A Long Day's Journal Into Night

Confession Part Deux:

I think Mandy Moore's new CD looks really, really, really dudical!

Oh and if you want to get pysched for Christmas 2003 (you know besides that Peace on Earth, Goodwill, Rudolph, and Reese's Balls stuff) check out this NEW TRAILER!

I really hope you people are clicking on my links because they do take some work on this end. Besides, if you really want to know what is going on in my life, then you should look at these pages. Either that or look at my Electromagnetics notes. Take your pick, but I think you will prefer the former!

Oh and in case there is any whining out there. You need Quicktime to watch the trailer, but it is free to download and shouldn't take too long. I have done it on slow computers, but come on its worth it!!

Confession:

Okay. Okay. Okay. I have achieved complete and utter nerdhood and subscribed to a Maud Hart Lovelace e-mail list. I guess that is not the really the nerdy part. The nerdy part is that it is so cool!!! I wrote an email about good old Lois Lenski Elementary School and I got all of these emails about how great it is there is a school named after Lois Lenski. I have always loved our Super Star namesake. It is a pity more people have not heard of her. GO INDIAN CAPTIVE! Which reminds me:

Down, down, down.
Leaves of red and golden brown,
Come falling, falling to the ground.

Here's weirdness:

I spent a good portion of the day studying in Borders. This means that I heard one particular CD four times today and one particular song four times. The song is called "Oh What A World" and is by Rufus Wainwright and is pretty good. Near the end of the song he samples Ravel's Bolero. Now those of you who are familiar with Ravel's Bolero know that is THE song that you cannot shake out of your head after hearing. It is truly hypnotic that way. So I heard it four times today and as I was walking into the engineering building tonight, the song magically jumped out of my head! I heard the tune seeping from beneath an office door. Someone else was humming it! What can be the explanation for this?

Well it could be pure coincidence. The Bolero-humming man/woman could have been in Borders that day. The fact that Borders played the album four times, could indicate that the album is being hyped across the country. Or could power and strength of my thoughts have radiated and been received by this other person's brain. Nah, of course I do not believe that. But it is the first thing one thinks when someone starts echoing what one is singing in their head. Maybe I wasn't singing it in my head...

I also noted a conversation between a toddling girl and her dad and made this observation today:

A "grown-up/grown-up" conversation consists of questions and statements, in that order.

A "grown-up/child" conversation consists of statements and questions, in that order.

Examples:

Grown-up 1: Why are you jumping up and down?
Grown-up 2: No reason, except that of illustrating Katie's point.

Child: I am jumping up and down!
Grown-Up: You're jumping and down?

I DID hear the second of the two conversations today, and noticeably the first of the two conversations was fabricated to illustrate this point.

I wonder if I could write a romance novel?

I was listening to a certain public radio show which shall remain nameless and there was a piece on the romance novel industry, which is apparently this million/billion/can't-remember-which-illion business. Millions or billions there must be some money in there with my name on. I bet it would be kind of fun, but of course I would use a pen name to protect the honorable Allen family name. What is a good romance novel pen name...

Of course the obvious choice would be Joan Wilder. Then people would come up to me a say, "Joan Wilder? Joan Wilder the novelist? I read your books, I read all your books!"

Or perhaps something more inspired like...I got it...Aphrodite Austen! Yes! And I will write historical romances set in the world of Miss Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy and Jane and Bingley and Miss Emma Woodhouse and Mr. Edward Knightly and Eleanor and Edward and Marianne and Colonel Brandon. (On a side note, who remembered that Mr. Darcy's first name was Fitzwilliam? No wonder he always goes by Mr. Darcy or just plain old Darcy. Do you think Lizzy ever called him Fitzy?)

Sounds like a plan and a half.

Oh and glory hallelujah there were NO HAMBURGERS today! Falafel. Yum. Though quite overshadowed by the temper of a certain co-op cook who shall remain nameless because none of you know his name any way.

Let it be known that putting canned apple pie filling in rolled up refrigerator dough and frying in oil DOES NOT constitute writing "Home-Made Apple Pie" on a piece of paper and posting above said pastires. Firstly, said pastries (if they indeed can be termed pastries) are only one small step higher on the food chain than MACDONALDS apple pies and there are inumerable steps between MACDONALDS apple pies and HOME-MADE apples pies. Secondly, I am not certain it is appropriate to label anything coming out of the co-op kitchen as being "home-made." Even with the best intentions I am sure that the multiplication of recipes to co-op proportions eliminates the individual care and attention critical to...umm...homely manufacturing?

