News from Shanghai

1 more week and counting until Bekah and the kids arrive here in Shanghai.
I have spent the last couple of weeks searching for our home for the next 5 months and seem to have found the perfect location. Depending upon how the negotiations go with the landlord, we will be living in the Skyline Masion in Pudong (East of the River). This apartment will be within walking distance of what hopes to be our new office here in Shanghai.
My first couple of weeks have been a lesson in adapting to a new culture. I have learned quickly that I will average more showers a day than meals. For those of you who know me well, this is an huge reversal as I am usually 3 to 1 in favor of meals in the states. Shanghai happens to be the most humid place that I have ever lived, thus creating my need for multiple showers. I have eaten mostly at chinese restaurants since arriving, with the acception of breakfast. The chinese really do not have a concept of breakfast as being dis-similar to any other meal in the day, so I have made frequent stops at the local McDonalds to get hotcakes and sausage.
I have spent most of my week working with the new associates from China Printing Solutions and looking for apartments and most of my weekends shopping at the local markets looking for good deals. I seem to have negotiated "friend" price at most every place that I have visited. I was able to get some Puma shoes for $16.00USD and probably overpaid by 50%. Not to mention that these Puma shoes indicate that I now wear size 10's. I have also gotten to play some basketball with the crew here. Shark is the basketball expert within the company and he has recently asked that I begin to play on his team for the weekend games. During the first game, they quickly realized that you can't leave me open for the baseline "j". Alan said "you like shoot at no backboard"...I said "when you have as sweet a shot as me, you don't need a backboard" and proceeded to tell him how I learned to play basketball on a dirt court shooting at just a rim on a wooden post with no backboard. They seemed to believe it! It also helps that the rim we play on seems to be a couple inches short of the regulation 10ft. I have found that I am much more accurate on a rim that is somewhere between 9'8" and 9'10".
For my first local meal, the team from CPS took me to a Budhist, Vegetarian, Chinese restaurant (I know - 0 for 3). I tried everything that we ordered. I didn't realize that tofu could be molded and flavored to taste like almost anything. My favorite item was "cow peas" which happen to be glorified green beans, but surprisingly enough, my 2nd favorite item was a tofu, beef substitute that had been compressed to the shape of a rib...think McRib made out of tofu. Mmmmmm - good. I am the largest man here! I will post later!