Harbin Hen, Kidney Biopsy, SPU, Sonics

I was at work today working on some stuff for the 'student leadership retreat.' Somebody asked me if we were in charge of it, I smiled and said, "No, we are only responsible for the content." That got a laugh, but it's true.

I found myself saying repeatedly, I don't want my 中文 class to end. I have no desire for my own classes to start. On my way home just now, I started daydreaming about moving to China to teach, either teach English or another language, or to teach in an American school. I was thinking about where to go; I want to learn Mandarin, so north; I want to be in a medium sized city, maybe not Beijing.... my teacher is from Harbin, she recommended it, but it's famous for ice sculptures in the winter, which sounds cold.

That's when I saw a red hen, pecking at the sidewalk, at the corner of Rainier Avenue S and Massachussets, right there across from Toshio's Teriyaki. What kind of omen is an unexpected red hen? I think it means I should go to Harbin.
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My kidney biopsy is scheduled for Friday, September 1st. I will take the day off of work, show up at 6:30am, they'll grab three little plugs of my kidneys through a needle while I'm holding my breath, and then I'll get driven home around noon. Hopefully they'll look at my biopsy and find a no-big-deal reason that my kidneys spill protein.
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Monday I got a letter dated August 2 from SPU, saying that the credit card I had given them to pay for my Chinese class credits had been declined. What! And that I had until the 15th to takee care of it. The date on the charge? June 29th.

That means out of my July paycheck, I have paid for 16 university credits and a deposit on an orthodontic treatment program. It's a damn good thing I'm refi-ing the townhouse; if I wasn't able to skip this month's mortgage payment I'd be broker than a joker.

So why did I not get a letter until over a month later? Because my application had been sitting in a pile. For a month. Because they had such a high work load. Gross. And now I hate SPU.
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The new Sonics owner wants out of the Key. I loved the Supersonics, I watched the amazing teams of 78 and 96 and all the other years, I loved the Sonics. But now if they have to leave, LET 'EM GO. No more public money.

Priorities, people! Professional basketball, or viaduct and seawall? Professional basketball, or rapid transit? Help everybody, or help everbody give their money to some rich people?

Hmph.