Oh and I am sure that even Wolfgang Puck is not too proud to use an OVEN TIMER. So please swallow your pride so we can swallow some non-denigrated food once in a while.

This is not aimed at anyone in particular, just to cooks the world wide.

I am quite CAPITAL-HAPPY tonight and so I will end with a HOME-MADE joke.

How does the man (or woman on second thought) who fixes copy machines drink his scotch?

On 'xerox.'

If you like that one, I made it up myself. If you didn't it, I think it came out of the co-op kitchen. Bu-dum-dum-ching.

Good Night John Boy.

There is a band called Slick Shoes.

Thought you Data enthusiasts might like to know.

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

Yes, the day has come. Actually it came a few days ago, but I am sure some of you may have overlooked it.

TAMORA PIERCE'S NEW BOOK HAS ARRIVED!

I say we all head over to our local Barnes and Noble/Borders/Tattered Cover and read the Trickster's Choice. For those of you who are familiar with these books, or have heard me talk about them, this book concerns the adventures of Alianne, who is Alanna's daughter.

Yes, I know that these are children's, (umm...excuse me... YOUNG ADULT's) books, but I have to admire the depth Ms. Pierce infuses in her characters. I have been watching Alanna closely from age 11 now to age 40 and I must say she has the both the complexity and consistancy of a real person. I would think it is very difficult for an author to sketch a character in both different times and dimensions.

What do I mean by this exactly? Well it came out of my fingertips that way, Eunice. I mean I have seen Alanna at different times in her life from varied perspectives of herself, friends, students, strangers, and now her children. I dare say there are few people I know this well?

For those of you who may be confused by last night's cryptic entry please allow me to illuminate.

I, Katie Allen, have learned to balance the Diablo, aka Chinese Yo-Yo!!!!

Yippers.

For those of you who have seen me do this, bully for you.

For those of you who have not, I am very sorry for you, but you just may have to wait until December.

By Jove I think she's got it! I think she's got it!

For those of you interested in the piratial linguistics of One-Eyed-Willy, Laura dares thee to walk (click) the plank, maties!




Is this how they talk in the CG? And on the note, what is the difference between a league, a fathom, and a nautical mile, to boot?

Apology

Today it must be confessed that I used two pseudo swear words in my entries (s** off and fr*icking).

While some of you may not find these offensive, I would like to apologize to you that might find them to be so (as in the adjective). I do not know what got into me, except that maybe it was because my simulation is not working. To counter-act the negativity of said words, I would like to offer up the following:

bunny rabbits
puppy dogs
kitty cats
calfy cows
rainbows
chocolate chip cookies
non-ant infested treats from the vending machine
infectious laughter
raindrops on roses
whiskers on kittens
bright copper kettles
warm woolen mittens

(What kind of person classifies a bright copper kettle as one of their favorite things?)

Now sod-off fricking Van Trapp Family singers, I am going to bed.

SHOUT OUT!

I would like to give a shout-out to all my fans at the Coast Guard Academy. You go guards!

And to all my other fans. You go non-guards!

Now sod off, I am going to bed.

All righty, righty, righty the grammar conundrum has been solved.

"So" is no less than
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wait for it...
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noun, adjective, adverb, pronoun AND conjunction! (Yes that's conjunction as in, so, what's a conjuncation?)

Let's give it up for "so" the super word with no-less than 5 fricking functions in the English language. GO SO!

So, today I was walking out of my Step 40/30/10 (although it was actually Step 40/25 for I had to leave early but that is another story and shall be told another time) and there was a girl wearing a Navy (as in anchors aweigh, my boys and girls, not the color) t-shirt and navy running shorts (as in the color, my boys and girls, not anchors aweigh). This in itself is not remarkable, for the ROTC office is right next door to the Pyramid room where I have my class and I often see Navy folks coming back from a run.

What struck me as odd here, was the fact that the back of her shirt was covered in mud, while her shorts, legs, and shoes were completely DEVOID of mud. And though it nawed at my mind, I could not figure out why UNTIL I was trudging back up the hill to the CO-OP and saw a guy in the same mud-caked navy t-shirt and lily-white legs. The thought thundered in my head: "What could they have possibly been doing that would make their shirts muddy, but their short, legs, and shoes decidedly un-muddy."

