Recap for July 28 to September 7, 2019

We had a great time in Hong Kong, in spite of our last day there being pretty much wiped out by a typhoon warning that shut down much of the city. The weather wasn't that extreme, but there were heavy downpours all day and after one expedition out to try to do some shopping only to discover most businesses closed, we spent the day in the hotel room. The rest of the trip was awesome, though. Our day at Hong Kong Disneyland was the best time I've ever had at a Disney park. And our trip to Lantau Island to ride the cable car to Hong Kong's Big Buddha was amazing.

We also did a father/son day in Shanghai where we visited the Jewish Refugees Museum and the Great World Amusement Palace.

Then it was back to school. I'm off to a good start on the school year. Nice group of students this year, and I'm better organized. The Kiddo likes his new teacher, and he's doing soccer.

But the really big news is the new member of our family, a street kitten named Typhoon, who we rescued (named because Shanghai got hit with a typhoon the day after we found her, resulting in a bit of a wet adventure getting her to a vet).




















Typhoon is doing well after treatment for fleas and ringworm. Sadly her sibling was dead when we found them, but it looks like Typhoon will grow up strong and healthy.

Through all of this, reviews continue.

Comic Reviews on Comic A Day

Drama by Raina Telgemeier.

Sisters by Raina Telgemeier.

Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier.

Shanghai Red #1 from Image Comics.

Archie #600 from Archie Comics.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul by Jeff Kinney.

Sky Pirates of Valendor #4 from Free Lunch Comics.

The Warriors #1 from Dabel Brothers.

Sky Pirates of Valendor #5 from Free Lunch Comics.

Book Reviews on Goodreads

Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman.

My Gal Sunday by Mary Higgins Clark.

Who Was Rachel Carson? by Sarah Fabiny.

Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance.

Who Was Winston Churchill? by Ellen Labrecque.

Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress by Susan Jane Gilman.

Trickster's Queen by Tamora Pierce.

Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

The Obelisk Gate by NK Jemisin.

Stage Fright on a Summer Night by Mary Pope Osborne.

Who Was Harriet Tubman? by Yona Zeldis McDonough.

Thanksgiving on Thursday by Mary Pope Osborne.

Supporting
Supporting SF author and editor Mike Resnick, who is recovering from a life-threatening medical emergency.

Upcoming

There's a Marvel Studios exhibit at the local mall, which we've been meaning to get to, and next week's Friday holiday (China's mid-autumn festival) seems like a good time to check it out. There's also a music festival at the mall the same weekend.

We've bought our tickets for WWE's upcoming visit to Shanghai at the Mercedes Benz Arena on September 21. That day is also the Expat Expo in Shanghai, and it's my birthday and Kiddo's adoption day that weekend. My school is also having it's Back To School Bash on that Sunday, so it will be a busy weekend.

No travel plans yet for the upcoming breaks. We'll be making travel plans for Fall break soon, and we have something in the works for Christmas, but not concrete plans yet.

Connect/Follow

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Rick Silva on Goodreads

Recap For May 5-11 2019

Back with another recap post after just a week.

School is definitely winding down for the year. Next week is really the last normal week of the school year. The week after next, I'll be on the school trip to Xi'an. Then we'll be prepping our International Festival, and then it's time to get ready for exams and graduation.

In the meantime, I've done a few book and comic reviews.

Comic Reviews on Comic A Day

Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #187 from DC Comics.

Spring-Heel Jack: Revenge of the Ripper #2 by David Barbour and Wayne Tanaka of Rebel Studios.

Red Bird Comics #1 from Dimestore Productions.

Spongebob Freestyle Funnies 2014 from United Plankton Pictures.

Dark Horse: 20 Years from Dark Horse Comics.

Book Reviews on Goodreads

Anya's War by Andrea Alban.

Warriors: Rising Storm by Erin Hunter.

Supporting
Supporting the Memorial Fund for Nicole Davis, who tragically lost her life last week at age 25.

Upcoming

End-of-school things are happening now through June 15, including the trip to Xi'an the ween after next, and the International Festival on June 1.

The Kiddo and I are also looking forward to WWE Money in the Bank, and Godzilla: King of the Monsters.

There are some possible opportunities coming up for playing Magic and D&D, but nothing definite yet.

And we've go our big travel plans for June/July, when we'll be heading to Taiwan and then the Republic of Palau!

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Rick Silva on Goodreads

Recap For March 11 to May 4 2019

Happy Star Wars Day! May the Fourth be with you! And thank you for all the memories to Chewbacca actor Peter Mayhew, who passed away this week.

It's been a very busy few weeks with day job work and some family things happening. I feel like I'm still catching up on a lot of things. Kiddo and I watched WrestleMania and NXT Takeover, but I'm still catching up on some of the Wrestlemania weekend programming. I completely missed the Magic: The Gathering: War of the Spark prerelease, but I should at least get to buy some of the cards today, and hopefully a draft or two is in the works for the coming week. I did get to play in a fun D&D one-shot during Spring break. Our party only barely survived. Kiddo and I saw Avengers: Endgame, which was loads of fun, and a great payoff for the massive Marvel Cinematic Universe so far.

I've been doing pretty well at keeping up with book and comic reviews, and I'm on track with my reading goals.

Comic Reviews on Comic A Day

Tall Tails: Tears of the Mother #4 by Jose Calderon and Daphne Lage of Dreamweaver Press.

The Origin of Gorilla the Chinchilla by Michael Harris.

