3 weeks

Is that enough lead-time?

Get your shit ready.

Terminal 2 - CKS Airport.

Don't worry - I'll take the bus down.

yeah, the OG still call it CKS...Chiang Kai-Shek, bo-po MO-FO.

Manny Being Manny in Taiwan

The LA Dodgers are playing 2 exhibition games in Taiwan March 13-14. Playing against the Taiwan national team, location details being announced Friday.

Vegas anybody?

when is everyone coming back next and how do we schedule a company meeting in vegas?

How to get IJ to move back to America?

Maybe this show will tempt him?

Tip for the Guys

I bought an iRobot Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner for my wife for Christmas. It works pretty well, but I just realized I should not have given it as a gift.

See, its cool because it does the vacuuming for you while you are doing other shit, like writing useless blog posts, checking fantasy football stats, playing facebook poker, or doing that internet research on the porn industry your boss keeps wanting updated.

But once your wife knows this, she assumes she just freed you up for other chores instead of sweet, quality computer/TV/book time.

I think it would be wiser to buy the robot, then when the wife leaves the house, let it run. When she returns, offhandedly mentioned you vacuumed the house - you will get major brownie points. I am not sure how to hide the robot though.

Portage Glacier

Sunday, Monday ........

Sports Maladies

Way back in Week 2 of the NFL, D-Wayne, Red A and I were watching the Eagles and the Saints. Red A brought up the mandatory comment about McNabb's "sports" hernia. That got us to thinking up more "sports" injuries and maladies. As we were starting, I heard a comment from Dick Stockton - still alive, still broadcasting, still messin' things up - that leads to our first malady.

The Saints, who have never trailed in this game, are now ahead for the first time.

Way to go Di-ick, Way to go! Years ago when Frenchie was still in Taiwan we were at PJ's watching an NBA game that wasn't very exciting. So we did what any normal male would do, we created a drinking game. And, lo, it was called, Uh, Dick. The goal was simple: outlast your drinking opponent. We had to swig for every Uh that Dick uhhed and we had to chug our entire beer anytime he mentioned a story. Every aspect of basketball for Dick had to be framed within a story: the time out story; the jump ball story; the rebounding story; the officiating story. We started midway through the first quarter and by mutual agreement, called it a draw at halftime and quit. Congratulations Dick Stockton, creator of the sports hangover!

Here's a list of several other sports maladies from Red A and me. D-Wayne says we always do this and refused to participate, though he did offer one good one but I forgot what it was. Durn that sports amnesia.

• Sports gout
• Sports scurvy
• Sports aphasia - Risk group: Dick Stockton
• Sports male pattern baldness - Risk group: those with MPB who are in denial and blame it on constant hat/helmet wearing - Cause - male pattern baldness
• Sports cirrhosis - Risk group: Rams fans - Cause: the Rams
• Sports headache - Risk group: wives of male sports fans - Cause: male sports fans
• Sports Tourette's Syndrome - Risk group: CPBL (Taiwanese baseball league) and SBL (Taiwanese basketball league - the S is for Super!) fans - Cause: the CPBL and SBL
• Sports laryngitis - Risk group: usually a complication from sports tourette's syndrome - Cause: same as above
• The sports vapors - Risk group: Soccer players- "Oh, my heavens! I do believe that you brushed my personal space inappropriately and therefore shall have to wave my frail limbs dramatically and tumble, yes tumble, to the ground!" - Cause: soccer, of course
• Sports dysentery - What I wish upon those fans and or athletes who eat chili with beans, a marinated T-bone or "baby" back ribs thinking they are barbecued, while watching a sporting event.
• Sports catatonia - Risk group: Tech fans and recruits - Cause: God knows
• Sports hemorrhoids - Risk group: Adam James if Mike Leach continued to be his college football career at Tech - Cause: a small dark room?
• Sports leprosy - This was by far my favorite and Red A came up with it. I had to modify it a little to...
• Sports leper - Risk group:This one has been changed. At first I had Adam James at risk, then after hearing others speak, especially the players, I put Leach at risk. Then I thought about it and wondered if a sports star is ever truly a leper. There are some works in progress - Tiger - but many have been in as bad or worse situations and come back. Nominations?

Football

Anyone interested can join me to watch the Alamo Bowl at the Internet shop next to Holiday KTV on Mei-Tsun and Shang Shiang. It's a 9:00 ET kickoff, which would make it 11:00 in the morning, Sunday. Check for yourselves, but I will be there.

* Uh, sorry. Kickoff is 10:00am Taiwan time. I am already here. Come on down Mr. Bean and D-Wayne if you're in town.

A n c h o r a g e

Iditarod ....... Thanks:)


Alaska railroad


Ship creek


C street


4th avenue







mash, get smart, hogan's heroes ........... ?

K W L G u i l i n

Did You Know?

• KWL has 208 flights departing per week for short haul destinations.
• KWL connects with 32 cities nonstop.
• There are 30 flights per week flying on small aircraft from KWL.
• There are over 436 domestic flights per week from KWL.
• Over 64,995 passengers can travel out of KWL every week.
• There are 32 nonstop flights per week departing from KWL.
• There are over 43 long haul flights per week from KWL.
• The longest flight from KWL is 1,648 miles.

Pappa bear?

The Tonka XXIV issue, vol 22

Taiwan Tonka......