Mayhap my armed-services-enlightened relatives (ahem, Laura, ahem) could explain this to me, for an explanation has completely escaped me.

On a slightly tangential subject, what in the heck kind of word is "so?" One might say, "I am so hungry." In which it sort of has the meaning of "very." Or one might say, "I am so very hungry." In which case it extends the meaning of "very." Or I might even begin, "So, today I was walking of of Step 40/30/10..." In which case it is...um...nevermind! The point is, Mickey's a mouse, Donald's a duck, Pluto's a dog: what in the heck is Goofy? (Note: Please read Goofy as "so")

Horror of horrors, my purse strap just broke!

I have had request!

I give you

"Katie, The Treat, and the Uninvited Visitors"
or
"To The Vending Machine and Back Again: An Electrical Engineering Graduate Student's Tale"

'Twas a night so misty, the sky was muted from black to silvery gray. The fog smeared all points of lights into golden fuzzballs and seamed to swollow up the smack of my flip-flops upon the campus courtyard. The only other sound in the solitary night was rumble. Was it a giant playing the bongos across the ocean, a dragon gargling mouthwash before bed-time? Nay, it was my stomach yearning for a treat, like a school boy yearns for summer.

In the distance I saw the dimly lit corridor that housed half a dozen glowing vending and soda machines. Four quarters banged a violent carrillon against themselves in my pocket in anticipation until finally they were silenced by my sudden stop. I stood faced with a 7-foot glassy vending machine.

I now faced a difficult challenge: which to choose, which to choose... My eyes finally rested from dizzying perusal on a white and green wax-papered package. Ah, cherry pie. The quarters were ceremoniously pushed down the slide, the buttons 1-4-6 were urgently pressed, and the silver helix ensnaring the pies twisted laboriously. As the gears were halted, the pie was realesed from its spiral prision into my loving hands.

I tore open the pie, already feeling the smooth ruby-red filling juxtaposed on my tongue against the crispy crust. But alas! It was not to be for the inside of that package not only lay the singular tast-sensation, but also approximatly a hundred not so singular ants! Woe is the person who finds their cherry pie overrun with ants!

Observation/Confession

Sometimes I am quite reckless in placing my commas.

Me wants to go to the LOS ANGELES COUNTY FAIR! Go to the website it looks pretty good, but where is 4-H???
Where is good old

I pledge my head to clearer thinking,
My heart to greater loyalty,
My hands to larger service,
And my health to better living for my club, my community, my country, and my world.

Just had to check if I still got it, but it was a little wobbly there for a moment.

This is what I saw that was cool today:

A guy flying a kite up to the highest heights.

A black and white dog sitting in the middle of campus with no apparent owner but wearing one black booty on his left back paw and one red booty on his right back paw.

Yesterday I saw:

A family with a little girl taking pictures at the statue of the bruin on campus. You could tell they had this-is-our-first-child-let's-take-lots-of-pictures syndrome. I could also detect a faint whiff of we-want-our-daughter-to-go-here-in-17-years in the air. Watch out Molly, the pressure is on already.

Tuesday I saw:

A very cool moon. It was round and yellow and emerging from a grey-cloud sea. Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous.

Made me think of the song in an American Tale when they sing about looking at the same moon (sky, stars? anyway....). But I think we all see a different moon really.

WE NOW INTERRUPT THIS REGULARLY SCHEDULED RAMBLING TO BRING YOU A RANT FROM THE CO-OP KITCHEN

We also call this segment bitchin' in the kitchen.

Okay. I come in today and they are so far behind in the kitchen (breakfast has been going for an hour when I get there). They have no jelly out, no butter, no granola. Two new people were wondering around the kitchen like lost souls. The problem here children is that some bigshot from the weiner company got together with some bigshot from the bun company and decided to rip-off the american public. Basically they are eliminating the KC (or the kithen chief) who tells everyone what to do. It is complete anarchy!!! The devil is loose in Salem! There is something rotten in the state of Denmark! Dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria!!!

So Katie arrives, takes command, and order is restored. However, this is not my job, although it is quite clear that it SHOULD be somebody's job.

In looking for that mercurial lining I can say that today I rebelled and cut the MUSHROOMS BY HAND, and some one brought in the NEW NO DOUBT CD today to listen to.

