100 words | last day

This is the 100th and last 100 word post. Thanks for reading.

The last day of the year is always a little bittersweet for me. I usually look over the past year and take inventory of all that’s happened. The overwhelming feeling is that 2011 hasn’t been a good year. I keep thinking about the rough times this year, which definitely weren’t fun. Then I think about the good times I’ve had: the trips, the friendships, and the year always seems to balance itself back out. I’m not sure how I’ll remember this year in the future, but for now, I can only hope that I make the most of next year.

100 words | coffee cup eruption

This morning I thought it’d be a good idea to grab coffee at common grounds before coming into the office. I thought nothing of the lid as I secured it to the cup, since it had a normal opening. As I was getting off the freeway on Jst, there was a slight pothole on the lane that I was in. Oh my goodness. I looked over at the cup, and as if in slow motion, coffee shot up from the hole of the lid into the air (at least half a foot) and came crashing down everywhere. Grr... Happy Friday.

100 words | no thanks, I don’t commute to work on a hang glider

Why do products these days assume that you lead a more active lifestyle than 007? Yesterday, my coworker showed me his new lunchbox, which had room not only for a sandwich and capri sun, but also carabineers for additional bottles and slots for energy gel packs. Watches these days go down to 12,000m underwater and have emergency transmitters, backpacks come with snowboard tools and foldout beach changing mats, and cars come with bulletproof panels. Basically, there are no longer products designed for the sedentary soul. I’m good on the lunchbox, I’ll take my lunch to work in a safeway bag.

100 words | I will probably be excommunicated for saying this but…

Would acacians be averse to paying dues? This may not be a popular idea, but please let me explain. If people paid, say, $100 a year to be a member of Acacia, it’ll cover church lunch, retreat, and any incidental costs that the fellowship may incur throughout the year. Whatever is left over can go to a rainy day fund, and it will likely encourage more budgetary discretion when planning church lunches and retreats. This would also clearly differentiate the members from guests and visitors and encourage members to attend as they have a vested interest. Just a random brainfart…

100 words | airport fun

Not all airports were created equal. There are fun ones, ones that have places to explore, things to do. Then there are airports where the most exciting feature is the scrolling flight status screen (believe me, it's no big whup). The dilemma here is, what do I do in those airports? I tried playing games, but angry birds can only take you so far on a four hour layover. People watching's (noncreeper kind) fun for a bit too, as you can sit there and make up stories about people who pass by.  What do you do for fun at airports?

100 words | sooo humid

I know, I’m from Shanghai, which is pretty much the humidest (I think that’s a word…) place on earth, but no, I’m not used to it. Every time I go anywhere that’s more humid than 40%, it’s game over, which kinda sucks, cuz a lot of places I like to go are humid. Sadly, I’m not made to be in hot and humid areas. Right now, I’m sitting here under the sun in 70% humidity (it’s soooo muggy). Bah humbug. I know it sounds weird, but I kinda wish I was back in Sac weather. Only a few more hours…

100 words | the cousins: Michelle

Michelle is Julie's younger sister, though they're quite different, with Michelle being a bit more outgoing and outspoken. I still remember the Friday she was born, since we had met their family the night before for thanksgiving dinner. It was quite an eventful weekend.

Julie and Michelle are quite close growing up, though they have different talents and interests. Michelle is also quite musically adept, having grown up at the piano bench, however she is definitely much more serious about her ballet commitments. It's been pretty amazing to watch these two grow up. *sigh* Man, I'm definitely getting older haha...

fathers and birthdays

At Christmas time, whether you believe in God or Santa Claus, the focus of the holiday is still centered on a family. It’s fitting that God, in His infinite wisdom, chose to reveal Himself to us through this family. Much is known about Mary and Jesus, but the Bible is relatively quiet on the life of Joseph. So what do we know about him? We do know that Joseph is a gentle, loving and courageous father who took his family on a dangerous journey to Egypt to escape from Herod. He taught his son his own trade, as many fathers still do today, and watched over Jesus as he grew up.

Joseph died before Jesus matured and began His ministry, but Joseph still believed. He had faith in that what he was doing was the right thing. At his best, a father is a solid foundation of a house, his support taken for granted. At other times, he may need shoring up himself. However, the father always looks beyond the here and now. He keeps one eye trained on the next generation, driven by necessity, he becomes a man filled with hope, hope that a knowing God watches over the universe, hope that justice will prevail, hope that God’s love will shine through His will. As Paul says, abide by these three: faith, hope, and love. The greatest of these is love.

When we gather this Christmas, we focus mostly on baby Jesus and Mary (and rightly so), but for me, Christmas has always been a time when I think about fathers the most. It’s a time for me to remember and reflect on what a blessing it is to have a father in my life. You see, today’s my father’s birthday.

Happy birthday Dad. Thanks for everything.

100 words | the cousins: Julie

Julie was the first cousin I watched grow up. We both grew up on the west coast, so our families always did stuff together. I still recall as a toddler, she couldn’t pronounce my name, so she would always call me “Duck”. To this day, every time I see Julie, I still think Duck haha. She has become an accomplished pianist and violinist, and has taken a shine to classical music. It was quite a shock when she got old enough to add me on Facebook. Ahh, she's all grown up and off to college now. Man how time flies.

100 words | the cousins: Christine

Ahh Christine. We call her Tintin because that’s her chinese nickname. She’s the next oldest cousin (younger than Kathy by two months), and we share the same birthday. We also represent the state school demographic in our family (Davis/ Pitt). Christne’s probably the one I talk to the most, usually because she’s on gchat 24/7 and generally replies to facebook posts in under ten seconds. I tested this once, leaving a comment on her status at midnight PST (she’s three hours ahead too). Within ten seconds she’ll like the comment, post a reply, and hit me up on gchat. Efficient.

100 words | the cousins: Kathy

Since I’m at a family reunion and I’m always talking about my cousins, I might as well introduce them to you folks. It’ll be one a day till Christmas (there are four) in order of age.

Kathy’s the oldest cousin (and yet still a few years younger than me). She’s easily labeled the genius of the family, and it’s not hard to see why. She is very dedicated to her work and definitely has the natural talent. We all love her, but she tends to get into her work and it may be months before we hear from her haha, but I suppose genius has its price. She is currently in med school studying to be some kind of doctor. I think she tried it explain it to me once but I don’t recall understanding. Typical =P

100 words | shenanigans seem to follow me...

It's never good when your opening line to a TSA agent is "so I got this knife..." It all started with a pocket knife I had since my youth. I was operating on no sleep and wasn't thinking. The exact moment they took my checked bag, I realized that the multitool was still in my pocket. Wait! Too late. Can't bring it back. Now, my only option was to check another bag ($$35!!). Fine... I said, as I checked my carry on. Of course, ten minutes later the flight got cancelled and I got both bags back. *sigh* shenanigans.

100 words | starting off the day with the most pointless flight ever.

*update* this flight has been cancelled. Crisis averted.

Don’t get me wrong, I love vacations, and flying is always an adventure, but is it necessary to have a flight that goes from Sac to SF? I realize that there are many more direct flights from SFO, but in this case, I still have two more connections after this. Not to mention the fact that the plane is a twin propeller plane that probably doubles as a cropduster. This whole thing has a Buddy Holly flying over Iowa feel to it. I hope everything will be fine, but if we go down, we better hit something hard. Just saying.

100 words | bicycle deck

As I pack for the family reunion this week, I am reminded of the old trips we used to take to places like Vancouver and Niagara Falls. I remember all the cousins sitting in the back of the van, the sound of shuffling and dealing filling the air as we played game after game of BS or deuces. Man those were the good old days. Every family reunion we’d always play cards to kill time during car rides, stopping only to find the cards that fell through the cracks of the seats. Hmm, maybe I’ll bring two decks this time.

100 words | oh target…

Last night, as I was prepping for the children’s object lesson, I found a creative way to use candy canes. So I head to Target, and this is what happened:

Me: Hi, where are your candy canes?
Guy: Our fruit flavored ones are right here…
Me: Yea um… what about the red and white ones?
Guy: What do you mean red and white ones?
Me: You know, the traditional ones?
Guy: Uhm, I don’t think we carry those…

*sigh* Target, if you must hire teenagers, please teach them about Christmas traditions. Your logo is red and white for goodness sake.

100 words | a very davis Christmas

Right now I am taking everything in slowly, enjoying, savoring every bit of these next few weeks in Davis. You see, the population in this little college town nosedives in December and (thanks to the four week winter break these lucky students get) a good chunk of January as well. The line at safeway is shorter, parking in downtown is manageable, and they’re opening a Whole Foods here (ok that’s not related to students leaving, but still…). It’s funny, I used to think big city life was for me, but now, I get joy when my little town is deserted.

