Rebecca A. Foster

...because I can't sleep now thanks to his show, so it's only fair, right? My new celebrity crush, Josh Gates, who hosts the very entertaining cable show Destination Truth  (available for streaming on Netflix) and who also introduced me to the macabre Doll Island of Mexico and ghosts of Chernobyl's dead city, amongst other creepy things, and is now the reason I'm awake in bed at midnight wishing I had a thermal imaging camera to confirm or deny the shadows in my apartment are ghosts. I mean, come on Josh, you started it...finish it! (His show is creepy, but he is charming and hilarious, two of my favorite things in the opposite sex. AND he travels the world investigating legends? I have no defenses. My passport loves his passport.)

I liked Mindy Kaling's book, so I checked out her new show. This scene: so much yes. The girl on the far end? I've had that look on my face too, watching a man dance. It might be evolutionary, but I just assume a man who can dance well can do lots of things well. Even if I never do anything other than watch him dance (this is almost 100% the case), I still know. I've developed a near-instant crush on a guy who impresses me with his heretofore unknown moves, and lost all romantic feeling upon the discovery that we don't move well together at all . Dancing is a fun date activity because of what it tells you about the two of you together: Shy? Rhythmic? Adventurous?  In tune with each other? Is he embarrassed I would get up on the bar or Hell yes, she's leaving with me!  enthusiastic? I recognize it is not a clear-cut indicator, because I am often waaay more shy outside of dancing than I am while doing it, but it does give you some indication of your combined chem...

I like to use the word 'lick' to convey my attraction/desire for someone. Mulder: after all these years, still very lickable.   This picture also reminds me: beard burn? Always worth it. (It also reminds of the pictures I never shared from last Halloween because I had beard rash in places other than my face.)  And this might be the military brat it me, but men with badges are hot. Even when they're not hot, they're still hot.  If Don Draper had a badge, I'd probably kitten-lick him to death. I mean, come on . 

My brother got me this mug for Christmas and I think I actually squealed with delight. I've written before about my love for the show Community , my favorite show on tv right now. I'm obliged to sing the "Troy and Abed In The Morning" song whenever I talk about this mug. My favorite thing about it is that the picture is the same on both sides, which means holding it in my left hand I can still see the picture, unlike my panda mug, which makes me stare at panda butt. Yay for double sided mugs! And Troy and Abed! ____ My Chilean mom gave us tea growing up as medicine, so I was quite prepared for this aspect of Chinese culture. I was not prepared for the tea itself, though. When the swine flu was going around, my school boss gave me a bag of bark and twigs and told me to make tea out of it to protect myself. With all due respect, no way was I doing that. I could smell the tea through the sealed bag, not a good sign. G. had a bad cold and tells the story of going to...

I just like knowing I live in a world where Henry Cavill exists: I absolutely do not think he would ask me out.  Turns out I have very little to say about H's! A few quick hits:  1. High-heeled camel boots: (I take it back. Henry Cavill might be blinded by the beauty of those boots and make it happen.)  2. Hugs and holding hands 3. Hot baths The H's are kind of old-school and simple, but the classics never stop being wonderful, I suppose.  _________ In other news, our girls' weekend in Jackson Hole, WY was COLD but hilarious and I came away with a new nickname, Bunny. But I'll tell that story in another post. 

A short video I made of some...interesting products I have come across here. I made a few English mistakes, oops! I know you still love me, even though my English can be crappy these days.

Wow, time flies! E. came down for a few days, and then I had to go to Chengdu for my end-of-service-very-thorough medical examination. It lasts a few days, and we get tested for communicable diseases and whatnot; I check out okay on all fronts, yay! And blood pressure 114/78, bring on the salt! We have our parasite test the day before we leave, and I don’t think you want to know the details of how that is done. But, I hope to also be parasite free, cross your fingers for me. Last Tuesday night we had girl’s night at the movies and saw Prince of Persia . Definitely China-good, meaning, only good because we are living in China and need the American eye-candy. My Chinese friend Summer came with us and she liked it a lot, for the same reason we did. Hotness is the universal language, y’all. I got in late last night and had to teach early this morning as a make-up for the days off I get next week for Dragon Boat Festival. Tonight we are watching the U.S./Britain soccer game at 2:15 ...

I was asked to do a lecture this week on the English language for the Foreign Language students at my university. Part of my lecture focused on the ways in which new words are added to English. Two ways are*: 1. New meanings for existing words 2. Making up new words For #1, I used the example of the word ‘text,’ which used to mean only written works and/or speeches, but now also means SMS messages. And from this new usage of the noun, we also made the verb ‘to text’ and added the words texting, texted, etc. For #2, I gave the example of the words ‘sexting’ and ‘sext,’ which from what I read online are pretty popular words these days in American culture. I didn’t say much about the meaning of the words themselves, only that they were made up, derived from ‘texting,’ and meant that the text had a sexual topic. I explained that we went from ‘text’ to ‘texting’ to ‘sexting’ back to ‘sext’ in new word formation; that’s awesome from a linguistic etymological process point of view, and...

