Happy New Year!

Back in the olden days, when I lived in Banff, I was lucky enough to be able to watch fireworks usually twice a year. Once on July 1st for Dominion Day, oops sorry, make that "Canada Day" (whatever that is supposed to mean), and once more on New Years Eve.

As small town fireworks go, I think Banff's are pretty good. Nothing like the mega-fireworks I saw once in Japan but definitely somewhat awesome. One thing that makes the Banff fireworks better than most, if only in one particular aspect, is the fact that they happen in a small town which is immediately surrounded by large mountains on all sides. This results in a huge echo effect and makes the mildy spectacular visuals sound like so much more. Each boom lasts for several seconds as it bounces between the peaks and into your ears multiple times.

Also, they launch them from the recreation grounds which are right beside where I lived so I just had to step outside and I was right there. As I filmed this particluar display I noticed many small pieces of glowing paper falling from the sky all around me and when I returned home I did indeed find several bits of fallout in my hair.

The fireworks in this clip were on neither July 1st nor December 31st. They were on September 1, 2005 for a kind of celebration that happens only every hundred years or so. If you remember or can guess the occasion please post it in the comments if you like. (There is a big hint at about 3:36 into the clip.)

They are much more impressive in their original video size. Shrinking the video to put it here has robbed it of much of its visual splendor but the sound has suffered less I think. Even though the shock waves I felt that night did not even make it on to the video tape you can still get a fairly good idea of what it sounded like, echoes and all, if you listen through a good set of headphones.

I know it's nothing like the real thing live and in person but I thought I'd post it anyway. I hope you enjoy it.

Have a Happy New Year everyone!

Christmas Eve... in Japan

Christmas is very big in Japan but they definitely have put their own spin on it. They're very big on decorations and especially lights "illumination" as they call it but it's mostly done by businesses rather than individuals at home, to help promote the spending I guess. There is much eating of cake (not fruitcake) and one of the most bizarre things about Christmas in Japan is that KFC (yes that KFC) has by far its biggest day of the entire year. I have no idea why but that's the way it is. (BTW this absolutely does not apply to any other fast food chain, in case you were wondering.) You actually have to reserve your order days ahead of time and don't even think about just walking in and ordering a three piece with coleslaw, they'll just look at you like you're from another planet with a "don't you know it's Christmas day" face.

Anyway, before this gets too far out of hand I actually just wanted to share one of my favorite Christmas songs with you. This song just happened to come out the year I first went to Japan, 1983. It was wildly popular then and to this day is probably the biggest modern Japanese Christmas song ever.

I have included the Japanese lyrics written in our alphabet so you can follow along phonetically if you like. Even if you don't understand the words, it's just good music I think.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not comparing it to traditional Christmas music, just to all that new stuff we have to put up with in the malls and on the radio these days. In the realm of modern Christmas songs, I think this one more than holds its own.

Here it is,

Christmas Eve by Tatsuro Yamashita



ame wa yofuke sugi ni
yuki e to kawaru darou
silent night holy night

kitto kimi wa konai
hitori kiri no Christmas eve
silent night holy night

kokoro fukaku kimeta omoi
kanaeraresou mo nai

kanarazu konya nara
iesou na ki ga shita
silent night holy night

mada kienokoru
kimi e no omoi
yoru e to furi tsuzuku

machi kado niwa Christmas tree
gin iro no kirameki
silent night holy night

ame wa yofuke sugi ni
yuki e to kawaru darou
silent night holy night

kitto kimi wa konai
hitori kiri no Christmas eve
silent night holy night

My Six Favorite Christmas Movies

May I begin by saying that, when it comes to Christmas movies, I generally prefer the old school approach and the classics over the modern stuff. Having said that, the first two films on my list are of the latter variety. Also, TV specials such as Charlie Brown and The Grinch have been left out only because this post is about movies.

6. The Santa Clause – A modern Christmas movie with enough substance that it doesn’t need to rely solely on its Christmas theme for survival. I find this movie quite funny without resorting to potty humour and pop culture references like so many modern movies do. Add in a cocoa making elf named Judy, steel cutting tinsel and a touching ending, hey what’s not to like?

5. Christmas Vacation – Speaking of potty humour, yeah you know exactly which scene I’m thinking of without me even mentioning it don’t ya. Hey I never said I don’t enjoy the silly stuff now and then. Super-sonic snow saucers, exploding storm sewers and the usual Griswold shenanigans make for a few laughs that just by chance happen at Christmas time. This movie fills a particular niche like no other does; you just need to be in the mood for it.


4. Miracle on 34th Street – The original 1947 version. A great Christmas story with cute as a button little Natalie Wood and the real Santa Claus. The scene where Santa meets the little Dutch orphan girl gets me every time and is probably the most unexpectedly and instantly moving Christmas movie moment I have ever seen.

3. A Christmas Story – A more recent but definite classic. This movie IS Christmas from a child’s and especially a boy’s point of view. We all know it too well by now so what can I really say, except that I will watch it again, probably two or three more times, this year.




2. One Magic Christmas - Surely the least famous and least watched movie on this list. Filmed in Ontario it definitely has that made in Canada look and feel. This film has a dark side and is not always fun to watch but that is part of what makes the transformation at the end more satisfying. This movie also has a Santa, probably one of the most realistic ever, but it is not about the Santa side of Christmas. It is about the real spirit of Christmas, about love and giving, not getting. It's about forgiveness, not revenge. You may have already seen it, but if you haven’t I hope you will.

1. It’s a Wonderful Life – Although I never saw this movie as a kid I have since come to love it and think that it’s probably the best Christmas movie ever made. It has the always great Jimmy Stewart and the completely lovely and extra awesome Donna Reed.
No appearance by Santa, elves or even reindeer and one might argue that it's not really about Christmas at all. The story of George Bailey's lifetime of self sacrifice and of putting others always before himself, of how he comes to think it was all for naught and is then shown how much it has really meant to all he loves, and finally of how he receives the kindness he had always been the giver of, well what can be more Christmas like than that.

Tagged by Tanis

For this tag I am to post the fourth photo of the fourth folder in the pictures file on my computer. Hey, it sounds like it might be fun and not much work so here we go.

This ended up taking me back about 5 years (circa AD 2003) to near the beginning of my digital photo taking epoch. I had my first digital camera, a trusty Canon PowerShot S110
which is built like a tank with its all stainless steel body and still works like a charm but only takes photos of 2.1 mega-pixies or whatever they're called and has a shutter lag specially calibrated to be nearly always equal to or greater than the time it takes for an amazing shot to become yet another "dang it, just missed it" waste of memory card space. Not exactly ideal for the type of event I am about to introduce you to. Now, how about we finally get to the lucky photo, here it is. This is a photo of Paul Tracy's race car being worked on by his team mechanics at the 2003 Vancouver Champ Car race. Now I suppose I could just leave it here and be done but since I've already opened the folder and my memories of the day maybe I'll just take this opportunity to share a bit more of one of my most awesome weekends. Who is Paul Tracy you ask?

