Time flies....

Has it been a week already? Time has seemed to have flown by since the last update.

So, since last week, I've been just settling in and exploring more.

I'm still pretty homesick, but being able to facetime with family and friends helps a lot.

On Friday afternoon, I got the windows tinted in the car, and Friday night, I had dinner with a colleague at his hotel.  Saturday the A-yi was supposed to come and clean but did not show up.  I later found out that shes scared of Kody, but supposedly will be back Saturday as long as he's crated.  So Saturday, I cleaned the floors and the bathrooms, and did laundry, and watched it rain outside. In the evening, I went out for a little drive and then stopped at a street food vendor outside my neighborhood for some meat skewers (see pictures).  They were good, but eating from a street vendor does have risks.

Sunday, Bob, my colleague and I went into Qingdao for our 'day in town'.  He was looking for a hotel that had a nice brunch, but he couldn't remember the name or street it was on, so after 2 hours of aimlessly wandering, I made the decision that we would stop by "Sunshine Center" which is another high end shopping mall downtown.  Inside they had a very upscale buffet, which we were lucky to get a table without a reservation.  The food was great, international choices and fresh seafood.  In the afternoon, I took Bob back to his hotel and went by the farmers market to get fresh fruits and vegetables.  I ended up with 4 bags of stuff for about 12 dollars. I went home to meet the AC Repair man (on a sunday!) who misdiagnosed my AC unit, and would be back "later in the week" with the new part.   Kody and I went for a little walk, and I headed off to find a place to get a haircut.  There was a place close by the house, and I walked in, and it seemed pretty fancy.  I got a little nervous because I figured it would be pricey, but the staff told me the haircuts were 38 RMB, a little over 6 dollars, and included shampoo and blowdry,  however, If I bought their "preferred customer card", for 200 RMB, (32 dollars), I could get TEN haircuts, which is what I did.  And they dont accept tips.  I later told a local chinese colleague about the 20 RMB haircut and he told me that it was too expensive, and he pays 10-15 RMB. Go figure.  Afterwards, I did some shopping at another Walmart/Target type store, and this one was the nicest one yet. 

This week at work, I have decided to leave the office for lunch, as I'm getting a little tired of the cafeteria food.  Its been nice to get away for an hour, and also helpful to learn the local area around work.  Customer emails have been flying back and forth but it appears that as fires are being put out, people are beginning to mellow out quite a bit.

As far as preventing myself from going insane, this weeks entertainment includes more CHiPs from Itunes, and Hells Kitchen (latest season).  There is an expat meetup tonight, but its in town and I'm seriously considering going and taking a cab (police like to do sobriety checks at night, and I dont have an official Chinese license yet).   I'll be joining the gym in my neighborhood, but access to cash is not easy right now because china employers pay salary once a month.  So I dont get a July paycheck till August.  So I go to a bank that actually accepts Visa Logo ATM cards and I pull out the equivalent of 300 USD at a time. Fortunately, I finally got a gasoline card, so that helps with the amount of cash I need to lay out for gas.

Yesterday, I went to a steak place for lunch,  Steaks in China are different.  Where in the US, we're used to nice, thick cut steaks, with a nice pink center, (rare or medium rare), the Chinese steakhouses serve steaks like Pork Chop thin, on a sizzling plate, well done.  I ended up ordering some chinese food they had instead.  If I do want a steak, there's a place downtown called "Wang Steak House" , which is a franchise all over Asia, and they're as close as you can get to a western steak dining experience.

Thats all for now everyone, I hope you are all well!

Just figured I'd send my weekly update of being in China.

So, most of you guys know that I got Kody out of customs last week. That was a huge relief in itself!  The first few days, I couldn't get more than 5' away from Kody.  He stayed very close to me.  He's better now, and enjoying the wood floors (they stay nice and cool).  High rise life doesn't really seem to affect him that much, He's been sleeping on the couch or the carpeted front door mat when I get home.

