Yes. Ok. Definitely.

Chrome for Linux

WAS excited about Google Chrome finally becoming available for Linux users, but I have already come across 2 glitches. First, the home page "Speed dial" did not work, so I had to find a fix (go into options and select "Use the new tab page" instead of the default "open this page"). Next, even though Google Chrome and Blogger are both Google products, in "compose mode" here, I could not resize the little icon to the left there. I had to go into Firefox to resize it. THAT is no way to get people to use your browser.

I like using Chrome sometimes when I need to open a lot of tabs in XP, because it is much, much quicker than Firefox or the other ones. Fast in Linux too...prolly because it is missing a bunch of shit that it needs to run right!! Well, I do hope it gets better soon. I would use it if it worked better.

New Poster for My School

Hmmm...will a new poster help convince passers-by to contact me about lessons? Maybe yes, maybe no. But at very least a printed version of this poster with photos will be a heck of a lot more eye-catching than a piece of colored construction paper with a logo on it and some words typed on a sheet of typing paper glued on it.

Yesterday I was going to stick a couple of photos onto the colored paper sign I have on the door now, but after designing a "What if I COULD afford a poster?" image in Photoshop, I decided that even if this was only twice the size of a normal piece of paper, it would be better than homemade. I am going to print this on A3 size paper and have it laminated.

Now taking comments... if you think it needs a line here or there, whatever. I cannot change the Japanese font, I only have 2 choices -- blocky or a thinner font that I think is harder to read from far away.

Nami the English Teacher

So Nami is going to open her own English class/school.
She will not be an independent owner, rather the school will be under the well-known English conversation school ECC. ECC has a "teach from home version" of their school, just for Japanese people who speak (non-native) English to teach -- usually kids. Because there is one of those schools in our neighborhood already, the only way she could do it is to rent a space 1 neighborhood over. It will cost $10 an hour to use the space, but then she also has to pay ECC a SHITLOAD to use their name. Something like half or 60%...some percentage that made my annoyance with the industry grow a bit. But anyway, I am just proud of her for coming this far out into the 'world' and trying something new. It will be twice a week and she still has to find students.

She signed the papers and began her 6 week training course last Saturday. Apparently, her classmates signed up for this back in the fall and have already been studying their textbooks, prepared their business cards, fliers, and all that... she was the last person accepted for the program this term, hence she began training as the ink was drying on her contract.

Everybody root for Nami!!!

Milk Tea Discovery...?

I just discovered "Milk Tea".
I was saying to Reiko the other day, "I really like the tapioca milk tea they have at the corner store, but if they had it without the tapioca, I would drink it more often". (That would also make it cheaper, cuz it is $2 for 1 cup of "tapioca milk tea drink"!) Back home, they called this stuff Bubble Tea and the Taiwanese kids were all into it.
Reiko says to me, "Milk tea is sold at every convenient store...it's all over the place." It turns out that Japanese marketing tricked me into thinking this was some office-lady drink that I would never be into. Just look at the label? "Afternoon Tea" and in Japanese, it literally reads "Afternoon English Tea" and I can't stand most Brit teas. I am such a Yank. If the label isn't bright red with a fucking white ribbon twisting down the side of the bottle, with Bill Cosby saying "Shut the fuck up and drink this" I don't even see the thing.

But yeah, this shit is the bomb. I have been looking for a substitute addiction to pull me away from vending machine canned-coffee (that shit will be the end of me) and I think this is gonna do me up nicely. And what's more? This shit is like $1.40 for a liter bottle! Oh yeah mofo.

Hahahaha!

Alfabeast

More weirdness from Bikeexif.com. This one almost snuck past me -- a cruiser with a V-6 Alfa Romeo engine?! We have seen plenty of car engines in bikes, most looked like shit (Boss Hoss is one from the "shit pile") but this one has some potential. The engine is actually quite pretty, and I so WANT to like this bike...I just think the "I'm so custom" rear fender bites it, as does the catalog purchased Chrome headlight, the paint and...okay, the whole Harley look just sucks ass.

Clearly, a shit-load of work went into making this engine work with a 2-wheeled vehicle, and this is exactly why I think it deserves more than to just look like another brand-name bike -- especially a Harley. The chrome headlight is the kind every Harley guy who wants to make his stock Harley a little more noticeable is just boring here. The lighting should be every bit as innovative as the bike itself. The tank WORK is great, but again... the look you'd expect to see from a high-end Harley custom. Rear fender paint really makes it stand out as a Harley custom...which is what we don't want to do. This could be easily solved by painting it black or even flat-black so it did not catch attention. Or make it out of brass, transparent aluminum...something.

