Mich Mosh

It’s actually possible to look forward to something and dread it at the same time. Visiting family—I look forward to; experiencing the type of cold that would make hell freeze over—not what I call fun. No matter how long you’ve lived in a place like that, you just never get used to it. If only Christmas was celebrated in the fall or spring OR if family were all in Hawaii instead, how trips back home would be so much more enjoyable.

Photos from the holidays are posted here and video of the week long adventure is posted below. Please excuse the bad audio in some parts. The new camera I’m using has the microphone located near the shoot button, which makes it easy to accidentally brush against with your finger—poor design.

The festivities began in Geebs where we hosted a Christmas party at my parent’s house. Later in Chicago I met up with fam and saw their little ones, as well as visit my aunt and uncle’s new house where my aunt showed me her collection of handmade jewelry.

Flew back on the last day of the year and was able to experience the new year twice. There was no party in the sky as I hoped for and the second time around was no better in the cab. Getting sick while spending the holidays back home just proves that I’m not suited for the midwest. If I sound grumpy, that’s ‘cause I’m sick and haven’t been since the last time I was back in Chicago a year ago. Welcome to the new year.

Is this for real? A new reality show to find America’s top graphic designer? I can’t determine if Hollywood has run out of ideas for reality shows or that graphic designers are actually just as inspiring as pop singers, models and dancers. I never thought the design profession was all that glamorous and sexy to begin with, but I’m beginning to notice it more in mainstream media on shows such as Mad Men and The Office. I know Mad Men is about ad agencies, but they do have designers that create the artwork and Pam Beasley is not a designer, but rather aspires to be one.

This show may be exciting for some graphic designers, but for everyone else this show could be a real bore. How exciting can it be to watch a group of designers battle it out in front of their macs—clicking away furiously in Photoshop or Illustrator while plugged into their iPods. What drama can we expect? Someone using the wrong font or not making sure the print settings were correct before hitting the button? Gasp, how dare they!

Should we expect judges like Simon, Paula and Randy? I think most designers can find similar personalities in their design professors. What about voting by text message? Can the viewers choose their favorites? It seems there are “auditions” that will be held across the country. Will we get to see the William Hung of designers that don’t make the cut then?

Too bad I can’t try out. Guess I’ll have to wait for the Canadian version if this one takes off.

My hood is featured in the New York Times, check it out. Real estate has slowed considerably since last year due to the economic environment, but is still quite pricey. To get an idea of how expensive it is, prices are listed in the article for typical-sized dwellings. Most one bedroom condos around here are nicely designed boxes that feature a closet with enough room for a week's worth of clothes and a bedroom large enough to fit a queen size mattress, one dresser and nothing else. A dining room or rather a dining area is combined with the living room usually and closets are a rarity.

Prices on real estate have sky rocketed in the past five or ten years, until recently, because of the city's appeal and also the 2010 Olympics. A lot of real estate were purchased by second home buyers, which helped drive up the prices. Apparently quite a number of these buyers are Americans. Who knew. But will the anticipation of the Olympics next year bring the market back to what it was? I guess we'll have to wait and see.

A vertical ice tray or adult-footed pajamas? I can't decide.

The iceorb is a four-in-one ice tray that makes ice, stores it, serves dip and chills wine. What more can you ask for? This is one smart multi-functional ice tray with a cool design. Who knew ice trays can be so appealing. See a video of the iceorb in action.

Now, if you're all about doing everything in your pajamas at home, then the grown up version of baby pajamas with booties will be the ultimate in comfort for you. Designed for easy curling in bed or on the couch, these PJs also feature a drop seat back that allow you to do your business without having to take off the entire pajama. Just be careful when bending over to pick up the mail.

Finding good news sources is hard to come by especially ones that serve to inform people on issues that are not usually covered in mainstream media. News ratings have continually declined over the years and from my experience, I used to watch the news on a daily basis, but now that I have a tv, I have no interest in turning on the news. I rather read news that I'm interested in online.

