Fire Drill

Comes on the hottest day (so far) of this season. We have to evacuate not only ourselves, but also three dogs.

我在忙什么

昨天喝掉米酒200ml。很多人说，够烈！可不，历时42天！

红葡萄酒这个周末酿成。

白葡萄酒得等我买点白葡萄再说。

Once in a Blue Moon

Yes, stargazing is still my obsession.

How rare is a full blue moon? (From Earth & Sky)

Tonight's Sky for Tuesday, May 01 2007

The moon will look full tonight, lighting the night from dusk till dawn. In the Americas, though, the moon won’t be truly full till tomorrow morning, at 5:09 a.m. Central Daylight Time. For the Americas, tomorrow’s full moon will be the first of two full moons in May. The second full moon to occur in a single calendar month is popularly known as a blue moon. We elaborate on today’s radio show.

Every 19 years, the phases of the moon recur on (or near) the same calendar dates. So in 2026, there will be two May full moons. Once again, the second full moon will be dubbed a blue moon.

This famous 19-year cycle reveals how often blue moons occur. Every 19 years, there are 235 full moons – yet only 228 calendar months. Therefore, the 7 leftover full moons (235-228=7) have to share the same calendar month with another full moon. That gives 7 blue moons in 19 years.

Yet, there’s one big hitch! February of 2018 has no full moon whatsoever. That’s another displaced full moon that falls right into the lap of March. So that’s a total of 8 blue moons for the next 19 years.

Written by Bruce McClure, 1 May 07

The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency

Alexander McCall Smith is another author living in Edinburgh who has written a series of 7 books about a lady detective in Botswana (the other Edinburgh author with a 7th book coming out this summer is, hmm, you-know-who). I am a big fan of Mma Ramotzwe, a traditional build African lady, who is very smart, determined, kindhearted, charming, humorous, and resourceful. Reading about her everyday life opened my eyes to Botswana. It is good to know that good people are everywhere, and we are very much alike.

I'm eagerly waiting for the 8th, 9th, and many more books about Mma Ramotzwe.

Weekend

After attending Boston Secession's Mother Tongue: The Music & Meter of the English Language Friday evening and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's dance show at the Wang Center this afternoon, I wish I could sing or dance.

Setback

I transfered backwards!

Mad at myself.

BTW, I still have all the substrates. I just need to repeat.

Waiting

In Ha Jin's 1999 National Book Award winning novel Waiting the main character army doctor Lin Kong tried to divorce his unattractive wife from an arranged marriage. He ended up waiting for 18 years, all the while with his love by his side, but not be able to consummate their relationship. However, the married life after such a long wait was not exactly what he expected. A voice in his head told him, "Actually you never loved her. You just had a crush on her, which you didn't get a chance to outgrow or to develop into love.... In fact you waited eighteen years just for the sake of waiting".

Eighteen years is long enough to age everybody.

Eighteen years is not long enough to really learn how to love someone.

Eighteen years is not long enough to really learn what to love.


哈金是我的校友。我感到自豪。他的近作是为纽约大都会歌剧院写的《秦始皇》歌剧脚本，就是张大导艺谋导的，谭盾做曲的，多明戈唱的那一出。

Radar and Beer

Well, apparently Radar doesn't like beer. He was very hesitant when introduced to some oh-I-don't-know-what-brand beer: he tasted a little bit very cautiously, and then waited for 5 minutes. When convinced he was not going to get anything else, he tasted the beer again. Then another 5-minute's wait. Eventually he finished it.

In contrast, he loved vodka/tonic water. He gulped this mix just like he drank water.

So our conclusion was: dogs don't like beer; they like vodka.

Just when we felt good about our new scientific discovery, V found this article in THE ONION:

Unemployed Scientists Prove Dog Likes Beer

What the XXXX is going on!

V's comment: these guys are working on our project (with opposite results), they
even plan to test Andy's idea at the very end... we have to publish before we get scooped!

The Divine Gas

波士顿当代艺术馆大厅里的这幅巨作非常有视觉震撼的效果。

Chiho Aohsima, "The Divine Gas," 2006. Installed at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston.
我拍啊拍，看到了标题才明白。。。


原来小屁孩的屁变成一朵祥云，上面还端坐一个小屁孩。

我为当代艺术叫绝。

另，本馆禁止拍照。我侥幸被允许带走已经拍的片片，所以请赶快欣赏，过两天我把它删了。

还有，我拍那朵祥云的时候还以为就是一朵祥云。

Happy Postdocs

Have you ever met one of them?

