That pixel is the planet Earth as seen from V-ger, er VOYager, from the rings of Uranus.
Giggles aside, I have to say it makes all my problems seem small when you realize our whole planet is about a pixel in size from inside our own solar system.
BTW, if I had been erect when this photo was taken, we would have been two pixels large, baby.
Well for all you Canadians out there Happy Thanksgiving !!!!!!! For you Americans , lets hope you dont all celebrate the same way as your fearless idiotic leader!!!!!!!!
Saturday, October 7, in front of FuBar, we will be breaking out the grills and rendering different meats delectable. Arrive around 3 (or earlier) and start your fires so we can get to the eats. D-Wayne will be supplying a few small grills and I will bring a hibachi. If you have one you can bring, then do so. And don't forget meat. Captain Beer has all the aluminum foil you would ever need - if we can pry it loose from his head.
"I'm gonna soak up the sky and spread these." Gotta wonder if that is a threat or a promise. Rye's student was wearing this after her mid-term. I really wonder what he does in class to peak (peek) his students interest in English. He told me he got bored of his students saying DIY, so he took it upon himself to teach them Jack-off is for boys and Jill-off is for girls.
If Molding young minds works out his future plans are to run for senate. To assist him in his new goals he is purchasing a new cellphone that displays pictures and stores loads of text messages.
About everyone getting the Monday the 9th off... in exchange for Saturday the 14th...
This wasn't in the original playbook for next week. It was supposed to have been, Friday the 6th off for Moon Festival, back to work on Monday and then Tuesday the 10th off for 10/10. I know people who said , "Well, it sure would be nice if we had that Monday off to round out the 5 day weekend." or "I'm gonna be sick on the 9th..." or "...if we were in Canada we'd get it off..." and on and on...
Me, I was gonna work, no big deal and everything until this past Monday the 2nd when, amid rumours of the government giving everyone a holiday that day, I get the news from my school, no school on the 9th... great, wonderful, no objections here...what? There's a catch? I gotta come here on the 14th to make it up? I'm doing my Monday schedule on Saturday? Fine, I guess, it's fine in exchange for a 5 day uninterrupted holiday weekend, but why?
I've heard a couple of different theories... a) the gov't suddenly announced the bonus (with a catch) holiday in anticipation of a general strike on Monday that may or may not be inspired by or related to the current DAO BIAN shennanigans going on around the island b) people like to not know about a public holiday until the last minute c) no one had any plans for the 14th anyway...
...except for the thousands of people who had planned to get married on the 14th, as it is a very auspicious day according to the lunar calendar... I see big spreads bought and paid for with no one attending 'cause they gotta work... so no red envelopes to help pay for the parties... ouch...
Anyone hear anything else 'cause all research for this post is either conjecture, hearsay or rumour...
Tomorrow the Mid-Autumn Festival, or Moon Festival, starts the first day of a 5-day holiday for us in Taiwan. The story can be found here, but it's basically a confluence of several legends and a ceremony. Most people just focus on grilling, eating pomelos and wearing the peel as a hat and passing on the Fruit Cake of the Orient, Moon Cakes. I enjoy them only because I score points by re-giving my box of "so yummy" moon cakes that my school gives me to others (foreigners excluded). I hate the things so much that moon cake and making moon cakes have become my favorite euphemisms for excrement and the process of extruding it, respectively. Zinc will melt at 460 degrees. The heavy metal, which is poisonous, is often That my friends, is 1112 degrees Fahrenheit. Safe holidays.
Pomelos are larger than grapefruits and their taste is not as strong or tart. The character for pomelo (ζ) has the same pronunciation as one character for blessing (δ½). The pomelo season coincides with the Moon Festival and thus has become part of the ceremony. They make a hat of it because they really need a good reason to include this B-list fruit in something. Too bad durian isn't indigenous to Taiwan. Now there's a hat.
Grilling in Taiwan, as usual, is done with all the forethought of...oh say, including the Wonderbread headgear of fruit into a major festival. Because of the utter crappiness of their grills they recommend covering either the grill or food with foil. If you covered your grill, that would be baking or roasting, which could be indoors in the oven as well as on a flattop grill or in a device very much like a pan. But that would deny us the chance to squat in the street and burn things. So to clarify things, our good friends at The China Post ( no link because I know by now you already have it bookmarked) on Tuesday, page 20 instruct us that:
used to galvanize iron...Meat or fish have to be roasted at a temperature above
600 degrees Celcius.
