BIG NEWS...

In case you didn't know, Mizzou beat the mess out of Colorado! Coming from a time when Mizzou suffered the infamous 5th down and years of losing to the Buffaloes, I'm always thrilled to announce total beatdowns! In case you were wondering, that basically guarantees that the Rams will lose to the Patriots... because the Rams and Tigers have a pact whereby one team wins, so the other team loses. It's really only a theory at this point. I'm still fine tuning it.

Anywho... regarding the previous post from my beloved, all I can say is that she is completely and utterly delusional. Seeing three adult men urinating out in the open along a main highway on the way into town as countless vehicles whizzed past (pun intended)... coupled with the unfortunate interruptions to our sleep courtesy of tummy-troubled Cassidy... put her over the edge. Everyone knows that I am not a nice guy, therefore I physically cannot do nice things. I'm not even sure we have dishes to wash, and I cannot even spell "bottle" let alone make one up for feedings. Do me a favor: the next time she tries to get on the subject of how wonderful I've been, just nod convincingly, and be as supportive as you can be for the poor, whacked-out lass.

It is presently about 6:25 p.m. here, and we're on the verge of doing something about dinner. Last night, I ran out and got some Papa John's. Like so many other things, it isn't quite like Midwest Papa makes it, but I thought it was okay. I was even okay to eat three pieces that had been sitting out overnight. Shari swore the pizza smelled of the aquarium market we walked through four times and tasted funny on top of that, but I didn't notice anything. I'm getting to a point now where trying the western fast-food options is just as exciting as trying authentic Chinese dishes because it's interesting to see how far off their rendition is from what we have back home. In every case, it's been close enough to be at least edible (which is comparable to McD's back home) or even comparable in quality, but there definitely seems to be a premium to pay around here... at least for the pizzas.

Today we went to see a statue and a five-story pagoda. The pagoda is cool because it dates back to 1380, and it's the only remaining section of the ancient city wall. The statue is five rams that became rocks and spared the residents of Guangzhou famine forever. I'm curious how anyone can believe this but find the Truth ridiculous! While I was inside the pagoda, which is also a museum, I took some more illegal pics. (I didn't know they were illegal until after I took them.)

(The last shot was the view of Guangzhou from the fifth floor of the pagoda.)

As far as Cassidy goes, it's been a mixed bag today. Earlier in the day, she actually reached for me when Mama went behind those dreaded bathroom doors. Of course, she never stopped crying during that time, but she did reach for me. She woke up more than once in the night, once because she was hungry and again because her tummy was bugging her. She was inconsolable for who knows how long, but it passed... with a bowel movement, I think. After her nap, she again was absolutely inconsolable for over 40 minutes. For 25 minutes, she did not want to even be touched by Mama. She pretty much just writhed wherever she was laying. I think we've accurately diagnosed the issue as gastrointestinal. We have decided to change the formula and see if that solves the problem. She is doing okay now... aside from being back to not reaching for me when Mama leaves the room. Oh well, we take what we can get.

And a special thanks goes out to Roberto for his kind comment and wonderful insight on this fatherly adoption experience.