Saturday, September 23, 2006 :::
 

Wow. I really hate monkeys. There's no real reason to start with that as I haven't so much as seen a monkey since about April or early May. That's like five months. Which is pretty much the same as a year. But the point is still valid.

Thanks to a friend's page I've been introduced to the best thing ever. The Comics Curmudgeon.

I'm going to Pakistan in a few weeks. That's clearly the best place for an American Jew during Ramadan. But the people I've been dealing with there seem like really lovely people and very helpful to boot. Then since it's my last trip of the year I get to fart around. I fly to Dubai for 4 days. I splurged and am going business on Emirates. Company pays half so taht's always a nice perk. Then stay in a fancy hotel with the big city lawyers. Then Hong Kong and then head on home for a while. I think I'll end up back in China maybe around December or early January. I think my parents will end up coming over for the winter for a month and do the festival route I told them about, which will be good for everyone.

I really hope Ying comes with us and we're all good again. I won't explain that now, but save it for another time when I'm more inspired.

::: posted by Daniel at 4:24 AM



Thursday, July 21, 2005 :::
 

Well jeez. I can't remember the last time I wrote anything in here. 10, 12 years? Perhaps not quite so long, but close.

So I've been on this job since March. Good times. Good times. During my training trip with Patti (she's purdy) a woman on the trip had a stroke (she was only 62) and so we had to take her to the hospital and deal with that. Not the most fun, but good training I guess. It was exciting as it was the first serious issue on an Intrepid trip for a long long time.

And then on my first solo trip several of my passengers overslept the first morning. Who cares? So the trip went from Hong Kong to Beijing and on the the first morning we get a bus to Guangzhou to catch a train. There's only one train a day and many many returning leaders all said "don't miss the bus cuz then you'll miss the train and that's bad." So with my oversleeping pax, we missed the bus. Being a mad genius, I booked the earlier bus so there was still one later that would work and did, but I was running around going "shit, shit, shit!" for a while trying to change the tickets. Not the best way to start your first trip.

Also on that trip, several people got really bad flus, and of course gave it to me. Jerks. One guy had a red rash on his palms and wanted to go to the doctor. So he came with me and two flu people to the doctor. The doctor looked at his hands for about 15 seconds and goes "syphyllis." Hee hee. That's funny. Many more details here that I'll skip for brevity's sake. Took him again in Beijing to a real doctor and it turned out he had excema. Close.

Several other trips took place.

I got to do one out to the Tibetan grasslands. Very beautiful. Lots of pictures. Perhaps I'll post some somehow. But to be fair, probably not. But the future is uncertain.

My last trip was awesome. A trip I've done several times before, but everything was just good on it. Good pax, good boat on the river (thank finally), good food, good hotels, good times.

A couple of trips ago on the river a new drink was invented out of deparation. The boat is boring. I bring lots of booze. I like rum. My pax did not. Who doesn't like rum? Apparently them. Anyway, I had two bottles of Bacardi that needed drinking in 3 days. So I sat down with one of my pax. I poured some rum into a tumbler. He added Sprite. Then I topped it up with blood orange drink. That's some sweet drinking. No problem drinking it all. It needed a name. Thus, the Yangzi Bastard was born. One of the world's finest drinks.

So this last trip was cool. Everyone was young, between 18 and 29. One lady was 63, but she was cool. And a nudist. With an all over tan. Odd. So we all ha dloads of fun going out and drinking and hanging out and eating and so on.

One evening in Xian, eating in the Muslim Quarter, this little kid comes over and is trying to sell roses. Everyone says no. I say no. We all say no several times. I'm on the end of the table. This kid, who's maybe 8, starts rubbing my shoulders and giving me a massage. This is at a restaurant. It went on for like 20 minutes. Everyone thought it was great. I gave him 1 rmb when I left. I kept telling him I didn't want a rubbing, but he wouldn't stop. Then we got some booze and sat outside in a plaza. Keeping it real. There was a lady collecting out bottles. Then another little boy came over and tried selling flowers but just ended up massgaing me and trying to kiss me. Why me??? Again, hilarity for everyone except me. But it's a good story.

On the boat, which was really nice for a change, I had two bottles of rum, other people had rum, vodka, more rum, more vodka, some wine. All in all, I think we had like 6 bottles of spirits and 3 bottles of wine. For 13 people total. 4 of whom didn't drink at all, and two more who didn't drink much. And 3 days. On night two we ran out. We're good. That was fun. A little karaoke, a little dancing, and little bout of asking questions about each other (which turned into sex questions in about 20 seconds) and some good times. Long live the Yangzi Bastard! From now on I'll just name my pax without any details. So if a name comes up without any info about them, assume their a passenger. When Kurt drank (and he could skull faster than anyone I've ever seen. He just opened his throat and poured it down.) he liked to pretend he was boxing. Many funny videos. And he liked to say funny things. Like "Don't look at me! I'm hideous!" Tom got really drunk and never wanted to leave Kurt and Vikas' room. One night we were drinkng some of the wortst wine I've ever had ever, it was called Impression" Vikas was trying to get Tom out at about 3:30 and was sort of wrestling him. At one point he threw Tom to the floor. Tom was wedged between the bed and a chair. Then he saw the Impression and picks it up and says "Ooh! Impression!" It was funny, but perhaps you had to be there. Julie drank a lot and is little and never wanted to go home. So every night I had to try to get her back to her room. She always tried to go to sleep in the hallway. But it was all fun, so whatever.

Eventually we got to Hong Kong. We had the last night dinner at the night market for some typical local Cantonese food. then I took them to a great Vietnamese place for deesert. The make the best ice creams I've had. Like a fantastic passion fruit one. And good cheesecakes and such. I always get a sticky banana pudding with honeycomb ice cream. And they make really interesting drinks. I like the orange and calamansi soda and the lime, cucumber and honey soda. Then it was off to the bars. Somehow we ended up at like 3 different gay bars. And in all we only went to 5. But I did have some good mojitos. And a really bad caipirinha. Then we went back to the hotel about 4. I watched a movie with Julie (Hero). Then details are left out for the younger readers. We got up at 8 cuz she had to go to catch her plane and I had said I would take people out for dim sum. So she got her bus to the station and I spent the day with some pax having dim sum, doing some shopping, and that night I took them out for seafood. Maybe the best seafood I've had in my life. And then about 11 I more or less passed out. 2 hours of sleep combined with a three week trip and two long days wrapped around them equals sleepy.

So now I have to figure out what I want to do over the winter. I have Jeff and Sarah's wedding Novermber 3, 4, 5th, so I have to decide when I want to finish up here in October and when or if I want to come back for the winter season at all. I am thinking I'll go from China to the US for the wedding.


OK. I want to go get some dessert now. Some delightful mango pudding. Mmmm. Pudding.

Also, thanks to Ben Lee for dreaming about me. And as always, you are all more than welcome to come visit me here in China.

Everyone take care and such.

Over and out.

::: posted by Daniel at 4:52 AM



Tuesday, November 02, 2004 :::
 

So many freedoms, yet so so so so so many many stupid people who don't see the whole picture.

The number one issue of import is moral character? That's a great thing to base a vote on. Especially if the decision contradicts the aim. Gaah!

At least we know that Iraq was aiding Al Queda. They weren't? Oops. They had no weapons either? Oops. Bin Laden not found yet? Oops. Afghanistan still sucks? Oops. Other countries all hate us and people are embarrassed to be American? Oops. But at least gay people can't get married, I can have a gun, and nobody can have an abortion.

Why are people so stupid? Last year in my city there was a local issue that would have voted in a one time property tax of a grand total of $14 (over three years, so about $4.65 a year) that would give money to keep the library open. Bet we voted it down. And now people complain and wonder why the library is closed several days a week. I might add the median income in this city is $165,000 a year. But that extra $4.50'll keep me from getting another latte.

Blah.

::: posted by Daniel at 10:35 PM



Sunday, October 31, 2004 :::
 

Today was Halloween. Which as we all know commemorates when our Lord in Heaven, Hector P. McBarnabaumstein defeated the Lobster People from Frozen South.

We only got 9 total trick-or-treaters. This is one of the safest richest neighborhoods in the universe (after the defeat of the Lobster People) and yet, the numbers go down every year. Like and aging priest's libido. Zing! I'm sending that one to Playboy. We had three pumpkins. I made one that based on Mr. Peanut, with monocle and all. My dad made two, one using the stem as a nose and the other more traditional. We had a blue light out front and some fake spiderwebs. I painstakingly selected the candy to have a nice balance of caramel, peanut, peanut butter, mint, fruit, and other. we had Snickers, Milky Way, Twizzlers, Nerds, Mike and Ikes, Junior Mints, Rolo, Kit Kat, and maybe another.

So now the project is get a seasonal job, eiher at Sur La Table or Apple or something else. And secondly, set up a CO2 system for the fish tank. All that's left for that is to buy a CO2 tank and hook it up, which other than the time spent going to get the tank, should take 20 minutes. Sweet. Then I'll have the most plantstical planted tank ever! Bwah ha ha!

And of course, continue waiting for the lady train.

To paraphrase the Sesame Street song, as sung by Ernie, "When will my birthday come?"

And with that, I bid you all adieu.

::: posted by Daniel at 9:27 PM



Sunday, August 22, 2004 :::
 

It's been a while, but my time is very valuable. Too valuable to while it away writing I guess. So today I have three things to say. Or more if I think of any.

Number one. I really hate the Olympics. Not these, just in general as an entity. Maybe in the past it was okay, but these days, for one, they only televise the most mundane and tedious of events. Like 12 rounds of preliminary pommel horse, and rowing and so on. But never some things that people might enjoy, but don't of or malign. For example, handball. Or badminton. Or trampoline. Or a few minutes of shooting. And most of all, ping-pong. I think most people, and by people I mean Americans are all like, "Dude. I can play ping-pong in the garage." Having watched ping-pong on tv in China and watched people train for hours a day and played against some people who by Chinese standards are fair, I have never met anyone who could even come close to maybe even scoring one point off an olympic players. I played a guy at the Consulate for a total of maybe 4 hours and I don't think I was ever even able to return a serve. In the words of Mr. T, DAMN. I also learned an interesting thing yesterday. It said every single medal ever given out in ping-pong have been won by China. That's some pretty clear dominance.

