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Some random inspiration from the Dr...

Oh, the Places You'll Go!

By Dr. Seuss

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You're on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go.

You'll look up and down streets. Look 'em over with care.
About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there."
With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,
you're too smart to go down any not-so-good street.

And you may not find any
you'll want to go down.
In that case, of course,
you'll head straight out of town.

It's opener there
in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen
and frequently do
to people as brainy
and footsy as you.

And then things start to happen,
don't worry. Don't stew.
Just go right along.
You'll start happening too.

OH! THE PLACES YOU'LL GO!

You'll be on your way up!
You'll be seeing great sights!
You'll join the high fliers
who soar to high heights.

You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed.
You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead.
Wherever you fly, you'll be best of the best.
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

Except when you don't.
Because, sometimes, you won't.

I'm sorry to say so
but, sadly, it's true
that Bang-ups
and Hang-ups
can happen to you.

You can get all hung up
in a prickle-ly perch.
And your gang will fly on.
You'll be left in a Lurch.

You'll come down from the Lurch
with an unpleasant bump.
And the chances are, then,
that you'll be in a Slump.

And when you're in a Slump,
you're not in for much fun.
Un-slumping yourself
is not easily done.

You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.
Some windows are lighted. But mostly they're darked.
A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin!
Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in?
How much can you lose? How much can you win?

And IF you go in, should you turn left or right...
or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite?
Or go around back and sneak in from behind?
Simple it's not, I'm afraid you will find,
for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.

You can get so confused
that you'll start in to race
down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace
and grind on for miles cross weirdish wild space,
headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
The Waiting Place...

...for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or the waiting around for a Yes or No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for the wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.

NO! That's not for you!

Somehow you'll escape
all that waiting and staying
You'll find the bright places
where Boom Bands are playing.

With banner flip-flapping,
once more you'll ride high!
Ready for anything under the sky.
Ready because you're that kind of a guy!

Oh, the places you'll go! There is fun to be done!
There are points to be scored. There are games to be won.
And the magical things you can do with that ball
will make you the winning-est winner of all.
Fame! You'll be as famous as famous can be,
with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.

Except when they don't
Because, sometimes they won't.

I'm afraid that some times
you'll play lonely games too.
Games you can't win
'cause you'll play against you.

All Alone!
Whether you like it or not,
Alone will be something
you'll be quite a lot.

And when you're alone, there's a very good chance
you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.
There are some, down the road between hither and yon,
that can scare you so much you won't want to go on.

But on you will go
though the weather be foul.
On you will go
though your enemies prowl.
On you will go
though the Hakken-Kraks howl.
Onward up many
a frightening creek,
though your arms may get sore
and your sneakers may leak.

On and on you will hike,
And I know you'll hike far
and face up to your problems
whatever they are.

You'll get mixed up, of course,
as you already know.
You'll get mixed up
with many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and remember that Life's
a Great Balancing Act.
Just never foget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?Yes! You will, indeed!

(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)

KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!

So...
be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O'Shea,
You're off the Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So...get on your way!

Could sushi get any better than this?!

Who knew Japan and Texas had so much in common? I was pleasantly surprised to see okra sushi rolls all over Japan--and truthfully I was shocked because I had no idea okra was eaten here. After a little research, I found out that okra is actually eaten in most warm regions around the world...who knew! I'm seeing a Japanese-Southern fusion opportunity here and am intrigued whether anyone has heard of a fried okra roll in the States. If it hasn't happened yet, it needs to.

A couple weeks in Shanghai

A few days ago Ryan and I arrived in Shanghai, which sits at the mouth of the Yangtze River and is the second largest city in China, at a staggering 25.6 million people. Shanghai was a major player in foreign trade in silk, tea, and opium until about 1949, when Mao Zedong took over, and in the last two decades it has quickly grown back into a major hub of world business. Apparently in the mid-1990's as the city was being revitalized, Shanghai had one quarter of the world's high-rise cranes! British and French influences are throughout the city and it has a more Western feel than Beijing, where we were a few days ago.