100 words | jack and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad mistake

Jack knew it was bad when he woke up this morning. There was a fright on his mind as he realized his slight. Oh no! He thought, “what on earth did I do?!” He bound out of bed and logged on his computer. Please, please, let it not be so! He log on to the site and waited and waited, wondering, praying, that he was just having a dream. It was a mistake, an oversight, an accidental click! His heart sank as the page slowly loaded. He clicked and clicked but the words wouldn’t change: Vacation Sold - one week.

100 words | pass the salt

Have you ever eaten with someone with whom you have nothing in common? A few minutes of small talk and then the awkward silence? It starts off with a little “hey how’s it going?” followed by some chit chat about how the weather’s turning a little milder over the last few weeks. This is generally accompanied by some nervous glances to the side and one or two nervous smiles at the other person just to be polite. After exhausting the last bit of small talk, all you can muster up is “pass the salt.” Exciting stuff. Happened earlier this week.

100 words | five pounds of peanut butter?

I have two days left to pick out a white elephant gift for work. $25 limit and gift cards are out of the question. I’m trying to go for gender neutral. I already did a lego castle last year. Snuggies have become passé. Some coworkers like to bring liquor, but that sends an inappropriate message. At least two of my coworkers are doing starbucks mugs. So now what am I left with? I can’t do sports stuff, since everyone’s a fan of different teams. BBQ equipment is out of season. Ahh poop. White elephant gifts should not be this difficult.

100 words | 13 years ago today

I was in the middle of my freshmen year at Saint Francis, and the prospect of speaking in front of people was mortifying. That Sunday afternoon, I was getting baptized, and had to give my testimony while standing waist deep in water. What if I got nervous and threw up in the baptism pool? What if my glasses floated away as I was getting dunked and I emerged a publicly professed Christian, but blind as a bat? Needless to say, I now recall that day with fondness. It’s been thirteen years, and yet I still have so much to grow.

100 words | Philippians 1:20

Yesterday in Sunday school, my group went over the story of the martyrdom of John and Betty Stam. They were the first missionary family to settle in China, with a young baby in their care. The family was captured by the red army when their city was attacked, and the couple was killed the next day. It’s quite a sad story, but in John’s letter to CIM before the execution, he included the verse: That Christ may be glorified whether by life or by death. (Philippians 1:20) That verse stuck out in my mind all day yesterday. Thought I’d share.

(ok… ending it on a happier note…here’s a giant lego head/box I saw at target yesterday…)

100 words | RIP Chemex 2011-2011

it’s really quite a sad story. I’ll never forget where I was when my roommate told me the news. Last week, the chemex was put atop the fridge during a routine house cleaning. Sadly, an inadvertent slam of the freezer door send the chemex to its sad demise. Ahh it was fun while we were together. There were both the highs and lows with seemingly endless cups of cold brew that Chemex filtered for me. The chemex was great, a beloved little object that brought joy to so many people in such a short time.

Rest in peace old buddy.

100 words | arts and crafts time

Finally it’s Saturday! After a quick trip to trader joe’s this morning, I noticed something amiss about this particular paper bag. There’s little directions to cut the bag up for Christmas decorations! It’s been quite a while since I’ve broken out the Fiskars and transparent tape, but it’s still fun nevertheless. After cutting along the dotted lines (skills I honed in college obviously) and taping it into a garland, I realized it wasn’t nearly long enough to hang on the tree. Oh well, hopefully between now and Christmas I’ll visit trader joe’s enough to make one loop around the tree.

100 words | what exactly is candy?

Starting last week, I got a new boss at work. Part of this transition is getting adjusted to him and some of his management styles. So this new guy tries to give feedback regularly, and here’s last night’s comment: “You’ve given me meat and potatoes. But it needs more candy.” How the heck do I put that in spreadsheet? If it’s specific I can fix it. Now half my time is spent deciphering what to do. Have I made it better? Did I put in too much candy? I guess when in doubt, highlight cells. We’ll see what he says…

100 words | it’s one of those days…

You know that feeling you get on a nice lazy Saturday morning when you wake up? You crawl out of bed a little late because, hey, it’s one of those mornings where you can sit on the couch for a bit and catch up on your rest. Or if you feel like curling up by a window with a book and some coffee, that’d be great too. It’s a great day for your mind to escape as the minutes drip by as slow as the coffee on the pot. Today feels like one of those days. Too bad it’s Thursday.

100 words | a christmas confession

Today, I share a deep buried secret I’ve carried with me all these years, something that brings me hidden shame every time the Christmas season rolls around. Heck, I don’t even think my folks know. Now, please don’t judge me. This is very hard so I hope you’ll allow me a stumble or two. *deep breath* Ok here goes.

I have an aversion to glitter.

Really it’s anything shiny, like tinsel, spray can snow, or glitter ornaments. They’re all bad news to me. Oh geez… now everyone knows... So yes, this glittery bear would scare the tinsel out of me.

syrian president

Saw this early this morning on yahoo news...pretty interesting. Barbara Walters actually got an exclusive with the syrian president. I also have to say, he seems completely different than I thought he'd be like...

100 words | hanging on a miracle

As blogger Dan Graziano pointed out yesterday morning, the Eagles still have a shot at the division title. If the Eagles sweep the remaining four games, Cowboys lose at least 3 games, and Giants lose at least two, Philly would be in a three way tie with Dallas and New York. At that point first tiebreaker rules out the Cowboys, and Eagles would have a lead on the Giants on the second tiebreaker. Of course, Aristotle once said probable impossibilities are preferable to improbable possibilities. Then again, he thought earth was center of the universe, so what does he know?

the beast.

This is one of the craziest watches I’ve ever seen. The Casio Protrek is for the guy who tackles the outdoors every day and needs a tool that will keep him alive and moving. This watch not only looks awesome, it comes with every feature possible for a wrist watch. That includes a watch with world-time, compass, altimeter, barometer, thermometer, moon data, tide graph, stopwatch, 5 daily alarms, etc. It’ll go down to -10C or and has a high/low altitude memory. It’s 100m water resistant and will also auto-correct when you cross time zones. Oh, and it’s solar powered, and has a 6 month battery reserve in case you’re stuck at the bottom of the ocean or in some cave for 6 months or so. Of course…if you find yourself in that type of situation, being able to know the time in Hong Kong is kind of the least of your worries. Although it doesn’t say it, I’m going to assume it’s got some kind of shock resistance as well.

For a guy like me, that shock resistance probably isn’t going to matter that much. The only damage I’d ever do to this thing would be the occasional desk-diving scratches. Nevertheless, it’s pretty cool to see this watch in action. I can’t actually justify getting this, as I would feel embarrassed in the checkout line, seeing as I’m not exactly giving off the outdoorsy vibe. This is like the watch equivalent of the Swiss Army Champ pocket knife/beast, in which case, I would really be only using the screwdriver functionality.

All in all this is a crazy cool looking watch. No way would I get it as I wouldn’t know how to use it…but it’s pretty fun to see what kind of tool you can strap to your wrist now-a-days. Also, I guess the fact that owning a casio watch could be cause for detention at Guantanamo Bay doesn’t make this watch any more appealing to me either. So I suppose if you like it…get it at your own risk haha.

100 words | my asianness has been called into question…

Yes, it is absolutely unfortunate. This morning, my coworker called my asianness into question. He claims I am a banana (yellow on the outside, white on the inside I guess…). He says because I don’t eat asian food regularly, that I am not really asian. Clearly a mistake, I say. For your information I am plenty Asian. No, really. For example: on the Census last year, I checked the little box next to Asian. White people don’t do that. Also, I have one of those buy ten get one free boba cards from both old teahouse and Quickly’s. So there.

100 words | the tree

This afternoon after church I went to target to search for a Christmas tree. There in the back of the store near the Christmas ornaments, they set up a little plastic rainforest for you to rummage through. After about 20 minutes of adventure filled searching (I had to shake a little kid off my cart) I found the perfect tree: a 7.5 foot Virginia pine. It even came with lights and little pinecones. Over the next few days I’ll be adding ornaments and Christmas cheer. Merry Christmas! (Disclaimer: no children or trees were hurt during the events of this post.)

100 words | gadzooks

Images courtesy of wikipedia (shh…they don’t know…)

I would like to go check out a monster truck rally. Ok… I guess I should preface it by saying that I don’t know the first thing about monster trucks or what they do, but according to Wikipedia, there are freestyle events where drivers can pick a course and perform tricks, donuts, and jumps, and are “somewhat akin to figure skating with giant trucks.” Sounds elegant. Apparently they also like to drive over things like smart cars, small airplanes, and motor homes. I’m intrigued. Hmm… field trip anyone??! Maybe sac small group… perhaps Brian will let me borrow his truck…

100 words | when one door closes…

Last night, I lost a dream. Ahh… this year was supposed to be it. But it didn’t happen that way. Last night’s game was it, the nail in the coffin. Season’s over. Oh well. At least I get to find something better to do with my time. You know, there are studies devoted to studying the lost productivity of watching sports. It does make me wonder what people could do with their time if there were no sports to watch. Heck we might have put a man on Mars, or fly around on jet packs by now. Eh… who knows?

