deodorant and walking, though they're not really related.

So, maybe it's true: we really do learn something new everyday. I was reading a Time Magazine today to pass time, and I stumbled upon an article about deodorant. I wasn't expecting this from Time, but overall, the whole magazine was far less cerebral than I imagined. Anyway, this article did, however, enlighten me as to how anti-perspirant works, something I never knew. Apparently the active ingredient in most anti-perspirants is aluminum, and it stops you from sweating by literally plugging up your pores. That actually... grosses me out. I don't know how I imagined it happened, but that wasn't it. It also does seem like it might reasonably cause cancer, though there's no apparently no scientific indication of that... so far. I did think twice as I was putting it on to go walking tonight, but it's not exactly something I can live without. Or could I? Korean people don't wear deodorant, and they're not super-smelly. Europeans don't even shave their armpits. Maybe next summer I'll give it a try... see if I can harness the power of my mind to train my body not to stink.

I think I walked about 5 miles tonight, in addition to the 2 I ran this morning. I was bored, and didn't feel like tackling any of the tasks on my to-do list. But I didn't want to sleep more or eat mindlessly, so I strapped on my tennis shoes and iPod and headed out. I walked to the university track and walked half a mile there in order to attempt to extrapolate my approximate walking speed. It seems I do 15 minute miles, so I'm hoping that today's 1:15 walk was about 5. I really love walking. I love living in a town where everything is within walking distance. I would never have said that a year ago, but now I really love it. It's so much more peaceful and enjoyable than running, I've noticed, though there isn't the same sense of accomplishment in as short a period of time. I imagine that when I get back to America I won't have an hour and a half a day to commit to walking long distances, so I'll have to settle for more intense, shorter workouts that are probably less peaceful and enjoyable. So I'll take advantage of this now, I think. Explore my city, clear my head. There's a weight-loss blogger I follow who lives in Scotland, and she wrote about the Moonwalk, which is something I'd love to do. Basically, it's a walking marathon to raise money for breast cancer awareness that takes place during the night (hence moonwalk). And oh yeah, you walk in your bra. Awesome or what?

Last but not least, I finished a book today. China Pop, by... some Chinese lady with a weird name. It was a treatise on the way China's economic boom has changed its culture, and the interaction of high and low culture. With chapters on architecture, cinema, soap operas, and pornography! Exciting! Still, reading it made me painfully aware of how limited my knowledge of Chinese history and geography is. Who's Mao? Hong Kong isn't part of China? Shit. (Just kidding, I know who Mao is, though not the Hong Kong thing.) But the book sort of (reasonably) assumed a basic knowledge of Chinese history (the Cultural Revolution?) that I just don't have. Nonetheless, it was surprisingly readable and interesting, and definitely piqued my interest, so I'll definitely try to fill in that gap in my knowledge. Living in Korea has helped develop a warm spot in my heart for Asia, where certainly none existed before. I think I'm only about one book behind schedule (to complete my goal of reading 50 this year), which is cool. I should be able to pick it back up again now with no problem.

I'm putting on a dress and taking myself out to Gwangju tomorrow to see a movie. Tell you about it later.