Number two. The other day I asked Jeremy how formal his wedding was going to be, so as to dress accordingly. The response was that it would be nice if I would wear a suit. Why? Why because I was going to be the best man of course! The wedding is September 4th, so at least I have my 10 tens days notice. Jeez. I guess that's cool though. I really hope I don't have to make any speeches, as I am perhaps one of the world's seven worst public speakers.

Number three. I was watching tv the other day and there was a Coke commercial where a black lady was walking and then she started to sing and then some back-up vocals came in. The thing that got me a-thinkin' was that the back-up was gospel-y. It seems that whenever blacks are singing, it is always this way. Not all black people, but those on tv and such. If I saw an ad where a black person started singing punk or Irish drinking songs, I'd be all like, "what in tarnation? Who is this goober?" Interesting. Something to think about and pay attention to when you watch tv.

And number four. I was thinking about boobs. They seem to be an integral part of women, and as such I think that they could be viewed as important culturally. Related to boobs are bras. Keep in mind that this argument might only apply to western or at least non third world areas. So if boobs are important, and bras hold them, having a bra might be culturally very important. So what happens if the girl has very small breasts? Not just small, but small to the extent that a bra is of absolutely no need. Would the girl feel she is missing out on something important? Like she doesn't fit in in society? What about when she was older, in her twenties or thirties and such? So as I don't know anyone who doesn't where a bra, if any of you don't or know anyone who doesn't, please ask them and get back to me.

So that's the poop today.

::: posted by Daniel at 7:58 PM



Sunday, August 01, 2004 :::
 

Tonight the wedding was fine. The couple had gotten married a few weeks ago in Hawaii and had the reception tonight. Maybe one of several receptions. Don't know and don't care. A quick thought. I heard or read or it came to me, that someone said something about the "silver" in their pocket. I thought that sounded cool. Kind of like in several songs where they talk about "spitting" about something, which means "talk about." Krazy kids and their codes. Anyway, the wedding people were all really nice, but I'd say white trash, but that sounds kind of bad and makes them sound mean. Maybe a better word would be "blue collar." Whatever that means. So if there is a word that means white trashy, but in a good way, someone tell me. They could drink like a bunch of raccoons in a dumpster. I also learned that the opossum has the most teeth of any North American land animal. And they have opposable thumbs on their back feet. They are called Virginia Opossums because that is where they were originally found, but they are so adaptable that they mad the journey west with settlers. As we all know Injuns don't count. So they could drink. And a lot of them smoke. Which is bad. So to those of you who smoke, you are all bad people. Worse then pedophiles. Worse then sandwich shop workers who masturbate into the mayonnaise. Worse then a kindergarten bully. Maybe not that bad, but still. Don't smoke. I actually don't think I have any friends who do smoke. Eva smoked sometimes, but I think that was to be cool, and maybe she stopped. Also, no one in California smokes. The whole room was like a heart attack waiting to happen. A bunch of larger folks who smoked and drank and ate a lot. But they were cool, so whatever.

So then on the way home I was listening to the radio, which reminded me of music. That in turn led me to recall an upcoming concert. It's the Beastie Boys and opening for them is Talib Kweli. Now the Beastie Boys can go blow a sheep. They are no longer either relevant or good. Maybe never relevant or good, but at least long lived. However Talib Kweli is good stuff. Like Mos Def if you know him. Or Jeru Tha Damaja, but more modern. Also listen to MF Doom aka Viktor Vaughn if you get a chance. My favorite song of his is called "Let Me Watch" Good lyrics, good music, good rhythm , good song. Speaking of Jay Z, I'm not a huge fan, but he's got outstanding tempo and a great feel for the beat. Plus he has a potty mouth.

Now is sleepy time, so toodles to Alison, Aya, Eva, Mark, and whoever else reads this fine work. Just insert your name in the correct alphabetical location and everyone will be happy.

Can I post pictures on this thing?

::: posted by Daniel at 12:54 AM



Wednesday, July 28, 2004 :::
 

Well all y'all, I finally have a job. I will now be a tour leader, which is like a tour guide, but somehow different. I think eventually I will be based in China, but as the China season is over soon, I will probably start in Thailand or Vietnam. Then around March, transfer to China for the 8 months or so. Sweet.

Also I am quite excited to go back to China in September. Not that I give a hoot about the wedding, but I miss China and it will be nice to go again. Hopefully I won't get das poopenfitz. I didn't last time, but you never know.

There is a new tv show called "Amish in the City" where they took five Amish people, 3 guys, 2 girls, who are on their rumspringa, which is when they move away from the community for a time to experience the outside world and then decide whether to stay secular or to return to the community, and the sent them to LA to live in a super-swank ass house with like 5 "normal" people. By normal I mean not Amish. They are however quite stupid. The Amish people are all normal, but the normals start off very judgmental and unaccepting. I believe it will be good watching. It's on UPN so keep an eye out for it.

Now I have become bored of writing, so now I stop.

::: posted by Daniel at 10:53 PM



Thursday, July 08, 2004 :::
 

Just like I promised, I will now extoll the many virtues of the Fourth of July. In Jesus' time, it was known as Christmas, but through the ages, because Jesus was from the Middle East, where it is all hot and such, as Christianity spread throughout Europe, a much more temperate climate, it was decided that a Winter holiday was needed. Then the Pilgrims came to America, taking both holidays with them, and so now, we have Thanksgiving, Christmas, Fourth of July, and Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Also, because of the whole Middle East connection, we use barbecue to ring in the festivities. You see, the Middle East invented the kebab, or kabob, or "flavor stick" as it is sometimes called.

I also read that on the Fourth 75% of all American barbecues are in use. Wacky. I, and the people I was with, being true great Americans, had two barbecues that day. With such All-American favorites as Korean ribs, miso marinated salmon, stuffed salmon, ceviche, roasted sweet potatoes, and several other small dishes.

Relatedly, one of the TV stations near me is going to start showing "Rocky and Bullwinkle" again. All the original episodes, every Sunday from 8 to 10. Awesome.

Another movie I think is really good is "1,2,3" Good stuff.

It really is interesting that the vast majority of plants and animals that go on the CITES list and endangered list are the fuzzy, "cute" non annoying ones. Which also happen to be the most useless ones. Like gorillas. They have what role in their particular ecosystem? That's right, nothing. Stupid gorillas. But what about sharks? Or the majestic squids? Or wolves? Or other pointy and bitey and itchy critters?

I was wondering what happened to Goodie Mob a few weeks ago, and then I noticed that they have a new album out. Such coinkydink.

::: posted by Daniel at 4:16 PM



Monday, July 05, 2004 :::
 

So my bath was pretty good. I had one the other day that was awfully nice too. It started out ordinary enough, but then, as it progressed, I could tell that this one was going to be special. It was a really nice nap. I think it was about three hours and 20 minutes or so. The problem is in our tub, we have one of those overflow drains, but it is set really low, so the water drains out to non-covering level, leaving you cold and dry. Such adversity. But I did get to watch the entirety of "The Great Race."

If there are several things I like a lot, not love, but really am fond of, they are Arthur (the PBS show, not the terrible Dudley Moore movie), barbecue, pie of various and sundry varieties, good humor (which reminds me of a quote, "Comedy is British, wit is French and humor is American." Mark Twain), baseball, and cool stuff.

Now about this "base ball" that all the teens are talking about. The other day, voting for the All-Star game finished up. For some stupid reason, fans are allowed to vote, but only a maximum of 25 times each. For some other lame reason not every player is on the ballot. So what ends up happening is fancy big city folks from New York, St. Louis and such vote a billion times for some crap players. Not to say pro players are crap, but some players are good and some players are famous and some are both. So this year, like often, people like Mike Piazza, Jason Giambi, Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Edgar Renteria, Gary Sheffield, Ken Griffey, and so on get voted into the starting lineup while other people who are playing much better this year (none of the previous players is having a particularly great year at their position) like Juan Pierre, Carl Crawford, Jermaine Dye, and several other people. I think rookies have their own game, so they won't come into play here. The players do get to vote for a few players on their own for a few spots on the roster and I believe pitchers. However, like the constitutional right to free speech so often does, it has allowed people who are stupid and shouldn't be allowed to voice their opinion, to do so. Over and over and over again.

Also, Stepford Wives is one of the worst movies ever made. Just thought I'd say that again.

Later, I'll tell you all about the Fourth of July. And what it means to our country. USA! USA! USA! We're number one!

A great song is "Let Me Watch" by Viktor Vaughn aka MF Doom, aka... I forgot.

Over and out.

::: posted by Daniel at 8:02 PM



Friday, July 02, 2004 :::
 

So let's see. I've now seen Stepford Wives and Spider-Man 2. Stepford Wives was one of the three most god-awful movies I have ever seen, and my movie viewing days have included Cruel Intentions 2 and Rabid Grannies. Spider-Man was really good.

I am tutoring a Chinese kid in English. He just got off the boat, and by boat I mean plane, in May, so the English isn't too good. I think my Chinese must be better.

Yesterday I was able to help a friendly acquaintance, who works at Border's, talk to some Chinese people. I should just be Chinese for all I use it and hang out with Chinese people. Of all my friends that I actively do things with, at the most, one is not asian, and I can't think of who that is. Not to say that I don't enjoy the white folks, but of my friends that are near me, none of them are white. So, for example, if, in alphabetical order, Alexia, Alison, Brian, Huw, Mark, or Max were to live near me, I would hang out with them. But they don't, so everyone is asian. Or Asian.

Also, my student is from the same city I was in. Not that China has many people or anything. Wacky.

Time for a bath, then a call to the lady.

So, more on my bath later. And maybe some other things too.

::: posted by Daniel at 12:26 AM



Saturday, June 12, 2004 :::
 

I was at the nursery yesterday and some people were saying that they don't want to use any pesticides because they will drain into the water table. That's all super and I do the same thing. However it made me think about sex. You see, many people, living in sin or married under the grace of God, amen, have wild monkey sex. However, many, against God's wishes, use some sort of contraceptive product. Like condoms, aka, love skins, slicks, wet suits, stockings, eight-by-two glossies, lifesavers, parachutes, umbrellas, raincoats, rubbers, gloves, wiener bag, goblin cave, gummi worm, hump thimble, and so on. Also birth control pills. Now I'm all for random sex with people off the street, but I don't like the pill. All because of the hormones. When you pee, they all get flushed into the water and then frogs get deformed, lady sheep get testicles, John Holmes get born, and little girls (like 9 or 10) hit puberty. Which is bad for everyone from the girls to pedophiles who now have a smaller cache of little kids.