Sea Ghost #1 from Nemo Publishing Group.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Gamora's Galactic Showdown by Brandon T. Snider and Marvel Comics.

Giant-Size Fantasy #0 from Red Giant Entertainment.

Lumberjanes Volume 4 by Noelle Stevenson, Shannon Watters, and Boom! Box.

Runner's Paradox by Steve Peters.

Captain Underpants and the Big Bad Battle of the Bionic Booger Boy Part 1: The Night of the Nasty Nostril Nuggets (Full Color Edition) by Dav Pilkey.

The Tick: Free Comic Book Day 2014 by Jeff McClelland, Duane Redhead, Ian Chase Nichols, and New England Comics.

Mister Beecher: The World's Worst Teacher by Marek Bennett.

Book Reviews on Goodreads

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins.

The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart by Stephanie Burgis.

The Big Wave by Pearl S. Buck.

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank.

Warriors: Forest of Secrets by Erin Hunter.

The Courage of Sarah Noble by Alice Dalgliesh,

Space Opera by Catherynne M. Valente.

Supporting
Supporting this petition by Cosplay is Not Consent and Sloth Goth Kay Cosplay seeking action from Starfest Convention regarding a harassment incident at the recent con.

Supporting the Madison East High School Debate Team.

Upcoming

Star Wars movie night at home tonight. Gynn's birthday and Mother's day are coming up with plans for special meals out for both of those.

I'm going back to Xi'An in about two weeks, this time with a school trip. When I get back from that, there will be about three more weeks of school. Then about five days after school ends, we're heading to Taipei and Palau. There is also a possible father/son trip to Hong Kong in the works for later in the summer.

Other things to look forward to: Godzilla: King of the Monsters and Spider-Man: Far From Home at the movies, and WWE Money in the Bank.

Connect/Follow

@dandelionstudio on Twitter
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Rick Silva on Goodreads

Recap for February 17 to March 10 2019

This was the week of movies for me. I don't go to the movies that often, so three in one week is pretty unusual. I saw How To Train Your Dragon 3, The Wandering Earth, and Captain Marvel. I'll try to do a separate post with my thoughts.

Also getting a separate post, but I wanted to mention it here. the summer travel plans that I keep being vague about have finally been booked, now that the Kiddo got his new passport and we got some financial things settled.

We will be off on a major adventure in June. First stop is Taipei, Taiwan for a three-day whirlwind tour, and from there, two weeks in Koror, Republic of Palau! I'll post more on travel plans as we get closer!

In the meantime, I've been doing pretty well on the comic and book reading fronts.

Comic Reviews on Comic A Day

Static Shock #6 by Scott McDaniel and Andy Owens of DC Comics.

Bored Angel by Aya Rothwell.

Tall Tails: Tears of the Mother #2 by Jose Calderon and Daphne Lage of Dreamweaver Press.

Space: 1999 #7 by Mike Pellowski and Pat Boyette of Charlton Comics.

Captain Underpants and the Wrath of the Wicked Wedgie Woman by Dav Pilkey.

Farlight Saga Ethos #2 by Jared Koon and Sarah Hebblethwaite of Nemonet Studios.

Bongo Comics Free-For-All 2008 from Bongo Comics.

Sonic the Hedgehog: Free Comic Book Day Edition 2007 by Ian Flynn, Tracey Yardley, and Jim Amash of Archie Comics/Sega.

Tall Tails: Tears of the Mother #3 by Jose Calderon and Daphne Lage of Dreamweaver Press.

Astonishing X-Men #1 by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday of Marvel Comics.

The Realm #2 by Brent Truax, Donald Marquez, Brian Michael Bendis, and Patrick Zircher of Caliber Comics.

Star Wars: Jedi Academy: The Phantom Bully by Jeffrey Brown.

Daredevil Saga by Ed Brubaker, Anthony Flamini, and Michael Lark of Marvel Comics.

Astonishing X-Men #2 by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday of Marvel Comics.

Book Reviews on Goodreads

Seven Spells To Sunday by Andre Norton and Phyllis Miller.

Seaworthy: A Swordboat Captain Returns to the Sea by Linda Greenlaw.

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson.

Upcoming

WWE Fastlane airs tomorrow here, then it's on to the road to Wrestlemania. I'm also following NXT's Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic with interest.

No specific plans, but I'm hoping to get in some Magic: The Gathering and/or D&D with some of the local players in the coming weeks.

After seeing three movies in a week, I'm expecting Avengers: Endgame and Godzilla: King of the Monsters will be my next two trips to the cinema.

Our local mall just installed a big Ultraman exhibit, which should be fun to check out. Hoping to head there with the camera on a non-busy day this week.

Things will be very busy at my day job, with grades due next week and parent conferences this week. I am also getting more hours at my weekend side gig lately. Our next school break is the first week of April, and we'll be staying here in Shanghai for that. There is a possibility that I may be going on a school trip to Xi'An in May, which should be fun if it happens.

And, of course, as mentioned above, huge travel plans for June/July as we head to Taiwan and Palau!

Connect/Follow

@dandelionstudio on Twitter
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ricksilvawriting on Dreamwidth and Blogger.
Rick Silva on Goodreads

Recap For December 3 - December 8 2018

The first semester is winding down at the day job. Midterms are next week. Today was our Saturday makeup day, upper school holiday concert, and staff Christmas party. Work on a Saturday is always a bit exhausting, but the holiday concert and the party were fun. We also saw our first snow of the year yesterday and today!

