Imagine if you will a machine that has one dial and 14 knobs or buttons. None of them are labeled. There are 18 markings around the knob. The machine looks like our dyers, with a very thick glass door on the front side for you to throw clothes in. The difference is that the entire machine is only 12 inches thick and 28 inches tall. The inside barrel is only 8 inches deep and 11 inches in diameter. Picture a medium deep sink and you have the size of the barrel. The barrel is full after throwing in the two shirts, one pair of pants and some socks. Now comes the guessing game; which buttons to push? Which ones wash the clothes, which ones only rinse, where is the cold water indicated vs. hot? Oh, never mind, I don't get hot water here, so all is cold. Too many choices without knowing what any of them are so I push buttons at random. The end result was that the first load came out dirtier than when it went in and I started all over again.

The drying rack was useless in my living room as three hours passed and the clothes were just as wet as when I put them there. So, I put the drying rack on the small porch (I'm on the ground level). My porch though isn't closed in, like some porches here, and dirt is quickly accumulating on the cement floor. The wind tossed one of my shirts on the floor, causing the shirt to be put back with the other dirty clothes. My washing machine is outside and covered with plastic which has to be replaced after use as the dirt is thick outside. Wonder if my new IE has a trick to keeping these areas somewhat clean. And yes, I must remember to pull in the clothes the minute I start to suspect rain. Guess we are in a similar routine with laundry now, only Hawaii is a much better outdoor experience than here. The mugginess is worse than I have experienced it elsewhere. But, the good thing with weather is that it changes.

Am getting reports on the Olympic games here in Shanghai as many teachers have tickets. They are enjoying the high skill levels of the tennis and soccer players here. We get reports each morning from attendees. People take buses to the games as taxi's are in high demand immediately afterwards. There appears to be lots of pressure on the Chinese people to do well. It's all about Face! Speaking of Face, our group is going to a bar named FACE next week in a different part of town so that new staff can mingle with older staff.

To help you all know what time zone I'm in, consider the time zone of the East Coast and flip days and nights. Then you have my time zone. So, if the East coast is 8 am, it is 8 pm my time. So convert your time to East Coast time and then flip. This is how it is now, but once you guys go off daylight savings time, it'll mess up this system by one hour. Then you'll need to add one hour to East Coast time prior to flipping days and nights.

I am going exploring later today. Noticed that businesses here are usually open throughout two working shifts. What I mean by that is that the Chinese work around the clock with three crews on most jobs. Businesses, like salons and massage places, are open two shifts. Just interesting.