So the moral of this story is don't take birth control pills. Just use condoms.

::: posted by Daniel at 2:06 PM



Tuesday, June 01, 2004 :::
 

Remember a few years back when there were all those bands that people liked, mainly due to lack of taste, like Medesky Martin and Wood, Hootie and the Blowfish, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Eagle Eye Cherry, B*Witched, Sugar Ray, Korn, Creed, Lit, Vertical Horizon, Savage Garden, matchbox twenty, 3 Doors Down, Blink-182, and so on. They all suck, and where are they these days? Dead? Sucking? Who cares? In the words of some kid I was at camp with years ago, "My name is Eddie Murphy. Uh huh! Uh huh! Eat my bologna!"

The Glastonbury Festival has several great bands playing. And unfortunately, more crap bands that people only like cuz they sound like rehashes of good music. But the good bands are Chemical Brothers, Orbital, Joss Stone, Toots and the Maytals, Bonnie Raitt (she only made it in comparison the crap bands), James Brown, Basement Jaxx, Groove Armada (!!!!!) Black Eyed Peas, and vaguely Sister Sledge (again, by comparison). I guess some people like Paul McCartney.

Yesterday I drove up the coast to Half Moon Bay to buy a salmon. I got one that was right about 11 pounds. Then I drove home and cut it up. Then cooked some and froze the rest. Good times.

Now let's all think about cool animals like the majestic octopus, the corpulent hippo, the feisty mantis shrimp (look these things up. they're fuckers. and pretty colors, but they can take your finger off. also quite interesting), the overlooked dragonfly, and the much maligned opossum. Also ravens. Not crows which are small with a yellow beak, but big and all black, like... like...a good basketball team. Thank you. Thank you. I'll be here till Thursday. Try the veal.

::: posted by Daniel at 2:07 PM



Sunday, May 30, 2004 :::
 

Today was Sunday. I took a bath. A good long one. When all was said and done it clocked in at 3 hours 8 minutes. Then I took a shower to become clean, where once I was dirty. Then came the ceremonial watering of the plants, which took a while because we have a lot of plants and tomatoes and zucchini can't get water on their leaves or they get mildew. Which seems like a bad evolutionary design for plants which grow outdoors.

Then I went to a Japanese market to look around followed by a Korean one. I bought two kinds of melon, some noodles, some guava juice and some barbecue. When I got home I made the barbecue. This was followed by the melons.

People are really bad at parking. It bugs me when people back into a space. Or when they are too far to one side or another. Or if they have a big truck or something and just pull diagonally across between two and four spots. Back in my day, people could drive and park the right way.

So I have gone to the driving range a few times recently. Using a driver I bought on the El in Chicago. Ahh, stolen goods. So anyway, I have never taken any golf lessons or anything and have no idea how to hold a club even. However, at the range, which I might add, costs $9 a bucket (maybe 60 balls or so) I can smack the crap out of the ball, often straight, not all queer like in San Francisco. And there are all these people there with their expensive clubs and lessons and they suck. Suckity suck suck sucky suck. I believe I paid $25 for my driver. Most of the folks down on the range (did anyone see that movie Home On the Range? It looked funny) get all mad and discouraged when they play. So out of maybe 50 people at the range (it's two stories, la dee da) I must be in the top 5. That's kind of pathetic. I'm all for people doing things they enjoy even if they aren't good at them, but I also feel that should only be applied to things that aren't $4000 a year. If clubs are maybe between $600 and $1500 and a round of golf costs an average of $45 and that's assuming you're not playing a nice place that costs $250 and you suck, you should just quit. Most beginners don't go out and buy a Steinway grand to start you know?

And that's all I gots to say bout that.

Who knows what wild crazy adventures I'll get into tomorrow?

::: posted by Daniel at 9:29 PM



Saturday, May 29, 2004 :::
 

This weekend my parents are in San Diego for some relative's Bat Mitzvah. Remember, Bar Mitzvah for boys, Bat for girls. And so today I worked another catering job at a wedding. Which was very close to my house, maybe five minutes. It was a renewal of vows / tenth anniversary. And to make it more interesting, the woman apparently was in a car crash and had lost her memory of the wedding. Isn't that wild?

Another weird thing are twins. Have you ever really just looked at a pair of twins who are sitting or standing next to each other? Or even showering together? They're weird. They look the same and stuff. The kind that don't look the same are boring. So if you are non-identical twin, you are not special, even if your mom says you are.

Do you like baseball? Are you ready to rock? And party every other day? Watching a really good hitter is awesome. Not surfer awesome, but awesome as in inspiring awe. Like watching Barry Bonds. He's just silly. He'll get, in a game, maybe 5 pitches tops that are hittable and he just smacks the crap out of the ball. Today he hosted This Week In Baseball. Him and Jenny Finch, the world's greatest softball pitcher. She's pitching and it's closer in softball, so it's like high 90's fastballs, and Barry just takes the bat and taps every single one back to her with a comment. Too high. Too low. Outside. Curve. Sinker. I mean, damn.

More baseball. Watching an outfielder with a good arm is cool. Having played baseball for around 15 years, I've seen a lot. But when some guys from deep in the outfield throw the ball to home on the fly or one hop and on target that's wild wacky stuff. Like when Ichiro was a rookie and Terence Long tried to stretch a single into a double. Terence Long is really fast. Ichiro's throw beat him by about 10 feet. I believe people who saw that said such things as "Yowza."

And fielders. The coolest thing I ever saw was when Omar Vizquel and Roberto Alomar were both on the Indians and Vizquel had to dive to his right to make a play, then he flipped the ball behind his back from his glove (look ma, no hands) to Alomar who had to lean all weird, jump the slide and make the throw to first. Some people are just more skilled than others.

So you should all try to download some video of soccer players too. Especially Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. Ronaldinho had a great kick against England this past world cup. Roberto Carlos also has a great kick, but don't know against who.

So that's all. And like they say...

Damn straight, you brunch eating poppin' j!

::: posted by Daniel at 10:45 PM



Friday, May 28, 2004 :::
 

So.

So, so so.

If you all like books and cultural observation gleaned from them, I recommend the various works of Lu Xun. Although he's probably incorrectly spelled as Lu Hsun. You see, there have been several ways of writing Chinese in English (what's the word for that?) over the years. There was Wade-Giles and others, none of which I can remember. I use Pinyin, the correct way. The old ways, or bourgeois way, gave us such spellings as Mao Tse-Tung, Ch'ing-tao and such. Here's what I found out.

1.Latinhua Sin Wenz (Beila)
* Created in 1929 by Qu Qiubai et al., final form in 1931
* Popular during the 1930s and 1940s.
* Used in northern China and Soviet Union.
* No tonal indicators.
* No longer used (replaced by PinYin)
2. PinYin (full name: Hanyu Pinyin [i.e. Chinese alphabetic system])
* Promulgated in 1958
* United Nations Standard from 1977
* International Standard Organization (ISO) standard from 1982
3. Gwoyeu Romatzyh (also called National Romanization)
* Finalized in 1928
* Created by Y.R. Chao (Zhao Yuanren) and others.
* Uses tonal spellings instead of tone marks.
* Occasionally seen in Taiwan
4. Juyin II
* Finalized in 1986
* Adapted from Gwoyeu Romatzyh
* Uses tone marks instead of tonal spellings.
* From 1998 used on some street-signs in Taiwan but not Taipei
5. Wade-Giles
* First published in 1859 by Thomas Francis Wade
* Developed from R. Morrison's 1815 system.
* Later modifed by Herbert Allen Giles in 1912.
* Uses k k' p p' t t' etc. instead of g k b p d t
* Formerly near exclusive system in English-speaking countries.
* Remains defacto system in Taiwan for personal names
6. Yale
* Created in 1948 for US military language-teaching
* Later widely used in teaching in the US for a period of time
7. Chinese Post Office System
* Old system used instead of Wade-Giles for some place-names
* Examples:
* Peking (Wade-Giles: Pei-ching)
* Tsingtao (Wade-Giles: Ch'ing-tao)
* Chungking (Wade-Giles: Ch'ung-ch'ing)
* Sinkiang (Wade-Giles: Hsin-chiang)

So anyway, Pinyin is the best, and not just because I use it. What was the point here? Lu Xun. He's good stuff. Mao really liked him. His most famous book is "The Story of Ah Q" Another really nice writer, more of a poet is Li Bai. Du Fu is another good poet. I went to his house. It was my favorite place I went to in China. A very very very well done recreation. Because Du Fu died like 1300 years ago He wrote a poem about Li Bai. Here's one of his poems.

"A Woman of Quality"

Matchless in breeding and beauty,
a fine lady has taken refuge
in this forsaken valley.
She is of good family, she says,
but her fortune has withered away;
now she lives as the grass and trees.
When the heartlands fell to the rebels
her brothers were put to death;
birth and position availed nothing--
she was not even allowed
to bring home their bones for burial.
The world turns quickly against
those who have had their day--
fortune is a lamp-flame
flickering in the wind.
Her husband is a fickle fellow
who has a lovely new woman.
Even the vetch-tree is more constant,
folding its leaves every dusk,
and mandarin ducks
always sleep with their mates.
But he has eyes only
for his new woman's smile,
and his ears are deaf
to his first wife's weeping.
High in the mountains
spring water is clear as truth,
but when it reaches the lowlands
it is muddied with rumor.
Her serving-maid returns
from selling her pearls;
she drags a creeper over
to cover holes in the roof.
The flowers the lady picks
are not for her hair,
and the handfuls of cypress
are a bitter stay against hunger.
Her pretty blue sleeves
are too thin for the cold;
as evening falls
she leans on the tall bamboo.


Now for some comments on things. Are there any actors worse and more annoying than Kevin Spacey and Greg Kinnear? Answer: no. Also, what's with all the crap music these days?

Usher? New Found Glory? Hoobastank? Evanescence? Norah Jones? Jessica Simpson? Modest Mouse? Alicia Keys? Incubus? Crap Crap Crap CrAp craP CRAP. At least reggae and hiphop stuff generally is always good. However, I find it kind of wrong to put Prince and Jay-Z together along with Twista and Dizzee Rascal, Alicia Keys and Patti LaBelle. Some of these are not like the others, some of these do not belong here. It's the Prince, Alicia Keys and Patti LaBelle if you couldn't guess.

I saw a commercial for tampax today. It was funny. These are Tampax Pearl. They have a smooth rounded tip. Now, granted, these are made for putting in sensitive places (place), but do the regular kind have jagged sand covered tips? This doesn't seem like much of an advance. What do I know? I bet you could plug up a bloody nose with one though.

