It’s easy! You will need:
HOW DO YOU DO THIS?
Start your own account. Buy the domain. (Domains at Jungle Webs start at only $8.64 per year!) Then transfer ownership to them. An easy and unique Holiday gift idea.
Well… OK, not really… but Thanksgiving is so totally made for Da Count. Giving thanks for what you have should be a daily requirement. At least the few of us do it once a week.
Today I’m counting the return of the flying pigeon.
WHAT? IT CAME BACK AND YOU DIDN’T TELL US, LECRAM?!
OK, I’ll try to make a long and involved story short and concise. Last Thursday I get a message from Lacquer (I’m counting him for caring too) saying that someone had a pigeon for sale at a ridiculously low price on Craig’s list. Apparently some crackhead was selling it. (With my approval) he went to get it and it is now sitting in the Turtle Dove. Yes, it actually is mine.
Firstly, there are not that many in this neck of the woods… and the scratchings around the brake-clamps affirmed that it is indeed mine. Yeah, it’s going to take some parts (found an outlet in LA) and work to get her back to her glory… but the fact that she is back is certainly a good thing. (I have a feeling the hex I put on it in the heat of anger worked. Guess I should de-hex it before proper use.)
This may be a strange thing but I am counting too the fact that she was nicked in the first place. It served as a reminder not to get attached to things… because for a while there… I was… and desperately so. I guess that is why I was hit so hard when she was nicked.
It’s a tough thing to explain simply because my gypsy life has been a constant ebb and flow. I guess I’ll leave it with saying that for me it is more important to appreciate (fully) while something or someone is around. Things and people move on… so make your time with them count. Because doing so will never saddle you with the regret of not optimizing your experience with them.
OK JUST CUZ…
Here is my latest video… and yes, it was what I cooked for Thanksgiving. BTW… if you click on the video you will be taken to the page where you can catch it in widescreen HD quality.
You can also watch it HD on Vimeo.
Cooking in a Pith from Marcel Nunis on Vimeo.
EDIT: The video has been featured on a Beehive post. Check out the comments there.
… most of you are busy prepping for the big feast tomorrow. So, I’ll keep this short and sweet.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
BTW… go visit the lovely LIME for an early Da Count.
… yesterday. Did some online shopping for parts. (Come back on Friday for the story on the object these parts are for) OK I’ll admit that was more of “intent to fix” move… but hey, you gotta start somewhere. Though, in the afternoon… I DID fix my lighting board in the Turtle Dove Theater. It has been laying around unusable (don’t ask… it was a sore point for a while) since March and I finally managed to steer it back to the original factory settings. (Yeah, actually reading the manual helped.) Proud of me now? Who knows what is next? Perhaps I will automate the sprinklers!
You see… when I go on my shopping adventures I will run across stuff (usually at an incredible deal) that is needed to make life easier. (OK… every so often I will make the frivolous buy… so sue me.) I will purchase it then let it sit around until I am good and ready to install it. Of late… I’ve been good and ready so things have been getting done. Not in a whirlwind-gotta-fix-it cloud… but with quiet and deliberate serenity. I quite enjoy getting it right the first time out within this zen. Experience (and the added cost of replacement… which I abhor) has taught me well. Plus I hardly ever end up with extra parts. All of this just helps bolster my claim: “I am not the fastest guy in the world… but I always deliver the goods.”
MORE SHANGRI LA
Caught the “Shangri La” episode from Michael Woods’ “In Search of Myths & Heros” the other night. Really quite a good and fascinating watch. The other episodes are good as well. OK, pretty much any documentary by Michael Woods is worth the watch… I even own “In Search of William Shakespeare“… I highly recommend it.
Anyway, (this is where my “creative superstition” kicks in) I was wondering why this sudden convergence on things Shangri La? First, re-watching “Lost Horizon” last week… now this. You can call it coincidence if you desire… but for me it is (the mystical and admittedly romantic notion) the universe is nudging me to explore this theme… or at least to utilize it in some creative way.
It also struck me that the exploration is not with creating something new but retooling something that already does exist. I suspect it is this. It is a nice enough story… though I have been flumexed as to what exactly to do with it. I think I know now. Let’s just say (it clarified for me and) I realized that it’s two-thirds cooked in it’s present state. A little more development with an extra ingredient may just produce the savory dish it is supposed to be.
See, it’s all about fixing things and making it better than it was. Kinda like life, huh?
EDIT: SHRIMP ON A THREADMILL EXPLAINED
I wanted to know why… didn’t you?
Yeah, I’ve been nerding out this morning. Uninstalled about 3 programs that ( I tried out but ) I really don’t need. Also downloaded the latest version of CCleaner ( formally Crap Cleaner ) installed and ran it. ( Especially good to clean out unused registry entries. ) So, things are running a lot smoother now on the machine. I recommend it… plus it’s free!
