panoramae

An Awesome Responsibility

2008-06-26T00:27:00.001-05:00

Montana

2008-06-23T21:40:00.004-05:00

A few photos from Glacier. I'll upload more photos here.
when I have time. Back off!

This photo was Many Glacier, which many people miss but is one of the most gorgeous places in the park, as you can see.

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This was at the top of an hour-long hike. The mountains surrounding the lake had countless waterfalls, which you can see if you look at the original picture on Flickr.

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The gorgeous lake in the foreground we had to ourselves. It was the most incredible day of fishing I've ever had, catching nice Northern Pikes on every cast with a fly rod. Big Chief Mountain, which is sacred to the Blackfeet, is in the center background.

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This last one was just up the road from our cabin. There were two trumpeter swans on this lake, which was flooding from the heavy rains the week before we were there.

The Federal Reserve

2008-06-21T22:57:00.001-05:00

"If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issuance of their currency, first by inflation and then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around them will deprive the people of all their property until their children will wake up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered."

- Thomas Jefferson

Eisenhower's Farewell Address

2008-06-21T20:02:00.001-05:00

Mark Twain

2008-03-20T14:29:00.002-05:00

Mark Twain - Author
Originally uploaded by Butterflies-R-Free

As a rule, we go about with masks, we go about looking honest, and we are able to conceal ourselves all through the day.

- speech 1902, Mark Twain Speaks for Himself

http://www.twainquotes.com/Honesty.html

I Made This!

2008-02-17T09:45:00.004-06:00

Before:

Image018
Originally uploaded by doggage

After:

IMG_5783
Originally uploaded by doggage

Cool Photos

2007-12-19T00:13:00.001-06:00

http://alanocu.backpackit.com/pub/1305361

The Only "Musical" I've Finished Watching

2007-12-19T00:02:00.001-06:00

The Male Privelege Checklist

2007-12-17T20:04:00.000-06:00

I stumbled upon this web page detailing some interesting privileges that males unconsciously enjoy: http://colours.mahost.org/org/maleprivilege.html

The Bases are Loaded

2007-12-16T15:56:00.000-06:00

Jon Stewart on the Middle East

2007-08-26T16:29:00.000-05:00

Monkey News

2007-04-13T10:35:00.000-05:00

Monkey News

After (Dark)

2007-03-26T23:06:00.001-05:00

This is dark for a reason--there is still a lot of work to do. Things are coming along swimmingly and expensively. Over spring "break" I paved a section of my sidewalk with bricks, framed and drywalled a wall in my kitchen, finished drywalling and painting my office, cut down a tree, installed new lighting, painted the upstairs ceiling, ... I'm going to sleep.

The House, Before

2007-02-25T21:02:00.001-06:00

My house, which I bought in August, has afforded me the opportunity to practice drywalling, painting, doing electrical work, painting, framing, roofing, carpentry, demolition, painting, and painting. I've also become intimately acquainted with the city dump. I pledge at the director's club level: at least 4 tons a month.

These two pictures will henceforth be classified as 'before.' Some 'afters' will soon follow.

YouTube'amania

2006-11-20T09:21:00.000-06:00

Nietzsche + Family Circus = Big Funny

2006-10-07T18:44:00.000-05:00

The press, the machine, the railway, the telegraph are premises whose thousand-year conclusion no one has yet dared to draw.

(Click picture for more funny.)

My Photo

2006-07-07T16:33:00.000-05:00

Iraq's Mobile Labs

2006-06-26T07:34:00.000-05:00

Iraq's Mobile Labs

Vertical Alma Colorado

2006-06-04T23:02:00.000-05:00

The past week in Kansas City and Colorado was a welcome break from Emporia, and well-earned if I do so so me-self. It started in KC at Luke and Galadriel's. Long-lost friends were seen; probably unhealthy quantities of Coors were drunk; and arrows were shot into a hay bale at blinding speed. This wasn't all at the same time, so no worries.

The week convinced me that Luke and Galadriel should market their lives. I'm convinced that a Martha-Stewart-type book with lots of glossy pictures and diagrams on everything from Thompson parenting to Thompson interior decorating...anyway, it would really sell itself.

The taste of Coors led me to Colorado and Philip's door. We visited breweries and old friends, sampling freely and joyfully along the way. A hike near Breckenridge left me gasping in awe and asphyxiation, and it was good.

I ♥ Zhonghua

2006-05-25T00:01:00.000-05:00

As I near a year stateside my thoughts have turned to China. When I was there, my immediate reaction to all things irritating was to contrast them with America. The American parallel didn't matter so much. I was just sure that America would deal with whatever it was in a plainly superior way. My country came to symbolize all that was good and logical of humanity, and China the opposite.

The blind and annoying jingoism of the people toward their country and leaders is one example. Countless trips in China were peppered with the "I Love China" song screeched over the bus or taxi stereo; Chinese passengers singing along and Americans rolling their eyes.

But since I've been back, so often when I talk about these kinds of things, I'm reminded of the same sorts of annoying idiosyncrasies in America. When I mention how difficult it is to find a blade of grass in a big Chinese city, a friend says that American big cities are becoming the same way. I say that political corruption is a huge problem in China, and I see the latest Democrat or Republican exposed for graft. I mention the uberpatriotic, government-controlled Chinese media, and then I see FOX News.

I guess it's easy to be negative when you're homesick, but when you get home you realize that everyone's a little bit Chinese.

Fish Fry Friday

2006-05-19T20:51:00.000-05:00

Free Trade

2006-05-08T23:42:00.000-05:00

All Chinese people in China love Bill Clinton. It's one of many state-sponsored opinions, but I'd always wondered where the opinion came from. This Frontline show about Walmart offers a possible explanation.

