Ireland/China 2025, continuing (12)

[aadler]

Second day in China – June 22 Sunday

Susan and I up by 8:00, had a leisurely breakfast from the groceries Mei-li ordered for us yesterday. I got a shower, we did a Rosary, I spent some time clearing our suitcases and putting things away.

(It was only after I’d already been up for some hours before Susan got an alert on her phone — unworkable as a cell in China, but connected to the apartment internet — of a U.S. strike in Iran. I checked the sites I normally follow, and yes, that happened. Well. When I was studying Persian Farsi at Fort Bragg in 2004, I was positive, and said so, that we would have to invade Iran within 3-4 years … because they wouldn’t stop seeking nuclear weaponry, and we couldn’t allow that. For over a decade, Israeli sabotage and targeted assassinations — augmented, perhaps, by a smitch of Iranian incompetence — kept the mullahs’ nuclear dream from coming to fruition; now, decisive action by the Israeli armed forces and targeted American bombing, may tip the balance and bring about a regime change by the Iranian people that is the only realistic hope of ending a long-, long-, long-standing threat.)

Yesterday, when I opened my laptop for the first time in several days, I discovered that in a two-inch section of the screen there were a few faint surface cracks, barely visible. Unfortunately, my laptop has a touch-screen, and periodically the program would go into spasms, believing (apparently) that the area around those cracks was calling for activity. Sometimes that would go on endlessly. It got to be a big enough problem that I was afraid I would have to replace the laptop. However, after the last such event I tried something else: went into Settings, found the program or subprogram that supported the touch-screen, and disabled it. Now everything works fine, I just can’t do anything more by screen operation, it’s strictly mouse and keyboard. Honestly? I’m more accustomed to it this way anyhow.

By pre-arrangement, Susan and I went downstairs at 12:30PM for Kevin to pick us up; he arrived, the taxi he’d called arrived, and we went with him to St. Thérèse of Lisieux Catholic Church for Mass today. We chanced on a good day for this: Kevin was in the choir, Amber was acting as an altar server, and they were preparing to recognize the 19th anniversary of the priest’s ordination.

Mei-li and her mother Laura joined us a bit before the service, since we’d arrived early with Kevin so he could practice with the choir, and after the Mass we hung around with others for treats to celebrate the priest’s anniversary. (While we were being introduced around to the different people Kevin knew at the church, it occurred to me that they all seemed to be international couples, usually Chinese wife/Western husband. I asked Kevin about that, and he said it wasn’t that all those who came to the English-language service were international, but an easy majority, probably 80% and up.) Then back to our apartment, where Kevin showed us how to get the television working, and talked with us a bit, then left to go to his family before time to come back to get us.

Which he did, with Amber, and we walked together to the Yins’ for dinner. Logan had done the cooking again — retired, it’s one of his main hobbies — and he told us he wanted us to have dinner there every day. I passed over a bottle of Irish whiskey I’d brought him (come in from Ireland? just makes sense to bring Irish whiskey), and we settled in to eat. During the meal, they told Susan they’d already ordered an electric wheelchair for her … which we really couldn’t refuse, but they’re a great deal more generous with us than we could even afford to be with them. Feels both nice and a tiny bit uncomfortable, at the same time.

Susan likewise passed over some presents she’d brought for Mei-li and Laura, from Mexico and New Mexico and the airport in Paris. Nice, good meal, and visiting afterward; it was something like 8:30PM when Kevin and Amber walked us back to our apartment.

Susan went to bed immediately, somewhat after 8:30PM. I kept doing different things before knocking off just after 10:00PM.