It's the Little Things...

OMG I got to bake!  Like, use an OVEN.  You don't understand... in Shanghai, we don't have an oven.  There's lots of things we don't have in Shanghai, but I'm just going to touch on a few.


Like I said, we don't have an oven.  Nor do we have a toaster oven.  It's difficult.  All cooking must be done on the stove, which means no staples from our US life like biscuits or delicious home baked treats like chocolate chip cookies or brownies.


We also don't have a clothes dryer.  Our washing machine has a "drying function" which is much better than many people have here, but it uses convection heat.  It also takes 4 hours to "dry" our clothes, many of which still come out damp.  A full wash/dry cycle takes 5 hours.  You cannot throw clothes in just to dry or to fluff... you have to wash and dry, which completely defeats the purpose.  Again, we're much luckier than many of our friends because many of them only have a washer with no drying function, meaning they must air dry all of their clothes, sheets, towels, etc. on drying racks which takes a minimum of 3 days to be completely dry.  They also say they end up being "crunchy" because they weren't fluffed.

You see this all around Shanghai because dryers are scarce due to their high price

Another thing we miss is American TV.  While we do have cable here, there are only 5 channels we watch due to content or availability in English.  Thank goodness there are 2 good movie stations, or I would be very bored while around our apartment.  It's strange to have to search for American news via the internet instead of just turning on the television.  Thank goodness for the internet and our Slingbox.


OK, you don't know what a Slingbox is?  Well here's a funny story.  Todd doesn't ever lie to me, or lie by omission of information.  He just can't do it.  One, he's a very honest person, and two, he's a horrible liar.  He smiles or his eyes bug out of his head and I can read him like a children's book!  There are only 2 times he's almost gotten away with a lie and it's been about a purchase of an electronic device both times.  For anyone who knows Todd very well, you know he LOVES electronics.  About 5 years ago when blu-ray players and movies were still quite expensive, Todd had wanted to get one.  I thought we should wait a little longer for them to inevitably take a price drop, especially since the movies were still pricey and that only meant spending more money because we're movie lovers and I knew he would want to purchase a lot.  He agreed.  That is until he moved to Texas for a job after he graduated, and I was still in Kentucky finishing school.  The first time I visited him, as soon as I walked into the apartment and sat down on the sofa, I said "What is that?"  Of course, it was a blu-ray player.


The second time, I was still in KY and he was already in Shanghai.  I was talking to his dad on the phone and unbeknownst to me, Todd had ordered a Slingbox from Best Buy and had his dad go pick it up to install at his house.  His dad started telling me how he had just gotten back from Best Buy and was going to try to install the Slingbox for Todd.  He and Todd were also texting at the same time I was speaking with his dad, and his dad starts laughing after receiving a text from Todd and wouldn't tell me what was so funny.  I text Todd to find out what it was, and Todd had conveniently just told his dad to not tell me about the Slingbox because he hadn't told me be had purchased it yet.  Oops.  Too late.  However, it is an amazing investment for our situation and I would probably die without it.  Below is a video that was literally created to make fun of my husband. ; )

A Slingbox is a device you connect to an existing cable box and internet connection, then you can view and control the cable from your iPhone or computer.  What that means is we not only watch, but also control a cable box in Todd's parent's home from our iPhones, iPad, or computers.  We can even set the DVR to record shows, and rewind, fast forward, etc.  We have all the capabilities you would if you were sitting in the living room with the remote in your hand.  I love it.  While many shows are online and we do utilize Hulu Plus and other internet sites to keep up on our American shows, the Slingbox allows us to watch the UK games and many other shows not available via the internet.  The best part is you just purchase the Slingbox device and don't have to pay a subscription fee after that, so we will be able to use this when we're back in the states so we never miss a UK game because we're out running around.  It was the best purchase Todd ever made without telling me. ; )

There are lots of other little things I miss about the US, like being able to go to one grocery store and find anything I could need for any recipe except maybe a very specific, foreign ingredient.  Here, you're lucky if you can find what you're looking for after going to every store/stall/market you can think of.  If you can find everything, you're probably paying an arm and a leg for it, as mentioned in my previous post.  You know one thing I can't find no matter where I've shopped and I never expected to miss but do?  HOT DOGS!  I would love to have a good ol' Oscar Meyer Beef frank on a hot dog bun with yellow mustard, ketchup, and relish!