Tomorrow, we're off on a day trip to Suzhou for Christmas shopping and sightseeing, then one more week of school before vacation!

It's been a busy week, but I have gotten some reviews done.

Comic Reviews on Comic A Day

Amulet Book Seven: Firelight by Kazu Kibuishi.

Tall Tails: Thieves' Quest #5 by Jose Calderon and Daphne Lage of Dreamweaver Press.

Book Reviews on Goodreads

Valiant Imperial Warriors 2200 Years Ago by Wu Xiaocong.

Supporting

My cousin does a toy drive every year for the Ronald McDonald House in Maryland. I contributed to the toy drive, which is finishing up for the year, but you can contribute directly here.

Upcoming

Suzhou day trip tomorrow. Leaving for the USA a week from Wednesday. I'll probably also be doing some exploring around Shanghai this coming weekend once vacation starts. And we've got WWE TLC coming up (in our timezone) a week from Monday morning.

Connect/Follow

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Rick Silva on Goodreads

Recap For November 18 - December 2 2018

Two big bits of news!

First of all, the Kiddo won first place for his grade in the science fair!

The other news is that I signed my contract renewal at the day job. That means that we will be here in Shanghai through the 2020-2021 school year! I really appreciate the vote of confidence from my school, and while it was not an easy decision from our point of view, we are excited for the chance to continue our experience living in China.

The rest of that week was devoted to Thanksgiving. School festivities included a potluck feast on Wednesday for the lower school, and then turkey and pumpkin pie in the Cafeteria on Thursday for everyone. That night was our family Thanksgiving celebration with roast chicken and veggies, followed by Christmas music and decorating the Christmas tree. 

On Friday (the school's official Thanksgiving holiday) I took the Kiddo to Shanghai Disneyland to meet up with some classmates. We had a great time, and relatively short lines for rides.

We have also done some various Christmas shopping expeditions in town, and the Kiddo and I played in two Magic: The Gathering drafts over the past few days. I went 6-0 in games in an Unstable draft!

We started yesterday with Breakfast With Santa at the Geneva restaurant, which was lovely, even if it did cause me to lose "Whamageddon" on the first day of December (in China! It wasn't even December in much of the USA at that time!).

Speaking of losing, I fell well short on Nanowrimo, as I figured I probably would with everything else going on.

And I have been doing some reading and reviewing.

Comic Reviews on Comic A Day

Satisfactory Comics #8 by Isaac Cates and Mike Wenthe.

Amulet Book Six: Escape From Lucien by Kazu Kibuishi.

Dog Man: Lord of the Fleas by Dav Pilkey.

Ultimate Spider-Man #52 from Marvel Comics.


Book Reviews on Goodreads

The Adventures of Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra.

The Story of Mount Desert Island by Samuel Eliot Morison.

Supporting

Supporting Massachusetts Audubon Society for Giving Tuesday. I gave to the sanctuary (Ashumet Holly) where Gynn used to do fieldwork on spadefoot toads.

Upcoming

It looks like we're doing our day trip to Suzhou next Sunday. On Saturday we have a makeup school day followed by the upper school's holiday concert and then the staff Christmas party. So this will be a busy week. Kiddo's lower school concert is on Wednesday.

The following week is exams, and then we're on break. We'll watch WWE TLC here in Shanghai, and I may do one more shopping day in Qibao or elsewhere in the city before we depart for the USA on Wednesday December 19.

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ricksilvawriting on Dreamwidth and Blogger.
Rick Silva on Goodreads

Recap For November 4-11 2018

Appreciative of the military service of my Dad and both of my Grandfathers on Veterans Day.

We just finished a short week at school, and today is the first of two makeup days after the unexpected school closure due to the China International Imports Expo and President Xi Jinping's visit to my neighborhood. The closest I got to the expo was seeing some of the attendees heading to dinner at Paradise Walk Mall, and walking through a display on international businesses in China that was set up on the mall's ground floor. Today is a work-from-home makeup day for students and teachers, and it has gone smoothly so far. We do a Saturday school day in early December to make up the other missed day.

It was also progress reports time at the day job, so things were busy during the three-day week. And next week is another busy week, with science fair happening.

I was generally happy with the election results in the US, especially Question #3 passing in Boston to reaffirm transgender civil rights. Frustrated that this was even put to a vote, but relieved at the results.

We went back to Minhang Sports Park yesterday for a nice walk, and then had a quick stroll through Qibao Old Street. I also headed in to Pudong for a bit of exploring and picture-taking, although the park really supplied the best photo opportunities of the day.

I've seen the first few store Christmas decorations of the season. China does decorate for Christmas a bit, but they mostly wait until December. Which I really like better anyway.

One thing I forgot to mention last week: The book Jedi Academy, which I finished and reviewed the week before last, was the 70th book I read in 2018, which was my reading goal for the year. You can see the full list here. I'm going to push for more. Still have about 150 pages to go on 900+ pages of Don Quixote!

I've got some words written on Nanowrimo, but I'm nowhere near quota, which is okay. I'm not pushing it this year.

And I've also managed to do some comic reviews.

Comic Reviews on Comic A Day

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story #6 from Marvel Comics.

Tall Tails: Thieves' Quest #1 by Jose Calderon and Daphne Lage of Vision Comics.

Amulet Book 4: The Last Council by Kazu Kibuishi.

