We came back to Texas for the holidays last week. It has been really fun. We have seen friends and family with lots more to go. I got to help my daughter select bridesmaid dresses for her upcoming wedding. On Saturday, my nephew has a party to celebrate his graduation from college. Of course, there was Christmas inn our home church and getting to watch the Fiesta Bowl with other OU fans on New Year's day. (Even though I am Lutheran, I don't think that it is blasphemous to speak of Christmas and football in the same sentence.)

Much about Taipei and Plano is similar but the thing that I have noticed most and appreciated most is space. Taipei is one of the most densely populated cities on earth. Plano has plenty of open space. Take Costco, for example. In Taipei, it is a two storied building without much parking so people wait in line in their cars for parking spaces to open up. There are probably three to four times as many people in the Taipei Costco as in the Plano one at any given time, but the Plano stores have wider aisles and more merchandise. The streets are not clogged with traffic in Plano but on the whole, I don't think space improves the quality of driving.

Another thing, Americans are huge. Since I am among the overweight, maybe I shouldn't talk but I will anyway. The girth of young adults and children is frightening. Since this crept up on us slowly, as a society we don't really notice when we see it every day. Now though I am shocked. Even commercials are using heavier actors than in other countries. This cannot be a good thing for our collective health.