On the road again

well, my time at home is coming to an end..... i had a really great christmas with the family and am very, very grateful for the chance to see them and talk on the phone with friends that i don't ever get to talk to. its nice to hear everyone's voice rather than read an email!! i've been playing phone tag with corie, hopefully we'll catch each other before i leave.
got a digital camera! i feel incredibly spoiled and 21st century at the same time. i rejected using computers for the longest time (i used a smith corona word processor through most of college) and am just now experiencing the wonders of technology. i'll be posting pictures on here as soon as i figure out how to do it. seriously people, i know how to type and turn the thing on, that's about it.
am going shopping today for a few last minute things for myself and for things people have requested that they miss : special hair conditioner, panty hose, reese's peanut butter cups, pretzels, etc...... hopefully i'll get "suzanne's" shoes, but don't know if i'll make it to target...(sorry "suzanne" i'm going to try) its really amazing what you miss when you are so far from home for such a long time. i find myself wanting things i wouldn't even want if i were home....or, eating at mcdonald's in china cuz i just can't eat dumplings (jiaozi) for one more meal...... they serve egg mcmuffins all day long, so i can get one without the meat or a big mac with no meat. both are quite disgusting and i would never do it here, but china makes you do strange things. you know the saying "what happens in vegas stays in vegas", same goes for china...
anyway, i've certainly eaten well since i've been home... my mom is a great cook and has kept me well fed since i've been home. tonight i will eat mexican and drink a margarita (maybe 5) to wrap up the u.s. tour of eating....cheese, mostly i've eaten cheese. all right i think this is it till i return to the "motherland". hope everyone has a wonderful new year's celebration or chill out, whatever you may be doing. take good care.....
~may you never live in exciting times. ~ Chinese Proverb

Explanations

just a foot note about this blog.... the name "the adventures of ninnybockers" is inspired by a project my sisters and i are working on. the name may or may not be copyright-ed so don't steal it.........
second, excuse my language at times, my writing tends to be stream of consciousness. i can not be responsible for all offensive slip ups.
third, i may or may not use different names when talking about friends and family. i prefer to protect the innocent (since this is a public journal). however, i may find it fit at times to expose their true identities.

peace
nicole r johnson

jet lag,happy holidays, and watches

its day 3 of my visit home to the u.s. and i'm finally starting to feel like i'm on a normal schedule. unfortunately i'm fighting off a cold or something, but i think i'll be o.k. . Merry Christmas to all who celebrate! its christmas eve and i can't wait till 24 hours of a christmas story begins (or maybe it already has) how is it that movie never gets old?
so, living in china one can get many things that are knock off versions of designers' stuff. watches, handbags, clothes, etc..... i was quite excited to buy my dad and brother in law knock off rolexes for christmas. now, the term knock off implies these are just cheap copies, however much of the merchandise is made exactly as the originals, its just not the real deal, so its sold extremely discounted. anyway, buying things in china is never an easy task. one must bargain and be prepared to walk away many times. never take a first offer kind of deal. at first it was sort of a game, but as i began buying christmas presents it became an exhausting chore.
i visited the train station which has 5 floors of knock off merchandise and really anything else you could want, including viagra that they will offer to any man that walks by. i went to many stalls selling watches and inspected many,many, many watches and negotiated many, many times trying to get the best quality for the best price. at one point early in my buying journey we visited a store which sells real rolexes to ensure we were getting the best quality fake. i looked and looked and finally found two women who weren't so dodgy and willing to bargain even when i gave a ridiculously low price. (maybe that in itself should have been a warning sign). well, i finally settle on two watches that upon inspection seem to be great quality and represent the truest of rolexes. i pay the money and am completely relieved that i don't have to continue bargaining and i have two great presents. i was quite proud as i left the train station that day and felt i had finally gotten the hang of the buying process in china.
WRONG!!!
my father came to pick me up from the airport as it was a surprise to my mom that i was coming home. he and i were chatting and the subject of fake merchandise came up. he goes on about how he wants a fake rolex and how the second hand should move smoothly (not like a quartz watch which sticks at every second). i gleam with pride as i feel i've gotten the coolest gifts ever for he and my bro in law. the pride soon turns to anxiety as i realize i never really checked out the watches after buying them. why the hell wouldn't i have looked at them before walking out of the damned stall? does the second hand stick? will the clasp break? was there even glass (or crystal in the case of a "rolex") over the face? shit, shit, shit, i should've inspected.
well, i get home and check on my prize christmas presents only to find that the second hand does stick and on one watch the date hasn't changed. not so bad i guess, i'll give them the crappy ones and then get new ones and send them good "A" quality ones, as they say. i continue to have anxiety over these stupid watches, because one, i was really excited that they were the coolest gifts ever, and two, i had been HAD and taken advantage of and my pride was crushed, i had fallen into the dumb ass foreigner trap and had thought myself smarter than that. anyway, i went to check on my poor sickly watches for a second time only to find they DON'T WORK AT ALL. son of a bitch, i need to cry. i certainly realize i'm not the first person to be had and definitely not in china, but here i am on christmas eve with nothing to give the two coolest men in my life :) let this be a warning to you all.
on the other hand, i don't think the spirit of christmas is supposed to be about stuff right?!?!?? ha... i'll catch on to the ways of china eventually. in the meantime, i'm crying over my dead, A quality, fake watches.

home sweet home

well, i'm back in the U.S. for christmas. it is going to be a very short trip, but am glad to see my family. the jet lag is killing me... what's a girl to do? so, i'm visiting my parents who now live in soddy daisy, tn. yes, the town is called soddy daisy and its just up the road from possum creek (no O in this possum people) the differences are too numerous to list, or i should say i'm not prepared to write that much, but the silence, ahhhhhh the sweet silence. china is an incredibly noisy place and i live in such a big city that i never find myself with a silent moment. i'm enjoying every minute of it along with the delicious food. although, my body isn't used to the richness of the food here so i find myself not able to eat as much as i'd like. probably a good thing, but i only have a week to fit it all in.
ok, this is quite a boring entry, but i was anxious to write the first one. its 2 am and i've just woken up from what my body thinks was a nap, but was meant to be a full nights sleep...
more later, when my body and mind know which way is up.....
peace and cookies to all......