That's the question we were thinking about on our way to ICA tonight. Unfortunately we don't think we've met any. Sad.

OK, maybe AA was a happy postdoc, considering that she only did it for 9 months AND is super successful now AND has two most adorable cute girls.

Obsessions

Wednesday.

M, H, and I were chatting after M came back from a trip.

H said, "M, did Allegro tell you about her new obsession?"

Seeing that M looked puzzled, I went, "Oh, stargazing!"

H said, "That now? I meant Elizabeth I."

"That's so last week! Now it's stargazing! It's true that I watched two movies on Elizabeth I and spend one night wiki on her, but I am completely over her now. Stargazing is my No. 1 obsession at this moment."

Saturn

My new obsession.

Details and credits are here.

那些花儿

I love Faye's rendition best.



作词:朴树
作曲:朴树

那片笑声让我想起
我的那些花儿
在我生命每个角落
静静为我开着
我曾以为我会永远
守在她身旁
今天我们已经离去
在人海茫茫
她们都老了吧?
她们在哪里呀?
幸运的是我曾陪她们开放
啦………想她.
啦………她还在开吗?
啦………去呀!
她们已经被风吹走散落在天涯
----
有些故事还没讲完
那就算了吧
那些心情在岁月中
已经难辨真假
如今这里荒草丛生
没有了鲜花
好在曾经拥有你们的
春秋和冬夏

Guinness

I'm not a beer drinker, so when Mac Daddy D told me he named his new dog Guinness it didn't ring a bell. Today I told V and L about D&H's new addition. They both started laughing, "What? He named his dog after the beer?"

Apparently Guinness fits very well with his name: he's a doberman/shepherd mix with a black coat mixed with tan above his eyes, around his muzzle, under his chest, and on his legs. Guinness the beer is dark colored with tan foam on top.

Now I really like the name and the dog and admire D for his cleverness and passion for beers.

TGIF

Vodka hour.

Margarita for me. Very sweet.

W taught us all she knew about belly dancing. Beautiful hands. Drop, drop, kick. Figure 8.

We are about to keep this as a tradition.

海这边的问候

一早看到有六个新的Gmail，心想，那么多老友想着我哪？一看，都是我不认识的人，还都是私人信件。从四封信件的内容我琢磨出真正的收件人十二天前刚刚有了小宝宝。友人们来问候，还有人要给买摄像机。好不热闹。

真正的收件人是谁呢？知道朋友们祝福她，她一定会很高兴。

四封信件有两封发自香港（hk)。我时不时收到发自香港的私人信件，有度假的照片，有毕业的论文，各种各样。搜索所有有hk的邮件，发现去年夏天有个小姑娘把给她表姐的信寄给了我。我告诉她寄错了，她还回了一封，提到她表姐的邮址前有email这些字母。会不会就是同一个人呢？

不管怎么样，祝福这个跟我有一样名字拼法的人。

Un Monde Parfait (A Perfect World)

A happy song to start a new week.


Artist: Très Bien feat. Ilona Mitrecey
Title: Un Monde Parfait



Ce matin, j'imagine un dessin sans nuage
Avec quelques couleurs, comme vient mon pinceau
Du bleu, du rouge, je me sens sage comme une image
Avec quelques maisons et quelques animaux
Ce matin, j'imagine un pays sans nuage
Où tous les perroquets ne vivent plus en cage
Des jaunes, des verts, des blancs, je mets ce qui me plait
Car c'est comme ca que j'imagine un monde parfait

Un oiseau, un enfant, une chèvre
Le bleu du ciel, un beau sourire du bout des lèvres
Un crocodile, une vache, du soleil
Et ce soir, je m'endors au pays des merveilles
Un oiseau, un crayon, une chèvre
Le bleu du ciel, un peu de sucre, un peu de sel
Un crocodile, quelques fleurs, une abeille
Et ce soir, je m'endors au pays des merveilles

Ce matin, j'imagine un dessin sans étoile
De toutes les couleurs, un dessin sans coutour
Quand ca m'plait plus, j'efface tout et je recommence
Avec d'autres maisons et d'autres animaux
Ce matin, j'imagine un pays sans nuage
Où tous les perroquets ne vivent plus en cage
Des jaunes, des verts, des blancs, je fais ce qui me plait
Car c'est comme ca que j'imagine un monde parfait