"Sudden onset cryabeetus" Meaning: crybaby whiners. I'm going to start using this in everyday conversation, stat. (From the bottom of the page  here .) While we're at it, how about a Chinese phrase of the week? "An lian" ("暗恋") Meaning: to be secretly in love. Kind of like a crush, but more serious and dramatic, like Jim-for-Pam,  Days Of Our Lives kind of love. You can use it as a verb instead of a noun or adjective, which makes it more fun. I am fond of saying, 'I anlian him.'  But I use it more as a joke, not as a real condition. What's your favorite phrase? I say "evidently" a lot at the beginning of sentences. Or, "Sooo, evidently..." And "suspicious" to sum up.

Those of you who read here before I left for China know it used to be called “Stuff I Love.” In memory of times gone by, here are a few things I love right now: 1. Fit To Strip , the workout DVD by Carmen Electra. I know, I know, it sounds lame, but disc 2 is a calisthenics routine that has nothing to do with stripping and everything to do with building strength in your core, legs and upper body. I used this DVD before I ran a half marathon a few years ago and was the most toned I’ve ever been. I let myself get chubby after my dad died, so I’m back on a strength training/toning regime, and this DVD is part of my new routine (along with running, weights and yoga). It kicks your butt in a really good way. Amazon.com, $12.99 2. Community , the tv show on NBC. One of my friends in the U.S. prodded me to watch this show, and it takes the place in my heart that used to be occupied by The Office until The Office turned kinda lame. (Sorry, but you know it’s true.) Abed and Troy crack...

I started packing to go back home, and here’s what it looks like so far: I left most of my clothes in China, so I don’t have a lot to take back. So hey, why not candy, pretzels, bacon bits and pudding? Underneath all the candy etc. there are jars of salsa, jalapenos and hot sauce wrapped in bubble wrap tucked inside Ziploc bags. -------------------------------- So, completely changing gears, here are the deep thoughts of my late night mind: you know that moment at the end of the movie when the slightly awkward girl gets a makeover and wows everyone away?  And then sometimes, she turns around and walks away, leaving That Boy who didn’t like her enough for who she is in her high-heeled dust? I love that moment. (Watch from about 7:45 in this video for a great example.) It’s not politically correct to love that moment, but deep down, I still have my own little fantasy makeover moment, where That Guy I just wasn’t girlfriend material enough for realizes how girlfriend-m...

'Choggles' is a combination of two words, 'China' and 'goggles.' Choggles are similar in function to beer goggles, but with a broader spectrum. For example, you buy some cookies. Are they good cookies, your friend asks you? They're choggle good, you say, meaning, not good if you're in America and have access to Mrs. Fields, but good when you're in China and desserts are commonly sweetened with red beans. What you mean is, these have a little sugar in them, not beans, and are somewhat edible. Choggles make it difficult to remember what you like and don't like. You wonder, do I like this because it's good, or because I'm wearing choggles? Is The Hangover actually this funny, or do I just miss Western irony and sarcasm so much, I'm willing to laugh at even the weakest examples of it? Is that guy actually hot, or is he just a lot taller than me and therefore I can't take my eyes off of him? And so on. How long does it take choggle...

Last Tuesday I went biking in the countryside, and saw a mamma goat with four little baby goats (one of which was sunbathing!). I couldn't resist stopping for a few minutes to play with them. (Little known fact: I love goats! My family used to have pet goats, and they are smart like dogs.) But two days later, I was one sick puppy. Is there such a thing as Goat Flu? I am feeling better now, still some bad fatigue and achiness, but wow, it really knocked me off my feet. Hence the lack of posts lately. And these are the other goats in my life: the Chinese "Happy Goats", aka Xi Yang Yang , a local kid's cartoon taking China (the world?) by storm. It's a simple cartoon about cute little goats who have to fight off a wolf; the wolf doesn't want to eat the goats, but his wife makes him try. All the goats have their own little nicknames and skills and they always succeed in besting the wolf, but the wolf always comes back for another try. This show is also popular w...

It's been interesting to me to see which things from my home culture are popular here and which are completely unknown, even though in my eyes, they are comparable products. These things listed as 'popular' are well-known to people in my city; that is the average Chinese person you meet here would know and like them. The 'unpopular' category are things I consider popular in the U.S., but are unknown here. Popular TV: Prison Break (they LOVE it), Big Bang Theory (this one surprised me), Lost , Gossip Girl , Desperate Housewives , Ugly Betty Unpopular TV: 30 Rock , The Office , The Daily Show , CSI -type shows, Reality TV Popular Fast Food Chains: KFC, McDonald's, Pizza Hut, Subway Unpopular Fast Food Chains: Wendy's, Taco Bell, Carl's Junior, Quizno's Popular Candy Bars: Snickers, M&Ms Unpopular Candy Bars: Everything else Popular Movies: Titanic (oh man, you have no idea), Forrest Gump , Gone With The Wind , recent action movies ...

