Five Senses

When driving across eastern Washington and central Oregon earlier this week, Starbucks was a convenient stop for a break. With the Chinese Lunar New Year upon us - the year of the Rabbit - the coffee company has among its music compact discs for sale, a compilation of Chinese music - old and new, techno, rap, pop, R&B, art deco.... Track 11 is titled Miss Shanghai by a group called The Shanghai Restoration Project - it is the best song on the disc. I heard an NPR report that the Chinese are interested in getting into their own coffee business, the entire supply chain from bean production to their own brand coffee shops. (1) It only makes sense that a CD to recognize Chinese New Year would be mixed with a little cafe mocha as a part of the company's business plan. (2)
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I listened through the CD several time driving from Pullman to Spokane, and from Portland to Corvallis, yesterday and the day before. This morning I put the CD player on repeat, and listened to Miss Shanghai over and over. I had two
meetings in downtown Portland today. After dropping my rental car off at PDX, I took the TriMet's Metropolitan Area Express (MAX) light rail to the Lloyd Center stop for my morning appointment. From Lloyd Center, it was to Pioneer Square for my afternoon meeting, and then from Pioneer Square back to PDX - the Red Line all the way. It was interesting how out of place I felt - not knowing the series of stops like I do for the D.C. Metro. The view of Portland from the light rail was also different than the typical sights seen from series of exchanges along Interstate 5 as it runs along the Willamette with the city's skyline across the river.

This evening, I played Miss Shanghai the same way as this morning when driving from Portland back down the valley to Albany - on repeat mode; over and over - a three minute song, at least 25 times. The headlights from the oncoming cars heading north on I-205 streamed by as I drove south bound to intersect with I-5.
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(1) The album cover reminds me of Chinese peasant art style.

(2) I think it was six years ago that on a flight from Baltimore to the west coast, I sat next to a young fellow who worked for Starbucks and was in charge of choosing the musical CD's that are promoted and sold in the stores across the U.S. It seemed like a pretty good job - I wonder if he was the one who chose the World is China selection.