It's beginning to look a lot like....oh, nevermind

Let's not kid ourselves: it's never going to look like a stylized Christmas scene from Norman Rockwell here in Southern Taiwan - no snow, palm trees, generally pretty warm (though apparently the weather didn't get the memo about this last bit today - it was a chilly 55 degrees Fahrenheit with gusty winds and rain today) - but that doesn't mean the man-made trappings don't start popping up all over the place.  To wit:

Near our church

I am unable to show my teeth while smiling. :)  Still a cute photo.

These photos and more are freshly uploaded at Flickr, just for you.

GJS

Long time no post

What gives?

Well, I've been doing a lot of triathlon training, first of all.  Then, we were out of town the weekend before last to Sun Moon Lake in central Taiwan.  Right after we got back from that trip, I found out my grandma died and I went back to the U.S. for the funeral.  Now I'm back in Taiwan and headed back to class tomorrow.  More busy-ness!

Back on this side of the Pacific, I'm going to be busy writing term papers, preparing presentations, getting ready for the Taipei Half Marathon later this month, and all the biking and swimming I can manage to fit in!

I did post a bunch of photos from the trip back to the U.S., the trip to Sun Moon Lake, and other assorted goodness over at Flickr (some are also on Facebook, if you are on there).  I'll put up a few here just for fun:

At the Formosan Aboriginal Cultural Village (FACV) near Sun Moon Lake

John at Sun Moon Lake

Barb and Lance on the Sun Moon Lake "ropeway" (cable cars)

This guy likes to ride on trains (at FACV)

On the way to the funeral

An all-grandson casket detail

Mild weather in Omaha means backyard football!

There was a massacre (of Lego men) - at the Fun Fair at John's school

Our new pets (two are still alive)

Folks, that's Carl "Stump" Merrill on the right, former NY Yankees manager (early 1990s).  He was the "guest of honor" at the school Fun Fair.

It was a rainy day at the Fun Fair.  Here's John trying to outleg his best buddy.

John's new tattoo (don't worry folks, it's only temporary!)

Sailboats on the Love River, Kaohsiung

GJS

Putting the "C" in consistency...

One small step at a time.  Back out for a run this morning, went a little bit farther (maybe a little bit faster? not sure, I didn't have my GPS with me - more about that in a minute) than by run earlier this week.  Ran just over 27 minutes today, which even if I was running slow (9 min miles), should have netted me 3 miles or more.

It was fun to get out and explore the city, too.  I had forgotten all the stuff I was missing out on seeing not going out for my morning jaunts.  Despite the cool (cold? probably, for Kaohsiung, anyhow) weather, there are still plenty of old folks out in the park doing tai chi or just walking.  Everyone was so bundled up, they were giving me crazy looks for being out in shorts (once I got going, I was plenty warm, and even needed to take off the light windbreaker I had on when I left the building).  On my run I found a park not far from where we live that has swings - John's favorite playground equipment. (The park across the street from our building has a playground area, but it does not have swings.)

Good thing I went to run when I did - out the window now I can see light rain / coming down.  That may put a damper on our hoped-for plans later this afternoon - it's an outside activity.

About the GPS - I like the data the device gives me about distance speed, heart rate, etc., but I must admit that strapping all the gear on, then waiting for the device to acquire the signal from the satellites is a bit tiresome, and right now the last thing I need is for something to dissuade me from getting out the door.  I do like to have the “pretty picture” of my route that it give me, though.  I will probably start using it again next week.

GJS

Some serious nesting going on

After the museum visit tanked, we came home and decided it was time to get all the baby stuff out.  I guess it's about time, since we are only about a month out from the due date.  I guess the little fellow could really come at any time now, although Barb thinks that she will go at least until the due date (really probably about a week past, which is what happened when John was born).

A few photos of the goings-on:

And a video. (John still really likes this swing, and I bet he wishes he could still fit in it.)



Finally, one from the archives featuring John and the swing:

GJS