Hi from far, far away: October 2007

Yes, I have connections...

To the General Pancho de Villa himself.
I know, I know, you are wondering......but it's true. Even though he's not around anymore, we are tight.

The great, great niece of Pancho, (Suzanne Gonsalez, a wonderful artist/photographer) has purchased a piece of artwork from me.

There you go. Me and Pancho. Connected forever.

On another note, I have so many odd pictures--here's a few randoms.

Need a dishwasher but don't have the space? Buy a "counter-top" one.

This is a box, that knows something about dating dogs

A popular Japanese snack, dried squid, which I am not yet fond of.

A grave site. I love the ball as opposed to the usual rectangle headstones.

Ok, that's all for now. We are leaving for China tomorrow, for 4 days. Sayonara.

Inconsistent

Yes, I like to blog about every 3 weeks---then 2 days in a row.

OK Kev, here is your funny sign. I think it says,
"If you toss your can on the ground instead of the trash, a nasty pup will come and bite your butt."

I forgot to mention the new cafe that opened this weekend.
"Finlandia Cafe"...10 minutes away. Will check that out soon. Hmm..Dried shrimp flaked nisu?

I wonder.

This is the best photo I could get, while waiting at a red light.

And speaking of driving, signs like this make me not want to drive in Japan.
I do get the exclamation point part.

And here we are, real quick back in Cambodia. A shot of Joseph, 10,
Angkor Wat

Ira turns 50 years old today. We celebrated with his favorite: lasagne. And a very decadent flourless chocolate cake.

It's Tommy!

I like Tommy Lee Jones. So do the Japanese. His new billboard is out, and he's looking real happy about it.

In other news, well there's not much to report. Getting all self-conscious -n- stuff, now with my brothers exciting and fast-paced blog out there. Ok...we are going to China next week, I guess that's pretty good now. Although, unlike my brother, I will not be sleeping on the ground, surrounded by bugs and dung.
I am happy about that.

Ira surprised the family and booked a suite at the Grand Hyatt (woo woo!) in Bejing which supposedly has a pool that is of decadent romanesquian (?) grandeur. I'm gettin' happier by the moment.

By the way, for those of you wondering, my brother Kevin is (pedal)biking all over the dang world. If you want to read about it, it's really good, quick (and fascinating!) reading. Click here
He is in South America right now. This trip started mid-August, 2007. Please no comparing/contrasting these 2 blogs. Thank-you.

So we have only 7+ months left here in Japan. Time is really flying. Once again, I extend an invitation for friends and family. I believe, at some point to various people, (at least 1!) I said "you pay the airfare, and we will take care of the rest..."

I take that back. Bring cash. Bring lots of cash. And if you have any cash right now, I'd appreciate it if you'd send it to me right away.
Thanks.

Cicada attack

I found 2 cicada shots that Celia took, so you can get an idea of what we are talking about. This first shot is of the shell that it has left behind. Apparently, they live in the ground for something like 7 years, then make their way to the surface, find a comfy spot up high in a tree, shed their shell, and sing like crazy for 10 days, then die.