The rock picking continues. In the background are fields of rice with all the rocks removed. This little patch kept one excavator and four trucks busy three days. Profit almost half a million nts. I can't figure out why the rocks are worth so much. I think I must be losing something in the translation. Do Tea houses buy these large boulders by the pound?
As week 4 of the NFL quickly approaches here's a link to a pretty funny article about Phil Simms.
Read and enjoy, thanks G for passing it on.
GO EAGLES!!!!! Favre it is inevitable, that you head back to the country and start bailing hay or whatever it is you do... I realize that you love football, but its over , you're too old NOBODY LISTENS TO TECHNO!!!!!!! GO ASTROS!!!!! Remarkable, unbelievable the run that the Astros are making , and on the flipside the history of incompetance that the Cardinals are writing as we speak.. GO ROCKET ROGER!!!!!! Im not quite sure how old he is, but its obvious he is still the best pitcher in the game.... GO OLIERS!!!!!! Yes, now that Yzerman has hung up his skates and will by tying his loafers and sitting in an office for every game as VP of the Red Wings , the OIL are now the team of choice. What an offense they have......GO WHATEVER YOU BUNCH OF SAD SAPS ARE CALLING YOUR BASEBALL TEAM!!!!!!!!! I mean guys, really, you finally get yourselves organized and get a team once your two stars , myself and Brettski are in different countries!!!!!! Best of luck , I want weekly updates.... GO LANCE!!!!!!!!!! Why??? No idea, Lance just GO!! SOMEWHERE!!!!!!!! Later all......
Actually, it's slow pitch season. We have managed to find another way to embarrass ourselves, and have entered a ball league. For those misguided enough to have signed on, first game is on Sunday, at the ball fields behind Pig Pen. Be there by 1 pm. We will have a practice on Saturday at 3 pm ( i think that's what we agreed on, if wrong, somebody comment please), at or near Shin Min School (i have to stop drinking during team these meetings). Just a throw around to loosen up those tired old bones and muscles. More info, stop by FuBar or give me a call.
A reminder about the hockey fantasy draft, Saturday. be there by 11:30, so we can get started as quickly as possible.
The stars aligned and the cosmos shined on a team from Seattle. For 3 hours between 1 pm and 4 pm on Sunday, September 24, the Seattle Seahawks were the better team. The Seahawks rocked and rolled in the first half and looked unstoppable. They tried hard to give it up in the second half, but were able to hold off the invaders from Gotham. If only the game was 90 minutes long. Just wait till next week!
Here's a HOWIGATI, just to make me feel better about looking at this post.
for a genuine, plastic Louis Vuitton, man purse? Well, Leo, at Meat and Mash paid this much.
Well last Sunday The Giants of New York did the impossible and made an amazing forth quarter comeback to defeat the Philadelphia Eagles!!! I was amazed at the poise and charecter all the Giants showed .. They have proven to be a force to be reckoned with.. So much so that I have changed my pick in pro line from the lowly Seattle Seahawks at home to the Amazingly talented New York Giants.. There is no way in hell that the Seahawks have a chance aginst such a superpower that is the Giants. I mean the Seahawks did in fact blow it in the Superbowl last year against the Steelers.. I almost feel sorry for the Seahawks, I mean a 2 - 0 record playing at home and then the dominating destructive squadron of the Giants rolls in to town .. This may be the demise of the Seahawks season as we know it.. GO GIANTS!!!!!!!!!! :) How many times do the Cowgirls have to face this unstoppable menace ?? For the love of all Texans I hope not twice!!!!!!!!
This shot was taken using my camcorder - seems like it does better than 7 megapixel Sony digital camera. Could it be the better lens?
You must respect a man who stands up at the begining of a concert, says 'I'm old and I get bored with playlists. I'll play what I feel like and you can ask for whatever you want. I can't promise I'll remember every song, but I'll do my best.'
