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Monday: Still no news from Robin!

People: gossip, facts and fiction

Jinhui just send John his letter of resignation - for the 15th of December...

Meditation Halves Risk of Heart Attack

Meditation can cut the risk of heart attack, stroke, and death by almost 50% in patients with existing coronary heart disease, according to a new clinical trial. The findings indicate that relaxation and mental focusing can be as effective as powerful new drugs in treating heart disease.

Full story is there:
http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2009/1116/1

La vie des autres

Salut Stefan Theodor,
Je sais, j'avais dit que je te la ferai plus, mais je ne peux pas m'empêcher…
Alors où en êtes vous ?
Vous deviez acheter Ikea (c'est bien ça ? avec ton salaire, maintenant, tu n'achète plus CHEZ Ikea, tu achète Ikea… ?), acheter un Humer, vous équiper d'une piste d'atterrissage pour hélico et de l'hélico qui va avec.
Comment s'organise votre nouvelle vie ?
Solkem a-t-elle enfin ouvert sa galerie d'art ?
Et toi, le boulot, passionnant ?
Il doit faire un peu moins chaud maintenant (36/37°, température du corps) et vous devez pouvoir du coup un peu profiter pour vous balader. As-tu du temps d'ailleurs pour te balader ou bien ton boulot est-il très prenant ?
Moi, ma nouvelle vie s'organise plutôt bien ; j'ai tous les lundis soirs une petite brune à la maison, le mardi, une grande blonde, le mercredi, une grosse rousse, le jeudi, une maigre chatain, le vendredi une belle auburn (y a un petit jeu de mot là, avec burne, mais je ne suis pas sûr que tu puisse vraiment jouir des subtilités du subtil langage français), le samedi, elles sont toutes là, et le dimanche, c'est un petit brun moustachu qui vient… bref, je ne m'ennuie pas, tout le monde s'occupe bien de moi ; non, en fait je vis une petite vie bien tranquille, je goûte et je jouis de la tranquillité, je vis à mon rythme, une semaine sur 2, j'ai les enfants et ça se passe très bien avec eux.
J'ai fait les championnat de région combat la semaine dernière et j'ai gagné ! (j'étais seul dans ma catégorie, évidemment) ; mais j'ai fait un combat amical à la fin avec un -80kg (!) vétéran et je l'ai taulé (coup de pied dans la tête…).
Voili, voilà quelques nouvelles,
J'espère que tu me donnes des tiennes bientôt, vous me manquez.
Je vous embrasse tous les 2,
See you,
Thomas

The weekly Message in a Bottle: week 4

Dears Robin and Melisa,

Do you have any news from my car insurance; - is the car still insured and will be so over the weekend?
many thanks, and happy Thanksgiving

Stefan

People: gossip, facts and fiction

Confirmed: Anand dates Kasia, the polish phd student from Rice university (a friend of Loren).
Funnily, they first met the night when Anand was lying on the Rice University lawn, being ridiculously drunk.
Luckily, neither one remembers the other from this evening.

Le cri du coeur

... another 3 weeks without my Solkem... ca va etre dur dur!

People: gossip, facts and fiction

Zamal finally managed to rush back to London, in extremis, to help his wife in looking after his 3 flue-infected kids. The ticket was probably the price of a return flight to New Zealand...

People: gossip, facts and fiction

Anand: I'm thinking about taking a bit a longer holiday when I go to Malaysia next March. It's expensive to go there, so it doesn't make sense to go for only two weeks.
John: (frowning): How long?
Anand: thought about going for 4 weeks
John (more frowning): Three weeks; I'm ok with three weeks.
Anand: well if I take a longer holiday, then I can go hiking in Borneo.
John: ...

People: gossip, facts and fiction

Zamal's wife called him this morning: All three of Zamal's kids (the youngest is 2 years old) have swine flue!

Gerardo has sorted out the house

Found Gerardo on skype:
[20/11/2009 09:34:14] Stefan Arold: Hi Gerardo! Steffi Graf made it to Houston, Texas. Hope everything is going ok in good ol' Europe.
big hug (Houston style)
Stefan
[20/11/2009 10:47:29] Gerardo Ivar Sanchez Ortiz: WELL DONE my cowboys and girls!!! Congratulations!!! HAd I known I would had checked in case there was a stop over in Houston on my way to Mexico for xmas, but maybe not as i'm very busy and stressed with thesis, finally... Say hello to Solkem and a big hug and kisses for both and lets catch up soon (well, from your side as from mine i'm still in the same mud... but at least sorted the house...) BACI gxx

Le cri du coeur

Solkem!