This is Paul Tracy. One of Canada's best ever big league race car drivers and the one who won this race in Vancouver and also the Championship in 2003. (Not only is he a brilliant driver but as you can see he can also sign autographs and eat cookies at the very same time.)

Here is his car all in one piece and on display.
Here is a very short and lame video clip of his car in motion.
(It's about all my little camera could muster.)


Next is another driver of note (Sebastien Bourdais) who was racing in Vancouver for the first time in his rookie season. He would go on to win the next four championships in 2004, 05, 06 and 2007. This year he moved on and up and raced in Formula One for the Torro-Rosso team. Funny enough he was the only driver who actually spoke to me that weekend. When I wished him "good luck in the race tomorrow" he actually looked at me then sincerely and appreciatively said only "thank you" but I felt very privileged and important none the less. This was just after he finished signing his autograph for the kid and just before he finished his banana.

So, yeah, I've actually conversed with a current F1 driver. Am I cool or what?

I also managed to get in a photo with the winners of the Indy Girl contest.

However this Indy Girl was nicest and therefore my favorite.

Overall it was a great weekend full of brand new sights, sounds and thrills, for me at least.

Sorry Tanis that your simple photo tag became this monster but I guess I was kind of glad to have a chance and an excuse to share just a bit of this awesome experience.

If any of you who reads this would like to continue this tag I will be looking forward to seeing and reading about your "fourth photo of the fourth folder" in the near future.

Edward and Bella – The Movie

just push Play



Yes, I went to the Twilight movie. You got a problem with that? Luckily for me my local multiplex keeps the theaters quite dark even before the movie starts so it is unlikely anyone recognized me going in, therefore no one should ever find out I went to see it. Also, this state of permanent darkness makes it impossible to read those free movie magazines that are available in the lobby.

It was a school night so the theater was not anywhere near full but there were still more than enough giggling, squealing and swooning-out-loud girls, who just HAD to discuss in their best outside voices every little thing that happened on screen, to make watching extremely frustrating for everyone else. Of course I knew this would likely be the case so I had already resigned myself and just tried to let all the distractions slide.

The actual film was perhaps not simple but it unfortunately was quite ordinary. It was definitely recognizable as the story of Twilight but it didn’t really have any of the magic and some of the characters seemed quite different from the book. Most of the minor characters were actually OK. Charlie, Carlisle, Esme, Alice, Emmit and Rosalie were fine. I was a bit disappointed that Rosalie was not a bit more beautiful because in the book she was out-of-this-world gorgeous. I didn’t find movie Rosalie to be “all that” at all and in fact found Alice to be much prettier, which ultimately works for me because I like Alice much more anyway. Jasper of course had a minor role but always acted as if he had just been dropped off in Forks from some other planet and wasn't sure about what to think about anything.

My biggest disappointment was with Edward and Bella.

Edward of the book was always in control. He was confident, smooth, always knew what to say, and had an overall suaveness that came from years and years of experience. Movie Edward seemed more like a regular 17 year old displaying at times a bit of dorkiness and general non-perfection that naturally comes with going through high school your first time, not your twentieth time.

Oh yeah, since I like to include a photo or two in my posts let me complain about one more Edward related detail….. his CAR! In the book he drove a sleek, fast, silver Volvo.
The image I had in my head was something like this, the S80, classy and elegant yet obviously a serious motor car when it needs to be.

What he drove in the movie was this, the C30 (Volvo’s entry level model)

The first time I saw it on screen I couldn’t believe it was Edward’s car, surely it was someone’s grandmother on her way to her knitting club. It was not to be, it was indeed Edward driving it.
I can picture it now, the producer calling up Volvo and ordering "whatever you have that’s silver and cheapest." (Heck as long as it's silver the fangirls won't know or care right?) That is exactly what they got, silver and cheapest. Come to think of it, it looks a lot like my silver Civic hatchback, good for me, bad for Edward.

I’ll give Edward credit, he did some impressive driving in it none the less, although the little silver bug did look a bit silly trying to look tough and cool doing one of those reverse-180°-forward getaways that we often see in movies or on the Rockford Files.

And finally Bella. Bella, Bella, Bella…
I know she wasn’t exactly the cheerleader type in the book but movie Bella took it all to a whole new level. She never smiled, always had a look and mood like she wanted to be anywhere but here and she never really made me believe she ever came to love Edward much at all. Overall a bit too cold and distant to be the Bella I knew.

I know you should “never judge a book by its movie” so it’s also unfair to expect a movie to deliver what a book can. All this considered I was only mildly satisfied with Twilight – The Movie and was mostly disappointed. I can only give it five stars out of ten.

P.S. The music up top (Claire de lune) you hopefully listened to while you were reading is from one the nicer moments in the movie. I won't spoil it any more than that but it was a nice moment in which movie Ed resembled most closely book Edward.

Fives

I've been tagged by Crystal, so here goes.

5 years ago....

1. I was still single, just like now. Yeah… let’s not go there.
2. I was living in Lethbridge. It was pretty much everything I dreamed it could be.
3. I bought a Garmin Legend GPS unit and started Geocaching. My lone surviving cache is now one of the oldest in the Lethbridge area and has been visited over 200 times. It has survived 5 years of Lethbridge weather and even one major flood. Good thing I went with an air tight container. (It’s called VB2 just in case you want to check it out.)
Here's the area normally

Here's the area flooded

4. My work sent me to New York where my boss and I were offered Letterman tickets on the street. I ended up being selected as a possible audience participant and got to spend about an hour pre show in a “green room” with the other possibles. Ended up not being chosen by Dave but got to see the show from the best seats in the Ed Sullivan Theater. Much cooler than standing in line for three hours to spend a few minutes atop the Empire State Building.
5. On the New York trip we also went to Washington DC where my boss and I were mistaken for undercover agents. I also got pooped on by a bird there so it kind of evened out.

5 Things on my list for today...

1. List? Oh THAT list! Yeah, right. Sorry, it just slipped my mind for a second.
2. So, let’s see then, I’ll be saving the world in the morning. Hopefully have that finished up early so I can beat the rush at lunch time.
3. Lunch at that delicious dim sum place in the T&T mall.
4. Afternoon in various important meetings with important people about important things.
5. Dinner and a movie later. Nope, just me.

5 snacks I enjoy…

1. Chocolate
2. Chips
3. Nachos
4. Pepperoni sticks
5. At this time of year, Mandarin Oranges (or as they call them in Japan, mikan.) They are so much better there, where they actually get a chance to ripen before they cut them off the tree. BTW I did that once too, mikan harvesting. They actually have to cut them off the tree because the stem is much stronger than the skin so if you just try an pull it off the stem doesn't break and the skin around where the stem meets the mikan rips and you are left with a dime sized hole in the skin. Next time you have a "mikan" in your hand, take a close look at the stem stump. You will see that it has been cut, not just pulled off the tree. (I wonder if it's the same with other citrus fruit.)