Weighing this with the aforementioned, however, I must repeat what I said to Masa today: "It may be time to get out of the kitchen." Each week is a little bit worse and it may be prudent to make like a tree and get the hell out of here before the kitchen makes like the Titanic and sinks.

In other words: Where are we going and why are we in this handbasket?

We now return to your regulary scheduled ramble.

My I am feeling allusitory today. For those who are keeping track that is: Mary Poppins, American Tale, Father of the Bride, The Crucible, Hamlet, Ghostbusters, and of course Back to the Future. Hmm. Time to expand my pool of allusions, perhaps? Perhaps.

Say Goodnight, Gracie. Goodnight Gracie!

This Day in History

1846
Elias Howe of Massachusetts received a patent for his sewing machine.

1939
Canada declared war on Germany, entering WWII.

1963
Twenty black students entered public schools in Birmingham, Mobile, and Tuskegee, Alabama, after President John F. Kennedy sent National Guardsman to end the standoff with Alabama Governor George Wallace.

1979
Catherine Ann Allen born.

1988
Steffi Graf achieved tennis' first Grand Slam since Margaret Court in 1970 by winning the U.S. Open women's final.


I'M FIVE

(sung by Robin)

I'm five
I'm five
I'm a big frog now I'm five
I can dress myself
I don't need Mum to help me anymore
And when I sit in my father's chair
My feet can reach the floor. Almost
I'm five
I'm five
I'm a big frog now I'm five
My mother doesn't spank me just for going without a hat
She knows darn well I'd run away
'Cause I'm too old for that
What does she think I'm three? Huh?
Not me
What does she think I'm four?
I'm more than four
I'm even more than four and a half
I'm five

Next month

Whee! Its m' birfday. You know what I think. 24 is such a great age. First off, it is an even number. It looks nifty. 24 hours in a day. 24 is two dozen. What else? It has a LOT of factors: 1,2,3,4,6,8,12. That is amazing! It IS a factorial (4!). There is even a TV show that is my age.

SALSA CALIENTE


Does anyone else find those new kind of pop-up ads v. annoying? You know the ones that look like pictures and follow you around and are difficult to close.

One just popped up as I search for a salsa recipe to make for the tailgating on Saturday. I figure you don't need a kitchen to cut up cilantro and tomatos. I am looking on Cooking Light's webpage... WHAT!?!?!

It shows me tantalizing recipes names but won't let me see the recipes! AOL members only! Well, hmmmph! Bastardos!

Shall us Google instead, which I already highly lauded today. Google is way to nice to discriminate against non AOLers.

This is WHERE the party ENDS,
I can't sit hear searching for salsa recipes on YOU,
And your internet-providerist* FRIENDS.

*internet-providerist (noun): one who discriminates based on a person's internet provider.

Wowsa. Who knew there was actually a www.salsa-recipes.com? What the H-E-double-hockey-sticks was I doing wasting my time on Cooking Light? (Note the non-linkage of C.L. there)

Citrus & Cilantro Salsa
Ingredients:
4 Mandarin oranges
-peeled and sliced
2 tb Cilantro, chopped
1 tb Red onion, finely diced
1 tb Yellow, red or green
-bell pepper, finely diced
1 ts Jalapeo pepper
-finely diced
1 Tomatillo, diced
1/2 c Triple Sec liqueur
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
Mix the oranges, cilantro, onion, peppers and tomatillo together, stir in the liqueur, and season to taste. Set aside for 2 hours before serving to allow time for the flavors to blend.

Cranberry Salsa
Ingredients:
12 oz Bag cranberries
3/4 c Sugar
1 Garlic clove(s)
-minced (1 tsp0
1 (or 2) jalape¤o chilies
-seeded and minced
1/3 c Cilantro, chopped
3 Scallions, minced
1/4 c Lime juice
1 ds Hot sauce
Salt and pepper

Instructions:
Pick through the cranberries, removing any stems, and wash thoroughly. Bring 2 cups water and « cup sugar to a boil. Reduce the heat, add the cranberries, and simmer for 2-3 minutes, or until cooked but still firm. Do not overcook; the cranberries should keep their shape. Drain in a colander. Refresh under cold water and drain thoroughly.