Overcast; 100% Chance of Crappie

2006-05-07T22:52:00.000-05:00

Andy Wicked,
I didn't see your comments about fish because I was real busy catching them at the time. We had an average-sized catch Friday, taking in only around 100. My arm's really tired, dude, so I'm having trouble typing. I'm sure you understand.
Toodles,
Anthony

Pinback 是非常好的

2006-05-06T17:26:00.000-05:00

We went to a supercool concert last week (we being Molly, Kelli, Xiaomeng, the Gu and I). Pinback played at the Granada in Lawrence.

I ecoute la musique beaucoup; yet I've only been to about ten bona fide concerts. They've all been supercool.

Do you like music? What do you like about music? Can you play an instrument? Do you like to sing in the shower? What do you sing?

To Listen, Too

2006-05-04T00:20:00.000-05:00

Pray for (No) Rain

2006-05-03T23:57:00.000-05:00

Jim, I know my dad and I planned to take you fishing on Friday and share in the marine bounty of the Flint Hills. I'm sorry to say it looks like rain is again heading our way.

But not to worry: I've called an emergency meeting of the Department of Defense-Department of Fish and Wildlife Joint Flyfishing Taskforce. We're exploring breaking up the incoming storm fronts with some C130s out of Nebraska. They're going to deploy some top-secret monosodium glutamate flares. If that doesn't work, we've got a team negotiating with the Pawnee to do a very rare Reverse Rain Dance. I'll keep you informed on our progress.

Amexico? (Clickable)

2006-05-02T08:14:00.000-05:00

The War of Terror

2006-04-29T15:12:00.000-05:00

When numbers matter more than the heart
Your eyes are hollow and stiffness starts to take control
Capsize the soul, deep down you know it's evil
You've always known

Be a good example show your new tricks
And while you're out there they'll make the pitch
To rally the troops and make a huge contribution
To help push this through
Deep down you know it's evil
You've always known it's evil

The days here are numbered but your record is clean
Outstretched and waiting on banks that seem
To flow and flow, a rich reward to show
Duty carried out in the field
Deep down you know it's evil
You've always known it's evil
You've always known

-Deep Down, Calexico

Pour One For My Goonies

2006-04-23T23:08:00.000-05:00

Marketing Marketing

2006-04-19T17:01:00.000-05:00

This picture be clickable. It will take you to a PBS Frontline show about marketing and politics and the marketing of politics.

There's a great moment in the first minute of the clip, and the rest of the clip--and show--is really interesting.

P.S. - Smithwick's is good, yo.

Jealous Spit Generator

2006-04-18T11:59:00.000-05:00

This Is A Pinback Post

2006-04-14T16:47:00.000-05:00

"Windows Vista" Preview

2006-04-14T15:24:00.000-05:00

Striking Striking

2006-03-27T23:13:00.000-06:00

Phonish, But Not Phoney

2006-03-26T22:42:00.000-06:00

I've been busy galavanting around with my lovely lady friend, Molly, lately. We're actually part of a secret society of the five wealthiest people in the world, known as The Pentaveret, who run everything in the world, including the newspapers, and meet tri-annually at a secret country mansion in Colorado, known as The Meadows.

Anyway, as a result I haven't had much time lately to be posting long ramblings like usual. (Running everything in the world can be pretty time consuming.) But I always have time to snap low-quality pictures on my annoyingly thin and stylish phone.

Did You Know Him?

2006-03-18T14:28:00.000-06:00

Outdoor Projectional Extravaganza '06

2006-03-12T17:26:00.000-06:00

It was a clear black night, a clear white moon
Warren G was on the streets, trying to consume
some skirts for the eve, so I can get some funk
just rollin in my ride, chillin all alone

This Electronic Life

2006-03-07T23:58:00.000-06:00

Pinback Cometh

2006-02-28T21:03:00.000-06:00

Enjoy the Typos

2006-02-26T12:11:00.000-06:00

The Invisible Plight of the Homeless Chinese

2006-02-25T15:07:00.000-06:00

Addictive Track Of The Night

2006-02-19T11:44:00.001-06:00

(Read in the voice of a creepy Creole witch doctor lady, like that one from Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.)

"I keant stop listnin' to dis track from A Band Of Bees. Now you see if ya be havin de same problem. Juss go ahead an click on dere, child. An remember ta always pay de chicken back."

Would That It Were Warmer

2006-02-18T18:15:00.000-06:00

For To Listen

2006-02-16T16:10:00.000-06:00

These music reviews are pretty time consuming, so don't expect another for a while. I've been home with a bad back for the last couple days, so I've had time. But don't think that you can just beg for more music and then, poof! more music. I ain't nobody's monkey.

Conversation Piece

2006-02-12T22:08:00.000-06:00

Last week at my parents', the conversation went something like this:

Dad: "Who do you think was the greatest liberal thinker of history?"
Anthony: "Jesus."
Dad: "Me, too."
Mom: "Shh! Hannity and Colmes is on."

New to Me

2006-02-05T13:58:00.000-06:00

Some good stuff I've heard lately--favorites first. Mouseover for album info and recommended tracks; click to preview. Oh, and it's scratch-and-sniff.

Saturday Morning Photoshop

2006-02-04T10:11:00.001-06:00

This House Be Warm

2006-01-29T22:11:00.000-06:00

Thanks to all who made my house warm. And to those in distant lands: We were thinking of you. You and third-world debt. We're a socially conscious bunch.

Thanks to everyone for your wonderful gifts. And thanks for all the Irish Ale, Jim. It should last me for a week or two, depending on how often Dad comes over to raid the fridge.

(And a side note about the photo. This is the first full-on photograph of Jim Gu since records began.)

Blogging Rules!

2006-01-23T22:35:00.000-06:00

Technology clearly has some benefits. For example, you're enjoying a heated home right now thanks to technology originally developed for the Space Shuttle. We now have over 15 hours of full sunlight during the business week. And we can now manufacture absolutely essential vitamins that were previously reserved for only the rich.