5 Places I've lived...

1. Grew up in Raymond. So naturally I thought every town had a fanatical and borderline unhealthy obsession with high school athletics.
2. Osaka, Japan. Mission.
3. Tochigi, Japan. Teaching English.
4. Banff. To continue with the Japanese thing.
5. Calgary. Here and now.

5 jobs I have had...

1. Paper Boy. From grade 3 until forever it seemed.
2. Raymond Mercantile Hardware store.
3. English Teacher in Japan.
4. Dining room porter at the Banff Springs Hotel. Spent the evening running back and forth between the kitchen and dining room carrying entrees, often 16 plates and covers at a time. Never dropped anyone’s dinner, luckily. There was this one time though when I was wheeling a huge stack of about 300 coffee cups and the cart’s wheels caught on the threshold of the dining room door and I dumped them all in a crash that sounded so much like “you’re fired” but in the end I wasn’t and after picking up all the pieces it turned out that only about 15 were broken so I guess I was lucky.
5. Tour Guide in Banff for Japanese tourists.

5 Things I would do if I had a million dollars...

1. I’d buy a house, furniture, and a couple of cars and bikes for the garage.
2. I would travel.
3. I would be generous with some of it, cause that’s always fun.
4. Probably wouldn’t be any left over for numbers 4 and 5 so sorry about that.
5. This being tagged stuff is a lot of work!

The Remains of the Day

It would be my first Halloween not spent in Banff in many years so I was looking forward to handing out lots of treats to all the little Jokers and Sarah Palins who would shirley be knocking on my door. Banff, being the tourist trap it is, is full of single service industry workers and doesn't have many families with kids that age and the families that do have them tend to be concentrated in a certain area of town. Long story short, I never got trick or treaters in Banff.

I didn't get around to carving a pumpkin but I hung a string of miniature jack-o-lantern lights outside my door so that any potential candy scavenger would know they could find some here.
By 5:00 pm everything was set and I was ready to begin the handouts. I took a before photo of the candy pile and figured I would take an after photo at the end to get an idea of how much had gone out.


My first customers were a brother and sister who had scary makeup on and the boy was wearing some ragged clothes but the little girl was wearing a fairly standard Disney princess outift. I was curious as to just what she was pretending to be and wanted to ask her and decided it would be better to ask if she was a princess rather than ask if she was a monster of some kind just in case the scary vibe was accidental. She then informed me that she was indeed a princess but she was not Belle or Ariel or Pocahontas or Cinderella or Snow White or Jasmin or Giselle or even Jafar.
She was a zombie princess. ...I must have missed that movie.
BTW her brother was a zombie as well but not a zombie prince, just a plain old zombie.

It turned out that she was the best dressed of all my visitors. I only had seven more after the first two for grand total of nine. Didn't even make it to double digits. Only about half of them bothered to wear a costume so that means 4.5 of them did not.

Talk about disappointing! I moved away from Banff for this?
Of course I realize that the area I live in has a high percentage of people who may never have heard of Halloween or for one reason or another don't participate... so, whatever.

So rather than upload an after photo of the candy pile and use up a bit more of my allotment of cyber space I will just refer you to the before photo once again because I'm sure you couldn't tell the difference anyway.


P.S. The title of this post is also the name of a fine movie starring Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson, in case you were wondering.

The Librarian

Update Nov 1 - As Halloween has passed, the bat and ghosts who are mentioned below and who were haunting my blog have gone away. Hopefully they will return again next year.

Oh no! My blog has become overrun with scary critters. They have made it knownst to me that they intend to loiter in the general area until Halloween or until they get bored beyond reason, whichever comes first.

I have named the cute little bat Alice, after my favorite vampire and Ed's sister. Most of you will be able to see only her. That is actually a very good thing indeed.

For those of you who can also see two ghastly white, or maybe I ought better say, somewhat pasty, even skim milk translucent and completely stereotypical ghosts, you must beware. For only those rare few of you who possess The Sixth Sense™ or who are telepathetic will be able to see these two foul creatures.

Though they may seem friendly, in a Caspery sort of way, their intentions are genuinely sinister, of that you may be sure. They may at any moment when you're not watching, leap from your monitor, unbeknownst to you, and take up residence in your very own home and become your personal poltergeists.

Basically this would mean more unexplained noises, faint creaks and cracklings you have never noticed before.
It would mean finding keys which were positively hanged on their very own hook somehow appearing, only after much searching, in the pocket of the jacket you hadn't worn since... the last time you drove your car.
It would mean coming home to find that your computer had somehow restarted itself for no good reason, and that you have new updates installed and everything is running just a bit more slowly than before.
It would mean..... finding those dark corners and dimly lit spaces of your home, which were previously unspooky, now a bit more creepy and somehow occupied, by someone or something... even when you know no one is home but you.
It would mean unexpectedly waking in the deepest hours of the night only to, from under your covers, just catch a glimpse of a doomed face in the dark recesses of a closet left open...

Basically you'd be in for all the classic haunted house shenanigans, but only if you have seen the two ghosts.
Don't worry though, I haven't talked to anyone yet who can see them so you probably don't have anything to worry about.



Have a Happy Halloween!

GYUNYU (milk)

This post is coming to you from the farthest reaches of left field, near the base of the foul pole but on the side that makes the batter happy. It may not be suitable for the faint of heart or for those unwilling or unable to tolerate lactose.

Lately, in a small effort to be um… not so fat, I have taken to drinking 1% milk. For the longest time I had been sticking with 2% feeling like I was already making a significant sacrifice by staying away from the real stuff.

Tangent A - Just for the record, I did try that skim milk stuff once but got a sneaking suspicion that all was not right within the carton. As one who has experience in actually milking cows and skimming the cream off the top then drinking the milk I don't remember it tasting quite like that. My fears were recently confirmed by an episode of “How it’s Made” on the Discovery Channel where they showed where skim milk comes from.

First they get a liter of that lukewarm water from one of those ancient white porcelain drinking fountains often found in public schools and maximum security prisons. You know, the water whose taste contains a hint of lead pipe mixed with just the faintest note of asbestos and basically just tastes like teen spirit©.
Next, into this liter of essence of spit valve they drop one piece of left over white chalk. Not a whole piece though, oh no. Apparently that would give the finished product a bit too much of a creamy taste so they use the tiny bits that are no longer usable to write with, and just one piece per liter. By recycling these bits of previously discarded chalk the skim milk people receive double satisfaction in that they are turning the concoction mildly whitish, in an obviously translucent definitely non-opaque kind of way, while still faithfully maintaining the stale and unrelentingly weak flavour of the water as well as somehow helping, I mean hurting (I think) global warming. They also often like to smugly point out that they have been recycling the leftover bits of chalk into this so called "skim milk" since way before global warming became trendy. Now back to the main story…

I’ve noticed the 3.25% or whole milk section of the supermarket getting smaller and smaller all the time. Even the old standard 2% seems to be losing space to 1% and that dissolved chalk stuff. Sometimes I even feel guilty reaching for my 2% when everyone else is taking the 1% or less and all the while giving me that healthier than thou, are you seriously buying that, slightly raised left eyebrow face.

