I got the apartment. It feels great here. It was an ordeal to get it and it included giving 6 months rent upfront, but this is the place I was supposed to live. I can feel it. I actually viewed the apartment 3 different times. You see it's in this popular compound called "SunCity" where a lot of foreigners and trendy Beijingers live. I saw at least 10 different ads for apartments in this compound, and 3 of them were for this apartment. It's on the 8th floor, which is lucky according to the Chinese but I consider lucky in case there is another fire (the ladders could reach me!). It came with its own furniture and fish tank full of golden fish. I killed one accident on the first day (who knew you had to keep that loud, annoying filter on all day for them to "breathe?"). It was quite filthy though so I've spent the past 2 days cleaning and cleaning and cleaning. It's not easy keeping a clean house, especially in dusty Beijing. The neighborhood is fantastic, in one direction I have many restaurants, and street vendors and schools and a gigantic mall, in another is the "Wu Mart" (like a mini Chinese Wal-Mart), more street vendors, banks, a busy street that leads to all the hip clubs and restaurants (about 20 minutes away), the coffee bar that has no coffee and only lotto tickets and the McDonald's that blasts Sade on its streetside loudspeakers all day (I'm not kidding, "No Ordinary Love" is on at least every other 3 songs). And in another direction is more street vendors, a 5 minute walk to the subway, Starbuck's, fancy day spas and hotels and the ominous revolving restaurant. All in all, even though I was really afraid to sign a 1 year lease, this is a great place to be for a year. My friend Paul comes next month, and I'm really looking forward to his arrival, he is going to stay in the other room. Oh, I forgot to mention the artwork. Well let's see, we can start with the 4 ft. by 4 ft. oil painting of Napoleon Bonaparte stradling a horse (that one is over my bed, I think it was put there to draw in the male clientele), the Jesus on the neon purple cross in Paul's room, and the arrangement of fat babies being cradled by a depressing renaissance woman (there are about 4 of those altogether). I would love for a TLC show to fly out here just to get this place on camera, I think I could improve U.S.-Chinese relations very easily this way.