Clarks: The blind will see (?) and the dummy can talk!

Greetings. This is Jason again.

I've been told that you can, in fact, see this blog, so I'm gonna keep writing. Also, I've (maybe) added an image this time. Assuming you can actually see anything, this is a picture of the view out one side of our apartment. [Really, it's a pic from March, from an apartment we were shown that's next to this one we are now in, but the view out that side is essentially the same.] Out the other side is even better--mtn. vista with fog rolling along the hilltops--but I haven't a picture of that just yet.

We are really loving it here. We feel very comfy and @ home. Knowing Chinese helps. We have been able to just pick right up talking to people in the neighborhood. The other day I had a 15 minute conversation with a guy about the US retirement system and how I fit into all that, given the fact that I've lived here in China for most of my adult life. He was curious to know if I'd be eligible for a Chinese pension, which I informed him I would not be. We also discussed some other financial issues, as I recall. Pretty cool, huh? [But in the interest of full disclosure, I should tell you: To get the gist of what the conversation really sounded like, you'd have to imagine an articulate grown-up (him) slowly and patiently talking about all of this with an over-evolved chimpanzee (me) and him having to wait as I stammer my way through first comprehending then responding to what he's got me involved in talking about.] Oh, and I didn't mention yet the election talk we had with the cab driver the other day, did I? I'll sum that one up by telling you "Obama" pretty much sounds the same in both languages.