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Friday, July 8th, 2005
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9:42 am - New email
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Okay, temporarily send all emails to:
semiabstraction@yahoo.com
Since Mommy has been sending me important emails that I didn't know about, I decided to make a new email just for the temporary change-over of 3e.org. (and whatever the hell is wrong with Hampshire.edu)
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(9 comments | comment on this)
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| Thursday, July 7th, 2005
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9:44 pm
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I'm too excited to sleep.
This is unfortunate.
My email is broken.
This is also unfortunate. (please send any emails to sjw04@hampshire.edu temporarily)
I'll be home tomorrow.
I hate preflight fear.
Also, I'm freaked out by the bomb blasts in London.
The world is a messed up place.
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3:10 pm
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Nathan left for Jakarta this morning. And then there were two.
Max and I went back to Xiang Yang this morning because we have some sadistic desire to become broke. That is to say, I have a sadistic desire to spend all my money. Max has plenty and runs no risk of losing it all by spending too much. Since I only had about Y400 for spending money, I was really hard-hitting with the bargaining. I got some very nice things for very cheap, especially if I convert to American money.
Max and I got a bag for our swords, most importantly, so we don't have to worry as much about customs.
Max spent a long time looking at video games, so I got to sit down and talk to the shopkeepers. I played games with one of them, calling out to white folks with him. That was really fun. "DVD? Watch? Bag? What you wanna buy?" He thought it was hilarious. I got to have long (about 15 minutes) conversations with two shopkeepers. They're very interesting people. If I ever come back to Shanghai, I think I'll go to the market with no money at all and just sit down and talk to people. My Chinese has gotten much better, I can tell. I'm excited to take my family out to Chinese food so I can show off my skillz.
I am very, very tired. I'm ready to come home now. I was going to go to Nanjing Lu today to just browse around (it's the big shopping street near the hostel) but I'm too tired today and I only have Y250 left for free spending. I think I may just save it for airport. Besides, I have so many little souvenirs...I have enough that I can give a little something to everyone in my family (extended included) and some of my friends. I'm going to miss China very much (and I'll probably end up back here again sometime), but I'm ready to see Mommy and Daddy and fam. and sleep in my own bed.
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9:56 am
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Yesterday Max went to the natural history museum in the morning by himself while Nathan and I got breakfast. I changed my $100 to RMB and then the three of us went to go get lunch at the Mexican place 'cause it was really good the first time.
We went to the Sex Museum after that, and it was a big drag to get there, and it was small, but nifty nonetheless. I got a nice souvenir for Uri from there...I just couldn't resist.
After the sex museum we went to the tallest building in Shanghai. We didn't get to look out on the city because we didn't want to pay the Y90 to get to the top, but we got a cool view down 30some floors of the Hyatt. It's a really beautiful view.
Our cabride home from Pudong cost Y25. Ridiculous.
We went to dinner at around 9:30 at this Thai restaurant called Banana Leaf. We happened to arrive during happy hour, fortunately for us. Buy one beer or juice, get one free, and a special drawing for a prize. Our prize was a plate of chicken feet. Yummy! The chefs did some cool dancing and singing, which pumped us all up for clubbing.
We went to a club called the Armani Club after dinner, but unbeknownst to us it's an all Chinese club. We were the only white folk in there, and it was all Chinese pop-dance music (which kinda sucks, by the by). That was a cultural experience right there. It was obviously a very rich club, too, with drinks costing more than Y1000 ($120) and people very obviously snorting coke. It was quite a sight to see. Nathan took a video of the dance floor, which I will post when I can.
Overall it was a very good night.
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| Wednesday, July 6th, 2005
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10:06 am
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Yesterday Max and I went to the Shanghai Chinese History Museum. That was wicked cool, and very pertty. It was five floors high and had gallerys including the "Ancient Jade Gallery," the "Chinese Calligraphy Gallery," and "Ceramics Gallery." I saw the evolution of china (the pottery, not the country) which was definitely very nifty.
After the museum I went back to the market because the dress I bought the day before was a size too small. Nathan and I walked around the market, and I bought another of the same scarf I bought the day before but for Y65 less because I was in the mood to bargain hard. I also bought a jade necklace, which may or may not be fake (can fake jade scratch a mirror?).
After the market we went to a Chinese sex shop, just to see what it was like. No surprise, it was all Japanese stuff. It was a little bit gross, so we didn't spend too long looking around.
