I found this on a Chinese website the other day. I think it's a steal for only a thousand kuai! If you're interested just let me know.

sweet ride

 

 

 

 

Enjoy!  For more pics you can go to: http://picasaweb.google.com/tjjohnson23/CincoDeMustache02#

xi'an 西安

我们正在从西安回来北京。Friday evening the fam, along with Dar, took the overnight train to Xi'an. Although we were there only a day, we had a blast. This years train trip proved to me much more enjoyable than last years train trip to Yantai. Noah and Nate managed to sleep ALL through the night. What a difference a year makes! Because we were there only a day, we pretty much crammed a weekend's worth of tourism into one day. Needless to say we were exhaused. Hopefully we'll be able to make it back there some time in the future to do some more extensive visiting, and to get another one of those Chniese hamburgs [let's just be glad the guys can cook better than they can spell]!

Well, I've gotta go...just wanted to put a quick update on the blog....don't forget that in a couple of days you'll get to see how the ole handlebar turned out!

chinese dictionary

here's a new Chinese website I came across the other day. I've not had much time to use it but it looks to be pretty good.

http://dict.cn/

A Petal's Plight

A petal lies upon the ground;
in vein he blames his state now found.
By mighty gust, by rain's withdrawal,
by roots not dug and silkworm's crawl.
Songs never sung and light not shone
tis why this petal has been dethroned.

So alone he sits, this brooding petal.
wondering why, on him, fate did settle.
Why not bulb or iris, stem or leaf?
How did the others all find relief?

Yet no answer came to comfort him,
as lights and sound soon faded dim.
To the grave he carried his rage that night,
ignorant to the cause of this petal's plight.

If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned [John 15:6].

In a lapse of sanity Jenni mentioned the idea of having another kid....so I asked Noah what he though about having a little sister. His reply: .....no, I want a puppy dog, and I'm sure Nate wants a turtle!

I don't know about the puppy, but we did see a lady at a red light near San Li Tun trying to sell a turtle the other day.

Worship 1/2

I saw this video at church today and thought it was pretty good....enjoy:

Puddleglum

Yesterday we watched the BBC's version of "The Silver Chair". I must admit that the green screen moments were pretty cheesy, and the acting was almost equally horrible. But it is Narnia, and therefore I was a fan...at least they kept a lot of the quotes intact. Which is why I am writing this post. After seeing the movie it reminded me of how much I love Puddleglum. Here are a couple of my favorite quotes by him:

• After Scrubb has asked if he thinks everything will turn out right if they untie the enchanted Prince. "I don't know about that. You see, Aslan didn't tell Pole what would happen. He only told her what to do. That fellow will be the death of us once he's up, I shouldn't wonder. But that doesn't let us off following the sign."

• "One word, Ma'am," he said, coming back from the fire; limping, because of the pain. "One word. All you've been saying is quite right, I shouldn't wonder. I'm a chap who always liked to know the worst and then put the best face I can on it. So I won't deny any of what you said. But there's one more thing to be said, even so. Suppose we have only dreamed, or made up, all those things-trees and grass and sun and moon and stars and Aslan himself. Suppose we have. Then all I can say is that, in that case, the made-up things seem a good deal more important than the real ones. Suppose this black pit of a kingdom of yours is the only world. Well, it strikes me as a pretty poor one. And that's a funny thing, when you come to think of it. We're just babies making up a game, if you're right. But four babies playing a game can make a play-world which licks your real world hollow. That's why I'm going to stand by the play world. I'm on Aslan's side even if there isn't any Aslan to lead it. I'm going to live as like a Narnian as I can even if there isn't any Narnia. So, thanking you kindly for our supper, if these two gentlemen and the young lady are ready, we're leaving your court at once and setting out in the dark to spend our lives looking for Overland. Not that our lives will be very long, I should think; but that's a small loss if the world's as dull a place as you say."

Now that's writing at its best!

So Jenni made a birthday cake the other day and used yellow icing...this got me to thinking that it would be funny if she used mustard instead of icing....which got me to thinking about this video:

Proof that Cinco De Mustache has been around for at least 27 years....

Taken on May 5th 1982....that's right....Cinco De Mustache! Too bad I was too young to grow a sweet 'stache like my dad.

A couple of important letters that you might want to write if you plan on participating in this year's Cinco De Mustache:

letter to the wife/girlfriend:

Letter to the Boss

And for you enjoyment I present you with a website that allows you to create your very own stache. This why you know which stache is right for you.

Manly Staches You Must See!

Well it has taken me some time to find these pictures. But after exhaustive searching I am now able to present to you some of the finest 'staches around. Hopefully it will encourage you to grow your own!






so scroll down and enjoy.......

Strange, I never took Mohler as the "Biker Stache" kind of guy. Though I must admit he pulls it off nicely, even in a suit!


You know, surprisingly enough, the "Handle Bar Stache" is quite popular among psychologists.

Never a doubt in my mind that Mahaney and his bald head wouldn't grow a "fu manchu"? Well done, well done indeed!

Ah...always the poet and romantic...of course he'd be sporting the "Clark Gable"

Ok, I've got to be honest, I am very dissapointed with Driscoll. He's like the manliest calvanist around and this is all he can come up with? Truthfully I was expecting the "Walrus Stache" [aka "Wyatt Earp"]. Instead we end up with an "Uncle Rico"? Shame on you Driscoll!

'Stache helps

I ran across a couple of invaluable 'stache articles that you just MUST see. One is

20 Manliest Mustaches and Beards From Facial Hair History

This is really some pretty funny stuff. For example - Fact: Chuck Norris was born with a beard. When doctors tried to shave it, he roundhouse kicked them in the face with his precociously strong baby legs, knocking them all unconscious..

