Lara I.

Without Like Going Out And Buying A Map And Hanging It Up

Snag a map of China off the internet. Massively enlarge it and tile it in photoshop. Then go get it printed out at Staples - on a copy machine or laser printer, it must be done with toner rather than ink - oh yeah, you've got to mirror image it too, before it gets printed. Cause then you rub wintergreen oil all on the backs of the printouts to transfer the outline of the map onto the wall.

And there ya go - China on your wall!

So then if you have waaayyyy to much time on your hands... you can go to Home Depot, buy some moulding and make a frame and nail it to the wall around your map. You can paint over the map with a light wash of antique parchment color - it won't cover up the map cause it's toner and it'll come through everything - and then paint over the lines of the map with, oh, burnt sienna ink and a sumi brush.

Yep. Map of China on the wall.

Also - I need to come to a decision about my passport. I know where it is - it's either in my mom's safety deposit box or it's in my dresser at my parents' house. So, I either go get it, or I say it's lost and get a new one.

And while I'm at it (did I try labeling everything in my house in Chinese? Yeah, I may have done that...) where's my Chinese English dictionary, anyway? Cause I could sure use that cause I remember about twenty characters and not the particularly useful ones either. Oh, of course my dictionary is at my parents' house too. I think. If it still exists.

Am I really going to China?

Nah, it's just on my wall.