Nevada and Vodka Cranberries

I am still buzzing from last night's huge win over Boise State. Jerick, Mark and I went to a local pub and watched the game and drained some beers. At halftime, Nevada was losing 24-7 and Boise St. arrogantly almost went for a 4th and 8, because they were looking outside the game and the implications on the BCS standings that a lopsided win would deliver. Karma, well is Karma.

Nevada was losing and not looking good. From the game, Pickett text messaged and told me to remove the Orange jacket and man-up. So, I did, and we chucked our heavy beers and man-downed to some Vodka Cranberry cocktails to honor Jerick's love for the "fruity drink". At this point, anything to break the momentum of the game.

The second half was all Nevada, as we pounded them to death with our running game. How sweet was it to have their senior kicker miss two chip shots, and our redshirt freshman from Reno nail a 34-yarder to win the biggest game in our school's history. Unbelievable!

Vodka Cranberrie's will symbolize the unity of the Pack, and good times by friends as we celebrate our passion for pack football. So, next time you seen five grown men in a bar toasting to Cran-Vods, it's not what you think.

Red Sky #2

Life passes by so fast, especially in a bullet train in China! I have been back now for just under two weeks, and my jet-lag is finally gone, but not the impression that China's latest technologically advanced land rocket left on me is still with me. In a word, it's awesome.

It was the second weekend of the trip and we were headed inland to Chenlu's home province of Hunan. Chenlu knew about the supersonic trains, and she was excited to take them. I love the metro systems in China, and I was looking forward to taking the trains. The wow factor starts at the curb of the station. These new train stations are so futuristic and state of the art, they make you forget that you are at a station. Amazingly, you don't need reservations for the train, you simply show up to the station and buy a ticket on the next train. About every 20 minutes, you can catch a train to your destination, which makes the mausoleum type stations all the more bewildering.

We traveled on these land rockets for three legs throughout China. On the third leg, from Chenzhou to Changsha, we took the platform to board the train. As we waited for our train to arrive, on the fourth track, the second and third tracks had no platform. Within a minute of standing there, the rumble started and as I turned down to look at track three, the land rocket blew us down. The noise, the speed, the velocity scared me. It scared all of us newbies. I loved it. They are clearly going to be the mode of transportation in the country very soon, making airplanes look like The Mayflower. Traveling on a cloud is the best way to describe the feeling. Smoother than you can imagine, it lulls you into thinking its not real.

The whole experience reminded me of a fresh Space Mountain from Disneyland. The look, feel and exhilaration are all similar. Like many of the contradictions that make up China, the trains fly through beautiful countryside filled with peasants tending to the farms with Ox and Yokes having to make the yearly decision whether to spend money to rent a harvester. I wonder what those farmers think as the bullet trains blow by every 20 minutes. I know what I was thinking....boom baby!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRf_Fphrx3Q

Red Sky #1

Contradictions abound when discussing China. We are back now, and because of China's government controls, I was blocked from updating my blog until I returned. After spending the last three days recovering from jet lag, I am finally ready to update. I will try to give a few stories about China and my experiences over the next couple of weeks.

The last weekend, and 14 days into the trip, I am meeting the future in-laws. We were meeting for lunch after spending the night before with a nice dinner and a rousing late night of drinking and singing at the KTV (Karoke Bar) to celebrate Chenlu's birthday. We are heading for my favorite type of Chinese food...Hunan Food. With spicy peppers and seasoning, Hunan cuisine is a cross between the best of Mexican food and the wholeness of Japanese. It's excellent. We walked a few blocks from our bus stop and Chenlu pointed to a three story building that was light in color with the usual Chinese lettering. The Hunan Restaurant occupied on the first two floors, and a familiar site was on the third floor. A Chinese Christian Church was above the restaurant. Realize, that I am in a very urban, industrial area, where the heart of Shenzhen is one hour away along with cultural western influence. It was a good sign.

The lunch was right in the middle of three days of warming up to her parents and someday to prepare entry into the family. Things had been going well, and this lunch was no different. Like dinner the night before, Chenlu's father and I ordered some cold beer to toast the meal and the potential future. The meal went well, we shared company and I tipped the bottle to fill up my small glass for a final toast with her father. I paused, and thought, these early moments with her family are so important for the future and hoped it was going well. I silently thought to myself, "I am glad Jesus is looking over me." I clinked my small glass with him, and we drained our beers. Amen.