Twelve, actually:
One person to tear out the countertop, after a plumber disconnects the sink.
Two more people to deliver and install the new countertop, and to accidentally sever some wires leading to the dishwasher.
Three supervisors to come and inspect the severed wire, and verify that it needs an electrician to fix it.
Two electricians (thank goodness I wasn't paying for their time; they worked for 2.5 hours)
One nextdoor neighbor and his carpenter to build a temporary prop for the breakfast bar and to critique the installation of the dishwasher.
The installation company supervisor, to check the dishwasher.
The plumber at 7:30 p.m. to reinstall the sink (I was paying for his time, and it wasn't pretty.)
Oh, and a 13th person: Me, to juggle all the phone calls and doorbells involved in the above, all while trying to participate on conference calls, too.
Photos to follow. Hopefully before Adam gets Internet access.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Mah Jong Coincidence
(posted by Stephanie) After not speaking live with Adam since last Friday, he finally got through to me Tuesday night while I was learning to play jewish-style Mah Jong with my mom, aunt, and cousins. Turns out that he had gone out drinking with his kitchen staff on Tuesday night (his time) and had learned how to play Chinese-style Mah Jong with them!
Sounds like things are going much better: he now has a real translator, and has been busily teaching the hotel's Chinese staff how to make hommous, pizza, and other American fare. He says that there is real respect and excitement from the staff to learn something new, and that this Chinese-American cooperation is a real "first" brought about by the Olympics. He has also been spending time with the coaches and training staff -- many of whom are former Olympians and world-class athletes -- who are on site getting ready for tomorrow's arrival of the first competitors. They have been very enthusiastic consumers of Adam's efforts in the kitchen, as they were getting tired of the hotel's Chinese food.
Internet communication remains a challenge, though. He's still in temporary housing with little internet access, so no blogging directly from Adam for the time being. He's hoping that he'll have more access next week when he moves into the main hotel; I'm hoping he'll be able to post a few pictures by then. And see the exciting pictures of our new kitchen countertop that I'll plan to post tomorrow!
Sounds like things are going much better: he now has a real translator, and has been busily teaching the hotel's Chinese staff how to make hommous, pizza, and other American fare. He says that there is real respect and excitement from the staff to learn something new, and that this Chinese-American cooperation is a real "first" brought about by the Olympics. He has also been spending time with the coaches and training staff -- many of whom are former Olympians and world-class athletes -- who are on site getting ready for tomorrow's arrival of the first competitors. They have been very enthusiastic consumers of Adam's efforts in the kitchen, as they were getting tired of the hotel's Chinese food.
Internet communication remains a challenge, though. He's still in temporary housing with little internet access, so no blogging directly from Adam for the time being. He's hoping that he'll have more access next week when he moves into the main hotel; I'm hoping he'll be able to post a few pictures by then. And see the exciting pictures of our new kitchen countertop that I'll plan to post tomorrow!
Monday, July 28, 2008
So Andrew Zimmerman
(from an e-mail from Adam. You can see why I'm in charge of writing most of this blog!) Was in town (Dalian) yesterday with gang... it was all too familiar...seemed more like Singapore than a (perceived) communist country. I had the best squid.. cooked entire cephlapod on griddle with spicy sambal. folks with me thought that I was crazy... but I knew better. I am so Andrew Zimmerman.
Today dealing with kitchen and going for a tour of track and field venue in Dailain.
(for those who've never heard of Andrew Zimmerman - he is a very large American guy who has a show on the Travel channel where he goes around eating the strangest things he can find in every corner of the world. Sea horses, stewed pieces of male anatomy, pigs ears.... nothing is exempt from his enthusiastic voraciousness. And he nearly always has something positive to say about what he's eating. The only thing I've seen him really dislike is the infamous durian fruit beloved in southeast asia that smells a lot like vomit.)
Today dealing with kitchen and going for a tour of track and field venue in Dailain.
(for those who've never heard of Andrew Zimmerman - he is a very large American guy who has a show on the Travel channel where he goes around eating the strangest things he can find in every corner of the world. Sea horses, stewed pieces of male anatomy, pigs ears.... nothing is exempt from his enthusiastic voraciousness. And he nearly always has something positive to say about what he's eating. The only thing I've seen him really dislike is the infamous durian fruit beloved in southeast asia that smells a lot like vomit.)
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Something's in the air
(posted by Stephanie)
Thanks to the urging of many, I've booked a flight to Beijing for the last 8 days of Adam's trip. It is a once-in-a-lifetime chance, but not exactly the bike trip through Europe that I had envisioned (in the days before rising gas prices and falling exchange rates) for this summer. Spoke to day with my dear friend Teresa Sobiezsczyk, who just returned from a trip to China that included sight-seeing in Beijing. She says that it is hot, chaotic, with air so heavy with pollutants that you can't see more three buildings away clearly.
Here's what the Washington Post reported a few months ago about the problems that the Olympic athletes will have with these levels of pollutants:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/23/AR2008012303954_pf.html
Thanks to the urging of many, I've booked a flight to Beijing for the last 8 days of Adam's trip. It is a once-in-a-lifetime chance, but not exactly the bike trip through Europe that I had envisioned (in the days before rising gas prices and falling exchange rates) for this summer. Spoke to day with my dear friend Teresa Sobiezsczyk, who just returned from a trip to China that included sight-seeing in Beijing. She says that it is hot, chaotic, with air so heavy with pollutants that you can't see more three buildings away clearly.