My mini adventure, cont:

Good stuff, Mr Motoyamamoto! Almost authentical algae :))

Anand Supersport, cont.

"Baahh, not tonight, I am exhausted."

San Diego

My course in San Diego is postponed to the 12/13th of January. So I may take my Solkem and visit Sebastian and Myriel there!

Robin in Space

Robin told me last Friday she's working on the insurance.
No news. So again, I don't know if the car is insured or not.
I will ask her on Thursday... that's another week without having to pay the insurance :))

My mini adventure

Motoyamamoto's green tea, from Fiesta. suspense...

What's cooking?

Pasta, pasta, perpetuum pasta.
Have made enough for at least three days.
And yes, there is the Organic Tomato Sauce (sun dried tomato).

Happiness is this

Nuernberger Lebkuchen from Fiesta; but no Pistache to share...

The Synchrotron oath

That's what I have to sign (among 300 other papers) to go to the synchrotron for 16 hours...

STATE OATH OF ALLEGIANCE I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States and the
Constitution of the State of California against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of the United States and
the Constitution of the State of California; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully
discharge the duties upon which I am about to enter.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is the feast to commemorate that the immigrating Europeans first ate the food of the natives before taking all their land, and most of their lives.

Robin, the selfless, Robin the useless

After having sent my Texas DL to the Robin crew, Melisa replied that Robin will surely call me during the day. Bollocks, of course. No-one called. So I don't know if the car is still insured or not. But I know that I have to call Robin tomorrow AGAIN. Maybe I should do so at 5:30 am?

But then again, due to Robin's inertia, I had car insurance for over three weeks without paying a penny!

What's cooking?

Pizza.
Yesterday half a pizza with salad, today half a pizza with salad.
Yesterday I took half of the Pistache-portion (the slightly crustier one), today I took half of the Pistache-portion; so I had each day a bit of Pistache :)
But when does Pistache come?

People: Gossip, Facts and Fiction

It's John's Birthday today! Happy 49 years!! He had to go home early, Grace wanted to do some kind of performance...

People: gossip, facts and fiction

Robin May: I think she only became an insurance agent because she wanted to help people. However, she is a very inefficient agent. Have called her about 30 times over the last 10 days, managed to get her on the phone probably about 3 times. Sent her about 20 emails, she replied to about 2, and normally about a week too late. Sent her the same French insurance's driver certificate about 3 times by email. When I finally managed to get her on the phone yesterday to ask if my insurance will still be running this morning for the the Texas DL test, she was very happily suggesting another Texas DL office to avoid me queuing up at 5:30 am, asked us to call her if we need hair dresser, cinema or whatever, in Rice village, and even offered to talk to me this morning at 5:30am, to reassure me that the insurance is still valid on my car (I don't think she'd been able to check if my 'name is still in the insurance system' by this time). I think she just wanted to be there for someone, to help. Unfortunately, I just want a hassle-free insurance, but if ever I'll open a center for Afro-Kids-In-Need-of-a-hairdresser-in-Rice-village), I'll certainly call her for assistance. Luckily, her assistant Melisa appears no to have sorted out how to use the email, and seems more reactive.

My Mistake!

Oh bugger, after the test I rushed into the lab, because there was a 3 hour seminar for 'Conflict Solution' that I really wanted to go to. That's why I decided, sadly, not to call my Pi d'amour. Came to the lab and found out that the seminar is Thursday.... in two weeks!! so I could have called...

Coucou mon amour, si tu lis ca, ouvre ton compte skype chez Laetitia et appelle!!! soit office, soit portable! tu me manques!!

