People and Things

When you are on a bus and sick, you have to hide.

If someone stole your front wheel, it is good to have duct tape.

Who knew?

British Brett invited my family to his house warming, he thought I should read this book. My misses thought I should not be the last drunk guy at the party.
I met B.P., Shou, A.j. Sian, Red Karl, Alex-2-kids,Brett's Mum -grandma21-kids,Amber, Jade, Greg-single dad, Greg's Mum.. a bunch of other Proper English Lads.

Suprisingly the general consenus was that the rugby was great and the loss to the S.A Springboks was fine because of the quality of the match. The opposite of my work place where, They will take the win but it wasn't an interesting game.

I took plenty of flack for not answering my phone, I didn't have missed calls or messages..

The new house is new, and has a great view.

meduxnekeag river valley

late september

more pics from the home country, East Grand Lake, late September

Life and Death of a Pumpkin

Anyone who has ever killed a pumpkin or has even thought about it (you know who you are) should watch this really great short film.

by blamesociety films

local movies

This guy makes videos in Taichung City.

I haven't watched all of them of course but I checked this one out immediately

moon festival stripper

more recently, a typhoon krosa vid.

Violin Lessons

"Anne wants me to look into violin lessons for Kaia."

"Really?"

"Yeah, what do you think?"

"She's two."

"Yeah."

"Do you think she would like it?"

"I think she'd love it! But I'm not paying for it!"

"Isn't she a little young for structured music lessons?"

"Well, she never been to school."

"Sounds ambitious."

"Right. I could buy her a cheap violin for cheap and see if she takes to it first."

"You're so cheap."

"Yes!"

"Maybe piano lessons would go better."

"Maybe."

"Why doesn't Anne arrange it? She's fluent in Chinese."

"Yes! Yes I know."

"Well?"

"Well, I guess she's busy doing her sitting."

eli's dirty jokes episode 9, gorilla love

got my pink on

My kids are better now (knock on wood) but somehow this week I've been saddled with a cold, some nasty post nasal drip and not one, but two cases of pink eye!

I don't think I've ever had pink eye before. Apparently it's going around. Tons of reports (well, one that I heard) about pink eye this week.

The first from long, red (now dyed black) haired Aussie/Tasmanian Jerry, long time resident of the Xiang Shang market area (and formerly of Changhua) and sometimes brewer of his own brand of ciders and sod-y pops, militant vegetarian and die hard Chinese student, who also happens to work with Sandy... He said there was an outbreak somewhere on the island where 30,000 people were infected, in one place. In one place? What's that mean? One town? One city? One neighbourhood? Isn't Taiwan one place? Anyone hear anything about this? Anyone else getting their pink on?

By late this afternoon my 7th graders were pointing and inquiring about my "red eyes". I only responded that I was sick and assured them that, yes, I was taking medicine. They're called eye drops and they do wonders! Everybody write it down 'cause half of you are probably gonna get it too if it's as epidemic as Jerry says.

It was nice to have a legitimate story to relay about red eyes instead of the usual, "Teacher's tired." (not hung over) or "Teacher's got allergies. Al-ler-gies." (and hasn't been up half the night watching the first round of baseball playoffs) or "Teacher got bugs in his eyes". (and is in no way stoned 'cause that would be just wrong!)

Home Grown Produce

These pics are from September garden harvest in Western New Brunswick.

I love the cukes. I bought a couple today. I'm gonna have some cool cucumber sandwiches this week for lunch. I gotta lay off the Thai kitchen. It's sooo good but it's burning me up inside...

what do you call a slow 19th century chinese train?

a man - choo choo train!

Kevlar Sighting

They are rare these days but I had a 20 minute meeting with K-Dar the other day.

Text message from Kevlar received Thursday around noon. I looked at my phone around 12:20.

"What you doing? Wanna get coffee at 7"

My reply,

"OK which one?"

Then, after some time with no response, I sent:

"I got til one ten so tell me where you're gonna be."

He messaged back,

"Family Mart in 15",

meaning the Family Mart on Si Ping Rd. just a block off Zhong Qing, not far from Wei Dao. Deep into Bei Tun. Kevlar, now working waaay downtown at Yu Ren, was coming allll the up to see me. By Buddha's Lobes! I finished my peanut butter sandwich and made for the scooter.

Happy to have a different diversion at lunch time, I arrived in probably 12 minutes.

I should have made it 20.

After all, I was meeting Kevlar. And he was driving alll the way up from downtown. What was I thinking?

On the other hand, he does have that really fast motorcycle. But it's Kevlar, right? He's always late. He could well wind up transfixed by some construction site on Cheng De because they're pouring yellow cement. "Well, why would they be pouring yellow cement?" Tardiness be damned! I was prepared to wait. There was an excellent chance he'd have cigarettes.

While I was waiting I got a Mr. Brown and drank it outside. Having nothing to smoke, I called Sandy to see how the boys were doing. They have been fighting the germs from their new school and had been to see the doctor that morning. Ivo is sicker than Burl. He picked up a virus, and is on antibiotics for the next week or so. (Two days of meds and he's already getting better, no fevers!)

I had expected to Kevlar come roaring up on his blue Yamaha but instead he arrived on that dinky little scooter that Bread borrowed when he was here. I finished up talking to Sandy as Kevlar disappeared into the FM for a coffee. It was 1:50.

