Passed by a kid recently wearing a suit with sneakers, carrying a Jansport backpack, on a skateboard. When he got to the building he was going to, he switched his sneakers for nice leather (presumably) shoes, took out his leather notepad doohickey and stuck his sneakers in his bag. Clever! :)
Unfortunately, when I saw him, I kind of thought, “clever kid!” Aging myself! Now I’m wondering if the young’uns even call those shoes sneakers anymore. :p
After I saw This boggles my mind on leafing through, Yut and I couldn’t stop looking at it. I made and printed out a copy on Excel and we did all the obvious stuff, then got stuck, so we did other things for a bit. But by the end of the night it was clear we weren’t gonna sleep ’til we’d figured it out, so… yeah 2 am dude! On a work night! Geez. But we did finally figure it out. And now I’m writing like the longest comment ever. (Am dork.)
So this is after all the obvious stuff is done.
The little numbers aren’t necessary, I was just desperate. Anyways, so we made a guess at a 2 and 4 where those were the only possible choices.
Yut worked it through mentally a bit in his head and thought if we put the 2 and 4 the other way, we’d just get stuck again fast, so we tried this way, and the rest of it just fell in place.
The second puzzle was the same. At some point we got stuck, this time we made a guess at the circled 1*. If we put the 1 at the other place it could’ve been, we ended up down the line with 2 fives in one column so we knew it was wrong. 
But my question now is, is there a way to solve these puzzles without resorting to guessing? Something we missed maybe?
Oh and not that this matters, but if you’re wondering why one of the printouts looks so weird, it’s cos I was trying to manually duplex and I inserted the paper into the printer wrong so it basically printed on the same spot, but not exactly. :p
Live (more or less) blogging the presidential debate!
6:10pm – Jim Lehrer asked Obama and McCain about the bailout. Obama said that it’s obvious that the idea espoused by the Repubs that no regulation whatsoever is good for the economy isn’t working. McCain said that it was great that Congress is being so bipartisan. No mention of any economics.
6:18pm – McCain: “I was called ‘the Sheriff’!” He hates pork barrel spending more than anything! He’s not Miss Congeniality!
6:19pm – Lehrer keeps insisting that the candidates address each other. I think they keep forgetting. McCain doesn’t like to look at Obama for some reason.
6:24pm – They are getting feisty!
6:30pm – Doesn’t matter what the question is, McCain’s answer is less spending! Less pork!
6:33pm – Obama: “A spending freeze is like using a hatchet where we need a scalpel.”
6:35pm – Lehrer: “Let me try and phrase this a different way.” I think he’s trying to get McCain to talk about something besides spending less and/or less pork. He also asked about how the economy is going to affect the way the president “rules” — this is news to me!!! The president is not our king!
6:37pm – McCain: “Less spending!!!”
6:43pm – Obama: “Senator McCain likes to pretend the war in Iraq started in 2007 with the surge.”
6:45pm – McCain: “I’m afraid Senator Obama doesn’t understand the difference between tactics and strategy.”
6:55pm – Now that they’re talking about Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan instead of the economy, McCain is suddenly ok with spending, and his new slogan is Petraeus Roxors! He’ll fix Afghanistan (or whatever) as soon as he fixes Iraq.
7:02pm – Lehrer says that they are both even on time, but they have both gone over.
7:10pm – Did Obama just help McCain pronounce Ahmadinejad?
7:15pm – I’m getting tired of McCain continually saying that Obama “just doesn’t understand” blahblahblah. It’s really patronizing and disrespectful.
7:20pm – Omg, McCain likes to talk about how he travels to places, like Iraq and Russia and whatnot (ad nauseum). I wonder who’s paying for the flights. Stop telling me about your travels like I give a damn. More content, less slogans, less show, please.
7:30pm – I like how Obama gives credit to McCain for things like standing up to Bush on torture, where it’s due. It’s a far cry from McCain’s stupid “just doesn’t understand” bit. I get it, dude, you don’t think he’s got as much experience as you, but saying that he just doesn’t understand over and over again doesn’t work, and it got annoying a long time ago. Answer the damn question instead! Gaaaaaaah!
Okay it’s over — 7:40pm
The fall tv season just started and I’m camped out in front of the television half the nights of the week already! I know, I know, crazy!
