Jim in China

November 11, 2008
I have been here in Beijing a bit more than three months.
There are times when things are a bit difficult for me. It is hard to be so far away from Maureen. We fell in love in San Francisco thirty-six years ago. I had not realized the full extent to which her companionship [...]

I was working in the apartment this morning, when all the lights went out. The bathroom was a dark cavern. The kitchen as well.
Each apartment has a meter with a slot for a card - like a credit card - with a small memory chip embedded in it. One buys kilowatt-hours at a local store, [...]

November 3, 2008
We did it! Found found a great apartment - 135 sq m for 4000 RMB/month, a real bargain. We packed, loaded up all of our belongings onto a three-wheeled cart, our bikes loaded, and set off on a beautiful Beijing fall morning, full of sun, clear skies, wafted by gentle zephyrs.

Jinglun said the [...]

November 2, 2008
After 26 hours of searching, Jinglun and I found a wonderful new place, just a few hundred meters away from Jingshuyuan, where we live now. It is just north of Beijing Forestry University (林业 大学 “línyèdàxué”), on 林大 北路 (”Líndàběilù”).
Our new landlord is a teacher at Beihang University, a few bus stops away.
She [...]

I have been doing a bit more outside of work at the nanocenter.
I have made two television commercials - strictly cable tv material. I had thought beforehand that any commercial in which I would be involved would be more or less along the lines of Dell Stator’s 99 cent Toad Ranch. In the first, I [...]

I went off to Houhai again, with two grad students - Dasu and Zhizou - in search of good food, lively crowds, and a chance to see the fireworks - these were to be launched from Beihei, and no one could get any closer than 400 meters, so most of Shi Cha Hai Lake was [...]

Yuhong’s dad was host to Jinsong and me.
We had an exquisite meal at the Xijiao Hotel.
This is a very elegant hotel not too far from Beijing Forestry University and on the way to my apartment from the center.
(Click on the image to enlarge it.
My apartment building is just above the arrow [...]

I found whole wheat bread!

From Grupo Bimbo

I have had a grad student sharing the apartment with me. Zhou Jing Lun, or Jinglun, for short, is a grad student in polymer chemistry. Our respective fields within chemistry are pretty remote, so we have little scientific background in common.
Jinglun perked up when I told him that Paul Flory was my statistical mechanics [...]

A rare summer day of clear skies and cool temperatures made Beijing gleam. Dasu and I explored the neighborhood, searching for another Beijing dinner treat. We found one!
Here is the link to the pictures.