Stairs

Hmmm?  So what other stair options exist?  Floating?  Unconnected?  Maybe something out of the Harry Potter series.  I took this last night leaving a local Chinese restaurant.  Some good spicy Hunan style food at Di Shui Dong!

7 months until Christmas!

Today is May 25th so exactly 7 months until Christmas!  Don't worry it's not that I'm so looking forward to it that I'm counting down or keeping track.  Rather in talking to a customer today when I asked what the date was, he answered and advised only 7 months.

Then upon going to the gym this evening, what did I hear playing over the sound system?  Yup you guessed it.  Nothing but Christmas tunes!

If only they realized the irony in that choice of music!

Impressions of China

Now that mom has come to China and gone back home I'm sure her thoughts have changed on what China is all about.  I was sent this photo today and figured I would post it here and see what you all had as your impressions of China?

Happy Mother's Day

Well on this Mother's day I have had quite the treat.  My mom has been over here visiting on her first ever trip to China!  We spent the past couple of days in Guilin and just got back to Shanghai a little bit ago.  Her three week trip ends tomorrow with her flights back home.  She saw a ton on this trip.  The first 2 weeks or so was on a cruise where she was with a friend.  They started in Beijing, visiting Xian and then down to Chongqing where they went up the Yangtze river all the way to Shanghai.  The cruise and group part of vacation ended in Shanghai so she then spent the next week with me.

She met my colleagues, came to the office and brought cake (always an adventure, she had to buy all three cakes the store had!).  She also became a seriously independent traveler and went to a city I have never heard of, by herself!  We purchased high speed train tickets and she got there herself to hang for 2 days with another friend's son who lives there.  Then back and on our way to Guilin!  Plenty of photos to share later despite the raining weather.

As a side note many of you haven't heard of Chongqing but it is in fact the largest city in China according to Wikipedia with nearly 29 million people followed by Shanghai with 23 million.  Interestingly there are over 160 cities in China with populations over 1 million!  (How many can you name?)

More details on the trip and what else I have been up to later.  Here is a photo of my mom and I from my apartment balcony.  I'm very proud of you mom for all you have done on this trip!  Love you and happy mother's day to you and the rest of the mom's out there!!!!

Back to the US...

First visit back to the US this year took place starting April 18th.  It was another whirlwind tour.  First to NY to work in the office a few days and then down to North Carolina for the furniture show.  On this part of the trip I brought our local China office GM.  Not his first visit to the US but the first one to this show and it was well worth it for the exposure he got.

After that onto Chicago!  In typical Nolan fashion I packed a lot of things on the agenda which meant a lot of things didn't get accomplished.  The main goal though was heading back to the Drake Relays (where I went to school) for a reunion of sorts.  I don't believe I had been back in over 10 years but catching up with old friends was well worth it. 

The four of us pictured below (Scott Lewis, myself, Sam Passer, and Riki Hashimoto) arranged to meet in town on Friday not knowing who else we would see.  We ended up seeing a bunch of folks in our class and classes around us, toured campus (not much changed) and of course drank a few beers at the local watering hole called Peggy's.  For me it was a great chance to see folks who I rarely get to see because of living way over here.  Let's do it again in the future gentlemen!