Texas DL - la suite

Got up at 4 am, was in line at the Texas DL office, Gessner Street, by 5:30, equipped with a chair, a science magazine, biscuits, water, and both of my winter jackets (I gave on later to a freezing Ethiopian next to me in line). I was the 5th this day!
And then I waited.
around 5:45, I took my car to the back, to get exercised in their reverse-parallel-parking spot, and got back into line.
Went to pee in a corner at around 6 am (surely an act against Texas State Law), got back in line, and waited.
At 7 pm, when the line was even longer than yesterday (at least 40 persons in the cold), the door openend, and a man announced: only 26 places today, and only the first 6 persons will be taken at 7 am. The others from 8 am onwards. Another man came out and said to the first man: only 12 appointments today! The first man: 'oh there will be even more disappointed ones' Indeed, all those who came after 6 am had no chance...
Got my ticket, and ran to the car, and got into 4th position in the queue. They had only two instructors this day (normally 4), and Indian guy, and a someone who looked like Samuel Jackson. I got Samuel Jackson. I understood about 80 % of what he was saying, that was above average. Took a tour around the block, into a residential area, couple of STOP signs a right turn at a red light (I could have turned, but waited for the light to become green for me). and then back into the parking space. That was it. Got good scores, even though I should have stopped even a bit earlier at one stop sign. Got a signature, a picture, and a preliminary TEXAS DL!!!
youppiiiii!

What's cooking?

Veggie-pasta with blackeyed beans and salad.
- where the blackeyed beans any good?
- I prefer their first albums.

Getting up at 4 am - am I a yogi?

... only if queuing up in front of the Guessner-street drivers' licence office is one of the 8 limbs of yoga...

Happiness?

As the second week without my Pistache come to a term, I totally agree that happiness is only real when shared...

Happiness is this

my new mouse-whisker crystallographic tool. I could also have had the whisker with the complete head (which the neighbouring group still has in their freezer), but I don't think that this is necessary.

60 seconds

60 seconds: that was the time I should have been earlier today at the Texas driver licence queue... 6:30 am was just a little too late, and the woman that got in just 10 s before me got the last place for the day.
So I have to be there tomorrow at 5:30 to make sure.... oh bugger!

But for my Pi d'amour only: go to http://www.onlinedmv.com/locator/onlinedmv/liberty_county_tax_office_information-tx-688.html
it start's at 8h45, is really easy. Call 936 336 7343 for info.
for me it's too late now.....

It's Christmas - already

Since the forthcoming thanksgiving celebration does not have any particular decoration associated with itself (unlike Halloween), all shops now display dreadful Xmas decoration. We note in particular the pink and lilac Christmas trees in Office Depot, the kitsch life-size Santa on his movable island of Xmas trees, presents and shit, at the ophthalmologist, and the front door deco of domain at Kirby. This did not stop Fiesta from putting on independent music, this time a bouquet of 'Variété Mexicaine' (cheap interpretations of hilariously old-fashioned Mexican folksongs). Duh!

People: Gossip, Facts and Fiction

According to himself, Anand was in the lab today at 3 am. He said he didn't want to sleep any more, and wanted to go on with his experiments. We will never know the truth, but we know that he certainly went home just after lunch.

91 %

That's the success rate of my written Texas driver licence exam!
youppii!

PS:For even higher score, click here

YOU WON 693.11 $

Amount
$ *******693.11

that's MDACC reimbursement for Pi's I-phone and my Science journal. youppii!

Happiness is this

My new toilet brush (mint green) and holder (orange), for 1 $!

What's cooking? This Sunday contains no potatoes.

John invited me over for an early kids dinner at 4. I could also have gone with them to the still ongoing Renaissance-festival, probably disguised as the better-half of the Florence-horse. I did some yoga instead, called ma pistache d'amour (hat a nice chat with her repondeur), called Daddy (all calm on the Eastern Front), and went to the Lab.

Bloke's night

Took Wouter to Loren, where Anand, Bill and Todd were already sitting, and have already been sitting for hours, playing PS3, watching football, and sipping Loren's highly acclaimed Bourbon. W nice insight into how US blokes spend their weekends, especially when girls are away. Wouter's Belgium strong beer kicked in stronger than the football linebacker (don't know what that is, but sounds like someone strong). Got some super-salty pizza delivered, and watched some MMA (Mixed Martial Arts, which are pretty violent free-style fights) until Wouter got all pale.
Then I took him back home. Anand-socialiser went to a birthday party.
A successful night, altogether.

YOU WON 500 $!!