We got Italian food again last night at a really nice restaurant in the Westin. Luckily for us, Max treated me and Nathan (he has a credit card and neither of us do). We're going to return the favor back at school where the two of us have more money.
I'm going to change 100USD today so that I have a safety net for the next two days. I have enough RMB to make it through if I eat only Chinese food and don't buy anything, but what fun is that? None, that's what. I'd like to have a few hundred extra yuan, for eating nice food and buying souvenirs for the fam&friends and whatnot.
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(comment on this)
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| Tuesday, July 5th, 2005
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1:14 pm
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So I spent about $320 yesterday.
I am a Shanghai high-roller. Once I get home I'll post pictures of our culinary tour-de-monde.
The night before last we were too tired to do much, so we went up to Noah's Bar (on the roof of the hostel) and got a pizza and drank some. Nathan decided that it wasn't fair that the boys always drink and I stay sober, so he bought me a Baijiadei gen Kele (Bacardi and Coke), which got me drunk as hell. I then proceeded to make a fool of myself for the rest of the night until I fell asleep.
The first thing we did yesterday morning was go to the Xiang Yang market. This is one of the coolest places on the planet. It's a big outdoor market with oodles of cool things. This is where I spent most of my money. I bought lots of silk and paintings and a Chinese dress (which looks surprisingly good on me, seeing as white girls generally look terrible in Chinese dresses). The vibe is really awesome; you walk in and the shop owners just decend upon you saying "DVD? CD? Game? Shoe? Watch?" and that's about all the English they know besides "Want buy?" Once you enter a shop, they keep bringing things to you to try to get you to buy, but then you whip out your secret weapon: Chinese. Every shop was the same -- once the owner found out I spoke Chinese, he/she would instantly become a thousand times more human. We'd talk to them about how we're from America but we lived in Hefei, where we studied, what we think of China. Many of the shopowners are from Hefei. Then, of course, we start bargaining. I didn't pay more than 60% of the original price of anything, and most often I payed less than 40%. It's beautiful. It's so easy to haggle, especially if you're willing to walk away. I spent $300 yesterday, but I got about $1000 worth of merchandise. I LOVE CHINA.
After the market we got Mexican food. That was very, very good.
After Mexican food we went to the antique market, where I bought some antique bracelets and paintings for far less than the new ones at Xiang Yang. The best part, though, was the swords. I sat down with a shopowner because Max ran off and asked me to wait for him. We chatted for about a half an hour. He had some really cool stuff, but I was really only interested in the swords. I bought the coolest samurai sword I've ever seen for a mere $30. I also bought a Chinese sword, but that's for Sam Hoffman because he asked me to bring a sword back for him if I found one for $30 or less.
After the antique market we went to the best place ever. That is to say, really nice all-you-can-eat sushi. We ate so much, I hope we didn't annoy the chefs.
After stuffing ourselves unhealthily full of sushi, we decided to make the night perfect by getting Chinese massages. Mine wasn't all too satisfying, but that's because my shoulders are made entirely of knots. Nathan got some crazy oil massage and Max got a massage that involved two masseuses.
We slept very well last night.
I only have Y1300 left, but I think that will be plenty if I plan accordingly. I didn't realize I would spend so much in Shanghai.
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| Sunday, July 3rd, 2005
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8:36 pm
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Enter Shanghai. I don't have much time because I'm on a public computer and people are waiting.
Last night was a massive banquet. Xuwen got very, very, very drunk and yelled about how fuck he was (apparently he doesn't understand that the proper term is 'fucked up').
We rode the train out this morning at 800. This old couple stared at us the whole way. It was really weird. The guy across from us plays World of Warcraft, which is the coolest thing ever. We had a good conversation about WoW.
We went out for Italian food for dinner. Nathan has decided to do a high-rollers tour of the world here in Shanghai, and I'm totally into that. I'm excited for sushi night. Despite that the good restaurants are very expensive from what we're used to in Hefei, it's still very cheap by American standards.
Tomorrow we're going shopping for trinkets at the outdoor market. If you haven't told me your Chinese zodiac sign yet, get on it.
Also, we're planning on visiting both the museum of Shanghai and the Shanghai Sex Museum before we leave on Friday. Both promise to be very interesting.