But technology also undeniably has its costs--like when it becomes too accessible and we all suffer as a result; after that happens. One clear example is the Internet, which was invented by the Department of Weights and Measures in the 70s as part of the "Perfect Yard Stick" project.

The biggest part of the Internet is totally blogging. And the biggest part of blogging is 'bad blogging.' Bad bloggers' singular aim is to bring down the Internet. Their strategy, though brilliantly devised, is surprisingly easy to spot. Tthey craft web pages that leave the reader questioning the real value of the Internet, and perhaps even reading as a whole.

Though bad bloggers clearly are tight-knit and well-organized, they aren't a group per se. They share only the knowledge and application of a core set of rules:

1. Have nothing to write.
(A cardinal rule, yet seemingly deceiving.)
2. Write it anyway.
3. Include an animated graphic of some sort.
(Make it floating and the same color as the text in the foreground.)
4. Include a weekly (at least) reference to alcohol--preferably Jello shots.
5. Document the most mundane yet awkwardly personal aspects of your life.
6. Follow the "Close Enough" method of spelling. Avoid grammar and invent punctuation.
7. Repeat vowels for emphasis.
(ex - It was soooooooo gooooood!)
8. Post a very long personality quiz that you've filled out for all to see.
(This should take up at least 75% of the page.)
9. Use colors as weapons.
10. Link to lots of other bad bloggers.

Here's Winking at You

2006-01-16T22:29:00.000-06:00

Taken a year ago, this was during a trip to Shanghai with a photo-happy friend. Finding myself the subject of too many of his pics, I devised a brilliant plan. Whenever possible, I would strike a silly pose and/or make a ridiculous face as he shot.

Though my tactics didn't produce the desired result, they did yield a treasury of photographs detailing the depths of my apparent stupidity and tactlessness. From the small town of Meizhou to the bustling metropolis of Shanghai; in taxis, buses, subways, and planes; from hotels to restaurants, I frowned and winked across China. I think I'm safe in saying it was wasted on everyone but me.

Night Shots, New Apartment

2006-01-10T20:29:00.000-06:00

I took these west of Emporia looking back at the city's light pollution. I was pretty happy about them, so I thought I'd share with you people. Don't make me regret it, you monkeys.

This week I moved into a new apartment. It's just above an apartment I had in college. A housewarming gathering is fermenting, but for now I'm getting settled in.

And "The Ricky Gervais Show" podcast at the iTunes podcast directory is lewd but pure hilarity. (Not sure that's a word, but I heard somebody say it today.)

On or About 2005

2006-01-03T21:41:00.000-06:00

Homeland Security GPA

2005-12-05T23:14:00.000-06:00

The 9/11 commission released their final report today. The report addressed lawmakers' response to the commission's initial recommendations, and gave a letter grade to each specific response. For example, under "Improve airline passenger screening" the government got an 'F.'

Since everyone is real busy and no one likes watching C-SPAN, I calculated the United States Homeland Security GPA: 1.71.

Email your senator or something? Hold them back ... retake the grade? I dunno.

A Night Under the Town

2005-11-28T19:44:00.002-06:00

Go West...

2005-11-15T23:24:00.000-06:00

Dad and I drove out to extreme southwest Kansas for the opening of pheasant season last weekend. We needed the long weekend just to get out there.

The drive isn't the best part of the trip. Imagine if God were to take tens of thousands of square miles of land and shake it up until it was completely level and mostly barren. Well, He did. And then He plopped down some oil wells, some "towns", a few grain elevators, and (recently) some windmills. Then He named it western Kansas, purportedly to help that state's ailing image and tourism industry.

We can't question this sort of thing. He works in mysterious ways.

I did get six birds in two days--two short of my limit and the best of our party. And the windmills were pretty sweet.

Left Hand, Meet Right Hand

2005-11-07T19:48:00.000-06:00

"We do not torture."

"Let us torture."

Government Work

2005-11-06T00:19:00.000-06:00

Haven't posted for a while, so I thought I'd put something little on here as filler.

If any of you are looking for a pretty easy job with a decent salary, take a look at this opening at the FBI. It's just so hard to get good help these days.

Good Time Everyday

2005-10-28T01:15:00.000-05:00

Dear Tony,
How are you? The weather is very cold in Meizhou these days. How about American? I miss you very much, I hope you can remember me too.
Are you planning to come back Meizhou? This friday, we all go to have our internship for two months. This is the first time for us to be the teachers. For one hand, I'm excited to be a teacher in a junior school in my hometown, for another hand, I'm afraid I am not good enough to be an excellent English teacher.However,I will try my best to be a good teacher!
Please give my besh wishes to your family! Good luck and have a good time everyday!
　
Cherry

Music Multitask

2005-10-21T21:19:00.000-05:00

I stopped carrying my iPod. I'll put it in my bag and listen while I'm reading a newspaper or having coffee, but I won't listen as I walk or talk or work. It got disgusting.

Since I quit, I notice little things like songs' lyrics or composition--you know, the song itself. When I had all that music there all the time, it lost all it's magic. A new album just isn't the same when I listen to it on the way to work, the way back from work, working out. It isn't special when I don't have to take a second and pay attention.

Or maybe I'm just not capable of musical multitasking.

Pong Pummeling

2005-10-21T01:09:00.000-05:00

On my computer, 4000 photos that take up 9.3 gigabytes. My 8000 songs take up 46 gigabytes and could provide more than 25 days of continuous listening.

I get my email, news, weather reports, entertainment, gas prices, word definitions and synonyms from my computer. I stitch together photos, keep students' grades, do research, schedule appointments, keep track of contacts, watch movies, write, edit photos, burn cds, and chat with friends on my computer.

Yet I only truly came to appreciate the power of this metal box when I received a sound 5 to 1 whooping in a simple game of Pong. This thing blows my old neighbor's ATARI 2600 away.

