Month: February 2009

SF Trip

We went to San Francisco.  Hit China town, where we watched fortune cookies being baked and folded. It was very interesting. I had never really put much thought into how they were made. The gentleman cooking them even gave us some unfolded one right off the press. YUM.  We watched quite a few fortunes being wrapped up snug into the cookies.

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My three favorite peeps walking down the alley toward the fortune cookie makers.  As you can see the sky was overcast and a dull gray.

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sign in China town

A sign that I found interesting.

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Now We Are Cooking

Yes! the new oven/range is finally here, and installed, and it works, and it is way cool to be able to cook again in something other than a crock pot or electric skillet.
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The new stove has the control knobs in front. It is so much easier to adjust the temperature with out having to reach across a hot pot/ The old stove top’s knobs were located on the left and sometimes I would hit the top of the hot pot or skillet when reaching for them.
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Tonight I made a dish my mom usually serves Christmas morning. Yum. Having been without the stove it’s arrival felt like Christmas. And, the bill will come next month – just like Christmas LOL. Well, this is a crummy photo but here it is:
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new oven/range

new oven/range

Robbin Hood Lives On

1283:

Lytil Jhon and Robyne Hude
Wayth-men ware commendyd gude
In Yngil-wode and Barnysdale
Thai oysyd all this tyme thare trawale.

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In modern popular culture Robbin Hood is noted for “robbing the rich to give to the poor” – fighting against injustice and tyranny. Who has not watched at least one movie or cartoon featuring this figure from folklore?
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Seems Robbin Hood’s band of merry men and women are still at work. In Modesto, California anyway.
Found in the Central Valley indymedia – a Communique from the Robin Hoods no less.
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We, the Robin Hoods, take credit for providing the massive amounts of free food that was left in the Airport District park of Modesto California last week, early in the morning. The food we left ranged from rice, beans, and other staples, and was available free of charge to anyone who wished to take it. To make our intentions for the action clear, we left behind a banner at the scene which read, “Resist the Recession! – ROB THE RICH!” The food was appropriated from various capitalists – and was thus free (and very easy) to obtain.

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The whole “Communique” can be read here.
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The Robin Hood’ group appropriated food (stole?) and distributed it in a working class neighborhood in Modesto California. While I do see the humor and the kindness involved I miss the radical against the capitalists part. But . … if someone left a free bag of food on my doorstep I am not so sure that I would care where it came from other than that it was safe.
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What do you think? Is spirit of Robin Hood alive and well? Is there an innate desire for equality in us? Or, are they just a bunch of crazy extremists?
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Perhaps stealing from the rich like the Bush’s is ok? I get pissed when someone steals from me to give to who they think is more deserving, usually themselves. But, if I caught a hungry person stealing food – I am not so sure I could get that upset.
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Moral issues again.
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So to Robin Hood or not to Robin Hood – that is the question.

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Core of the Matter

It is one of the nights where I really do not have anything much to say. I have been tired this weekend and spent most of my time watching the races, reading, laying about the place. Now you would think as tired as I feel I could get to sleep at a decent time – like before 4am.
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The rain does not entice me into going outside, I don’t wanna be around a bunch of people, and my eye balls are misbehaving. So, pretty much doing nothing is it right now. I need to fix the downstairs bathroom sink. It is a pedestal type and I had to remove it from the wall in order to replace the faucet and drain pipe. Have I done it – NO . … my camera gear is in a disarranged pile on my work area right behind me and I should get all the lens etc back into the case – emmmm.. I have been using my little point n shoot Pentax to take silly pics around the house. I need to charge my D80 batteries, another on the list of chit I have not done.
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I did get off my lazy arse to look for my MP3 player. I drove myself nuts trying to figure out where the heck I had left it only to find it in Mr. Catfish’s pile of toys. LOL my dog snitched my MP4 player – I guess he likes the tunes? Maybe the bright yellow color? The battery is dead now too so he must have turned it on. Don’t snicker, both our dogs turn the television on and off and change the channels while we are gone.pinkyandmp3player
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Now once and awhile I find the urge to share secrets here – just cause. Those of you who have read this blog long enough know that I love(d) to ride motorcycles. In fact right before I had my stokes I had just purchased a new one. If I only new . … it sits in the back yard all covered up snug as a bug waiting for me to sale it.

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In 2004 I promised my docs that oh no! I would never be stupid enough to ride it! Well . …:mrgreen:

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I will spill the beans. First off, let me say, I do not ride it anymore :(. But, I did manage to get in some rides before letting go. I love to feeling when I ride. I rode the first time in 1975 and fell in love with the feeling of freedom.  I even spent some productive time working as a mechanics helper in a motorcycle shop. Ok, back to the secret. I rode it OK. My last ride was 2006 when I somehow managed to stay upright (rubber side down) and made it up to Redding to the Hog State Rally. When I arrived at my friends house I could not even get my tired arse off of it. I had blast getting there though.  The sad thing was on the way home I knew that it was my last ride. For the first time in my life I had to admit that no matter how hard I tried, no matter how much effort I put towards a goal – it was useless. Bummer.

Hog Patches

Hog Patches

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My docs would more than likely fill out one of those DMV forms if they knew I rode it, ever, at all, period. I sort of lied my way out of that one – the thought of losing my M class one my license was a super big deal to me.  Now I just count myself lucky that I can still operate my truck safely.
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In the last few years I have had more bummer moments. The past six months have brought way too many bummer moments and now this stupid MS crap. I guess having a name for all this crazy stuff is better than not, then again I am not so sure about that either.
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Instead souring around corners and pushing the velocity barrier I navigate store isles and read about others great adventures. I am going to load the MP3 of Indiana Wants Me after listening to it over at A Stellar Life It plays right after Born To Be Wild and Logical. Ever heard Scooters version of Logical?
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MS has trapped some core part of my rebel soul and it so needs to fight it’s way out.