Sometimes the best restaurants go unnoticed. Low advertising expenditures. No franchise or name recognition. There are many reasons why these "hole in the wall" places fold and disappear. But often it's not because of the food.
My friends and I ate at a good little Asian spot the other day, if you're looking for something a little more authentic. It's called Fusion Asian Grill, located in the same complex as Dallas Roberts. Give it a shot if you're looking for something new, before it goes under as well.
In addition, my trusted colleague "bird on the lawn" tells of a great Mexican place as well. I haven't been here yet but I've heard from 2 or 3 people that it's worth exploring.
So get out there and try something new. After all, this may be a limited time offer...
Friday, February 15, 2008
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Forgotten memories
It's nice to talk to family and talk about memories that I have since forgotten. It just goes to show how easy it can be to forget about something that happens in your own life, and how helpful it can be to write it down, whether physically or virtually.
There was the time when my dad was mowing the lawn and out of nowhere the sliding glass door shattered. We assume it was a rock, but I like to think the sound coming from the lawn mower reached just the right pitch to match the glass door's natural harmonic frequency.
We went to Disney World several years in a row when we lived in Ohio. We then moved to Florida, and my parents were thinking of taking us to Disney World again. They asked us if we wanted to go and, much to their surprise, got a ho-hum response. We ended up going to a nearby hotel, had some fun on the beach, and we each got $50! My parents still tell that story to other families that talk about taking such vacations, and they get a kick out of it.
I should make a habit of writing down stories like these so I don't forget them like I did these. So one other one that I haven't forgot: we went to play at the beach during Hurricane Georges. Of course, we only went down to the bayou behind our house, but it was still a lot of fun. There were waves nearly 6 feet high in a location where 1 foot waves were considered big. I can only imagine what the waves were like on the Gulf coast. We also jumped on the trampoline during the hurricane. Now that's a good memory.
There was the time when my dad was mowing the lawn and out of nowhere the sliding glass door shattered. We assume it was a rock, but I like to think the sound coming from the lawn mower reached just the right pitch to match the glass door's natural harmonic frequency.
We went to Disney World several years in a row when we lived in Ohio. We then moved to Florida, and my parents were thinking of taking us to Disney World again. They asked us if we wanted to go and, much to their surprise, got a ho-hum response. We ended up going to a nearby hotel, had some fun on the beach, and we each got $50! My parents still tell that story to other families that talk about taking such vacations, and they get a kick out of it.
I should make a habit of writing down stories like these so I don't forget them like I did these. So one other one that I haven't forgot: we went to play at the beach during Hurricane Georges. Of course, we only went down to the bayou behind our house, but it was still a lot of fun. There were waves nearly 6 feet high in a location where 1 foot waves were considered big. I can only imagine what the waves were like on the Gulf coast. We also jumped on the trampoline during the hurricane. Now that's a good memory.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
The most influential dates in my life
1. December 1983, in a military hospital
2. July 1995, in a military hospital
3. Spring/Summer 1997(?), in a Florida forest
4. December 1998, in my backyard
5. December 1999, in Kent stake center
6. June 2001, in Kent, WA
7. October 2003 in Seattle, WA
8. December 2003, in Provo MTC
9. February and September 2004, in Миасс, Russia
10. February 2005, in Челябинск, Russia
11. October-November 2005, in Пермь, Russia
12. June 2006, at Provo airport
13. December 2007, in Provo, UT
Many of these events are very personal, and some are events that many have gone through. It was an interesting exercise thinking of these events though. Which events are responsible for who you are?
2. July 1995, in a military hospital
3. Spring/Summer 1997(?), in a Florida forest
4. December 1998, in my backyard
5. December 1999, in Kent stake center
6. June 2001, in Kent, WA
7. October 2003 in Seattle, WA
8. December 2003, in Provo MTC
9. February and September 2004, in Миасс, Russia
10. February 2005, in Челябинск, Russia
11. October-November 2005, in Пермь, Russia
12. June 2006, at Provo airport
13. December 2007, in Provo, UT
Many of these events are very personal, and some are events that many have gone through. It was an interesting exercise thinking of these events though. Which events are responsible for who you are?
