Apologies/short hiatus

Sorry for the lack of posts.  We have begun our student teaching practicum, and that experience is currently consuming nearly all of our energies, at least until we get into more of a routine.

New stuff when we get time.

Off topic but interesting, at least to me

There are at least three Apple stores in Kunming, China that appear to be complete fakes.

That certainly is taking goods piracy to an entirely new level.

Off topic but interesting, at least to me

The major supermarket chain Albertson's is removing the self-checkout lanes from all of its stores that currently use them.

Good.  We've never used those lanes at any store on principle.  If retailers want the peasants to do part of their job for them they can at least give those who choose to use such lanes slightly lower prices than those who prefer to wait for a human cashier.  There's no advantage otherwise, and anyone in that industry who argues that self-checkout lanes are somehow "faster" has never watched a clueless customer helplessly scan the same item over and over, fruitlessly (pun intended) search for the right produce code, try to locate where to insert the money or otherwise hold up progress for the people waiting behind them, who inevitably end up doing even worse.

A snapshot of life

Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Los Angeles, California
7:15 p.m.

Seen posted on the door of an art gallery in Little Tokyo:

The careless flicking of leftover food bits by casual browsers is apparently quite the issue at this particular establishment.

On a related note, the food at the nearby Shabu-Shabu House is well worth however long the wait might be for you to get a seat.

Road tripping

Out of town for a few days.  Back late Friday.

Busy

Apologies about the lack of posts the last few days.  Rest assured we aren't being lazy; a large final project for graduate school unfortunately took precedence.

New content should be up later today.

Pardon the interruption

Finishing up some assignments for grad school class tonight and then winging off early tomorrow to a family member's wedding on the East Coast.

Back late Sunday evening so most likely nothing new before Monday, May 23.

Off topic but interesting, at least to me

Comedy gold.  This one's a must-see.

UPDATE:  Embed not working.  Here's the direct link to the video.  You won't be sorry.

Off topic but interesting, at least to me

Sophie Tesch has written a great piece on a subject with which we're all too familiar.  If you want to better understand an issue that plagues yet ironically motivates many of us writers then head on over and check it out.

R & R

Taking off for a few days to recharge the batteries and visit an old friend in Dallas.  Back at it the afternoon of Tuesday, April 12, barring any unforeseen circumstances.

Feel free to talk amongst yourselves until then.

Off topic but interesting, at least to me

There is a special hell waiting for the GM automotive engineer who thought it would be an awesome idea to make the removal and replacement (at a book rate of $92) of a 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe's front bumper a necessary step to facilitating the replacement of a right front turn-signal bulb.

Fortunately for us, our service writer only charged half price for the job, as he also considers it criminally stupid to make such a simple maintenance chore so darn hard to accomplish.

Thanks, Government Motors, for helping to make our decision to end our almost three-decade association with you (because of the Obama Administration's takeover of your company) such an easy one.

Off topic but interesting, at least to me

"Playboy Mansion visitors come down with mystery illness"

An as-yet-undiscovered venereal disease, we'd venture to guess.

We're just kidding - the cause of the partygoers' distress is speculated to be Pontiac fever, a (fortunately) less-severe form of Legionnaire's Disease.

Better divert a little of your many Playmates' generous allowances into getting those AC ducts and hot tubs cleaned out, Hef.

How many times does this make?

Michelle Obama assures us once again that Dear Leader has finally quit smoking, although her protestations to that effect sound just a wee bit fishy:

"She said she didn't know exactly when he quit 'because he never smoked a lot' and she never saw him light up."

We don't know just why he has been struggling so hard to give them up, then, if his indulgence was such a minor dalliance.  And if she never saw him puffing (which we don't believe for a second), then how does she know for sure he's really off the cigs?  Well, there's one sure way to find out, as one ex-smoker commenter to the story observes:

"We just need someone to ask Obama his quit date at a news conference. If he can't name it, he didn't quit."

Does he or she make a valid point, former smokers?

We actually are rooting for the President to succeed in this endeavor, as we want him to live a long and happy life so that he will be able to see firsthand how bad the historical analysis of his administration is going to be.

Off topic but interesting, at least to me

Check out the obituary of Nathalia Bucan and marvel at what an amazing life she led in her 100 years.

Now that was a woman.

Off topic but interesting, at least to me

The Quote of the Day  comes to us courtesy of Tam's deciding to lunch at a Mongolian barbecue restaurant:

"Like many a Mongolian-style restaurant, there's a moderately Genghis-toned theme to the place, leading me to ask my dining companions how many hundreds of years they thought it takes, on average, to make a really extroverted genocidal conqueror into a cute'n'kitschy sales motif. I mean, when are we going to see Wacky Adolf's House of Schnitzel? And can you imagine what the kiddie menu would be like there?"

Our favorite related restaurant name, from the comments - Pho Chi Minh for a Vietnamese soup joint.  Priceless.

Off topic but interesting, at least to me

While dining on sushi after cycle class this evening, we struck up a conversation with a very intelligent (and attractive) woman who was also dining alone.  We brought up the existence of this blog with our usual bit of hesitation, as the subjects discussed here aren't everyone's cup of tea.  To our pleasant surprise the lady expressed firm support for the Second Amendment as well as her belief in every individual's inalienable right to self-defense.  We then invited her to participate here and contribute a new voice to the discussion.

It is truly stunning and heartwarming to note the overwhelming positive change in favor of all individual rights among the general public these days.  They just might be waking up.

Off topic but interesting, at least to me

A helpful hint to all teenage wannabe-muggers out there - if you've got it in your head to go out and rob a transvestite prostitute, you might want to pick one that isn't 6-3 and 290 pounds:

The two men went into a nearby alley to transact business, [Hamilton County, Ohio Assistant Prosecutor Ryan] Nelson said, when [16-year-old assailant Rufus] Bowman pulled a gun.

The two men fought. The 5-foot-7, 230-pound Bowman fired his gun. The bullet hit [very large and now extremely angry transvestite Joshua] Bumpus in the arm, went through and lodged near his ribs.

Even though he was shot, Bumpus continued fighting - and won.

'He got the gun away from (Bowman), he grabbed (Bowman) by the hair and beat him down. He beat the (daylights) out of him,' Nelson said."

Bowman is now undoubtedly the laughingstock of the Ohio penal system, which is where he will be staying for the next three years.

Off topic but interesting, at least to me

This has got to be one of the funniest Yahoo! Answers ever (click to enlarge):

(Found over at Ace's place)

Off topic but interesting, at least to me

A woman with whom we are acquainted recently received a present from a friend that allowed her come to terms with a sad childhood incident, and at the same time helped repair her relationship with her mother.

We may have a small clue as to who that friend was.

Enjoy, Marie.  You deserve much more than that small gift.

Off topic but interesting, at least to me

Kittens on a slide.  That is all.