A few days ago I was really craving some good old fashioned dairy fat so I decided to risk my 2% reputation and go for a liter of the 3.25% in the lovely red carton. No pink or yellow for me today, I’m going for broke. I pushed my mini (single loser person) cart over to the milk fridge and was pretending to peruse the attributes of the various whipping creams. Then, when no one was looking I grabbed a carton of whole milk with a certain quickness that would have made Batman, or possibly even Superman, proud. I hid it under a dozen large eggs and a bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos and made a break for the self-serve check out. (No cashier would see me and I even paid cash so there would be no way anyone could trace that carton of whole milk to me.) As far as any of my fellow shoppers know I’m still a loyal 2% no, wait… I mean 1% guy.

When I finally got it home I immediately put it in the fridge to bring it down to optimum temperature and then later, with a couple of oatmeal cookies on the side I poured me a glass of forgotten glory into a traditionally shaped slightly tapered medium thickness glass (it just tastes best that way) and returned to heaven. I must say that it was well worth the risk and adventure. It really does taste different and so much better.


I know many of you have worked your way down to 1% or even skim milk and have convinced yourself that you don’t miss the taste of real thing and I know that the dissolved chalk is supposedly better for you and all that but I would invite you to, on some distant special occasion, risk the condescending glare of your fellow shoppers and buy a quart of the real stuff and let it take you back to the days when milk was delivered in big glass bottles and when you opened one, you could find just a taste of cream stuck to the underside of the cardboard paper lid. (OK maybe that far back is pushing it but you get the idea right?)

THE END

The preceding post may or may not have been brought to you by the Dairy Farmers of Alberta. It is offered to hopefully provide you with a small chuckle or at least a mild distraction for a few minutes. Don’t take it too seriously. As always, thanks for reading.

Haven't you always wanted to...

...listen in on the conversations between the pilot and the air traffic controllers when you were flying somewhere. (Hey get your finger off that mouse button and keep reading. That Youtube video will still be there after you've read all the way to the end of this post.)
Well here's your chance. I was down by the old YYC the other day and happened to have my little camera and scanner with me so I thought I'd turn them both on at the same time and see what happened. The video clip below is the result.

This is my awesome little scanner. An Icom™ IC-R2. It's a tiny little thing, only 4 inches tall not including the antenna, but it's got inner bigness.

I've had it for about ten years and used to use it in my work to accurately inform myself of the arrivals and departures of my clients at YYC. Of course there are monitors all over the place in the airport which supposedly tell you the arrival and departure times but I learned so long ago that they are not always faithfully updated and, to put it bluntly, were often full of... inaccuracies.

I was going to post just the video but I decided that it might be slightly less boring if i gave a bit of color commentary about what you are hearing, just in case you don't understand it all. This seemingly small decision will no doubt turn this into probably my longest post ever. Oh well! You will find the commentary below the video clip.

OK, so first we see a little rubber band powered plane coming in to land on runway 34 from let’s say… Moose Jaw. As soon as it’s past the threshold of 34 the tower tells Westjet 255 to line up into position on 34 and “be ready for an immediate” takeoff. (‘cause there is another plane coming in to land on runway 28 that he needs to be out of the way for.) (Runways 34 and 28 are intersecting runways which can be used at the same time, just not at the exact same time at the intersection for obvious reasons.) Tower then tells that other plane approaching runway 28 (Empress 467) to slow “back to final approach speed now please”. (This will give Westjet 255 a bit more breathing room to take off in time.) Empress 467 acknowledges.
We see Westjet 255 moving into position on 34.

Tower tells propeller boy to expedite off the runway onto exit C3 and to contact “south ground on frequency 121.9” (a different guy who controls the traffic between the terminal and the runways)
Tower then gives a heads up to Empress 467 that a 737 will be rolling (taking off) from 34 as he is coming in to land but that Westjet will be through the intersection of 34 and 28 when he is about a mile from the threshold of runway 28 so not to worry and that he is cleared to land on 28.

Another plane coming in to land on 34 begins to contact the tower when propeller boy just gets off the runway and the tower has to interrupt (step on) him in order to give Westjet 255 takeoff clearance so he will be away before Empress 467 lands on 28.
Tower tells Westjet 255 the wind is calm, to contact departure (yet another ATC) on frequency 119.8 when airborn and that he is cleared for immediate takeoff. (Immediate because another plane (Empress 467) is only 3 miles from the threshold of runway 28.)
Westjet 255 reads back the instructions and says good day. We then see WS 255 power up and start rolling.

Previously stepped on Air Canada 216 contacts the tower again to inform him they are coming in to land on 34. Tower tells him he is number two for the field (one other plane to land before him on 28, our good friend Empress 467) and to slow to final approach speed.
Tower tells AC 216 that the 737 landing before him on 28 will be through the intersection of the runways when he is short final and that he is clear to land on 34.
After a short wait we see AC 216 (from Vancouver) coming in to land on 34.
As we see AC 216 landing tower is talking to Empress 467, who has landed and is safely through the intersection, about where to exit the runway. There is a bit of confusion due to the tower assuming they were heading somewhere other than the terminal but it gets cleared up and ends with Empress 467 telling tower they are going to the terminal and gate D44.

Tower tells the most recently landed AC 216 to exit the runway at C4 and to contact the north side ground controller on frequency 25.35 (all the frequencies they use are in the one hundreds, so sometimes they just say 25.35 instead of 125.35)

Finally we see a just taken off Westjet 515 and hear him contacting the “departures” controller to give his current altitude 4800 ft and that he is climbing to 7000 ft. Departures tells him that he has been identified on the radar and gives him his next heading and clearance (when he reaches 6500 ft) to make a right turn and start climbing to flight level 250 which is 25,000 feet. The end!

Now wasn't that the most fun you've had in years!

Guess the movie! (again)

I figured it was about time for another quiz. It's another movie quiz but this will be a little different from the last one. I'll still be asking you to name the movie but this time instead of a quote, the hint will be a song or piece of music that is on the movie's soundtrack.
A couple of them might be very easy, others may be quite hard. I will be much impressed if anyone can answer them all.

Something else different from last time, sorry but there aren't any prizes this time, just a smug sense of superiority over those who didn't get as many right as you did, haha.

