Sick Today

I’m home sick today (I hope you’re being kind and respectful in my absence, ladies and gentlemen!), so I’m using that time to catch up on reading and do more research for my trip to China.

We in the Puget Sound are fortunate to have two fabulous library systems, the Seattle Public Library and the King County Library System. I especially love the fact that since we moved, our local branch is fewer than ten blocks away and I can have all my book holds delivered there.

I amused by the “similar books” function on the SPL site. I know that Google and other search engines can sometimes misinterpret your search’s intent with humorous results, but I’ve never had it happen on the library’s site before:

One result of my "China guide" search
One result of my "China guide" search

Truck by Donald Crews? Really, this book is the key to being a sensitive tourist in China?

Truck, by Donald Crews
Truck, by Donald Crews

Well, at least the search engine has good taste — Truck received Caldecott honors in 1981.

Speaking of children’s media, I checked out a few DVDs to help me get my brain wrapped around the basics of Chinese.

Early Start Mandarin Chinese with Bao Bei the Panda
Early Start Mandarin Chinese with Bao Bei the Panda. Volume 1: Colors & Animals
Dance & Learn Chinese with Mei Mei
Dance & Learn Chinese with Mei Mei
Chinese For Kids, Beginner Level 1
Chinese For Kids, Beginner Level 1

I’ve gotten off to a very slow start. Very slow. Learning languages is extremely difficult for me, but I’m up for the challenge…

Now off to make more tea and nap.

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