The house is coming together nicely.  The AC in the bedroom was repaired on Tuesday, so now its nice and cool when I sleep at night.  I hired an A-yi (auntie) to clean the House every saturday.  Until I get to know her more, I'm only having her come around when I'm home.  Really theres not much of a mess thats made, other than the Kody fur on the wood floors.  I'm keeping my eyes peeled for any expats moving home, so I can snag a deal on their furniture.  The rental property furniture isnt exactly of the best quality.

Work is going ok, though there's lots of stuff to get cleaned up, folks that were supposed to be assigned here were living in other cities and coming in every 4-6 weeks, and that wasn't really cutting it.    I'm starting to meet more of the staff and see how things operate.  Not always the most efficient or the best way to do it, but the wheels of progress grind slowly.

I have found most of the Target/Walmart type stores already close by, and the Farmer's Market, which is pretty much walking distance from my place.  I did actually go visit the Wal Mart on Saturday, and its pretty much  like the Walmart in the US.  Meager quality stuff at meager prices.  I have been on the hunt for a toilet mat.  Nobodys heard of one here. Afterwards, I went and had my car hand washed, Vacuumed and new wiper blades installed.  The cost? 55 rmb (less than 10 dollars).  The Farmers Market is the place to go for the meats, and fresh fruits and veggies.  I really enjoyed it, its very much like the Farmers mkt in houston where each stand is operated by a different owner. 

This past Sunday, I went with a co-worker into downtown to attend the Qingdao International Christian Fellowship.  This is a church service thats non-denominational and allows anyone that holds a foreign passport.  The service was ok, but we were late, so we missed some of the beginning.  I will return next week to check it out again.  Afterwards, we went to HiSense shopping center (which is like the Galleria).  This was high fashion, and upscale.  They had a Swaorvski crystal store, all the expensive boutique clothing stores, that you find in the high rent districts.   Wouldn't you know it? They had a toilet mat here.  I paid...40 dollars for it, but its the nicest toilet mat you've ever seen.  I'll pick one up for the other bathroom when I'm in Houston at Christmas time! This center is 4 stories tall, the basement is a food court and grocery store.The grocery store pretty much has everything that you would find in a typical Chinese grocery store, with the exception that its more like a supermarket, air conditioned, well lit, and clean.  On top of that, they have LOTS of expat products.  Cheese, Cake mix, tomato sauce, breads, jell-o etc.  Anything that you may need, they probably have.  You may pay 4X the cost for it (Betty Crocker cake mix was 5 dollars), but when you're 8000 miles away, you'll probably be willing to pay for it.

Sunday evening, I had some co-workers over for dinner.  I made Spaghetti, sauce from scratch.  The house still smells wonderful from all of it!

Thats all I really have to report.  I'm keeping myself sane by downloading TV shows from Itunes.  Right now I'm working through Arrested Development, COPS (2012 season), The office (season 2), and CHiPs ( the motorcycle cop show from the 70s).  I found a gym close to my house, walking distance actually.  They have spin every night, and are pretty nicely outfitted.  The cost is a little higher than I expected, but I must factor in how close to my home that it is.

China Update #1

Hey guys!

 First off, sorry for the silence since I have been here. I have only really been keeping in touch with a small handful of people because its been sort of a nightmare since I arrived. So how can I narrate this for you all?

Kody and I drove to Dallas this week, saw friends on the way up, had dinner with friends in Dallas, and then spent the night, and flew direct from Dallas to Seoul the next morning. Because of the crate size, (and probably some greed from the agent that I used), they insisted that Kody go as Cargo to China, not as excess luggage. This was a big mistake. Lessons learned.

 The agent that I hired was helpful in getting Kody checked in, and Korean air took very good care of Kody in Dallas and Korea. They left his crate inside their offices so he would have some AC. My flight was uneventful, got to Korea, checked into the hotel, and then got a decent nights sleep, and flew out the next day. Here is where the trouble starts. Arriving in Qingdao, my co-worker meets me, and we go to pick up Kody from the Air Cargo terminal. which should have been showing them my passport, Kodys rabies certs and health certs, and taking him home. Well, because he went cargo, its the same as shipping a box of shoes, or documents etc. They really dont 'belong' to anyone until they clear customs and the consignee can pick them up. Long story short, we spent Friday afternoon with the freight agent in china and a korean air rep trying to get kody out. We were unsuccessful. The good news is, that the customs warehouse people were VERY nice, and allowed me go in twice a day, feed, water and walk him. They even walked him and played with him. I'm so glad Kody is a nice dog and not aggressive.

