Surprised?

I had to post this set of walking directions from Google maps in China as it is perhaps the funniest thing I've come across in the last few weeks.  Yep, that's how interesting life is right now, silly walking directions highlight a month so far...

Work grinds along, and our alluded to exit is drawing ever closer.  Yet without a clear date or a clear plan of action here, there is only preparation and speculation.  The only positive takeaway these days is the very pleasant September-like weather we are experiencing.  3 short weeks on the tail end of summer and beginning of spring are the only enjoyable moments as far as weather is concerned and it would be a shame not to spend all of it on some patio or lake.

OPJ and I miss home fiercely and are very excited for the trip home.  Given that Chinese New Year falls relatively early this year, there is a chance for an extended US trip this time, which would be delightful in spite of the fact that it will be the most bitter parts of the NE winter.

More upbeat posts to follow.

There is nothing new to report in the last couple of months.  We are working away, and that's really all there is to it.  The banality of this recent stretch is making our team look forward to the holidays and our respective trips back to the good old USofA.  A new client has forced my hand and required me to miss out on what would have been my third trip to the All Asia Gaelic Games in South Korea this year, and while it was something I was looking forward to, this business opportunity is equally interesting for me.
We get torn out here because of the general frustrations that I have laid out in previous posts conflicting with the "cool-factor" of the work we are able to do.  Add to that the seeming hand basket that the US is going to hell in, and the decision to return immediately gets muddied.  That is not to be taken as a declaration of my or our desire to remain here, as it is not, but it makes things tough.  I mentioned a while back an exit strategy, it is being updated, manipulated, molded and played with into something that we want to make sense.
The nature of the last few months has also focused our attention on the coming holiday season and our chance to return home to be with family and friends.  Chinese New Year will come a bit early and we may be afforded the luxury of a longer than usual stay in the States which we are weighing.  It would certainly be a welcome turn of events.