is China’s most famous modern writer. Art and writing in China is traditionally marked by a very conservative and formal tone, which remained remarkably consistent looking back on centuries of Confucian influence. It wasn’t until the fall of the Qing dynasty at the beginning of the 20th century that language and art became more influenced by colloquial language, which is what contributes to the notion of the 20s and 30s here as being ripping and roaring. Obviously, the Communist reign from 1949 through the Cultural Revolution put a damper on both traditional practices and modern practices, and it has only been in the past few decades that Shanghai has started to embrace different artistic influences and concepts. I’m sure that the scene will grow, but historically speaking, it still seems in its infantile stages. That’s why I’m excited to learn more about Lu Xun, as he’s kind of a stand out.

Speaking of language and writing, I love Chinglish. Here’s an ATM I went to today:

Given how low I am on money, I’m willing to take the gamble.