Lord help me, I've gone native.

What weird weather here. Rainy, rainy, rainy, hotter than a Carmen Electra bikini photo, then more rainy.

Monsoon season is almost over, so we've been getting a little more of the Carmen than the rainy. And that has made my previously mentioned problem of locating proper summer footwear that much more daunting. This is part of the reason I did something stupid the other day.

Now, before I get into detail about the "something stupid" I did, let me make one more point in my defense.

The roads here are very, very clean. I mean, really clean. The reason why has to do with Communist China's promise to it's people that it would provide free housing, clothing, and food to everyone that did their duty, e.i. had a job, and would also make sure that everyone in the country would have a job to do. A trend that our so-called "greatest country on earth" has yet to even consider.

Now, there are over 1.4 billion registered citizens in China, almost three times the population of the US. Take into acount the number of "un-restered" citizens, the estimation is almost tripple that. The difference between a "registered" and an "un-registered" citizen in China is a major part of the rest of the world's criticism toward China. But that subject is for another time.

With the Chinese government trying desperately to keep it's promise to have gainful and beneficial employment for 1.4 billion people, they've resorted to practices that have made them the butt of many jokes. First and foremost is their lack of industrial technology. Any task that can be done quickly, safely, and cheaply with the use of a machine, is instead done by as many people as they can possibly put to the task. The only time the incorporation of a machine is welcomed is if it is impossible to be done by human hands, such as melting plastic.

Roads and buildings are made to fall apart in only a matter of years, so people can be employed in their re-construction. Regulations are put in place that say a car is not allowed to be dirty in some city areas, thus employing thousands of car-washers at the city limits.

In the Chinese business managers that I have interacted with, there is much less bragging done in regards to sales numbers or profit margins, and more in the number of people they employ.

Among the jobs "created" in China, are the street sweepers. And, again, no giant machines involved here. In China, a person is assigned a set of square blocks, or streach of road, where they are to walk over and over, sweeping with bamboo brooms, and occasionally hosing off. The streets in China are very, very clean, because there are thousands of people wandering around making sure they are spotless at all times. That is their job.

So, two days ago, when I needed to get to the store, and it was so hot outside that I didn't want to put on my Herman Munster-ish boots, I came to the conclusion that it was perfectally safe to take the walk barefoot. After all, I had seen the locals do it all the time.

Now, this isn't the story of how I stepped on something sharp and had had to get a Chinese Tetnus shot. No, this is the story of how I forgot, and then was painfully reminded of what a Carmen Electra Hot day does to concrete sidewalks.

I tried running, that didn't help.

Upon my return, I dropped the groceries to the floor, yanked the ice tray from the freezer, and immediately applied it to the bottom of my feet (much to the disgust of my roommates).

The good news is, the burns were only First Degree, and I should recover with no scarring. The bad news is, since the burns are on the bottom of my feet, every step hurts now. I'm mentioning this in the hopes that, in knowing how much I am already paying for my mistake, that will quell any future "what are you, stupid?" emails I may be getting. I have learned my lesson, thank you. Please keep the snide comments to yourself.