Vista bliss

Q: Why did Microsoft call it "Vista"?
A: Because "shit" was already taken.
Right now my laptop, with everything I use, is unable to get online. So I'm writing this on our home PC which has mostly Chinese characters, but has Good Old XP and is very reliable. This is just a little update, which will be followed with something more in depth with video and pictures later.
The weather has turned cool and rainy, which is good since China has been experiencing a drought throughout most of the country. Yali got me a new manly umbrella, since I was using a cheap purple thing with flowers on it. It was kind of gay (not that there's anything wrong with that). My new one is beefy and plaid. Very Braveheart. Speaking of which, I know that we all look alike to the people here, but two people now have said I look like Mel in Braveheart. Talk about ego boost. And I don't have crazy neocatholic bees in my head making me hate Jews, so I feel doubly blessed.
I did well enough as a substitute teacher that I've been hired to finish the school year at the elementary schools I've been working in. Yay! I have some private students, too. I'm actually making a living here! Visa renewal was a piece of cake, too. It is a lot easier to get permission to live here than it is for my Chinese family to do it in the USA. Right now, given the state of the economy at home, I'm happy to be here with food on the table, a roof over our heads and an income.