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| Saturday, July 2nd, 2005
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5:58 am
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Oh, also, I forgot to mention Thurday's wild graduation party. The seniors at the AAU graduated, so there was a huge banquet. I got some wonderful videos of everyone getting totally smashed, which I will post once I get back to America (I can't post huge files from here). A good time was had by all. Wang Laoshi even drank some. The Americans (the American boys, that is) went around congratulating everyone and gangbei-ing everyone. The boys were very, very drunk. Nathan kept saying "If I gangbei one more time I'm going to puke," but didn't until we got back to the apartment. Poor guy. Max, Jared and Julio were fine, though. Just very intoxicated.
Unfortunately, I couldn't get drunk with them all because they were drinking warm beer, and frankly, warm beer is some of the grossest stuff I've ever tasted in my life. I took one sip and felt like I was going to puke right there.
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5:26 am - Going to Shanghai tomorrow
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Friends and family, if you read nothing else, read and obey the following sentence: Please post your Chinese zodiac animal, or, if you don't know it, please post your birthyear. Thank you very much.
Last night we saw some examples of Chinese opera. It's...interesting. I took good videos of it. It's something you really have to see to believe. Also, we saw a woman play this really nifty string instrument that I think is called a gozhong or something like that. I have pictures of it, which I will post when I have more time. Uri ought to feature someone playing one on an album or something, it's a really freaking cool instrument. Then again, Uri would also probably like to feature a Chinese opera singer...it's definitely right up his alley.
I'm going to Shanghai tomorrow. It's bound to be a blast. Nathan and Sam want to go club-hopping, which ought to be quite the experience.
I went out this morning with Max and Xuwen. I bought some great stuff, good souvenirs for people. I bought myself a real Chinese jade necklace with laotu on it (the zodiac rabbit, my birthyear). They do some wonderful art with those zodiac animals. I got a great deal on my necklace, too, only Y144, which is 18USD. It was 55% off.
Max did some great haggling. He was thinking of buying some replica ancient Chinese coins, but the guy want to charge Y5 per coin. Max kept saying Y35 for the nine coins he wanted to buy, and the guy kept saying Y40, and then we got up to go and the guy freaked out and let Max have them for Y35. It was awesome. And all over a mere Y5.
Xuwen was very helpful with the pricing of things. Also, he showed me how to tell the difference between real and fake jade.
Wang Laoshi and Mack (Jon's girlfriend) taught us how to play Mahjong this afternoon. Mack taught us how to play with gambling. It's a great game. I'm going to buy a tile set so that I can teach people back home; I'm sure my friends will like to play, especially if it involves gambling.
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| Friday, July 1st, 2005
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4:17 am
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Thursday:
We went out after class buying dongxis. I got a pair of silk shoes for Y58 (7USD). Lulu was our guide. I swear, she is the most beautiful girl in China. She has a great personality, too. I think Max has a little crush on her, but we've only got two more days. We went to a park, which was pretty cool. Also, some guy took pictures of us, claiming that it was for a newspaper. Also, bubble tea.
Anyway, we took her to sushi. No surprise that she didn't like it. At the end of the meal they brought us the weirdest dessert ever. It was like potato salad, but with apples instead of potatos, with fish eggs and crab stick on top. Mayonnaise and apples don't really go together. To quote Nathan, "Well that's the weirdest fuckin' dessert I've ever eaten."
Late at night we told stories and drank tea in Nathan's room, Max, Nathan, Jared and I. It's about time we started talking to each other. A shame we're leaving Sunday.
This morning we woke up early and went back to the garden to buy some cool souvenirs. I really wanted to buy some of the iron paintings, but they were doing construction on the building. I have to go out and buy some tomorrow morning. I bought up some Chinese jade, though, which is totally awesome. LaoHu and I get along very well.
Tomorrow's plan is to go out and buy the iron paintings, then go to Wang Laoshi's house to learn how to play mahjong, then there's a going away banquet.
Also, look forward to an entry about Chinese taxis!
current mood:  cheery
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| Thursday, June 30th, 2005
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12:05 am
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Yesterday we went to McDonald's. Yeah, that's right. It was just like America, but with crazier drinks.
We also bought up lots of bubble tea.
This morning we heard someone from Shanghai speak. It was crazy...an entirely different language.
I leave for Shanghai on Sunday morning. Hopefully I'll be able to get all my pictures up by then. I'm still not finished with the ones from Huangshan.
