Breakfast and blogging.

Mmmm. Breakfast.

I once did an art piece with the line "frustration makes an ugly dress on me." I think I have some new material for that one.

I can't communicate with anyone, I'm hungry, I'm annoyed, I'm frustrated.

Last night on our flight from Chengdu to Beijing, Air China confiscated the head phones about 20 minutes before landing. That would seem reasonable, but they left "National Treasure" on to torture us. I got smart and used my iPod headphones, but then, with just 5 or 10 minutes left of the movie, they turned the damned thing off! I wanted to see the treasure! I was so dejected. (What is becoming of me? I WANTED to see a Nicolas Cage movie? OMG.) China.

Lucky for me, the misbehaving air travelers distracted me and quelled my Nic Cage-outrage. Imagine a 747 full of people, half of which acted as though they had never been on a plane and had no interest in following instructions. And who like to shout. Good times.

And I feel like such a baby for complaining. I'm in Beijing, for god's sake. What do I have to complain about? While I know that I need to get to the point where I find this amusing, right now I just feel like throwing my phone out the window. And trying the Chinese wine in my mini bar. (I'm fairly certain all would be lost at that point...)

By the way, don't be a vegetarian in China. It means all you eat is frozen-pizza looking things, even in strangely opulent "European" restaurants. Would it be bad to go down to the bar and order a gin and tonic? (It's 9 am, folks.)

Oy.

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The humidity is suffocating here- in Shanghai, in Chengdu, now in Beijing. The quality of the air is so peculiar; thick and gray, heavy, everywhere you look. I take photos and the color saturation is nil, they somehow look black and white. It's probably the strangest thing about China, this all-pervading gray-ness:

View from an apartment window in Chengdu.

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I spent yesterday doing in-home interviews in Chengdu. No matter where I am, I feel honored that people let me into their homes to interview them and get a sneak peek at their lives. But being able to do that yesterday was extra-special.

Last interview of the day, Chengdu.

Once again I was struck by the similarities between these kids and the kids I interview in the US. We know that sport is universal- hello Olympics- but it's striking to me how 1:1 the ratio seems to be. These kids, a world away from New York or Los Angeles, relate to their hoops heroes as beacons of hope, indicators that there is a better life out there, examples of the men they want to be (or, for the matter, don't want to be). Exactly what I hear in the US.

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Welcome to LA...Err, Beijing.

We arrived in Beijing late last night and, happily, have today off. I have a driver meeting me downstairs at 11 to take me to the Forbidden City, but my coworker is sick and can't come along. Giant bummer on that one. It looks like there is a "Hall of Earthly Peace" at the Palace...I think I'll head straight there. I could use a little. I wonder if they have souvenirs.

I'm also going to try to hit the silk market, which would be my first proper shopping foray in China. I'm looking forward to that...And some fake designer goods, of course. Ladies, I'll keep you posted on that one.

G'bye for now. Love and miss you all.