Dear Boyfriends . . .

In honor of Jen's cousin Todd's recent engagement to Julie (yay!), we thought we'd use some new/old media to introduce Jed's good friends from growing up, Matt and Alex, to the blog.  Don't worry, we'll give you all the dirt later, but this little comic strip will give you an idea of what it was like traveling throughout southwest China with the Fantastic Four.  

If you're receiving this blog posting in an email, and still haven't figured out how to click to the actual blog (Jen's family and Jen's mom's friends, pay attention!), click here to see our comic strip.  Only the dialogue is in the email below . . .

Oh, and due to technical difficulties/confusion with the paste and publish tabs, many of you may have missed our accidental olympics post, so you can read that on our blog, too.  

We're currently waiting with our noses pressed against the window for the Fed Ex Santa Claus to deliver Jed's visa, so as long as Korean TV doesn't play Batman Begins, we're pretty sure there might be multiple postings today -- lucky you.  

MALEX arrive at Kunming Airport. 

Jed: You made it!

Jen: Ni Lai Le (You've Arrived)!

MALEX:  Hey, man!  Have you seen the new Batman yet?!?

Jen: Anyone want to see pandas?

And so it begins.  One night in Lijiang . . .

MALEX: I love how Batman probes questions of vigilante-ism

Jed: Aren't almost ALL superheroes vigilantes?

MALEX: We disagree!  What about superman?

Jen: Have you guys read about the Naxi minority group in Western Yunnan?

The Next Night . . .

MALEX:  . . . but Superman has the tacit approval of the state . . .

Jed: That may be, but the state maintains a monopoly on the legitimate use of violence . . .

MALEX: . . . BULLSHIT! You never see Superman at odds with the law

Jen: The Naxi are matrilineal and have "walking marriages". . . 

Nest Week in Shangri-La. The debate rages on . . . 

MALEX: . . . strict interpretation of the constitution . . . Wolverine . . . 

Jed: . . . voter's rights . . . X-Men . . . 

MALEX: . . . nation-states . . . Cyclops . . .

Jen . . . where men can spend the night and women chose who and if to marry

Panda:  Actually, a vigilante is any person who take the law into his or her own hands, as by avenging a crime.

MALEX, Jed, Jen: GASP!