This past week I’ve hardly worked. I’ve really been looking forward to the time off to get some stuff done. Here’s what I’ve been doing:

• Working on revisions of Sinosplice that I’ve been wanting to do for a while. I want to just get it done so that I won’t have the urge to mess with it much after classes start. This has taken up a lot of my time.

• Reading and writing more Chinese in preparation for classes starting. As a part of that effort, I got my Chinese weblog (now on WordPress) running again.

• Getting my replacement bank card and calling Melody to make sure they send my last paycheck under the last contract to my new account number.

• Meeting Todd, an Australian blogger from West China who’s in Shanghai this week on visa business.

• Meeting with Wayne and discussing Shanghai Tutor business.

• Meeting with a potential website design client. I don’t think they’re going to hire me, though… I’m too expensive. Still waiting to hear from them. I told them they could hire me for much less simply as a consultant/proofreader for what a Chinese web designer creates, and I think they might do that.

• Reading Angels and Demons by Dan Brown and enjoying it a lot. SS bought it for me in Hong Kong.

• Working all day Friday from home doing translation for Melody. My work is calculated by the hour now.

I realize now one big downside to working only occasionally at Melody: I no longer get to see my Chinese co-workers. I really took them for granted, and now I kind of miss them. I also don’t see Micah now without extra effort. Same goes for Josh and Chris, two new hires at Melody (to replace me and Micah, respectively) that seem really cool.

Mom got her thyroid removed on Wednesday. That was pretty scary.

P.S. This update was for you, dad!