The Wandering Monkey

I'm in Chicago right now. Living in my mom's basement, in the far, FAR suburbs. I don't have a car, and I'm dependent on others to drive me around. It's been a nice stop-over, because my sister, her husband, and my niece are all staying here by coincidence.
I've been here almost two weeks now. I must admit that once I landed, I did not want to get a job right away, even though the offers were there. I wanted to rest a while, see the family, meet some people I haven't seen in a while. See what's been going on in America. Besides the proliferation of babies, not much has been happening here.
I keep in touch with the swing people from Shanghai. My reports are that things are going well. More people keep joining, the manager is handling things fine and scheduling new events, and new students keep signing up. It's very reassuring that things are going well. But, now that I know they are going well, I've still got the rest of my problems to deal with. Like many things in life, had that project fallen apart, I'd have been upset for the rest of my life. As it stands, the project is working, and I feel good for a while then just go about my daily business. Odd.
The home situation is, well, OK. It's time to get a job, no matter what that may be. It would be nice to get something which takes me back to China, or Asia in general. I think Japan would be a good choice. But this time, it's got to be a JOB which takes me there! No more crazy entrepreneurial work for me (for the moment!)
I've also considered going back to grad school. I think college admission boards would respond well to my story. "So what have you been doing in the past three years?" "Oh me? I've been bringing swing dancing to China. What have you been doing?"
Most employers have not been terribly impressed, but I think academia would be. A degree might not be a bad idea, if I can get funding for it.
Idea number two is, write a book. This is a pretty good idea, I think. Especially if I move somewhere new and I don't have much in the way of social life, and I won't be staying there long. Writing a book is a good way to keep up the spirits and keep myself occupied. Plus I think it has an off chance of actually being published. The topic of the book would be the years spent in Shanghai. It would be based on two things in particular. One is the general nature of Expat life in Shanghai during this time. The second thing is the swing dance movement itself. I don't think there's too many stories like that passing over editors desk these days...
No matter how you slice it, it looks as if I'll be getting a job soon. Good, good.
Peace,
J