Good Grief

Here's a great posting about McCain's 5 "stages of grief" over the economy and points out at least a small fraction of the hypocrisy and horseshit that the candidate has been tossing around the past few days. Almost exasperating to follow the race at this point-- I've been going through my own stages (mostly stuck at number 2 these days) when reading or watching anything in the political arena.

In other news, Clay Aiken is out and proud and with baby. Not sure why these celebs are turning to People mag for their coming out announcements, but whatever.

It's the Economy, ________

An accessible post with a little political/historical background for those of us who are pretty incompetent when it comes to all things economy. See also "why market deregulation is a crock."

Also on the political radar, Barack Obama will kick off his "Faith, Family, and Values" tour with a pro-Prop 8 (anti-gay marriage in California) speaker. Pretty lame, especially following the Rev. Donny McClurkin brouhaha a while back.

One of Many

Here is one example (of many) of how incompetent, disgusting and corrupt the Bush administration has been. Details in this diary of how the Bush Dept of Justice are refusing to provide statistics on how many crimes it has refused to prosecute on Indian reservations. The lack of transparency and honesty is mind-boggling. Definitely worth a read in light of the staggering number of sexual assaults on Native American women by non-Native men (leading to FBI jurisdiction). I find reading the news similar these days to watching a bizarre intentional train wreck-- makes me sick but I still can't look away.

Not unrelated: Sarah Palin's record on Alaska Native and Tribal issues. Unsurprisingly hostile.

Kayak is the new Canoe

My friend Molly just had a piece on NPR updating us on the latest fashion trend...counter to every single fashion trend ever to move through the USA, this one is 'beginning' in Maine. Thought I would share.

Also of more specific interest is the DailyKos diary that recently appeared on a referendum vote in the American Psychological Association (APA) re: psychologists' involvement in areas where human rights abuses (e.g. torture of detainees) are occurring. Pretty long but well researched, per usual.

Feisty

Just saw this Feist video today and thought it was pretty sweet. Must've been out of the country because I am SOOOO out of the music loop these days (like 2 years behind, sigh). She is a bit of a Regina Spektor knockoff, though... Anyway, enjoy the rainbow colors and the lazy dance moves:



And when you're done, you can check out the "Remix" version that she did on Sesame Street-- which is arguably even better.



I'm off to take the GREs tomorrow! More on grad school when I'm not so sick of thinking about applying.

Where the wild things are...

There's a great article in the NY Times about Maurice Sendak. He sounds like a cranky grampa and he is now my hero. Who else is excited about the film version?

Also here's a video from Boy George serving as a sort of endorsement for Barack Obama. I am not a huge fan of the song or anything but I really enjoyed the video-- it's very flashy and and there are some pretty random celebrity cameos (what's with Amy Winehouse?). Anyway, enjoy!

When will it come to match.com?

Just read a funny article about genetic-based dating/matching service courtesy of Wired magazine. The idea is that (hetero) individuals are more attracted to, more likely to have babies with, and less likely to be cheated on by a partner with a different human leucocyte antigen gene profile from their own. Some of the studies they did to try to test this are pretty hilarious, and involve a lot of T-shirt sniffing and ranking of attractiveness... very scientific.

You can also check out the website for the dating service. Of note-- they also offer 'couples' testing... not sure how that one would work unless one partner did it in secret.

Maybe if this catches on people will start listing their HLA profiles in their online profiles... could be pretty catchy.

Cookin'

One activity I enjoy and want to get better at is cooking. My problem is I enjoy cooking but I only have a small repetoire (a handful of recipes) which mainly include Italian and Mexican dishes, and the occasional kugel. Also I get lazy and tend to fall back on canned/processed items when I would ideally like to make everything from scratch. But that's not gonna happen, so I'm trying to find a level of compromise.

For those of you interested, I've been trolling 101cookbooks, which has some interesting looking recipes and some amazing food photography (never thought I'd say this, but thank you google ads!). The author places a lot of emphasis on vegetarian cuisine, slow food process, and local ingredients (including some varieties of beans I've never even heard of!). I haven't made a recipe from this site yet but I'm eager to try.

Epicurious is also a great place to find recipes of varying complexity and they are user rated, which is a nice feature to ensure you don't spend 3 hours preparing a dish that doesn't hold a candle to a hot pocket.

And for dessert there's raspberryeggplant. I'm not much of a baker but if anyone tries a recipe from here be sure to let me know. They look amazing.

I'm not trying to start a food blog but if I prepare anything of interest I'll post the recipe and I hope that anyone who's reading this will do the same.

The Third Roommate

Here's a great little vid I came across today via crooksandliars that made me giggle. Enjoy!

InstaScandal

Came across this old but funny Mark Fiore flash cartoon on MotherJones.com the other day and thought I'd share. Political and true.