I've been playing fantasy baseball. I think people who take it really seriously and actually pay money and do research for that, are lame.

So thus ends a long overdue entry. If you need any music suggestions or recipe ideas, I am a free and valuable source.

Goodbye. Goodbye. A thousand times goodbye.

::: posted by Daniel at 8:18 PM



Sunday, March 07, 2004 :::
 

Yesterday was all artsy fartsy. I attended (because you can't go to an artistic event, you must attend) a lecture on Stravinsky and saw a reproduction of Rite of Spring by the Joffrey Ballet in the morning, based on the original choreographed by Njinsky. It was good. For lunch we went to Lee's Sandwiches for Vietnamese sandiwiches and they were good, but not nearly as good as those in Chicago. We came home, did some stuff around here and then went to dinner and to see In America. Man is that a good movie. It is very very absorbing. Some movies you find yourself thinking during them, but this one you just watch and then realize it's over. And very emotional. Yowza. So you all should go see it. It is maybe better than City of God for my favorite movie I have seen this year. Take that Lost In Translation and Return of the King and The Cooler and Along Came Polly and Monster and that's all.

::: posted by Daniel at 1:53 PM



Monday, March 01, 2004 :::
 

So. How about those Oscars? Lord of the Rings if fine and all, but I don't feel it was the best picture. I guess it was seen as a nine hour piece and not three separate films maybe. But what do I know, I am just a white male ages 18-34. And Charlize Theron I feel ceratinly deserved to win. She was awesome in that movie. And might I add va va voom. Just not in the film.

Here is a recipe for banana cream pie. It is one of the more unhealthy recipes I have seen for things. It's up there with sausage cheese balls and fried cheese and bacon juice. I think I'll make recipes a new part of my blog

Krecipe Korner


Banana Cream Pie
4 1/2 cups sifted flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons sugar (optional)
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) cold unsalted
butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup ice water
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
Banana cream filling, recipe follows

Banana Cream Filling:
8 cups milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
24 egg yolks
2 2/3 cups sugar
1 cup cornstarch
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
6 ripe bananas, sliced into coins 1/4-inch thick
Whipped cream for serving (optional)

In the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the
flour, salt, and sugar. Mix for 1 minute. Add the butter and mix just
until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir the water and vinegar
together, then gradually add to the flour mixture. Mix at medium
speed just until a dough forms. Do not over-mix.

Divide the dough in 2 and shape into round, flat disks on sheets of
waxed paper. Wrap separately and refrigerate for 30 minutes. On a
lightly floured surface, roll the dough with a lightly floured rolling pin
into a large circle about 1/8-inch thick. Place your pie plate upside
down on top and trim with a sharp knife, leaving about 2 inches extra
dough all the way around. Roll the dough circle up onto your rolling pin,
then unroll it into the pie plate; or, fold into quarters, transfer to the
pie plate, and unfold. Gently press the crust into place, turning any
excess dough hanging over underneath to create a thicker edge. Press
the edge with the back of a fork to create a decorative edge. Repeat
with the other piecrust and leave covered for 30 more minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line each crust with a sheet of
regular-weight aluminum foil, then pour in about 3/4 pound dried beans
or pie weights. Bake the crusts 25 to 30 minutes, just until dry and set
- then remove the foil and beans. Bake another 10 to 15 minutes or until
golden brown, checking frequently to prevent over-baking. Remove
from the oven immediately and let cool on wire racks.

Banana Cream Filling: Combine the milk, salt, and vanilla bean in a
non-aluminum pan and heat, stirring occasionally. As soon as the
mixture begins to boil, turn off the heat and stir the mixture for 1
minute. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until thick and pale
yellow, then gradually whisk in the cornstarch. Gradually whisk in half of
the hot milk mixture.

Pour the yolk-milk mixture back into the saucepan with the milk
mixture and cook, whisking frequently, until the mixture boils and
begins to thicken. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring,
about 5 minutes more, until the mixture no longer tastes starchy. The
mixture should become very thick, like a set custard. When cooked,
turn off the heat. Stir in the butter until it melts completely and fold in
the bananas.

Pour the filling into the pre-baked pie shells. Push the banana slices
below the surface to prevent them from browning, then smooth the
tops. Cover with plastic wrap, gently pressing the plastic wrap against
the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate at least 7
hours or overnight, and serve with whipped cream.

Yield: 2 (10-inch) pies, about 16 to 20 servings
Prep Time: 7 hours 50 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hours 0 minutes


I got a call today from a company I applied for a job at, but I was out, but i saw the number on the caller ID. I guess I'll see if they call tomorrow and if they don't by mid-morning, I'll call them.

And tomorrow is the primaries here. I wil vote yes on 55, yes on 56, yes on 57 and yes on 58. I will cast my useless vote for John Edwards. Even though Kerry will win. I'll vote Democratic regardless of who it is. Always. Unless it is Hillary Clinton. Unless she's running against Hitler. Then I'd have to see who her running mate was.

I am growing my hair long. I want it to look like Benny in City of God, so hopefully it won't just turn into an afro. I may have to seek professional help. In my life I have never paid for a haircut. Except once in Thailand and that doesn't really count. And I got it colored in China, but a friend had given me gift certificates so that was free.

And now that is all.

Sweet dream sugar peas.

Whocka whoka whoka.

::: posted by Daniel at 11:21 PM



Sunday, February 29, 2004 :::
 

Mark is the big (in my heart, not on a universal scale. If it was up to me, I'd remedy that, but what can I do? What!? What!?) winner. Way to read stuff.

Last night I went out to dinner with my parents and two ladies who wanted to take us out because they used to work with my dad before he retired. They are both Chinese and we went to Chinese restaurant. It is a place that we have been going to since I was in high school. It used to be owned by two brothers and their sister. Their dad had a restaurant in San Francisco. The dad died at some point so I don't know who owns the SF one now. One of the brothers went on to open his own place. So the point here is that we went to dinner at a Chinese restaurant. What I have discovered in my time back in the US is that Chinese food here is really really boring. If the country is hell-bent on gentrifying neighborhoods, that's fine. You can never have too many rich white people. But as I see it, an "ethnic" restaurant should maybe try to remain somewhat different. Every Chinese place I go to now has the exact same menu. Even if it is a big menu, al the stuff is the same. B-O-R-I-N-G. Now i write like a high school girl. With a less pert ass. Although maybe perter than some. Moving on. I really miss th food in China. It was not necessarily that the foods were so different, although sometimes they were, but they tasted better. Almost every item I ate in China tasted better than the bland congealing plates of pig slop I am eating here. Maybe life is not that bad, but the point I need to find a/some Chinese place/s that are new and different that I can go to. 'Cuz I loves the Chinese food. I think it is easily my favorite. I could eat it everyday forever. And ever and ever. Like looking at unicorns. I did eat everyday for two years, so that just shows my resolve. Although in China we didn't say we are going out for Chinese food, we'd just call it food.

The other day I hung up some pictures. Before I left Shenyang I hd a friend get me some shadow puppets from a friend of hers who was friends with the head of a puppet troupe. I brought them back and took them to LA to a place my brother has used to get them framed. When my parents went down to see play two eeks ago, they brought them back and I got around to hanging them up. I put one in the entrance way, and the other five in my room, creating a 'scene' if you will upon my wall. Sweet.

I want to start a business in China. I don't know exactly what to do though. One friend of mine says she wants to start an English school, so I could do that with her. Another friend's mom said she would help me start something but wats to know what I want to do and my plan and all, so suggestions would be helpful.

Tonight we are going to barbecue for dinner and watch the Oscars and then I will do my taxes. I live a wild life, I do. I also want to start doing more photography.

That is all. You go now.

::: posted by Daniel at 2:34 PM



Saturday, February 28, 2004 :::
 

Well. It's been more than three months since I have written but there is a good reason. Which I will not go into here. I suppose to start I should say that I am in the US. I might have mentioned that in the last one, but who can remember so long ago. If anyone manages to read this, the first person to email me about it will win a fabulous and therefore, by definition, not very good prize. Unless I can think of something good to give you. I'm pretty sure that the two people in possible contention are Mark and Aya.

Like I said, I am in the US. And have been since two days before Thanksgiving. Since then I hav accomplished little to change the world. I did help my brother do some remodling of the house he bought in Pasadena and see the Rose Parade and see several movies. Tonight I saw 'The Cooler.' The acting was really good, but some parts I think were in it just for shock value. It's worth seeing I guess. I have also seen, 'Return of the King, Along Came Polly, Monster, Lost in Translation, and City of God.' So there we have my last three months.

The othe day I needed to buy a cable for a TV so I went to Radio Shack. The persn who wroked there was very friendly. They were also some sort of transgender-y person. I think a man going to woman but not quite done. She made some comment about how Bush had her vote until his thing about the Constitutionl amendment. I think a few years ago, a person like that would never have said anything about gay marriage for fear of an ass beating. So I guess the world, or at least my little corner of it is getter better. On second thought, it certainly is not the whole world. The rest all sucks. USA! USA! Number one! It's hard to imagine why other countries don't like us and people from other countries are often suprised whn they meet an American who isn't a buffoon. Remember when Roberto Benigni won the Oscar? What the hell was that? That movie was was a bigger pile of crap than if you put a diaper on an elephant and then saved the crap iin some sort of pile and then compared the two, noting that 'Life is Beautiful' was bigger.

I really really really want a job. But for some reason I don't want to work doing retail. I could really use the money though. Maybe I'll teach at Kaplan or something on the meantime.

I have also come to realize, as I do from time to time, that I realy enjoy having a girlfriend. I hang around with Aya and Naomi and Janice, but as they all have boyfriends, none of whom are me, it reminds me that my lady friend is in China and I should realistically no longer consider her my girlfriend. She is really pretty however. I wish I had a better picture of her to show off or something dirty, but since we are all good, upstanding, high-moraled people here, I don't have one. So you should send me a lady. Mark, I'll understand if you keep the first one for you.

I wish I knew how to blow glass. I think it would be cool. I want to take a class, but it is some time away. I also would like to have some buiding skills. I am an ok photographer I think, but that ony satisfies me if I develop the pictures myself, and now I have no access to a darkroom.

I will end this by saying that I really like Caswell-Massey soap in Newport scent. It is a company tat has been making soaps and things since 1752. The soap is very expensive, but it smells really good. They have many other fine products and I spent too much money on them recently.

