Where in the World...

Shanghai - 1:35 PM local time, 2/27/01

... is my luggage????? I have been in China for over 16 hours.... 42 hours ago I put on the clothes I am still wearing and to say I grow weary of them would be an understatement. I managed to get rid of all but the ghost of the coffee stain I acquired between Brownsville and Houston, and there is almost no sign of the noodle juice I dripped somewhere over the Pacific Ocean, but I really think I would be happier with Shanghai and life in general if I had some idea of when I could look forward to a different shirt.

The image at left is the view from my window. As you can see, it is a gray and extremely wet day in Shanghai. If my suitcase were here, I could pull my lovely pink raincoat out and explore the neighborhood a bit. But no point in getting the one set of clothes I possess soaking wet.

The gray day matches my mood a bit too perfectly. Early this morning, in a fit of optimism, I turned over my luggage claim sheet to the smiling guy at the desk who - at the time - seemed all too eager to be helpful.

He is no longer smiling, and in fact appears to want nothing more to do with me this afternoon. It is not like I have been bugging him or anything. I waited until well after noon to ask. I have no idea if anyone is even attempting to find my luggage, and now I don't dare ask again.... staring at the traffic outside the window willing my big yellow suitcase to magically appear is getting me nowhere.

I was the first sculptor to arrive, though Gerry and Bruce got here before I did. Here is a picture Gerry snapped of Bruce and I in the hotel lobby. It was still morning, and I was still hopeful that my luggage and I would soon experience a joyful reunion....