Happy Valentines Day #1, edited by Jim Main of Main Enterprises.

Swamp Thing #43 from DC Comics.

Laird MacGuffin's Treasury by E.J. Barnes.

Supporting
I'm supporting comic book writer Mark Waid's legal defense against Comicsgate trolls.

Upcoming

Science fair next week at the day job.

It's looking like I'll be heading to Shanghai Disneyland with the Kiddo on our Thanksgiving Friday holiday in two weeks. There's also a possible Magic tourney happening that weekend that I might be playing in.

Looking forward to WWE Survivor Series coming up in a couple weeks, and then TLC in December before things quiet down somewhat until Royal Rumble.

We're looking at a day trip to Suzhou at the beginning of December and maybe some other touristy stuff in the Shanghai area between now and the holidays.

Then we're heading to the USA (staying in New Hampshire and Massachusetts) from December 19 to January 2. Looking forward to coming home for the holidays!

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Recap For October 29 - November 3 2018

After all of the vaguebooking about upcoming travel plans, I can now announce: We're traveling to the US for our winter break! This will be our first time coming home for the holiday season in over five years! Looking forward to a nice New England Christmas with friends and family!

This week was Halloween, which is a big event at my school. The Kiddo became a two-time champion, winning the "Most Original" prize for his reptilian politician costume! (He won "Best Makeup" last year as WWE's Finn Balor/The Demon).








In other news, I do a set of daily goals for writing, language practice, diet and exercise, and blogging. I set a reward goal for 50 points for a week, which is pretty hard to achieve. I started the points system at the beginning of the school year, and the week before last was my first 50-point week. So last night I headed into town to a geeky mall near People's Square that I'd heard about and rewarded myself with some Magic: The Gathering purchases.

I really enjoyed WWE Evolution. Great show! I will not be watching Crown Jewel.

It is now into November, and I have not started Nanowrimo, although I am planning to participate. This year my plan is to write the second draft of The Lady of Three Faces, which was my Nano project last year until I tripped and broke two fingers a few days into last November. I'm not going to sweat wordcount this year, but hopefully Nano season will give me some motivation to make some writing happen.

In the meantime, I've written a couple of reviews.

Comic Reviews on Comic A Day

Star Wars: Jedi Academy by Jeffrey Brown.

Amulet Book 3: The Cloud Searchers by Kazu Kibuishi

Upcoming

Science fair is happening in a couple of weeks. Kiddo has been working on evaporating his water samples to measure salinity.

I may be going to Disney Shanghai with the Kiddo for a classmate's birthday party around Thanksgiving. We're also looking at a possible day trip to a nearby city on that weekend on one of the non-Disney days. Actual Thanksgiving festivities will probably be low-key. Maybe a baked chicken with potatoes and veggies and a bottle of wine on Thursday night. We get Friday off for Thanksgiving, but not Thursday. The school usually serves turkey and pumpkin pie for school lunch that day.

Busy season in WWE is beginning to wind down. Survivor Series and NXT Wargames in a few weeks, and then TLC, which will also include the finals of Mixed Match Challenge. I haven't heard any plans for Tribute to the Troops, but that usually occurs around this time of year too. They're also doing a Starcade show, but last year's was not televised. Not sure if there are any plans to put this one on WWE Network.

I bought some Magic cards, but the timing of events over the next few weeks doesn't work well for me. Hopefully I can get into at least one or two more drafts here in Shanghai before we leave for our trip to the US. I'll try to get to a couple of events in the US when we're there.

As mentioned above, we're going to the US for Christmas. We'll be in New Hampshire for most of our visit, with some time spent on Cape Cod and in Boston. Very excited about that trip.

As a result of the splurge on the Christmas trip home, we'll probably be spending Chinese New Year here in Shanghai. We have some general ideas for travel plans looking further ahead, and some major decisions to make about long term plans. I'll tell more when we know more.

Connect/Follow

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Recap For October 22-28 2018

The Halloween season has arrived! We went to a Halloween event at Laowai Jei, a pedestrian street of restaurants and bars catering to expats (the name literally means "foreigner street"). They had crafts, musical performances, a haunted house, candy for kids, and a costume parade. The Kiddo wore some zombie makeup and a skeleton hoodie. We had dinner a a Greek restaurant with outdoor seating, and a rather persistent cat begging for scraps. Food was delicious (says us and the cat!). After dinner, we parted ways and I took a solo trip in town to walk the Bund. Lovely night for it!

Plans for upcoming travel continue to be in a state of flux as I wait for (among other things) my passport renewal. Work has been busy. Not much writing happening right now. Nanowrimo might change that. I'm like 600 pages into Don Quixote (over 300 to go!), so I haven't been posting much in the way of book reviews. I have been doing well with comic reviews, though.

Comic Reviews on Comic A Day

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Issue 2, Issue 3, and Issue 4 from Marvel Comics.

Psycho Bunny #3 by Michele Mitchipoo.

Neil Jam #15 by Neil Fitzpatrick.

Supporting

In light of the recent revelations about the Arisia Convention, and even though I had not been able to go this year, I have decided to donate the cost of a membership at Arisia to the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center. I will be watching to see what further changes Arisia makes when I consider whether to attend in the future.

Upcoming

Busy time at WWE continues. Evolution tomorrow. Continuing Mixed Match Challenge. Survivor Series and Takeover: War Games next month, then TLC. I have decided that I won't watch Crown Jewel.

Travel plans, as mentioned, are on hold right now, but we hope to have news soon!