"Hey you all done your phone call?"

"Yeah."

"Talkin' business are ya?"

"Talkin' to Sandy. Boys went to see the doctor this morning."

"How's Ivo?"

"Pretty sick. Got a virus."

"Burl?"

"More of a cold. How's little Kaia?"

"Kaia likes to walk around the house carrying a stool. For climbing."

"Funny."

"I'm always picking up stuff, and sweeping!"

"I know what you mean."

"Kaia can take her clothes off and likes to run around naked."

"Just like her dad."

"Yeah, heh-heh-heh-heh-heh."

"Why are you riding the scooter? I expected to see you on the bike."

"I got a flat. Pushed it to get fixed yesterday, at three, the guy says come back at six.

"So what happened?"

"I went to pick it up and it wasn't done. Three of them sitting around the tire trying to figure out what to do with it! My Jesus! What's up with that?"

"Remedial mechanics. Tough luck."

"So they said it'd be til seven so I went over to NOVA."

"Shopping?"

"Looking, then I bought something. Yeah! So I went back, picked it up and drove away. An hour later? Flat! Idiots!!"

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!"

"You laugh."

"That sucks."

"Anyway I couldn't be bothered with it today."

"You're late."

"I texted you at five to twelve, didn't hear back from you so went to 7-11 near school with a co-worker. We were drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes when you got back to me."

"Kinda like this."

"Just like this! I said sorry I gotta go, pal! People to see!"

"Jesus! Is that all you ever do at lunch time? And you've recruited your new co-workers to join you?"

"And they like to drink! On Fridays after work we get draft beer at a place near school. They have picnic tables for sitting!"

"So I hear you've been entertaining the teachers over there!"

"Wellll, getting to know people, you know?"

"I know the Friday night I got a call from D-Wayne 'cause Anne called Fubar looking for you. I think it was 10:30 or so. You didn't go home after work? You stayed out drinking and didn't bother to call your wife?"

"I lost track of the time. That was a late night. I got home pretty late."

"You don't even hang out at Fubar."

"Yeah, but she doesn't know that!"

"I see. you musta heard it."

"Oh, Christ you wanna talk about miserable."

"I gotta go."

"Right. I drove in the typhoon on Saturday! I had to work. Meet the parents. Not fun."

"Are you doing those song and dance routines at assemblies this year?"

"No! I have to write my first test though. They want it like this and like that. Eep!

"You'll figure it out."

"Did I tell you that I think the dwarf that beat up PJ is working at my school?"

"A dwarf beat up PJ?"

"Laid a good crackin' on him I guess."

"Yes, yes I remember D-Wayne was talking about it. He works with you?

"Yeah, he's just a little guy."

"Gotta go. Class in 5 minutes."

"Right. I got a 3 hour lunch. Well only 2 more now."

"Good seeing ya. Come for lunch some day."

"Oh, I wanted to tell you. I bought a TV recorder for my computer."

"Oh?"

"It will record the TV. I plug it into my computer and I can record show to my hard drive. Only 994 dollars! So now maybe I'll get to watch TV! I got a 19 inch screen so it shouldn't be too shabby!"

"And then burn?"

"I guess if you wanted to then you could. I just got it last night! I bought it to record Dora. (the Explorer- kids' show) It's just this little box that prongs right into the back of the computer..."

"Gotta run."

"See you. I gotta smoke some more and hi to Sandy!

"Come back and eat Thai food!"

Futurama movie coming

I'm so excited about this I posted it on that other blog too.

BENDER'S BIG SCORE trailer

oh the shame

post game wrap of sunday's mets loss to marlins. fans standing around looking stunned.

mets collapse

i've been reading about the new york mets today. it's like a train wreck. i just can't look away. the misery. it must be hell to be a mets fan right now.

if you don't follow baseball, they just blew a huge lead over last 3 weeks to miss the playoffs. they'd been in first place for most of the season.

by brother-in-law is one of those unfortunates who was fully expecting to see the mets in the playoffs this year. when sandy was on the phone with him last week i asked her to ask him about the mets' chances.

she said he said he was, "...remaining cautiously optimistic."

condolences to burton in new york.

bill simmons' 16 levels of losing has a new number one.

My sports influence revealed

Can you guess where he is from?

Ok, so there was a long history of bad blood. Ole Don just talked too much and

didn't wanna work. So he went the way of the highway.

Mulroney also went to school in the east.

The man who would become Canada's eighteenth Prime Minister was born Martin Brian

Mulroney on March 20, 1939 in Baie-Comeau, Quebec. He attended a private Catholic

high school in New Brunswick, then enrolled in Nova Scotia's St. Francis Xavier

University in 1955. While attending St. F-X, Mulroney began toying with the idea of

entering politics. He joined the Conservative Party shortly after arriving at St. F-

X, and campaigned for the party in the 1956 provincial election. In a rather

prescient event, Mulroney served as the Prime Minister of St. F-X's model

parliament. He graduated with honors in 1959, earning a political science degree.

classic spidey

this is the spidey i grew up watching.

i think an argument can be made for best super hero theme song ever. 1967.

it's got to be better than that na na na na na na na, na na na na na na na BATMAN! adam west theme song from the sixties.

black spidey

i liked the first two spidey movies but the third one is so crappy even the spoof of it is lame. from the how it should have ended.com crew