The "Bay Area" of China

Today I've been thinking a lot about cultural similarities and differences.  That's the loose theme for today's blog.  I just got a massage, so my brain's kinda mushy.  As Prince would say "I was dreamin' when I wrote this, forgive me if it goes astray..."

Comparison 1: writing systems

So on Wednesday I had the chance to Skype with my dear friend Carol, who is currently living in South Africa with her husband and three adorable children.  Silas, (my secret favorite), is in kindergarten and she is homeschooling him.   He's really interested in Ancient Egypt and was showing me his hieroglyphic project.  Basically he had created his own alphabet and drawn pictures for all the sounds.  It was pretty incredible.  It made me realize two things.  1. Silas is (and kids in general are) amazing.  I actually knew this before but it's nice to be reminded.  2. It's kind of the same idea as characters.  Pictures that make language.  Many of the Chinese characters depict a thing or idea, and by combining characters, you can create a more complex idea.  For instance, put the characters for Woman and Child together to make Good.  But some characters mean nothing and are just a written indicator of a sound, like our alphabet.  I think that's what's going on below.  One of my favorite students wrote this addition in his journal today.  It's my name in Chinese.  I'm assuming each character corresponds to a sound: Je - Si - Ka.  Pretty cool, huh? 

Comparison 2: Macau is like the "Bay Area" of China

I was reading the online version of the San Francisco Chronicle today, as I do almost every day, and it occurred to me that Macau is a lot like the Bay Area, and SF in specific.  Geographically they're similar - peninsula on the Pacific Ocean, plus lots of people, lots of history, tourism, entertainment and all the problems that accompany those things.  And, they're both very liberal, and that's what made me think about it.  In both places the residents enjoy freedoms and opportunities that would not really be available in most other parts of the country.  No wonder I like it here!

Comparison 3: high context vs. low context cultures

So when I first started studying ESOL, I took a Cross-Cultural class through UC Berkeley extension.  I remember learning about different ways that researchers classified and compared cultures.  It was pretty fascinating, so even seven years later I remember the main ideas, even if the details are a little hazy.  The two main researchers I remember are Geert Hofstede and Edward Hall.  Hofstede created an index for business people who wanted to understand these differences so they could be more savvy in making international deals.  It looks at five different factors: Power Distance, Individualism, Masculinity, Uncertainty Avoidance, and Long-Term Orientation.  He has a lot of information about it on his website, and you can even do comparisons between countries to see how they are alike and different.  I'm including the link below for anyone who wants to learn more.

http://www.geert-hofstede.com/

Edward Hall's work had to do with what he called high and low context cultures.  To put it simply, low context cultures like America, England, Germany, etc. like clear-cut well-defined rules to govern every problem.  In other words, you don't need to rely much on context to figure out what to do, because there are rules to follow.  High context cultures, like many of the cultures in Latin America, the Middle East, and Asia, are the opposite.  You may not have anything spelled out with rules to tell you what to do, you have to rely on the context.  The role of language is very different but very important in both types and so it yielded many interesting classroom discussions.  What made me think of it today was crossing the street on the way home.  The unwritten rule for getting around in Macau is what I will call the Rule of Mutual Avoidance.  Basically the pedestrians try to avoid getting hit by the vehicles and the vehicles try to avoid hitting the pedestrians or each other.  There are traffic signals of course, and sometimes traffic cops, but the great majority of the interactions are just turn-taking and trying not to hurt anyone while still getting where you want to be as quickly as possible.  So far so good I guess, I've only seen one accident - although I've seen many situations that made me nervous.  Check out the video below of the crosswalk near my apartment to see what I mean.

See?  It's like trying to cross Haight Street on a weekend.  Chaos.  This street is especially crazy right now because they're doing major road construction, but you get the idea.  It's the norm here. Cross with a group at the first available opportunity.

The other thing that reminded me of these high and low differences was my massage.  Although I see no mention on Wikipedia, I remember our class discussions touching on the idea that high context cultures are often much more physical.  So people are more comfortable touching each other or being together in a more personal or intimate way.  I know a number of people in the U.S. from low-context ethnic backgrounds who like to have at least a few feet of "personal space" at all times, never willingly touch anyone but a family member and generally prefer to be left alone and avoid strangers completely.  This is especially true in the Midwest.