After those first words, Mr. Clark entered into a series of old favorites and tunes from the new album (entitled Workbench Songs). Then the fans started shouting out tunes like 'Baton Rouge' and 'Coat from the Cold' and the show was ON. People would shout at a tune, he'd tell a story about it, and then play it. Highlights included the obvious renditions of L.A. Freeway (a true story inspired by a landlady who was taking an axe to a grapefruit tree because it was pushing up her concrete patio), Let Him Roll, and Desperados Waiting for a Train (about his Grandmother's boyfriend). Less assuming highlights included the aforementioned Baton Rouge, two new tunes (Magdalene and Analog Girl), Immigrant's Eyes (complete with a small memory lapse mid-song), and The Cape. After two hours Mr. Clark wrapped it up, not bad considering he had no chair and just stood there playing the entire time.
To any interested parties, if you get a chance while visiting North America to catch Mr. Clark, it will be either a good cultural experience or a nice affirmation that things on this side aren't all bad. In fact, they're pretty darn fine.
whether the General Assembly president behind Chavez was laughing or not, until I saw this one.
Irony: incongruity between the actual result of a sequence of events and the normal or expected result
Ex: (Via Hsu Yung-ming εΎζ°Έζ, Taipei Times) - Former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman Shih Ming-teh (ζ½ζεΎ·), leader of the protest against Taiwan president, Chen Shui-bian (ι³ζ°΄ζ), silently enduring / savoring his red-clad protesters watch and cheer an actor impersonate the late dictator Chiang Ching-kuo (θ£ηΆε). Chiang and his father, Chiang Kai-Shek, jailed Shi for 25 years, 13 of them in solitary confinement. Chen Shui-bian was part of his defense team.
Eat your heart out John, it's good to be on this side of the Pacific, occasionaly.
Especially when they find him making stupid doodles like this during a foreign policy meeting.
UPDATE: Actually, these doodles were made by John F. Kennedy. They probably make more sense now since we don't have a blockade of Cuba going on right now.
just cuz i am feeling a little saucy.
Hey, Frenchie. Where's the post you promised me. I know you are probably heartbroken, and I figure the tv took a beating, but it's ok, you can't win them all. HA! GO GIANTS!!
The greatest comeback in sports history. Eli for president.
And on another note, there will be a fantasy hockey draft. Saturday, Sept. 30 at noon, at FuBar. If interested, let me know. Should have 10 or so teams.
God Bless Women.
A-Bien is helping to promote the sale of this new model of scooter. Sales in Taiwan are increasing. A-Bien was quoted as saying " I will promote any anti-foreign campaign to get this red monkey off my back!" Susuki was one of the first scooter companies to file a lawsuit citing "un-fair subsidization, and trading practices" other scooter companies are expected to file later this week.
A co-worker showed this to me the other day... I thought it was pretty neat.
Julian Beever's sidewalk illusions... all done with chalk!
Red A how'd you like to have this guy's chalk contract?
Vs.
I'm telling you this.. I love College ball! The excitement , the fans , the College girls!! I Just finished watching the 11th ranked Michigan Wolverines battle the 2nd ranked Fighting Irish of Notre Dame .. What a game !!!!! I was very impressed with the play of both teams ! And the catch by the reciever for that team was something else but nothing like that run from the other teams and the throwing by that QB !! Wow what a great game!!!!!!!!!!! Great Offense and Defense !!!!! I'm very tempted to tell the final score just to be able to create a post with alot of comments , but if Dwayne took the liberty to tape GO WATCH IT!!!!!!!! College Ball may just be more exciting than the NFL.!!!!!!!!!!
This is a pretty original music video. The song is pretty good too.
I tried to embed the video, but blogger keeps telling me the link is wrong. Maybe it's spacing? Am I doing something wrong?
Also, Rye maybe you can help me out with this one, I'm looking for a copy of Neil Young's most recent album. I'm also looking for the movie he released last year. If anyone has this I would love to borrow it!
P.S. Last nights game of baseball was the most boring game I have ever seen. The 11th inning was exciting, but that's about it!
Les Sinon Bulls are playing tomorrow night in town at 6:35.
