Soooo the TSA has made yet another decree.
No lighters shall be brought on board an airplane.
This falls under the category of “annoyance” because I see the reasoning behind it. I just don’t like having to leave my trusty Dupont lighter at home when I’m heading overseas to meet with friends and to enjoy a cigar or five.
How is this going to be enforced? Where is the accountability (regarding sticky-fingered TSA inspectors)? And what happens if I’m in Paris or Seoul and I happen to purchase a Dupont? What happens then?
More questions than answers. That’s why it’s an annoyance…
From my kitchen!
Well actually from the Chinese place near my house. This is for Shu_en who’s coming out of a rough patch.
Kanna think of cheery stuff to write now, but this is ngau yook jin mein. Mmmmm!
Although you’d usually have bok choy instead of gai-lon but I’ll deal. Been cleaning the house all day for CNY and this is my first real breather.
Whew!
A camera left at home is worse than useless
The title of this post is some wisdom I picked up somewhere a while back.
Last Saturday, on a whim, myself and two friends decided to head up to the
Silver Oak Winery in Oakville (Napa Valley) for the 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon release party.
The party was the usual (big tent, a lot of people, good food) party Silver
Oak throws. It was pretty good. The 2000 grows on you after you have strong spicy meats.
After that event ended, we did what most locals wind up doing. We went to V. Sattui over in neighboring St. Helena.
V. Sattui has an impressive selection of cheeses and meats, keepsakes, t shirts, crackers, beverages and oh yeah, wine. The tastings involved 9 different wines, from chardonnay to port.
I’m not a white wine guy, I looove reds. But their whites weren’t bad.
Afterwards, we picked up some gorgonzola and goose pate and a bottle of 2004 Novello Rosso and relaxed on their picnic grounds.
Three guys, cigars and good food and wine.
That’s what California is all about. Then the sun went down. And it got cold. Then it was time to go home.
Oh yah, the meaning of the title of this post? Well, the weather was magnificent! Blue skies with some poofy clouds here and there. The Napa Valley was different shades of brown and green. It was at least 65 degrees out.
And I forgot the Ixus.
Awww crap!
Hakata Ramen
and this is the ramen from the yatai (stall) below! Mmmmmmm. Hakata Ramen!
Ramen Yatai
It means “ramen stall” and Hakata is known for these yatai. They’re all over. But the most famous area of yatai is along the canal where they’re all ramen yatai!
Shibuya Billboards
Billboards watch Shibuya from up high. Nice looking billboards! Makes me wanna get BB (broadband). Especially since it’s 4.0 down out there!
Bar Yatai
In Hakata, there are lots of small places to eat called “yatai”. They’re usually small ramen, soba or yakitori joints that seat 4 to 7 people inside. Small.
There are other yatai, such as this bar yatai. You know this is a bar because of the sign on the roof (!).
heh.
Comment Spam, yuck!
890 attempts of comment spam. Over the last 10 days!
Sheesh.
Thankfully the spam issue has been addressed. Movable Type plugin. And it works! Whoo hooo!
But can you imagine manually deleting all that crap like I did when I was overseas on my last trip?
That would suck big time.
So I’m Number One!
Just like the National Champion SC Trojans!
Ha ha.
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You Are the Reformer |
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1 You’re a responsible person – with a clear sense of right and wrong. High standards are important to you, and you do everything to meet them. You are your own worst critic, feeling ashamed if you’re not perfect. You have the highest integrity, and people expect you to be fair. |
And it’s soooo true! =P
Passport is back!
My passport was returned to me today via snail mail.
It has extra pages in it, alrighty. Pages A through X, taped into the center of my old passport. Although it’s functional and legal, it still looks tacky.
Next renewal, I’m getting one of those FAT passports!