Wie zeronnen, so gewonnen: we just won 500 $!
merci qui? Swami J? Maybe, but certainly thanks to Philippe Campeau, our new neighbour in apt 2150, who has put our names down for referencing him. As a result, our Jannuary 2010 rent will be 500 $ cheaper!
youpiii

What's cooking? a new toast topping in town

Yammi: toast with peanut butter, some drops of Agave syrup, heaps of fine cut (kkwt standard) ginger and apple.

People: gossip, facts and fiction

Wouter just told me that Sophie left for a conference and took his mobile phone and the keys for his bike... so he ran to work today, with his five-toe-shoes. I may take him later to our bloke's evening with Anand and Loren.
The shoes are hilarious, but seem very comfortable! I start wanting some...

A bloke's dream

SO that's tomorrow's plan: go with Anand to Loren's place (now that his girl friend Sarah is visiting her mom in Kentucky, it's his place), play some PS3, watch a (American!) football game, call in a pizza, have many beers, and smoke a cigar. A bloke's dream...
Sauf que c'est toi mon dream.
Suesse Traeume!

Anand Supersport, cont.

He said he's go down already now to do some biking or walking machines, so I followed 10 minutes later, and see him sitting on the floor, watching his feet.
Nonetheless, we get a 35 min tkd workout going, not too tough, which he says he enjoys a lot.
'Is he a tkd prodigy?', Loren asked - not really but he liked his second class...

People: gossip, facts and fiction

Sad news: Anand says (Buket's) Steffen's father has been diagnosed with brain tumor, and his state is degrading very rapidly. Steffen left to Germany to seem him.

People: gossip, facts and fiction

According to normally badly informed sources (Anand), Kin and Thomas do not live together, not even share a room during holiday, because Thomas does not want to. Thomas (and his family) is buddhist , Kin is christian, and that seems to cause the problem. Can buddhists be intolerant - certainly...

Robin out of the Hood

"The Mailbox belonging to 'Robin May with Farmers Insurance ' is full and can not accept any new message at this time. Please try again later".

The Scent of a Pistache

Tous les soirs, en rentrant du travail, elle est la: l'odeur de Pistache at Kirby.
L'odeur est la, mais pas la Pistache... (sniff)
fais des beaux reves!

What's cooking?

Yesterady's wholegrain Torsillini with the ol' Chinese cabbage (merci qui??), and mi-cuit tomato, carrot and red pepper. All of it drowned in far too much soy sauce (oups!).

Robin Mayday-Mayday-Mayday

no news, nothing.
and our credit rating just hit the dark side of the moon.

Anand Supersport, cont.

"Hey, you're sure you don't want to join for the Chinese restaurant at seven?"

Healing Touch sans Touch

Been to the Healing Touch today.
Was great! The speaker was a mid-aged woman, thin tall, unelegant dress. She appeared a bit shy first, but then managed to capture the crowd. Except one idiot, who, with his obnoxious pseudo-scientific critique was, al fine, probably her best advocate. She gave smart answers, and apparently travels a lot to give HT seminars.
HT seems to be getting more and more accepted in hospitals as complementary help for patients of all sorts, including children.
HT 5-level course: 236 $
Even though HT-potential may reside in everyone, the course shows how not to exhaust one's own energy, but use 'natural' energies.

Prince was here!

Today John presented Prince to me. Prince something - I forgot his last name - is an early-40ies guy with a big moustache who came looking for a post-doc, because his boss in Baylor ran out of money to pay him.
John: "This is Stefan, Stefan this is Prince. - Is it ok to call you Prince?"
Prince, smiling like Borat, says: "Yeees".

Anand Supersport V

me: "Anand, ready for taekwondo?"
Anand:" I'm a bit tired... let's do it tomorrow. Wanna go for a beer?"
So I'm down alone in the 5th floor...

Robin May be not?

Called 3 times, left messages, sent one email: no Robin nowhere to be seen or heard.
And our credit rating just hit New Zealand.

Anand Supersport IV

In one word: No.
He said he'd join me tomorrow.

What's cooking? - Eating the second floor... again

recycling is a great thing. This time added some TOFU (best before Pistache returns) and broccoli to the first floor. So much so that it was almost too much load for my post-jogging stomach.

Robin Wood?

Received a letter today from Farmer's insurance, saying that our car insurance will be cancelled by the 18th of November, 12:01 hours. Unless they receive the full pay of 1,371 $ before this date.
Called Robin, and left a message on the answering machine.
No reply, and our credit history score is probably on its way down, through the centre of the earth.
Whatever.