100 words | mom

Just about everyone out there will say that their mom is one special lady. Well… same here. I guess the fact that she raised me kind of cements that special bond I have with her. Over the years I’ve come to appreciate the many traits my mom has, the warmth and kindness, the sixth sense she has about certain things, and a little bit of the crazy that all moms have too. I think many of my personality traits are from her. Yep, she’s a great mom, and since today’s her birthday, this post’s dedicated to her. Happy birthday mom!

100 words | two truths and a lie.

Last night at work we did trivia night. My team ended up placing in the bottom four, haha oh well. For the icebreaker we played two truths and a lie (give two true statements and a lie and others have to figure out which one’s the lie). Since people I’ve known for years didn’t seem to know, so I figured I might as well leave it here too:

I once had woodstocks deliver pizza through a bathroom window.
I’ve never gotten a traffic ticket before.
I got pulled over once for not stopping at a stop sign on my bike.

100 words | cuckoo for cocoa puffs.

When I was a kid, I was in love with cereal. It didn’t matter if it was lucky charms, kix, cheerios, even corn flakes (except grape nuts… that stuff is bleh). I even had a process: I’d pour half a bowl in some milk, let it sit for a while, then pour the rest of the bowl and mix. I guess I was fascinated with the fact that it could be both mushy and crunchy at the same time (yes... life was simpler back then). These days it’s just plain oatmeal that taste like cardboard… where has that magic gone??

100 words | post-thanksgiving turkeys…

Have you ever seen the Friends episode where Phoebe works at a Christmas tree lot and discovers that unwanted trees go into the chipper? She made a big deal about trees fulfilling their Christmas destiny (I imagine it’d be going to a home and getting decorated). Do thanksgivings turkeys have a similar destiny? I would imagine it would be similar since turkeys would have already been killed and frozen in anticipation for thanksgiving. So what now? Safeway is already having sales on turkeys (seriously… it’s cheaper than rice now…). So… if you feel inclined, go out and buy a turkey.

100 words | chicken soup

Since I’m a bit under the weather, now’s a good time to tell you about the chicken soup my mom used to make when I got sick. Most chicken soups I get from stores have veggies and pasta and taste more or less like campbells. This one’s different. My mom makes one with daikon, wintermelon, onion, and some asian veggies. It comes out a pretty thin and low in sodium that you can pretty much drink it all day long like water. I kinda wish I had some now… the soup was so lovingly prepared even the chicken gets well.

100 words | black friday shopping

Yesterday I woke up with a sore throat and a stuffy nose, so on my way into work I stopped by target to pick up some Dayquil, cough drops, and Kleenex. Big, big mistake. The crowd in there was nuts. To be honest, I’m not really sure why, they didn’t seem to have anything good anyways (except a fully programmable crockpot… alas I already have a crockpot). It took me thirty minutes just to get through line, and everyone around me was coughing and sneezing as much as me. Never have the words triple ply meant so much to me.

100 words | hallmark, you have gone too far.

I went to the store yesterday to buy my cousin Michelle a birthday card. The birthday card section is split into main “For Him” and “For Her” sections, which is cool, so you can get gender specific cards. Well, above each card there’s a description of the card and who it’s tailored for/ from. They were labeled “For My Mother”, “For My Sister”… and so forth. Well there’s no generic “For Her” or “For My Cousin” card. My choices were sister, mom, wife, grandma, or coworker. I had to go with the most ambiguous one there. Thanks, birthday card writers.

100 words | the one day I can wear flipflops to work :)

No matter what we have going on in our lives, I think we can all agree that we’re nevertheless abundantly blessed and have much to be thankful for. From my point of view, the issues we have in our lives, the relationship dramas, the graduation worries, even the unbearable jobs, are so small compared to what we do have. We are blessed with those relationships in our lives, an available education, and even work. We’re blessed!! So happy thanksgiving!

also if you’re my area feel free to feed me cuz the lunch places around here are closed…

lol just kidding…

a simple thanksgiving plea

(I know I may annoy some people for this but…)

To the Occupy Wall Street/DC/UCD folks,

We live in a country that affords you the right to protest. We live in a society that accepts protesting as a legitimate way of getting your voice heard. We live in an era where public opinion often sides with protesters. We live in a privileged time. We have one of the most advanced healthcare systems in the world. We have a government that allows its citizens to peacefully overthrow the government every four years. As we approach this Thanksgiving Day, do we really need to protest? A financial system that favors a few? A government that is not as transparent as we want? Unfair tuition hikes? These are all first world problems. Please take a world view of your protest before writing up your next picket sign.

To the Occupy Wall Street folks, we have a financial system that has, at its established foundation, a bedrock of property rights. When you sit out in the middle of the field of protest with your blanket and your tent, there is no label or sign saying, this is your tent, or this is your blanket. It is a general understanding between you, the protesters around you, and even the police, that it belongs to you. The police may want you to remove your tent, but the understanding is still there that it is your tent and not theirs. How do you think people in other parts of the world view your protest? Would a person in Somalia, who may have gotten something of his seized by the local warlord, be sympathetic that you’re part of the 99% of Americans and not the 1? As far as he’s concerned, you are the 1% and he is the 99.

To the Occupy DC folks, we live in a place where there exists the rule of law. We have a government that, though imperfect, is working to the larger benefit of its constituents. On the reverse of the Great Seal of the US, there is an unfinished pyramid, the eye of God, and the words Annuit Coeptis (He favors our undertaking). This country is not meant to be finished (or perfect), but it is an undertaking. Yes, protesting does have its part in improving the country, but we must put it into the correct perspective. This Occupy DC movement is no Selma, Alabama. It’s not the million man march. You’re not protesting basic human rights. You’re asking for government transparency. While that may be noble, please put it into a world perspective, after all, your world is bigger than these united states. Shouldn’t we be concerned with getting the less fortunate into a system where they can have the same freedoms you have? Shouldn’t we be concerned with getting others the same right to protest without the fear of harassment and death?

To the Occupy Davis folks, I really don’t know how to express my disappointment. I almost don’t want to admit we have been educated in the same institution. You live in California, and therefore you are heirs to one of the greatest public university systems in the world. You have government subsidized world class education, and you are protesting over the entrance fee? How many people would jump through all kinds of hoops to get in the door of this university system? (BTW I wonder if protesters behind the former iron curtain or in Pinochet’s Chile would classify pepper-spraying as police brutality? We are privileged even in our protests.)

The issues brought forth by the Occupy movement are first world problems. We as a country, look like, to people in other places, to be the elite, unhappy with our trust funds. I’m not here to tell you how to organize your protests; I am here to offer a simple plea: please don’t protest this Thanksgiving. On a day set aside to remember why we are so blessed and fortunate to have what we have, is it really necessary to protest? If you feel you must resume again on 11/25 then so be it, but please please don’t protest this Thanksgiving.

100 words | the garage that scrooge built

This whole week, the traffic on the drive in has been dwindling. On Monday, the traffic seemed fairly normal. By Tuesday, it dropped quite a bit. By today, I80 was relatively deserted, which can easily be explained by the fact that as we get closer to thanksgiving, more people are taking time off to be with their families. This morning it was very empty, until I got to the work garage. This garage was packed, which can really only lead to one conclusion: everyone in Sac is on vacation except for us. And it’s not even Thursday yet. Bah humbug.

100 words | waiting for my world to fall apart at the seams…

This is the worst part, the waiting. The anticipation is killing me. Will it happen?? Or will I be ok? How long will it take? At this point I’m pretty much praying that if the hatchet falls, it be quick and as painless as possible. Last night, when I pulled the trigger on it, I pretty much knew it was a ticking time bomb. Yes, that nine days old box of leftover noodles was a huge risk, but I didn’t feel like cooking. Ahh regrets… now I’m pretty much all in at this point, so we’ll see if I explode...

Turkey No. 82 lives

Saw this story in the davis enterprise this morning. Apparently there was a turkey wandering around south davis for the past two weeks with an arrow shot through it’s posterior. Late last week, the Dept. of Fish and Game captured the turkey #82 (what they named him), anesthetized him, and took him to the UCD teaching hospital where he underwent surgery to get the arrow removed.

It’s funny that at this time of year, where millions of turkeys are killed for the thanksgiving and Christmas season, there are people working this hard to preserve the life and livelihood of this one particular wild turkey. Just out of curiosity, who pays this turkey’s medical bill? Would it be the Dept. of Fish and Game? Or does the UCD vet school shoulder the cost of the surgery?

