The new solar battery charger I got for my phone kept it at 100% all day. I've gotta figure a better mount for it for my everyday bike.

Are Asian-Americans reclaiming the C-word now? I was a bit shocked to see it, but I suppose Paula either likes it or plays along.

I would kill for a copy of this poster. If anyone in shanghai sees these odes to civic pride being taken down, can you please grab me one?

Haibao is either the mascot of the 2010 world exposition or a puffy blue tooth that stole George Lucas's hair curl.

Catching up on posting a few photos from that sojourn in Shanghai. This one was shot in a dusty hutong in Shanghai. Grease from a jianbing seems to have clouded my iPhone's camera. I think I remember at the time choosing not to wipe it off because it looked interesting. The kid in this photo has the perfect kind of barely-reactive wary look. Better that than succumb to overwhelm, can't have a billion people throwing a tantrum!

You've squicked your way past the 11 mile point...

...try to stay ahead of the fuzz. If I were you, I'd keep the Bachman novel, "The Long Walk" in mind for motivation. My hat's off to anyone who ran or walked or rolled today, amd especially to those who're spending 8+ hours in the rain, walking the course.

(note: Chinese wedding photos happen before the marriage)

A lively example of entropy in motion, these hutongs South of the Lujiabang fabric markets reminded me of areas of Beijing. I found the aforementioned food item, xidan, at a stall at the end of the road where the old buildings ended and the apocalyptic wasteland of demolition began.

Look closely if you dare. Those are no ordinary eggs --unless you expect beaks with yours.

This seems a bit similar to the Filipino food "Balut", a mainstay of eating challenges on US-oriented reality tv competitions. Often the competitors gag and bow out. I've always figured I'd pass such a challenge without issue, as the dish in question probably tastes fine. But when faced with Balut's Chinese cousin, I skipped the opportunity.

I showed the photo to a shanghainese friend, age said the dish is called xidan and is very good for health problems. I asked if it works, and she said,"of course."

So there you have it. Xidan. Yum.