Archive for June 14th, 2010

Additional Letters to Dad

Monday, June 14th, 2010

Below the fold are the other letters to Dad that I have from his memory book on his 75th birthday. These are not all the letters, but all of those that I have.

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Blogging While Traveling

Monday, June 14th, 2010

Some notes on what to expect here over the coming weeks. Unlike my sister, Helen, who is starting on her epic bicycle trip across the US, I don’t intend to blog my trip to China.

“Why not?”, you ask. “It’s so easy, and you have all the equipment. Server, laptop, smartphone … it would be really, really great.”

The reason lies in the primary purpose of the first part of my trip: re-establishing my ability to use the spoken language. This means avoiding English as much as possible, placing myself in the here-and-now of China for ten days. Running back on the internet, with English language websites and contacts, puts me back in my comfort zone—not where I want to be. I need to be uncomfortable; forced to use some long-dormant language skills. The second part of the trip will be multiple meetings, speeches and my chance to see Shanghai as a tourist—I’m going to be busy!

The one place I may allow myself to cheat is with Twitter updates. You can follow me here, or come back to the Steussy Ranch and check out the column on the right (“Twittering Steussy”). There is a minor technical issue – surmounting the Great Firewall of China – which I will have to solve to Twitter. Blogging should pop up again after July 4, when I’m back with lots of photos and reports.

I won’t be a hermit, however. The business phone number (+1 323 963 3270) will always reach me, as will email. I can’t run a business and ignore these, after all.