But I've noticed here that people are super lovey-dovey, touchy-feely.  The girls and women often walk hand-in-hand or arm-in-arm and even the guys are much more likely to touch.  Some of my male students will routinely put their arm around a another guy when they're talking or joking in class.  It's clearly not a big deal to them at all, where in the U.S. I think most teenage/college-aged boys would refrain from such things lest they look "gay".  God forbid.  Plus they all seem pretty accustomed to being jam-packed together on the bus or in the elevator.  Every time I think an elevator is full, we stop and 10 more people somehow squeeze in.  It's like magic. 

Anyway, so my massage therapist, Jaja, is from the Philippines, another high-context spot.  Plus, she's a massage therapist, so she touches people for a living.  I got over feeling awkward about massage a long time ago and just go with whatever they try to make my body do, even though if I stopped to think about it, it might seem kind of weird or embarrassing.  So during our session, she's crawling all over the place, bending me this way and that.  All fine.  What got me thinking was that before we started, she asked if she could use the bathroom.  She doesn't have a studio, so she comes to my apartment and just has to work on me while I'm lying on my bed instead of having a proper table.  My room is like a master bedroom in that it has a bathroom within that's separate from the rest of the apartment.  So she asks to use it, I say "sure" and flick the light on for her as I walk past into my room to set up the towels.  She goes in and pees and doesn't even bother to shut the door!  I almost laughed out loud.  I have girlfriends that do this and it doesn't bother me at all, but this is only the second time I've ever seen this lady.  Wow!  I guess she just didn't think it was a big deal.  And I don't really either, just one of those things that makes you smile at our ideas of "normal".

At least they all finished

So finally, after much writing, fretting, waiting, and a typhoon, my Level 0 class had their first Unit exam today.  Or at least most of it.  They'll be doing the Listening portion in the morning.  Everyone finished, no one talked, and as far as I could tell, no one was cheating.  One guy kept falling asleep, but that's beyond my ability to control.  Sitting up, but totally head-hanging-loose-mouth-open-for-minutes-at-a-time sleeping.  I don't know how people do that.  I can barely fall asleep sitting up when I want to, much less when I'm trying to concentrate on a task.  I guess it's a gift.  Or maybe my grammar section was just that boring.  :)

My other two classes were not so stellar.  They're both Level 2 and for the first few weeks we've been doing some Orientation kind of stuff because it's a General Education class.  Needless to say, now that they can no longer get by with slacking off and the real work of the semester is starting, they're getting kind of whiny.  Lots of sighing and mumbling going on.  I have to suppress the urge to remind them that this is college and it's not going to get any easier and the harder they work, the more they will learn.  

I try to keep the love in my "tough love" though.  This evening before my night class one student was telling me that she is taking six classes in addition to working a full time job and that she normally has another class after mine, and we get done at 8pm.  I have another student who is about to fail out of my afternoon class for too many absences because she works the night shift at one of the casinos and can only sleep for a couple hours before she's supposed to come to my class.  Geez Louise, and I thought I was working hard.  About all I can say is, "I'm sorry, that sounds really difficult, but I have to be fair to the students who are attending class and doing the work on time."  It's so hard to accept that some of your students are just going to fail, or nearly fail, no matter what you do.  I really don't like it. 

So I'm going to spend some time this weekend trying to think of some things to make the lessons a little more fun, if possible.  I'm also going to incorporate a couple of the free online programs from my thesis handbook into the assignments to see if the students like it.  Plus, one of my head teachers is going to observe one of my classes next Friday and so I want to be sure I've given that day some extra effort.  (I mean I put effort into every day, but I don't want to just be doing bookwork or something equally dull.) 

And speaking of dull, no photos in this boring post.  That won't do.  I can't show you photos of my students, even though they are super cute.  So here are some things out of the random rainy day pile.
 

Beth noticed this little guy in our office.  Sorry he's so blurry.  He was tiny and camera shy.  

And I took this footage while waiting for a bus transfer.

Saw this on my way to the acupuncture clinic.  The Asian take on a VW bus.  I think it was a Subaru?  Can you see that it even has whitewall tires with hot pink trim?  Wow.