I missed a Magic tournament today, and the next draft is November 24 which we also might not be around for.  Hope to get some drafting in soon!

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Recap For October 14-21 2018

The first quarter of the school year is in the books! I'm having a bit of a recovery weekend as we move into the second quarter. Things to look forward to: Book fair, Halloween festivities, science fair, and two long weekends. One of those is an unexpected one. Schools in the area are being closed for two days during the International Import Expo, a gigantic trade show happening right in our neighborhood that will include a visit by President Xi Jinping. So we get two days off for that in early November, but we'll be in school for a makeup day on a Saturday in December. We also get a regularly scheduled holiday on Black Friday, which serves as our official Thanksgiving holiday. On Thanksgiving day we have a normal school day, but the students get turkey and pumpkin pie for school lunch.

Our Christmas travel plans are... in flux right now. We're considering a major change in plans, but my passport is currently in for renewal, so we're waiting a couple of weeks before making any real decisions.

In the meantime, I'm one book away from my goal of reading 70 books in 2018! I'm also making decent progress on the Random Stack of Unread Comics. Here are my latest reviews:

Comic Reviews on Comic A Day

Marvel Legacy #1 from Marvel Comics.

Wulflorne: Elegy For Innocence: The Coldest Winter from Modsprocket.

Neil Jam #14 by Neil Fitzpatrick.

I also wrote an entry on a wedding invitation minicomic that I somehow ended up with.

Supporting

I am supporting Ari Rivera with help getting out of financial difficulties and and abusive situation.

On Kickstarter, I'm backing two comic projects:  Rival Angels Series 3 Season Finale by Alan Evans, and Circadia by Jenn Dugan. Both of these are funded with a bit more than a week left to go.

Upcoming

There is a new Wechat group organizing sealed and draft Magic: The Gathering here in Shanghai, so I'm looking forward to getting in a bit more gaming in the coming weeks. Also looking forward to the continuing busy WWE season as we get Evolution, Mae Young Classic, NXT Takeover, and Survivor Series coming soon. I got to see the first episode of NXT UK, so I'll be following that as well to see how it develops.

As mentioned above, travel plans are very much up in the air right now. There is a possibility of one or two short trips to nearby cities on those upcoming long weekends. Hope to have an update on Christmas plans soon!

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Recap For October 7 To October 13 2018

The week started with the Kiddo and I exploring Minhang Sports Park, which is a short bus ride from where we live in Shanghai. Unfortunately, between a 24-hour stomach bug that started on Monday, and a "crunch-time" week at the day job, it was not a good week for my creative side.

I did finally get to play in a Guilds of Ravnica draft today (Kiddo played too! His second Magic: The Gathering draft!). And I also did manage to read a few books/comics this week.

Here are my recent reviews:

Comic Reviews on Comic A Day

Goodbye Kitty: A minicomic by Ryan Dow

The Amazing Spider-Man #1: Behind the Scenes Edition by Marvel Comics.

Watch the Skies V. 8.10 by Camp Hill/Harrisburg Scifi & Fantasy Reading Group.

Batman and Robin #1 from DC Comics.
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Amulet Biook 1: The stonekeeper.Kazu Kibuishi.

Supporting

I'm backing Alan Evans' awesome pro wrestling comic, Rival Angels, on Kickstarter, as it heads to its grand finale.

Upcoming

We've started discussing destinations for trips on Thanksgiving break and Christmas break. Right now, what we're considering is back to Suzhou in Novemeber and Guilin in December, but that is still very much up in the air. We're still in a busy WWE month, with Evolution as the next ppv on the horizon.

Follow Me

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rsilva on Boardgamegeek

Hope everyone has a great week

Recap For September 24 - October 6 2018

We just got back from an amazing trip to Xi'an, China. We stayed at a youth hostel in the Muslim Quarter, saw the Terracotta Warriors and the Xi'an Great Mosque, and the Kiddo and I rode a tandem bike around the city wall. We also ate lots of delicious street food in the Muslim Quarter. Xi'an has immediately jumped to the top of my list of great cities for street food.

We're now in the last couple of days of Fall Break, catching up on homework and resting. School starts back up on Monday.

Here are my recent reviews:

Book Reviews on Goodreads

Tigers at Twilight from Mary Pope Osborne's Magic Tree House series.

Junie B.: First Grader: Aloha-Ha-Ha by Barbara Park

Comic Reviews on Comic A Day

The Amazing Spider-Man #800 from Marvel Comics.

Tree Rats! Or, the Crepuscular Hobbyhorse by EJ Barnes.

Captain Spectacular #2 from Gumshoe Comics.

Amulet Book 2: The Stonekeeper's Curse by Kazu Kibuishi.

Explorer: The Lost Islands, edited by Kazu Kibuishi.

Supporting

I'm supporting Michael and Brooke Freeman's trip to help schools in South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Upcoming

We're into October, and my school does Halloween in a big way. Decorations should be up when we return to school. We're working on getting a costume together for the Kiddo.

My school gets one day off for Thanksgiving (the Friday, so we get a long weekend), and we're considering a short trip to one of the nearby cities. We're also looking into travel destinations within China for Christmas break.

I missed the Guilds of Ravnica prerelease completely with our trip to Xi'an. I'm hoping to catch a draft or two in the coming weeks. D&D has been on hold since June but there has been some talk of starting it back up again.