Every day when I went to go see him and let him out, we drew a crowd of about 12 people that wanted to take pics, pose with him and ask all kinds of questions "is he famous?" etc. So, my days were consumed with being at customs, talking to the agents, inspection people, and freight forwarder regarding Kody NOT being 'freight' but a pet.

Every day, we've been making a little headway. And yesterday (tuesday) we finally made progress. So, today, I have to pick Kody up, pick up our freight agent, and then take him to the airport for an 'inspection' (they just want to pet him), and then he can go home.

 Everything else is progressing. The apartment, which was supposed to be cleaned twice before I arrived. was not even cleaned once. I stayed there Friday night, frustrated and upset about Kody, almost no sleep because I had almost nothing, no sheets, pillows etc. I woke up at 4 am and started cleaning the wood floors with just a wet rag. The dirt that was on the floor was incredible. They didn't clean.

I visited Kody saturday, and my coworker took me out to buy some stuff at "Leader" which is like a super Wal mart. I didnt even have a shower curtain! Sunday, my coworker and I drove to the east coast of Qingdao, saw the beach and had some fresh seafood. In the afternoon, my dad and his wife came down from Beijing with my car and his car loaded full of stuff for the apartment. Slowly but surely, the apartment is coming together. I brought soft scrub with bleach from the US, and I've been cleaning little by little. Its getting there! I like the neighborhood I live in. Theres lots of people out walking around, so it feels very community like. I dont have much else to report.

I've been doing a lot of driving here, trying to get Kody out, and going to visit him. The thing you must remember about driving in China? There are no rules.

More on Brakes

Many of you all know, I like to tinker with cars (okay more than tinker, my "spare" time is consumed with it). Recently I was talking to a friend about brakes and rotors, and he said "yeah, I'll just get the good pads and the Chinese rotors." Which is what I have recommended in the past to people doing their own. Well, then it got me thinking, where are brake rotors really made these days? In the 80s, as a kid, most of the brake rotors were made in North America; Canada, USA and Mexico. After some emailing and phone calls, I have found that disc brake rotors are no longer manufactured in the USA or Canada for aftermarket DIYers and Jobbers. The big players, we are all familiar with (Wagner, Bendix, Centric (who owns Powerslot), Raybestos, Motorcraft, ACDelco) are all manufactured overseas in China and Taiwan. The disc brake foundries and plants in the North America have ceased production. Have a European car? Those guys (ATE, Brembo, TRW, etc.) are now also procuring a large amount of their replacement rotors from China and Taiwan. Now, rotor production in Mexico is dwindling to almost nothing. One interesting note: Centric who was known as a budget/value brand, also owns StopTech brand and Power Slot brand. All Centric Premium, StopTech SportStop, and Power Slot rotors are designed and engineered in-house, then Centric supervises strict manufacturing processes in Asia. They specify their own casting and manufacturing technologies. All parts are double disc ground, balanced, match the OEM vane designs and are E-coated (electrostatically applied black finish to all non-swept surfaces). Most competing brands do not offer all these OE features and benefits. Centric's rotors are Machined stateside. The good news is that country of origin is not a relevant indicator of brake rotor quality. The bad news is, theres no longer any North American sourced brake discs and drums available to the normal guy like you and me.

Goodbye to Forrest.....

This is an update to the Vestibular post from July.

Many of you that read or follow know that I have a dog, Forrest.

