Archives_March 08

Who’s your Paddy?
Posted Saturday, March 22, 2008

If you’re Duke today, your Paddy is West Virginia (or if you’re Michigan it’s Ohio State, at least for another eight months... that’s right it’s exactly eight months until the game in Columbus and I’m sure I’m not the only one obsessed enough to know it).

Some pix from a fairly tame St. Patrick’s Day (for us anyway) and a day trip to Stanford.

Tiff checks out Rodin’s “Gates of Hell”

Stanford cathedral
-cmg

Osama bin Grandstaff?
Posted Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Is journalism the new terrorism? In China, apparently the answer is yes. Chris and I were scrutinized by the Chinese consulate during our request to get a visa to visit their country. As journalists, we were forced to sign a form promising we wouldn’t do any work-related activities while in China. We also were required to give the consulate printouts of our itinerary including flight and hotel information. I’ve read that journalists should expect to be under surveillance while in China and may be followed. Pretty creepy coming from a country and a profession that put such a high value on free speech.

Seriously, China, why the hate?

- tiff

The picture of good health
Posted Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Tendinitis. High blood pressure. High cholesterol.

I’m not yet the mess that John Daly has become (above, in case you thought that was me), but I am certainly far from the picture of good health.

A trip to the doctor yesterday yielded two prescriptions and two warnings. Doc says I have high blood pressure and I need to eat better and exercise more. Of course it would be a lot easier to exercise if I didn’t have tendinitis in my left foot, which swells to the size of a baseball anytime I walk a city block.

So ... my March 12 resolution is just what the doctor ordered. Time to eat better and exercise more (without further injuring my foot). Tiff and I are heading to Seattle at the end of the month for her birthday/our early anniversary, and then we’re off to China and Southeast Asia at the end of next month. Heart attacks and gimpy feet don’t mix well with hikes along Elliott’s Bay or the Great Wall.

No more cheese burgers or pizza or really anything with cheese/taste.

Ugh. So this is what it’s like to be old. -cmg

It’s been too long
Posted Monday, March 3, 2008
Hey guys, how’s it goin? The long lapses between blog entries seem to be a flaw with just about every individual blog site I know of, and I swore I wouldn’t fall into the same trap. And then I did. It’s been almost 20 days since my last post. So let’s recap:

-We made it back safe from Cleveland (whew, the suspense on that one was killer).

-We got a new camera. This is probably not interesting to anyone but Tiff and I, but I mention it simply because it’s one of the reasons for the delay in blogging. Only yesterday, I figured out/spent the time to upload some new software and pictures to the Mac.

-We’re booked: That’s right, we’re heading to China, Thailand and Cambodia beginning April 28 (Happy anniversary on the plane) and returning home
May 20.

-Good eating: Had some excellent Chinese food at the House of Nanking in San Francisco. The owner ordered for us because it was our first time there and he didn’t disappoint. I highly recommend. We spent our Valentine’s Day at Chez Panisse, one of the area’s/world’s top spots (1,000 Places to see before you die, Page 582). Quality, and, refreshingly, without pretensions.

-We finally found a bar in San Francisco that feels like a fun Midwestern, Southeastern bar (not the combination, but the overall feel). It’s called Zeitgeist and it’s got outdoor seating. We have Ashley to thank.

-I won the office Oscar pool after cramming in nearly every nominated movie.

Some photos from the past month:

Gato

The Tour of California cycling race rolled through the Jose.

San Francisco at dusk.

-cmg