Monday: Gossip Girl (WB), Heroes (NBC), also The Closer (TNT) but that season’s ended (summer show).
Tuesday: House (Fox), Fringe (Fox)
Wednesday: America’s Next Top Model (WB), Project Runway (Bravo), Top Design (Bravo)
Thursday: Survivor (CBS)
Plus, it’s not just the tv watching. On Wednesday after I watch Project Runway, I try and read Tim’s Take on Bravo (although the formatting is terrible, and it didn’t used to be so bad), then I check Project Rungay throughout the week, and on Sunday or Monday I read fourfour for his take on America’s Next Top Model. By the way, even if you can’t imagine ever watching ANTM, you should read fourfour. He’s funny, and really, it’d be too bad to completely miss out on Tyra’s crazies. :)
I’m also looking forward to Pushing Daisies (ABC, starting Oct. 1) Lost, and Battlestar Galactica whenever they start. So am I missing out on any good shows? :)
It all started out innocently enough…
Yut: Too bad reheating them is a pain.
Me: Well we can eat ‘em cold or just stick ‘em in the mike!
Yut: I don’t think we can reheat eggs in the microwave.
Me: Really? Seems like it’d be ok to me.
Oops. I WUZ WRONG!!! So yeah, don’t try and reheat hard boiled eggs in the microwave. Although maybe it’s cos he didn’t peel the shells off the eggs before sticking them in. I don’t know, and I don’t think we’re gonna try it again!
But! When they’re not exploding, marbled tea eggs are delicious — they’re really good as a part of dinner (appetizer? side dish?) or snack — and easy peasy to make, which is a great combination! Maybe someone can make it and test my microwaving-is-ok-if-the-eggs-are-peeled theory, how about it? :)
Marbled Tea Eggs θΆθθ
Adapted from Chinese Home Cooking Made Easy
12 medium or large eggs
5 black tea bags or 3-5 tablespoons of black tea or oolong tea, or a mixture of both
5 star anise
1/3-1/2 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon five spice powder (optional)
1 teaspoon salt (optional)
Actually to be perfectly honest, all the amounts are random, I increased everything the cookbook said, except the eggs and salt, ’cause I like flavors, but it worked out fine. It’s a very forgiving recipe.
1. Place eggs in a pot, cover with cold water, add a little salt (optional), bring to a boil over medium high heat, boil for maybe a minute, then turn off stove and let sit for 10-12 minutes or so. I like to use older eggs for this because it makes the eggs easier to peel when eating — so buy the carton of eggs about a week before you are going to make this.
2. Drain the hot water, rinse under cold water to cool. Gently tap or roll the eggs to make cracks, but leave the shell on.
3. Place the eggs in a crock pot, slow cooker, or regular pot on the stove (whatever you like), cover with water, then add in the tea, star anise, soy sauce, five spice power if you have some, and salt if you feel like it. Bring to a boil over medium high heat and then simmer for 30 minutes minimum. (I think longer is better, personally, like 3-5 hours wouldn’t be amiss.)
4. Take off the stove, serve hot or cold. Or maybe serve hot the first day, then cold thereafter so you don’t have microwave mishaps! We reheat on the stove now. :p
Actually, this reminds me: if you go to any 7-11 in Taiwan, they’ll have a rice cooker/steamer keeping tea eggs warm for sale. Delish!
Yesterday there was a String Band competition (part of the Old Time Music Convention) and Crafts Fair going on right next to the farmer’s market. Lunch AND (fun) shopping and live music! Although the music was all banjos and whatnot, and I heard one older lady complain about the noise, so I suppose it’s personal preference; I feel like even if the music’s not my sort of thing, it makes things kinda festive.