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| Tuesday, June 28th, 2005
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8:05 pm
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Sallin came over last night. We made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. She's never had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It was a magical moment.
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(comment on this)
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| Monday, June 27th, 2005
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4:51 am - Hiking up Huangshan!
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Here, here, and here are some pictures. Check back for a few days because I don't have time enough to upload all of them now.
Yeah, I hiked up China's Yellow Mountain.
Notes:
Pengyous = friends
dongxis = stuff
lil' bitches = Jesse (and sometimes Sam) when they're cranky
Wang DeGuide = our tourguide, Wang Dong
( Friday, Saturday, and Sunday )
Now
Max is not dead. He's much happier, actually. He went sightseeing this weekend and bought a lot of dongxis and is in a generally good mood. That made everyone happy.
current mood: accomplished
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| Thursday, June 23rd, 2005
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12:05 am
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Yesterday: Downtown Hefei
Nathan, Jared and I went to a noodle shop next to the bank and then decided to wander around yesterday afternoon. We walked around little back alleys that were lined with shops, mostly girls' clothing and accessories but some other nifty little places. I wanted to spend some more time looking at things, but you know how it is to go shopping with boys. The styles are really cool here, though, so I'll definitely have to go out with Morgan some time and find some new outfits.
The food market was a little bit scary. It smelled rancid. There were all kinds of chopped up animal parts (like blobs of fat) lying on filthy tables. There was one part where we saw live birds and managed to stick around long enough to see a woman drown a pigeon. No foolin'. They had some good looking fruit, there, though, and I would feel comfortable eating it if we washed it in boiling water first (like we do with our dishes).
I attempted to withdraw money from the bank, but my card was rejected. It said that I could withdraw up to Y3000, but it wouldn't give me the money I wanted. Hey parents, could you wire me, like, $300?
After the bank we walked down to the center of town (or what I can best assume is the center of town). I bought my first bubble tea, and it was AMAZING. So much better than American bubble tea (though it didn't come in flavors, but whatever).
We went to a DVD shop where Jared was followed by some six Chinese employees. That was pretty damned funny.
Jared went home early because he was tired of walking around. Nathan and I went into some clothing stores (yay for humoring my girly urges) but we didn't find anything. Every time I'd want to try something on the employees would take it from me. I'm pretty sure one of them told me that the bustline was too small. That was upsetting. The same thing happened to Nathan, minus the bustline.
We got tired of walking so we decided to sit and people watch for a while. It's amazing how accustomed we can get to seeing Chinese people everywhere. People watching in China is really fun, except that you periodically have to pay for it (that is, beggars come by looking for money). There were some very attractive Chinese ladies, some very unattractive Chinese ladies, some gangstas, some children, some old people....it was fun to watch them go by. And here's the best mullet ever.
The coup de gras was going to Pizza Hut for dinner. Pizza Hut is a classy joint over here. The dinner cost us Y90, which is very expensive for two people in China (the average two-person meal being Y20 or so, for good food). It was nice to eat something western, though. Very satisfying. Hopefully my stomach will stop hurting soon.
I miss carbs.
current mood:  smiley
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| Monday, June 20th, 2005
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12:31 am
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China Time: 1330
Location: Hefei, classroom
Yesterday:
We woke up at early in the morning to go to this tourist garden-y place (pictures are here). It was basically a historic tourist site with lots of fake landmarks and the like. It was really fun, especially the underground dungeon-maze. It was two-tiered with grates looking down on the lower floor (which Nathan conveniently used to pour water on Xuwen, who proceeded to yell about ghosts). I had fun scaring random Chinese people and Xuwen ran about unscrewing all the lightbulbs. Definitely the highlight of the garden. There were also many places to buy pretty things, so I think I'll have to go back to get souvenirs.
When we got back to the apartment we stir-fried the leftovers from last night and decidedly did NOT do the homework that was due today. It's just to much fun to sit around not working.
My birthday party was at the same restaurant where we usually have Banquet Time!. It was one of the best Banquet Time!s yet, probably because people kept wishing me a happy birthday/life. I got some good videos of Xuwen being ridiculous AND drunk, for a change of pace. I ate snake, which would have been really good if not for the painful level of spice.
I'd write more, but I think I'm making people impatient.
They'll thank me someday.
