This and That

This and That
Today’s blog posting is one of those where I do brain dump and spill out of my mind all of those minor thoughts that have been cluttering things up lately. Normally, I prefer not to do this but some days it is necessary to do it.

Woman of the Moment
I only have two photos of Aiko Tanaka for today. I want to spread the last four out so I can start the Weekend Proview with the new Woman of the Moment.


Bad Tattoos
Most of you know that I do not have a high regard for young women or women in general, since tats are on the permanent side, that have tats or as some like to call it, body art. I have agreed that a small butterfly or small heart is not going to upset me in the grand scheme of things.

All of this brings me to last night’s local television news cast. This particular station broadcasts Oakland Raider foot ball games in Los Angeles. I guess they do this on the assumption that there are some people who are Raider fans. The station ran a Raider broadcast commercial in the sports segment of the news broadcast. I thought the placement was rather logical.

I, for one, do not care all that much for the Raiders. I also absolutely and positively do not want a professional football team back in Los Angeles ever in my lifetime. I enjoy being to choose from four good to great games every Sunday.

Back to the issue of bad tattoos, the commercial for this Thursday’s Raider football broadcast featured two Hollywood type models / actresses playing on the beach with a football, clever tie-in. They were wearing black bikinis, Raider colors, and they had, what I believe were, fake Raider logo tattoos in the small of their backs.

For a moment, I was on the verge of accepting the tattoos. Then, I came to my senses and realized what a bad idea this was. I was not motivated to consider watching the football game on Thursday and it was likely to encourage impressionable young women to go have the same tattoo inked on their backs.

Monday Follow Up
I got the brokerage check on Monday; about when I thought I would receive it. I took it to the drive up ATM and deposited it today.

On the way home, I heard on my car radio that Johnny Depp was shooting pick up scenes for the third PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN film on a pirate ship that was sailing off of Redondo Beach. I decided to see if I could see the filming.

No luck; it was foggy and overcast. I could not see out in the water beyond 100 yards / 100 meters. I thought about this later and concluded that it was a hoax.

My Friend Xue
My friend Xue is in America now.

Xue is a Chinese student in graduate school, studying sociology. Xue says that I should call her Snow since that is easier to pronounce than her name. I did try to pronounce her name but gave up when she kept laughing at my attempts. Xue can pronounce my name very well but then she has taken English classes for years.

I have never taken any Chinese classes.

I like to think I helped Xue get her two year student Visa. I helped her with an essay that she had to submit as part of her Visa application. Xue had translated a paper that she had written in Chinese and then asked me to read it and make any corrections for things like American grammar and idiom. I spent about four days working on her paper to make it flow better and to clear up vague points. She got her Visa without too much trouble so all was well.

On Monday evening, we talked over the telephone for the first time.

It was like one of those hideous first serious conversations that you had with a female or male when you were young. It was painfully awkward and difficult for me; I hope I was not that dull and boring for Xue. We talked for about twenty minutes and that seemed like an eternity for me.

I don’t remember all that much of what we said last night. I hope to do better on this weekend when we talk again. I do remember that Xue told me she and the rest of the new students were having a party on Friday at a beach at Lake Michigan just before school starts next week. That should be fun for her.

I think Xue will do well in her studies. She is the first student from her university in China to receive a full scholarship to study in America. That is impressive to me.

Carbon Dating Myself
I can remember when gasoline was USD$0.37 a gallon and you had someone else check the car’s oil level, tire pressure, and wash the windows while you sat and watched.


Be well and stay happy.