Now I will go. And sleep. And watch a movie as I drift into a wild night of drooling and other such fun nightly activities.

Peace out y'all.

::: posted by Daniel at 1:13 AM



Sunday, October 05, 2003 :::
 

Apparently it's very hard to write as evidenced by my having not done so is a heap o' time. That's not a good sentence. But when the world give you peanuts, do as the chinese do and make peanut milk. But don't give peanuts to babies because they are easy to suck into your lungs and the oil in peanuts is particularly bad to have there and then you'll have big big trouble. In little China. That's a good movie. I really like Kurt Russel. Every movie of his that I've seen. From "The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes" to "Stargate". I never saw "Soldier" but I'm sure I would have liked it. I even thought "Waterworld" was ok. "Battlefield Earth" however was so crappy that even I had to turn it off after 20 minutes.

I just watched "Igby Goes Down" for the second time. I think it's a fantastic movie with a good soundtrack of "indie" sounding music. Like the Dandy Warhols and stuff. I don't really know what "indie" means in terms of a sound, since I don't listen to it, but it must be that I have decided. SO BE IT sayeth the writer. I like my music really polished sounding. Even the stuff that is trying to sound rough, like the Ramones is still polished. Or the Voodoo Glow Skulls. A band I haven't heard from in a long time. I learned that one of the guys from House of Pain went on to form Cypress Hill. Small world. Also, "The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys" is very good. The actor is the same as Igby.

I borrowed this idiom book to use to teach to my class and man is it crap. The idioms are ok, but the explanations are as worthless as.... when you make pudding and it makes a few little bubbles around the edge of the bowl when it's cooling and then you eat the pudding but the bubble scum is still there but it's too crusty and small to eat. That kind of worthless. Now I will give an example.

"Most people have heard of the term 'back-seat driver'. He or she is not a real driver, but is a passenger in the car, who incessantly offers advice about driving to the driver. However, even though most people know of this term, very few realize that back-seat driver is an unassuming hero in our democratic system. Next time you come across one, please do not deprive him or her of his or her right of speech.

Uncle Charlie's son is an outstanding model of a back-seat driver. He knew of his rights from the day he was put into a baby-basinet. Every time the car stopped at the traffic lights he would burst out into a hearty cry. As soon as the car started to move he would hold his peace. That was what Uncle Charlie told me.

When Junior was big enough to be placed into a child-seat he would give out a long howl instead of cry when the car stopped, and would kick towards the back of Uncle Charlie's seat. However, Uncle Charlie did not mind. He was a defender of the spirit of democracy, and a proud father!

Started talking now! Junior immediately became a fully qualified back-seat driver. "Red light!" "Green light!" "Stop!" "Go!" "Turn left!" "Turn right!"... Uncle Charlie was driven round the bend!

The long awaited day finally arrived. Junior, the back-seat driver acquired his own licence (sic). Uncle Charlie said to me that his son made the rank and needs not be a back-seat driver any more.

I came across Uncle Charlie recently and asked him about his son. Uncle Charlie said, "Oh! Him? He has become independent!... driving a taxi now. This is his favorite profession. You know he always wanted to drive. Furthermore, now his passengers sit there and listen to his opinions... What opinions Well, they are related to how this country should be governed, from economics and defence to foreign affairs and environmental protection. He is never afraid to speak up... a real champion of democracy!"


And there you have one example from the fine book. I kept the spelling and grammar and what not accurate to the book.

Yesterday I went to a Muslim market and then a Muslim temple and then a Buddhist temple. The Muslim temple was an active one, but it was really old and very Chinese and very peaceful and quiet. Nice. The Buddhist temple was under construction (reconstruction?) so I couldn't really go in. The market was like any other but no pork. And it was rundown, but I don't think that has anything to do with it being Muslim.

My trip is coming along nicely. I have a guide and places to go. All I need to do now is buy my plane ticket to get out there. Also before I go I want to try to ship a lot of stuff home so it's not here and also so I have more room to bring home souvenirs.

If you want to take a look at the place I am going, called Xinjiang, look on the internet. The company my guide owns is www.silkroadcn.com

I'm really looking forward to it. One month should be an awesome trip. But cold. I talked to my guide and he was saying if I want to go to the north of the province (which is roughly half the size of India) I must do it when I first get there, otherwise it will be too cold. The south will be warmer. So I asked what warmer meant. He said when I get there, about October 20, it will be between 5-10 below zero. Sweet. Good thing that's warmer. So I'm guessing colder means ass cold. Which I think I studied in my one quarter of general chemistry. I hated that class.

That's all. I wish baseball was on tv here. The internet isn't the same. Toodles

::: posted by Daniel at 7:22 AM


 

Apparently it's very hard to write as evidenced by my having not done so is a heap o' time. That's not a good sentence. But when the world give you peanuts, do as the chinese do and make peanut milk. But don't give peanuts to babies because they are easy to suck into your lungs and the oil in peanuts is particularly bad to have there and then you'll have big big trouble. In little China. That's a good movie. I really like Kurt Russel. Every movie of his that I've seen. From "The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes" to "Stargate". I never saw "Soldier" but I'm sure I would have liked it. I even thought "Waterworld" was ok. "Battlefield Earth" however was so crappy that even I had to turn it off after 20 minutes.

I just watched "Igby Goes Down" for the second time. I think it's a fantastic movie with a good soundtrack of "indie" sounding music. Like the Dandy Warhols and stuff. I don't really know what "indie" means in terms of a sound, since I don't listen to it, but it must be that I have decided. SO BE IT sayeth the writer. I like my music really polished sounding. Even the stuff that is trying to sound rough, like the Ramones is still polished. Or the Voodoo Glow Skulls. A band I haven't heard from in a long time. I learned that one of the guys from House of Pain went on to form Cypress Hill. Small world. Also, "The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys" is very good. The actor is the same as Igby.

I borrowed this idiom book to use to teach to my class and man is it crap. The idioms are ok, but the explanations are as worthless as.... when you make pudding and it makes a few little bubbles around the edge of the bowl when it's cooling and then you eat the pudding but the bubble scum is still there but it's too crusty and small to eat. That kind of worthless. Now I will give an example.

"Most people have heard of the term 'back-seat driver'. He or she is not a real driver, but is a passenger in the car, who incessantly offers advice about driving to the driver. However, even though most people know of this term, very few realize that back-seat driver is an unassuming hero in our democratic system. Next time you come across one, please do not deprive him or her of his or her right of speech.

Uncle Charlie's son is an outstanding model of a back-seat driver. He knew of his rights from the day he was put into a baby-basinet. Every time the car stopped at the traffic lights he would burst out into a hearty cry. As soon as the car started to move he would hold his peace. That was what Uncle Charlie told me.

When Junior was big enough to be placed into a child-seat he would give out a long howl instead of cry when the car stopped, and would kick towards the back of Uncle Charlie's seat. However, Uncle Charlie did not mind. He was a defender of the spirit of democracy, and a proud father!

Started talking now! Junior immediately became a fully qualified back-seat driver. "Red light!" "Green light!" "Stop!" "Go!" "Turn left!" "Turn right!"... Uncle Charlie was driven round the bend!

The long awaited day finally arrived. Junior, the back-seat driver acquired his own licence (sic). Uncle Charlie said to me that his son made the rank and needs not be a back-seat driver any more.

I came across Uncle Charlie recently and asked him about his son. Uncle Charlie said, "Oh! Him? He has become independent!... driving a taxi now. This is his favorite profession. You know he always wanted to drive. Furthermore, now his passengers sit there and listen to his opinions... What opinions Well, they are related to how this country should be governed, from economics and defence to foreign affairs and environmental protection. He is never afraid to speak up... a real champion of democracy!"


And there you have one example from the fin book. I kept the spelling and grammar and what not accurate to the book.

Yesterday I went to a Muslim market and then a Muslim temple and then a Buddhist temple. The Muslim temple was an active one, but it was really old and very Chinese and very peaceful and quiet. Nice. The Buddhist temple was under construction (reconstruction?) so I couldn't really go in. The market was like any other but no pork. And it was rundown, but I don't think that has anything to do with it being Muslim.

My trip is coming along nicely. I have a guide and places to go. All I need to do now is buy my plane ticket to get out there. Also before I go I want to try to ship a lot of stuff home so it's not here and also so I have more room to bring home souvenirs.

If you want to take a look at the place I am going, called Xinjiang, look on the internet. The company my guide owns is www.silkroadcn.com

I'm really looking forward to it. One month should be an awesome trip. But cold. I talked to my guide and he was saying if I want to go to the north of the province (which is roughly half the size of India) I must do it when I first get there, otherwise it will be too cold. The south will be warmer. So I asked what warmer meant. He said when I get there, about October 20, it will be between 5-10 below zero. Sweet. Good thing that's warmer. So I'm guessing colder means ass cold. Which I think I studied in my one quarter of general chemistry. I hated that class.

That's all. I wish baseball was on tv here. The internet isn't the same. Toodles

::: posted by Daniel at 7:22 AM



Thursday, September 11, 2003 :::
 

I don't know the last time i wrote was, but it was awhile. So, here goes...

Today is the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival in China. It commemorates various things depending on who you talk to, but the important thing is that you eat mooncakes, grapes, and look at the moon, which tonight is remarkably full, although they say tomorrow night is the fullest of the year. Anyway, it's pretty.

Amanda's gay-ass dog is here and it pisses everywhere. Which, you might imagine, is just lovely. She doesn't discipline it at all. But she does coddle the fuck out of it. Do you want mommy to rub your belly? Do you want to go out again? Did sweetie pee on the chair again so I can not clean it up and let it dry? Grr. Fucking dog.

I am quitting my job on October 17th or so and then traveling for awhile, hopefully about 30 days, but we'll see. So far I don't have anyone to go with, but I am looking. I really want to go to Xin Jiang, the westernmost province of China, bordering Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, and other places. It's full of minority types, like Uzbeks, and Muslims and things. They also have the largest bazaar in all of Asia and maybe the world. Something like 90,000 people come every Sunday to buy stuff and then go on Monday. That's nuts. Also I might go to Tibet, here called XiZang. I found a six day tour that goes to Tibet for only about $600 all-inclusive, but I am looking for a longer one, like I said. We'll see.