Beeteedubbs: I'm staying here an extra week, until the 8th. I'll be chilling in Shanghai (do the zhongguo two-step, as it were) with Max and Nathan, then flying to Chicago and staying there a couple days with Andyface (probably three nights) then finally returning home for a much-deserved cheesesteak. Mark your calendars, folks.
current music: Oh No! - The Disrupt
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| Saturday, June 18th, 2005
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7:43 pm - Happy birthday to us!
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Happy birthday to me and Stevie! Yay!
The teachers are planning an awesome party for tonight. I'm very excited.
I started writing little bios of the people with whom I am traveling. I'll include them at the bottoms of my entries as I write them.
Max and Jared went on a double date the night before last with some Chinese girls. Max was very reluctant to go, being the shy, studious young man that he is, but I heard in the morning that he had a wonderful time. Jared says that Max and the girl really hit it off. I'm very happy for him.
Wang Laoshi invited us to dinner last night. She is a very good cook. She made all kinds of wonderful things that we can only partially identify, but it was better than any of the restaurants. She had some delicious things that had the texture of matzo balls but turned out to be made of crab and shrimp. Whatever, it was good.
In other news, I'm going to try to stay an extra week in order to spend some time in Shanghai. I feel like I'm gypping myself a little bit by not seeing any place besides Hefei and spending all four of my weeks in class. Some of the other students are staying in Shanghai from the 2nd to the 8th, so I think I'll hop on board that if I can. (Hello, parents!)
On Morgan, 21, one of my two flatmates:
Morgan is a social butterfly. Halfway through the school year she shaved her head and began a “finding herself” sort of phase, possibly as a result of her boyfriend leaving her. She started to question the social concepts of feminine beauty and women’s place in American culture, and it seems like she hasn’t quite figured out what she feels yet. Maybe she’s looking for answers to her questions in other people, because she talks to every random person she meets, trying to get each one’s story.
Morgan loves being in China because she doesn’t have to make any commitments to anyone she meets. None of her friends are good life-long friends, they’re just some random Chinese people she meets and will probably never see again after she leaves. She probes each new person, whether he is a waiter or a student or just a guy on the street, about his life. She’ll strike up a conversation on any topic she can think of that might interest her acquaintance. “What’s your favorite drink?”, “Are you a student? What do you study?”, “Do you think this shirt looks good?” We’ve witnessed her ask these questions to people who happened to be walking next to her on the sidewalk. Though this would seem strange in America, the Chinese love meeting Westerners, so she almost always gets a good conversation going and has made many friends already.
current mood: cheerful
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| Thursday, June 16th, 2005
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10:43 pm
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China Time: 1145
Location: Hefei, classroom
The past few days have been slow. It's been a lot of waiting around for us to have something to do. Two days ago we were invited to a dance party that was strikingly similar to a frat party in the US. I got to the party late and the floor was wet with beer. Max and Jon were swamped by drunken Chinese college students and gorgeous Chinese babes. I didn't stay long; it's not really my cup of tea. Plus, all the beer was warm, and for me it's nothing but cold ones.
Last night was Banquet Time! again. Aaron Berman, the Dean of Faculty at Hampshire, came here to check out the China vibe and brought his family with him. It was kind of fun to drink with my Dean, but not really. This Banquet Time! wasn't as good as it usually is. We had some TOTALLY AWESOME! peking duck, though. Oh, it was so good. So, so, so good. **drool**
We also went to a tea ceremony yesterday. It was very "gongfu," which is Chinese for "takes a really f***ing long time." By the end I was well ready for some Banquet Time! and totally hocked up on caffeine.
Last night Nathan locked himself(1) out of his room, so Jon had to YET AGAIN kungfu the door. He broke it off the hinges this time.
Notes: (1) Nathan claims that the door locked him out, not the other way around.
current mood:  bouncy
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| Monday, June 13th, 2005
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7:33 pm - on The Family Grill
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China Time: 830
Location: Hefei, classroom
Allow me to set up some more of the China scene for you Americamen.
A minute away from the apartment, up the stairs and down the path, is a little "kuai fandian," or "fast food restaurant." It's the closest source of food to the apartment that isn't the apartment. It's a sheisty little shop with sheisty little tables outside. The tables are all sweating with grease and the ground is coated in decomposing food parts. All in all, it's a pretty dirty looking place.