This story gave me a chuckle this morning. There’s something almost Forrest Gump-esque about this little guy.

Here’s the article if you want to read it in full. Apparently he had a girlfriend too. Way to go, #82!

100 words | the perfect stuffing

Over the weekend, I experimented with a risotto stuffing. While it tasted good, it didn’t quite fit right, and seemed a bit out of place. This got me thinking, what would be the perfect stuffing? The juices from the turkey generally make for a pretty moist stuffing, but what exactly would that be? There are so many different kinds of stuffing. Some do the traditional bread based stuffing. For some, it’s rice based (like asian stuffing). I’ve even seen an all vegetable stuffing (quite good). But what kind would benefit most from turkey juice? I plan on experimenting this week.

100 words | colors of davis

These are pretty cool fall colors right?? I honestly think this is on par with the leaves that change colors in New England and all along the eastern coast. I snapped these shots early this morning on my way to church. Look at all the orange, yellow, and red! Too bad it’s so cold out, makes it tough to enjoy the colors. It’s funny, this year we are actually get all four seasons, with summer being even milder than usual. You know, if mild summers and fall colors are the effects of global warming, then it’s not all that bad.

100 words | Schubert’s miracle

I’ve been listening to ave maria all morning. This is one of those songs which I would only feel comfortable singing in the shower. There’s a particular section of the piece that, well, lets just say unless I turn the water all the way to hot or someone sticks me with a fork, I’m not hitting that note without a pole vault. When sung right (when someone else sings it), it’s actually pretty powerful. There’s a few different versions of the song, but the most common is the one in the video above. Who knew German could sound so good?

coffee shop shenanigans

Since I was super tired this past weekend and visiting my folks on Sunday night, I figured I’d sleep for a bit and drive back up on Monday morning. I left the house at 4:30, and since starbucks didn’t open till 5am, I planned on stopping by the one in Fremont to pick up a double espresso on the way up. As I walked in, a lady ordered a hot mocha, and then proceeded to step outside for a second. I ordered my iced double, and took it over to the condiment bar to get some cream. As I came back to get the straw that I left on the counter, the lady comes back in, runs over to the counter (thinking I’m gonna take her drink), says in a loud voice “This is my drink. Excuse me…isn’t this my drink?!”, proceeds to take both her hot drink and my straw, and sits down, giving me the stink-eye the whole time. Confused and sleepy, I just kind of stood there… hand in the half-reaching position, staring at the spot now vacated by the straw that once sat there. By the time I realized what had happened, the barista had seen what happened, placed another straw in it’s place, and rolled her eyes understandingly as I picked it up and walked out, averting eye contact with the lady that was steadfastly staring me down. By the way, who drinks hot coffee through a straw?!

Ok rant’s over…nothing to see here…have a nice day.

100 words | unqualified

After Wednesday’s small group, I went home and looked up the astronaut candidate posting. I am totally unqualified to travel in space. Apparently you need to be American, have studied engineering, science, or mathematics. (I guess economic research in space isn’t a priority to NASA), and pass a thorough drug test (had a poppyseed muffin today). Plus you need to either know or are willing to study Russian. BTW, educators with K-12 experience are encouraged to apply?! Are they gonna teach kids Russian in space?! Man… I think the only qualification I pass is that I’m the perfect height. Darn.

100 words | november’s ear-crush

Meaghan Smith’s new Christmas album is now available on itunes, and let me tell you… it’s awesome! Well, I’m usually a sucker for Christmas anyways, but you have to hear her sing. I tried to link to a youtube video but blogger app doesn’t really let you (look up her Silver Bells video). Anyways, her voice has this big band era feel to it, like something out of an old rat pack movie, really something you don’t hear these days. She’s almost like a female Michael Bublé (without the Elvis hair). Anyways… check it out if you get the chance.

100 words | Costco milk

Is anybody else besides me skeptical about the fact that you can get little cartons of milk that sit out at room temperature and doesn’t expire for another FOUR MONTHS?! If this really works, without preservatives, how come not all milk comes like this? With regular milk, heaven forbid you leave it out for more than three hours at a time, not even mentioning the fact that if it’s in the fridge for more than a few weeks it turns into cheese. Something’s amiss. As a matter of fact, the whole thing smells a bit fishy. It tastes good though.

100 words | quest for a hobby

Everybody, it seems, has something they do. For some, it’s mountain biking, for others, photography. I have nothing. I don’t snowboard, I don’t take pictures (at least not with any skill), I don’t knit, I don’t even fish regularly, and I think I’ve reached the age where bumming around the house on weekends and being a homebody isn’t cutting it anymore. I would like something. Maybe something out of my home, as long as it’s not woodworking, knitting, or jigsaw puzzles (last one I tried was called “blue sky”). Yes, I need to find something to do. Got any suggestions?

100 words | fear factor potluck?

It’s simple. You bring food items that are weird, look funny, and sound a little questionable (but hopefully safe and edible), and the challenge is to get your friends or coworkers to eat the stuff that you bring. I would imagine someone will end up bringing something uber weird, such as duck tongue or pig butt or something (I think that’s a dish) and there’s the ever looming threat of projectile vomiting at some point during the potluck. If not, I suppose we can just declare that a victory in itself right? Sounds simple enough, anyone want to try this?

100 words | thoughts on nature

Over the course of this weekend I’ve come to realize that, Mother Nature, like certain things in life, is to be admired from afar. If you come too close, or try to get involved, She will cause you to feel pain, to surrender your dignity, and in one particularly disastrous incident, to lose a toenail. Oh yes, she bites. All the great ones know this to be fact. That’s why they write poetry, sing songs, and paint murals. The smart ones do. The other than smart ones climb Everest and are recovered with the spring thaw. Remember, admire from afar.

100 words | coffee gum

Yes, in theory this was a superb idea. I like coffee flavor. I like gum. So, as I reached for the package on the shelf next to the checkout stand, I thought to myself, what could be better than coffee gum? Sadly, this was not a marriage of goods that has a happy ending. No, no, this… was a disaster. As I chewed this brown concoction, a feeling of disgust rose from deep inside. This, gum was an abomination. Oh Lotte, you have failed me spectacularly. By the way, would anyone like what remains of a five pack of gum?

100 words | 11.11.11

Interesting day today. Days like this don’t really come around a lot. I wonder how many people in hospitals around the world will be bribing their doctors so they can get their baby out today (maybe at 11:11:11am)? I wonder how many people are going to try to get married in vegas today? I’m sure there’s going to be wedding chapels offering marriage licenses for $111 or something like that. I’m also surprised not more stores have $11 sales today. Oh well… in any case, this post is just to say… glad I’m not a doctor or a minister today.

100 words | two star pub?!

Interesting probably wouldn’t begin to describe how a pub in London gets two Michelin stars. The NYT food blog gave it a full review, but I’m more interested in how a pub gets stars?! I think we can safely assume that most hold Michelin ratings in high regard, and to hear that it’s going to a pub… well that’s a little surprising, but then, not many English pubs serve slow roasted duck breast. Now I know… I’ve never tried the place so I can’t really say, but the food blog reviewer gave it a pretty awesome review so… who knows?

100 words | Gilad Shalit

I read an interesting article today in NYT regarding the recent exchange of prisoners in which 1,027 Palestinian prisoners and terrorists were exchanged for one Israeli soldier. It sheds some light on the Israeli psyche regarding Israeli captives. I’d say it’s definitely worth reading (it’s loooonnnnggg). It goes through the history of Israel’s negotiations with terrorist organizations and traces previous deals and their potential impact on the recent deal. While there’s some attempt to rationalize this current deal, I’m not entirely sold on how Israel could make this agreement. I guess you’re gonna have to read and decide for yourself…

100 words | Saddam’s plates

Apparently in New York this month, diners eating at Park Avenue Autumn restaurant can experience a little bit of the Iraqi invasion at their plate. After the invasion in 2003 and the subsequent ousting of Saddam, his various palaces around the country were looted, with people seizing all kinds of stuff that the leader collected. Some put the loot on ebay, others held the stuff as keepsake. Thirteen plates from Saddam’s personal collection got to New York by way of ebay, and will be used to serve food at the restaurant throughout the month. Talk about a unique dining experience…

100 words | a year from election day

With all the buzzing around GOP candidates and who the Republicans are going to field to go up against President Obama, nothing really seems as clear cut as it should be. There doesn’t seem to be a bulletproof GOP candidate that is a clear choice. Each of these guys have flaws that have been exposed (or are in the process of being exposed) and picked apart by the media, leaving the entire GOP field looking like a group of amateurs. It’s funny to think, in one year one of these guys will be elected president (or Obama stays in office).

100 words | freedom!

Me: 1, Erwin: 0.