I have been eating a lot of ma la tang recently. That would translate I guess in to peppery spicy soup. It has a lot of different vegetables and a few tofu products and some noodles and then they give it a quick dip in some cooking broth and then into a bowl where they add some chili paste and chili powder and seasonings and then add some more broth. Good stuff, and if you get the small one, which isn't too small it's only 2 yuan or 25¢.

Two nights ago I went for a walk with my friend Susan and she bought a little kitten. It was cute.

The other day I bought the latest Harry Potter book. I saw it in a bookstore for 280 RMB or about $35, but I bought mine on the street for 22 RMB or about $3. Ahh, stolen and/or pirated things in China.

And more importantly, speaking of the ladies. So, as you know I have a lady and then I have my bench of backups. Not that I'm a raving perv or anything, but I really like Chinese girls and don't like Chinese boys. Anyway, the point of this is, I hadn't talked to Seven in a long time and she didn't answer the phone or return messages, so I figured it was over between us. Then I had a new class start. One of my students is maybe the most purdiest girl I have seen, but who unfortunately has a serious boyfriend. But she introduced me to one of her friends and we went out a few times and she's cool and kind of were going out a little maybe. Too soon to tell. Then two weeks ago or so, I had been pestering Seven with messages because she had my backpack. Finally she came and gave it to me and agreed to meet me for dinner a few days later before she went off to school in another city. The backpack meeting was awkward and she ended up leaving at a fast pace almost crying. It started with something like "So... haven't seen you in awhile... how are you?..." But when I met her for dinner at her house, she held my hand and we were all same as before. She said she had some big problem the last month or so and she didn't want to tell me or her parents about it, but I know it has something to do with the gang people who started to go to her bar and bother her, but more than that, don't know. So the point is, now she is off at school, I think we are sort of together, I have another girl who likes me and vice versa in the earliest stages of a relationship, so no problem really, but is in the same city, and then there's the bench ladies, like Susan, who I really like a lot, but I don't think is interested in a relationship, Litchi, who likes me more than I like her I think, and that's about all. Like I said before I think, it's hard to find girls my age who are not married or at least who don't have boyfriends. The other issue here is that I don't think I really care since 1, I'm going on vacation for like a month, and 2, then I'm going home for at least two months.

So, if any of the two people who read this want to go traveling with me, please let me know, I'm really looking for people. Your friends are ok too, although people I know are better.

I don't think I have anything else to say now, so I'll just stop.

::: posted by Daniel at 7:31 AM



Tuesday, August 12, 2003 :::
 

I went to another concert last night. I am a regular socialite. Why, even the ex mayor was there last night. Really. A student invited me to go see a concert of some famous Chinese violinist who was famous as a little kid before the Cultural Revolution and then that happened and he is still famous. He's not like a world great, but he's really good. Actually I don't know if he's a great, but he did finish with "My Heart Will Go On" and I don't think that any great violin guy would do that. He's married to a Japanese pianist. She's really good. I don't know any famous musicians really except for the really really famous ones, and they total like 10. Maybe.

Anyway, it was a good concert, and it was expensive. The tickets were 200 RMB ($24). The most expensive ones were about $175, and that's really expensive for Chinese people. Luckily I didn't have to pay.

Now is some time of year, or month, or something when people buy this yellow paper that symbolizes money (the people who sell it whack it with a hammer so it looks like little coin indentations on it) and then they burn it for their dead relatives so they have money to buy stuff with, like soap and fruit. Or shoelaces I suppose. I was thinking it is stupid and dirty as they just leaves these enormous piles of ashes on the street, but then I thought, if it disappears, that would be sad, because that's part of the culture. Like in America, there's really not any culture. Christmas you put lights up. Thanksgiving has turkey. Halloween has jack-o-lanterns and trick-or-treating. But what else has individual expressions of a common cultural theme? Nothing I can think of. I suppose this is where my anthropological training should come in, but I still don't know.

Last night I had spicy soup and tendon kebabs for dinner. It was good.

This week has been and will be busy, both worky and socially. On Monday I worked 8-12 and 3:30-5:30 and then dinner with a friend. On Tuesday 8-10, went to the gym, worked 3:15-5:15, 6-7 and then the concert until 10:30. Today is 8-10, 3:30-5:30 and then another dinner. Tomorrow is 10-12, 3:15-5:15, 6-7, and then dinner with an old student, Friday is 10-12 with a party at the end of the class, then I have an exciting afternoon of ping pong with my students from the blood center.

Ok. I'm hungry now, so I am going to go eat a sandwich. A chicken sandwich.

bye

::: posted by Daniel at 8:40 PM



Monday, August 11, 2003 :::
 

Well, it's been a long time and I've been lazy.

Instead of writing anything long and relevant that would be the norm for having not done so in a long time, I will do the opposite.

Wow. I think I just wrote the worst sentence in history.

I saw a violin concert a few weeks ago. He is some Chinese virtuoso who is 21 or so. He is from this city and was called super duper by many violin luminaries. His name in Chen Xi or something.

It was the first cultural thing I've done in my two years here. Kind of sad.

Speaking of sad. Seven told me that her friends told her that she should have a Chinese boyfriend and so she is thinking about that. I guess it's one of the better excuses for breaking up, which is still not official, so I am waiting to see what is decided. Curse her damn friends. Luckily I have a long list of other ladies just waiting for me. After all I am, to quote Jesse Ventura, a "sexual brontosaurus."

I really like barbecue. And China has some pretty good places to eat it. Not just korean, but also kebabs. All kinds, too. Beef, lamb, chicken parts, like heads, necks, meat, feet, bones, cartilage, fish, weird green eggs, ribs on a stick, tendons, and so on. Now that's good eating. I must shower now, for I am a dirty, dirty man.

bye.

::: posted by Daniel at 10:17 PM



Saturday, August 09, 2003 :::
 

Well, it's been a long time and I've been lazy.

Instead of writing anything long and relevant that would be the norm for having not done so in a long time, I will do the opposite.

Wow. I think I just wrote the worst sentence in history.

I saw a violin concert a few weeks ago. He is some Chinese virtuoso who is 21 or so. He is from this city and was called super duper by many violin luminaries. His name in Chen Xi or something.

It was the first cultural thing I've done in my two years here. Kind of sad.

Speaking of sad. Seven told me that her friends told her that she should have a Chinese boyfriend and so she is thinking about that. I guess it's one of the better excuses for breaking up, which is still not official, so I am waiting to see what is decided. Curse her damn friends. Luckily I have a long list of other ladies just waiting for me. After all I am, to quote Jesse Ventura, a "sexual brontosaurus."

I really like barbecue. And China has some pretty good places to eat it. Not just korean, but also kebabs. All kinds, too. Beef, lamb, chicken parts, like heads, necks, meat, feet, bones, cartilage, fish, weird green eggs, ribs on a stick, tendons, and so on. Now that's good eating. I must shower now, for I am a dirty, dirty man.

bye.

::: posted by Daniel at 11:25 PM



Saturday, July 12, 2003 :::
 

Last night I spent the night with some (two) hookers. It was my first time. It was actually at two different places.

To clarify, me and Spencer really wanted to take a hooker out to dinner to talk to them and see what they have to say, neither of us having any experience or knowledge of the life and times of a Chinese personal pleasure assistant. We spent a bit looking for one, which was overly hard considering that Shenyang must have about 5000 "massage parlors" and similar places. We were negotiating with one of them, but she ended up leaving in a taxi with two other guys. We continued (it was me, Tyson (who was really drunk, and therefore funny, Jason, and Spencer) and me and Tyson came to a nice shady looking "bar" and were told that they have hookers. We went in and said we want to take a look. The guy brought in three girls ages 22, 22, and 23. We then told him that we did not want sex, only to talk and talked about a price, but it was expensive. It would have been about $20 for four beers, four plates of nuts and a girl. So we went outside and drank some beer. Then we just talked to one of the girls outside. She is from a nearby city, she's 22, never went to high school, was not a virgin when she started, has been doing it (the job) for only this year, her parents think she is a waitress, and she wants to sell clothes in the future. She also said nothing bad has ever happened to her at work, so I guess that's good, but she doesn't like the job.

We then left.

We looked in a few other whore houses along the way, but we went back (after Jason pussed out and went home at about 3 am) to a place me and Tyson had ridden by last week. We went in and talked to a few guys and a girl. She was 28. We asked if they had any other girls and she went and woke up and old and ugly lady who looked about 40 and really really tired. So we went outside. The whore and a guy or two came out to talk. The girl is 28, she's been doing this for about 6 years, doesn't like it, never had any problems. I was talking to Tyson and could overhear Spencer talking to a guy (who turned out to be the hookers boyfriend) and heard him say something about "eat." I asked him if he just asked if the hookers "eat your cum" as they say in the business. He said he did indeed ask that very question in Chinese in those words, but no they don't, they just jerk you off to finish up. A blowjob costs 200 RMB, while sex is 150 RMB. Maybe a hummer includes sex? We were joking with the girl and Spencer said I had a very big penis, but she misheard and thought he said Tyson, so she grabbed his crotch. We all laughed. Good times. Tyson fell off his bike laughing. Then we asked if the hooker wanted to come eat with us, so we all moseyed down the street to a barbecue place and ate and talked and joked and so on. When we asked for the bill, they tried to rip us off. They said 97 RMB for the kabobs. These things are like 3 sticks for 1 RMB, so we argued for awhile and then agreed reluctantly on 50 and left and went home. On the way we stopped to look at a man cutting up pigs on the street and the hooker and her boyfriend walked by on their way home and we said bye again. Then we all went home. Except Tyson who went to go buy more beer before he went home. I think he drank about 16 or 17 beers last night.

He was staying at my place for the last two nights because today he went back to Canada for two months so he needed a place. Amanda moved in a couple days ago, so that's going well.

So, in conclusion, me and Tyson decided that hanging out with hookers is wacky unpredictable fun and plan to do it more when he comes back. I heartily recommend it to anyone who can overcome their nervousness and go talk to one.

The end.

::: posted by Daniel at 10:21 PM



Thursday, July 10, 2003 :::
 

It's been awhile, but I'm lazy. Oh well.

My new roommate (supposedly) moves in today. Although it's now 5 pm, and I haven't heard anything yet.

I had a guy come today to clean my stove hood ( that's the thing above your stove with a fan and light that sucks up all the grease and smoke and crap). He disassembled it, took it downstairs and thoroughly cleaned it. For at least the first time in a year, probably longer. It was caked in grease that was all sticky and brown and really gross. He was at it for about 2-3 hours in the sun and I paid him double. So that was $5. $2.50 for that job is really, really, really low. I would do it for no less than $50, and even then, that would be for my mom or something.