Forrest had very few health problems in his life. He had a hip replacement, Glaucoma in 2007, which took his vision, and he adjusted very well to it. Then Vestibular Disease (like vertigo) in July of this year. In Late September, things started to decline. Forrest started wandering the house in the middle of the night, confused, and slipping on the kitchen floor, unable to get up. The vet diagnosed it as a combination of arthritis pains and doggie dementia. We got medication to help for both, and Forrest got upgraded to share my king sized bed with me. This arrangement actually worked really well, no alarm clock needed. 5 am dog panting in your face

Things seemed to return to normal (or the new normal), he even was able to walk fairly normally again. Last Monday, in the middle of the night, Forrest fell out of bed. I picked him up and put him back in with me, not thinking anything was wrong, but when I woke up, I realized that he had suffered another vestibular episode like this summer. This time, it didn't seem as severe, as he was drinking and eating, so I figured he would bounce back and be fine. Christmas morning, I picked him up and put him in the back yard, and he started crying for me to bring him in. So I did, and put him on his dog bed on the floor, and within a few minutes, he was whining again. Finally I put him in bed with me, and he seemed happy. We spent our last Christmas day together snuggled up in bed, watching old Christmas movie re-runs and eating junk food. At one point, he rolled over and laid his head on my chest and "gazed" at me with his blind eyes, and I knew, he was telling me that it was ok, and he was ready to go. In true Forrest fashion, to reinforce that he was ready, he let me know again that night by leaving a "present" in the bed for me.

So yesterday morning, I took him to VERGI, the local vet ER, and had him put down. It was a very peaceful and calm event, but it doesn't make it any easier. They laid him on a comforter on the floor and let us have all the time that we wanted before the process was done. Forrest went very peacefully and quietly. Thanks to my friends that showed up at the ER with me. The only comfort I have is knowing that he's no longer suffering. It was the right thing to do, and the ultimate responsibility of a pet owner.

For those of you that knew Forrest, you already know what a smart, kind and funny dog he was. He was well trained and had me well trained too. He knew how to open the screen door, and bark to come back in. He knew how to wake me up by breathing hard, then sneezing in my face, and ultimately bumping the bed with his butt, so I could let him out. When I was outside in the yard or the garage, he wanted to be out there supervising. He knew many tricks, and loved to perform for treats. Forrest lived the life of a college student throughout my Journey at A&M. He had many kind roommates that loved on him as much as I did, and he loved them equally. Forrest also got to stay with my sister and her roommates and my mom for some time too, being doted on by girls, and spoiled by my mom.

Forrest like me, loved cars, and loved riding in them, head stuck out the window and smelling all the scents that the world had to offer, many times to our trips to the dog park. He kept guard of my truck when we went to home depot, hopping in the driver seat like he was driving, taking in the cool A/C in his face and listening to the radio. He loved chewing ice. When he was younger and had his vision, he loved catching ice and chewing it up. He spent many summers terrorizing the squirrels in my mothers neighborhood, and actually plucked one off the tree that had frozen in fear, killed it, and left it on the side door of the house.

Forrest was a loyal and loving dog, and lived almost 15 years. Born 15 March 1997, Passed 26 December 2011. I'll never forget you my friend.

If you are interested, here's a brief poem that was written for those who have lost pets.
http://www.petloss.com/rainbowbridge.htm

Thanks to everyone for your kind support and prayers.

Vestibular Disease in Dogs

Maybe you found this by googling Vestibular Disease in dogs, or you think your dog had a stroke. Maybe you read my blog. But here's a short story about my Dog and our journey with Vestibular Disease. Don't panic, first off. This is not the end for your dog, but you should seek medical attention.

Is your dog unable to stand/walk?

When he moves, is it like hes drunk or dizzy?

Do you notice rapid eye movement?

Keep reading my tale of my dog.

So when I got home from work last Thursday, it looked like my 14 year old chow, Forrest had a stroke. He had vomited and lost his bladder and could not stand up, when he did, it looked like he was drunk. What I did NOT notice, is the rapid eye movement that he had, which is a classic sign of Vestibular Syndrome. I called a friend and she advised me to get him to the ER ASAP.

Trying to make as many calls and texts before I left, while trying not to burst into tears, we rushed to the Veterinary ER and I was sure that this was going to be my goodbye with my best friend. Fortunately, the Doctor diagnosed it as vestibular disease, which he can fully recover from. Commonly mistaken as a stroke. Its like vertigo in humans. He is off balance and cannot walk or stand. The good news is, this is fully recoverable and seldom happens again.

