Sunday, May 22, 2005

easy to blog, annoying to throw away garbage/recycling

So, I'm happy to say that I've found an easier way to post, so I may
be able to do it more regularly. I think I have also made it easier
to leave a comment (you don't have to register anymore) so, you're
welcome. Today I will bitch about the stupid garbage system here. As
I have mentioned before, garbage in Taiwan is picked up by a big ice
cream truck that plays Fur Eloise over an over again. You can't just
leave it in a dumpster, you have to lug it yourself. For me that
means steep stairs, 3 blocks, and crossing a very busy street. But
even more of a pain in the ass, the truck comes at 5pm and 7pm, two
times when I am working every day of the week. On Saturday and Sunday
I can do it, but the recyling truck isn't there. Since almost
everything in Taiwan is recycled, and Richard and I go through
prodigious amounts of paper, aluminum, glass, and plastic, we have
very quickly accumulated massive bags of recycling. Which makes for
heavy trips when we somehow are able to catch the truck. Richard gets
some days off during the week, so he was previously able to take
things out, but now that he has a broken ankle (and will for the next
2 to 5 months!) it is basically on me, and I can't do it. People have
suggested paying someone to do it for us, but I have no idea how to go
about finding someone and no one has thus far been able to help. It
is becoming somewhat urgent, as the weather is hovering in the humid
upper eighties and low nineties and promising to get hotter.
Remember, we have kitty litter and bags of used toilet paper (no
flushing!) in addition to the beer and soda cans that the flies love
so much, so things will very quickly get pretty disgusting. We are
going to have to do something to resolve this soon.
In other news, I'm actually enjoying the warmth and feeling more
healthy. I take lots of supplements and drink fresh fruit juice every
day. I have lost muscle and gained fat here, so I will need to
increase the amount of exercize I do somehow.

Friday, May 20, 2005

post

just experimenting to see if I can post through email. After a brief
respite, the rain is back - I have another long saturday tomorrow.
while i feel better, i wonder if my bronchitis is not chronic.
usually, older smokers and people who work in places like coal mines
get bronchitis - yay me!