Looking forward to lots of WWE action in the coming weeks with a packed schedule including Super Showdown, Evolution, Crown Jewel, Takeover: Wargames, and Survivor Series, plus the ongoing Mae Young Classic and Mixed Match Challenge.

Follow Me

@dandelionstudios on Instagram

Hope everyone has a great week!

Recap for September 15-23

So, I turned 50 yesterday, and spent most of the day... working. My school had its annual Back to School Bash, which is an outdoor carnival of sorts. It's a fun day, but it is a long day of work on a Saturday. After the event, we made our way to Hub Mall and caught Canadian country/rock artist Nicole Rayy and her band playing the World Music Asia Shanghai series which was a lot of fun.

Today we're doing most of the birthday festivities. Heading in town to visit the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum, then eating at an American BBQ restaurant and maybe checking out some more World Music Asia Shanghai musical acts. I do have Monday off, which I'm hoping to spend wandering downtown alone with my camera to finish up the birthday weekend.

Then four days of work and we're on Fall break and traveling again!

Here's what I've read/reviewed this week.

Book Reviews on Goodreads

The 39 Story Treehouse by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton

Tigers at Twilight from Mary Pope Osborne's Magic Tree House series.

Comic Reviews on Comic A Day
The Course by Alex Ferree.

The Amazing Spider-Man #800 from Marvel Comics.

Supporting

This week I'm supporting this Facebook fundraiser for expenses related to medical issues for my good friends Laura and Aus Cushing.

Looking Ahead

Our next adventure is coming up soon. We depart by train for Xi'an, China on Saturday. We have a street food tour booked, and we're looking forward to seeing the famous Terracotta Army.

Not much planned beyond that. I have to get my passport renewed (I'm out of visa pages! Achievement unlocked!). Once that happens, we'll start making plans for Christmas break, which will probably involve more travel within China, but we are open to any and all possibilities.

Summer Review Recap

Once again, things got busy and I dropped out of the habit of doing these weekly recap blogs.

Here is a quick recap of reviews I wrote over the summer.

We had a great summer trip to the USA, half of our vacation in New Hampshire, and half on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, with a Father/Son Road Trip to Maine. Plenty of summer photos have been posted on Flickr and Instagram.

I also joined Bookcrossing. You can find me here.

And I did a lot of reading and wrote a lot of reviews.

Comic Reviews on Comic A Day

Avengers: Age of Ultron Prelude from Marvel Comics.

Princeless Book 4: Be Yourself #1 from Action Lab Entertainment.

Batwoman #7 from DC Comics.

Doodles Vol. 1 from Kaiser Studio.

Dark Sights from Against Studios.

Lumberjanes Vol. 3: A Terrible Plan from Boom! Studios

Daredevil Noir from Marvel Comics.

Batman '66 Meets Steed and Mrs. Peel #1 from DC Comics and Boom! Studios

The Heavenly Bride Book 2 by Katrina Joyner.

Geraniums and Bacon #5 by Cathy Leamy.

Coelacanthid #5 by Michael Connor.

Robin Red and the Lutins #1 from ACE.

Darth Vader #1 from Marvel Comics.

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Volume 1: Squirrel Power from Marvel Comics.

Marvel Fanfare #2 from Marvel Comics.

DC Nation #0 from DC Comics.

Captain Phasma #1 from Marvel Comics.

Metamo Kiss Vol. 1 by Sora Omote.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi #1 from Marvel Comics.

The 13-Story Treehouse by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton

I Kill Giants by Joe Kelly and Ken Niimura from Image Comics.

Eensy Weensy Monster Vol. 1 by Masami Tsuda

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Vol. 2: Squirrel You Know It's True from Marvel Comics

Magic: The Gathering #4 from IDW.

Dog Man by Dav Pilkey.

Dog Man: A Tale of Two Kitties by Dav Pilkey

Axis Powers Hetalia Artbook Artestella Piccolo by Hidekaz Himaruya

Errand of Mercy: The Irish Potato Blight And The Good Ship Jamestown by J.L. Bell and Olivia Li

Warriors: Graystripe's Adventure by Erin Hunter, Dan Jolley, and James L. Barry.

A Prelude To Penemue by Sara M. Harvey.

Batwoman #6 from DC Comics.

Steal This Comic.com Presents: The Punchlines by Carlisle Devonish

This is a Sampler! by Aya Rothwell.

Batwoman #8 from DC Comics.

Rival Angels: Damsels of Destruction: Wrestling Maneuvers And Techniques Volume 1 by Rival Angels

Infinity Countdown: Black Widow #1 from DC Comics.

Red Sonja / Tarzan #1 from Dynamite.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi #3 from Marvel Comics.

Red Sonja / Tarzan #2 from Dynamite.

Steven Universe #17 from Kaboom!.

Action Comics #1000 from DC Comics.

Captain Spectacular #1 from Gumshoe Comics.

Batman: Prelude to the Wedding: Red Hood vs. Anarky #1 from DC Comics.

Book Reviews on Goodreads

Exit, Pursued by a Bear by Greer Gilman.

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan.

Inherit the Wind by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee.

The Fault in our Stars by John Green.

Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator by Roald Dahl.

The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss.

One Morning in Maine by Robert McCloskey.

Roald Dahl's Revolting Rhymes by Roald Dahl.

A Little Book of Campfire Songs by Brian Denington.

How to be a Pirate by Cressida Cowell.

Bozo the Clone by Dan Greenburg.

