So I was finally able to bust May. Last weekend Gina, My new convienient in-town Canadian tried in vein to call me. She had recieved the phone number from May, Who had also given me the number I gave to you, the assembled multitudes of blog believers. The number was a dud. I learned all this when I called her. We will meet for the first time today around 4.

I had been in email communication with my mother and with Alabamama’s own the great Carson Kennedy, both of whom had finally figured out how to call internationally to China but were getting the same lady who just said “Wai? WAi?” and chattered off the phone to someone in Chinese just before hanging up. I am reminded of an old AT&T commercial where the buisness man is trying to make an important phone call and keeps getting a guy in another country saying “Oh lacka pee say” and the operater (with a nasty mousey voice) tells the man “Your not dealing with AT&T” and the so the buisness man says “Well I am now!” Does anyone remember this commercial? If not ask Mike Dunham, he would know. He is rainman with junk like that. I bet a beer when I get back state-side that he remembers, who wants my action? Any takers?

Meanwhile I would love to know who in China they were calling. What if everytime you picked up the phone it was people speaking in Chinese asking for Will Sanders?

So I kept asking May again and again “what is my phone number?” and she kept telling me that it was 2530797. She would insist that this was the number she dailed each time to call me. She was sure. I kept asking her how this majic nimber could only work for her and nobody else in America or in Shangqiu. The answer? All the other people are misdailing. Everytime. They call over and over and over for what was going on three weekends and their little fingers just keep slipping onto other buttons, or their rottary dails are pulled just short of the right number. God bless them. Lord love them. They do try, lord knows how they try. Only May posseses the advanced skill and training to dail this ever illuisive combination of 7 numbers.

I kept telling my mom and Alabama’s own Carson Kennedy to keep trying and I would love to hear from them and please don’t give up. I would like to here and now publically recognize the pluckey percerverance of my mother and of Alabama’s own Carson Kennedy. They kept trying. Finally the other day I got another english teacher who had also gotten my number from May, only a long time ago, to tell me the number she was using.

2530737 not 2530797

See how the pennultimate digit is a 3 and not a 9? See how I use words like pennultimate? God knows I didn’t spell it right, but if you’ve read the blog this far I rekon you have already forgiven me this ineptitude. The American Public school success story marches on. So I was able to bust May. I was very very nice about it. She said she must have meant 3 but said 9. Right now, sitting at your computer count out loud to 10 in Chinese. See what I mean? We should just let it slide, she helps me out with stuff all the time. She really really does. Its cool. I did let her know she was busted though.

The other night I was watching the movie FLag of our Fathers by Clint Eastwood (yeah, I got my dvd player replaced, they were so cool and sweet and Chinese and wonderful about it) when the phone rang. I answered “hello?” and not “wei?” I used to answer my phone “Wei?” because it really confuses the shit out of Chinese people expecting to talk to me. But that night I had stayed in with my fingers crossed. Sure enough it was my mom. She is good by the way, just 46 days from retirement, but it sounds like the days are stretching to years. But she can do it, all together blog Believers, 1,2,3- GO WILL’S MOM! YOU CAN DO IT! OK, now do it again like you mean it, with feeling. It was so cool to hear from her. This was the first voice from home and my mom is really cool.

Last night I had just found a boot of the entire starwars sega from pod race to ewoks and was investigating if Jar Jar Binks sucked worse in Chinese or English. The result? His suckiness is universal and transcends language and nationality. When (you guessed it) the phone rang. It was none other that Alabama’s own Carson Kennedy. He was using skipe, which is super cheap internet phone talking. There was a delay and the sound quality was aweful. I sort of felt like the roving correspondant on the ground near the battle field during an invasion on network news, you know where the feed is all digitized and skippy and they ask the question and its three beats before the response comes. “And just exactly where are all our troops positioned at this very moment Jeraldo?”

It was cool to talk to Carson last night lousy sound aside. Lousy sound is very ok and sort of whatever in comparisson with being able to talk to a good friend after all this time. He told me that he and willsanderschinaadventure.com creator and nice guy Marcus Rosentrater were going to show their documentary about Nixon and George Wallace over in Mobile.

Marcus really was the guy who had the idea for this blog by the way. It was just days before I got on the plane and he presented me with this plan and I was like, “duh, you mean with a com pu tater machine?” So While we are at it, all together now, 1,2,3 -THANKS YOU FOR THE WEBSITE MARCUS! That was sorry. do it again until you get it really loud. If you see him give him a high five for me. I am serious, a high five.

We chatted for a while, I told him about some stuff had seen here, then how is Cat? How is your brother sort of thing. His brother is totally rich by the way, and getting a live in german nanny for their kids. So thanks for calling mom and Alabama’s own Carson Kennedy. I really enjoyed hearing from you guys. the official and last word on my number, Carson tested, Mother approved. 011 86 370 2530737 (not 797)

Thanks for calling and emailing and myspacing you guys. I h

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