After many long weeks of playing hide and seek, I finally caught the mouse (and yes… I’ve also named it Erwin). We weren’t sure what to do with the little guy, and didn’t want to let him suffer a long and painful death in the mousetrap (it’s one of those cave-like self-contained mousetraps that will kill or trap the mouse inside), so we let him go over by mike’s house (say hi if you see him!). It was limping a bit but could still move at a brisk pace. So long little fella; don’t come back.

100 words | sad friend

Today as I was walking out of Kim’s market (over by E Street and 4th) I saw the saddest sight. There were two squirrels crossing E Street when one of them gets hit. I watched sadly, as the other squirrel gets to the other side, has a confused moment as he looks around for his friend, then realizes that the poor guy’s down. He then runs back into the street to go check on his buddy, then scurries away behind the Chase building. I imagine this sort of thing happens all the time, but it’s still sad to see nevertheless.

100 words | five stages of grief

I’m not sure how other sports fans react to their team’s ultimate demise, but I tend to go through the five stages in my own way:

The Phillies were cheated… the umpires were conspiring against them (Denial)
Grrr… the cardinals suck… (Anger)
If the Phillies win the world series again… I just know I’ll have a new zest for life! (Bargaining)
Phillies suck. Baseball sucks. Time to watch NASCAR. (Depression)
It’s going to be ok. They’ll be back next year. (Acceptance)

That’s ok… it’s football season has started and the eagles are still in contention for the division title. (Denial)

100 words | occupy update

Well…it’s been roughly a month now since the Occupy Sac folks started taking over Caesar Chavez (“taking over” used loosely to characterize a few tents and picket signs set up in the middle of the park). As of this morning, there’s exactly one tent left a few lawn chairs. I wonder if most protests fade like this, with a whimper. I’m not old enough to have been around for the big protests you read about in history books like the million man march and stuff, but it’d be sad if it too ended with three guys sitting by a tent.

100 words | bouncy ball

Bounce, bounce, bounce, the little rubber ball methodically hits the glass every 1.5 seconds, almost like clockwork, as I sit in backwards my cubicle, facing the window. Who knew something this simple could bring so much joy and entertainment? People have spent countless hours and resources trying to concoct some intriguing object that somehow increases productivity in the office, and yet, this ridiculously low-tech object can hang with the best of them. Bounce, bounce, bounce. Whether it’s moments of boredom, instances of stress, or the depths of thought, this little guy has never failed in its duty: bounce, bounce, bounce.

100 words | I see red cups…

Halloween has just passed, and leftover candy is still sitting in the pumpkin bucket. The minute you walk outside, the wind is picking up, the leaves have fallen, and starbucks has just rolled out their red cups for the winter season. Yet another sign that Christmas is around the corner (you’ll see quite a few holiday posts, get used to it). I notice that people are generally nicer around Christmas, though I wonder how long it takes to kick in. Surely it’s not going to be as sudden as the red cups… but wouldn’t it be nice if it was?

100 words | Happy Halloween

I’m not really all that big on Halloween and dressing up and stuff, but since it’s a big holiday and everybody else seems to like it, happy Halloween. I never really understood why everybody likes to get in the spirit of this holiday. Aren’t we too old for this kind of stuff? I understand it if you have kids and decorate your house and dress up, but if you’re in your late twenties with no kids or family, isn’t it a little weird if you dress up and go to work? I don’t know, to each his own I guess.

100 words | babies

This morning as I was walking up to Sunday school I saw a mother holding a baby and I instinctively said: “hey that’s a cute baby”. Then, as I walked into the class, I thought about it for a second, the baby wasn’t cute. It wasn’t un-cute, but it wasn’t any cuter than any other baby. As a matter of fact, most babies look the same. Why do we feel the need to actually say: “cute baby”? Is our society so insecure that we feel the need to re-affirm what the mother must already think?! Something to think about tonight…

100 words | starting on the cards

100 words | pumpkin muffin awesomeness

The first bite into this muffin yielded a firm yet creamy cheesecake-ish texture, followed by the fluffy foundation of a well made cake. The pumpkin taste was just right, and the cream cheese complemented that pumpkin goodness. As I drove in to work this morning, I could smell the two boxes of pumpkin muffins that sat next to me, the cargo so precious that I buckled the boxes into the seat (no joke). Seventeen muffins, two quarts of orange juice, Friday’s group breakfast taken care of; yes… today is going to be a good day. Thanks for baking them Jenn!

100 words | time to own a gun?

According to a new Gallup poll, nearly half of all Americans have a gun somewhere on their property, which is an all time high (the numbers had been dropping in the 1990’s). Now, I don’t condone gun ownership (though I’m republican), as it can be dangerous if not stored properly and yada yada. I’m sure you’ve heard it all; however, if everybody else had a gun, wouldn’t you be at a disadvantage if you don’t? Hypothetically, if aliens (which I don’t believe in) invaded, wouldn’t you (as a non-gun owner) be the first one abducted/probed/eaten? Something to ponder…

100 words | apparently I’ve been wimpy with my eggs

Today’s yahoo news brings “Five Mistakes You’re Making with Your Scrambles Eggs”. I think I’ve finally found what my life has been missing all these years. Mistake number one: “Don't be wimpy with your eggs. Whisk well and be vigorous about it--you want to add air and volume for fluffy eggs.” Yes, my life has been marred by underfluffed eggs, though I am a bit unrepentant in committing the apparent cardinal sin of using a fork to both whisk (wimpily, apparently) and cook my eggs. Apparently I should use my chopsticks to get the perfect curd. Wow… mind blown.

50 beans | cold brew chemex

There are a variety of different ways to make coffee. You can use a regular drip brew machine; you can use an espresso machine (or a moka pot) to extract a rather robust brew; you have french presses that crank out a nice, decently strong cup of joe, and then there are some other less conventional methods like the hario v60, the aeropress (made by the same people that make Frisbees), and a japanese siphon pot. These days I use a combination of a cold brew french press through a chemex filter. Yes, it sound like it would be a pain to do, but it’s ridiculously simple.

Basically, you put grounds and room temperature water in a french press and let it sit overnight on the kitchen counter. In the morning you push down the press and strain it through the chemex filter, which is a paper filter (thick and bulky, made with 36-pound-weight paper) that goes on a chemex pot. That’s pretty much it. The french press sifts out most of the grounds and gets you a drink that loosely resembles used motor oil. The chemex will filter out the rest of the silt to get you a translucent drink. And there ya have it. Make sure to use beans that have been roasted within the last two weeks (let it sit after roasting for 3-5 days for the excess CO2 to come out) and grind right before you add the water.

The beauty of this is that the combination of french press and chemex will net you a good tasty cold brew without the silt that is commonly associated with this form of extraction. With the chemex, you control all the variables of the brew, and it gets most of the silt out of the coffee. It’s definitely even better for regular hot coffee, which was what the intended purpose of the chemex. It was created by a chemist named Peter Schlumbohm in 1941, and hasn’t really changed since then. The wood and leather strap that goes across the middle like a belt add to both form and function of this object, which, 70 years ago, was added to the collection at the Museum of Modern Art in new york.

If you want some Chemex coffee without the commitment of a $40 pot, it’s offered at a few third-wave shops in SF and around the bay. In my opinion, it’s definitely worth the investment for an object that’s been on the cutting edge of coffee for the past 70+ years.

100 words | I must stop with the smily faces…

Yesterday, on the work chat, my buddy asked me if I wanted to go grab a beer after work and watch the game. I quickly replied “sure! =)”. Of course, microsoft communicator, like gchat, will swap your =) for a legitimate smile with eyelashes and rosy cheeks. Essentially, they swap your smile for a nice big pile of awkwardness. It almost conveyed more than what was intended. Was I excited to go get a beer and watch the game? Yes. Would there be “hugs and more” involved? No. Ergo, I’ve resolved to cut down on smilys. After this one. =)

100 words | new sheets

I may not know the difference between pima and Egyptian cotton. I may not know why thread count is important. I may not even know (or care) the difference between a covered duvet and a flat sheet. What I do know, is I have new sheets! I got a set from target last week and finally swapped out the old set. The material is great and I’m digging the color (olive green). I took it for a two hour test drive yesterday afternoon as I waited for my laundry to finish. It’s awesome! Now I feel like taking another nap…

100 words | the translucent acacian

Why translucent? Well, i’d like to say that nobody’s completely invisible in Acacia. Somebody’s gotta notice and acknowledge that you exist when you go. The translucent acacian is the one that will show up on most Sundays, Fridays, and occasionally the smalls groups, but isn’t in one of the two major cliques. He/She will be able to strike up a conversation with the pastor and maybe a few people. From what I can observe, the translucent acacian is between 20-40% (and growing) of the loosely organized group. The translucent acacian is out there. You should walk over and say hi.

