He's so handsome

I watched the election results this morning at the John Hopkins Center for Chinese and American Studies. As the early voting was being announced on CNN on a screen behind me, I commented briefly on how new media and technology changed the way this campaign was covered. Then a Chinese student spoke. She (like so many Chinese I've talked with) said it won't make much difference who wins but she likes Obama because he's so handsome. Then, as the result became clearer, a Chinese professor lauded Obama for making history. "Perhaps 20 years from now," he said, "we can have an election like this in China."
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Random observations on the street:
--a stylish young woman in a black leather jacket, gray wool pants and heels strolls down Guangzhou Lu (the street just outside where we live on campus) past the Adidas store chatting on her cell phone in her left hand. In her right hand, she holds a large handbag, a small shopping bag and a very large chicken.
--Marcus got new winter slacks for school but without cuffs. Nina set out Sunday to find a tailor shop but came upon a chainsmoking grandma with a sewing machine who worked in a small shop next to the student cafeteria. Nina called a Chinese friend who passed on her instructions to grandma. She sewed cuffs for three pair of pants in less than an hour for 12 yuan, about $1.50.
--Nina reports there's a fascinating shell game on the sidewalk outside. Passersby keep betting and keep losing as the young man hides a coin inside a teacup and somehow makes it disappear
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I've done a few more guest lectures at other universities in town as well as to Judaic Studies classes here. Also showing some films ("Shattered Glass" to journalism students, "To Be or Not to Be" (1942) at Judaic Studies). Marcus continues to set new records with his Playstation Portable and we find time for the golf driving range, badminton and ping pong. He's also making amazing progress on his Torah portion with his Israeli tutor. My Chinese is getting better and Nina is now taking a qi gong class as well as working in the clinic every morning and taking traditional Chinese medicine classes every afternoon.
Next week, the director of Judaic Studies is taking us to Kaifeng, the ancient capital (and, many centuries ago, the site of a large Jewish community) where I'll give a lecture. Then we'll tour Kaifeng and also travel to Luoyang (historic caves and Buddhist rock carvings) and Shaolin Temple, the birthplace of kungfu.
Time to go pick up the boy and tell him about the election results.