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Phobia(s)
I don't know the technical term for each of my fears but here they are in no particular order:
1. snakes
2. the unknown
3. water beneath me in lakes and oceans (may be related to #2)
4. dying alone
5. sterilizing myself or developing cancer from use of electronic devices, specifically cell phones
6. sticky hands (not so much a fear as a manifestation of OCD - see also sink eater/trash eater for those familiar with the terms)
That's all I can think of but it's been a long day. I'm in Italy now.
1. snakes
2. the unknown
3. water beneath me in lakes and oceans (may be related to #2)
4. dying alone
5. sterilizing myself or developing cancer from use of electronic devices, specifically cell phones
6. sticky hands (not so much a fear as a manifestation of OCD - see also sink eater/trash eater for those familiar with the terms)
That's all I can think of but it's been a long day. I'm in Italy now.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
German efficiency on the freeway
In the states we're #1 in a lot of things. Some good, some bad. One area where we're close to the top but need to improve is our freeways.
There are two things that the German autobahn system has figured out, which I would love to see in the U.S.
1. We already have the signs, but no one seems to get the picture. SLOWER TRAFFIC KEEP RIGHT. The left lanes are for passing. It's amazing how much more smoothly traffic flows in Germany, because people abide by this concept. The right lane may be going 100 km/h and someone in the left lane may be going 180 km/h, and it just works. Nothing is worse than being on a 4 lane divided highway and two cars are driving the same speed, right next to each other, making it impossible to pass. OK, OK, two trucks would be worse.
2. Areas with no speed limit. You're not near a city. You're not near a major exit. You're not ascending or descending a mountain or navigating a tricky pass. It's a straight road. You could go faster, but you see some sign telling you otherwise. It's the same sign that you saw during the dangerous areas. At least while traveling in the dangerous areas, you could understand the purpose, but now it's simply mocking you.
My mom was afraid to even drive in Germany. Now she won't hardly ever go less than 160 km/h (100 mph) when the conditions allow it. It just works here in Germany. I wish it worked in the U.S. as well. All we need are some of these signs on those nice straight stretches of highway (it tells you the speed limit has been removed):
I'd also settle for one of these babies:
Here's an actual shot of my mom driving on the autobahn:
Not bad for an 8 passenger van.
Hat tip to Google Images for making my work easier.
There are two things that the German autobahn system has figured out, which I would love to see in the U.S.
1. We already have the signs, but no one seems to get the picture. SLOWER TRAFFIC KEEP RIGHT. The left lanes are for passing. It's amazing how much more smoothly traffic flows in Germany, because people abide by this concept. The right lane may be going 100 km/h and someone in the left lane may be going 180 km/h, and it just works. Nothing is worse than being on a 4 lane divided highway and two cars are driving the same speed, right next to each other, making it impossible to pass. OK, OK, two trucks would be worse.
2. Areas with no speed limit. You're not near a city. You're not near a major exit. You're not ascending or descending a mountain or navigating a tricky pass. It's a straight road. You could go faster, but you see some sign telling you otherwise. It's the same sign that you saw during the dangerous areas. At least while traveling in the dangerous areas, you could understand the purpose, but now it's simply mocking you.
My mom was afraid to even drive in Germany. Now she won't hardly ever go less than 160 km/h (100 mph) when the conditions allow it. It just works here in Germany. I wish it worked in the U.S. as well. All we need are some of these signs on those nice straight stretches of highway (it tells you the speed limit has been removed):
I'd also settle for one of these babies:
Here's an actual shot of my mom driving on the autobahn:
Not bad for an 8 passenger van.Hat tip to Google Images for making my work easier.
Mind exercises and mental math
You've no doubt seen the ads for the Nintendo DS game that gives you puzzles for your mind. Something pops up that says 3 ? 4 = 12 and you have to figure out that the operation here is multiplication. I find that a little primitive, but I think the concept here is important.
Too often we don't exercise certain areas of our mind anymore. Especially in math. Of course, I am a little biased, seeing as how I used to be a mathlete. But I've noticed that in the 8 years since I've taken calculus, I've forgotten a lot. I was helping someone recently, and found that some of it did come back, and it was exciting to revitalize those brain cells.