For two weeks Ryan and I are volunteering at an organization called the Joint U.S.-China Collaboration on Clean Energy (JUCCCE), and it's a nice chance for us to get back into a non-travel routine and actually chill and cook for a change...and hopefully be a little productive. We're staying in their office apartment and there are sweeping views of the city all around us...not bad for 2 weeks!

Lost in translation - part 1

We've been in Asia for about a month now, and unlike South America where the language similarities to English can help you get by, there's no figuring it out when you see things written in Japanese, Korean or Chinese. So we are thankful that our friends in Asia often go out of their way to display signs in English in addition to the native language. Having said that, sometimes their English language efforts fall comically short. Here are a few of our favorites...

Quite ambitious for a business selling walnut cakes

 

Japanese candy


From the bathroom in the back of a bus

Just so far off on this one...

Got to love international gum

Showers are just sooooo yummy!

A taste of Korea

A few weeks ago, a buddy from college got married in South Korea, and seeing that we were in Japan, we went up for a week to celebrate with him and his family and friends. The wedding was in Gangneung, a beach town on the Northeast side of the country. After the wedding, we headed South to Busan for a few days before catching a ferry back to Japan. During our week in Korea we got to try all sorts of new food---most of it insanely spicy. If there's one thing we learned from our week in South Korea it's that they love to eat - tons...and the spicier, the better. They also love to drink whiskey, and have a funny custom where after you take a shot, you pour the remaining drops on your head!

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Congratulations to Brian and Jung Mi!

The wedding reception lunch--there were so many plates on the table we had to start stacking them! (left) ~~ A spicy tofu breakfast (and the tofu was made right outside the restaurant) (right)

Korean-style Shabu-Shabu

Korean-style Okonomiyaki (left) ~~ the spiciest soup ever - seriously, EVER! (right)

Korean BBQ--Yum!

An energy drink that people in South Korea swear by.

More photos of our week in South Korea can be found HERE.

Osaka

Baseball - Japanese style

We couldn't visit Japan without catching a ballgame, so we went to the Tokyo Dome the other day to see the Yomiuri Giants (Tokyo) play the Hanshin Tigers (Osaka area).

This is historically the biggest rivalry in the Japanese baseball league, which people here like to compare to the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry in the U.S., with the Giants being compared to the Yankees, and the Tigers to the Red Sox. I don't buy the comparison though - the Japanese Giants and Tigers fans are way cooler than Yankees and Red Sox fans, who we all know can be quite obnoxious and annoying at times (as an O's fan, I couldn't help myself!).

It was great getting a chance to observe the ballgame experience in Japan. While the actual rules of the game in Japan are nearly identical to the U.S. (one difference is that a tie game during the regular season game doesn't go beyond 12 innings - and the game ends as an official tie), it was cool seeing the little cultural differences on the field and in the stands.

-We didn't see any argued or disputed calls. Maybe the umps happened to call a perfect game that night? I doubt it.
-Didn't hear the crowd didn't boo once.
-There were no bullpens. I guess the relief pitchers warm-up behind the scenes, and they don't sit separately from the other players during the game.
-About half the stadium rooted for the Giants and half for the Tigers, and the Giants and Tigers sections where separate from each other. When we bought tickets, we were asked if we wanted to sit with Giants or Tigers fans.
-The fans sang and chanted the entire game. It sounded more like a soccer match.
-The aisle vendors were all women and served only drinks, including beer on tap (the women walk up and down the aisles with mini kegs on their backs - definitely tough work).
-At the end of the game, both teams lined-up and bowed to the crowd.
-No floppy hats or bobble heads - plastic fans were the promotional giveaway for this game.
-There were cheerleaders.
-No seventh inning stretch.

As for the game, it was a pitchers duel through the first 6 innings, and by the eighth the Tigers were up 2-1. In the bottom of the eight the Giants tied the game with a solo HR, and then the Giants won it with a walk-off HR in the bottom of the ninth. Despite what you may have heard otherwise, the Japanese are down with high-fives!

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Vendor serving beer on tap.






















Cheerleaders












Postgame on-field interview