Speaking of Love

I've been largely out of touch this week, lost in the amorous daze of what the Chinese call 谈恋爱, or "talking love". I like this turn of phrase better than any English equivalent, because it brings to mind many aspects of the early stages of romance: the way lovers talk dreamily to each other about nothing, serious discussions about the nature of the relationship, exciting conversations learning more and more about one another. There is definitely a lot of talking involved in love: it is a study in communication, negotiation, expression, exchange.

Of course, you don't want your relationship to be all talk, naturally, but the Chinese don't like to mention that...

In any case, it's been a very very happy week. It hasn't been productive (it's hard to get shit done when you're walking on a cloud for most of the day) but it's been really great. I'm preparing now to return home for two weeks to spend Christmas and New Years with the fam, after which I'll return to Dalian (my lover will be gone by then, to return in March) and renew with vim and vigor my quests in the more ethereal realms of work and study.

Go!