Fresh Apricot Salsa
Ingredients:
2/3 c Chopped fresh apricots
**OR**
1 cn (16oz) apricots, drained and
Chopped
1/2 c Chopped onion
1/4 c Apricot preserves
1 md Tomato, chopped
1 tb Chopped fresh cilantro
1 ts Finely chopped gingerroot
1/8 ts Cinnamon

Instructions:
Combine; mix well. chill until serving time. Makes 2 cups.

OOOOOH, that's interesting! Which shall I choose.

// posted by Katie @ 8:10 PM

Hey! Make some noise!

If only I had more time... wait a minute, I got all the time I want! I got a time machine!


Nina Storey is now initiating a street team for those interested in
promoting her music and shows in your area. We are looking for 3-4 people
around Colorado, Omaha Nebraska, Los Angeles, Santa Cruz, San Jose, San
Francisco and Redwood City in California to spread the word about Nina.
Chosen members of the street team will be asked to help with hanging up
posters (at colleges, clubs, record stores, coffee shops, etc.) and
handing out flyers. Emailing friends, dropping notes on message boards and
speaking up in chat rooms about Nina and her shows is another
promotional responsibility in order to get the word out. Also, we all know radio
play is key in getting mass and immediate exposure for an artist. Let
your favorite station know that you would like to hear Nina and her
music. We will honor your hard work and dedication with free shows,
merchandise, and possible backstage passes. Be sure to let us know what you
have done to contribute to the advancing and promoting of Nina’s shows,
so that we can show you our gratitude!

We are commencing Nina’s street team immediately! If you or someone you
know is interested, fill out the application below and send it back to
us.

We are looking forward to starting team street promoting for Nina
throughout the country. Thank you for all of your support!

Nina Storey’s Street Team Application

First Name:

Last Name:

Email Address:

Mailing Address:

City:

State:

Zip Code:

Age:

Telephone Number:

School/Occupation:

What major city are you near?

How many live shows do you see a month?

What is your favorite record store?

What is your favorite club or venue?

What is your favorite radio station?

What is the music scene like in your town?

How did you first hear about Nina?

Have you seen her perform live? If so, where?

Have you ever been a part of a street team? If so, who was the
band/artist?

Okay I just wrote a nice funny, long entry but it would not post. Here is the gist:

Class with Galen tonight. She rocks my socks (and by socks I mean those little half socks we wear to work out in).

Admittedly, chocolate pudding before bed time may not be a prudent choice.

Today is Google's 5th Anniversary. So many birthdays this time of year. This means that Google started when I was a freshman in college. I wonder when I started to use it. I wonder what I used before Google for my search needs, for I would be quite crippled without it today. I guess I did not really use internet much pre-College of Engineering.

I found another use for Google--Spell Check. Let's say you are typing in your Long Day's Journal Into Night and you do not know how to spell, say hypothetically, "admittedly." I might hypothetically think, "What a bother to open a word file, type 'admittadly,' right click on word, select spell check and boom!"

Instead I might just type 'admittadly' into Google and hit enter and it will ask you ever so politely, "Did you mean: Admittedly?"

"Why yes, of course I did, and just in case you were wondering it was simply a typo, of course I know how to spell admittedly."

"Of course," is agrees politely.

It's politeness is underlined by the fact that it searches for the misspelled word, as though to say, "See look, people all over the web made the same spelling error, er, I meaning typing error as you."

A copier that will take a stack of papers and make copies of BOTH SIDES? COLLATED??? WITH STAPLES?????

That is a beautiful thing my friend.

Good Night Unto You All.

Black flats vs. Bubble Gum Pink Runners


Hurray, I got a b-day package in the mail from Mom and besides the assorted chocolate products, there was a gift certificate for Barnes and Noble! Huzzah!

This presents dilemna however.

Books or CDs? Which to buy? This question is easy, but I don't know why. Unless I am head-over-heels in love with a book I do not have much desire to buy it. The fact that I can check it out from the library whenever I want is comfort enough not to purchase something I have little time to read anyway. Music, however, I can listen to even when I am studying or doing research. Though I hate to buy a CD at a bookstore, I am afraid it must be.

On to the next dilemna then.

Which CD?

This requires careful consideration so I will not have an I-regret-buying-this-Ace-of-Base-CD-two-years-later episode. This is akin to choosing shoes you know are classics and thusly you can wear them in 5 years.

My first round thoughts are:

The Flaming Lips
How to Deal Soundtrack
Camp Soundtrack
No Doubt

Am leaning toward Flaming Lips, but am waffling somewhat. Input is welcome.

