I Thimk

I have three food allergies: nuts (of any kind), duck, and goose. Nuts make me violently ill. The last time I ate goose it nearly killed me.

Speak of nearly being killed. Last night I lost my dinner, due to being careless of a food gift from one I don't even know. Last week, an elder of the church at my wife's place of employment, cooked up a delicious barbeque. He cooked the meat all night long and he gave a nice portion to mrs edgarblythe. On receiving it I immediately froze it. But, yesterday, when I put it on the stove to get it hot, I only got it hot enough to eat. Any fool should know to virtually re-cook such fare. I won't describe the ugly details, but it was horrible. My wife was spared the carnage, because she stayed the evening with her sister. The church often has so much food left from functions that they give some away at the end. Normally, they give us raw fruit or berries, and cakes and cookies.

Wow! I really feel for you. I love nuts, and always have some in the pantry for snacks. I like duck, but only when we go to the local Chinese market where they sell it. I like the crispy skin, and not the fat.

I am the same with nuts. I would find it hard to survive without walnuts. But duck is something I have never been interested in. Not saying I would not like it, just haven't been presented any.

I have liked duck, but have only seen it on menus rarely. I figure it varies re the area or country you live in, and also, if there are any chinese restaurants around, as there are in Los Angeles.

Diane and I have been meaning to try a relatively local chinese restaurant here, and went there today. I didn't get through reading the whole menu, as a lot of the list sounded great right away, since it's been seemingly forever since I've had a lot of access to chinese food. We'll be going back for sure. Not very crowded when we went in, something like 1:45 in the afternoon, but by the time we left the place was filling up for people having early suppers or late lunches. It was not expensive and the amount of food seemed enormous to me. I can make the leftovers sustain me for days, either going into the freezer or fridge. I think I've only had chinese food in ABQ once, with Dys and Diane, and I didn't like it, and forget why. Coming from LA, I considered myself chinese food smart. Diane knows it pretty well too, though.

Among other episodes, our small wedding dinner was at The Twin Dragon.. in West Los Angeles. I just looked it up, and the Twin Dragon is still there and apparently going strong. Sigh, I'm almost getting hungry again, but that will take a while.

Oh, for those passing through Albuquerque, the name of the restaurant is Fai Wong; it's nearby Albertsons, on Coors. This is not a complete best chinese restaurant ever type rave from me, but the place was and is a sight for sore eyes.

There are a few good Chinese restaurants in Tomball. I used to eat lunch at one when I was working. There is a Vietnamese restaurant in downtown Houston that my brothers and I frequented when possible. I never learned the names of the dishes or even the ingredients in most. So I ate buffet. That way I could pick what I like without having to struggle with a waiter.

At the last lab I worked at, then called Clinical Immunology Lab, had different rooms, my description - reception, secretary/typing room (the word back then) the paperwork room, the long lab test room immunology-wise, and bloodtests (etc) room, we also had a fair sized space for specimens from all over, and I do mean all over a lot of the world. I used to save stamps. Two people who worked that specimen desk were exceptional, all of us thought so. One was a young city college student (I think I remember that) recently in the US from Vietnam (she later got a doctorate in biochemistry at Cal Tech) and the other, a guy from Eritrea. They rose in the science world, but they were also great to work with in their early days with us in the US. My point is, that her parents had a favorite vietnamese restaurant in Chinatown, and we all went there to check it out.

The cook at that place was a guy who was in management at some factory back in Vietnam, and he was starting anew. He learned to cook from his mother, I am guessing fairly fast. Later he opened his own restaurant, and later still, a larger one, in another state. I've probably never had better food. J and I stayed at his and his wife's house once, visiting in that second place. We helped him too, somewhat. J was working for UPS then, and via us, several got to know/like his restaurant.

Oh, by the way, Trump is wrong.

Yes, the Vietnamese in America have been a positive factor, from my observation. Here in Houston, their community is large enough that even street signs are in their language. They have many TV and radio stations.

Trump. Of course he's wrong. But I don't intend posting that information dozens of times a day. When I make observations about him on this site, I try to make as-it-is-on-the-ground type statements. As such, they are completely removed from my personal feelings. They are not pleasant, but do reflect what I see or surmise, rightly or wrongly.

I likely could finish painting the house tomorrow. The only hangup is an increasing likelihood I will need more white and I will have to wait for my wife to come home from work before I can get it. Compared to the old look, it's pretty elegant.

Somebody in our neighborhood has a pink house. What can I say. ;(

The only place we can find duck around here is at the Chinese supermarket. They have a deli where you can also buy charshu (bbq pork) noodles which I really like. I also like charshu bau.
We also go to a Chinese restaurant with family for dim sum (dumplings) about 2-3 times a year.

I built my storage shed in the back yard, by adding on to the one that was here when I bought this place, twenty years ago. I made it of used material. The neighbors were giving me looks over it. So, after I finished, I painted it red, yellow and green,

I say, ah, good.

My house needs painting but I don't think I'll do anything about it. There are some sort of vines growing up the walls all the way to the second story in several places, the jungle reclaiming the real-estate. The yard around the house hasn't been mowed since I left for Colorado last spring but the runway is nicely groomed. I kind of like the look.

The shop and hangar downstairs is in it's usual chaotic state. There are at least a dozen projects at various stages of completion, some of which I now realize will never be finished. I like that look too

Whatever makes you happy. I am doing this paint job in part because I need exercise. But it really was overdue.

I pretty much got finished. There are a couple of spots I could touch up more and likely will in a day or two. I put yellow on a small sort of roof over the porch. My wife may prevail upon me to change it.

I might like your color combo, but hey, I'm not your wife. (Hi to her too, I remember meeting you two)

She came home and accepted it without comment.

is that a good or a bad sign?

That's good. If she had a problem with it she would have let me know right away. :}