Igor's Joke of the Week

2005-10-10T21:56:00.000-05:00

The question to people from all parts of the world:

Tell us, please, honestly your opinion on how to solve the problem of shortage of food in other countries.

West Europeans did not know what a "shortage" was.
East Europeans did not know what "honestly" meant.
Latin Amewricans did not know what "please" meant.
Chinese did not know what "opinion" meant.
Middle Easteners did not know what "to solve the problem" meant.
Africans did not know what "food" was.
And Americans did not know what "other countries" were.

Jules of the Sea

2005-10-04T21:08:00.000-05:00

Not even a week ago, Japanese scientists reported recording a giant squid on film in the sea south of Japan. Reporters likened the milky images to the massive mollusk described by Jules Verne in his "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea."

Today, US scientists released an image of a glowing spot in the Indian Ocean the size of Connecticut. Sailors have reported these "milky spots" for centuries. The latest and only well-documented appearance was on January 25, 1995 in the Indian Ocean east of Somalia. Only last week, a US Naval Laboratory scientist tracked down satellite images of the occurrence, which again elicited thoughts of Jules Verne. Turns out old Captain Nemo himself encountered these same milky seas in the same Indian Ocean.

Yeah, right.

These liberal, atheistic scientists care about only two things: corrupting children with their nonsense evolution talk, and making themselves famous with "discoveries" and whatnot. And they'll make up stuff to do either.

Don't be surprised if next week they tell us that there's some sort of passage between the Mediterranean and Red Seas. Maybe that there rocket ships that take people to the moon. Or, better yet: the government has some sort of boats that can travel completely under water. These people can't even come up with something original, so they steal stuff from old books.

Scientific gobbledygook.

Giant Squid

2005-09-29T07:55:00.000-05:00

A decades-long search for the giant squid in the wild ended yesterday, when scientists reported recording the beast the ocean deep, south of Japan. They took extensive video and photographs of the beast, which measures about 26 feet in length with eyes the size of basketballs.

I couldn't sleep last night. Eyes the size of basketballs--and ink to boot.

"Ready, Cue the Sun" by David Brooks

2005-09-17T18:18:00.000-05:00

Arlen Specter: Welcome to Day 3 of the confirmation hearings of John Roberts. I'd like to take this opportunity to remind the nation of what a wonderful job I'm doing chairing this committee, and I'd like to let the ranking member tell me so.

Patrick Leahy: Absolutely, Mr. Chairman! And let me kick off this morning's platitudes about the grandeur of our Constitution by quoting its first three words, "We the People." That means that here in America the people rule - except on issues like abortion, where their opinions don't mean spit.

Specter: Very well put, Senator Leahy! And welcome Judge Roberts back before our committee.

John Roberts Jr.: Aw, shucks. This has been a humbling experience, Mr. Chairman. To think that a boy from an exclusive prep school and Harvard Law could grow up and be nominated for the Supreme Court - it shows how in America it's possible to rise from privilege to power! That's the hallmark of our great nation.

So while, of course, I can't talk about specific cases, or any emotions, weather patterns or sandwich meats that may come before the Supreme Court at any time between now and my death in 2048, I do want to reiterate that I feel humbled by this experience. I feel humbled that my wife is dozing off behind me. I feel humbled by this committee's inability to lay a glove on me. And I feel modest. You see this suit? I skinny-dip in this suit. That's how modest I feel.

Tom Coburn: Well put, Judge Roberts. Yet when I think of the polarization that still divides this great nation ... waaaahhhh ... waaaahhhh. (Senator Coburn breaks down weeping.)

Jeff Sessions: This may be a good moment to remind my colleagues on the other side of the aisle that in this country unelected judges don't write the laws. We have unelected lobbyists to do that. Under our system, judges merely interpret the law and decide presidential elections.

Specter: Senator Sessions, let me interrupt you right there. We're not here to argue among ourselves and ignore the nominee. We're here to deliver 30-minute speeches disguised as questions and ignore the nominee. So let me turn to Senator Bid - -

Coburn: And when I think of the flaws in the reconciliation process! And the gerrymandering! Oh, the suffering! Oh, the humanity! Waaaahhhh ... waaaahhhh. (Senator Coburn collapses and is taken back to his office on a stretcher.)

Specter: As I was saying, Senator Biden, you have the floor.

Joseph Biden Jr.: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I thought this might be a good moment to give the committee a complete history of my heroic sponsorship of the Violence Against Women Act, but before I do that I'd like to interrupt myself by mentioning that I ride the train every day, often speaking with regular Americans, but before I do that I'd like to interrupt my interruption of myself by asking the chairman to restrain the nominee. During my first round of questioning, the nominee continually interrupted my questions by trying to give answers. I could barely keep up my train of thought on stare decisis.

Edward Kennedy: Starry De Cysis? Didn't she do a fan dance down at that old burlesque house in Providence?

Roberts: Mr. Chairman, I certainly don't mean to draw attention to myself, for, as I have said, judges are like umpires - not home plate umpires, but those umpires stuck way out by the right-field foul pole. Nobody ever went to a game to watch the umpires.

But as you know, Judge Ginsburg, during her confirmation hearing, had herself wrapped in duct tape for fear that any involuntary reflex gestures she might make would mar her impartiality in deciding cases later on. Following her example, I have decided to spend the rest of these hearings in a soundproof booth, sunk in a tank of ravenous sharks and accompanied only by the illusionist David Copperfield. But before I go into isolation, I would like to mention the intense modesty I feel at this moment, notwithstanding the fact that not a single one of you slobs could have charged $700 an hour the way I did in private practice.

Richard Durbin: Judge Roberts, before you go, one of the ways we in the Senate prove our superior souls is by emoting mawkish sentimentality on cue. Would you please emote sadness and pain on behalf of politically powerful but downtrodden groups?

Roberts: I am emoting, senator.

Wedding Photo Rite

2005-09-13T23:35:00.000-05:00

Trey and Josephine got some wedding pictures taken back in China.

