Gobble Gobble '08

We had a very nice Thanksgiving this year. We started off with our tradition of watching the Macy's Parade on TV, even though Grayson kept asking to watch Barney (I think he ended up liking all those giant balloons). Here is a pic of him being fascinated with the festivities.

Ever since we moved into this neighborhood about 7 months ago, we have been taking Grayson to the pond nearby to see/feed the ducks. It has become part of our weekly ritual whenever the weather allows. For Thanksgiving, we decided that the ducks should commit glutteny like the rest of us humans do. So we took about 4 bags of hot dog buns out there to feed our feathery friends.

Grayson trying to put a fallen leaf back on the tree.

.Hauling our King around.

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It was like a general calling for troops!

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Eat dangit!

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Looking for more!?

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Our Thanksgiving meals are typically a little different than the "traditional" ones... You won't find a turkey, pumpkin pies, or yams at this household. We DID cook a pretty good turkey (thanks to Tony's Cajun Injector!) few years back just to say we could do it. It is just not worth all the trouble to us. However, like most Americans on Thanksgiving Day, we had to go back to the store for last minute ingredients that we forgot! Guess how many times I had to go back??

Yup. Three times was a charm! One time for each side dish! LOL! Although it was a pain in the ass to get out three times, I did feel very festive and Americana during my outings which made Thanksgiving more special to me.

So what did we cook? Let's ask our host GKT...

"Hi. Welcome to our Thanksgiving dinner 08."

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"Here was our mouth-waternig spread."
."We had juicy cornish hens instead of a dry turkey..."
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"...and broccoli rice instead of green beans casserole..."
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"...the creamed corn was out of this world ( I heard), and you can't beat yeast rolls... you see the Easy Mac and peanut butter? That was MY meal. You see, I am too young and picky for all the good stuff."
. "...and last but not least, one of our favs - Strawberry Snow as dessert!"
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It was a good time at the Tse household!

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Treasure Hunt

Ever since we had Grayson, the finance has been tighter for obvious reasons. Most of time, Tish and I choose to do without certain things so that G can have more. However, sometimes we just don't have the cash for the cooler things we like to have. That is where Craigslist, re-sale stores, and garage sales come in!

We have purchased (and sold) furniture, toys, and other used items on Craigslist. It is so much cooler than the format of Ebay. You can find things that are barely used (and sometimes hard to find) for next to nothing!

Tonight we found a Graco double stroller for Grayson and Zander. It retails at $230 before tax at most stores. We got a new/mint condition (used only a few times) one for $140 off a Craigslist ad! Initially the lady wanted $150 for it but since one small part was broken, we got her take another $10 off! We are excited about the purchase!

We often check garage sale posts on Craigslist as well. Since there are so many young families here in Frisco, there are lots of g-sale on a weekly basis with many kid/baby items.
Actually about half of Grayson's toys are used from garage sales! Most of them just need a little cleaning and they work great! Why pay 4 times the price at the store when you can get something slightly played with for almost nothing?

We have 26 days to go until "D-day", and we are slowly finishing our baby shopping list. And thanks to Craigslist, we got away with it for 2/3 of the cost! :-)

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Six TV shows I can count on

Remember shows like the A-Team, Knight Rider, Seinfield, Friends, Star Trek, and The Cosby Show? It has been a while since we had such original, awesome shows. Especially with the uprising of the reality shows, the quality of national television has at its low. I often felt dumber after watching that garbage. However, in the recent years, things have taken an upturn. Although I don’t care for shows like The Sopranos, Sex and the City, and Six Feet Under, they are responsible for the TV revolution. Their originality forced big wigs like NBC, ABC to upgrade their programming. Slapstick sit-coms and soap operas could no longer have the draw they once did.
And thank got to the invention of DVR, I am able to watch lots of these good new shows despite a demanding schedule.
Here are some of my favorites.

LOST

What a brilliant show, the story writing and production are totally original and creative (except for season 3). This coming season will be a pivotal one since it became more Sci-Fi at the season finale. I hope it doesn’t “Jump the shark” like “Heros” did this year. The show has not been on since April, so when it comes back in Jan 2009, it’d better damn good! This is one of my “must watch’s”.

