Friday Fragments - Five Days of Work Suck

I'm back joining the Friday Fragment party after a few weeks off. So here's a bunch of them.


I've been so busy at work and life that I haven't had time to show off my 1,000 photos I took in China to my family. That will be corrected this weekend. I'm slowly getting through the several inches of paperwork that covered my desk in the two weeks I was off. And the hundreds of emails. And the three major proposals that had to be done this week. With guidelines that are iffy at best and still don't have all the information. Ah, the more complications means the more they need me. Stupid criminal of the week is from Florida. Seems a man decided to rob a convenience store while the clerk turned his back. Unfortunately the man had just filled out a job application with all his information. He was a little easy to track down by the police. Whitney had bad reactions to her allergy shots this week and has to take the vials from our local clinic to where they are made because our clinic won't mail them. She was going to be switching back to her normal clinic next month so I told her to just take them there and get her shots there the next three weeks. The cause was a combination increased strength in the vials and terrible pollen in the air here. But the good thing is she just got welts, no problems breathing. I will continue to write about my China trip but for some reason I'm having a hard time being motivated to blog about it. Maybe next week I'll be better. But I'll leave you with another photo.

Inside the Summer Palace

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The Fashion Police - China Edition

I can't help myself. Whenever I go somewhere I start looking at fashion and have to take pictures. Mainly so I can share with you the readers on my blog.

China was no exception. I didn't even get everything I saw but this will give you some ideas.

These gentlemen were showing all they got on the beach. Almost felt European with all the tiny bathing suits and men who shouldn't be wearing them.

Lots of grown women were wearing these hats.

How about some baggy pants and the jeans with different colored cuffs. And these were on MEN!

I think I had her outfit in the 1970's

These women were wearing these shoes to climb the Great Wall. I saw lots of women in bare feet who had to remove their shoes because of the climbing.

Hodgepodge - SummerTime

Joining Joyce for this week's questions. I've missed it the last few weeks!

1. What's something people might ask you for help with?
Anything involving money, balancing checkbooks, taxes. I'm very good with numbers.

2. What's something you might ask someone else for help with?
How to use the DVD player. Isn't that awful of me? I know how to make it play and pause, but all those extra menu buttons confuse me. I just hand the remote over to my husband.

3. Did your family take summer vacations when you were a child? If so, where did you go? If you're a parent, did/do you plan summer vacations with your own family? Did/do they resemble those you took as a child?
I remember a few vacations growing up. The main one I remember though wasn't in the summer. We got taken out of school for two weeks to go on a road trip. That was pretty fun.

We've taken our daughter on so many vacations...summer, spring break, Christmas. Cruises, DisneyWorld, France, Canada...she's been to a lot of places.

4. Pool-lake-ocean...which one is most appealing to you on a hot summer day?
I choose an air-conditioned room overlooking the pool or ocean. I hate being outside when it is hot.

5. Have you ever justified using the expression, 'you gotta be cruel to be kind'? Was it really necessary or were you rationalizing?
Nope and I just don't think it every works.

6. The Journal of Psychology recently mentioned the results of a survey identifying the ten most hated foods as-liver, lima beans, mayonnaise, mushrooms, eggs, okra, beets, brussel sprouts, tuna, and gelatin. Of those foods, how many do you actually hate? Anything you'd add to the list?
I dislike okra...yucky. I don't think I've ever had liver or lima beans so can't make a judgement. I used to hate brussel sprouts but I would give them a chance again.
I would add peas to the list. I've made known my great dislike of that vegetable before.

7. What's your favorite book or movie set in a beach or lake town?
I have absolutely no idea. I read so many books so fast that I don't pay attention to those details. And I don't watch a lot of movies.

8. Insert your own random thought here.
I had to get bloglovin' to read some of the blogs. A couple of the ones I've followed are new and that's the only way to get updated on when they start. I can tell I'm already going to dislike it.

Things to do in Qingdao, China

You may find yourself in Qingdao someday and wonder what you can do. Well let me tell you, there is a lot of stuff.

The first place we went to was Laoshan Mountain. Better get in some good workouts on the stair climber because you are going to go up, up, up on stairs and then down, down the stairs.

They also have bridges that people put locks on and then throw away the key.

We then went to where they held the sailing competition during the 2008 Olympics. What...you didn't know that all events weren't in Beijing?

The symbol of Qingdao

There was a park next to the hotel that had some amusement park rides for the kids. It was a nice park.

I also went to the Temple of Mazu. Fisherman would go to her before going out to sea for good fortune and safe keeping.

You eat lots of seafood since it is right on the sea.

And you can go to the beach to enjoy the atmosphere.

Beer

Now that I have your attention, I thought I would write about the famous local Qingdao beer called TsingTao. You can buy it in the US. Qingdao was inhabited by Germans in the early 1900's and they wanted their beer so they brought in brewmasters from Germany to teach the Chinese how to make it. And that is how a Chinese beer (TsingTao is pronounced Qingdao) tastes like a light German beer from hops. It is really tasty and it is served cold (one of the few drinks in China served that way). We toured their museum and of course what tour is complete without samples.




Isn't this a great fountain?












They even had bottles of the beer at the buffet at the hotel. You could take as many as you wanted to the table.

Random Stuff About China

I'll start my China recap with some random tidbits about China.

First thing I saw about the hotel was the gas mask. Why you wonder a gas mask in the hotel room? In case of fire you put it on to help you get out.





Then of course was the usual hair dryer. While I was happy that there was something, my hair didn't appreciate the effort. At least the second hotel I stayed in had a real one.





Did you know brides in China have huge production pictures taken before the wedding with the group? In Qingdao they took them at the beach, the park and the churches. The photographers have all the dresses and they do multiple changes. It isn't the dress they get married in.










They have lots of American fast food chains.














There's lots more to write about but I had to start somewhere. Hopefully I'll put together some thoughts about actual places soon.

Back from China

So many things to write about. Took several hundred pictures. Have to put thoughts together with many blog posts to come.




On the Great Wall!