My sense of humor tends to take me too far at times, so I'll go ahead and leave this on here with minimal jokes...knot...tying...symbology.

Job Opening

2005-09-05T10:38:00.000-05:00

Last week, I started teaching reading and writing in the Intensive English Program at Emporia State University. The school is my alma mater, so it's a little strange teaching down the hall from where I once took classes. A few of my students are from South Korea and Japan, but fully half my students come from China, which puts me doing the same thing I was when I was there. It's ironical.

Altogether I have 20 students for the semester, which is about one tenth what I had back in Meizhou. The class sizes—together with air conditioning, carpet, and walls that are clean enough to lean against—might take a while to get used to.

This is a Hold Up

2005-08-25T17:45:00.000-05:00

Despite repeated objections from the two members of Emporia PETA, I decided to post a picture of myself taking part in that most American of pastimes--holding up fish for a picture in the garage. I do so fully aware of the impression that it might give--namely, that I haven't been doing much with my life during my time back stateside. But I strive most for an accurate reflection of the highs and lows of life in semi-rural Kansas.

If you can't appreciate the relative high of catching an eight-pound catfish (Frank) on a four-pound fly rod (Bessy,) it's likely because you haven't experienced the droll normalcy of life here or you haven't been fly fishing. Or, God forbid, both. In whatever case, you're invided for a weekend of the easy life and a complimentary fishing trip with my dad, who normally charges about $300 a day for guided trips. (Dad, is that okay?) I'm sure that he'd be happy to have you.

I'm not sure what the move back here is going to do to my photography and writing. A year ago I was visiting Hong Kong for the first time, and I can safely say that it made for slightly better pictures. I'm not complaining. Those are pretty decent crappie in my left hand, you know.

Fish Kansas

2005-08-02T10:23:00.000-05:00

A typical view for Kansasites, this or a slight variation is what I see on drives in my great state. I took this on a fishing trip a couple weeks ago, when the fishing was great. My dad and I caught about 50 on this trip, which made for a smelly but satisfied 15-minute drive home.

Fishing has been lousy lately--due to the heat. Dad stopped taking clients for his fly fishing guide service until fall. He started the part-time business a couple years ago, and this year the AP ran an article on him and a Topeka TV station came down to do a report.

Pedestrian Wichita

2005-07-28T10:07:00.000-05:00

Came to Wichita for a few days with my mom, who's convening with other school nurses. They all get to write the convention off , so lucky for all of us they chose to live it up at the Hyatt on the riverfront downtown.

Wichita was actually surprisingly mediocre. I came after years of stories and references from the few Wichitans I'd known, but it turned out to be a pretty decent time. Of course, nothing is good or bad unless by comparison, as I heard someone say. So when Wichita is competing against Emporia it won't have a hard time impressing me. After all, Emporia's riverfront consists of a bunch of trees and a waste treatment plant. Not exactly a Hyatt.

Geology Rocks, Indeed

2005-07-18T23:29:00.000-05:00

Philip came in from Denver to help his parents move, so he, Clint, and I headed up to Weston, Missouri. Our favorite hangout is an cool Irish pub that I call O'Malley's.

I'm not sure where that name came from. I first went there years ago with my family. The name "O'Malley's" was on a sign outside the pub and on the menus and the like. And it's the strangest thing: we've all called it that ever since. The name just stuck.

The pub is in a series of old, underground wine cellars. Each has a vaulted, stone ceiling and steep stairs lead from one room to the next. It's a great hangout, especially on Sundays when Bob plays. If you don't know about Bob, I can't tell you. You have to just go and listen for yourself. Really--don't ask. I won't tell you.

Back Home

2005-07-16T22:41:00.000-05:00

I'm back in my hometown, which hasn't really changed. I wasn't expecting Emporia to change much, so I suppose it hasn't disappointed.

Most of my friends have moved on to bigger cities, like young people everywhere.

The picture is me with a couple friends. The guy on the left hid in my luggage and the inspectors didn't catch it until Chicago, which was really too late. I asked my mom if we could keep him and she said yes. It wasn't that surprising, because she's always happy to have another person around to eat her food.

It's hot and humid and incredibly small here, compared to China. Almost everyone I've talked to has said something about how China must be far less developed than the US. I guess that's true in some ways. But the the strangest thing about being back is how few people and stores there are. Based purely on hubbub, Emporia seems like a ghost town compared to a small highway rest stop in China.

Parents and Graduate

2005-07-06T12:52:00.000-05:00

All the rumors are true. Nathan and I are on our long journey back to Emporia. We're in a coffee shop in Guangzhou that has become a favorite stop for Internetting and caffeine the last few times I've come here.

We should be back on July 8, and we expect fatted calves and much merriment on our return, sponsored by the Emporia Expat Club. If you're not a member, you're still invited.

I Had No Purpose!

2005-07-01T19:12:00.000-05:00

As I write, I'm sitting in an oversized wicker chair at the front of a class of 52 lowered Chinese heads. The class is on the eighth floor of the pedagogical building, where I teach. Our building sits at the center of Jiaying's campus and has a pleasant view of the city and surrounding mountains.

The lowered heads are my American and British history students, who are taking their final exam. My other history class are in a room next door with my friend Nathan as MC.

On our tortuous but familiar walk up eight flights of stairs there were clear reminders of the challenge that lay ahead. Red cloth banners with white cut-out characters remind students to stay (or become) honest during finals. Pledges of honesty signed by each class also hang at the back of their home room. A newbie would assume that these things serve as some measure of warning or reinforcement for our students, and s/he would hope that the students would pay heed. But I'm no newbie. The warnings are really for the teachers.

When I had to remind some students to keep their eyes on their own papers, they responded with, "What do you mean?" or "But I had no purpose!" or simply dropped their heads and got back to work.