If anybody is interested give me a call or e-mail me.
Go Bulls!
This praying mantis started as a little bugger when I arrived for vacation, but was 4-5 cm long at the end. A gentleman caller was seen visiting her perch, but disappeared soon after.
If this is true it's the dumbest thing i've heard all week and I work at wei dao...
I guess they didn't really get Steve's whole message...
Stingrays found dead with tails cut off...
Well , another season has bagan and I'll be quite honest, the Eagles are looking fantastic.. Now we lost T.O , yes , that is a fact.. TO went to Dallas and contributed to thier LOSE with some great play.. He is still the best in the league!! Now , the Eagles on the other hand with newly acquired WR Donte Stallworth hit the skies and soared into Houston where they anihilated , embarrased , demolished , destroyed , trounced, decimated and flat out beat and out played the lowly Texans.. Now to the Texans I say congrats on overlooking Reggie Bush and taking Mario Lemieux, no no sorry i meant Andretti, oops dammit what the hell is his name again?? If he made at least one tackle this past game maybe I could look him up!1 Oh wait , I know , Ill ask IJ who drafted him in fantasy!!!!! heheehe!! Where was I ? Oh yes, EAGLES FLYING HIGH!! BRING ON THE GIANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Id add a photo , but you need to work for greatness so scroll down you dirty rats !!!!! GO EAGLES!!!!!!!!
The Rush Limbaugh Award for not knowing when to keep your trap shut goes to...J-Hole! For walking up to the bar and giving away the result of the upcoming football game. Now, he knows better than that, and some think it should cost him ten beers, but we at Nihowdy are content to just let him wallow in the pit that is his own shame. This time. Should it happen again, we will have to force him to wear a Rams jersey, LANCE'S Rams jersey!
And on another sad note, the New York football Giants lost to the Colts, but keep a stiff upper lip, my faithful, the Super Bowl is still within our grasp.
to get into week 1 of the football pool. sheets are going fast, so hurry on down to FuBar and plunk down your hard earned "matchsticks" (wink, wink), and go up against some of the best prognosicators in the business, or at least on Soho St...John "The Angry Texan", Jerry "The Greek", and Laoban (stumbling and bumbling).
NFL/NCAA at FuBar:
Today: Ohio St. @ Texas 2:30
Monday: Indy @NY Giants 6 pm, Seattle @ Detroit 8:30 ISH!
Tuesday: Minnesota @ Washington 6 pm, San Diego @ Oakland 8:30 ish.
Wednesday: Dallas @ Jacksonville 6 pm, Replay- Viewer's Choice
and here, in honour of the US Open winner, is the HOTW, better late than never. more like the HOWIGATI (figure that out, and get a free beer.)
The number 1 and 2 teams will meet Saturday for the top spot in Austin, Texas. Ohio State seems to be the favorite, especially considering that UT cornerback, Tarell Brown, will be on the sidelines( unarmed) possibly accompanied by His Whine-ee-ness, Jake Gylakasdhalll. Nevertheless, us Taichungians can view it Sunday, 2:30pm at FuBar. College football fans come out and support the Longhorns in this game. Afterward we plan to go to the school and throw the pigskin around.
P.S. D-Wayne says he'll give you your first beer free if you're in time for kick-off and drink two more ( or so I have written).
I had some shit to figure out back here , mentally , physically and all that stuff! But im sorry mother fuckers but now you got me ! I have a thought that pops in my head ITS ON THE BLOG !!!! LOVE YOU GUYS TO BITS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh its true , love it or hate I DONT CARE , read it you will , comment, probably not but hehehheehhhehhehehehehehhe YEAH BABY IM BACK !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FEAR IT!!!!!!!!!!! BITCHES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Good Lord i swear the brass at this Blog are the laziest bunch of JABRONI"S I have ever witnessed , honestly change the %^%^$$%%&*% vote thing ! May I make a suggestion! WHO IS GOING TO THE SUPERBOWL!!!!!!!!! Good God , oh and trivia what flag is that , city and state?????