I have a theory that in China it doesn't matter the time or degree of difficulty that determines the the cost of a service, but I'm not sure what does. For example. The bike repair people are everywhere and they are retardedly cheap. Like 25¢ to fix something serious on your bike, like maybe it requires welding or such. Then the stove guy. Movers cost $12 to carry your stuff downstairs, load it, and then take to the new place and bring it upstairs for you. Things like refrigerators are heavy. In the US, they're like what, $10,000 to move?

I have a cold now. It's July. That sucks. Damn Chinese people giving me diseases.

Aya told me about a site called friendster.com. I'm not sure the point, but I signed up.

I gotta buy more music. When a CD costs less than a dollar, there's really no excuse.

On a musical note-- Mark, outside of Wilco, Bob Dylan, Blur, and I think you said Radiohead, I have never heard of any of the bands you ever talk about. To each his own. Not that I care, just an observation.

It's hot here. I have to bring a swabbing rag to class to mop my furrowed brow. Furrowed from the heat I guess. Or maybe from frustration over how stupid people are here.

Speaking of. Yesterday, me and Tyson wanted to eat donkey jiaozi (dumplings) because he hadn't had them before. So we went to the place and tried to order them. It was "huh? What? We don't have those. We never did. Duh. I'm a big boy. I dressed myself." Now, I have eaten them there before, so I know they exist. Then it was, ok we don't want beef, not pork, not lamb, not seafood, what other meat do you have? Oh, did you want vegetarian? So we just ordered beef. Then I'm looking at the menu and I see a character that looks like horse, but a little different, and ask them "what's this?" That's donkey. We want those, not the beef.

Again, granted our chinese is not perfect, but you think one could figure a slightly different sound or the list of meats or at least not be so damn incredibly wasteful of valuable oxygen or space that other people need. Also, there were three people trying to help us. I believe I mentioned that it looks like a horse, but different. Granted I guess many things look like a horse but different, but you know what I mean. I did not stoop as low as making donkey sounds.

That's all. I'm congested now. Bye.

::: posted by Daniel at 2:25 AM



Saturday, June 28, 2003 :::
 

Wow. It's been a long time, eh? When you're writing and you have a period (not the girly kind, but this kind . how many spaces are you supposed to put? I guess this only applies to typing.

Some time last week I went with Jason and Tyson and got them to try dog. Dog is a fine meat that is much maligned. Possibly because many people have pet dogs and associate their pets with eating them. Anyway, it's good, but this one just tasted like flavorless boiled beef, but it had a good sauce.

Today I made some oatmeal. I really liked it. Maybe it's because I haven't had it in really long time.

On TV right now is some sort of beauty pageant. The girls for the most part are really pretty. Unfortunately there are an inordinate number of dance number not involving the contestants but other dances, both male and female, and just now, the males were in really really really short tight leather shorts and crop top leather vests. A tad fruity. But at least this show has it right and makes the girls were bikinis. Not to sound like a jerk, but it's a beauty contest and not a glamor contest, so you need to see some skin. Purdy Chinese lady skin. Mmmm.

Again, like I have said, I like the Asian ladies. But I enjoy all the meats of our cultural stew, so no one needs to feel left out. I'm an equal opportunity admirer.

So tonight I made pasta for dinner. It was decidedly non-chinese. But I was thinking. What makes it non-chinese? Other than the oregano, everything else in it I bought in China and is of Chinese origin. And I could have left out the oregano. It had garlic, parsley, chicken, chicken soup, salt, and a little milk and some wine. Now granted the wine and I'm guessing the parsley are later and maybe recent additions to China (although wine has been here in grape form for hundreds of years), but is the particular combination of ingredients important for a cuisine? Like Mexican and Thai food both use a lot of garlic, chilies, and cilantro, along with seafood, chicken, and so on, but they really taste nothing alike. Many supporting ingredients are available in both places, such as sugar, coconuts, various fruits, rice, the list is as endless as time. Maybe not that endless, but still pretty long. I really can't think of and foods from far apart places that taste the same. Makes you think.

So I was watching a movie call Auto Focus. It's about Bob Crane who played Hogan on Hogan's Heroes. He was also a dirty perv who liked to video himself and his friend going at it with many many many ladies. The end of the disc stops though, so I don't know how it turns out.

And Mark, who is the mystery lady?

The fashion show has just now busted out a rockin', latin-tinged "Love Boat" abomination. There is a guy waving semifore flags, a man in white pants and blue captains jacket, like Mr. Howell on Gilligan's Island, with hat, and the girls are wearing dark pink dresses for no reason and standing on some stairs. It was good.

::: posted by Daniel at 5:47 PM



Monday, June 16, 2003 :::
 

On Saturday night I went with Tyson and Jason and Chinese Sarah to go eat some street barbecue and some pearl milk tea. We had two kinds of clams, one barbecued and one sauteed, some mussels, which were barbecued some crayfish, boiled and a pork dish and some soup. We also had a tea before dinner and one after. Good times.

Seven works in a bar, so after dinner it was still early so me and Tyson and Jason went to her bar to get a beer. We stayed there for a while and then Tyson and Jason left and I waited for Seven to get off, which unfortunately wasn't until 2:30. She had her bike so I pedaled and she rode on the back rack.

The next morning when I got up for my 9 am class, I was tired.

For lunch yesterday I ate pork tongue, pork intestines, some little eel-like things, another fish, some dumplings, some tofu and duck-blood soup, and some beans. Also some eight year old Chinese wine (rice maybe?) It was all really good. They had a one hundred year old wine but it cost about $450 so we didn't get it.

I was really tired so I came home and took a nap for four hours and then met Tyson for dinner at around 8:15. We rode our bikes and then we rode around after dinner looking for ice cream.

Today I am meeting Spencer and Jason for dinner and tea.

Remember to say "Happy Fathers' Day today." Well actually that's over now, but you should have said that yesterday.

::: posted by Daniel at 2:21 AM



Wednesday, June 11, 2003 :::
 

I started my class today. I teach it with John. He teaches two or three days a week and I teach the other two or three days. I like the students. But today is only the first day, so maybe they will all turn out shitty.

I got an email from Mark today and read his journal thing. It is much better written than mine, with lots of big words like "erudition" and "perspicacious." I don't know about that second one, but I could not remember any other words from it. Ooh. "baptismal." That's not really a big word, but it's not too common none the less.

So Mark, hats off to you and your writing.

I read a really interesting book called "Salt: A Global History." I like those sorts of light historical nonfiction, but this one is particularly good I think.

Another one is called "Women Sailors and Sailors' Women" It's pretty self-explanatory. It's also quite good.

I don't really have any other real news. I really want to travel but I have no money or time at the moment. Oh well.

Seven has a new job for a short time until she goes off to school. She works at a bar. Her hours are from like 6 until one or two in the morning. Kind of sucks, but whatever she wants. Unfortunately, I'll also see less of her because I work and she works and our schedules are kind of opposites.

I have to go now and look for something for Sarah, who goes back to Sweden on Friday.

Write more later folks. Bye.

::: posted by Daniel at 6:16 PM


 

So the big news in my life is that soon I will have a new roommate. The other day, Friday I suppose, Jeremy comes home and he goes "OK, so here's how it is. I just rented a place, so I'm moving out of here." and so on. I would not have cared at all had it not been for 1) the other day he said "I should have Maggie call the landlord to see if we can even stay here after this month anyway." so I was thinking that meant he planned on staying here and 2) the lease is up at the end of this month, so he left me with like three weeks to figure something out.

But here, just like in life in general, I'm a winner! Hooray! Because I asked the landlord if I could rent this place cheaper and he said yes, and also I asked if I could pay for three months at a time instead of six and he said yes. So I will end up paying less and staying here and Amanda, Tyson's old girlfriend, will move in next month. She's cool and likes to cook and is clean and is not nearly as annoying or pretentious as Jeremy.

So the point here is that everything worked out okay in the end.

Me and Seven are still doing well together, so I'm happy.

A few nights ago was my friend Michael's birthday. He was an old student of mine. He took us (Me, Seven (also his friend), and three of his other friends, all Chinese) to dinner. I bought him a Dairy Queen ice cream cake. We went to a restaurant near my home that is maybe Shenyang's most popular place, and one of my favorites. For the six of us, we ordered nine dishes (a fish, clams, a chicken thing, ribs, some bitter melon, eggplant, a pork thing, corn, and soup) and three kinds of dumplings and seven beers. It came to a grand total of 301 RMB. That's $36. So cheap. I love China. It was even better because I didn't have to pay. Chinese birthday's are cool.

Seven took me to this one restaurant that my trainer at the gym told me about. It is famous for its Ma La Tang (a kind of spicy soup). It was really good and was full of stuff. Seven got me the one with everything, so I had two kinds of mushrooms, three kinds of tofu, cilantro, lettuce, two other vegetables, pork blood and spinach. Good stuff. And it was actually spicy enough to make your nose run and cry. We also had a chicken dish that was served in a piece of bamboo and some cabbage and jellyfish salad and two steamed buns of sorts. And a beer made from bitter melon. It was all good and all ran to a whopping five or six dollars.

It's not fair to compare prices here with in the US directly because the salaries here are much lower so it works out to be about the same, but for tourists and me, since I earn a lot, it is so ridiculous to do things here. Everything is so cheap.

I have a new class starting this week, so I will be going back to work and earning money again. After only seven weeks off. Good times.

That's all for now. I'll be back.

::: posted by Daniel at 2:01 AM



Saturday, May 31, 2003 :::
 

The other day I went out to eat with Michael and Seven to go eat some street barbecue. While we were eating, the police came and they staged a snazzy crackdown on street restaurants. They pulled up in their little pick-up van things and started grabbing the plastic chairs and awnings and poles and signs. The restaurant I was at had a lot of people eating, while the others near us did not. Some guy at ours hucked a beer bottle at one of the cops because he was trying to take down the awning tent roof. It missed him and I don't think he saw the bottle flying at him, so no trouble brewed up. Needless to say, the police left after taking many chairs and stuff from other restaurants, but not from ours because we had a lot of people eating and the manager made the police go away (probably a nice payoff later, but who knows).

It was a fun night.