Here's Lookin' at You

2005-06-28T01:39:00.000-05:00

It seems like it’s rained every day for two months now. It hasn’t, but the amount of rain on the wet days has more than made up for the dry ones. But it is always bright and sunny at KFC, thanks mostly to the fluorescent lights and heat lamps, respectively.

I got this picture the last time we went there. The little girl added a little sunshine to our day while she was staring at us half-baffled, half-scared, and half-surprised (I know that's three halves). It got me thinking about general innocence in Chinese culture and of Chinese people in many facets of life. Taste in music is one example. A truly horrible boy band from Britain doing a cover of an already bad Celline Dion song will inevitably score more points with a Chinese crowd than U2 or Wilco. It’s easy to recognize a similarity to American teen-aged girls’ sophisticated musical tastes.

Another good example is behavior between same-sex friends, who openly show their affection by holding each other’s hands or walking with arms around shoulders. When we first arrived, Nathan and I spoke about that general innocence in the culture. I think it’s something to be admired and respected, and I wish there were a way to recover that as a culture after it was lost.

Of course, as with any culture there are some parts of the culture here that aren’t quite consistent with this innocence. But during my year here I can’t say I’ve missed the liberal dose of sex in everything from shampoo commercials to half-time shows.

Unashamed Starer

2005-06-22T20:19:00.000-05:00

Igor was the subject of the latest round of staring from our gracious hosts here in Meizhou. I grabbed my camera in a hurry to document the kind of attention we get on a regular basis.

Apparently there was no need to hurry. Our new friend was standing there just staring away for at least a couple minutes. Never got his name, though.

Democratic Censorship

2005-06-14T20:11:00.000-05:00

Microsoft recently agreed to block "bad words" on their Chinese sites--words like "democracy" and "freedom." While perhaps this is yet another sign that Microsoft is the antichrist, it doesn't come as much of a surprise. And they're not the only company bowing to the Communist Party's wishes concerning censorship.

For years, China has been constructing what is elsewhere affectionately termed the Great Firewall--which is an online extension of the government's general censorship. With construction nearly complete the Party are hoping to protect innocent and helpless citizens from pages containing words like "human rights". Yahoo and Hotmail email accounts are also increasingly being blocked.

It's no surprise that most of the Great Firewall is built with technology from American companies. Of course, no one would expect Yahoo or Microsoft to throw away huge revenue from sites in China by refusing to cooperate with the "democratic" government. The USA is at least doing some things to help, along with others.

Here's an update. - June 22

And another. - June 23.

Still Raining

2005-06-13T01:36:00.000-05:00

I caught this photo the other night when a strong storm was blowing through Meizhou. You can see from the sky that it was lightninging. And you can see from my use of the word lightninging that I'm trying to show off my diction/vocabulary. Is it working? Are you impressed? Lightninging--how bizarre!

Panoramae

2005-06-12T01:11:00.000-05:00

I ran across a program for those of you rascals who are into digital photography. It's called Autostitch, and I used it to put together some cool panoramic photos that are part of my panoramae set. The program is incredible, which means the free beta probably won't be free or beta for long.

And here's a funny page a friend sent me that compares the US, Japan, and China.

Last China Trip

2005-06-07T00:40:00.000-05:00

I decided to post another series of photos because it had been a while since my last posting . . . and photos are neat. These pictures, like the last series, are from a trip to Guangzhou. But they're a little different: they're posted vertically, and then they're also pictures of different things.

These are from a trip to Guangzhou with Nathan and Trey. We went as a much-needed (if not deserved) break from Meizhou. We ate at a spectacular Brazilian restaurant where gauchos (or at least Chinese guys dressed up as gauchos) brought around huge portions of meat on skewers. It was spectacular and it had us all wondering why we weren't in Guangzhou for the last year. A Chinese-Muslim restaurant was excellent, and so was a cool jazz club.

We also went shopping for some gifts and for ourselves a bit. The last time I was in Guangzhou by myself, I went to a huge area to buy copy watches. We all went back there to buy some Rolexes and what not--one of few (if not the only) perk of working in China. One of our friends from Guangzhou, Sophia, wants to study international copyright law. She was amazed to know that so many copyright-infringed things could be bought right in the downtown area of her hometown.

Well, this was probably the last trip that I'll be taking until the big one back home in a month. So don't be disappointed if the postings are a little boring. I work with what I've got, and life here can be a little boring. Maybe I'll go introspective or something. Keep in touch.

40 Days and 40 Nights

2005-06-02T20:27:00.000-05:00

Hard, horizontal rain from a Kansas thunderstorm can be impressive when coupled with the ever-present risk of tornadoes. The rain in south China is comfortable with a boring, vertical descent. It can afford to be because it's persistent. A predictable yearly monsoon season supplies rice paddies with needed water; sometimes bringing more than needed.

Thursday came another in a long series of heavy rains, which is sure to continue. I called a fellow Kansan expat, Arnie, to ask if things were okay at his house, because it's prone to flooding. Things were fine then, but my friend Trey called me about 10 minutes later to say he was heading to Arnie's to help move things to the second floor. I passed the word on to Nathan and we all headed over, where we were met by about a foot and a half of water on the main floor.

Wanted: Civil Engineer to work in small Chinese city. Pay: Low; Benefits: Fake DVDs; Food: Chinese.

Matching Judges

2005-05-30T01:21:00.000-05:00

My friend Nathan and I were judging an international food competition that our department's students hosted. We hadn't planned to wear matching Jiaying University shirts. In fact, we were both just filling in for fellow teachers who couldn't make it.

The food from the different countries (groups) was pretty impressive. Some of the groups' international food did taste strangely like Chinese food. The Holland group had a beef and pepper dish that tasted identical to House of Ma's back home. I can't help but laugh at that: Chinese food masquerading as Dutch food that reminds me of Chinese food I had back in Kansas. It's a veritable culinary mystery.