Vanguard is one news outlet that approaches news reporting in a different way by being "anticipatory, not reactionary, in reporting on the crucial issues of our time." Investigative reports are delivered in half hour and one hour segments through their website at current.com and on select cable channels. You'll get more high quality content and no fluff compared to your typical news on tv. Stories cover a wide range of issues at home and abroad. The reporters are not afraid to dig deep for a story even if it means being in danger or going to some very remote parts of the world.

The piece below is on the large influx of Chinese laborers into several African countries and what impact those nations are experiencing as a result. Lots of other great informative pieces can also be found at Vanguard's website.

As long as I can remember, trips to Chicago always revolved around dim sum. Family time was, and still is, spent at crowded dim sum restaurants with cheeky decor and a symphony of clanging chopsticks on plates. Hosts clear tables just as they usher you over and hurried wait staff carry towers of bamboo steamers filled with the Chinese version of soul food.

What can be described as a unique dining experience is actually a game of guessing, quick action and spin the wheel. It begins when you ask for a table—usually located on the other side of the restaurant and if lucky, next to the kitchen where you can hear the shouting match between the chefs and servers. The host will try to lose you as they sprint around tables, while you’re left dodging old folks, kids and wait staff trying to keep up. Once seated, you’ll have the chance to play guess what’s in the cart. (Note: this game is only applicable to restaurants with rolling food carts.)

If they give you a paper menu, then the challenge is figuring out how to fill it out properly. Some use a tally system while others employ a standardized test version that require completely filled bubbles. Incomplete bubbles will be returned with questions and will cost time in getting your badly needed fix that seems to develop soon after your arrival. Once the dishes arrive, it’s placed on the spinning wheel of no return. Here you must spin the wheel to determine the dish to eat. Be careful not to knock down any of the water glasses that are often placed near the wheel or it’s game over.

When the wheel comes to a complete stop, you must use your ninja-like chopstick abilities to pick up the slippery item before the wheel is taken for another spin. Act quick, but take care in transferring the delicate goodness to your plate. Dropping it on the table will cost you a shake of the head and a long “aiya.”

While stuffing your face, you must also monitor all tea cups on deck. The two-ounce cups must remain filled to the top at all times. Only when someone covers their cup with their hand, should you allow it below the acceptable tea line. If your cup gets filled by someone else, you must immediately perform the secret signal by tapping the index and middle fingers together—bent at 90 degrees—while making eye contact.

The final challenge is paying the bill. Your goal is to pay for the meal. Beware of sneaky moves. Some will feign the need to visit the bathroom when actually they are paying the bill before it arrives to the table. Others will secretly signal the host and are prepared to make the cash handoff. Still some may just outright grab the “Dan” from your eager fingers. Be sure to have enough cash as most Chinese restaurants accept no other forms of payment. If you win the battle over the bill, but fail to pay, it will cost you loads of laughter and a face as red as chicken feet.

One last thing—if you don’t know the names of the dishes in Chinese, this introduction with audio should help. It’s not comprehensive, but it will give you a starting point. (Tip: you may want to say the names a bit faster when ordering so as not to be mistaken for being slow.)

Can’t complain… the fall weather is actually nice here except yesterday—the day I took off, it rained all day. Bad for me, but good for you because I’ve finally decided to work on getting out another video from this summer. This one is from Ang, Mar and Sar’s visit over the 4th of July holidays.

Here’s what you’ll see… the girl’s sad attempt at working out in the park, Marilyn’s stare down with a squirrel, Sarah in the butt chair, Angie tells us of a buddha cookie, a little bit of ultimate fighting, Mar’s virtual pet dog named Steve and a whole lot more. Oh, and we also visit with one of Ken’s adversaries that we’ve met in a previous video (can you guess who?)

What you won’t see… Angie crying over spilled milk, uh… I mean coffee, me unclogging a toilet and us jumping off a log ten times just to get a good picture. But you may find photos of that here.