1. I have always pronounced the last name “Zhang” as like Jzhang… like how some people “French-ize” the “Jay” in Tar-zjay? It's like a buzzing “SH” sound. Kind of like that. “Zjhong…”I guess would be the the way I'd spell it phonetically? I guess I'm wrong.. haha! My husband lived in Bei Jing for half a year, and he told me zh sounds like a less harsh “CH”… I don't get it. Mandarin is a crunchy, confusing language. I'll never get my head around it. Japanese: much easier. Unless you're counting things, people, animals, pencils, babies, furniture, etc–that shit is effing hard!

2. Thanks for your comment on thereafterish.! I'm glad it was a dream, too. Albeit extraordinarily frightening, but a dream nonetheless! It did kind of call me to action, because I've been painfully out of touch with my parents since the wedding in August. Maybe a phone call or email once a week or every two (which is aeons too long for them!). But that made me want to call my dad every day or so. It will probably end up being every week again further down the line, but at least until his birthday next month, I plan on being very “audible” to them.

I love my camera, too. But you should see the images my husband gets with his lens on his Canon 7D! It's insane. The depth of field on that baby! Mine is very… weak of a lens.

1. I have always pronounced the last name “Zhang” as like Jzhang… like how some people “French-ize” the “Jay” in Tar-zjay? It's like a buzzing “SH” sound. Kind of like that. “Zjhong…”I guess would be the the way I'd spell it phonetically? I guess I'm wrong.. haha! My husband lived in Bei Jing for half a year, and he told me zh sounds like a less harsh “CH”… I don't get it. Mandarin is a crunchy, confusing language. I'll never get my head around it. Japanese: much easier. Unless you're counting things, people, animals, pencils, babies, furniture, etc–that shit is effing hard!

2. Thanks for your comment on thereafterish.! I'm glad it was a dream, too. Albeit extraordinarily frightening, but a dream nonetheless! It did kind of call me to action, because I've been painfully out of touch with my parents since the wedding in August. Maybe a phone call or email once a week or every two (which is aeons too long for them!). But that made me want to call my dad every day or so. It will probably end up being every week again further down the line, but at least until his birthday next month, I plan on being very “audible” to them.

I love my camera, too. But you should see the images my husband gets with his lens on his Canon 7D! It's insane. The depth of field on that baby! Mine is very… weak of a lens.