Un oiseau, un enfant, une chèvre
Le bleu du ciel, un beau sourire du bout des lèvres
Un crocodile, une vache, du soleil
Et ce soir, je m'endors au pays des merveilles
Un oiseau, un crayon, une chèvre
Le bleu du ciel, un peu de sucre, un peu de sel
Un crocodile, quelques fleurs, une abeille
Et ce soir, je m'endors au pays des merveilles

Un oiseau, un enfant, une chèvre
Le bleu du ciel, un beau sourire du bout des lèvres
Un crocodile, une vache, du soleil
Et ce soir, je m'endors au pays des merveilles
Un oiseau, un crayon, une chèvre
Le bleu du ciel, un peu de sucre, un peu de sel
Un crocodile, quelques fleurs, une abeille
Et ce soir, je m'endors au pays des merveilles

______________________________________

This morning, I imagine a drawing without cloud
With some colors, as my brush comes
Blue, red, I feel wise like an image
With some houses and some animals
This morning, I imagine a country without cloud
Where all the parrots do not live any more out of cage
Yellows, greens, white, I put what plait me
Because it is as Ca which I imagine a perfect world

A bird, a child, a goat
The blue of the sky, a beautiful smile of the end of the lips
A crocodile, a cow, sun
And this evening, I fall asleep with the country of the wonders
A bird, a pencil, a goat
The blue of the sky, a little sugar, a little salt
A crocodile, some flowers, a bee
And this evening, I fall asleep with the country of the wonders

This morning, I imagine a drawing without star
Of all the colors, a drawing without coutour
When Ca plait me more, I erase all and I start again
With other houses and other animals
This morning, I imagine a country without cloud
Where all the parrots do not live any more out of cage
Yellows, greens, white, I make what plait me
Because it is as Ca which I imagine a perfect world

A bird, a child, a goat
The blue of the sky, a beautiful smile of the end of the lips
A crocodile, a cow, sun
And this evening, I fall asleep with the country of the wonders
A bird, a pencil, a goat
The blue of the sky, a little sugar, a little salt
A crocodile, some flowers, a bee
And this evening, I fall asleep with the country of the wonders

A bird, a child, a goat
The blue of the sky, a beautiful smile of the end of the lips
A crocodile, a cow, sun
And this evening, I fall asleep with the country of the wonders
A bird, a pencil, a goat
The blue of the sky, a little sugar, a little salt
A crocodile, some flowers, a bee
And this evening, I fall asleep with the country of the wonders

姐弟恋

原来并不是什么新事物。司汤达的《红与黑》里年轻聪明的主人公，十八九岁的貌美的家庭教师Julien，就成功地引诱了年长他十岁的貌美多金又寂寞的市长夫人。这部发表与1830年的小说是第一部Modern novel，不说别的，就凭这姐弟婚外恋就已然意识够大胆了。

最近猛补世界名著，凑巧这两部都是法国文学，又都和婚外恋有关，怎么回事？

让我郁闷的是，昨天有人从中国百度“和大女人偷情”居然找到了我这里。我，就这么无聊吗？

百度，麻烦你不要联我，好不好？

Imigini Visual Personality Profile

About me:

For a short and fun test, click here. Thanks to 剑侠 for the link.

What does this have to do with DNA?

March to Spring

It used to be "spring forward, fall back". This year the Daylight Savings Time begins early. Specifically it started at 2am this morning. Thus now it should be called "March to Spring". This energy saving bill was coauthored by the congressman of my district, Ed Markey. Congressman Markey does good things.

However, 3 weeks ahead of its usual time is bound to cause confusions. For example, my laptop still needs an update. It also confused my friend Q.

Q called me last night saying that we should have lunch together today, at 12pm. So I reminded her, "the new time 12pm, right? Time changes tomorrow." Q said, "yes!" "OK, I hope I can get up for it", I said.

So my smart atomic alarm clock went off at 8:30am this morning and I got up some 70 minutes later, and checked emails, surfed the web, had breakfast, sharpened my cleaver (for making a second batch of spicy Sichuan sausages -- 毫无疑问，我做的麻辣香肠，是世界上第二好吃的）, and did some cleaning. It's almost 11:30am so I should get going. I thought I should give Q a call.

"Are you on your way now?"

"What? It's too early. It's just 9:30am. We are about to have some porridge."

"OMG! You turned the clock back! It's in fact 11:30am now!"

Q thought that she gained an hour today. Wishful thinking :-)