Wednesday was another holiday, which means that my eating out tendencies often get thwarted because my regular places are closed or full.  Since we were out of bread and the places I buy bread were also out, I decided to try some new pastries instead.  There are a ton of little bakeries with interesting pastries here.  The round one is egg and ham, the seedy one is coconut cream (but was actually more like coconut paste inside), and the braid one they called a Danish stick.  All it had inside was raisins, so it is in no way a Danish by my standards, but it was still really good.  I've been wanting to get another sweet taro bun, but have not seen them lately. 

This is a dog video for Beth.  There are a ton of pet stores here.  There are also a ton of loud yappy dogs, and many of them live in or around our building.  I'm not sure where exactly, but multiple times a day they get all riled up and the sound is unbelievably loud.  Granted, our apartment building is an echo chamber, but still.  So I don't know if they're down the hall or in the next building, but I do know that something often upsets them around 2am.

Happy Birthday Dode!

I want to begin today's blog by wishing my Auntie Dolores a very happy 80th birthday.  I was fortunate enough to be home at the same time as her during my summer trip to MN and so I got the chance to visit with her and her friend Claude for several days.  It was great.  I'm not sure why our family calls her Dode since no one else on earth uses that as a short version of Dolores, but we always have. 

Claude, Dode, me, Mom, Dad (the cat's name is Alley)

I also want to note that I've now been here two months.  This second one has really flown by now that I'm in the thick of my classes.  Reflecting on the past month I can observe three new things.

1. I finally understand the bus system.  I can say this is true as of today.  I finally checked out the routes online and seeing them helped immensely.  I won't bore you with why it's been so confusing, but if you come to visit you'll see for yourself.  I think the Macau natives are just so used to it that they don't understand why it's confusing and so therefore no one has been able to explain it to me.

2.  Fall is here.  The seasons have definitely changed.  I wore my jacket for the first time today and am already thinking about buying a warmer one - along with a warmer blanket.  Apparently none of the buildings in Macau have heat, and so everyone relies on space heaters during the winter months.  I guess I should go buy one in advance before the price goes up. 

3. As I've mentioned before, phase two of culture shock is gradually presenting itself.  I feel like I get more easily frustrated with people and complications on a daily basis than I did at first.  I'm also feeling more homesick, now that I'm getting used to everything here.  I still really enjoy Macau - it's just feeling more real that I'm going to be here for a long time yet and the potential of going home for the holidays is seeming much less likely.  Also I think the first month was so easy and we did so much exploring that it was bound to be fun and exciting.  Now we're working our heinies off and don't have nearly as much time or energy for adventures.

So I'm trying to learn to work more efficiently and stop being such a perfectionist.  I just need to make time for adventure to stay happy.  Today I did this by going out to get Indian food for dinner.  It was delicious, I brought some work to do with me while I ate, and now I have dinner for the next several days.  A solid choice and a good excuse to get away from my computer for a couple hours.  Gotta find the things that bring you comfort and make life easier.  This place definitely counts.

Reason #1 to like Taste of India - beverages.  They aren't skimpy with the chai, and they provided me with my own pitcher of water - I didn't even have to ask.  Finally, a restaurant that understands I need more than 6 oz. of fluid to get through a meal and that I don't want to constantly have to flag someone down to ask for a refill.

Reason #2 to like Taste of India - veggies.  This is a very meat-centric land and so I've been feeling the lack of veggies pretty intensely.  It was great to be able to order three delicious and nutritious vegetarian dishes.  What you see are daal (yellow lentil dish), palak paneer (green spinach dish with cheese cubes), and aloo gobi (orange-ish potato and cauliflower dish).  They were all really good and quite spicy.  Sorry tummy!

Reason #3 to like Taste of India - I don't have to worry about dinner for at least three more days.  This is my tower of leftovers.  I don't know how you say "crazy lady" in Hindi, but I could see it in their expressions when I ordered so much food.  First the waitress asked if other people were coming.  I said no, I just wanted to have extra for tomorrow.  Then she asked if they should just box some of the dishes in advance and I tried to explain that I wanted to eat a little bit of everything first.  I'm sure she thought I was ridiculous, but she'll have to get used to it.  I plan to make it a regular event. 

Here's a vid I took on the way to the restaurant.  Remember this lady?

And here's another I took as I was leaving.

The Force

So today was a pretty boring day - just did some work at school, but had no classes, then came home and grabbed some dinner, but nothing exciting.  Luckily, Beth told me yesterday that she had a hankering to watch Star Wars, and asked if I was up for it tonight.  

