China, Montana, what's the difference?

So Mr. T's back off to China next week with co-worker, China virgin and Trailheadcase commenter Tony. I won't be going along this time, because 1) I don't feel like going to south China during typhoon season, 2) my mother-in-law has no more vacation time left for the year to babysit, and 3) the sole memory I have of the city they're traveling to is the view into the toilet.

So you can imagine that I've spent much time, both in person and over instant messaging, haranguing Tony about the things to do and not to do to avoid getting sick:

1. Remember the adage, "peel it, boil it, or forget it."

2. Take Immodium along but don't be silly enough to think it will actually help.

3. Do NOT take your cues from Mr. T, who has been there six times, and who was never very careful to begin with.

4. Don't forget to brush your teeth and rinse your toothbrush with bottled water too.

5. Don't eat anything that looks like it might contain butter or cream, and thus potentially harboring those preformed toxins that made me ill. (Do click that link, or you'll miss my fish head picture.)

Obviously, I don't mean to suggest that somehow China is more likely to make a person ill than any other country. I followed these same guidelines when T Bro and I went to Europe. But the food in Spain was a little closer to my every day fare than what I got in south China. I suspect that has something to do with it.

I've also been trying to persuade Tony to e-mail me some posts to put up at his place (keeping in mind that he won't be able to access Blogger on the mainland.) Of course, that would break his record of not having posted since June, and we can't have that.

For my part, I'll be entertaining Trailhead Brother from this coming Wednesday till Sunday. We're doing a neat little exchange at the airport Wednesday. T Bro comes in at 11, we'll all have lunch together, then put Mr. T on his plane at 2:35.

Then, when Mr. T gets back on September 2, he's actually taking a week of real, live, no-work vacation! Yipppeee! We were going to take a road trip up to Yellowknife in Canada's Northwest Territories, but for a number of reasons we'll be spending it in Montana instead. Thus I will be spending my birthday there, which I find quite fitting. Unless we do a road trip up into Canada, this shouldn't affect my blogging.

That's the report. As you were, folks.