100 words | sooo many balloons

The capitol steps were filled with people, standing, sitting, waiting for the sun to set. Everyone was waiting for the Light the Night walk to begin. There were old folks, survivors, students, moms and dads, all toting different colored balloons and donning blue t-shirts. It didn’t matter that we didn’t know each other, we stood and chatted and waited to light the balloons and start. Some were there to honor their relatives; some were there to bring awareness to the disease; all were there for a common cause. It was great just seeing some many people coming out to walk.

100 words | my plan to bring ice cream back from DC had mixed results…

The plan was very simple: bring back four packs of ice cream and a pack of strawberries from the air and space museum in DC. I even put it in my backpack as a carry on so it wouldn’t get smushed. Well, the plan was very sound in theory, but actually getting it to California was a different story. So last night, I finally opened my backpack to have a look. Apparently, two of the ice cream packs were broken in half (the ice cream inside, not the packaging). The strawberries were fine. Meh… should’ve just bought them in California.

100 words | babies and weddings

Hmm… It seems like everyone’s either having a baby or a wedding these days. I just came back to work today after a week off and I got three emails saying people are either engaged or expecting a child. It’s crazy, I have an inbox just littered with congrats! emails and the like. Man… I must be getting to that age where all my friends and coworkers are moving into that next stage in life. Haha this better not be the start of a midlife crisis. There’s no way I’m going out to buy a harley and a leather jacket.

100 words | haircuts and hunting

What do you when you have half an hour to kill when waiting for a haircut? Phone games? Left it at home. =( Magazines? The only options are Cosmo and Hunting. Who knew one of the girls at supercuts was a whitetail deer hunting enthusiast? 25 minutes and a few short stories later, I have now learned that it could take years of hunting to actually get one, and apparently you can lay fake deer poop that will mimic real poop in smell and heat and maintain it for a few days. Go figure. I think I’ll stick to fishing.

100 words | get a good seat.

Check in early. If there was ever one piece of advice I'd give, that would be it. If you're flying on southwest and check in is 24 hours before your flight, get on their website ten minutes early, check your internet connection, and wait till that clock turns. You'll be glad. Get that coveted low A number boarding pass, get in there, and sieze that emergency aisle seat. If you're too slow or if your fingers cramp up before you can click that check in button, be ready to sit between two talkers that need to pee every half hour.

100 words | to the moon!

Today I got to do something I always enjoy when visiting DC, peruse the Air and Space museum. I never gave much thought to what an amazing feat going to the moon really was until today. When JFK stood at the podium in 1961 and announced the US goal of landing a man on the moon before the end of the decade, nobody at nasa had even checked to see if it was really possible. It was simply amazing, nobody knew, but the president said it will be done within the decade, so they made it happen. It's just amazing.

100 words | finally!!

Today was a good day. We walked around the national mall, attended the MLK Memorial dedication, and to cap it all off, Eagles finally won!! It's about time!! Although we were at a bar in redskin's territory, I was still able to cheer for the eagles with relatively low levels of harassment. Twas a relief to finally see the eagles not embarass themselves too badly, even though they still almost gave away the game again. Good thing we have a bye week coming up. This way they actually have a bit of time to reinvent themselves into a winning team.

100 words | three asian guys in western virginia...

Yep. I'm deep in virginia driving west towards shenandoah valley... there's woods, fall foliage, and most important of all, there's probably militia men somewhere here. Twenty miles ago we passed by the NRA building. Oh yes... this is gonna be a fun road trip. By the way, I'm not talking about the militia in the sense of volunteer cops... it's likely the separatist "we don't recognize the constitution and live out here in the true free country" kind of militia. Haha don't worry, this isn't another one of my contingency plan brainfarts... just bored and hoping we'd get there soon.

100 words | cops

Four hours. It only took us four hours to get stopped by cops for trespassing on federal property. I suppose now's as good a time as any to explain what happened. After we flew in to town and got some food, we figured we needed to walk off the food and it was still early (hey, it was only midnight PST). Soo... we moseyed over to Arlington National Cemetery to get some night shots of Iwo Jima memorial and the view of DC. Apparently you're not allowed there after midnight, according to the cops. Oops. It only took four hours. =)

100 words | east coast here I come!! (again…)

One of my all-time favorite cities to visit is DC. It’s packed to the Potomac with monuments, museums, and other fun stuff and best of all… they’re all free! I think it’s one of the cities I could totally see myself working in. Can you imagine working in one of the government buildings near the national mall and going to any one of the 20+ museums during your lunch break?? AND since you’re working for government, that’s a good two hours a day of unadulterated lunchtime museum viewing pleasure! Too bad I don’t work there… but who cares?! I’m visiting!

100 words | contingency plan...part 2

During random questions at work, one question popped up that got me thinking… I don’t really have a plan in place for this either: list five people (in order) that you would call to post bail for you. Well, here goes (btw if you appear below, you’re not special… just means you may get a random call at 2:30am):

George (buddy, to sweet talk the cops)
Brian (roommate, can just pay bail instead of rent)
Dave G. (roommate, same reason)
Dan (buddy, lives near sac, but if I’m in jail, he’s probably with me)
Dad (because mom would flip out)

100 words | October…

October’s one of the best months of the year, at least in Davis/ Sac. It’s the time when the leaves start turning in the park, when the weather gets nicer, and when people start gearing up for the holidays. I enjoy having a walk through downtown Davis in 65 degree weather with a slight wind and a peppermint mocha. I enjoy the camaraderie coursing through the office as people do their best to either cheer or trash-talk certain teams in the playoffs. Most of all, I enjoy the fact that Thanksgiving/ Christmas is just around the corner. Man…I love October.

100 words | life changing discovery in aisle 7 (almost)

Ok so not quite life altering, but it comes pretty close. So… here goes. You know that pub mix that Costco sells? It’s kind of like a cross between the Japanese cracker mix and peanuts. Well the only good item in that cracker mix is the sesame seed cracker (it’s like a sesame and flour stick). Soooo, guess what?! As I was wandering down the miscellaneous items aisle (the one where you can buy stuff by the pound) I saw it! They sell the sesame stick all by itself!! Yes… life’s little victories comes a little bit at a time.

100 words | a picture is worth...

I came across this picture while browsing the pics of the week on yahoo. I'm not really certain what context this picture takes, but that's ok... my perception will be its reality. They say a picture is worth a thousand words... but I'll settle for a few. My guess is, this guy lost his job after the second death star got blown up, so he now wanders the countryside as a laser gun totting nomad. Heck…times are tough all over the galaxy. Will he find gainful employment?? Here’s to Mr. out of job stormtrooper… good luck with that job search.

100 words | links

Today was one of those days where I avoided the internet like crazy (except to post this). You see, the internet will be filled with Phillies coverage today. With the bit of new found free time, I decided to make my watch fit a little better. Recently, during a day off, I went down to the Ofrei tool shop in Oakland and picked up a few watch tools. This morning, after 2.5 months of procrastinating, I finally sat down and popped off one of the full links and replaced it with a half. There, now it feels nice and snug.

veil of ignorance

Over the past two days, the Occupy Wall Street folks have brought their particular brand of protest to Sacramento, and in Caesar Chavez part to be exact. The focus of their protests is widely varied. Some protest the fact that a majority of the wealth is unequally in the hands of the top 1% of wage-earners in this country. Some protest the corruption of soft money and its influence on politics. Some protest the lack of necessary infrastructure in certain urban areas. Some protestors (and I feel this may very well be the bulk of the people standing downstairs in the park) are protesting for the sake of protesting.

This morning I saw a bunch of signs taking jabs at the top 1%, calling them names and saying they're greedy. While I understand the need to call for the top 1% of wage-earners to pay more taxes, I don’t necessarily think the notion that they don’t pay their fair share is very accurate. For the record, I believe that the top 1% should indeed pay for more of this country than they currently do, especially since they can pay for it and social responsibility calls for this. What I don’t agree with, is the statement that they don’t pay their fair share. The top 1% of wage-earners pay for over 20% of this country. I think it’s fair to say they’ve paid their fair share. Well that and the fair share of at least 20 other people. That's the way it should be, because that's social responsibility. Let's just not try not to call them names while they do it should also be an aspect of that same social responsibility.

The way our tax system is currently structured is inded slightly flawed. We have obscene loopholes where there shouldn't be, and unfair bureaucratic technicalities that should be patched. Each side of the table that decides these rules have their own points of view of what’s fair and what’s not. There’s never going to be a one-size-fits-all tax scheme that will be seem fair to everyone. As long as the people deciding the rules take an objective approach, we can only hope for the best.

The main thing to keep in mind, when deciding any social issue, is to block out a person’s own social position. Imagine before you’re born, you don’t know anything about who or what you’ll be. Now, come up with a tax system. As John Rawls puts it:

"no one knows his place in society, his class position or social status, nor does anyone know his fortune in the distribution of natural assets and abilities, his intelligence, strength, and the like. I shall even assume that the parties do not know their conceptions of the good or their special psychological propensities. The principles of justice are chosen behind a veil of ignorance."