Yes, Beth, I am always up for watching Star Wars.

So I got my laptop and external hard drive and speaker and cables all set up, we got our tea ready and settled in to watch.  (Angie somehow managed to resist the temptation - I think she's too young to appreciate it.  Kept mentioning something about geeks.)  Thanks to my sister, Becky, I have the original releases so I don't have to endure any of that ridiculous Greedo shooting first nonsense.

Anyway, right about the time when Darth Vader strides onto the Rebel ship and throttles the first officer, we heard a noise that sounded like:

It was coming from the outlet.  Not good.  So we paused the movie, turned on the lights and I told Beth to look for a big wooden stick to save me with while I unplugged the powerstrip.  I was unhurt, but our powerstrip was toast.  See that melted hole where there shouldn't be one?  Yeah, awesome.  That's what 220 volts can do.  So we'll be adding another one of those to the shopping list and will need to have the outlet checked.  I'm just glad it didn't fry my computer.

 

So I got another strip from my room and we resumed our entertainment using a different outlet.  Beth has seen A New Hope before, but not in a long time, so she didn't remember a lot of what happened.  It's always fun to watch classic movies with someone who hasn't seen them 200 times like I have.  It gives you a fresh perspective and the ability to appreciate them anew.  Like I was re-realizing what great insults C3PO has.  I may have to start using some of these.  I mean, they just roll off the tongue.

"You nearsighted scrap pile."

"You overweight glob of grease."

"That malfunctioning little twerp."

Later in the movie we were enjoying the cheesy but wonderful dialogue and somehow came to the conclusion that The Force would be an awesome name for a pet.  I mean, think about it.  "Honey, I'm going out for a walk.  The Force is with me." 

But the more I thought about it, the more I realized it would need to be a cat, since they believe they are the ultimate power in the Universe already.  I mean, just look at this guy.  You can almost hear him thinking: "The power to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of The Force."

I hereby decree that someday I will have a black cat named The Force.  Count on it.

So of course I had to google some images for this post and in doing so I came across these posters by Olly Moss.  Aren't they beautiful?  I totally want them all.

One big needle

This is what normal sized acupuncture needles look like.  Tiny!

So today we had no school in observation of the Saturday holiday.  I had intended to get all caught up on my work today, but I didn't.  Instead I slept in, did some yoga, finished birthday shopping for my nephew and then went to the hospital to check out the Traditional Medicine wing to see if I could get some acupuncture.  (For those that don't know, I injured my wrist back at the start of the year and although it's better than it used to be, the pain is still noticeable at some point every day.  I tried acupuncture at a couple of places in Berkeley to no avail, but thought I might have more luck if I get it done at THE SOURCE.)  It was a funny deja vu moment when I walked in - first when I went through the glass doors I was met with the scent of herbs and thought, yep, it smells like a Chinese medicine clinic.  Then I noticed that the treatment rooms even had the same pink curtains for sectioning people off that they had at AIMC in Berkeley.  So funny. 

I think it must have been National Help a Gweilo Day, because first I went to the desk to try to ask about making an appointment and the nurse went to get someone from the back.  The very nice woman who came out was dressed in street clothes, and said she was a student there.  She was there on her own time though, waiting with an older woman for an appointment, so out of the goodness of her heart she walked me all the way back down to the lobby to help me get a registration card.  That done, she walked me back up and helped me explain why I was there to the desk nurse and then explained where I should wait until my name was called. 

After about half an hour in the waiting room it was my turn and I went into a normal looking hospital room and tried to explain my problem to the doctor with my usual charades.  She seemed to understand the problem, but was having trouble explaining what she wanted to do.  She knew some English, but said she rarely used it so it took a long time for her to think of the words she wanted.  Finally she called someone else to come help and when that didn't work they got another guy in street clothes who spoke pretty decent English and used his iPhone to translate the important/difficult words.  Between the four of us, they told me that they wanted to do a combo of Eastern and Western medicine and numb my skin with lidocaine and then stick in one big needle.  She kept repeating this phrase, so now I'm envisioning something like a small nail, but I can't really imagine it will be too horrible.  Probably she just thinks I'm a wuss.  I mean how big can it really be?  Can't be worse than when my doctor in Berkeley did myofascial release with a needle.  (This means sticking it into a muscle and the wiggling it back and forth really fast.  Your muscle instantly becomes jelly and you feel like that part of you has been hit by a truck for the rest of the day.  But it works.)

