Olly Olly Axon Free

Nearly arrested today for walking on the grass in Yu Yuan Gardens. Public space here in Shanghai still feels somehow... private. Guarded. Much more regulated than in Bejing.

Error compounded: I was so flustered from the police encounter that I accidentally ordered two sugary meat puffs for lunch at the Mister Donut on Nanjing Xilu. (I thought they were chocolate creme-filled!) Lesson learned: Looks can be deceiving here, even when dealing with something as simple as the donut.

But not all my decisions have been bad lately. Seems like I picked exactly the right hemisphere for a game of hide and seek. Thanks for alerting me to the message you found on the metastasized site:

The Killer appears to have withdrawn from the field. I have data processes tracking her, but she appears to have physically escaped from me.

Well, the Operator may have grown axons, but by my calculations, Shanghai is axon-free.

Safe!

Also: I emailed the Sleeping Princess, now that I'm in more wired country (not so many Wi-Fi spots along the Jinshanling section of the Great Wall).

Will she finally show us the secret she found? Fingers crossed.

P.S. Major typhoon south of here yesterday. Not much damage here in Shanghai, but from the news reports, it sounds like others outside the city were hit really hard. Nearly 2000 people injured, more than 42,000 homes destroyed... thoughts and prayers with the victims. After an earthquake earlier this week, it seems like Mother Nature has it out for China this summer. may be time for me to move on to another country soon...