I Am China, Hear Me... Drip?!?

A funny thing happened last weekend. Some friends were visiting from out of town so I decided to take them (and their children) out for a gentle boat ride. While a bit gusty for my liking, the air was dry, few others were out, the water azure-blue and the light - absolutely fabulous!

We returned safely, ruddier in the nose and cheeks than when we left. I must admit that I still get nervous docking in tight places, particularly with lots of kids aboard and the wind is blowing. You see, Jews don't hunt, rarely fish, and typically pay others to skipper our boats. If only I had bow-thrusters! Fortunately, as it happened this parking day, I cut her hard to port, slid the starboard-engine into reverse ever-so-gently to straighten-her out, and glided into my berth, in exemplary fashion, not embarrassing myself in front of the real sailors at the club - all of whom like Canadian babies with skates strapped to the feet, have been driving seagulls since before they could walk.

Back to story. My spouse leapt onto the dock with the bow-line whilst I cut the engines and grabbed the stern line. Over the gunwale I dashed, and onto the dock. Picture perfect!! I pulled hard on the stern-line to pull her tight to the berth when....to everyone's surprise, particularly mine .... there was NO PURCHASE on the line I was pulling whatsoever, and backwards into the water, fully clothed, did I tumble!! "Who the fuck untied the stern-line?!!?" I howled, oblivious to the presence of children and everyones laughter. "C'mon, huh? Who did it!!??" Out of the water I climbed, dripping wet, Ha.. Ha.. very funny.

Sure I can laugh at myself. I am telling you about now, right? So, yes I saw the humour in it. But more than that, I saw an analogy. For unlike the seemingly mythical pushing on a string many of us were taught in "Introductory Money & Banking", here I was pulling on the proverbial string, but to little avail since it was mysteriously untethered. Now I saw it clearly: China might indeed decouple - but to what avail and consequence? I am China...and the result is that I am forlorn and everything is, unexpectedly, wet...