The OfficeA spin-off of the ever popular BBC show, the Office has not lost a step since the British show was cancelled a few years back. Steve Carrell is always spot on with his character and we love the dynamic of Dwight and Jim. However, the show has been kinda depressing lately. We will see what happens.

LIFE

And then there is Life. It was announced that the show was going to be canceled after Season one, but somehow it got revived. Good choice, since I think the show has a good back story and will have some legs. It is about a wrongfully accused (of murder) ex-cop who did time for no reason. Once they cleared his innocence, he was back on the force and searching for the real killer(s). The show lets you know that there was a conspiracy to frame him, which is the interesting part. The neat thing is one of those persons who framed him is his partner's dad!

Lately, they have made the show more like CSI Miami. I am ok with that as long as it does not lose its uniqueness.

Chuck

Chuck is more a mindless, fun comedy show. Most of the stories are far-fetch, but that is the attraction. A computer tech that works at a Best Buy type store who was exposed to government top secret and is now a CIA agent? LOL! I like it though. It is so unreal, it is cool.

30 Rock

Like 60% of America, I turned onto 30 Rock after Tina Fey's sucess with Sarah Palin impression. This highly acclaimed show is actually pretty funny. It is a bit over the top but very comical. I did not like Tracey Morgan's character as first but now I am warmed up to it. This show has a Seinfeldish type of feel of it. Tina is a good writer... I enjoyed her other work - "Mean Girls" (have not seen "Baby mama" yet).

My Own Worst Enemy

And last but not least...My Own Worst Enemy. I thought it was silly when I initially saw the promos... but then I must the heavy rotation of promos got me curious. So last night I watched 2 episodes on line, and now I am hooked. It is an interesting concept (brain watching, secret agents, etc.)... but since it is fairly complicated, it is going to be hard to keep the fire going for seasons after season. I am so glad to see Christian Slater back in acting again though. I have been in a fan since his "Pump up the volume" days. Hope it stays on-air.

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Talk Radio

I have been listening to radio talk shows ever since I was in high school. Never listened to NPR or Dr. Laura… those are too left or right wind/boring to me. Ever since I got my first office job, radio talk shows have been helping me survive my work days. I started off listening to a show called “Walton & Johnson” (http://www.waltonandjohnson.com/main/). I believe they originated in New Orleans and now broadcasting in Mississippi I think (syndicated show). They are very talented guys, I was often amused by their off the wall/politically incorrect comments about our world today. The best part of the show is they do impressions of 4+ characters on-air. They are so good that you would never know it is only 2 guys unless you are familiar with the show. By playing a hick, a gay guy, and a black fella, they are able to “stretch” their jokes to all spectrums of people. Since we have moved toTexas, we have not been able to listen to the show. L

When I first came to Dallas, I discovered Kidd Kraddick. He is also another syndicated radio personality. Apparently he is nationally acclaimed also. He is more of your “vanilla” radio guy that is the total opposite of “Shock Jocks” (which I will go into further later). Since he is a big name on a big radio station (KISS FM), he is able to bring in big names like Backstreet Boys, Hannah Montana, etc to the show. His studio has a storefront open to public, so that listeners can watch the show while he is on-air. I actually went down to their studio one time on my day off to watch Shakira live ! However, the Kidd Kraddick’s demographics are geared towards moms and young kids in the morning. The show fell out of my radar when I started feel femanine for listing to it.

Then I switched to Howard Stern. I was curious about what the King of radio was all about. He is inventor of “Shock Jock”. I was fascinated by his audacity to push what can go on-air. His radio show was dirty, vulgar (as can be on public radio), and highly offensive. It was like a car wreck that I could not turn away. I also turned on the Russ Martin Show (http://www.russmartin.com/), a local version of Howard Stern. I found his original and unrealistic radio format intriguing. On top of the highly inappropriate topics, the yare both quite witty and very funny. I was in low point of my life, so all of these guilty pleasures were right my alley. I am glad I no longer listen to them. Shows like that are for people who look for totally mindless, filthy entertainment. Russ Martin was recently arrested for domestic abuse. Go figure.