Alvin Ho: Allergic to the Great Wall, the Forbidden Palace, and Other Tourist Attractions by Lenore Look.

Paul Revere's Ride by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger.

A Glory of Unicorns edited by Bruce Coville.

The Giver by Lois Lowry.

Who Is Stan Lee? by Geoff Edgers.

Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett.

Shanghai Bund Architecture by Michelle Qiao.

Sarah Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan.

Wild Fairies: Daisy's Decorating Dilemma by Brandi Dougherty.

The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien.

Who Was Rosa Parks? by Yona Zeldis McDonough.

Succeeding With Inquiry in Science and Math Classrooms by Jeff C. Marshall.

Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke.

Angels and Demons by Dan Brown.

Bad Gurus: Fiction From a Near Future by Jay O'Connell.

Phineas and Ferb: Wild Surprise by Helena Mayer.

Upcoming

We are heading to Xi'an by train the first week in October. I'm excited for the chance to photograph this historic city.

Weekly Recap For April 29 - May 5 2018

Happy International Labor Day! Blessed Beltane! May the Fourth be with you! Happy Cinco de Mayo! Lots of interesting celebrations happening this past week.

We watched Greatest Royal Rumble last weekend, but no Infinity War. We've still got another week until it opens in China.

No new reviews this week either. We had a relaxing long weekend for International Labor Day, and then things at the day job got busy as we are really moving toward the finish of the school year now.

Supporting

I'm supporting artist George Burnett, who is raising funds for relocation expenses.

Looking Ahead

WWE Backlash on Monday. Avengers: Infinity War finally arrives in China next Friday.

Five more weeks in the school year, with lots of school events coming up: Concerts, community service field trips, International Day, exams, prom, graduation. It's an exciting time of the year for my students.

We're fitting in a bit more sightseeing in the Shanghai area, before we head to the US in mid-June. We'll be in New Hampshire for the first couple of weeks there, with a father/son road trip to Maine in the works. I've also got tentative plans to attend the Port Con Maine convention in Portland ME. The rest of our trip home will be spent split between Boston and Cape Cod.

Weekly Recap For April 15-28 2018

The school year is beginning to wind down. Summer plans are starting to fall into place. We have a four-day weekend right now for International Labor Day, and we did a bit of sightseeing today at Qibao Old Street, which is the closest of the several "canal town" historical districts around Shanghai. I had been there previously with the Kiddo, but it was nice to go on a less crowded day (our previous visit was during the Chinese New Year holidays) and to show Gynn around.

This weekend was also WWE's Greatest Royal Rumble event, which we watched last night and today. Lots of spectacle, and some fun moments, but the matches could have been better.

For most of the rest of the world, this weekend is the opening of Avengers: Infinity War, but we have to wait until May 11 in China. (So no spoilers, please!).

I also started playing in the D&D group I was invited to join, and the first session was great. We play again tomorrow. I also attended a Magic: The Gathering Prerelease tourney here in Shanghai. Didn't have much success in terms of wins and losses, but had fun playing the new cards (in Chinese!).

While all of this has been going on, I've posted a few book reviews:

Book Reviews on Goodreads

Jax Starlight Volume 1 by Jenn Nixon. (5*).

The Complete Plays by Christopher Marlowe. (3*).

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany. (4*).

Star Wars: What Makes a Monster? by Adam Bray. (3*).

Trickster's Choice by Tamora Pierce. (4*).

Supporting

I'm Supporting Daniel Hurd, my wife's cousin, who is riding in the Great Cycle Challenge to raise money for the fight against children's cancer.

Upcoming

In the immediate future: D&D tomorrow, and then two days off, which will be spent reorganizing a bunch of paperwork around the house.

All sorts of end-of-school things are happening in the coming weeks. We're planning on heading for one more visit to one of the canal towns before the school year ends, and we may have some other random sightseeing around Shanghai.

It looks like we will be in Merrimack NH from June 20 to July 8, and then splitting our time between Dedham MA and Cape Cod MA from July 9 to August 2. I'll be taking the Kiddo to Maine for the annual father/son road trip during our time in NH. More specific arrangements should be coming together in the next week or so.

Weekly Recap For March 18 to April14 2018

Another busy couple of weeks.

Kiddo had about five days of birthday festivities, starting with a classroom party celebrating all of the March/April birthdays in his grade, then a movie night with me (Pacific Rim 2: it delivered an acceptable level of giant robot/giant monster mayhem), a party with some friends at Global Harbor Mall, and finally dinner out with parents and birthday presents at home on his actual birthday.

Spring break started at the end of that week, and we were soon on our way to the Kiddo's hometown, Wuxi. We had a nice whirlwind of sightseeing in Wuxi and Suzhou, enjoying lovely hotel buffet breakfasts the whole time.

This week has been back to work, and getting caught up on various small projects. I've been behind on a lot of my "daily goal" kinds of things (including this blog). I did manage to watch pretty much all of the Wrestlemania weekend events, and it looks like I'll be joining a D&D campaign here.

An I had time to do a couple of new reviews:

Comic Reviews on Comic A Day

Dog Man and Cat Kid by Dav Pilkey. (9/10).

Babalon Babes #3 by Michele Witchipoo and Witches Brew Press. (8.5/10).

Book Reviews on Goodreads

Fire and Ice (Warriors #2) by Erin Hunter. (3*).

Dingoes At Dinnertime (Magic Tree House #20) by Mary Pope Osborne. (3*).

