Hoooo-boy! Spring is just around the corner in good old Shanghai.
Here's a quirky little perception of mine after living here in Shanghai for going on seven years: the way different cultures respond to weather, specifically temperature. Take today for instance. It's a gorgeous sunny day, the temp is currently 66F (19C for the rest of the world) and I'm strutting around in shorts and a light sweater. My lovely local neighbors, however, are bundled up to the neck in heavy coats and scarves. I walk down the street to my favorite coffee shop earning stares and double takes from people with hats and gloves on. It's my opinion the people here more often dress for the calendar than the weather. I've witnessed the rare warm February day here in Shangers when I've been relieved to wear shorts and a t-shirt while being gawked at by citizens in thick coats and earmuffs. Again, it's a difference in cultures. If I dressed according to the calendar in Texas, I could be bundled up for below freezing temps in the morning and be a literal hot mess by lunch. Texas weather is a fickle bitch.
I still haven't seen the new Ant-Man movie. I'm dying.
The school musical opens next week. It's Chicago. And Chicago is... well... it's Chicago. It's gritty, naughty, and full of fantastic songs. A mom of a young elementary student asked if it was appropriate for her daughter, I think her daughter is about seven, and I shrugged, "It's Chicago." There's a lot of sexuality in it and we've even turned it down a few notches. When I was a kid, I was lead to believe that exploring sexuality was shameful and to never go down that lustful road. I'm glad I work in an environment where we can admit that students are multifaceted and sexuality is part of it. There will be some uncomfortable people in the audience. Hell, I'm uncomfortable at times by what the kids have come up with. My student choreographer and student orchestra conductor are phenomenal. So is the student costume designer and her team. And my right hand person, Hao. She's been killer.
Have you ever had a rosemary chocolate scone? Yum.
I'm reading a new book, Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World. It's beautiful. The author has an intriguing voice through Aristotle. It's set in El Paso, Texas, in the late 1980s. The boys are both of Mexican heritage and they're intricately complex, but carefully and simply written. It's a sequel to Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. I'll talk about both of them more in my next newsletter. Subscribe, yo!
Have you played Hogwarts Legacy yet? Blarg! It's so fun. I'm Slytherin, of course. Deal. My students know just how Slytherin I am...
Loved seeing all the accolades Everything, Everywhere All at Once received at the Academy Awards. No, I didn't watch it. I stopped watching most award shows years and years ago. Something about all the popular kids getting together and giving each other awards and stuff gets to me. I do still watch the Tony Awards. I felt terrible for Angela Bassett. I truly didn't think she'd receive the Oscar for her role in Wakanda Forever. Jamie Lee Curtis was great in EEAaO. Deirdre Beaubeirdre is a brilliant name for a character. Brilliant and also sounds like something an over sugared 3rd grade girl would make up on the playground playing house. Deirdre Beaubeirdre. Say it out loud when you're having a rough day.
My boyfriend is terribly handsome.
Not sure if he reads this.
We'll see, I suppose.
I think that's enough brain drippings for now.
Later.
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