Big TV recommendation this week...House of Cards. If you've watched it, you know. If not, and you are a fan of politics, political dramas, or just plain old twisted and dark entertainment, start binge watching as soon as possible. Then look me up when you're done so we can break it down.
Some happy news on the stupid trend front (I think). Was talking to Paul the other day about ridiculous fashion trends that kids will adopt, and he told me the whole wearing of the pants down around the hips is over. Next up, the dorky flat brimmed/leaving the tags on baseball caps.
Speaking of fashion, have one good and one bad one for the adults. Bad...cargo shorts for dudes. Here's a secret that you need to know. They look stew-peed. Unless I see you wearing them on a hiking trail and the side pouches are filled with granola bars, they look terrible. Otherwise, it looks like you've taken three dumps in your pants and had to put the first two in the side pouches to make room for the third.
As for the good, women that wear skirts or dresses. With few exceptions, you look so much better in them (am particularly fond of the black cocktail dress). For girls with no butts, they kind of accentuate the region and provide some much needed swish. For those with a bit of the badonkadonk, the juxtaposition of the smaller waist and booty looks delicious. And if you are lucky enough to have one that's just right, please proceed to the front of the line. While tight pants or short shorts may show it off in clear detail, it's like waving a set of keys in front of a baby. Dudes like a bit of mystery and it gives us a chance to use our vivid imaginations. Plus, they seem way more comfortable, no?
Next week, will discuss the renewed trend of the turned up collar on Polo shirts.
Over breakfast this morning, kids and I had a long debate about insects and which ones were the worst. They have only lived in Seattle and Taipei, so they are unaware of the horrors of cicadas and highly aggressive ants, but are well versed in mosquitoes, spiders and cockroaches. They eliminated cockroaches as even though they are big and gross here, and sometimes get airborne, but they realize that they are relatively harmless. I used to see them around the house on occasion, but haven't in a while. Our dishwasher broke several months ago and I got used to doing all the dishes by hand right after eating instead of rinsing and loading up the machine and then running it every 4th day. I think not having any tempting morels lingering in the kitchen has driven them elsewhere in search of sustinence. Note to Summer Betty. No eating in the office please.
Paul feels that spiders are worse than mosquitos. While it freaks him out when a mossy buzzes his ear while he is sleeping, he is more concerned about spiders more potent bites and sudden appearances. Plus, walking face first into a huge invisible web is annoying. Carolyn came down on mosquitoes being worse as the bite frequency on her is heavy. She is currently sporting at least a dozen itchy ones and knows not to scratch them as they leave scars. Her hairless legs are way more inviting that Paul and mine as they usually only get us at the ankles, while she is a walking smorgasbord. As the debate chair, the fact that mosquitoes carry viruses, like Dengue fever, pushes them to the head of the class.
Quick follow up on last weeks commentary on the 91 Things that make you realize you have been in Taiwan too long. Number 37 states that "smiling and nodding is Chinese body language for "go away and leave me alone." Last Friday was the Teacher Appreciation lunch at school. A bunch of the parents will bring in dishes for the teachers (286 of them) to enjoy. I had time to go and help serve this year. Some teachers had said that this was their favorite day of the year, but I thought they were just being polite. Was surprised to see so many dishes that looked really good. While the community is mostly Chinese, there were dishes from around the globe and the buffet was hugely impressive. I was assigned to help stock and serve at the vegetarian table, and one of the offerings was a crock pot full of red beans (with rice on the side). At one point about 30 minutes in, I looked closely at the beans and saw what appeared to be bacon. My co-worker and I sampled them and we confirmed this to be true, so we were then obligated to warn the customers that this wasn't truly vegetarian. Came up with the line that the beans were Chinese Vegetarian, which means they only have pork. I thought it was funny enough for the situation and my co-worker agreed, but said that the Chinese wouldn't think so. I took that challenge and sure enough, every Chinese person smiled and nodded.
Finally, something that always amazes me when it happens is how emotional vibrations flow across space/time. This week, I'm driving somewhere in bare feet and realize that I am controlling the pedals with my big toe only. Have done this as long as I can remember and never really thought about it until one day while on a trip with old college friends in Lake Tahoe circa 1990, a really good friend comments on this habit. This got me to think about this friend and all the funny/weird times we had together. I haven't spoken to her in several years and has been a long time since we even exchanged emails, but is one of those people in life where it can be decades since you communicate, but when you do get together it seems like you saw them yesterday. She hadn't even crossed my mind in ages, but this random toe driving thought made all these memories come rushing back. The next morning I wake up and receive an email from a mutual friend that her dad passed away suddenly. Coincidence or is there some string that intertwines our consciousness with friends. I have been experimenting with meditation lately and think I may be freaking out.
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