The people who formulate the tax structure need to keep this in mind. I also challenge those who went out to protest these last two days to block out their own social position before painting their signs and coming up with chants.

“The principles of justice are chosen behind a veil of ignorance."

sad.

OMG WTH AARRGGHH. Bleh.

soo sad... =(

next year.

100 words | contingency plan...

Over the last month I’ve had a few near misses. There’s been at least two times where I think I was on the brink of getting canned. Basically, when the hatchet finally falls, you’re escorted out of the building; no going around to say goodbye, no collecting your belongings. Nothing. So…I started thinking…should I have some sort of contingency plan in place? Well, now (just in case), a buddy will come by and collect my personal effects (snowman and snoopy), and another to clear my hard-drive (personal emails, plans for world domination, et al). There, now I can rest easy.

100 words | random day off

It’s a little weird having a random day in the middle of the week off, but that’s what I got. Not really sure what I’m going to do with the day but it likely involves a trip to Ace, some housework, a car wash, and hopefully a little napping too. Well, by noon I got the Ace trip out of the way and the car washing sorted itself out when I left it in the driveway around noon. All in all, it was a pretty productive day. Heck…even the nap worked out, granted it was to an episode of scrubs.

game 4: initial thoughts/reaction...

OMG WTH just happened?! the phillies and their all-star rotation were supposed to dominate this series! All four espn analysts has phillies in either 3 or 4. How did they end up forcing a game 5?? nuts...

100 words | bleh

Have you ever gotten up in the morning with just a lump in your throat, a heavy weight on your back, and an overall feeling of wanting to crawl back under the covers and forget today ever existed? Well I have that feeling today. Work isn’t gonna be pretty today, weather’s slightly depressing (although I usually like it a little cloudy and rainy), and I forgot to do laundry last night so I’m going to be recycling a shirt. Yes…it’s not shaping up to be a pleasant Wednesday. At least it’ll be a relaxing evening…if I make it that far.

100 words | the classic

Have you ever been fed lies before? I have, and I’m here to set the record straight. I’m here to tell you that there is absolutely, positively, most definitely, NOTHING that tastes better than coca-cola. Yes, they’ll tell you that they’ve done double blind smell and taste tests that say safeway select or pepsi taste better or are all the same. That is some serious horse pucky they’re trying to feed you. Nothing beats the original; I don’t really care what they say. If someone says otherwise, you need to seriously consider the basis of your relationship with that person.

100 words | Thank Goodness It’s Monday! (stench, cont’d…)

Wow… I’ve never looked forward to a Monday so much in my life! Ok… not only did the eagles implode in the second half of their game, the Phillies last night, with Cliff Lee on the mound, blew a 4-0 lead to lose the game 5-4. Oh my freakin goodness, what has happened to philly sports?! The only good thing I can think of about yesterday is that it is finally over. Seriously, if the Phillies and Eagles don’t pull it together, it’s gonna be a bad fall/ winter coming up. C’mon guys, we are gonna need a win soon!

100 words | what the heck is that stench?!

That stench, my friend, was today’s eagles game. Between the inept and ineffective defense, to a rookie kicker that choked and shanked not one, but two short field goals, It’s pathetic. It’s embarrassing. I think I’ve seen a better game out of my alma mater, st. francis. I’m almost certain they’d put up a better fight. I seriously haven’t seen an eagles team stink this bad in a long time, especially with the amount of talent this team has on both sides of the ball. If they actually felt like winning a game or two, they need to change everything.

100 words | less work for firefighters

The Davis City Council has mandated that city staff reduce the numbers of garbage cans on the greenbelt and in city parks. The city’s Community Service/ Parks Division anticipates savings in the ballpark of roughly $40,000/ year as this will reduce labor costs required to maintain the city parks and cost of trash liners. Of course, this will also inevitably lead to a reduction in potential jobs for firefighters, as the potential for garbage cans setting on fire will decrease. It looks like I’m going to have to increase my efforts to keep the Davis FD busy. Hmm, BBQ anyone?

100 words | bake sale cookies

I think I can safely say, there was no way I could have imagined myself, being all of twenty some years old, participating in, of all things, a bake sale. And yet, here I am. This all goes to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, so it’s all good. I wasn’t sure how many to make, so I think I made like…somewhere north of seventy cookies. I showed up on the twelfth floor with a large pyrex filled with cookies, only to see that other people baked like…twenty haha. Oh well...more of the cookies to go around then I guess.

100 words | the game

It was warm, squishy, foul and totally unnecessary.

I don’t like baby showers.

I had played other variations of the game before where you have to figure out the candy bar inside. This was different. You aren’t able to use your hands. You aren’t able to look or poke. You have to use your face.

I don’t like baby showers.

“Find the gum” they screamed, as the guys reluctantly dove in searching. “Blow a bubble!” they cruelly taunted.

I don’t like baby showers.

If anyone ever invites you to a coed baby shower, just gracefully decline. And oh yea…congrats Grace.

100 words | five buck memories

Five dollars for a medium sized bag of kettle corn isn’t bad. It’s not really an awesome deal or anything, but taking into consideration the fact that I get to walk around out and about in the farmers market, sample some of the local fruit, take in the sights of people relaxing in the middle of the week, and be able to walk away with a bag of farmers market memories and a bag of sweet and savory corn for only five dollars? When put into perspective, it’s not that bad of a deal. If only it came with toothpicks…

100 words | winding time

I recently acquired a watch with a plastic crystal and a movement that requires me to wind the crown every morning to get it to run. Now, three weeks in, it’s got to be one of the weirdest experiences I’ve had in quite some time. The quiet, soothing click is something I’m growing accustom to hearing in the morning. Despite this decidedly low-tech powering method, a reminder of the timepieces from decades ago, there’s something intriguingly satisfying about methodically winding the crown every morning. Of course, it’s been less than a month…we’ll see if it’s still similarly enjoyable next year. =)

100 words | tempting fate

I wrote yesterday that the giants need to stop talking. I wrote yesterday that all they do is talk about winning and that nothing was going to stop them now (like Jefferson starship). I wrote yesterday that they spent the last few years getting slapped around the arena by another team (eagles). Yesterday, I had tempted fate. Now, the prudent thing would be to say I spoke a bit too soon. The prudent thing would be to admit I may have been wrong. Nah…eagles’ll see them again and when that day comes, well, do I really need to say it?

100 words | shut up, new york

So it seems the giants have been talking some serious trash. They’ve been taking verbal jabs at the eagles and an injured mike vick all week as the giants prepare to take on philly this Sunday. Regardless of how the game turns out, I’m not really sure what all this pretalk is really going to get accomplished. It’s not like it’ll help an impotent giants offense score anything. And yet the giants, who play the eagles twice a year and have not notched a win in the series since the GW Bush administration, still see fit to keep talking. Nice.

100 words | four guys, a prius, and drool

The car was headed in the right direction (forward), the sandwiches were made and packed by some lovely people (at safeway), and the road conditions were just perfect (empty). We were ready to go! Suddenly…drip, drip, drip. I looked over at George and was ready to utter “for pete’s sake…” when I noticed the little dog sitting next to me. Yes, Alfalfa had made the trip (and the Gatorade) and his strategically placed drool is now running down the length of my arm. George: “oh he’s like that on car-rides.” Nice. This was shaping up to be an interesting day.

100 words | friday breakfast

I’ve come to the realization that I don’t write enough. Since there is 100 days to the end of the year, I’ve resolved to remedy this by writing 100 words each day for the next 100 days. No structure, no themes, no set topics. And with that, here’s the first one…


Without a doubt, the drive into work on fridays are special. There’s the impending weekend with all the possibilities; the knowledge that your long, tiring workweek is about to be over in eight (or nine or twelve) hours; knowing that the line at the local coffee shop will be shorter because a large number of state workers get Fridays off. All this wrap up into a special commute once a week, and yes, it is capped off by the knowledge that on fridays, someone brings in breakfast for the group. Today’s menu: breakfast sandwiches and orange juice. Life is good.

Jason Babin: Football is like Dating…

I saw this quote this morning on yahoo sports and thought it was pretty interesting/funny. Eagles defensive end Jason Babin talks about the run defense for Sunday’s game against the Falcons: “That’s the No. 1 goal: Stop the run,so we can rush the passer,” Babin said. “First and foremost,we know we have to stop the run. It’s like when you’re dating,there’s certain things you’ve got to do. That’s what stopping the run is: Buying ‘em dinner.”

Nice. I wonder if more athletes used these kinds of analogies,would more women watch football? Probably not likely…but worth a shot I guess.

My Sunday night prediction: Eagles 34,Atlanta 24.

