Hey Doc

Well, three weeks into my new job, I start to feel like home now. I have been semi-retired for over four years. I started to wonder if that was the last job I will ever worked. Then this opportunity came. Sounded very much like what I did 25 years ago, my first 'big' job at Intel, so I accepted. Now the circle has completed ;) I remember taking bus to go to school but never to go to work. I guess there are some differences. Going to school, you get to hang out with your class mates on the bus, doing all young kids do. But going to work, you are along. Either looking out the window (if you get a seat) twiddling your thumb or taking a nap if you have a long journey.
Today I ran at a pretty good pace for 40 minutes straight at the track across the street from the apartment. The track has a nice artificial surface and was well lit. During the winter months, it gets dark by 5:30PM. The park I used to run in the morning is not going to work. Plus, this track is much closer.
Lets talk about the food in Shang Hai. They are tasty and way cheap. Start from the breakfast, little steam bums either all meat or vegi and meat. They only cost rmb$0.60 each. Converts to US$, that is $0.08. Three of those steam bums can fill you up. But the store sells it will keep a foreigner from going in. They are not very clean looking. No problem, my stomach can handle it.
Lunch we ate at the food hall in the basement of the office building. rmb$6.00 can get you a huge bowl of noodle soup with lots of toppings or a plate of food that can feel two. For rmb$8.00, you get a chunk of meat, usually a chicken leg of pork chop. For dinner, you can choose cheap or very expensive meals at many locations. One night, three of us blown a rmb$300.00 for a hotpot dinner. That is equivalent of a $600 meal in US.
More on Shang Hai later