We just got back from shopping at the Carrefour, one of the big Super Stop&Shop type grocery stores. Having never lived in a city before I've never had to figure out the whole stock-up shopping without a car. It's way more complicated than hopping into the car and driving a couple miles. Plus, we had to fight the multitudes who also do their shopping on Saturday afternoon, not to mention the whole language barrier issue.
On the plus side we now have a blender and can use up the just-a-little-too-ripe fruit that's building up in the freezer and make smoothies for breakfast. We also got "Happy is yummy Texas Fries!" which are like potato chips seasoned with seaweed, a decidedly un-Texas flavoring. Other great finds include Skippy peanut butter, Smucker's raspberry jelly and something called cereal crunchoco for a little pick-me-up snack in our lunch boxes.
All-in-all a pretty successful trip.
Saturday, September 6, 2014
Thursday, September 4, 2014
The water bill came today. I know it's the water bill because it says so in English on the envelope. I don't remember the Aquarion Water Company bills looking so cheerful. This is also a lot cheaper - NT $118 or about $4 US for a month.
Something I learned the other day, the Taiwanese have a different year than "the year of our Lord, 2014." If you look closely at the bill there's the date 103/9/21. That's the year 103 on September 21. The first year of the Taiwanese calendar is 1912, the year that the Republic of China was founded. It ties into the traditional numbering of years based on how long an emperor ruled. Beginning in 1912 there was no longer an emperor ruling the republic so that was the beginning of the new era, hence, year number one. And that concludes our history lesson for the day.
On my way home from work today I passed a garbage truck, one of many that I have seen in the last month or so. Although they don't smell like ice cream trucks they sound like them. The garbage trucks play a little song as they drive through the streets, letting people know that they can run out to the curb and throw their trash and recycling away. People say it's a few bars of a Beethoven symphony but to me it just sounds like the Good Humor Man at the beach.
Fortunately we don't have to wait for the music as the high rise apartment buildings have a central dumpster for collection. It must be a bit of an inconvenience to have to listen for Beethoven in order to throw out the garbage.
Fortunately we don't have to wait for the music as the high rise apartment buildings have a central dumpster for collection. It must be a bit of an inconvenience to have to listen for Beethoven in order to throw out the garbage.
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
We just got back from a wonderful anniversary dinner. Lee made reservations for us a couple days ago by walking to the restaurant and handing over his business card. It's the kind of restaurant that has set seating times and seats everyone around the chefs. It's by far the fanciest place I've ever eaten. Here are the chefs getting started on the main course.
First we were served little tiny bites of appetizers...
Followed by salad...
(that's shrimp sitting on a bed of mashed potatoes), soup, chicken, seafood, filet mignon, and grapefruit sorbet to cleanse the palette. Then we were reseated for dessert and drinks but while we were waiting they surprised us with this:
When Lee had made the reservation the maitre d' had asked if it was a special occasion and he told him we'd be celebrating our 31st wedding anniversary. The waitress even took our picture and gave us a card.
We finished off our little chocolate cake as well as a beautiful little lemon cake too.
We had planned on taking a taxi back home but decided it was such a beautiful evening that we walked home instead. We even passed through a sweet little plaza with a fountain.
All in all a delightful way to spend the beginning of the next 31 years together!
First we were served little tiny bites of appetizers...
Followed by salad...
(that's shrimp sitting on a bed of mashed potatoes), soup, chicken, seafood, filet mignon, and grapefruit sorbet to cleanse the palette. Then we were reseated for dessert and drinks but while we were waiting they surprised us with this:
When Lee had made the reservation the maitre d' had asked if it was a special occasion and he told him we'd be celebrating our 31st wedding anniversary. The waitress even took our picture and gave us a card.
We finished off our little chocolate cake as well as a beautiful little lemon cake too.
We had planned on taking a taxi back home but decided it was such a beautiful evening that we walked home instead. We even passed through a sweet little plaza with a fountain.
All in all a delightful way to spend the beginning of the next 31 years together!
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
Yesterday I got a piece of mail. Wow, mail! I haven't gotten much of that. This mail was from my family, sent by my lovely sister Jenner.
It's a card from beautiful Chautauqua, New York, where my family goes every summer. This year was the first time since 1990 that Lee and I haven't gone. It made me sad not to be there but this card was signed by my brothers and sisters and Dad and cousins and sons and girlfriend and it's nice to know they were all thinking of us. Thank you.
This coming Monday is Moon Festival. It's a celebration to give thanks to the moon for the autumn harvest. What that means around here is that we have a day off from school (yeah!) and families get together for barbecues and to look at the full moon. It also means we get gifts.
The PTA gave all the teachers pomelos, which are similar to grapefruits but sweeter. One of the parents gave all the high school teachers fried cookies and one of my parents gave me a box of moon cakes.
No doubt there will be firecrackers in the street for the festival, cause who doesn't love fire and smoke and really loud noises. I'll let you know.
It's a card from beautiful Chautauqua, New York, where my family goes every summer. This year was the first time since 1990 that Lee and I haven't gone. It made me sad not to be there but this card was signed by my brothers and sisters and Dad and cousins and sons and girlfriend and it's nice to know they were all thinking of us. Thank you.
This coming Monday is Moon Festival. It's a celebration to give thanks to the moon for the autumn harvest. What that means around here is that we have a day off from school (yeah!) and families get together for barbecues and to look at the full moon. It also means we get gifts.
The PTA gave all the teachers pomelos, which are similar to grapefruits but sweeter. One of the parents gave all the high school teachers fried cookies and one of my parents gave me a box of moon cakes.
No doubt there will be firecrackers in the street for the festival, cause who doesn't love fire and smoke and really loud noises. I'll let you know.
Monday, September 1, 2014
This, my friends, is nirvana:
Grapefruit green tea, with just a little sugar and some ice and you have the perfect antidote to the second half of a long school day. It's Monday, there's a faculty meeting coming up and you just need a little pick-me-up. And it gets delivered too!
This evening as I was getting dinner ready I had an epiphany and realized that I could listen to NPR streaming live. So what if they kept saying it was Morning Addition. It sounded just like All Things Considered to me. It was a little odd thinking that my Monday morning was long gone and yours was just beginning. Does that make it old news? Since I hadn't listened to any news in awhile it was all new news to me.
One of the new faculty and her daughter decided this weekend to get a mani-pedi together and found a place nearby. They knew that Taiwanese mani-pedis can take awhile because you get your feet massaged and whatever else it is they do, but they walked in at 11 am and didn't leave the shop until almost 6 pm! Their nails looked lovely today but 7 hours! I won't be adding that to my to-do list any time soon.
This evening as I was getting dinner ready I had an epiphany and realized that I could listen to NPR streaming live. So what if they kept saying it was Morning Addition. It sounded just like All Things Considered to me. It was a little odd thinking that my Monday morning was long gone and yours was just beginning. Does that make it old news? Since I hadn't listened to any news in awhile it was all new news to me.
One of the new faculty and her daughter decided this weekend to get a mani-pedi together and found a place nearby. They knew that Taiwanese mani-pedis can take awhile because you get your feet massaged and whatever else it is they do, but they walked in at 11 am and didn't leave the shop until almost 6 pm! Their nails looked lovely today but 7 hours! I won't be adding that to my to-do list any time soon.
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