Cheap Advertising

2005-05-25T10:14:00.000-05:00

The picture shows a cheap form of advertising in Guangzhou: Some poor schmoe gets the job of standing outside a clothes store and clapping to draw the attention of passers-by. The amazing deals to be had inside are apparently too amazing to be expressed through mere words. Clapping alone can encompass the true awesomeness of such deals.

I've seen similar tactics in Meizhou (below), where a guy stands on the top of a rickety step ladder and swings a shirt over his head, screaming something at the top of his lungs. Nathan reported someone beating a bucket with accompanying music. Pure marketing genius.

Full Day in Guangzhou

2005-05-18T18:32:00.000-05:00

My trip to Guangzhou was a welcome break from small-town (pop. 1 million) life.

In the morning, I hopped on the subway into the city to visit a college-turned-temple. There aren't a lot of those in the states, so I thought it worth a look. The subway stop was easy to remember, because its name was the same as the temple: Chen Jia Ci (Chen Family Temple). But when I emerged from the subway I saw only huge buildings and a busy intersection. I thought my Chinese was pretty decent, especially for something as easy as asking directions. So, not knowing where to go, I asked a college-aged girl if she knew where the temple was. "Over there," she responded in perfect English, as she pointed over my shoulder.

Peace in the Middle East

2005-05-12T14:44:00.000-05:00

My class schedule is being steadily worn down into a sort of suggestion for when, you know, I might want to have class--that is, if the powers that be at our university wisely and graciously allow it. We had a Labor Day break for the first week of May, so three of my classes didn't happen. Now, it looks like we won't have classes on Thursday and Friday because of a university sports meet.

I first heard whispers from students about classes being cancelled a few days ago. So I called Trey and Arnie, and Arnie said he'd heard similar whispers. Our department finally told us that the whispers were true. Three days ahead of time is actually pretty good notice. So, no classes for 6 days? I'm going to Guangzhou!

Oh, and I slapped a photo on here, too. I know you read me only for the articles. And I hadn't updated for a while, so the next few postings are backdated. Gotta space 'em out.

Mao, Phil, and Nathan

2005-05-01T22:36:00.000-05:00

That Mao always comes off looking so cool and confident.

This is at a Thai restaurant on Shamian Island. I ate at the same place with my family when they visited. It's gooood.

Nathan and I were hangin with some friends in Guangzhou during our May vacation, which is one of three or four sizable breaks we have.

Chinese vacations are really strange. They'll give you the week of, say, May 2 through 6 off. But then you have to make up two of those days on the Saturday preceding the break and the Sunday following. Uh...huh?

Chinese English Torture

2005-05-01T11:35:00.000-05:00

This is the kind of thing I get to put up with. For an English major, it's akin to torture. Chinese English torture.

You might have to click on the picture to get a clear look, but I don't think that's asking too much.

Guangzhou Bus Trip

2005-04-30T21:48:00.000-05:00

Nathan and I were on our way to Guangzhou for part of our May holiday. It's usually a mildly unpleasant 6-hour ride on the highway. This time, though, we managed to get a bus that was touring through every podunk mountain town on the way.

We would have probably enjoyed the scenery and resigned ourselves to a longer trip, but we were also lucky enough to get seats just behind the driver. He honked a painfully loud horn every time he thought someone was even thinking of crossing his path--three times. It made for a very long eight-hour trip. But it also made our time in Guangzhou that much sweeter.

Heavy Metal Restaurant

2005-04-27T00:27:00.000-05:00

I just finished a run across campus and back to our apartments near the river. You might notice the time of night and wonder why I go running so late. There are three main reasons: mental health, motivation, and bucking the trend.

Mental health: If I ran at day, the sight of a foreigner might cause all kinds of accidents and other problems. I feel a little like a circus animal already anyway, and I don’t think all the extra staring would help my well-being.

Motivation: People sometimes catch a glimpse of me even at night. About one in four make some sort of predictable comment like “Haloooh!” which makes me want to run away from them. . .quickly.

Bucking the trend: In my eight months here, at least 99% of the people I’ve seen exercising were doing it between 4:30 and 6:00 PM—before dinner. I find the opportunity to introduce some unconformity irresistible.

Great. Classroom.

2005-04-25T00:10:00.000-05:00

"Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost."

"Bigotry is the disease of ignorance, of morbid minds; enthusiasm of the free and buoyant. education & free discussion are the antidotes of both."

- Thomas Jefferson

Lately Chinese have been getting angrier about new Japanese textbooks that whitewash Japanese atrocities during WWII. Yesterday the Japanese prime minister gave an unreserved apology for Japan’s actions, and this was at least the 16th time Japan has apologized. The Chinese government doesn’t allow broadcast any of these apologies within China.

Meanwhile, masses of Chinese are throwing rocks at Japanese embassies and violently protesting outside Japanese businesses in Guangzhou, unaware that Japan has ever apologized for anything.

Yesterday, before watching the news broadcast (or not broadcast) one of my students told me that she wanted to give her informational speech about Taiwan and Japan and China’s relationship with them, but that the university had told students not to discuss political matters in the presence of foreign teachers. I told her she’d better not.

Hey M'sieur!

2005-04-23T18:30:00.000-05:00

First of all, before you rush to judge (me) this is not my photo, and not even really a friend's. I saw this on Flickr (my photo hosting site) and was laughing for a while, so I thought I'd share. If you click on the photo, you can see the rest of the "gasman" series.

Shantou Bird Show

2005-04-21T01:51:00.000-05:00

I just had a day that requires some venting, and I think a blog is as good a place as any--minus all post-venting regret for publishing angry thoughts.