Hogan

Transporter 12

The livestock edition: chickens, pigs, water buffalo & a goat

And yes, that is a goat on the back of that scooter..........

Wonder where they are heading?






Klink

Top Ten Things I Say on a Scooter That Have No Cussing

1. You have no headlight.
2. You have no taillight.
3. You have no brake lights.
4. You have no lights.
5. Don't turn off my lights.
6. I said, don't turn off my lights.
7. You know, the full-face, dark visor you wear to protect you from the sun's rays may be okay during the daytime, but at night, you might want to rethink that.
8. That big bag of produce in front of your headlight...ooh, nice cabbage...is illuminated very well. However, your vehicle and the road in front of you are not.
9. Blithering idiot.
10. Incredible nincompoop.

下 一 項

College football - Of course you have the national championship game with UT and Alabama, but you also have a more locally (Taichung) interesting game going on. That being Texas Tech vs. Michigan State. I, of course, support the good guys, Tech. My friend, Sam, a Michigan native, went to State and at the moment sorta supports the Spartans.

If you want to watch the game live, let me know. D-Wayne proposed using his computer and FuBar's wireless to watch it outside on SoHo Street. I'm thinkin that might be a bit cold and windy. An Internet cafe sounds a bit more hospitable to me. D-Wayne, Mr. Bean,let me know, but let's watch it.

Merry Christmas to all at NiHowdy!

Top Albums of the Decade

Why don't I post these albums and we maybe we can get a forum going of albums I've missed.

1. Absolution - Muse
2. Hot Fuss - The Killers
3. Parachutes - Coldplay
4. Funeral - Arcade Fire
5. Wintersleep - Welcome to the Night Sky
6. Bob Dylan - Modern Times
7. Neil Young - Prairie Wind
8. Amy Winehouse - Back to Black
9. Snow Patrol - Eyes Open
10. Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand

Special Mention to Radiohead, The Strokes and Queens of the Stoneage.
Albums I want if you feel generous
Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver

I would say Muse is my favorite band of the decade!

Griz Update

After coming from 27 behind in Round 1, winning 51-0 in Round 2, and playing the game of the year (for any level) in the snows of Missoula in Round 3, the Griz fell two points short on Friday night, falling to Villanova 23-21. After squandering an early 14-3 lead, the boys were simply outclassed in the second half, ruining my chance at the rare double alma mater football championship. Alas.

IJ pick up your Cowboy shirt at Fubar

See Keron.....

What I did at the Airport this Trip

On the way out, in Hong Kong airport, two mainland Chinese cut in front of me (and many other people) in the immigration line. You know, the arrival line that has miles of roped areas to form a perfect, snaking line.

I let the first youngster do this, but next it was Grandma. Then I spoke up and told them off.

"Don't cut in line. This is an international airport and everyone has to stand in line. Please don't let the Chinese people lose face like this."

They were suitably embarrassed and I hope the HK airport staff figure out that this is really their job, not some job for slightly-buzzed good Samaritans to be doing.

So, guess what happens when I arrive back at Taipei airport?

Sure enough, again two Chinese cut in front of me. (Why do they try this in pairs?)

I did an encore performance. (Maybe did not mention the losing of Chinese face this time - that is a pretty harsh thing to drop - I am sure those folks had nightmare where Confucius, Mao, andHu Jin-Tao visit them as the Ghosts of Chinese Face.)

The Taiwanese hall monitor then stepped up and corralled the Chinese mustangs back to the rear of the line.

I encourage everyone to speak up and stop this sort of activity whenever you see it. The airport in Taipei was packed to the gills with Chinese tourists and so was Hong Kong. Best to nip this in the bud before you are fighting for your place in line with half of Guangzhou.

Also, its fun to watch them freak out when someone calls them on their line-cutting. These people can afford the plane ticket - they ain't peasants who just fell off the cabbage wagon.

D-Wayne needs our prayers

According to D-Wayne's co-worker, D-Wayne went to the hospital this morning to receive a stent for angina. No word yet, because he is being kept in ICU for 2 days with no contact - as in visitors. According to the co-worker, that includes his wife. He went to work this morning and very shortly thereafter drove himself to the hospital. His school received a phone call from the hospital telling them that he would not be returning. His wife went to his school and informed the principal and the co-worker about the situation. Please remember that the only thing that is certain is that D-Wayne is in the hospital with a heart condition and does need our prayers.

The NBA

Full disclaimer: I have not watched an entire NBA game on TV in years. The sport generally bores me as the superior athletes have taken it from a "How'd he make that pass?" league to an isolation league with minimal passing (with a few notable exceptions). However, it is still the best sport to see live because of those same superior athletes. TV just doesn't capture the skills these people have.

Even to the sports haters (Ponce), if you get the chance to sit in the third row of an NBA game, take it. There are no fat slobs playing in the NBA (sorry golf and football), the action is quick (sorry baseball), it does not settle its champion by having everyone line up and make free throws (sorry soccer), and despite some dodgy officiating from the Fabulous Forum it is generally real (sorry wrestling). The only sport that can match its intensity live is (believe it or not) tennis, but until the ball girls start looking and dressing like the Laker Girls, I'll cast my vote for the NBA.*

Oh, and Kevin Durant? He's a man.


*I'm aware there is a sport played on the tundras north of the border, but it doesn't even allow girls in the arena to my knowledge. Get some puck girls and I'll reconsider.