Never A Dull Moment

Sunday is here, and with it- a haze that engulfs the city and my brain. The past 2 weeks have been full of activity. Saturday night Phil and I, along with our friends Anne and Bill, went to dinner at a Shanghainese restaurant, then moved onto a jazz club. New to jazz clubs in Shanghai, we weren't sure what to expect. I have to say we were pleasantly surprised when we walked into the club. Dimly lit, plush and intimate, it was the perfect setting for the evening to come.

The main act came on stage around 11pm, and the stage that previously looked tight for the 4 person opening act looked even tighter for the 20 person big band with conducter and all! Granted four or five of the band members along with the conducter had to stand on the floor in front of the stage... but it was amazing. Apparently "big band night" is once a month, and we happened to make it on that night. We will certainly be back (with earplugs next time).

Aside from Phil learning his new job, traveling for work, and us being incredibly busy with friends and activities here- we just found out last week that we are going to have to move. The landlord of our apartment wants to raise the rent over $700/ month! Needless to say, we don't feel like that is a legitimate price hike, so we are going to move. We've gone out several times now with a realtor, and are getting ready to work out an offer on an apartment we found.

It's certainly never a dull moment for us. We do look forward to getting to the other side of this and settling into our new home- wherever it is. We will keep you posted.

-Phil and Jen