Last week Tristan made an astute observation: "In China, we're like D-list celebrities." It's true: people don't know our names, but they recognize us and want to know what we're doing, buying and eating. And they want to be our friend. (I think Tristan said this because some kids came to our table during dinner to stare/talk to us while we were eating; he's a tall, muscular, tough-looking guy who shaves his head. I love watching people spot him on the sidewalk, then get out of the way.) People treat us like we're living in our own little reality show, and they want to be a part of it. This isn't a bad thing, but after over a year here, I am still not comfortable with being treated differently. However, it does make for some interesting and/or unusual interactions. For example, this past week, I got a random call from a girl I didn't remember but evidently sat next to on the bus going to school. People here are always asking for our phone num...

So, did you know Mad Men  Season 3 is premiering soon? Spoiler alert: nothing much happens in this show, it's a lot of talking, but the talking is really interesting and the 1960's clothes are fabulous. Also, Don Draper is hot in that 'you're-sort-of-a-scumbag-but-you-wear-the-hell-out-of-that-suit-and-I-love-your-late-night-shagging-stubble' kind of way. I recommend it. I bought it on the street for $1.00, but I think it's free in America on cable. And in preparation for the 3rd season premiere, you can make your own Mad Men person a. Here I am getting hit on by Don Draper: So realistic, you guys. I can't go to NYC without getting hit on by ad men. It's the hat and gloves, I think. (And I do actually own a hat like that, and elbow gloves. Definitely taking them to NYC.) And you just know this guy smells like Indiana Jones in a suit: all man .  Jon Hamm , I salute you. (And yes, I miss big, strong American men, why do you ask?)

These are the shows I download illegally every week: The Office 30 Rock Big Bang Theory Gossip Girl I have little crushes on Jim, DotCom, Nate (so pretty) and Chuck. A quick buying-DVDs-in-China (or Chinatown) guide: First: pirated, where sellers set up blankets or bins of DVDs on the street and sell them for about $.80. These DVDs are usually not high quality and have Chinese subtitles you can't turn off. Software and games are good quality, though. This is the most available way to buy them. Second: a bootleg DVD store. High quality, licensed DVDs intended for sale to other audiences (Thailand, Vietnam, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Cambodia, etc.) that have found their way here. They all have English tracks/subtitles. About $1.50 Third: bookstore or chain grocery store (in large cities only). Licensed for Mainland China, with English and Mandarin tracks/subtitles. About $3.50, and the selection is not as good as the bootleg stores, because they are subject to import censorship laws. (Howev...

So in the latest episode of The Office , Jim offers Kelly an hour long tv session, or an hour long nap. She wisely chooses the nap. And then Jim semi-tucks her in!  Okay, he handed her a blanket and turned out the light, but so close. Jim tucking you in for a nap: what could be better? Only this: spooning. The whole fun of napping with another person is, of course, the spooning. I have a hard time relaxing, but spooning in a man's arms is liquid valium to me. You can never have too much of this.  Currently I sleep alone, so I must be content with my fluffy pillows (5 on my bed), electric blanket (under the sheets, and I turn it on an hour before sleep) and down comforter (I like weight on me when I sleep). These things are not as good as spooning!  Or being tucked in by Jim!  But, for the time being, they must do.  Picture link

I saw this picture today on the interweb and thought, "Mmmmm...he looks like a good kisser."  Here's why: 1. The hand on the back of her head. I love this move! Along with the cheek, chin, and hand sliding inside the hair on the back of the head; these are the sweet spots of a good kiss. 2. Other hand on her hip, no lower, no higher. (Good for first-ish kisses and public kisses, unless you KNOW she likes more in public, which I do not. So I like this.) 3. He thoughtfully brings along a plank for her to stand on so she doesn't get neck-crick. (Haha.) 4. Kissing her fully on the lips. I used to take this for granted, but you get a lot of variation with this one. I like a lip-to-tongue ratio of about 2/3 to 1/3 in action. So I like this. 5. A man who will keep you warm with kisses is a good man to find.   p.s., if you have time to think about any of these things during the kiss, it ain't so great. I'm just saying is all. 

In quotations, because it's the name of this song. My new favorite stripper song!  And yes, I watch Gossip Girl .   I checked it out because my Chinese students love it, building bridges and all of that; I lose credibility if THEY know something about American culture that I don't.  It's a silly show, but the clothes are fun and Nate is hot. And Chuck Bass is hilarious.