Please put your answers in the comments section. You don't even need an account. Just select anonymous and comment away.

Even if you don't want to play, there is some excellent music to be heard. I especially like numbers one, three and five.

Good luck!


One

Two

Three

Four

Five


P.S. The answers will be appearing in the comments so... just make sure you've decided on yours before you go there.

Pushing Daisies

So the other day I was at the local Try-n-Save in order to replenish my dwindling supply of instant ramen (BTW there is such a thing as non-instant ramen and it's way awesomer), super-extreme size Doritos and criminally over priced razor blades when I just happened to find myself in the electronics section browsing the DVD aisles. Actually this has become a fairly standard routine on my visits there. I just like to browse and see what's new or maybe find an under-appreciated movie that didn't sell well and has been banished to the $5 bin now finding itself stuck between The Four Minute Ab Workout and The Land Before Time-Part 17.



Anyway, while looking through the New Releases (shouldn't that be "Newly Released") section I noticed Season One of "Pushing Daisies". I had never seen this show but remembered hearing good things about it and decided to buy it blind just on a hunch. I am so glad I did and I'll tell you why in a minute.

I've never been a huge fan of the "big three" types of TV shows. You know, the ones that revolve around cops, lawyers or hospitals.
There are so many already and they just seem to be pumping out more every day. Did you hear they are coming out with Law and Order SUX and CSI Boise. They have apparently run out of hospitals in the US to base Doctor shows on so the next one is going to be shot in Calgary and be called "Foothills Emergency - Take a Number and Shut Up".
I mean they're alright I suppose but there have got to be other areas of the human existence that could also be explored.

Recently my kind of TV shows have included:
Arrested Development
The Office (UK)
The Office (US)
Extras
Wonderfalls
and now Pushing Daisies

Pushing Daisies is unlike anything I've seen before. It's about a pie maker who can bring dead things back to life by touching them but if he touches them a second time they are dead again forever. It sounds kinda weird I know and it is. But it is much more also. It's original, witty, warm, funny, sweet, and leaves you feeling good at the end; rather than feeling like you've just had your "tolerance for evil and sleaze" envelope pushed ever further.
I ended up watching all nine episodes of the shortened first season in just three days and now I am totally hooked.

It's not a mainstream show for sure so you may not like it as I do but if you're looking for a new show to watch on Wednesday nights you might want to give it a chance. It actually airs on Tuesdays as well in Canada on the ACCESS channel.

The season two premiere is tonight in Canada on ACCESS and tomorrow (Wednesday Oct 1) on ABC.


P.S. If you are interested, I would highly recommend renting season one to get caught up as the storyline is continued and develops from episode to episode.

Things I’ve done

(borrowed from another blog)

The one's I've done are in bold type.

1. Touched an iceberg (at Berg Lake, beside Mt. Robson)

2. Slept under the stars
3. Been a part of a hockey fight
4. Changed a baby’s diaper (9 younger siblings)
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Swam with wild dolphins
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a tarantula
10. Said “I love you” and meant it
11. Bungee jumped (twice)
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise
15. Seen the Northern Lights
16. Gone to a huge sports game
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
19. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Bet on a winning horse
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Taken an ice cold bath
28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Ridden a roller coaster
31. Hit a home run
32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
33. Adopted an accent for fun
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment
36. Loved your job 90% of the time
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Watched wild whales
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach
41. Gone sky diving
42. Visited Ireland
43. Ever bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Russia
45. Bench-pressed your own weight
46. Milked a cow
47. Alphabetized your personal files
48. Ever worn a superhero costume
49. Sung karaoke (I've lived in Japan, it's mandatory there)
50. Lounged around in bed all day
51. Gone scuba diving
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Done something you should regret, but don’t
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Been in a movie (if a Japanese TV drama counts)

Here are four of the actors who were in it

Check out the awesome 1990 ski wear

60. Gone without food for 3 days
61. Made cookies from scratch
62. Won first prize in a costume contest
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Been in a combat zone
65. Spoken more than one language fluently (see #49)
66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone
67. Bounced a check
68. Read - and understood - your credit report
69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy
70. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
71. Called or written your Congress person
72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
73. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
74. Helped an animal give birth
75. Been fired or laid off from a job
76. Won money
77. Broken a bone (right leg jumping off furniture when I was 7)
78. Ridden a motorcycle
79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph (see# 78)
80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
83. Eaten sushi (that whole lived in Japan thing again)
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read The Bible cover to cover
86. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
87. Gotten someone fired for their actions
88. Gone back to school
89. Changed your name
90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands
91. Eaten fried green tomatoes
92. Read the Iliad
93. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
94. Taught yourself an art from scratch
95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
97. Been elected to public office
98. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
99. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
101. Had a booth at a street fair
102. Dyed your hair
103. Been a DJ
104. Rocked a baby to sleep
105. Dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all fours
106. Raked your carpet (we had green shag carpet complete with carpet rake when I was a kid)
107. Brought out the best in people
108. Brought out the worst in people
109. Worn a mood ring
110. Ridden a horse (meh!)
111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap
112. Cooked a dish where four people asked for the recipe
113. Buried a child
114. Gone to a Broadway (or equivalent to your country) play
115. Been inside the pyramids
116. Shot a basketball into a basket
117. Danced at a disco
118. Played in a band (trumpet)
119. Shot a bird
120. Gone to an arboretum (Had to look up the word but, yes)
121. Tutored someone (taught English in Japan)
122. Ridden a train
123. Brought an old fad back into style
124. Eaten caviar
125. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn’t need
126. Ridden a giraffe or elephant
127. Published a book
128. Pieced a quilt
129. Lived in a historic place
130. Acted in a play or performed on a stage
132. Made a hole-in-one
133. Gone deep sea fishing
134. Gone roller skating
135. Run a marathon
136. Learned to surf
137. Invented something
138. Flown first class (business but not first)
139. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite (not on my dime but yes)
140. Flown in a helicopter
141. Visited Africa
142. Sang a solo (although not where anyone could hear me)
143. Gone spelunking
144. Learned how to take a compliment
145. Written a love-story
146. Seen Michelangelo’s David
147. Had your portrait painted
148. Written a fan letter (not telling)
149. Spent the night in something haunted
150. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane
151. Ran away
152. Learned to juggle
153. Been a boss
154. Sat on a jury
155. Lied about your weight
156. Gone on a diet
157. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget
158. Written a poem
159. Carried your lunch in a lunchbox
160. Gotten food poisoning
161. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission
162. Hiked the Grand Canyon
163. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks
164. Gone to the opera
165. Gotten a letter from someone famous
166. Worn knickers
167. Ridden in a limousine
168. Attended the Olympics
169. Can hula or waltz
170. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books
171. Been stuck in an elevator
172. Had a revelatory dream
173. Thought you might crash in an airplane
174. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert
175. Saved someone’s life
176. Eaten raw whale
177. Know how to tat, smock or do needlepoint
178. Laughed till your side hurt
179. Straddled the equator
180. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing
181. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival
182. Sent a message in a bottle
183. Spent the night in a hostel
184. Been a cashier
185. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
186. Joined a union
187. Donated blood or plasma
188. Built a campfire
189. Kept a blog
190. Had hives
191. Worn custom made shoes or boots
192. Made a PowerPoint presentation
193. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course
194. Served at a soup kitchen
195. Conquered the Rubik’s cube
196. Know CPR
197. Ridden in or owned a convertible
198. Found a long lost friend
199. Helped solve a crime
200. Responded to a NJP newsletter (I don't know what that is)