The far side of the moon…

Have you ever thought…what if? Have you ever wondered what would have happened if things turned out a little differently? I’m often guilty of second-guessing the things that happen, playing it out in my head had something wound up a little differently. I know…it’s essentially wasted effort on my part, but I can’t help but think of the possibilities that could unfold had something been a little differently. At the end of the day, you can’t un-ring a bell, and I can’t make something different happen, but it is interesting to wonder about what could've been...

Recently I’ve been on a bit of a space kick. Maybe it’s because July was the 42nd anniversary of the moon-landing; maybe it’s because the last space shuttle already went up and came back; maybe it’s deeply rooted from my dreams of becoming an astronaut when I was a kid. In any case, I continue to find myself enamored with man’s endeavors into space. Last week, I came across (somewhere online…) a message prepared by a staff writer for President Nixon on the occasion of the moon-landing. No, not the short message Nixon gave over the telephone to the astronauts as they were on their way back from the moon. No, this was a different message. This is what could've been...:

drugstore knick-knacks

this weekend, while waiting for my mom's prescriptions, I wandered around CVS for a little bit. It's been a while since i've wandered up and down the aisles of a drugstore, and it brought back a flood of memories from working at a walgreens in high school. I distinctly remember spending my earnings at walgreens on some of the coolest trinkets ever (from their seasonal aisle): bathtub shaped soap dishes, plastic chirping birds, and oh yes...i had to have the big mouth billy bass (pls...don't be jealous). In retrospect...some of the worst purchasing decisions of my life. In anycase...taking a stroll down the seasonal aisle at the local CVS brought back some fond (read with an obligatory eye-roll) memories...

50 beans | the clover

Last week I ventured into the Starbucks on Newbury Street in Boston with my old coffee buddies (i know...we've taken it east coast) and we happen to see a pretty little machine on display: the clover. Now, I've only seen the clover in magazines and on coffee blogs. Never have I seen this thing in the flesh until that day. Holy moly...this thing is pretty cool.

The story behind the clover is that a seattle company designed and built the machine to let the user control all aspects of the brewing, from steep time (variable to the second) to temperature. The machine uses a combination of a reverse french press and a vacuum pot to steep and extract the coffee.

This machine had an initial run of 100 units, and at $11,000 each, it's easy to see how these machines can be a rare find. The first year the clover was available, the machine was sold out and sales tripled (according to the economist). Then, a few years ago, Starbucks bought out the company and announced that it was going to be available exclusively at starbucks. Now, 5 years after it's invention, I'm staring at one of these bad boys and my eyes are glistening.

For $2.80 you can get a tall cup of brewed-to-order single origin coffee (well not really direct sourced but that's a different story). After a short grind period, the machine was ready to jump into action. The overall process occurs inside the machine, so I won't bore you with the details. Needless to say, since it's a reverse french press, the puck of grounds appears at the top of the machine after the extraction is complete, and clean up is as simple as scraping the puck off the top.

My first sip gave notice to why this machine was so special. People who go to Starbucks for brewed (drip) coffee are usually greeted with coffee that may have been sitting in the pot for over 30 min (unless it's in a store that has brisk business). This machine brews the cup to order, and the difference can be noticable. The aroma of freshly ground beans is sweeter and the taste is a far cry from the burnt sensation of regular drip. This was something special.

Well there ya have it. If you ever go into a coffee shop like Starbucks or Blue Bottle (they got theirs before the mermaid in green bought out Clover) and you see one sitting on the counter, give it a shot. You won't be dissapointed.

8:36 stats

Well it’s been a fun and interesting year…I leave you with a few stats from the 8:36 project:

2 – 8:36 albums (fb capped albums at 200)
86 – taken at home
27 – featuring televisions
63 – featuring food
29 – taken outside
22 – taken in a car
7 – taken in the bathroom
27 – taken at work
12 – featuring animals (live & stuffed)
22 – featuring coffee

I came across this poem today on the Writer's Almanac...it's nice in it's own little way...

My Own Heart
by Gerard Manley Hopkins

My own heart let me more have pity on; let
Me live to my sad self hereafter kind,
Charitable; not live this tormented mind
With this tormented mind tormenting yet.
I cast for comfort I can no more get
By groping round my comfortless, than blind
Eyes in their dark can day or thirst can find
Thirst's all-in-all in all a world of wet.

Soul, self; come, poor Jackself, I do advise
You, jaded, let be; call off thoughts awhile
Elsewhere; leave comfort root-room; let joy size
At God knows when to God knows what; whose smile
's not wrung, see you; unforeseen times rather — as skies
Betweenpie mountains — lights a lovely mile.

I am no longer Mr.

Since my credit card snapped in half yesterday, I had to get on the phone with the good people at chase and explain why I needed a new card. Apparently I have a bad habit of bending my card back and forth when I'm standing in line for something...so I suppose it was bound to happen. However, being ever the optimist, I viewed this as a chance to re-invent myself.

Ever since I got the card a few years back, I've never given much thought to the name listed on the card: Mr. Jack Zhu. I'm not sure why it's listed that way...it just was. But people have been giving me crap about it everytime I go pay for something. I suppose it made me sound like such a diva...like the guy equivalent of miss diana ross. Not quite the message I try to send when paying for a box of cheerios.

So while I was on the phone with the chase ppl I asked them to please remove the "Mr." on the new card. After 5 min of convincing, I am officially no longer Mr; I've got my identity back.

I did not have such luck the next 5 min trying to convince them to give me a card build out of carbon fiber tho...ehh...you win some and lose some I guess.

tea with jam and bread

I don’t know about you, but I grew up watching The Sound of Music. Recently, in an uncontrollable urge for nostalgia, I re-watched the movie, partly to re-live some good old childhood memories, partly because I was bored and wanted something playing in the background when I’m working from home. I went out and got the DVD which was digitally re-mastered and blah blah. The weird thing this time is…I saw a bunch of stuff this time I never saw before! Not new as in new scenes and stuff, but little stuff I never noticed before. For example, Captain Von-Trapp is super flirty, doesn’t like Uncle Max, and is pretty open with his disdain of certain guests. The children all have their own personalities and aren’t just a bunch of goodie-two-shoes. The nuns aren’t all good old ladies that sit and pray all day. And did you know the butler is a nazi?! Totally didn’t catch all that when I watched it the first time back in elementary school, but then of course, I was still going through ESL and had no clue what they were saying…

economics at 80mph

Today as I was coasting down the north side of the grapevine, I put my car into neutral and zig-zagged through cars, letting gravity take over and watching the speedometer climb. The thrill of the speed coupled with the fact that I was getting over 100mpg in neutral was enough to get me giddy. Ok not really giddy, but you get the idea. 50 miles later, I’m cruising along with a few cars sprinkled here and there on the long straight stretch of I-5, when suddenly I see the dreaded red taillights. Traffic.

Let me clarify the exact location for you so you get an idea of just how busy this place normally is. It’s 50 miles north of the grapevine. I’ve just passed Bakersfield, and the scenery is grass. Miles and miles of grass (and taillights). As we all slowed to a crawl, I had an opportunity to observe my fellow occupiers of I-5. every couple of minutes the lane next to mine would get faster and immediately, a few cars would switch over and it would then get slower than mine. Then a few cars would switch over to my lane, and that lane would speed up.

This traffic tango would go on for a few minutes, and since I had nothing better to do than watch cars go back and forth, I began to track them. The red ford fusion, the turquoise 525i, the baby blue Toyota highlander (license plate: FERDS…not sure what it meant either) and the bright bright purple scion TC (seriously bud, set fire to your car immediately and ask for insurance $$...you deserve a better color). As I tracked these four cars over the 3-4mile stretch of traffic, I noticed something weird take place. FERDS, the 525i, and the red ford fusion were switching back and forth everytime one of the lanes got faster (purple misery was too busy lamenting his color choice to bother switching lanes). Sometimes they got lucky, other times they made it in just as it was slowing. As I watched these cars, over the first half mile or so, they seemed to be making steady progress, getting to the point where I couldn’t even see 525i anymore. FERDS was still noticeable as it was an SUV and higher than some of the others. Over the next mile, their luck ran slower, and they began to lag. Everytime it seemed like they were about to get ahead the other lane would speed up. By the end of the 3 mile stretch, the three cars that exercised an active lane-change policy ended up in roughly the same spot as purple TC.

This trend on the open road is akin to the free market trending toward economic equilibrium. While a disequilibrium exists in the short run, and cars will move faster in one lane vs. another, various factors (demand for one lane or the other, available space in said lane, etc) will adjust itself over time and in the long run any disequilibrium (one lane being faster than the other) will soon disappear. This explains why the three cars that switch lanes will ultimately not be that much better off than Purple Misery.

So…moral of the story…stay in your lane. And to think...some people said I would go nuts being in a car by myself for 7hrs straight…ha!