now in technicolor

As promised:

artsy architectural shot! (i.e. taken out of my dorm room window)

That is, in fact, the sky's normal color. Today was the first exception -- beautiful weather, solid blue sky though still with a strong gray tinge at the bottom. I got a sunburn as a result. Need to think about that next time.

I'm horrible about taking pictures, so that's all I have for now. Other random discoveries:
- Kurt Schneider's roommate is here? He recognized my Out of the Blue shirt and asked about it. Nice to know OOTB has name recognition overseas :P
- I've had quite a few good conversations with my language partner now, probably the most fun of which was an impassioned discussion about various movies (particularly "Amelie", which we both love). Also: I tried to explain "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" in Chinese? I think I got the main idea across, but hell, that movie's hard to explain in English.
- An HTML note: I've discovered the ACRONYM tag! Basically, from this point on I'll be starting to use Chinese characters in these posts, but if you hover over said characters with your mouse, a box should pop up with pronunciation and an English translation. So...hooray!
- Not using English was hella hard for the first 24 hours of the language pledge, but has become second nature surprisingly quickly. I thought little reflexive outbursts (e.g. "Sorry!") would be hard to overcome, but I've already replaced expressions with their Chinese counterparts (e.g. 对不起). I can do this.
- The 饺子 stand down the street from here is my new favorite place. Three 饺子 cost one yuan, which is to say that each dumpling costs about a nickel, and they're absolutely /delicious/. (I've never really liked dumplings before, but these things are just too good to pass up.) It's become my default stop when I don't have time for a sit-down meal: I can assemble a tasty, filling lunch or dinner for under an American dollar. Sweet deal, that.

Anyway, that's about all for now. Some people are planning to go out later tonight; I'm pretty tired from wandering around 王府井 all afternoon, so a friend and I are planning to stay in and watch "The Fox and the Hound" instead. I hear all the cool kids are doing it.


P.S. I only just realized I'm getting comments! Forgive me if I don't reply individually -- things are a bit hectic, and I'm sure I'll have a chance to talk to you all once I get back. Love you, though :)