A few hours later, it was time for me to head to my moms' day out. Nicole, Morgan's teacher and my friend, was hosting an event at the school for moms. For 200 RMB (roughly $30), there was free flow wine (ahhhh) and appetizers and you had a choice of two of the following, each 1/2 hour in length: head/shoulder massage, foot massage, mini-manicure, or mini-pedicure - I chose the two massages. I have to admit, the shoulder massage was a bit rough, although I certainly could have told her to soften up. I just kept thinking to myself that I needed to get all those knots worked out of my shoulders and neck. But, the head massage was heavenly! I've had a headache for several days now that Tylenol doesn't seem to touch - partly from my own mild illness, partly from dealing with a crying, whiny child who constantly says momma, momma ALL DAY LONG. The foot massage was nice, too, but I was catching up with a friend I hadn't seen in months (a fellow Michigander) and didn't really focus on relaxing. All in all, though, it was a good hour. As I was getting my head massaged, I kept thinking to myself, these are the things I am going to miss when I go back home. Nowhere will I be able to find a 1 hour oil massage for $30, the price at Dragonfly Retreat, where Bob and I frequent. If you want just a standard massage, no oil, it's even less. Body massage, foot massage - both about $25. Basic facial - about $30. If you go to more local places, you can pay significantly less than even these prices! Yes, there are many things I don't like about China, but you can't beat the cost of their massage services.
Along with the massages and food, Nicole also had some expat vendors come in to sell their wares, and she also auctioned off several pieces of furniture donated from a local antique store. Because things are often difficult to find here, many people (wives or moms, especially) start their own businesses, and I try to frequent them whenever possible - not only because I like to support other moms in their quest to do something for themselves, but also because it's nice to have some items that remind me of home. Today, I was thinking about x-mas shopping, so I picked up a few books for Morgan, two of them about Santa, and some jewelry for myself and my nieces (since we're going to be here in Shanghai on x-mas day, I had to make sure there were presents under the tree for me, too!). We also bid and subsequently won two of the auction pieces. One of the pieces is a vase from the Shaanxi province made out of paper. It's pretty cool because on the inside you can see remnants of Chinese newspapers. Another larger piece I wasn't sure about bidding on, so I called Bob up to come see it. When he got there, his first question was "Do we need it?" Nancy, one of Morgan's teachers, heard Bob and said, "Men - you're all the same!" This is very reminiscent of a time at Costco when Bob brought me over to look at a dollie, you know, one of those things you see at Home Depot where the guys with back supports (and big bellies) are lifting things. My first question was "Do we need that?" and a guy standing nearby said to me, "Is it really a question of need?" I guess what this tells me is that it's not a question of what YOU think is needed but what makes your spouse happy. [I'm not even going to mention the time Bob went to Costco and came home with a 4x8 utility trailer!
Afterward, Bob and I headed to the Hongqiao Flower Market, where you can get just about any kind of flower arrangement, plant, etc you can imagine. I, however, had seen on a previous visit x-mas trees! Since this is the first year we'll be actually in town for x-mas day and Morgan is (almost) old enough to appreciate it, I wanted a tree. I didn't actually want a live tree, although you can certainly find them here (mostly still potted) because of all the logistical problems of what to do with it after the holiday. There is no curbside pick up of x-mas trees in Shanghai! And, I didn't want something big, either. It's really just a token tree. Bob says that it's a little like the Chinese economy - on the surface, it looks ok, but it's a little wobbly! At home, we do the whole tree farm deal and we love it. Bob was able to put the Expedition in four wheel drive for one time every year, so it made the whole experience (and expense) worthwhile for him. Tonight we put the tree up. When I said that I hated the "shaping" of artificial trees, Bob said, "What do you mean? What shaping?" Apparently, having an artifical tree (and actually putting it up himself) was a first for Bob. Speaking of which, we should go turn off our lights downstairs. Each strand was only 10 RMB ($1.47) each and the terminals were REALLY thin, so I'm thinking we have an honest to goodness fire hazard on our hands.
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