Movie Theaters & Ghost Town

On friday I went to the movies for only the third time this year.
On my first two outings I saw Wall-E and The Dark Knight, both of which were pretty good but somewhat over-rated in my humble opinion.
I used to go out to the cinema much more often but lately I have found myself waiting for the DVD to come out and watching movies at home.
A few of the reasons for this change are:
- The ridiculous price of the snacks. I honestly don't mind paying $12 or $13 for admission because I realize that making films costs a lot of money. However, the price for a large popcorn and drink at my local googleplex is now (I checked) $12.50, for what is probably 17¢ worth of syrup and corn kernels. It's truly mind boggling to me how they can charge so much and baffling to me that there are still so many people who are willing to pay it. I figure, for the price of admission, popcorn and a drink I can own the movie on DVD later and still have a buck or two left over.
- The manners, or lack thereof, of my fellow movie goers. People talking, letting their phones ring, answering their phones, proceeding to have a conversation on their phones, texting, checking e-mail, talking, kicking the back of my seat, putting their feet up on the empty seat beside me. (Sometimes you can still smell the dog poo they stepped in, not that same day of course but about a week prior and it's still just barely lingering if you know what I mean.) Did I mention talking?
- Then there's the candy noise, or should I say wrapper noise. It always seems to happen just at that moment in the movie when the tension is highest, the major twist is about to be revealed, and you could have heard a pin drop, if it weren't for the guy who chooses that exact moment to rummage frantically for his last M&M while he simultaneously sucks in about three litres of air from between the remaining ice cubes at the bottom of his drink which hasn't actually contained any real liquid for the last half hour. It still amazes me to this day that such thin and seemingly delicate plastic can make such a noise as to fill the entire theater with ear piercing snaps, crackles and pops that would surely put those Rice Krispy elves to shame.
- I'm sure there are more reasons but that is what comes to mind at the moment. In the old days having people, who ranged from mildy inconsiderate to just plain rude, ruin the movie was a fairly rare experience but it seems nowadays it happens literally nearly every single time. So I tend to go less often.

Anyway, back to the real reason for and topic of this post. (And here I thought my last post got away from me.)

The movie I saw this time is called Ghost Town. You may wonder why I chose this one to see on only my third outing of the year. Basically I wanted to see it because I'm a Ricky Gervais fan. You may not have ever seen him or heard of him but if you have ever seen the show "The Office" he is the one who started it all. The American version with Steve Carell is of course a remake of Gervais' original British version. I'm a big fan of both and also liked Gervais' next project called "Extras".
I was hoping to see more of his particular brand of humor and wasn't disappointed. I will admit that some people don't care for him much but that is bound to happen when someone is doing something that noone else really does in the same way at all.

This is a romantic comedy but don't let that put you off. Also, I know movie trailers often contain the best bits of the whole movie but that is definitely not the case for Ghost Town. It is much better than the trailer lets on. I won't spoil anything for you but if you like comedy that's quick witted and razor sharp, thanks to Gervais' unmatched delivery and his impeccable timing along with some genuinely touching moments, you might want to give this a try. It's not the greatest movie of all time by any means but I quite enjoyed it and think you might want to consider it as well.
At the very least, see it once it comes out on DVD.

P.S. I'm not the only one who liked it either. As of now it's at 87% on Rottentomatoes.com which is significantly better than all seven of the movies that outsold it at the box office this weekend.

...you got that hair slicked back and those Wayfarers on Baby...

Sometimes, no, lots of times, I think it would be nice to live someplace where summer lasts for more than just two short months...

No, I haven't actually been anywhere lately.
These pictures are from four years ago when I was on a business trip and just happened to have a free weekend in Miami Beach.
I just figured that since I don't have much else to post about right now plus the fact that I don't really recall telling anyone much about this trip at the time, I might as well use these pictures for a sort of end-of-summer post now.

It was hot, humid (in the best kind of way) and just all around tropical there. Even the rain was warm...
(Yes I realize it's so not raining in this picture but I was just sayin' when it did, it was.)

I stayed at the Ramada..... and this ain't it!

I got to see a Champcar (Indycar) race there as well. Talk about good timing. Ultimate awesomeness!

I'm definitely looking forward to my next "blue sky holiday"... whenever that may be.

P.S. I began this entry with the simple intention of posting my own personal favorite end-of-summer song and leaving it at that. After doing that though, my previous (and month old) "Breaking Dawn" post was still right up there with it (seemingly refusing to give up the number one spot and begin its journey downward into blog oblivion) so I decided to look for a couple of photos to add just to push BD out of the picture a little farther. Then I realized I would have to add explanation for the pictures and then came the addition of the DJ Sammy version of Boys of Summer and it all just kind of got away from me. Oh well.

Also, I just realized that neither I nor anyone else I know is in any of the pictures so who's to say I didn't just pull them randomly off the internet and then made up the whole went-to-Miami story. The fact that both versions are plausible is proof, though unintentionally and accidentally provided, of a heretofore unmentioned yet ultimately inescapable lameness which, I admit, did indeed loom over the entire adventure. I'm not saying it wasn't awesome. I'm just saying that I am perfectly aware that it could have been SO much better.

Breaking Dawn

version 1.1 (updated)

Spoilers? Absolutely!

Finally it’s time to find out how it all ends.
I must admit it is rare for me to get hooked into any type of book series, let alone one written for and read by mostly young girls, but the first Twilight book (thanks Krissy) got me completely absorbed into Bella and Edward’s (notice I didn’t include the Jword) story and after finishing it I had no choice but to continue reading from there. I just had to know how the story would unfold and how it would end.

Eclipse ends with Bella and Edward getting engaged and that Jared or John-Boy or whatever his name is finally getting a clue and taking off running like Forrest Gump; yet another passive aggressive stunt to try to make Bella sorry and love him more than Edward if you ask me. We all remember his ultimate manipulation “kiss me or I’ll kill myself” right?