This reminds me, why am I always wanting soundtrack's. Methinks they are not black flats, but bubblegum pink runners (see analogy above).

Hmm...I wonder if they sell Pumas at BN...

There is this dude at the Co-op who I guess likes my new roommate Megan. Last night when I was sleeping or trying to sleep (around 12 I spose) he yelled in our window "GOODNIGHT MEGAN!" Really loud. I was so startled and I wanted to yell back "GOODNIGHT FREAK!" I mean who does that! She wasn't even in the room. AND he did it again this a.m. and I wanted to yell "DOUBLE FREAK!" I do believe the Co-op is louder than it has been in the past.

Madison Library, Madision Picnic Park, THAT Miser Madison?

I was just thinking that hands-down the best sounding month in the whole year is September. This is NOT because by birthday is in September, but I just love to to say it. It sort of floats off the tongue. So why is it that people name their children May, June, and April, but never September? At least I have never met a September. Other interesting names I have come up with: Yosemite and Paladin. I thought of Yosemite thusly:

A labmate and his wife are having a baby. They are Korean, but the baby will be born in the US, so they want to give the baby an American name as well. So he asked me for suggestions of popular names. I mentioned that Madison is a popular girls name all though I do not subscribe to it. He seemed to like it and tried it out with his last name: "Madison Park, Madison Park, Madison Park." Doesn't quite work does it? It sounds like a real park. So I suggested Yosemite Park as a joke. But I thought Yosemite would make an interesting name. NOT THAT I WOULD EVER NAME MY KID THAT. But, still it would be interesting.

Do I use the word "so" to much? Number of so's above: 4. Number Of But's that start a sentence above: 2. Ms. Vlasin would cringe.

You can all breathe. I found my driver's license as expected in my pocket. Now I can get money from the bank! Whee.

Look at me. I kin tipe. I nede too gro my arms tho.

Bingo sase "Bingo!"

Diversions

I cannot wait for the following movies:

Mona Lisa Smile
Return of the King

And on a lighter note these look pretty funny, though I might not RUSH to see them:

School of Rock
Stuck on You

Also, Under the Tuscan Sun looks excellent, but I would want to read the book first.

Nina Storey is coming to Los Angeles in October I would really love to see her show, because everytime I try to go some sort of little crisis comes up and I don't quite make it.

Why do I bring all this up now? Because I am studying for my Prelim right now and will be studying for my Prelim for the next two months. And what is more diverting than writing about all the diversions I will have from studying this fall. Whee!

In other news I cannot find my driver's license, though have sinking suspision that is is in J-Crew jeans pocket and will do laundry in hour so not too worried. No need to mention this to rents.

A Second Very Good Start For Apparently The First Good Start Was Not Very Good Indeed

It has lately come to my attention that if I wish to beef-up the readership of this blog, I might want to add more to my "Hey there, hi there, ho there." People: It was just a starting point and believe you me, you are in for a v. interesting read! Proabably not tonight, but some day soon.

So... I was in Borders today and I saw this book called something like, "The Little Guide to Cookies." And besides making me very hungry, it made me want a kitchen again. Yummy highlights from the book were, Pistachio Crusted Shortbread, Espresso Meringue Drops, and Apricot Coconut Squares. I must reiterate: YUMMM!

In other news I went to K-Town (that's Korea Town for non-Angelites) for dinner last night. The restaurant we went to is called a Tofu Bowl restaurant, where they bring you out a pot steaming and full of Tofu and other stuff (meat and veggies I guess...). This is one of the few forms of Tofu that I can stomach. When the pot is still bubbling you crack an egg in it and stir the egg in so it cooks right in front of you. You also get little bowls of sides. My favorite side is the fish cakes.

Most Asians seem amazed that I can even hold chopsticks (though shakily of course). One time however I did make the faux pas of pushing the sticks into a bowl of rice, like twin totem poles on snowy hill. It seemed a conveniant place to rest the chopsticks while I drank some tea. I was hurriedly asked to remove the offending totem poles as such a gesture indicates that the food is for the dead. I was not sure if I was being offensive to myself, me dinner mates, or the people who made my food, but I guess it was v. bad.

So the moral of today's story is: lay your chopsticks across the bowl in bridge, not totem, fashion. Oh and send Katie cookies.

A Very Good Start

Hey there, hi there, ho there.