Even simple math can be invigorating for the brain. It wasn't that long ago that people balanced their checkbook and figured out tips in their head. Now we have online banking and tip calculators on our cell phone. I think it's healthy to multiply numbers by 0.15 in your head (or 0.2 or 0.25, sheesh don't get angry, here in Europe it's 0.05-0.1 you know) to figure out what tip you want to leave. Quadrupling a recipe is good for the brain, 1 1/3 cup of flour for one batch, how much for 4? Recently, I decided to use my brain to figure out how to convert between mpg and liters per 100km. Often on trips I'm tempted to figure out how much faster I will arrive at my destination if I go 90 mph instead of 85 mph... assuming the speed limit is 85 mph of course...
Helping my sister with science has been another way of re-energizing those long-dormant brain cells. There are so many interesting things that we learn, even in grade school, that we should really try not to forget. Bringing them up in conversation, or just going over them in our head, will hopefully help keep them in our long-term memory. Then when your dad leans over on a Swiss train and asks what 134 times 5 is, you'll be able to give the exact answer instead of a rough guesstimate.
(P.S. Don't forget, multiplying by 5 is the same as dividing by 2 and adding a 0 - 134 / 2 = 67. Add a 0 on the end and you get 670. 134 X 5 = 670. If you're not good at dividing by 2, or you want to check your answer, break it up into smaller parts. 134 X 5 = (100 X 5) + (30 X 5) + (4 X 5) = 500 + 150 + 20 = 670.)
Sometimes I miss being a math nerd.
Too often we don't exercise certain areas of our mind anymore. Especially in math. Of course, I am a little biased, seeing as how I used to be a mathlete. But I've noticed that in the 8 years since I've taken calculus, I've forgotten a lot. I was helping someone recently, and found that some of it did come back, and it was exciting to revitalize those brain cells.
Even simple math can be invigorating for the brain. It wasn't that long ago that people balanced their checkbook and figured out tips in their head. Now we have online banking and tip calculators on our cell phone. I think it's healthy to multiply numbers by 0.15 in your head (or 0.2 or 0.25, sheesh don't get angry, here in Europe it's 0.05-0.1 you know) to figure out what tip you want to leave. Quadrupling a recipe is good for the brain, 1 1/3 cup of flour for one batch, how much for 4? Recently, I decided to use my brain to figure out how to convert between mpg and liters per 100km. Often on trips I'm tempted to figure out how much faster I will arrive at my destination if I go 90 mph instead of 85 mph... assuming the speed limit is 85 mph of course...
Helping my sister with science has been another way of re-energizing those long-dormant brain cells. There are so many interesting things that we learn, even in grade school, that we should really try not to forget. Bringing them up in conversation, or just going over them in our head, will hopefully help keep them in our long-term memory. Then when your dad leans over on a Swiss train and asks what 134 times 5 is, you'll be able to give the exact answer instead of a rough guesstimate.
(P.S. Don't forget, multiplying by 5 is the same as dividing by 2 and adding a 0 - 134 / 2 = 67. Add a 0 on the end and you get 670. 134 X 5 = 670. If you're not good at dividing by 2, or you want to check your answer, break it up into smaller parts. 134 X 5 = (100 X 5) + (30 X 5) + (4 X 5) = 500 + 150 + 20 = 670.)
Sometimes I miss being a math nerd.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Buying America's Future on Credit
My 10-year-old sister doesn't get mail that often. So imagine our surprise when she was pre-approved for a credit card! I tried to convince my parents to let her get it and start building up her credit, but I don't think they bought into the idea. I suppose the "preapproval" may have disappeared when she put a monthly household income of 5 euros.
Seriously though, from whence is my sister's name appearing on the list of financial institutions? It blows my mind. Maybe we can get 10-year-olds to default on their payments and ruin their credit score before they get into middle school...
Check out some credit/debt trivia here from 2004. Personally, I've never understood how people can become slaves to their own debt, particularly when the reasons behind the debt are TVs, new cars, and just living outside one's means. Start setting aside money now for the future! Better to have interest working for you than against you.
Seriously though, from whence is my sister's name appearing on the list of financial institutions? It blows my mind. Maybe we can get 10-year-olds to default on their payments and ruin their credit score before they get into middle school...
Check out some credit/debt trivia here from 2004. Personally, I've never understood how people can become slaves to their own debt, particularly when the reasons behind the debt are TVs, new cars, and just living outside one's means. Start setting aside money now for the future! Better to have interest working for you than against you.
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