Happy Thanksgiving!

How did you celebrate your Thanksgiving?

We had a celebration with some of our friends here.

We had roast chicken, mashed potatoes, stuffing, salad, rolls, sweet potatoes, corn, sticky rice, and apple and pumpkin pie.

I helped make one of the chickens and the a Caesar salad.

Goodbye Lucy

On Nov. 11th, Lucy, my bike, was stolen. Lucy would have been a year and a half tomorrow. My bike was stolen in our international building while a woman was supposed to be watching it. It was also amongst many of the foreigner bikes, but for some reason the thief decided to steal my bike.

I was pretty upset at first, but I got over it. I was actually going to write a blog about Lucy before she was stolen. She was a good bike. I did have to have some cosmetic repairs on her (new bell, new basket, patched tire, new lock) because a lot of the cosmetic items were broken, but the bike was running pretty well.

I looked back at the first post of Lucy, and Alvin's then bike, Yoshi. I said, "I hope they don't get stolen." Well, hopefully Lucy and Yoshi are now reunited in the thief's lot.

My friends have lent me their extra bike for now. Thank you guys!

Here are pictures we have of Lucy:

Libero

I have definitely found the new position that I love to play in volleyball: libero. Most people don't know what the libero (pronounced lib-bear-row) position is. For most folks, they just assume that there are 6 people on the court... 3 in the front row and 3 in the back row... and that whoever gets the 3rd touch is the "spiker." While there's some truth to that... volleyball has... positions. There is usually 1 player (possibly 2) on the court designated as the setter. Then you have some big players up in front who are outside hitters, middle hitters, or play opposite (the setter).

The problem is that, while these huge hitters are strong and powerful when in the front row, they are often not so good at passing the ball or moving quick or diving when they are in the back row. That's where the libero comes in. I love this position.



The libero gets to swap in and out with these hitters when they are supposed to occupying the 3 spots in the back row. This libero substitution is not like regular substitutions of players (of which a team has a limited number each set). That's why the libero gets to wear a different colored uniform than the rest of the players on his team.

The front row player gets a break since they've been jumping (hitting and blocking) while playing the front row. And I get to be a defensive specialist in their place in the back row... receive serves, dig down balls, and chase after tipped or blocked balls. This is why I love playing indoor volleyball - I get to dive. And since I'm shorter, I'm closer to the ground, and so I have more time to get to these balls.

My men's team here has been playing in the city tournament league. We've had 7 matches so far, and our record is 3-4. Not so great. But it has been so much fun. I'm not entirely sure how much longer this league goes... it's possible our next match (12/3) is an elimination round match. I don't really catch these details very much (either because our team manager doesn't push this information, or because I just don't understand the Chinese)... I just show up when I'm told and get ready to hit the ground.

A New Gift/Toy/Addiction

One of our astute readers noticed in Bethany's puzzle picture that there was a new, red toy in the background. Yes. We have... an espresso machine.



When we met up with our friends in Xi'an, they had an espresso machine which they said they had rarely used and would like to pass on to us. So, how could I refuse? (Thanks SO MUCH, R+E!)

We brought it back here to our city, and I have been drinking somewhere around 2 lattes a day. I'm slowly getting better at making the foam just right, and I'm beginning to work on basic latte art.

Here is what I drank just before writing this post...

Puzzle Done

A few months ago, Alvin and I were working on an impossible Crackerjack puzzle. We were averaging a piece every half hour. Therefore, after a couple weeks, we gave up.

The other day, my friend came over with another puzzle. It was 550 pieces, and my friend, Alvin and I all worked on the puzzle and finished it in a night. It was exhilarating finishing a puzzle.

Terracotta Soldiers

We went to visit the Terracotta Soldiers one day. This was Alvin's first time visiting, and my second time. Most of what I saw this time was the same inside the Terracotta pits, but so much of the surrounding area has changed in the last eight years.

Here is a picture of pit one:

Lamb Soup in Xian

We ate a lot of good food in Xian. We had Xian specialties, yummy Indian food, and even McDonald's, Subway, and of course Starbucks.

Here is a picture of a Xian specialty called Yang2 rou4 pao4 mo4 (lamb soup). You first receive two pieces of bread that you rip up and put in the bowl. The waitress then pours in the soup. Yummy!