My Car Buddy

Received an email from Momentum Volkswagen this Saturday, saying that "a car servicing had been scheduled for Monday, 5:30 pm, thank you for using online scheduling. Please do not reply to this message."

Servicing after two weeks seems a bit precocious, so I had to talk to my car sales buddy Justin today. Since this is about cars, we do like big buddies; He, because he thinks that's a perfect sales strategy, and I because he thinks that's a perfect sales strategy. Honestly, I have got no idea how to talk to car dealers, mostly because it's a lose-lose situation. They try to rip me off as much as they can, and probably manage quite well. It's their job, after all. So I just imitate them. The problem is that my car sales buddy Justin and I, we invariantly fail to understand each other, especially on the phone. So much so, that even he gets disoriented. That's the only moment I enjoy a bit.

What's cooking? - Eating the second floor.

Today I invented the two-floor meal:
First layer: A mischmasch mixing yesterday's pleasures (potatoes, maroccan sardines) with a fling of grains, a splash of tomatoes, red peppers filets, and a can of Fiesta haricots.
Second layer: Rucola, with a signature of the Perfect Italian Oil, and a could of sesame salt.

Anand Supersport III

Anand asked if I had taken my tkd gear with me. I denied. He then volunteered to nonetheless use the home-bikes and walking machines of the 5th floor for an individual workout.
He finally didn't, saying he'd do so tomorrow.

Mr. Bean at the Urologist

Was at the urologist today. Always a good time for ridicule. This time I misunderstood the usage of the sticker they gave me, and ended up running around with my urine-sample label stuck to my chest, like a proud life-size piss pot. I then had the Perfectly Integrated Asian Assistant Doctress draw her impression of my testicle on a piece of paper. Should have kept it to show her mom on occasion, so that she can see what her daughter is doing for a living.

Robin, the Hood of insurances

I normally avoid collecting our letters from our letter bow, because it persistently only contains skyscrapingly high bills to be paid immediately, or even before that. Failure to obey will bring us one large step closer to becoming a credit-history outlaw.
Found a car insurance bill for over 1,300 $ in the mail today, to be paid before last Monday. Luckily our agent is Robin May, the Hood of insurances, the Mayflower of the US newbies. She told me not to worry, she'll get us out save, and even smelled refreshingly delicious over the phone.

What's cooking?

It's Potato Day!
Our special guest today: Moroccan sardines with piement.

Fiesta night

Saturday night Fiesta night!
This time I went alone (sniff).
The music was fabulous, I was in and out very quickly, and of course, forgot half of what I needed.

Sheik at Kirby

The elevator doors opened, and out came a genuine sheik; full-throttle with beard and everything, except the fact that his gear was not in traditional white, but in a psychedelic red-yellow-lightblue. He looked damn serious, though, and I hope we have him as close neighbour.

Happiness is this

Kkweta is very happy with his new 8$ pot.

Anand Supersport II

Can't believe it; Anand's first tkd lesson really had place. Only about 45 minutes, and I had to push him a bit, but hey - that's a start. With his XXL shirt and boxer short, and flat feet, he looked a bit like a duck, but he did rather well.
Our sporty evening was continued by Gion, who drove his spoiler-Ford like a madman. Good-bye Opera boy, hello testosterone bloke. I wonder what happened... Anand said 'he didn't get laid', and was probably not too far off the truth.

Living the American Dream

And then I thought I just live the American Dream; just have it all: Miss Vicky's Smoked BBQ chips, the Turkey roll, or wrap or whatever, the mustard, the ketchup, the Mr. Pepper's Polyethylenglycoldrink, and even the 'mint' flavoured pale pink sweet with the fake cinnamon taste. The full lunch box!
Felt like living a menopause through the second half of the lunch talk. burp!

Anand Supersport I

Everything is prepared for Anand's first tkd lesson. I even have made a rough plan, and several lab colleagues were trying to place 'special requests'...
Anand, however, had an alternative plan: drink beer and grill sausages in his garden.
Ok, tonight, he wins.

Bon voyage

Ca y est... ma pistache est partie...
...sniff...

et je me vois face a un mois d'eremitage dans ma cave 4136.

Et voila ce qui s'est passe...