I love crafts fairs and handmade things in general, but it’s hard to help buying something, which is really the only problem. I got this frog phone charm from a lady (Eri’s Studio) who makes metal and stone bracelets and rings (really cool stuff, I wish I brought my camera, only I didn’t know about the crafts fair ’til we got to the farmer’s market) and also knit hats of all types. Cute, and I’ve been meaning to get a new charm for my phone since the old one broke. It’s also completely one of a kind cos she said that there were way too many little pieces and she made one and decided not to make anymore. So wohahahaha! :p
Fringe premiered last night on Fox with all the right ingredients (in a way). I mean, it’s got JJ Abrams, the dude who’s producing the next Star Trek movie (although without Capt. Picard…), and who did Felicity (never watched it), Alias (didn’t like it), and Lost (sooo addictive when it’s good!). Starting next week, Fringe will have House (Oh yes!) for a lead-in, so it’ll probably do well. And the pilot was pretty good, a little like X-Files with a dash of Bones or Law & Order or something — it’s being replayed on Sunday if you missed it.
BUT (and there’s always a but, no?), there was this one part where someone needs information from someone else and OF COURSE the way to get this information was to beat his fingers with a mug. I am starting to wonder if shows on Fox have a contract where they are supposed to show some sort of torture or physical duress and have it Save Lives at least once per season. In the last season of 24 there was a scene that was so gruesome I could not watch it, but Jack got the information he needed in the time available, so I guess I’m supposed to think it was ok. Yes in Fringe, it was just a mug banged a couple of times, but really? This is ok?
The difference between Fox and other stations is especially stark because when other networks broadcast instances of torture or brutality, there are usually consequences that show that this sort of behavior isn’t ok, or doesn’t work. Like (speaking of Star Trek), when Captain Picard was captured by the Cardassians (Chain of Command, parts 1 and 2): after they realized that Picard wasn’t going to give them any strategic information, the Cardassians nevertheless kept asking him how many lights were on a particular fixture, and insisting that there were five when there were really four lights. Despite the torture, Picard truthfully said that there were four lights every time. Towards the end of the episode, he was offered a choice: the torture could stop, all he had to do was to say that there were five lights or the torture could continue, if he was obstinate. He later admitted that, “I was ready to tell him anything he wanted… anything at all.” Picard had proven his own point, that “torture has never been a reliable means of extracting information. It is ultimately self-defeating as a means of control.” Even if Picard had given them information, it would have been useless — he was ready to say that there were five lights, even though there were four.
This episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation aired in 1992, but I remember it pretty well. And I think that’s the insidious thing about the shows that are airing on Fox. They are portraying torture as a legitimate means to an end in the case of an emergency, and in the instances that I can think of, there are NO consequences for these actions, or maybe even some amount of admiration for the people willing to get their hands dirty, and Do the Hard Thing to Save Lives. Yes, it’s just a tv show, but to some degree television is a reflection on our culture, which makes this trend disturbing.
Christian Bale and Kermit the Frog, side by side (via Mad Minerva). They are both delectable, especially Kermit. :p (The side by side post itself is fine, but some of the subsequent commenters on it have avatars that are probably NSFW. Thanks to Yut for noticing this!)
We finally went to see The Dark Knight on IMAX. It was quite good, possibly the best super hero movie to date, and you know how much I liked X-Men (hello, Captain. I mean Professor X!) — although it’s been a while since I saw that so probably not a fair comparison. The only thing is that the palette for Batman is so dark that it can be hard to catch all the action (on IMAX particularly?) — I told Yut after the movie that I thought Beauty and the Beast IMAX was a better IMAX experience, but I’m not sure I convinced him. Anyways, by now, there’s been plenty said about Batman, so suffice it to say, I wasn’t disappointed. But I don’t get this PG-13, cos there were definitely parts I had a hard time watching. Or I could just be wimpy.
Last weekend, we went to Las Vegas, mostly cos Yut told me that Star Trek: The Experience was closing down September 1st and OMGWTFBBQ NOOOOOOOOO! Why would they do that?! It’s complete madness I tell ya! I don’t really consider myself a Trekkie or Trekker, having never been to a convention, or gotten dressed up, or anything like that, and well, I didn’t even know The Experience was closing ’til Yut told me, but I’m pretty sure I’ve seen every episode of The Next Generation, and I just think it’s so awesome, especially Captain Picard who is hawtness. I just can’t believe it’s not gonna be around anymore. But I’m so glad we went cos it was so fun! There were people there getting married (dude, we shoulda thought of that, but that might’ve been too much planning:p), and a couple of people dressed up in Star Fleet uniforms, and of course some aliens wandering around.
Oh yeah, and we ate a lot too. :)