And speaking of fun nights, last night was Jason's birthday. (Jason is an Australian guy who has been here for a few months now, he's a nice guy) Anyway, we were supposed to all go out, but then his boss invited him out to dinner so he asked me to go with him. So it was me and Jason and three Chinese guys. We went for hot pot. To drink we, and I should say "I" because this is what I had to drink, Two bottles of baijiu, 86 proof, and four bottles of beer, the big bottles, like 32 ounces. Like Batman says, "Holy crap, that's a lot of booze!" So I was pretty drunk last night and it was hard to see. But I was up nice and early at eight am ready for another day. I'm lucky. I've never had a problem with hangovers. If I go to sleep, no matter how much I drank the night before, I wake up and feel fine. So that's what happened to me last night and this morning.

I bought some new laundry detergent the other day that a friend recommended. It's called "Ariel" or something like that and it's made by "Proctor and Gamble." It has a quite pleasing fragrance and seems to get my clothes clean. I used to use "Tide" but I think that I like this stuff better. Also, it's cheaper.

Today I bought some cherries for 60 cents a pound and some mangoes for 48 cents a pound. So I have three and half pounds of cherries and seven mangoes. Good stuff.

So that's my life recently. Very exciting, I know, but don't be jealous.

Till next time.

::: posted by Daniel at 12:04 AM



Tuesday, May 20, 2003 :::
 

I had to go to school today to give my boss my timetable for some reason. I mentioned earlier that one of the things that my school is doing is taking temperatures. So when I got there, there were two of the school office ladies were sitting out there with their masks behind two card tables and a roll sheet waiting for students to come by so they could stick a thermometer in their armpits. Good stuff.

I really like the plants I got today. One is that ivy stuff that every person on earth has that sends out long trailing arms and the other is another kind of ivy looking stuff that has smaller leaves with some white on them and looks kind of like mint. Both are hanging plants so I put some screws up and hung them in my room. I'll buy some more plants and then I'll like my room more. I bought some flowers for Seven, but she took those home with her.

Tomorrow I am supposed to meet Seven and Spencer and his girlfriend for dinner after my class and then maybe go have some tea after.

Later in the week I don't have much to do, so maybe I'll buy some more plants or fly a kite with Seven or go to the market or or or or. A very busy week indeed.

Nothing really to write about now so I'll just stop. Although I did eat some mangoes tonight, so that's some exciting news. That's all.

bye bye

Since I never posted this, I thought I'd add to it. Last night I went out to dinner just like I said. We had boiling fish in spicy oil. Good stuff. Seven told me she wants to lose five kilos so she is not going to eat anything for two weeks. This is from a girl who weighs 53 kilos. For those of us who use pounds, that's not even 117 pounds. And she's like 5'7" - 5'8". Stupid Chinese girls, but whatever, we'll see how long this not eating thing lasts. Me and Spencer are going to start work on this book we have been planning on writing for awhile now. But I'll tell you more about that later.

::: posted by Daniel at 6:25 PM



Monday, May 19, 2003 :::
 

I found about Seven today. She sent me a message at about 1:30 in the morning, when I happened to be asleep, so I didn't see it until about 8:30. Anyway, the point is, she had a cold, so her friend gave her some pills and she took two, but they have these snazzy pills here that are chock full of codeine so she took a nice long 14 hour snooze all day. So we met up and walked around and bought some plants and come home and watched "Cherry Falls," which is an entertaining if not crappy teeny bopper flick and ate lunch and then she had to go because her friend needed her for some reason this afternoon. So that's all cleared up. And that's
my whole day. I think I'll go to the gym later. Tomorrow I start working again (albeit for two hours, maybe three) and then on Thursday, maybe an hour and then two more on Friday. I really should rest up for this rigorous schedule coming up.

bye all.

::: posted by Daniel at 2:53 AM


 

Last night I went out for tea with Spencer and Sarah and Amanda.

Amanda has recently broken up with Tyson whom she had been dating for a long time (more than a year?) They also live together here and apparently Tyson has a new Chinese girlfriend and they have all kinds of other problems as well, so I won't get into that. Sarah is still waiting to hear from the Glasgow School of Art about whether she got in or not, but she is leaving China on June 13, so that sucks, because I like her, but oh well.

The point of this is, I think it's funny because whenever any of us are together, it just turns into a bitching fest about Jeremy and Maggie because none of us like them. No one likes Maggie because she's the stupidest human being ever to waste any of anyone else's air and she's a conceited bitch who can't go a day without telling other people how beautiful she is and how other people are ugly and there are really so many things to say about her that I'll devote an entire episode to her someday. And Jeremy is also incredibly stupid and full of himself. Spencer has recently expressed doubt as to whether he actually went to college. He constantly tries to hold things over people's heads and likes to express an opinion about everything possible although he rarely if ever has any knowledge on the subject. An example, although not really, is last week or so, he was watching a movie and he told me they were in Nicaragua. They I asked why there were so many Africans there (it was obviously some African village scene) and he told me that that was because they were in Africa (that would be the new far eastern part of Nicaragua that broke off and floated on over to Africa?) Anyway, we complained and made fun of them for about four hours or so. It interesting to note that we can also bitch about them on an almost daily basis and we never seem to run out of material.

I was supposed to get together with Seven today and she called and said she would be over later because she was with her mom. Later came and went with no Seven, but oh well yet again. I can't get too upset because her mom is sick, but it would be nice if she could call and say she wasn't coming or at least send me a message. Grr. Stupid girls. So remember other girls out there, when a boy likes you, you should try to polite 'cause it really the nice way to act. Just like mom taught us, with "please" and "thank you" and "I can't meet you for dinner, so go ahead instead of waiting." Maybe I'm just cranky because I slept only four hours last night.

Anyhoo, I'm going to sleep now. Bye.

::: posted by Daniel at 12:55 AM



Saturday, May 17, 2003 :::
 

We finally go back to work tomorrow. It's only been three weeks. Luckily we have some new safety measures in place at the school to keep us alive.

1) the classrooms will be sterilized three times every day
2) the students will have their temperatures taken every day
3) teachers should monitor the health of the students and report any illnesses
4) windows must remain open at all times
5) roll should be taken and the roll sheets returned to the office every day


That should keep me safe. Whew! But in all reality, Shenyang only has two cases as of yet, so it's not a big deal really.

Ever since Monday I have been trying to get a hold of Seven, but her cell phone is broken and her father and her father's girlfriend and her friend who is staying with her kept telling me she was out or busy or sleeping. So I'm thinking "what the hell?" why won't she answer the phone, or call me or something? Finally yesterday I had Jeremy's girlfriend call her house a few times until she got on the phone. So I met her at her house at 7:30 and we walked and talked. It turns out that her mom had to go back to the hospital, she had a big fight with her dad, she is still waiting to go take her college entrance test and her best friend and her best friend's mom think she should go to England to study instead of stay in China. So needless to say, she was really depressed and didn't feel like doing anything or leaving the other than to go visit her mom. So after walking around for a few hours she seemed to me that she was feeling better so that's good. And I told her in the future to please call me and tell if she has a problem so I could help her or talk to her about it and also so I know what's going on with her so I don't sit at home wondering and getting pissed that my girlfriend can't be reached when really she only needed to get out of the house for a bit to get her mind off of things.

I'm such a good person.

I applied for two jobs here so hopefully I will get one of them so I can stop teaching and do something more interesting, or at least different, but I will wait and see how things turn out.

All right all y'all bitches and g's (and ladies and gents as well) that's all for me for now, so stay tuned for more rock and roll from China.

toodles

::: posted by Daniel at 3:02 AM



Sunday, May 11, 2003 :::
 

As we know, my school was closed for the May holiday starting April 28 and should have been closed for a week. Alas, we stayed closed this past week because the government closed all schools because of SARS. Some people thought that we would open tomorrow, but none of us have heard anything about that, so closed we shall stay. Since I don't teach on Mondays anyway, I'm going fishing.

They think SARS will be big here at the end of the month until the first few weeks of June, because many people came home during the May holiday from different places, like Beijing, and maybe (probably) brought SARS with them and it will take a week or so to incubate and develop in them and them it will start to spread here maybe. I'll wait and see what happens.

I saw "Inventing the Abbotts (sp?)" last week and I liked it. I really like those sorts of 1950's ish Americana movies like "Stand By Me" and "Pleasantville" and so on.

An awful movie that many people, including my dear mother and even Ben Lee said was so good and so beautiful was "Monsoon Wedding." That was the biggest piece of crap I have seen in a long time. It was like a bad version of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" but worse. It sounded like a bunch of turkeys talking for two hours. Some of this negativity could come from the fact that I really really hate everything about India from its culture, history, food, language, caste system, clothes, music, religions, military, government, places, animals, and so on. I guess some of the Indian people I know are okay, but seriously, that place sucks ass. If you like India you are a chump. I'm only speaking the truth, sorry.

Because of SARS, everything is closed so there is even less to do then usual. I read that there is a Neolithic museum near me that has recreations of caveman houses and whatnot. That should be good, because Chinese people can't resist putting really tacky stuff in every vaguely educational or classy place. A favorite is dinosaurs.

Some old students came over today to have lunch. It was me and Sarah, and the students were Hugh, Robin, and Selina. They made a bunch of stuff including chicken necks, pig feet, and some of the delightful ammonia-smelling black eggs. It was all pretty good and I didn't have to pay and they didn't make too big of a mess so it wasn't so bad. Oh wait, they drank a lot, especially Selina who gets really loud and decided to pinch me a lot and be annoying and they stayed for about seven hours. Oh well.

Speaking of Seven, she was sick yesterday and today, so I didn't see her. She called yesterday and told me she had a fever (a thing you get with SARS) which I didn't care about because I knew she had a cold. She gave me four guppies a few days ago, two males and two females, but three of them died, so I want to get a bigger bowl or tank and some plants and some new ones. I like fish.

So I'm really bad at writing or returning emails to people. Namely to Mark and Ousa. Since I know Ousa doesn't read this and Mark, you do, sorry. Eventually I will write you back. I do however enjoy reading and getting email and since I am in China and all and never see or talk to you guys, you can always send me emails.....hint, hint.

Well, I am done. I know that Scav Hunt is/was going on the last few days and I miss that, but oh well. Tell all your mothers happy mother's day like good boys and girls.

Also a personal hello to Aya, Ben, Makiko, Mark, Naomi and you should all say hello to your parents and relatives for me and to anyone else I know or who knows me.

Remember, keep using that vinegar and you won't get SARS.

Bye.

::: posted by Daniel at 6:41 PM

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my life in china