Breaking Dawn starts out well. Edward and Bella are getting ready for their wedding and J-dog is still out jogging or whatever. The happy day arrives and everything is looking like it will go off without a hitch but wouldn’t you know it Mr. Homewrecker his own self shows up at the wedding and manages to upset Bella within seconds, he’s truly talented that way you know. It’s not just Jcub though. Even after she is married to Edward, Bella continues to call the Jword her best friend in the whole wide world and is constantly bringing him up in conversations, telling him she loves him and is basically so not over him the way she ought to be. Edward suffers quietly through all this of course because he just wants her to be happy.

Bella somehow gets pregnant but the baby is killing her from the inside. This turns Edward and Jelly donut into allies with the common goal of getting the little monster out of Bella and killing it before it’s too late but she’s not having any of that thank you very much.
Bella starts her blood diet, gets a little better, and baby is um… born. (In case you haven’t seen the movie "Alien" yet, don’t bother now. It’s like an episode of Dora compared to this scene.)
Edward then has no choice except to immediately turn Bella into a vampire to save her.

Turns out the new family of three is all hugs and kisses and Justin feels betrayed, angry and is now suddenly all set to destroy the newborn baby. (Yet another shining example of his unselfish nature, showing that he, like Edward, only wants to make Bella happy. OOPS! Maybe not.) However, just as he moves in for the kill he conveniently “imprints” on Bella’s newborn girl, yup that same baby she herself hasn’t even held yet .
If I may now take this opportunity to quote any random teenage girl and say “EWWW” that’s just not right. Although I am so happy that Jason has finally given up on Bella, having him obsessed with her baby is exactly the next worse thing to me. I truly wanted him out of their lives but it is just never going to be. Baby Renesmee does call Edward Daddy once in the book but other than that she is pretty much J and Bella’s kid now. Yuck! Other than this unrelentingly disappointing but unfortunately not unexpected portion of the story the rest is excellent and finishes up nicely.

The other Cullens all play significant roles and my personal favorite, sweet little Alice does disappear at one point and has seemingly run off with Jasper to escape the horrible fate of the others. I wasn’t worried for a second, the Alice I know would never abandon the ones she loves and I knew she would be back in the end and help save the day (which she does) even if some of her own family had doubts.

There is no down time in this book. It kept my interest throughout with lots of twists and things going on. The ending, was definitely happy. After I finished reading I went on the internet to see what others thought of it. I was surprised to see many negative reviews. People complaining that vampires can’t make babies or that not enough people died, the ending was too happy etc.

Of course I can and do appreciate bitter sweet or sad endings as well. Even now after reading the complete story I must admit that my favorite or maybe I should say most memorable part, the one that affected me most was the description of Bella's realization that Edward had truly and completely abandoned her in New Moon.

Overall though it was so nice to be able to escape into Ms. Meyer’s world for a few hours and experience a beautiful story and a genuinely happy ending for a change. It is a world easy to get lost in, which makes it all that much sweeter.

It’s game over man, it’s game over!

Aye, the time is up, the hunt has ended.
Though surely I hid it well, my treasure has been discovered.
Four brave crews unlocked the clues and with seeming ease flew over oceans and across continents. They traveled virtually to the far side of the world.
Finally in Egypt, at the Great Pyramid of Giza they found my treasure.
Well done my virtual pirates!

The prodigious pillagers and/or plunderers are:

Raymond’s Raiders (Happy Birthday Ray!)
Shane’s Scallywags
Kendall’s Knaves
Michael’s Marauders

(Since there were only four entries and I made five prizes everybody wins, just like in kindergarten. Actually I never went to kindergarten but I’ve heard the rumors. Next time I’ll try to curb my enthusiasm a bit more I guess.)

Now as for your reward, though the hunt was virtual, the treasure is real.
Each brave crew will receive one of the treasure chests you see below.

Each is equally filled to overflowing with spectacular treasure much less glorious than any mere mortal could ever imagine.
As for the actual contents… you don’t think I’d spoil it for you now do you? You’ll have to wait until you open the chest to discover the wondrous loot. (As was implied above, actual loot may not be so wondrous.)

Just a hint though, for your imagination. The chests themselves be made of the most rare and precious, oh I dunno, let’s say… pine. They were gifts from my good friend and the best pirate you’ve ever heard of, Captain Jack Sparrow. Inside them ye shall find all manner of genuine zero carat golden goodies and delicious gemstone-like treasures that’ll make your eyes widen and your mouth water. They be the spoils of years of high-seas conquests hard fought and won. That plus some standing in line at Wal-Mart.
I hope it will be a satisfactory prize for your valiant efforts.

So until next time thanks everyone for playing. I hope you enjoy your well earned reward.


Yours truly,
Bob Loblaw (the dread pirate)

P.S. Ray, I’ll send yours in the mail. I will deliver everyone else’s myself.

Virtual Treasure Hunt

I, the dread pirate Bob Loblaw, have hidden a great and wondrous treasure, somewhere on the planet.
(Disclaimer: actual treasure may not be so great and is not really hidden)

If you can guess where it is, you might earn a share of it.

The answer is simple. Below are the latitude and longitude coordinates (in degrees, minutes and seconds) of the hiding place.

A B° C D’ E F” North G H° I J’ K L” East

Each letter represents a single digit and the answer to one of twelve questions. Plug in the answers and you will have the coordinates. Once you have them, you can locate the place by using Google Earth. Start Google Earth and move the cursor and gradually zoom in until you have found the spot. In Google Earth the coordinates are shown in the lower left corner of the screen and you will notice them change when you move the cursor.
(Google Earth carries the seconds to two decimal places eg. 12°34’56.78”. Don’t worry about the last two digits after the decimal; you won’t need to be that accurate.)

The questions are all from the movie Toy Story. You will probably need to watch it closely to get the answers. The questions are in chronological order so the answers will be revealed in the same order as the questions so there is no need to look for more than one answer at a time. Here are the questions.

A. When Andy shakes Hamm (the piggy bank) how many pennies fall out?

B. Immediately after the last army man slides down the skip rope, how many men are shown at the base of the rope?

C. How many points does Woody’s sheriff’s badge have?

D. What is the number on the billiard ball that falls between the table and the wall?

E. How many headlights (not including yellow fog lights) are on the semi trailer truck that pulls into the gas station?

F. How many “rocket rides” are there in the Pizza Planet arcade? (like the coin operated horse rides at a mall)

G. How many toy heads are floating in the Lava lamp in Sid’s room?

H. How many flowers are on the hat that Hannah puts on Buzz’s head?

I. When Woody is trapped under the crate there is a book titled “Improvised Interrogation Handbook”. What is the last digit of the code at the top of the book which begins TM 31-21__?

J. How many orange stripes are visible on one side of the road block/construction barrier which is next to Buzz when he has the rocket strapped to him?

K. After Buzz and Woody detach from the rocket they fall with style past some power lines and scare three birds away. How many birds are left sitting on the lines?

