Dream Living

Do you recognize this skyline?

Before we left for China we spent several days with friends who live in the far north side Chicago burbs. For the most part, the weather was mild, the scenery green, and the people tame. As you ride the train to downtown Chicago, you view the pristine towns along the way. Sometimes the facades seem too perfect, but nothing's perfect. The towns seduce you as if a part of Norman Rockwell's America. A walk to the lakeshore revealed beautiful, manicured homes from around the turn of the century built by Gilded Age businessmen to escape the heat and bustle of the city. The houses—only houses—were all single-family. When it comes to material well-being, this is an alluring example of the American Dream. (These folks do have to put up with harsh winter weather. As I said, nothing's perfect.)

From our bedroom window in the Chinese burbs

Now we're in China, where we get to see the Chinese Dream. We didn't appreciate this until the Glamorous Nomad* noted that she enjoyed staying in the "suburbs". "Suburbs"? All around us are high-rises and not a single-family dwelling in sight. Yet, on further reflection, she's right. Wide boulevards, manicured greenery, and modern amenities make this area into the burbs, China-style.
Our apartment, on the sixth floor of a 22-story high-rise, is brand new. We're the first inhabitants. Everything is in good working order, and as a special treat, all the knobs are solid and hinges don't squeak. C has decorated with a mix of Indian and Chinese motifs, and I'm looking for a Tibetan thangka to grace a wall, but we’re doing well on the move-in.

Our compound (gated & fenced) with manicured greenery & walkways. Very nice.

Can China sustain and continue the Chinese Dream along these lines? This is a huge question for them and for the rest of the world. But for now, they're doing well indeed.

*The Glamorous Nomad, or has she’s designated in China, “Number one daughter”, is currently our special house guest, welcome-to-China interpreter, and guide extraordinaire.

India Journal: Watch Out Where You Pass Out

Okay, best advice ever: Don't get drunk & pass out.

Second best advice: Don't get drunk & pass out where a python might lurk.

The result of violating the second piece of advice for one guy is reported below. And, yes, this is in the state where we live. Hat tip to the Glamorous Nomad for this news item.

sportsmasher.com

Python Eats Passed Out Drunk Guy In India

• by SportSmasher
• Nov. 27, 2013
• original

A Python ate a person who was drunk and lying beside the liquor shop. News from Attapady, Kerala. pic.twitter.com/2vRqCEaabn
— VIKRAMAN NAIR (@mvnair212) November 27, 2013

Note to self: Do not get drunk and pass out outside in India. I have been incredibly drunk in my checkered past, and I have done some things I am not proud of, including passing out cold in some strange places for lengthy amounts of time. However, I am sure that I would wake up from my drunken slumber if a python was trying to eat me, and i think I would be able to escape his deadly coils. That’s just because I am self confident. Pythons are constrictors, so it is likely that the snake came across the passed out man and could tell that he was still alive, since pythons can sense heat. The snake then constricted the man, and began to suffocate him while he was passed out, so if the man even woke up and realized what was going on it was already too late. Rest in peace, drunk guy, at least your senses were dulled with alcohol when you met your untimely inebriated end.

P.S. Pythons, just like this one have a breeding population in Florida now, since so many Floridians released their huge pet snakes when they could no longer care for them. Check this out:
19 Foot Python Killed Near Miami