Supporting

I am supporting burlesque performer Morgan Fey's request for funding for medical expenses for her beloved pet rat.

Upcoming

The big news is that we just bought our tickets for our trip home for the summer! We will be arriving in Boston on June 19 and heading back to Shanghai on August 2. As of right now, our plans involve staying in the New England region for the whole visit home. We're looking forward to seeing lots of friends and family, and we're starting to look at things we want to do while we're in the area.

Other things that we are looking forward to: Possible museum expedition with Kiddo and his friend later today. My first game with the new D&D group tomorrow. Also looking forward the release of Magic: The Gathering's Dominaria expansion next weekend (not sure if I'll be able to make it to a prerelease event or not due to work scheduling stuff and the fact that the store I had been playing at in this area closed, but hoping to work something out), and then the release of Infinity War coming up soon after that.

Weekly Recap For March 12-17 2018

Another busy week as grades are due at the day job.

I only managed one review (and that one I only finished a few minutes ago).

Comic Reviews on Comic A Day

The Widow Reminisces Over a Plate of Vegetables by Alexander Danner and Stephanie Smith. (8.5/10).

Photos

One thing I did do this week was that I got back to posting photo sets on Flickr. I am essentially one year behind on Flickr, and I've started the dash to catch up. This week I posted three sets, two recent ones, and one from last January.

Photos from the City God Temple, Shanghai, China, March 2018

Photos from Yuyuan Bazaar, Shanghai, China, March 2018

Photos from our Bangrak street food tour in Bangkok, Thailand, January 2017

Supporting

This week I am supporting the Fisher Center for Alzheimer's Research Foundation. This is a disease that has impacted my family, and Fisher Center is the top-rated charity for Alzheimer's research as rated on Charity Navigator.

Upcoming
Our Spring break trip (tentatively by train to Wuxi and Suzhou) is still in the planning stages. Well, in the procrastinating stages, really, but we should be nailing down some details in the next few days. Meanwhile we are planning Kiddo's birthday party, and I have a school trip to see Black Panther coming up on Friday. Also, a day of Saturday school  next weekend to make up a snow day.

Looking further ahead, we should know the dates we'll be in the US this summer soon. It looks like we will be splitting most of our time between Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

Weekly Recap For February 11-17 2018

Happy Year of the Dog!

Chinese New Year was quiet for us in Shanghai. We got to see the lanterns at Yuyuan Bazaar and we walked around one of the old canal neighborhoods last weekend, but the week was busy for me at work up until vacation started at the end of school Wednesday. Since then, most of our efforts have been spent on cleaning the apartment and getting ready for the arrival of visitors tomorrow.

I've also been doing some reading and reviewing.

Comic Reviews On Comic A Day

Xenoglyphs Volume 1 by Omar Spahi and PJ Catacutan from OSSM Comics. (7.5/10).

Confessions of an American Ling Master Preview #0 by EJ Barnes and Al Ackerman. (7/10).

Superman #10 by John Byrne and Karl Kesel from DC Comics in 1987. (6/10).

Book Reviews On Goodreads

Burmese Days by George Orwell. (3*).

The Thief of Always by Clive Barker. (5*).

Supporting

I am supporting my friend Jim Henderson's request for help with debts.

Looking Ahead

This will be a big week for us, hosting our first visitors in quite a while and giving them the grand tour of Shanghai. We'll figure out the agenda once they arrive, but plans are likely to include the Oriental Pearl Tower, the Bund, the New Years lanterns at Yuyuan (after dark this time!), the Natural History Museum, and lots of local food. Expect lots of pictures on Instagram.

As February comes to an end, we'll need to make a decision about Spring break plans. We've also got the annual Summer trip home to plan for June/July. We're excited about going to see Black Panther (not released here until March), and I'm looking forward to the release of Magic: The Gathering: Dominaria in the Spring, as well as the arrival of Wrestlemania season.

Weekly Recap For February 4-10 2018

This was a busy week at the day-job, so I slacked off a lot of my daily goals. I did have a nice day out last weekend checking out the World Expo Museum and the West Bund with the Kiddo and his friend. Today was my school's Chinese New Year party, with a ton of delicious food. We then headed to Yuyuan Bazaar to see the Chinese New Year lanterns, We'll be doing a lot more sightseeing in Shanghai over the next two weeks, so expect to see lots of pictures on Flickr and on Instagram.

I also did a few reviews this week.

Book Reviews on Goodreads

Magic Tree House #23: Twister on Tuesday by Mary Pope Osborne. (3*).

Comic Reviews On Comic A Day

Cecil #1 by Jonathan Todd. (7.5/10).

Supporting

I am supporting Traci Marcovitz with help with student debt.

Looking Ahead

Chinese New Year is coming up this week. We get a week and a half off from work/school. We'll be hosting visitor here in Shanghai for most of that time. We have plans for a lot of local sightseeing. We were at Yuyuan Bazaar today, and I'll be taking the Kiddo to the historical district of Qibao (and the massive Vanke Mall for lunch) tomorrow. We might head back to Yuyuan to see the lanterns at night some evening this week. Our guests arrive next Sunday, and we'll be hitting many of the major Shanghai sights with them: the Bund, the Pearl Tower, the Natural History Museum, People's Square and Tianzifan are all on the list.

We've got the Kiddo's birthday in March, and then April vacation. We're planning to travel somewhere within China in April, but not sure where yet. And we'll be back in the US for parts of June and July.