Does this rule only apply to thos slack jawed yokels in Houston and the rest of Texas??? Big John?? IJ?? Does it apply if when you are staying in bed screaming OH GOD , if you are by yourself??? Maybe I need to join a church on Sunday!! Oh wait , its Football season! I'll take my chances ! GO EAGLES!!!!!!!!!! Brettski good luck in school ! Deano , where are you nowadys???? Lance you are a neandrathal!!! Everyone else keep on keeping on!!!! RIP Croco Hunter!!!!
AWESOME GAME I CANT BELIEVE THE _____________________________________________________________ WON AND THEN THE QB FOR ________________________________________________________________ DID THAT AFTER THAT RUNNING BACK _____________________________________________________________ UNREAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank God football has started!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Fuck , it has come to me again! I was thinking Eagles but then Im not sure if you guys in taiwan have heard the news yet that Jerry (Commander Cardy's) beloved team has gone the route of the Cowboys.. One would think a team coming off a Superbowl year wouldn't have to resort to such tactics.. Needless to say they are from Seattle and to be honest I think thier new team logo is hot!!!!!
Not even 12 hours had passed (including recounting-my-money time and sack time) since I left Karl's home from a night of poker playing until I was able to secure a couple of bags of black-eyed peas for the Commander and myself. A three minute drive to Hsiang Shang (εδΈ) market and a stop at the first stand that sold beans was all it took. So, to respond in kind to Karl's " Black-eyed peas in Taiwan? No way, dude," I say, "Way."
That was the easy part. The hard part was trying to get a real answer from the boss of the store.
Me: I would like fresh peas. Do you have any?
Boss: You want to grow them?
Me: No, I want to eat them.
Boss: But you just bought some.
Me: I know. But I want to buy fresh ones.
Boss: Ahhhh.
Me: Do you sell any?
Boss: Not many people eat black-eyed peas in Taiwan.
Me: I know. Do you sell any?
Boss: Not many people buy black-eyed peas in Taiwan.
Me: Can I buy fresh black-eyed peas in Taiwan?
Boss: I don't know.
Me: Where do you get the dried ones?
Boss: They're difficult to find.
Me: Where do you get them? Are they imported?
Boss: I don't know. Maybe.
You see, black-eyed peas just happen to be my favorite non-meat. They are a staple for people in the South and Texas. I grew up thinking everyone knew what they were and always ate them. I grew up thinking wrong. Many of my friends, who now know better, had never heard of them and (gasp!) didn't know you always ate them on New Year's Day for good luck.
Ignorance remedied is acceptable. Continued obtuseness is not. I remain miffed that I still see all these recipes that call for dried peas. Not everyone has access to fresh peas I know. But, when I see southern cooks use dried over fresh, I become nonplussed - yes, nonplussed. Where are the snaps? They come in a pod, you know. You shell about 3/4 of the peas and break the rest into pod-intact snaps. More texture, color and flavor. If you can, buy fresh, shell and snap them and you will thank me. This isn't even opinion. It's fact (just as it's a fact that steamed dumplings are far superior to water dumplings).
But sometimes we make do with what we have - dried peas. Still no problem. There are many recipes, like Hoppin' John, but I prefer them without rice, by them beautiful selves. Before cooking you need to soak them. You can cover them in water and let soak overnight, drain and rinse, or you can use the quick soak method. Again, cover in water, bring to a boil for about 1 minute, kill the heat, cover and let sit for about an hour. Drain and rinse and you're ready to cook. Chop up a little pork belly or sausage and brown. Add the peas, water to cover, your seasonings and cook until done but not mushy. A popular variation is Texas Caviar. I'll post a recipe from Tom Perini's cookbook later - I'm giving you credit, Tom, so don't sue me. I always go to your steakhouse when I'm home.
If you're ever in Texas, you can visit the "Black-Eyed Pea Capital of the World," in Athens, Texas (in the middle of Trinidad, Lake Palestine and Gun Barrel City). Attend the Black-Eyed Pea Jamboree or the monthly Pea Pickers Square and Round Dance. Or, you can join the International Black-Eyed Pea Appreciation Society, founded by Rip Torn's father, Elmore Rural Torn (if you can find them).
I swear I did have a point to this post, hmmmmm????What was I trying to say?? Oh well if it comes to me I'll post another!!!!!!!!!