What I enjoyed about Russ Martin was that he made his radio show “un-radio”. The show was like a fort where a bunch of friends hang out. I found a cleaner / less arrogant version of that in The Pugs and Kelly Show (http://www.pugsandkellylive.com/). They started in the Dallas market on the same station as Russ Martin. After Russ’s arrest, they went off-air and are now with 93.3 the Bone. Pugs and Kelly are people my age that brings up current topics that I care about… movies, politics, friendship… etc. I used to e-mail the show a good bit and had them read on-air. That was really exciting to me. I also visited them while they were live on locations. They were always nice to me when I met them, and I always got free radio promotion stuff! I listened to them everyday for about 2 years, and finally found them out of touch with my lifestyle. They were single (divorced), always drinking/clubbing, and had different priorities. Now that they are married and on a new station, I flip them on every now any then for variety.

What I mainly listen to now is Sports Talk. Many of my ex-co worker listen to The Ticket. It is a AM radio station that is quite a big deal for local sports fans. I never gave a chance until recently and have been in love with it since then. My radio dial is on the Ticket all the time. And since they stream on the web, it is my “brain food” for my work day. Two of my favorites are The Musers (http://www.theticket.com/musers.htm) and BAD radio (http://www.bobanddan.com/). They are my one stop shops for news, entertainment, gadgets, sports, and just everyday life.

If it is not for talk radio… I would go crazy during my stressful workdays.

Another thing I have also resort to is PODCAST. When my favorite show LOST is back on in January (YES!), I will be listening to all of the recap/conspiracy theory PODCASTS about the show!

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I want my baby back baby back...

I did it! I made my first plate of BBQ ribs tonight! You have no idea how long I have wanted to try cooking ribs. However, I was always scared that I would not have enough time or I'd mess it up. Today, I just did it without thinking. Thanks to the Ralph and Kacco's... it turned out dang good! Tish, who normally doesn't even like BBQ ribs, thought it was just right. I gave it a dry rub last night, roasted it in the oven for 2 hours and then baked it with BBQ sauce for another.
The meat was falling off the bones and the flavor was succulant. My one complain was the meat was a bit fat.... since I used country style ribs rather a rack of spares. I also made country fried potatoes with it... dang it maked me hungry just thinking about it! :-)

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Obama's win in an off the cuff perspective

Wow... I can't believe the 2008 election is finally over! What are we going to do now!? How we are going to survive without Tina Fey's Palin impression? I was elated about the outcome of the election Tuesday night. On Wednesday morning, there was a strange feeling in the air... much like the day after Superbowl, the morning after a wild party, or the ride home after going to Six Flag/Disney. I had a few "now what" moments that day.

Barack Obama's his victory is direct result of a damn good campaign. It easy to say money talks, bullshit walks... but his campaign was much more than that. From the way Obama carries himself to how every little button was designed... everything was superior to his opponent's.

Let's start with a few graphics/industrial designs:

That is brilliant stuff that people don't mind wearing it or hanging on their wall! Notice the symbols in the logo...the blue ring stands for "O" and the 3 red bands for "B"! It is unique logo that is Americana. It could pass for a logo/emblem for Captain America!

And here are the slogans:
"Yes we can!"
"Change we can believe in!"

How can anyone argue with those?! "No we can't"?! "I like change that I cannot believe in"?! It's like saying "babies are ugly" or "Puppies suck"!

And last but not least... lets face it, the man has style.
-Celebs endorse him (especially Oprah and Matt Damon)
-He married a former model
-He smokes
-He hoops
-When he speaks, people listen (there is something in his voice that makes people feel good)
-His people do not let him act "un-cool" in front of the camera (i.e. be angry, look funny, pick a dumb running mate, etc.)

-Cool website

And one of the main reason he won was that he got the white votes. How? He does not have a huge/obvious African American agenda, like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton (those folks scare white people). He presents himself as fair, intelligent, and bipartisan leader.

Everything about McCain's campaign is opposite of that... that is why Obama won by a landslide. Hope the republicans learn from this. To win, it is not just to winning the conservatives... you better be appealing to young people and the minorities too. That is EXACTLY what Obama did.