Also here's an amazing photo essay on phone sex operators. Enjoy-- it's really great.

What I'm Reading

When I'm not studying 8th grade geometry for the GRE or Piaget's Stages of Development for the GRE-Psychology test, I try to get some other reading done. Thought I'd share a few good articles that I've read recently while they're still new-ish and relevant to current events these days.

Here is a hilarious and interesting article from Out Magazine about the prodigious site manhunt.net and its supposed effect on the gay community. Raises some interesting questions about activism, community, and sex, though I don't necessarily agree with everything the author asserts. It's a long article, fyi.

Also been reading a bit of Glenn Greenwald, who I think is one of the best writers/bloggers on the web these days. He usually posts on Salon.com and recently wrote about the arrests in the Twin Cities area on the days leading up to the RNC. This is a fascinating and outrageous article.

Finally, check out this saddening article in Rolling Stone about corporate contributions to BOTH the McCain and Obama campaigns. Almost made me want to not vote for Obama. But then I saw his acceptance speech and got excited again. All food for thought...

Have a great Tuesday, and enjoy!

Apologies, Pictures, Links

Well, it's been about 5 months since my last post, a record! I think I just got sick of the blog posting process, even though I was getting lots of good feedback from friends, family, and rando's. After finishing teaching at the end of June, I'm back in the U.S.A. and have settled down into Brooklyn NY. Jon and I took a wonderful trip around SE Asia before we came back to the states, visiting Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Hong Kong. It was quite amazing-- I've included some links to my Facebook albums which I finally uploaded a few days ago.

As for what I'm doing now-- applying to graduate school in clinical psychology, which means taking the GRE (subject test in psych and the regular one) as well as looking for a job and trying to enjoy the good food of Brooklyn. As I have time I may post here periodically about some of this process (applying, eating) so any of you who are still checking in can keep apprised of my situation.

So here's the links to the facebook pictures for those of you who don't have facebook (get on already!).


http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2096894&l=4adc3&id=1001869
http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2096900&l=dec36&id=1001869
http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2096946&l=ba7b4&id=1001869
http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2097384&l=0e5bb&id=1001869

Enjoy!

Video and News Roundup

I'm working on uploading my own video to youtube but it's about 11 mins long-- Jon and I made it in our neighborhood-- so keep your eyes posted. Here are a few fun articles and videos I've come across in the past few days.


This first one is a moveon.org video called '6 more months' and does a good job with McCain...




Next is a great video of Cheney in 1994 (he was soooo handsome then) talking about how invading Iraq would result in a 'quagmire'. Ah, he sounds bizarrely sensible here...



Here's a clip of b-boys in Korea-- very cool video. I haven't seen TOO much breakdancing in the subways though...




And finally this one is for all you LOST fans out there-- a little long but pretty hilarious. What?




And here's an article from the NYTimes about driving a real DeLorean through Times Square. Pretty amazing... apparently she bought the car on eBay... I want one!!!

Links, pictures

I've uploaded pictures from my trips to the W casino and the Korean Folk Village to Facebook. For those of you not on facebook you can check them out here and here. Also have been doing quite a bit of internet surfing in my spare time, soooo if you're looking for some reading:

The NYTimes article/blog reports on bacteria and fungi that are living in clouds... are we next?

Also, a lovely 'niche' blog dedicated to a puddle.

And, a decent NYTimes magazine article about genderqueer folk attending all-girls colleges. Rudimentary but some interesting interviews.

Another NYTimes article about camel beauty pageants.

Hope everyone is having a great week! We're working on booking tickets to Japan to visit friends Shawn and Kat (getting married/joined in July!). I'll keep you all posted.

xo

Kimchi... the final frontier!

Two interesting items in the news these days re: Korea.

1) Kimchi in space: millions of dollars (/won) invested to bring the cabbage dish to zero-gravity.

2) The NY Philharmonic is coming to N. Korea (video), as you have probably heard. Big news here and across the world.

Happy Monday!

Update from the ground

Yeah, I guess the title would suggest I'm out campaigning for Tom Allen... but actually, I'm just working and hanging out here in Seoul and figured it would be about time for a little update as to my comings and goings.

Things have been picking up a bit as Jon and I have been going out and meeting some interesting people and (finally!) making some new friends. While we have some great co-workers we have been hanging out with, it's been awesome to meet some new, interesting people. Several weeks ago we met a nice guy and his friends at the local 'mixed' bar (mixed meaning straight, gay, men, women, Korean, American military, and random expats of dubious employment status). Don is Korean but grew up in Singapore and has since moved back to Seoul to work for a credit card company. We now have plans to go skiing with him in a week... it will be interesting to hit the slopes for the first time in 4 years and also to see if they carry size 13 ski boots at the resort outside of Seoul. I'm really excited to leave the city for a weekend regardless of how much I end up skiing. Jon is excited to to tear up the bunny slope, so he tells me.

