written 9 months ago in china

hey morgan, i wrote this in my journal on 21 september 2006 while i was in china. does any of this ring a bell?
the national pastime basketball is popular here. so is table tennis and badminton. but the most popular pastime in china has to be the art of spitting (or 'hocking loogies' in certain dialects). it is extremely popular amongst men over the age of 45. they've perfected the art. it seems that with age, you get better and the phlegm rousing 'hooockkk' sound made prior to the actual spitting. you know the sound when you've got a cold and you need to get the mucous out of your throat? yeah, it's that sound that they make all the time. you hear it everywhere in the street, on the trains (that's the worst), in buildings, in moving vehicles, and at all times of day (especially in the morning where the hocking is a substitute for a rooster wake up call). i didn't actually believe it when my roommate carolyn told me that everyone spits and hocks in china, but it's true. anyone who has been here can attest to it.
now, most of the time, it's males who participate heavily in this sport. about 14 out of 15 spitters are men. but don't get me wrong, there is some real talented females out here. one time while waiting for a bus, one middle aged lady,
stopped,
hocked,
and spit.
then she blew a snot rocket (this is extremely popular out here as well, but not as well practiced as 'hocking loogies'). unfortunately she didn't get it all, and had a 'hanger' swinging from her nose like a pendelum. i looked at her, she looked at me. we made eye contact. i telepathically sent her a message, 'jesus, now what are you gonna do?' she received my message and proceeded to wipe it on her jacket and fling it onto the street.
what a pro. touche, checkmate.
she showed me. so ladies, don't be discouraged. there's a lot of female talent out here as well.
but i must go now. i need to practice my tossing, and i'm working on spelling out ...with my hocks...... Dónde está Ché Pelotas?