Also downloaded and installed Digsby… and still trying it out. “Digsby helps you manage all your IM, e-mail, and social network accounts from one easy-to-use application.” The lovely Joy informed me of this. It’s not that I have uber chat accounts (like I used to) but I’m trying it out (the embeded version) as a new chat engine for Da Chat page. The verdict is still out on it at the moment because the embeded code seems to have connection issues.
More later perhaps
Some say this area offers up the best Mexican food outside of Mexico. Personally, I cannot attest to this never having been to Mexico… but it sure is good. I have friends who do stints abroad… and when I ask them what they miss about Fresno… without a blink they will say ” good Mexican food “. I have known some individuals who will head out for some the moment they arrive… even before heading to their homes to deposit their travel gear.
Obviously I am not talking about Taco Bell… nor am I talking about the more formal restaurants (though I’ve been to a few here that are very good.) I am talking about the little “Taquarias” … some of which are an annex to a food market.
Of late a couple have opened just a bike ride away from the homestead. The general wisdom around here suggest when the person behind the counter can barely speak English and the clientele is mostly Spanish speaking… you are in for some gastronomical delights. Not only is the food good but priced right – most places offer a buritto that can easily be split into 2 meals for under $5.
At one I have tried and gone gonzo over liked about a third of the listed offerings… and in time I will work through the rest of the list. My general test of a place is to try out the Chile Verde first. If it makes my taste buds dance I know I’m in for a lasting relationship with the establishment… and so far these two new ones have won my loyalty.
So this is my count today… easily accessible, yummy and affordable Mexican food that provides me the option of not cooking on occasion.
EDIT: Counting the Counters… at least those I have come across so far today.
If you counted… chime in the comment section and I’ll add you to the list.
EDIT: OK… this made me laugh.
… that recent “pirate movie” craze wasn’t such a good idea.
Mind you there has been some sort of pirate culture as long as there have been seafaring vessels. At times even legitimate governments gave them a pass by calling them “profiteers” – with the provision that a tax could be levied on their “acquisitions”. In the region of the world from which I hail there has existed an active culture of pirates for centuries. The “orang laut” (people of the sea) even helped shape political events throughout history. There are little islands in the region that are still inhabited by entire villages of pirates. Perhaps not the swashbuckling variety portrayed in the movies but I’m fairly certain what truly bestows one membership to the pirate class is the willingness to cut your throat at the drop of a hat. Though by that standard pirates are not limited to the sea and we all live amongst them.
EDIT: I guess it does pay.
EDIT: 8:30 AM
It was one of the few mornings I so wanted to sleep in… though I did rise half an hour later than usual. I may actually dive into something a little creative today. Been itching to for a while so perhaps I will scratch it a little. Not sure what form it will take though. Let’s see what the day brings.
… to… stew (yeah, I decided a pork stew would be a nice change of pace today)… I thought I’d attempt a post.
Last night I watched “Lost Horizon” (the 1937 version, of course.) I love this movie… loved it ever since I first saw it at a tender age of 8.
When I bought the DVD a few years ago I wondered if it would hold the same delight as it did when I first saw it. It did. In fact, I enjoyed it even more. Probably because (apart from the idea of some sort of Utopian place like Shangri La is tucked away and hidden from the world) the plot delved into the price one had to pay to exist in such a place. So, in many ways it is a tale of cautionary idealism.
Also, there are all sorts of sneaky little political statements woven into the fabric of the story that I was obviously oblivious to as a child. The protagonist is afterall a “super diplomat” of sorts – a chosen “one” in the eyes of many. Someone who is so lionized in his country that they suspend any talks with other nations until he is found. Hmm… any correlations to a present attitude and mindset? Anyway, I found this particular snippet from Wikipedia rather amusing.
Several years after its initial release, an “edited” version was presented, which aimed to downplay the supposedly Communist themes associated with utopia, as well as to limit the sympathy shown towards the Chinese, whose relationship with the American government grew strained in the years following World War II. A total of twenty-seven minutes was cut.
For the most part the version I have is mostly restored. Aspects and elements from this movie has influenced dozens of others. Most notably the plane sequence in the start that is featured in”Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom“.
There is also Ronald Coleman who is his dashing best (playing the reluctant hero) and the alluring Jayne Wyatt in the movie. Plus I also get a kick that the set for the lamasery looks like it was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. If you are interested… someone has posted the entire movie on YouTube in 13 parts. HERE is part one.
It got me thinking that we all probably hold our own version of Shangri La… be it a place or state of mind. What’s yours? Where is it? What makes it your Shangri La? Has the idea evolved or changed over time?
There could be an edit or two to this post as the day goes along. Just sayin…