Also, last Saturday we attended a potluck at the apartment of the owner of this cute wine bar we've been going to. We brought a store-bought cake and our hangovers. Ted's apartment was amazing- a cozy 4th floor apartment with a gorgeous view of the city from his terrace (picture below). Lots of plants and art and good people and good food (cheese! olives!). We met a great couple there- two women who have been living in Seoul about as long as we have (6 months), from Australia and Britain. So we have plans with them this weekend to go to a CD release party of a jazz vocalist who is friends with one of them and hopefully enjoy some great music and good company.

Work is pretty easy though sometimes slow. All of the younger kids I teach are simultaneously adorable and hellish. They know that the foreign teachers are lax and test us to our limit. Jon reports that he has had a box-cutter knife pulled on him and the 3rd graders enjoy showing him their skills with a lighter. But mostly they are (rowdy) angels.

Aside from that, we mainly relax at home on weeknights like the old domestic couple we fear we have become. Jon is anxiously awaiting responses from ridiculously competitive grad schools. The outcome should give us an idea of where we may end up next year (in locations ranging from New York City to Missoula, Montana). We are quietly celebrating the end of the writer's strike by watching "Lost" and "Brothers and Sisters". Also, we are planning a trip to Japan in April to visit our (engaged!) former roommates Kat and Shawn. All in all, things are going quite well. I am missing all of my friends and family back home and would love to hear from you. I now have Skype forwarding calls to my cell phone when I am away from my computer, so call any time for free if you have Skype. Otherwise, email me (and drop me a comment on the blog, if you're so inclined). I'd love to hear what everyone is up to.

xo


Picture above is from the great apartment that, unlike ours, actually had a couch! Ah, the things you get excited about in Korea...

"Yes we can," hilarious remix

By now most of you have probably seen the will.i.am stir up of Obama's "Yes We Can" New Hampshire primary speech-- very great and generating millions of views all over the web at 0 cost to Obama. I'm posting that video but, more importantly, also a great spoof of it featuring the "Maverick-Straight-Talk-Express-Walnut-Cheeks" John McCain. Compare and enjoy!

Namdaemun Before and After

All over the news today is the big fire/arson that destroyed Korea's "National Treasure No. 1", Namdaemun gate. This was one of the first places Jon and I visited in Korea and a lot of people are pretty upset about it. Thought I'd post the link to the (brief) story, and a few pics (before and after). There are a few shots of the fire on the CNN article. Also, more pictures from our Lunar New Years leisurely Seoul vacation.

Resolution

Shanghai 07-08 Extravaganza!

Here is the photo album link to about 140 pictures from our trip to Shanghai (some better than others). I think they're pretty funny and basically capture the fun-ness we had over there. I didn't really add many captions, so let me recap:

1) Several evenings out at bars, gay clubs. Lots of fun, dance, debauchery...
2) Several yummy meals including Indian buffet, Chinese/Burmese combo fare, American fusion bistro and a meal that was eaten entirely in the dark (also American style cuisine). All those black and pink pictures are with the cardboard 'eyes'.
3) New Year's Eve at Morgan's friend Cindy's house. Lovely meal followed by fun soiree/party and countdown to 12:00. Was hoping to go to "Wig Out" party (see pictures of us in wigs) after countdown. Passed out by 12:30. But, I have a cool wig now.
4) Running around with Jon and Morgan to various neighborhoods/sketchy stores all over Shanghai. Saw the "Bund" (river skyline, in pictures). Bought souvenirs. Drank coffee at a brothel that we thought was a coffee shop in a basement. Tried to find dumplings. Dumplings were located but ran out of time and could not eat dumplings. Flew home.

Hoping you had as fun a 2008 Countdown as I did-- enjoy and feel free to leave comments at the photo album or let me know if you are having any trouble. <3 <3

The December Gap

Hello to anyone who is still reading this... Happy New Years! It's 2008, and though I haven't made any such resolution to blog more, I'm going to try to post a bit more than in December (0 posts). Been a bit busy-- Our friend Morgan (Jon's friend from high school) came to visit over Christmas, and in continuing our long rendez-vous Jon and I went to visit her in Shanghai. We had a great trip both here and in China, with lots of interesting food, drink, and company... I'll be posting some pictures here and on facebook when I have a bit more time. For now, I just want to wish everyone a fun and exciting new year! Two items of interest:

1. For boys who haven't started wearing/playing with Hello Kitty! (I have, on occasion), the new macho version is coming soon.

2. In more Japan-related business, check this biZARRE video, courtesy of Morgan. Actually designed for Japanese tourists visiting the US. Love the mustache bandanna, the aerobics, and the cop with the British accent. Weeeeird...


So, yes, more pictures and actual updates to follow shortly. Keep in touch, send cookies, etc.