L. How many upstairs windows are there on the street side of Andy’s new house?

When you get the answer, please leave a comment here that you figured it out but do not post the answer here. Please e-mail it to me instead so we can keep the secret to the end of the game. This contest is open to anyone who knows my e-mail address or knows someone they can get it from.

I will send out equal parts of the treasure to five who come up with the correct answer. If there are more people than that who get the right answer the five will be selected randomly from among those who got it correct. The game will end on Sunday June 29.

Remember to e-mail me the answer and to not post it here thanks.

So, where is the treasure?

Good luck and thanks for playing.

The GYOZA

Well, I guess it was inevitable. Until recently they were mainly known only to Asian food lovers and RMs but it seems mainsteam North America has finally discovered Gyoza. You know something has really arrived when Costco starts selling it right!

First a little history. When I first went to Japan all those years ago everything was new, the country, the language, the food, everything.
Although I soon became accustomed to Japanese food, at first everything seemed weird, slimy, smelly or all of the above.
One of the first foods we quickly learned to rely on was Gyoza.
They were delicious, cheap, filling, and didn't have any funky ingredients to worry about.
(Over here they are often sold under the name "Potstickers" for some silly reason.)

Anyway there were many Gyoza places, especially around Osaka where I was, where you could get one "line" (6 pieces) of Gyoza for about $1.20.
It took about 4 lines (24) and a bowl of rice to fill me up then. I don't need quite so many nowadays.

About a week ago I was at KJAMBD's home and Kendall made some nice sushi and Meg brought over some wings and some of these gyoza-ish dumpling's that she had bought at Costco I believe. They were good and all but nothing like the real thing.

Originally Gyoza came from China. But like many foods that came from other places, the Japanese improved on the original.
You've probably seen and maybe tried the "dumplings" at a Chinese buffet. So have I, at many places. They are never very good. I have never found any to compare to the Japanese version of fried Gyoza. So, just in case you feel you may be ready for "The Gyoza", please don't settle for any substandard version you can buy here and there. Making them yourself is easy and they are so so much better. Here is what you'll need:

1 pkg. - gyoza skins (aprox. 70)


1 lb. - ground pork
3/4 - 1 head - cabbage
1 bunch – green onions
2 - eggs
3 cloves – garlic
1 section (2 inches) – ginger
3 TBSP – mirin (rice cooking wine)
3 TBSP – soy sauce (Japanese style)
1 TBSP – sesame oil

Peanut oil to fry in

Dipping sauce
1 part rice vinegar
1 part soy sauce
few drops of La-yu oil to taste

-First cut up cabbage just small enough to enable boiling in a pot for a couple of minutes to soften it up. Remove and cool under cold water. Then squeeze out as much water as you can from it.
-Chop up into fine bits
-Chop up 6 to 8 green onions finely
-beat eggs lightly
-Grate garlic and ginger into paste
-Combine ingredients also add mirin, soy sauce, sesame oil and some salt and pepper
-Mix well with hands until well mixed and redundant
-Cover and let marinate in fridge for one hour

Assembly
You'll need the gyoza goo, skins, a spoon and a small bowl of water
(This goes much quicker if you have two or three people to help)

Lay one skin in your baseball glove hand, scoop out about 1 TBSP of goo (or as much as you can fit and still close the thing) and place in center of skin.


Dip any available finger of baseball throwing hand into water and transfer wet to edge of half of gyoza skin (this will make the two sides stick when you close it up.)
While making a few folds in near edge close up gyoza. Done.
(This part takes a little practice but I would be glad to show you in person if you like)

Finished gyoza should be covered immediately as skins are quite thin and will dry out if left out too long.
Any gyoza not to be cooked presently should be frozen raw until use. Sprinkle surface with corn starch so they don't stick.


Cooking
Use large frying pan with well fitting lid
-Spray with Pam or one of her friends
-Add a little peanut oil for flavour (other oil will do but slighty lamer)
-place gyoza into med-high heated pan, cover and let bottoms brown for 2 or 3 minutes
-Add hot tap water to produce steam (maybe 3/4 or 1 cup) and steam vigorously with lid on for 7 minutes or so. If water is gone before 7 minutes are up add a little more. You need 7 minutes of old west locomotive grade steam basically. A little more won't hurt but you want the water to be gone before you remove the gyoza so not too much.

Serve hot with dipping sauce (above) and a bowl of rice for authenticity. Enjoy!

Quiz time!

This video clip contains sound bites and some accompanying text (I spelled Shirley and Elizabeth wrong) from twelve different movies. See if you can guess the movies they are from. Most of them are pretty easy but there are a couple that might stump you. Will anyone get them all without googling anything?

Eclipse – finishing what I started

My disappointment with some parts of the second book managed to keep me away from Eclipse for a grand total of about 48 hours. Despite being often genuinely frustrating, New Moon pulled me so far into the story that I can no longer resist it and will have to continue to the end no matter how many times I feel like hurling the book through the window.

It is nice to have Edward and the other Cullens (especially sweet Alice) back in town for the whole book this time. Unfortunately Jacob is also still around and becoming a bigger and bigger jerk by the second. My suspicions were correct. What I first thought was going to be a tale of pure love conquering all has degenerated into a sticky mess that leaves you feeling the need to take a shower.

Several things become crystal clear in Eclipse. Bella is not only a clumsy, irresponsible drama queen, but also quite selfish and nearly entirely oblivious to the pain she is inflicting upon Edward. It’s a good thing she smells so good to him because at this point I can’t think of any other reason why he should have fallen for her.
Jacob finally quits any further attempts to conceal his plan to steal Bella and becomes more and more rude, physically aggressive and more manipulative than an entire squad of cheerleaders.
Edward alone remains totally committed to Bella’s happiness in a way that neither of the two Pop Tart eaters could ever comprehend.

Edward spends most of the book trying to keep Bella alive and Bella spends most of the book trying to get away so she can be all warm and snuggly with her “friend”. Whenever she does come back to Edward we hear the usual lines about how perfect he is and how Bella could never ever be without him again but at some point along the way her actions begin to speak much more loudly and truthfully than her words.

Surprise, surprise, by the end Bella realizes that she is in love with BOTH of them but also FINALLY gets a clue that all of this might have been difficult for Edward.

In the end Bella once again officially chooses Edward. (Yeah sure whatever.)
I hope that Meyers has only added all this drama along the way to make the final undoubtable triumph of Edward and Bella all the more satisfying but I have serious concerns. To some, myself included, she may find that the hole she has dug herself into is just too deep and that when she finally decides to abandon the Bella and Jake thing, digging upwards just doesn’t work. It is going to take some serious magic to save this story.
I hope, more for Edward now than anyone, that she can somehow pull it off.


P.S. Apparently some people are rooting for Jacob. I would just like to say that everyone is entitled to his/her opinion. Also, if you are rooting for Jacob you are 100% wrong and have no soul.