I don't know if Barack will be the man who turn this country around or not. Unlike a lot of people, I do not think our country will get any worse with either McCain or Obama in the office. I just know that Obama in office is very refreshing to America, which is something our nation desperately yearns for during a time of crisis.

I found Obama's acceptance speech moving, encouraging, and uplifting. I hope I voted for the right one and that "change" will happen sooner rather than later.

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Ursuline Academy

It has been almost 2 years since I had a building (that I designed/worked on) go into construction. My team and I have recently finished a private school expansion in Dallas. It broke ground about 2 months ago and they are blowing and going! It is a state of the art science and technology building that is target to recieve LEED (Leadership in Energy & Enviro. design) Silver certification. It is a pretty complicated project and we shoot to complete it by the end of next summer. They lifted some of the concrete panels in place today, thought I'd share a few pics!

Construction 101: half the guys working and the other half watching...

.Looks light doesn't it?

.No matter how advanced our technologies are, you can't beat good ole human precision...

.Concrete tilt-wall construction, one of the most economical and fastest construction method

. Workers making sure the concrete panels won't come down and crush them

.It is taking shape!

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To most, this might be boring, but it is exciting to me!

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Paw Paw Barksdale

Tonight we (me, Tish, G, and my mom in law) went to see paw at the hospital. He was in good spirits, seems like he always is around dinner time... go figure. The first thing he muddered out when we walked it was "HEY BOY!"(talking to Grayson). It was so loud and clear (specially for a stroke recovering patient), we were all surprised but very excited.

Paw is still not speaking clearly, although he tries to. He needs to focus on single words rather than a slur of them. However, he did real good on his curse words (we could hear it well)... I guess somethings never change! :-)

Paw is progressing pretty good and will most likely be transferred back to a rehab center in L.a. in the next few days. We wanted G to see his great grandpa one more time before he has to go. Paw and Tish visited for a long time. Not many words were spoken...they were not needed. They held each other tight and let their eyes do most the talking.

G was behaving too. He acted a bit shy but did his usual "kisses", "show of tongue", etc. That got Paw tickled to death.

We are sad to see paw go. We only got to visit for literally 3 hours before he had fallen into the stroke. I remember so vividly how paw was. He wanted to take up out to dinner at Foco De Chao (brazilian steak buffet) but time did not allow. Thank got for that! I decided to cook white beans and rice and some cabbage for dinner instead. Paw watched me cook supper, he was very curious about what kind of sausage I was using, how hot the stove was, etc. When I came back from a quick trip to the store, he even told me, "I had to stir it once, I couldn't stay away while you were gone..." :-)

The beans were almost ready when the "incident' happened. I was chopping something on the cutting board while talking to Paw after he came out the bathroom. I noticed that he looked as if no one was talking to him. I was taken back since paw's hearing has always been very good. I continued to talk, but still no response. Not even an eye-contact. Tish came down and found that he was not responding to anyone or anything. In a few minutes he came to and we called an ambulance against his wishes. We could tell he was very sluggish and was breathing real hard after what had happened. It was so scary.

While waiting in the emergency room for further testings and evaluations, paw continued to express that he wanted to leave. He said, " I could be having beans right now..."(Tish though he said 'I rather be at the beach right now') For some reason, that really stuck with me. It was like one of those ever so suddle compliments from one man to another. :-) At the end, even though we were not 100% that he had a stroke or not, we got him to stay. Luckily, Uncle Rick got here shortly (from Houston) and stayed with Paw. He has been with Paw ever since. Say what you will about the man (Rick), he has been very dedicated in helping Paw since he has been sick. You can't say the effort was not there...

To sum it up, we hate that we did not enought visting time with Paw before his stroke. But we were SOOOOO glad that he was with us when it happened. Can you imagine if a stroke came on while he was driving or sleeping by himself? And I am glad that we called an ambulance too. At many moments we doubted our decision, especially since paw was so against the idea (being the tough guy that he is). I'd like to think that Tish and I were little life savers on that one faithful day! :-)

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Fall is here

Finally, a break from that Texas Heat! Today, on my way to a meeting down south (Ovilla, Texas), a rush of Fall and its good feelings came upon me when I saw these:

Can you just picture yourself sitting in a rocking chair under a porch, enjoying a glass of tea?

THIS is Americana.

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