And the other is a self-help on How to Grow a Really Manly Beard. If you're new to all this facial hair stuff, then I suggest you check this site out.

Not in Beijing

I Could NEVER see this happening in Beijing!

I'm just saying....

Cinco De Mustache

Ok, so I feel like I'm writing about Christmas during July. But I can't help it. The other day I was surfing the web and I came across this picture of a sweet mustache [oxymoron??]. Let's just say that the picture was inspiring, very inspiring. As I looked at the picture I began contemplating weather or not I had enough time to pull off such a feat, after all Cinco De Mustache is only three months away.

To be honest with you, seeing how I have never had this kind of stache before, I have no idea how long it will take to grow out. But I thought to myself "this grand event only comes around once a year, why not go all out this year". And so now I declare to you all that I will be growing for Cinco De Mustache, in my humble opinion, the mustache of mustaches: a Rollie Fingers. Incase you are new to the mustache world and have never heard of this type of stache before, let me introduce you to it:

I know what you are thinking: "You're going to wear that thing for three months". But that's the beauty of Cinco De Mustache, it's a one day event! Just grow out a beard or gotee for a few months and then on the eve of this most sacred day, at 11:59 p.m. shave it all off, except for the stache of course!

Last year I had some friends here in China who helped me celebrate this great holiday, but unfortunately they have all returned to the states. So this means that I will be celebrating alone. If you desire to help out a lonely friend ,then by all means join me this year for Cinco De Mustache.

But maybe you're a little nervous about the stache. I mean, after all, it does have a bad "I've got some candy in the back of my van" [said in a low raspy voice] reputation. But think of all the reputable, upright, honorable people who have donned one of these furry beauties: Ron Jeremy, Salvador Dali and Adolph Hitler to name just a few.

Ok, on second thought maybe that doesn't convey the point I way trying to make. But I do believe that the stache is in right now. Don't believe me, then just look at Orlando Bloom, Borat, Geraldo Rivera and Dr. Phil. Ummm.....Uhhh..., so I guess I'm shooting myself in the foot at this point. What I am really trying to say is this: PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE join me for Cinco De Mustache. Seriously though, some pretty cool men have been known to wear the stache: Cary Grant, Grizzly Adams, Clark Gable, Ghandi, Michael Jordan, MLK, William H. Taft and probably the manliest man that was ever called President: Teddy Roosevelt.

I plan on keeping a photolog of my stache [righthand corner of my blog] in hopes that it encourages you to participate this year. If you desire to join me in this festive event, then do so by leaving a comment to that effect. Maybe you can email me some of your pics and I'll post them here in hopes that others will join us in our adventure. Until then I'll leave you with a little motivation...just incase you're still skeptical.

Art

Yesterday Jenni and I went on a date to the 798 Art District. We had been wanting to visit this place for a long time, but just never made the time to do so. So after a long bus ride on the 988 [which by the way is my LEAST favorite bus in all of Beijing - it is always crowded, and by crowded I mean literally having to be pushed onto the bus, and yesterday was no exception], a stop by the local McDonalds and a taxi ride later we found ourselves in a city within a city. Not that the Art District is that big, but it really feels like you have somehow traveled outside of Beijing, and even China for that matter. Fortunately we had anticipated that there would be lots of "artsy" foreigners in this area so we had dressed appropriately for the day.

Our first stop took us to the 798 Photo Gallery. And I must admit that I was a little nervous about how our day would go when I stepped inside and was greeted with Xiaochuan Lu's [beware, before clicking on the previous link, you have been warned] bizzare photography. I love photography, all kinds of photography, but this was just a little to strange for me. If this was any indication of what lied ahead I knew I would be sorely disappointed. Fortunately, it was not!

As we made our way upstairs we moved into the realm of semi-normalicy [digitally altered photography]. After looking at these photos we went next door and fell in love with Huang Qingjun and Ma Hongjie's "Family Stuff" series. In these Photographs various Chinese families were selected to represent the typical family in thier area. Then all their worldly posessions were taken out of their home and placed in front of their house. Finally the family is placed among their "stuff" and the photo is taken. Two photos really stood out to me:

In the background of this photo you'll notice the Chinese Character 拆 [chai] as in 拆房子 [chai fangzi]. It means to demolish a house and is an official notice by the government that one's house will be torn down. Last year we noticed that as the Olympics got closer and closer many homes were torn down, especially those near Olympic venues. I can only assume that this family had their home "chaied" because of the Olympics. It was just a very powerful photo to me!

This second photo I liked because the family pictured doesn't have a lot of material poessions but they seem so happy and proud of what they do have. We are more the the sum of our posessions!

Here is a link if you are interested in looking at more photos of "family stuff"

whore tops???

So Jenni and I went to a new mall the other day just to see what was inside, and we were so NOT disappointed! While stopping by DQ to get some ice cream we noticed a camera crew set up in the middle of the mall. Apparently this fashion magazine was going to have some kind of "Chinese program" looking back at 2008. Now remember, this is a legit camera crew and a "reputable" magazine in China. It is not some Bubba [no offence to my uncle] with a home video camcorder. So this is what we saw as we looked at the stage....Chinglish at it finest!

A Chinese man of Tunkou, bought what he thought was an all-white Pomeranian dog for £60 a year ago on a business trip. But he found the dog hard to tame, it would often bite him and had several unusual traits. For example: the dog couldn't bark, its tail kept growing longer and longer and the dog became very smelly. even after bathing the animal was extremely foul smelling.

The man took his 'dog' to a local zoo for answers, and it turned out the dog is actually an Arctic fox, a protected rare species. He has now donated the animal to the zoo.. All i can say is: That's China!!!

Christmas in China 2008

Enjoy! Be sure to check out the Festivus footage at the end....