Here's what the Washington Post reported a few months ago about the problems that the Olympic athletes will have with these levels of pollutants:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/23/AR2008012303954_pf.html
De Spiegel had an even more dire article about China's "green olympics":
What am I getting myself into? And don't even get me started about China's human rights record. That was my original hesitation for booking a trip (not that a one-woman boycott would scare anyone in China.) But, the ticket's booked, so going I am. Besides, I think Adam will be very happy to have a friendly face by the time I arrive!
Friday, July 25, 2008
Technical Difficulties
(posted by Stephanie) Adam finally got through to me using Skype to call my cellphone, but apparently internet access is hard to come by at the hotel... he thinks things may improve when the athletes arrive and he moves into the main hotel (he's currently staying in a villa, which sounds like it should be more exclusive, but apparently at this hotel it just means sidewalk-hard beds.)
Internet connectivity is not the only technical problem he's having. Among them: communication to the hotel staff about Adam's arrival got muddled, so no one was at the airport to pick him up. Although he knew the English name of his hotel, he didn't have it written in Chinese so had quite an adventure getting there. At the hotel, he was told, the head cook spoke English, but in reality his English is very minimal, and the menu that Adam developed for the athletes had not been translated into Chinese. He said that he spent 16 hours trying to communicate about the menu to start the process of ordering food. Then there's the biggest problem: the track and field association shipped food from the US (donated mostly by Tyson & Kellog) and it has not cleared customs yet. There's no telling when or if it will show up, so Adam has to order local food without knowing whether to expect his American shipments.
I know they picked the right man for this job - Adam's a wiz at improvising in the kitchen, and he'll make sure those athletes are fed right. But, he says that it is taking quite a lot of patience and humor, and he hasn't slept much since he left home. There are people from the Track and Field organization at the hotel, but they are mostly focused on the coaching and coordinating the athletes.
Weather report is that it is quite humid, like we experienced in Singapore, and that the coastline is quite beautiful.
Internet connectivity is not the only technical problem he's having. Among them: communication to the hotel staff about Adam's arrival got muddled, so no one was at the airport to pick him up. Although he knew the English name of his hotel, he didn't have it written in Chinese so had quite an adventure getting there. At the hotel, he was told, the head cook spoke English, but in reality his English is very minimal, and the menu that Adam developed for the athletes had not been translated into Chinese. He said that he spent 16 hours trying to communicate about the menu to start the process of ordering food. Then there's the biggest problem: the track and field association shipped food from the US (donated mostly by Tyson & Kellog) and it has not cleared customs yet. There's no telling when or if it will show up, so Adam has to order local food without knowing whether to expect his American shipments.
I know they picked the right man for this job - Adam's a wiz at improvising in the kitchen, and he'll make sure those athletes are fed right. But, he says that it is taking quite a lot of patience and humor, and he hasn't slept much since he left home. There are people from the Track and Field organization at the hotel, but they are mostly focused on the coaching and coordinating the athletes.
Weather report is that it is quite humid, like we experienced in Singapore, and that the coastline is quite beautiful.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Where is Dalian?
For those of you wondering where Dalian is located in relation to Beijing.... it is actually just as close to Seoul as to Beijing!
Leaving for China Tomorrow!
(Posted by Stephanie) Tomorrow's the big day..... after waiting for this for months and months, Adam is leaving for Dailan China tomorrow, with his huge Track and Field suitcase filled with swag from Nike - tons of shirts, jackets, hats, and other stuff with the Track and Field insignia.
His flight goes through LA and Seoul Korea before arriving in Dailan, a resort town on a peninsula that juts into the Yellow Sea. Communist Party leaders usually stay at the hotel where Adam will be based, but for 4 weeks it will be the "training camp" for the Track and Field team, where they will acclimate, prepare for competition, and compete in early heats. Adam will be supervising the hotel's Chinese chefs to prepare a western menu for the athletes. The hotel's head chef will act as his translator. At any one time, there may be between 8 and 300 athletes on site, along with coaches, etc. They'll be served familiar western food (don't want any upset tummies before a competition!) The final competitions will take place in Beijing, an hour flight away.
In the last week, I've gotten regretful about not having booked a ticket to go, so I'm now considering joining him for the last week! It's only money, right?
His flight goes through LA and Seoul Korea before arriving in Dailan, a resort town on a peninsula that juts into the Yellow Sea. Communist Party leaders usually stay at the hotel where Adam will be based, but for 4 weeks it will be the "training camp" for the Track and Field team, where they will acclimate, prepare for competition, and compete in early heats. Adam will be supervising the hotel's Chinese chefs to prepare a western menu for the athletes. The hotel's head chef will act as his translator. At any one time, there may be between 8 and 300 athletes on site, along with coaches, etc. They'll be served familiar western food (don't want any upset tummies before a competition!) The final competitions will take place in Beijing, an hour flight away.
In the last week, I've gotten regretful about not having booked a ticket to go, so I'm now considering joining him for the last week! It's only money, right?
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