Linux

Today marks my first step toward migrating to Linux. I've tried a few times to download/burn a copy of Ubuntu but to no avail (basically because Chinese blank disks are no better than frisbees.) This weekend, Greg got me a copy and I did my install today on the D-drive of my desktop computer. First time in, and I'm completely lost! But that's the fun part... learning a whole new program, while at the same time, getting ready for the future.

"Future?" you ask. "Well..." I respond. From what this techie hears, even the microsoft programmers aren't too thrilled with Windows Vista. Several Blogs mention this (sorry no links yet) and with the usual tearing apart of Windows in general that goes on in the press, I can only imagine their days are numbered.

Here in China, that won't be the case for awhile. People here still believe that ASP is far superior to PHP. Some Chinese web designers "claim" and I stress the word "claim" that PHP simply doesn't work with Chinese. I got 7 words for them... www dot yahoo dot com dot cn. Looks pretty Chinese to me and it's based on PHP.

Regardless, it's time for a slow migration over to Linux, if only to learn. "Prometheus" my laptop & primary computer isn't switching anytime soon. However, "Epimetheus" is now sporting the latest Ubuntu, Edgy!

The Girl Next Door

Well, not exactly next door but 2 floors down.

Just about 10 minutes ago, an old lady who lives down on the 3rd floor (I'm up on the 5th) came to my door & asked me to go downstairs. Now, I have a propensity for listening to my music kind of loud. And, our kitchen sink is leaking a bit. But I'm thinking that there's no way she can hear my music, and the abandoned 4th floor apartment would take the majority of the damage.

So I went down. Slowly (she's REALLY old). I'm in old shorts, non-hair cut for about a month & a half now, and reeking of cigarettes & coffee. Not the best time to be meeting chicks. That & I figured if it wasn't the first two, maybe the old lady just needed help fixing or moving something.

I was wrong on all 3 accounts. She knocked on her door, and what I assume to be her grand-daughter came to the door. She opened it, the old lady went in, and I stood outside the door, smiling, thinking "WTF" & asking in English, "Can I help you?"

She stood there smiling & the old lady went in & I assume went about her normal, "old lady" business. The girl only said "Xie Xie" ("Thank you") a few times, and that was about it. I went back upstairs, and... well, you're reading what I did next.

Foreigners in China are often seen as "spectacles" and we're stared at often. But damn, that was rather blatant. At least she was cute! No match for the Princess of Beer (or my wife!) but good enough.

No Zhong Nan Hai?

Last weekend, I scoffed at my friend who pessimisticly claimed that Pudong no longer has Zhong Nan Hai Cigarettes. Me being the everlasting commanding, arrogant Kurt Russell figure says, "You're joking man! You must be absolutely crazy!"

Of COURSE there's Zhong Nan Hai cigarettes throughout Shanghai & throughout China! It's the staple of all red-blooded laowai smokers across China!.

Monday. I went to my cigarette shop and said, "Zhong Nan Hai, Liu kuai wu de." The woman behind the desk says, "I'm sorry. We only have the si kuai de.". Of course I reacted, "What? You're surely not serious!" and to my army behind me, I bellowed, "Jaffa, KREE!" and promptly slayed the infidels. Then I took my 4 kuai cigarettes home with me.

Tuesday. I went back. After having slain the infidels, I asked what strangely looked like the same lady as the day before, "Do you have Zhong Nan Hai 6 Kuai de cigarettes?" Again, she said no, and offered me the cheaper, 4 kuai version. Again, I instructed my army to this time, teach the whole neighborhood a lesson. Fire and Brimstone was the story of the afternoon. Then I took my 4 kuai cigarettes home with me.

Wednesday. For whatever reason, the cigarette shop was again rebuilt, despite my retribution, but I fore-went that shop and went to where the princess of Beer resides. I had with me, 4 lonely, empty bottles of beer, which yearned to be reunited with their bretheran. The bottles sent out psychic messages, instilling in my mind a feeling of depression and remorse. I MUST CAST THE BOTTLES INTO THE PITS OF MOUNT SUNTORY! Only then would Middle Earth (or middle fridge) be FREE!

So, I returned my emptys and asked my princess of Beer, "Do you have any Zhong Nan Hai 6 Kuai de?"

SideNote: My lovely wife, who now has a blog of her own here, has NO IDEA that I call her the princess of Beer. She's so damned cute! Don't tell her, okay?