Outside the food-preparation area are gigantic basins. This is where three middle-aged Chinese women wash the dishes. Since the water here is unusable unless it's been boiled, they wash the dishes in nearly boiling hot water. This is why their hands are swollen and red.
Next to the basins, there is invariable one or two twenty-something men knifing foodstuffs. That is to say, they are skinning potatos, or chopping up chickens, or any other number of things that they seem to occupy themselves with.
But the best part of the Family Grill is the owner. "Pops," we call him. Or any other of the many names we think are fitting, such as from the following list:
Big Eddie
The Commander
The Cheif
Big Al
El Capitain
And so on. This man is about 5'10" tall, has an incurable slouch, and a pitch black Snidely Wiplash mustache. He always wears a button-up shirt unbuttoned to expose his bubbly beerbelly, and bubbly it is. It protrudes as if he swallowed a gigantic watermelon, or as if he's in his third trimester. This guy is the coolest motherfunker on the planet.
Every time we go to the Family Grill we enlist the help of other restaurant patrons. We attempt to decifer the menu and fail, but always end up getting something good, even if we can't tell what sort of animal it is. That's why we head to the Family Grill when we want a snack; say 'ni hao' to Pops and get some good food.
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| Sunday, June 12th, 2005
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10:59 pm - Mao Zedong? ZEDONG?
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China Time: Noon
Location: Hefei, Classroom
Yesterday-
Went food shopping, I bought an electronic translator. We went to a wedding (pictures to be up when I have more time) and got partly drunk in celebration. Julio caught the bouquet, which didn't surprise us; the way he acts he'll have a Chinese wife in no time. After the wedding the drunks (Jared and Julio) went to seduce some fine Chinese honies. I hear they were semi-successful.
When we got home I came to the realization that I didn't have the keys to my room, so Jon FBIed the door. In other words, my door is now ub3r borked (very broken).
We stayed up until midnight telling stories in Nathan's room, then Nathan and I stayed up until 3:30am chatting again. At 3:30 I went back to my apartment only to discover that Jon and/or Morgan had locked the door, probably assuming I was already in my room. So I was locked out again. And that's the story of my sleepover in the other apartment.
My birthday is coming up! They're planning some kind of wicked awesome party for me...
More pictures to come soon. Must go now.
current mood: cheerful
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| Saturday, June 11th, 2005
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3:58 am - This entry dedicated to Greta Shaver
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China Time: 1600
Location: Hefei, classroom
The past day was very eventful. First I went to the bank, which was an adventure of it's own. I now have a stack of 70 Y100 bills. I'm a high roller.
On the walk back from the bank we met saw a family of white folk, so we decided to act like the Chinese and take a picture of them. We struck up conversation and found out that they are here to adopt a chinese baby girl. Her given name at the orphanage was "Xiatian" which, as best as I know, means "summer." She is very beautiful. There is a picture of her here.
Also, while we were sitting talking to these Americans, a random Chinese girl ran up to me, gave me a flower, and ran away. I think it's the most flattering thing that's ever happened to me.
When we got home, Sallin came up to the apartment to hang out. Since it was her birthday, Nathan invited her to dinner. We went to a very fancy restaurant (it cost a whole $15 to feed the six of us!). Afterward we played around downtown, and I bought some beautiful bracelets for me and as souvenirs for people. Sallin says these bracelets make hope. They're light enough that I can actually stand to wear one!
We got back home around 11. Nathan and I stayed up until 2am talking. He's an interesting guy. He's very shy but still a very good person with whom to stay up late talking.
This morning Morgan and I went shopping. She's a very good person for shopping. She likes to look at things a lot, she doesn't mind waiting even if I want to look at something she doesn't, and she's a bargain hunter (even in China, which says a lot).
When we got back it was Banquet Time! again. Today was the Dragon Boat Festival, so we made some songzi and ate really good food. I spilled my water on Nathan, which made me feel bad until Morgan spilled her water on me. It was all good fun. I love Banquet Time! The concept is that the restaurant just keeps bringing food. If you think it's over, you're wrong. If the Chinese can come up with any excuse to eat a ridiculous amount of really good food and get totally loaded, they'll jump on it.
And here's the dedication:
These shoes cost no more than $15 a pair. The ones that look like Converse Chuck Taylors cost about $7 each. Enjoy, Greta.
current mood: pleasant
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