So what we got here, is a really creative and talented man, being stifled by American society's ideal on what cool motorcycles are about, and a motorcycle fan blinded by a hatred for society's regurgitated routine. The engine does look like a clock, so why not use a brass-plated rear fender, tank and headlight? Give it a touch of gentlemanly class.

Haven't I been saying we should end slavery?

Cut working week to 21 hours, urges think tank -- BBC

The working week should be cut to 21 hours to help boost the economy and improve quality of life, a left-wing think tank has said.

Of course 1. This is the UK, 2. It won't happen, BUT at least it feels better knowing I am not the only intelligent person thinking that 8 hours a day with no chance for parole until you are 60 is outright indentured-servitude. Well ok, we all think it, I am one of few who refuses to play the game of our rich rule-makers...I suffer the consequences of my illuminated way of thinking, but hey, somebody has to say "Fuck you! NO means no!" to the man.

I would be happy with a choice of 30hours WITH benefits, or a choice WHERE and WHEN to put in my 30hours. There is just NO choice. You go when they tell you, and you take a pittance for your time. You get 2 days out of 7 to live your short existence, and if you are lucky, you get 2 weeks a year to take your stressed out ass on a vacation...if you can afford to. Fuck em.

Message to China:

Hey China!?!? SHUT THE FUCK UP AND MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!!!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8511912.stm

Getting really sick and tired of those cocksuckers telling us that meeting with the Dalai Lama "strains our relations". No, you telling us who we should or shouldn't meet strains relations. So shut your collective mouth before we put something in it. Think my opinion will "strain relations"?

Feeling lucky punk?.....well do ya?

Drawing tickets for this bike! and a tre-cool 1965 scooteround.

http://www.worldmotorcycles.com/Pages/restore.html

Goodbye Asashoryu!

Last week, my favorite Sumo wrestler ASASHORYU, the highest ranking grand champion wrestler or "Yokozuna", was forced to resign this week. He has been in the spotlight for "not behaving in the tradition of Yokozuna" for the past couple years, and finally the sumo association had had enough. He was one of just 2 current Yokozuna, both of whom are Mongolian; not Japanese. Recently foreigners have been on the rise in sumo, and while many liked Asashoryu because of his amazing winning abiltiy and colorful character, many others here want more JAPANESE to rise to the top ...not them foreign types... ah, racist as ever -- fuckin Japan.

Anyway, Asashoryu was not only a Yokozuna, he won a total of 25 tournaments in his career, which put his name in the top THREE of all sumo history. There are 6 tournaments per year, consisting of 15 straight days of wrestling. In 2005 he became the first sumo ever to win all 6 tournaments in the year. Unquestionabley he was the strongest foreigner in the sport to date. In recent years, a total of 4 Hawaiians have been quite good, 2 of whom made it to the level of grand champion, but all of them were strong because of massive bulk. Asashoryu did it with muscle and skill.

He got in trouble first for using another wrestler's top knot to pull him to the ground (BIG no-no), next for getting caught on film playing soccer in his native Mongolia after calling off a demonstration event in Japan with an injured knee story (that one cost him two tournaments without pay and a fine.) Next was after beating the other grand champ, the two exchanged a heated stare in the ring...a simple thing that got them both FINED! (No shit) Most recently though, was for getting drunk and punching a guy in the face. He was questioned by the association and soon after announced he was retiring. "Fired" is more like it, but in sumo, you don't get fired, you have to go on TV and say you were wrong and sincerely apologize for muddying the name of your position and the sumo association. It's a crock of shit, but it is the "old way".

KCCD 2009

Dudes, you gotta see this! 2 crazed Norwegians are doing what they call " The King Croesus Contempt for Death trip 2009" nicknamed, "the Dumb Way Round". As you will see when you visit their site, 2 of the crazy things about these guys are 1. they are doing the tour round the world the longest way possible, 2. and they are doing it on two 1937 Nimbus motorcycles...with sidecars. Ok, that is like...3 crazy things, but check out their site and blog anyway. And it's a Blogger blog, so support the insane biker cause and leave a comment for them! The most recent blog story was enough to pull me out of my flu induced stupor and got a smile out of me. Good luck guys!

FeeBook

Bros. I think a couple of you use Facebook...and while I think I am the most regular user of the beast at the moment, I wonder what you have heard about the rumors that FB is going to start charging $4.99 a month to use it? (I have also heard $1. and $14.99...hahaha)

I rather think that NONE of us using this service would pay for it, but there is always a chance. Candi, Bee, Yoshiki and I are the only ones? Logan uses it, but he never reads the blog so... mostly I guess I am typing this post to say "FB is gonna CHARGE?!?" but my secondary purpose is to ask "What will you use if you stop using FB?"

(Edit: After Googling "Facebook monthly charge/fee" I found absolutely nothing definitive on the subject. It appears to be a recurring rumor that flares up now and then.)