I also really miss going to the movies.  As mentioned earlier Todd and I are movie buffs.  We love movies.  We buy tons of movies, and have always loved going to the cinema.  We have gone to lots of midnight showings just for fun and really enjoy it.  In Shanghai you can purchase pretty much any DVD you can imagine (including movies that have just been released in the theater in the US... LOL) for very cheap.  Todd found a DVD store we frequent so often now, one of the main guys who works there tells us if one of the DVD's we've picked up to purchase is bad quality and we should wait to purchase it (always a movie that is still in the theater so someone has made a very shaky video recording of it in and burned it to DVD).  It's great to get a DVD for 10 RMB (about $1.50) or a blu-ray for 25 rmb (about $4), but it's not the same as going to the movies.  I want to be back in the US in a 300 person+ capacity CLEAN (yes, gum/butter covered floors are now clean to me) IMAX 3D ETX AMC Theater where I can use my STUBS card to earn and redeems points, buy an $7 popcorn, $6 Diet Coke, and some nachos.  I want the option to go to a dine-in theater like Studio Movie Grill in Dallas or the Cinema Suites at AMC Grapevine.

Oh, and how can I forget about DRIVING!  I miss my car.  I miss driving A car.  ANY car.  Todd has been in Shanghai much longer than I have, and gone much longer without driving and it doesn't really bother him.  It doesn't bother our friends either.  But I MISS DRIVING.  Yes, I miss the convenience of just jumping in my car and running somewhere, instead of having to grab a taxi or walk to the metro, but that's not the main reason I miss driving.  I miss it because it was "therapeutic" for me.  If I had a bad day at work or was in a funk, I could get in my car and take a long route home while listening to some great music and be completely better by the time I got home.  I will miss it even more come Spring because I loved driving with the sun shining and "singing" some upbeat song on the radio.  I say "singing" because I am one of the most tone deaf people on earth.  Just ask my husband.  He gets to hear it ALL THE TIME because while I'm a horrible singer, I LOOOOOOOOOOOOVE making up stupid songs or "singing him to sleep", AKA figuring out a way to make him laugh/bug him so he'll stay up longer with me because I'm not tired.

Related to this, I miss the radio!  I miss not having to think about logging on and listening to internet radio, but just automatically knowing I will listen to the radio on a daily basis because I will be driving somewhere in my car.  I don't like having to seek out new songs that have been overplayed on the radio in the US, but I haven't even heard yet.  The only thing that saves this is I have the iHeartRadio app and I listen to 106.1 Kiss FM every day while I'm in the shower and my "getting ready" routine.  It makes me almost feel like I'm back in Dallas.  If I put it on in the evening and I hear Kidd Kraddick it makes me smile.


If I'm being 100% honest, I also miss my celebrity gossip.  I miss talking with my girlfriends about who's dating who, or how awful someone looked at the Grammy's, etc.  While I do still check out TMZ and E Online, it takes honest effort to remember to check it and that's just not fun.  I remember a while back Todd came home and in all seriousness, I looked at him and had the following conversation:


Me: "I officially feel disconnected from the US."
Todd: "Why is that?"
Me: "Beyonce and Jay-Z's baby was born 4 days ago and I didn't know.
Todd: (Rolls his eyes) That's my wife.


Ok.  I understand how ridiculous it sounds, but that's why this post is titled "It's the Little Things" because it is!  It's those little things that give you goofy enjoyment, especially when you're a 28 year old female.  Everyone always says you don't know what you have until it's gone, and usually they're referring to much larger "things" like relationships, jobs, etc. but I'm talking about all the little things that added up to my life!


OH!  One last thing I have to mention about the little things I miss... A BATHTUB!  In our last apartment in the states, we had a separate tub and shower which was awesome.  I loved our bathroom.  I got into a routine where if I was stressed or had a headache or just wanted to relax when Todd was working late, I would take a hot bath.  I would take my computer into the bathroom and put it on the counter across from the bathtub so I could watch a movie or listen to music, then I would put on the really dim light that only lit the shower and get into a hot bath with my awesome bath pillow my MIL bought me.  It was amazing what it did for my mood, as well as my skin since I would usually use a bath oil and I'm normally horrible about moisturizing.  I sincerely miss doing this, especially since I'm not working while in Shanghai so I could be taking a bath on a daily basis!  My recommendation: Lush Products Butterball Bath Bomb!

Ok.  I'm done ranting... for now.  Consider this part 1. : )