It was a good effort, but poorly planned

It's 7 days into that thing called NaBloPoMo and I can officially say I didn't make it. Not having thought about the fact that I wasn't really going to be home on Friday night at all and forgetting about riding a train all night then playing volleyball all day, I totally missed the cutoff for Friday. I could've made something happen this morning to make it in time for the Saturday post, but I thought I'd just give it up. I'll keep trying to post a tonne this month, but I just won't win any awards. So here it is... Sunday.

It's about ten to four in the afternoon (China time, of course), and I'm sitting in the SanLiTun XingBaKe (Starbucks) wasting some time before we head to the amazing Element Fresh for dinner with the volleyball boys. The weekend has been a lot of fun, but hasn't exactly been full of success. And I say this with a lot of understatement. In at least 2 of the games, we got beat. Actually, throttled is a better word. Decimated might be even more apt. Regardless of how you want to look at it, although we were full of smiles and enthusiasm (at least through the first two losses), we didn't quite match up well against the big competition present. There are threats of starting with a whole new roster for the tournament in May but we'll see if it comes to fruition. My spot may even be on the line.

We rode in China-train luxury on Friday night, as we got the "soft sleeper" tickets. Before you jump to silly conclusions, I'll remind you that Chinese beds have, well, no cushion. The "soft" part of the title I think refers to the general nature of the people riding these trains, as there's only 4 people to a semi-private cabin and there's actually some temp control. In the "hard" sleepers, the beds have the same cushion, but people are stacked 3 high, there's no temp control (the top bunk is HOT), no closed-off cabins, and the beds are much more narrow. But just as cushioned. I've only ever ridden in the hard sleepers, but now that I've been in the soft sleeper cabin, I might convince myself that the extra 130rmb is worth it.

Last night was spent having some sodas and delicious food in the same SanLiTun area that I'm in right now. We met up with my friends the Hawkeys and their friend D for food and drinks. A few of us boys, feeling some muscle pain after enduring the challenging matches yesterday partook in a bit of a late-night massage after dinner. I lasted maybe about 3 minutes before falling asleep once we returned to our hostel. But the girl treated me like an inmate, and I think I'm more sore now than when I finished the games yesterday. I also have some strange bruises, which makes me wonder what kind of massage she was actually trained in.

For now, though, the call of food and the need for an ATM are paramount. More will come in the next day or two, but for now, much China love, all. Drop me a line to let me know you're all still out there in cyberland somewhere.

T