I spent the day in an elaborate trap that locals call the “Meizhou Con” or “Hakka Hustle.” This masterful plan is implemented by the university’s communist-inspired bureaucracy (is that an oxymoron?). Whenever one person in the bureaucracy is required to make a decision, take responsibility for making a decision, or even think about making a decision, they enter a complex dance, which has incidentally remained largely unexplored by science. In this dance, the person who has responsibility for a decision refers you to someone who then refers you to the former person, who, when told about the impasse, refers you on to someone farther down the campus hierarchy. Then this peon sits and wonders (along with you) at how they’ve become responsible (for anything). They sometimes grow a big head suddenly and complain that the university should consult them about more matters if they're to be held responsible for this one. You are then dragged along in the inescapable current until you inexplicably, but inevitably arrive back to your starting point. It’s really a little like those current pools at the water parks. You know you're wasting your time, but it's strangely entertaining to just float along and watch the current. I can’t question it—there wouldn’t be any answers anyway.

The impetus (I can't say reason) for my trip around the system was an impossibly expensive ticket to leave later--when the university would be happy. In the end everything worked out fine. I'll be coming back later, but as long as I can keep from being drawn into the current again, I’ll be happy.

Magical Mystery Bus

2005-04-02T19:25:00.000-06:00

Nathan spotted a bus near our apartments that was having trouble negotiating a curve. The curve is on a fairly busy, very narrow road from a small village on the outskirts of Meizhou into the city. A wall around our university's campus runs parallel to the road. Seeing that the bus wasn't going anywhere, we decided to climb the wall and join in the fun.

When we arrived on scene, the bus had made no progress. The small road it was on was the only one between the village and Meizhou proper. Was this the first time a bus had tried to make this turn? Where had this bus come from? Are there other villages back there? We might never know the answers to these questions, and I don't really care. Sometimes it's satisfying to just join in the spectacle.

Staying Dry

2005-03-30T19:57:00.000-06:00

Monsoons have been bringing fat, persistent drops of rain for at least a week--straight. I'm certainly not complaining. I like to think of each drop streaking down, leaving a trail of clean air in its wake. Pollution is something of a factor in most Chinese cities of any size, but as long as it's raining the air is great.

I always thought it would be cool to live in Seattle or London or somewhere usually overcast. I'm not sure why I thought that. Overcast is overrated. But good musical planning for those rainy days is just prudent, so here is some of my favorite rainy day listening: Nick Drake, Bob Dylan, The Sundays, Thievery Corporation.

Break Time

2005-03-25T21:17:00.000-06:00

This guy is taking a break from digging in the tulip pond on our campus.

He was digging for water tulip roots along with his comrades-in-shovels. They'll sell the roots to be cooked with sugar for dessert.

But for now, it's break time.

Have a delightful weekend!

All Cheeks

2005-03-25T00:29:00.000-06:00

We have English corner every Wednesday on campus. The students crowd around the foreign teachers and ask all kinds of interesting questions, like, "Do you like Chinese food?" and "Do you like China?" and "Do you like Chinese food?"

At yesterday's, this kid showed up out of nowhere and stole all the attention. Little punk.

Meet Your President

2005-03-22T01:23:00.000-06:00

A picture from the China Daily website yesterday, when Condi Rice was visiting China on her Asian tour. (Sadly, I'm more interested in a possible U2 Asian Tour, but I'm not holding my breath.)

The caption for the photo reads "Chinese President Hu Jintao (right) meets with...Condoleezza Rice." Apparently the capable editors of China Daily wanted to avoid anyone thinking that the president of China was the black lady (left).

Street Cook

2005-03-17T01:43:00.000-06:00

Thanks to all of you for visiting and commenting. Please register so I know who you are when you comment. (I know only one Anonymous, and there's no way he's commenting this much.) If that's not your thing, be sure to sign your name.

A suffocating fog has descended on Meizhou like a damp, gross, velvet curtain. Midday and evening are indiscernible, and exhaled breath is clearly visible in the humid 60-degree air.

In this picture, steam rises from a street vendor's woks and pots to join the fog above.

Day of Prayer

2005-03-16T00:32:00.000-06:00

I teach only two days a week, and today was an off day. The weather’s nasty outside, so I stayed inside and did nothing interesting. But lucky for you, I have a lot of interesting photos!

A gold reclining Buddha (46 meters long, http://www.thaitravel.info/WatPho/) and a monk (1.5 meters tall, just a guess) in Bangkok from a trip to Thailand during the winter break.

Later that day, we were visiting the temple below. I talked to a local man who was there to pray, and he said that it was a day of prayer. He also said he’d never seen tourists at that temple before. Then he nicely told me to leave. Just kidding.

Hong Kong Cook

2005-03-15T07:02:00.000-06:00

Hong Kong Cook
Originally uploaded by doggage.

This picture is from my first time in Hong Kong, when I was traveling through with Nathan. We were on our way to Meizhou to teach, and I remember the first few days in Hong Kong were completely overwhelming. The lighted billboards seem to make a ceiling over many of the streets.

Hong Kong is a good stopping off point for people coming to China; itâs not China, but itâs part way there.

Little Angel

2005-03-13T12:41:00.000-06:00

This little girl belongs to the shopkeepers behind. Cute? Yes. Except her pose is her way of signaling that she has to go poddy. (I say "poddy" instead of "to the restroom" consciously.)

On seeing that their little angel needs to go tinkle, the shopkeeper parents will come out in front of their shop, lift their child into a squatting position, and un-Velcro the ready-made Velcro split in her pants. Little Angel then commences to do her business right in front of her parents' business. Cute? No.

Now, I didn't study business--I studied English. And I did have a couple cultural studies courses where we were encouraged to view other cultures objectively. But some of what I seem to see in China is not only illogical but anti-logical. Sure, different cultures always seem strange to foreigners. But some parts of Chinese culture seem designed to offend anyone who's governed by common sense.

Let's take Little Angel for example. Wouldn't a shopkeeper naturally think, "My shop has a sidewalk in front of it. And my customers have to walk on that sidewalk to enter my shop. So maybe the best place for my kids to 'use the restroom' might be somewhere other than that sidewalk"? Yes. A shopkeeper anywhere else in the world, perhaps.