Alas, the Princess of Beer says....






no.

"BUT," she says in her Carlton Banks 'White Man Voice', " We have a LOVELY assortment of different brands of Marlboro! Look! Some are Red, while Others are GOLD!"

I suddenly think back to last weekend. Alex. The now hitched bearer of bad fortunes. Perhaps he was right.

One last chance I thought.

I went to Senses Wine Lounge last night and stopped at MY store. The one store who never lets me down. Hesitantly, I asked, "Do you have 6 kuai de Zhong Nan Hai?" The answer.... well let's just skip the pathetic, depressing drivel I would normally put here.

Shopkeeper (as played by Mace Windu): Alas, we have no Zhong Nan Hai.
ME (as played by Tom Cruise [as always]) Depressed voice: Whatever has the world come to, where a hard working blue-collar man such as myself can't even enjoy the benefits of a simple Zhong Nan Hai after work.

the horror...

SO, Shanghai has run out of Zhong Nan Hai. Damn! Guess I'll have to switch to Marlboro.

Live Fish in Shanghai

This was then. Jinan 3 years ago or so. Watch closely.



This was last wednesday. Again, watch closely.

I didn't record those, but I know the guy who did. Cheers for posting them! And don't flame us for these pics. We just wanted something to eat is all. And hells yes, they were tasty! Enjoy!

Google Adsense: The Damage has been Done

With most of my online website endeavors, with the exception of JinanLIVE, who actually has paid advertisers, Google ads are what brings me the money. They're nothing to get rich on, and nothing I'm going to retire on anytime soon, but regardless, the money I make on these things is enough for my wife & I to go out for a decent dinner or have a few extra coffees at Shanghai Expat's Sunday Coffee meet.

The links Google shows, however, can be interesting. I automatically have a few travel sites blocked through the backend, simply because they're my competition. However the ones that take their place...

www. chinesekisses. com/ - go get yourself a chinese wife.

Save Your Relationship
10 Secrets To Get A Man Positively Addicted To You For Life
www. CatchHimAndKeepHim. com

Marriage Separation
Find out why so many women today are choosing separation
WomensInfidelity. com
These two appeared on Grace's blog. Probably due to her post about me being out all night. Kind of scary, really. I don't think we're separating. I mean, COME ON! I bought her a ROSE!

Next Pope is John Paul II
Impersonated. Bible Prophecy Shows He Will be Last Pope. Learn More
www.worldslastchanc
On another of my sites (guess I better rework my keywords). And as for the last pope thing, I'll bet Emperor Palpatine Pope Benedict may have something to say about that.

Davidicke?
How You Can Master Holographic Time To Gain Extreme Wealth And Success!
ICreateReality. com
Holographic Time? Damn, and to think I'm still using digital. Isn't David Iche the guy who says that Pindar the Lizard King who lives in a vast empire underground, impregnated Princess Diana and then had her killed?

Western White House Gifts
Memorabilia, collectibles and gifts from Pres George W Bush Crawford TX
www. WesternWhiteHouseGifts .com
Again, no politics on ANY of my sites. Not sure where these are coming from.

Anyways... The world is full of sites, and I'll leave you this from HC, the author of My Green Head...

Exciting news from "the blogosphere":

My morning routine:
1. Turn off the alarm and sleep another 20-30 minutes.
2. Roll out of bed and into the bathroom, wipe-and-shine sink and toilet.
3. Take a shower, brush my teeth, comb my hair.
4. Get dressed.
5. Organize textbooks, folders, other items in my backpack.
6. Put on shoes and coat, brush hair lightly.
7. Say goodbye to Jodi.
8. Grab keys and breakfast (milk and bun).
9. Walk to the metro station.

My nightly routine:
1. Cursorily clean up the living room and study.
2. Check and re-fill Poopy's chinchilla feed.
3. Feed the fish and check on Chris, our turtle.
4. Wash my hands, face, and brush my teeth.
5. Lay out tomorrow's clothes and organize things for next morning.
6. Go to bed with a book.

Thanks for telling me this great piece of information Mr. Blogger. The world is a better place now that we know Chris get fed, even if before you wash your hands. No, I am not bitter about "blogging", I just am an eternal seeker of originality. And blogs are just a flooding damn full of mediocrity, inundating the internet. Just because you CAN have a blog, does not mean that you SHOULD have one. If you cant be original, then dont add to the clutter.

Cheers, HC! I can only imagine what their google ads say.