Was it all just a dream?

I'm pretty sure this is functional.

As some of you have already noticed, I am back for the Summer. I got back from the 22 hour flight that went from Changsha, Hunan (China) to Hong Kong where I stayed overnight in a hostel. From there I flew from Hong Kong to Vancouver to Denver to Omaha.

It's amazing how radically the stewardesses' outward appearance changes from Asia to The States. The flight attendants we're used to usually have the outward appearance of the reassuring grandmother. Matronly, slightly old, but usually very hospitable and bubbly. Rarely, very rarely, they are mean, strict and commanding.

However, once you get on that international flight to Hong Kong, LOOK OUT!

Why, you might ask?

Because not a single lady is over 26 and they're all smokin' hot! Maybe their English isn't that great but you don't need to speak English to look at The Mona Lisa, do you?

Their uniforms are also very very different and somehow exude exotic allure from every angle. I've been told that only the elite beauties get to be Asian flight attendants and once you've hit that point: You've made it. This is because the nice rich old perverts who ride your planes will be ever so willing to throw out some extra bonuses for your pretty face. This is common amongst Asian flight attendants and because of this, they won't look at you.

What? You thought they were going to bat their eyelashes, wink at you, follow you home. You were wrong, son! So wrong.

I'll be back until September 1st when I'll be thrown back on a plane, whisked into the future (13 hours ahead) and ignored by sexy Asian stewardesses offering ice cubes.

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What's it like being back in the States?

It certainly took me a while to get used to the food. I wasn't used to such big portions and since the Chinese diet usually consists of rice, tofu and vegetables: I was worried I'd have to get used to their food all over again.

Not having crazies drive you all over in their little taxi's going on sidewalks and across the yellow lines on the road which I *thought* meant that you specifically *weren't* supposed to cross them.

I'd missed the scenery and slow pace Nebraska has to offer. Nebraska's a great place to come and relax. I love this place.

It's also really great being able to eaves drop on conversations again. People'd ask me what it's like over there since I can't really speak the language. It's really just a lot of thinking. You realize that you can't understand the people around you and you sort of just turn it all off. You get to philosophize a lot within yourself and despite the carnal noise you hear at every single turn, you're somehow at some sort of inner peace. A zen, if you will.

It's a new sort of meditation that I'm calling "care-be-gone" because you simply stop giving a rat's arse about everyone else's conversations

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The Olympics. China's ahead of us in the Gold medal count. Every other TV station in the world seems to be putting the "competition" in a perspective that we don't. They count who wins by the gold medals. However, we're not winning by that tally so we conveniently toss the coin on the other side and say that WE'RE winning because of the golds, silvers and bronzes put together. While this is nice in theory, it doesn't bode so well for our reputations. You know that if we had more golds, we'd shove it in their faces and say "Well that's just too bad. You weren't good enough."

Instead of making us sound better, it really makes us sound like sore losers.

It's in this blogger's opinion that we should lose gracefully if it's in the cards for us to lose. I don't think anyone expected China to do so well and my hats are off.

One of the main reasons we are losing is because we simply don't understand the minds of our opponents. You don't realize the level of fanaticism China placed on this event. This isn't just some silly sporting event that we can all take part in while doves whisk by our heads whence we all fly off in Wonka's Wonkavator.

This event is their honor. Their country. Their lives. To them, this event marks the glorious debut of the new China and how marvelous they have become within the last 50 years. In their minds, this event is their stepping stone onto the world stage. This is the time when the world will recognize them for who they have become.

That's why they're winning and why their government and their people have pushed them to such an extent within such a short period.

It's easy to make up excuses when we're be the best in the world and yet they still beat us. We can go on and on about how they hand pick children from when they're 3 or how the government makes people sign contracts ensuring wins or how their gymnasts are underage. I get it, I truly do.

But they sent their best against ours and they won.

It's a powerful thing to force all of your combined energies of recognition and freedom and honor into a single sporting event. And we've seen the outcome. It's not just The Olympics to them, it's the emergence of their great and powerful nation.

We owe it to them to at least appreciate that.

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