Anyway, so then the poor guy had to try to explain all the points on the release form I had to sign, which of course was in Chinese, and kept using his translator ap for "hematoma" "anesthesia" "infection" and "allergic".  In the end we got there and I made my appointment for Saturday and paid my 300 pataca fee.  Hopefully the "one big needle" approach will do the trick.  The doctor made a point of telling me they can only do it one time.  Not sure why.

Sorry I didn't take any pictures of Oscar's presents.  They're totally cute but since Rach is a dedicated reader I don't want to spoil the surprise. Hopefully she'll take photos when they arrive and I can share them then.

Since this is a picture-light day, I'll leave you with this comic I found when I was searching for images.  Pretty funny.

you are here

I had a wonderful day today.  Did not do a single thing related to my classes, because it was my day to relax.  Got up to have McD's breakfast with Beth and Chris, then came back home and had a nice long Skype session with Cat and Alison, two of my favorite people in California.  After that I walked to the laundromat, made myself some lunch and sat down to read the first chapter of the Thich Nhat Hanh book I got in Hong Kong, titled "you are here".  Thich Nhat Hanh is a Tibetan Buddhist monk from Vietnam and I totally love him.  He's written many books and I read a couple of them in Berkeley.  I really feel a connection with the way he explains things and that's especially good right now because although the Catholic church I've been attending is nice, it's not really cutting it for me spiritually.  So in the first chapter he talks about mindfulness and how to be aware of what's going on in and around you right now.  From that simple idea he expands to compassion and gratitude and fulfillment.  The way he explains his ideas is very natural for me and easy to follow.  I can't recommend his work highly enough.

After I finished reading I decided to go out and experience life, even though it was raining.  I wandered down past St. Paul's ruins and caught this picturesque group of umbrellas.  There were activities going on there today for the holiday and it was super crowded.  It's always pretty crowded in that zone because it's a tourist hot spot, but with the added obstacle of umbrellas, it was more chaotic than usual.

 These guys were getting ready to practice a dragon dance.

And these were fabric figures representing all signs in the Chinese zodiac.

Mine was totally the coolest.  :) 

I just recently read the description of the Dragon traits online and had to laugh at how totally "me" it all sounds.  Here's a link if you are interested in that kind of thing.  (And I thought the Virgo thing was right on!  Double whammy!)

http://www.chinesezodiac.com/dragon.php

My favorite line is "Dragons symbolize such character traits as dominance and ambition."  Ya think?  :)

This store makes me laugh every time I walk past it.  I did some shopping while I was downtown.  I was shopping for me, since I still have birthday money to use up, and also for my nephew Oscar who has a birthday coming in a couple weeks.  I found what I was looking for to give him, and also got some nice things for myself.  The best thing was a very Asian looking red hoodie.  When I first noticed it I immediately thought of Michael Jackson and figured that was a good thing.  It was way too expensive for a hoodie, so I won't list the price because I don't want Angie to hassle me.  But it's cool.  I'll try to get a photo when the ensemble is complete.  The missing part is the shoes.  I was reserving part of my birthday funds to get a pair of wild Doc Martins.  I'm on my third black pair since college, but I couldn't bring them with me because I ran out of space.  So my solution is to buy another pair here, and might as well get something fun, right?  So I checked out a raspberry colored pair that I think I'd like to get, but they were out of my size.  I'll keep checking over the next month and hope they come in
before it gets too cold for sandals.

I noticed this building from afar - probably because of the red windows - and thought it was striking.  Don't you agree?

I also took some video footage on the part of the street where they give out free samples of cookies and other goodies, so there's always a throng of people there.  Just wanted to show you how crowded Macau can really be.

On my way home I passed a performance in progress and shot a little of that too.  Then I came home, tried on my new clothes, Skyped again with my family and that brings me to the present moment.  Writing my blog.  A great day.

The arrival of Ox and Elle

So I know I just swore an oath that I would stop skipping my blog and then I went and did it again.  So sorry.  Laid down for a minute after my evening shower and didn't get up again, not even for dinner.  I think my body knew deep down that I had to get up at 5 this morning, and so going to bed at 9 seemed logical.  But first, yesterday.