We were given medicine and bed rest for a week or so.

I took him home and gave him some water and let him rest in the back yard a little and he slept on his dog bed pretty comfortably. The next morning I carried him into the back yard, he drank some water, went potty, and I fed him some canned dog food. I carried him into his favorite spot, my bedroom closet, on a blanket. This week, I have been checking on him at lunchtime.

Last weekend, I canceled all appointments in order to stay home and be with Forrest. I took him outside this morning, and he drank water and was able to go potty. I let him sit outside for about 30 minutes. He was still unable to stand or sit up, and when I put him down, he laid on his right side.

I brought him in and set him up in the living room on a bed sheet and a towel under his back area in case he had an accident, and he laid there most of the day. I made him some chicken, but he has not been interested in eating, mostly due to the nausea. Mom stopped by for a visit and he wagged his tail a few times.

At lunch time, I took him in the back yard again, and he drank water and went potty again, this time actually laying on the grass but his head up and looked like he was enjoying the sun. I waited outside with him for about 30 minutes, and brought him inside again. He laid down again, on the right side. His head was still cocked to one side, and he doesn't like to move.

When we got back from church, I took him out again and he drank lots of water, and I was able to feed him two bites of wet dog food. This whole time, I have been giving him water from a bottle, but I tried with a small bowl tonight, which he eagerly drank from.

When I carried him in and set him he was able to balance a little, but in the end, he wanted to be laid down, he was able to hold his head up while laying there, still cocked, but this is the first time he has not laid his head down to the side. Saturday evening I put him on his dog bed, and he laid there on his chin, so I felt like we were making baby steps towards recovery.

Earlier this week, Forrest showed me that he can drink from a water bowl (was bottle feeding him) and can hold his head up (but still tilted).

By Monday of this week, Forrest was accustomed to our "routine" now. I take him outside, and he's starting to want to stand on his own, and if he stands between my legs, he can stand up and stay standing, however, without me there, he will fall. When I ask if he wants to go out, he tries to get up on his own, but his balance is still off. I still carry him. He is, however, moving around more on the grass, while laying he will use his back and front legs to move himself into different positions. Sunday around noon, I put 2 pieces of canned dog food into his cheek so he would chew it, then after the first bite, he realized that he was hungry. So he ate half the can of dog food. Still no interest in crunchy things like dry dog food, biscuits or ice.

Tuesday, I went home at lunch time and he finished the last 1/3 of the can of dog food. His eyes are no longer twitching (part of the Vestibular Disease), and his playful personality is starting to peek out a little bit. Tuesday night, he ate a piece of chicken that I grilled.
During the week, he will wake up around 5 AM, so I take him outside and put him in the grass until right before I get ready for work, around 6:30. I will go home at lunch for a while to make sure he's ok.

Wednesday, I got home from work and he was standing in the entry way, waiting for me. Forrest is now able to get up on his own (if he's on Carpet or Grass), he can walk, but he's pretty unsteady. I can help him walk from inside and out into the back yard, and he will move around on the grass for a little while and have himself a seat. Progress has been good, and as a big surprise, in the middle of the night last night, he walked out of the bedroom and went and got himself a drink from his bowl in the kitchen.

His appetite has returned, but he still is refusing dry food, dog biscuits etc, things that are crunchy. I suspect this is due to the vestibular disease, and his ears being sensitive to the crunching noises when he eats, but we'll see.

Forrest still has some head tilt, but the doctor explained that some dogs never recover from this, however, it does not affect them other than kind of looking silly. Its not as extreme as it was a week ago, and I'm hoping we keep progressing at this rate.

Track Day

Those who know me know I'm a HUGE gearhead, well, I've been running around with the Local Mercedes club, and from them, I found a few guys running Caterhams, and from that, I started attending their Track Days at Grandsport Speedway which is an awesome Track located near Gulf Greyhound park.

Lots of Lotus, Caterhams, and all kinds of other exotic stuff showed up for this event.

Heres some pics of our Fun Saturday. Lots of nice cars out there.