Greetings from Shanghai.. I got here after a long convoluted path of canceled flights. replacement flights, cab rides and one veryrrrry long plane ride.. 13 hours.
I got a nice sendoff last night as we had a few folks over to make samstones.. It’s always nice to come together and make them.. an unusual excuse for a party.. but  a very nice ritual for us.. It’s nice to come together and think about Sam.

I got the word that my flight this morning to newark was canceled at about 10 PM.. I’d just tried to get tto bed in the hopes of a good night’s sleep. No luck there.. I spent more than an hour on the phone last night trying to find a way to Newark.. I couldn’t do that.. so I got a Jetblue flight at 6:30. .. woke at 4 to get there.. got a cab from JFK to Newark only to find they (Continental) had rescheduled me to travel Thursday (!!!!) instead of Monday..   Anyway.. alls’ well that ends well.. I’m here-ish.

The flight was long and uneventfull

Hannah.. I saw this guy reading a nuspaper with a title you’d understand !

By luck they had an extra veggi meal.. actually a vegan meal !!Not bad !

I just noticed that there’s only an hour left of this 13 hour flight… While that would have sounded good to me 10 hours
ago.. even 3 hours ago.. now I’m already missing the forced stillness of the plane. It’s a rare treat.. and in ways a
sweet torture to get to / have to sit with your own thoughts and nothign more for that long. For the first 7 hours or so
I managed to stay mindless… I worked… (I just realized as I wrote that that it’s funny for me to say I’m striving for
mindlessness after so many years of striving for mindfullness).. It’s those hours in the middle that drag by. It’s a strange
feeling being so far from the ones I love…. and so far from the responsibilities of work. I feel sort of detached and
lonely.. and my trip hasn’t even really begun. Luckily (?) , the plane had one of my favorite movies.. Sophia Coppola’s
“Lost in Translation” ..I don’t know whay I love that movie so much.. but a few years back  I watched it 5 times while flying back

and forth to Asia  In it, Bill Murray plays an aging movie star who’s in Japan to make some commercials for a whiskey company.
He then meets another dispalaced person. played by Scarlett Johansson.. and they are basically loney together…

The film absolutely nails the diplacement and disorientation of being far away by yourself  It’s sweet and sad..

Being quiet like this for so long is good time to reflect for me.. My life is very good now..  My heart is at peace
I’m surrounded by  love and I deeply love my family. we’re all doing well and are healthy and sane. For all that,
I’m  truly greatful.  As at peace as I am in my heart, my brain is not at peace. I feel like I am drifting a bit. I’ve
made more space in my life recently to accomodate more focuss on my job.. which is demanding it right now. In doing that,
I’ve had to trim back some of the things I do to keep sane.. I’m doing fewer school visits, fewer crazy projects,
traveling less … all things that keep my mind occupied..

I feel like I need to open myself and refocus . I want ot re-find my sense of mission I’ve had about getting kids
interested in helping the world through sceince. That still calls to me.. but I nede to freshen my approach… rethink
my goals and expectations. Maybe I need a new message ?  I plan to meditate some on that this week as I spend time on planes,
trains, busses and hotels

Hey.. looks like we’re now  30 minutes out of Shanghai. Gotta get ready to move.
I’m making a short stop there only to change planes.  I had hoped to be able to duck into town and check out
the electronics markets.. but.. it doesn’t look like I’ll have time. Next time… I hope…

OK.. more later from Shanghai…
nite all, note sam
-me

Ps.

a couple of scense from the airport as I wait to board my flight to japan

I put a samstone here.. I think it’s the 4th one I’ve put in this airport