Yesterday I was finally able to pick up my greatly anticipated belated birthday package from Rachel.  In it were some fantastic drawings from my niece and nephew, Elloise and Oscar (or Ox and Elle as I like to call them.)  There were some equally stellar photos - just see for yourself.  I was reserving the primo spot over the bed for them.

Really, could they be any cuter?  Nice work Rach, both with the photography and the genes.

Also I wanted to include an updated shot of my office.  It's much more colorful since I added
the maps Mom sent, and now,
crazy photos there too.
Yay for crossed eyes!

So yeah, I picked up my packages, stopped by the hospital to check on the open hours for receiving acupuncture and walked home in the rain.  I hung these up and then started feeling tired.  I took my shower and game over.  Didn't get back up until 5.

Why on earth am I getting up at 5 in the morning?  Good question.  The English Language Center administers a number of standardized tests for students in the area.  The primary one is the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language).  This is the language test students must take if they want to study in the U.S.  In addition we offer the ACT and SAT for students who want to go to get their undergrad degree in the U.S.  So I had to be at school at 7 this morning to proctor the SAT Subject test to 2 students.  I was the Associate Supervisor, which meant I was the one who read all the boring scripts about which boxes to fill in and what kind of calculator is allowed.  The main Supervisor was in the next room giving the Reasoning portion of the test.

It went fine, just extra monotonous because we're not supposed to read or do anything but monitor the test, but since there were only two participants, there was no point in walking around much, so I just sat there and stared at them.  For 3 hour-long tests.  And not just me, I had a helper.  Two of us - staring.  But I get a little extra cash for it and the Director asked me to do it, so I couldn't say no.

While I was staring/daydreaming, I thought back to when I took the ACT.  I remember having to get up way too early and being tired.  That was before I started drinking tea, so my breakfast consisted of a coke and some saltine crackers.  I think I drank another one at the break.  Sounds terrible now, but I guess it worked alright because I got a decent score.  So stressful, those tests.  Seems like there should be an easier way.

After that I came home and ran some errands and then went to dinner with Beth and her boyfriend, Chris, who is visiting from Beijing.  Today is Chinese National Day, (kind of like 4th of July without the Independence), so many of the restaurants were closed or full.  We finally decided to try a sushi place near our house that we've never been.  It was tasty, but our usual place is better.  Always fun to try something new though, and it was nice to have a little more time to chat with Chris.  He's pretty funny and is giving
me some insight into the mainland China
lifestyle and way of thinking.  Macau is still separate enough and Westernized enough that it doesn't feel very China-ish most of the time.  As I like to say, it's Kinda-China. 

We got the assorted sashimi plate and a crazy roll I've never seen before. I forgot to shoot the sashimi before we dug in, but you can still see most of it, especially the shrimp.  That white stuff in the middle was octopus, I think, and was actually very good.  The roll had tempura shrimp, cucumber, cream cheese and egg and was rolled in some kind of dried herbs.  Strange, but really yummy.  And isn't this a cool way to serve pickled ginger?  A pretty little box with built-in tongs?  Love it!

When I was out running my errands I saw this parade in progress.  At first I thought it was a protest and then I remembered where I was.  I came home and asked Chris to be sure and he said it could very well be a protest, since Macau does have reasons to protest on National Day, but after watching he confirmed that it was, in fact, a parade.

Tonight is the end of the fireworks competition, and so of course the final spot went to China.  France was up before them and did an awesome job, but I must admit, China's show was best.  I'm a moron, so I didn't remember to bring my good camera, but the most impressive thing about China's display was the colors.  They had a much broader spectrum of color than I've ever seen before, yellows and oranges and cyan and shades of purple.  Toward the end they were shooting little clusters of color in an arc so it suggested a rainbow.  Very cool.  I did manage to get this photo of a coworker's daughter.  Eric is our IT guy and his daughter is only 2, but can play games on his iPhone like nobody's business.  Most of the games they let her play are English language learning games and her mother says her English is getting better than her Cantonese.  Crazy.  Maybe I should bring that up the next time I hear teachers debating the merits of teaching with technology.

p.s. Sorry that some of the vids from yesterday's blog didn't work properly.  I was trying a new method to attach them, I guess it didn't work.  They should be working fine now.