Out With The Older, In With The Newer

 

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Goodbye 20 year old old van.
Hello 10 year old new van.

Hello power steering, airbags, CD player, automatic windows, automatic door locks, and much improved gas mileage.

I can’t wait to see what incredible improvements are in  the brand new vans!
I’ll find out in another 10 years, I guess.

… maybe they can fly!!!

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note: “the best things in life are free” … like my old van.
I hope the new one will be “the second best things in life” … even though
there’s only one of it … I’m hoping it’s at least twice as good!

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what I’m listening to now #52: Crowded House “Weather With You“.

Plot Summary

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I’m growing vegetables this year.

Not full scale, but half scale:
… the vegetables will be ordinary size hopefully, it’s just …

I’m using a small piece of a friend’s garden plot … I guess mine is a subplot.
… but that’s another story.

If I can farm then I will be a farmer.
And if I can farm really well maybe one day I will be the farmest!

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note: nature vs. nurture? … I think growing things is a case where both work together.

double note: what comes around grows around.

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what I’m listening to now #46: Peter Gabriel “Digging in the Dirt“.

BBQ & A

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Barbecues are like school

… some assembly required.

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note: propane BBQs are not sold in Japan … as far as I know, except on American Armed Forces Bases.
I rarely say it … and never during hockey games, but “God Bless the U.S.A.“

double note: I can count on 3 fingers how many propane BBQs are in this city of 50,000 people: 2 at my place and one over at Mr. Pettit‘s.

triple note: sometimes it’s good to know base people.

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what I’m listening to now #39: Ben Folds “Rockin’ The Suburbs” … because there’s a BBQ in the video … and I like the song.

Dance Recital Madness Again!

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Yes, it’s that time of year for one of the Big Three on my calendar!

Dance Recital Madness!

Kindergarten Kids doing Kindergarten Dancing … in a Kindergarten no less!!!

I’ve gone for the last 6 years … and probably have another 6 years plus 6 years left in me before I’m not invited anymore … but I’d still go anyway.

Highlights this year:

– someone could do a real cartwheel.
– I think they used the theme music from “The Prisoner“.
– no one had a meltdown on stage.
– there were “garlic ninjas” and “cabbages” … that’s quite rare.
– they let me write my name in English in the sign-in book … although I had to write it vertically.
– I didn’t get too mauled by all the kids.
– there were 5 sets of twins performing … I’m still waiting for another set of triplets like 5 years ago.

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note: I get to go to another one tomorrow morning. … pinching myself.

double note: the other of the Big Three are here:

Numata Matsuri 2008 / Numata Matsuri 2009

Kinder Olympics / When Was The Last Time?

Dance Recital Madness / Dance Recital Madness: Day 2 / Another Of The Big Three … Dance Recital Madness 2012.

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what I’m listening to now #23:  Bread … not the band … just the stuff sitting in the kitchen.

Rambo

 

“Rambo” in Japanese means “violence”.

“Rocky” in Japanese just means the boxer guy in all those movies. 

 

note: words are only meaningful if you know what they mean, otherwise they are just panhandlers holding out their hands to people with their eyes shut.

double note: I was going to say “blind person“, but thought that might not be political correct. I don’t even call that “can’t see spot” in a car while driving a “blindspot” anymore. I must be a political activist now!

triple note: why are Chinese characters cool tattoo material, but Hebrew characters, Russian character, Korean character, …  … not so popular?

quadruple note: I had to do a “… …” in that last note, sorry.

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Today #334

Today someone said “Cheese Hamburger“. I’m sure that was pretty common back in … before I was born!
(I’m glad I was born when I was, otherwise I’d probably sound weird.)

I’m Not A Brown-Noser, I’m A Red-Noser

 

The nice thing about kindergarten is that everyone can be Rudolph.

When kids grow up there seem to be more Dashers and Dancers and Prancers and Vixens and Comets and Cupids and Donners and Blitzens than Rudolphs.

 

note: I used to be a Rudolph, but now I’m a Santa.

double note: the Peruvian Santa on the left wanted to say “He he he!“, but us other Santas explained that it was “Ho ho ho!” in all the languages we knew.

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Today #314

Today I started to dethaw the rock hard frozen turkey I plan on partially eating on Christmas, … other people have planned to partially eat it too! If it was up to me, I’d impartially eat it all by myself: turkey is that good.

Either Origami: Neither Norigami

 

Playboy magazines and Origami are the same:

… it’s just wrong to through them on a fire.

 

note: Playboy models have paper mooned a lot of people over the years.

double note: does Playboy still produce a magazine? I don’t know.
I get all my interesting interviews off of the computer now.

triple note: sorry I haven’t been around. I’ve been preoccupied … and I don’t even believe in reincarnation! What gives?

quadruple note: I’ve been busy in an “Occupied Movement“. … “Go Bowels!“

quintuple note: “stalling for time” usually involves bathroom cubicles.

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Today #293

My heart beats about 103,680 times today: I didn’t count all of them … because I was sleeping for some of that time.
Some things just seem to carry on while I’m asleep … thankfully. … or maybe my heart stops while I’m sleeping … and I’m just special.

Wordless Wednesday: With A Few Characters

 

 

note: silent. … like that Christmas song “Silent Note“.

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Today #275

Today I discovered some repressed memories: when I came home from work, I found an unflushed toilet. … maybe it was just dismemorabilia.

Hobbytual

 

 

I’m going to become a “trainspotter spotter” until that becomes popular

… then I’ll probably become a “trainspotter spotter spotter”.

I don’t know what I’ll do next, when that becomes popular!

 

note: there’s an old steam train around here that shoots out of a mountain tunnel onto a trestle bridge that goes over a river every Sunday around 11:30 am. It must look pretty cool: there are always a half dozen trainspotters waiting for it.

double note: here is the steam train on another section of the track, if you are into trains and stuff.

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Today #266

Today I missed the train again … and the boat … and the bus …
but I thought about them.

Stop Taking Crappy Photos: Tip #1

 

I’ve discovered how to stop taking crappy photos of moving things!

 

 

I let Mr. Pettit  take the photos.

 

note: I went to a BBQ on the weekend expecting this:

 

… but this was on the menu before the steaks

 double note: sometimes I’m in the right place at the right time … and even invited!

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Today #260

Today didn’t have any BBQing or Tahitian Dancing in it. … bummer.