Last year, we went to a nursery to buy plants, but we found that a local farmer's market is a great place as well!!
Here are some of flowers that we bought this year
2008年5月27日
Annuals (and some perennials) of 2008
It was such a nice weekend and a great one to plant the flowers! We bought bunch
Last year, we went to a nursery to buy plants, but we found that a local farmer's market is a great place as well!!
Here are some of flowers that we bought this year
Last year, we went to a nursery to buy plants, but we found that a local farmer's market is a great place as well!!
Here are some of flowers that we bought this year
Going back to the Civil War Era
I visited the Henry Ford Museum this weekend and there was a memorial weekend cerebration going on at the Village (outdoor museum). It was so neat that I felt I was in the Civil War Era! There were many many exhibitions of the Civil War; showing how people lived back then, how soldiers were getting by, the camp sites, both Union and the Confederate side... What I was impressed the most is that it was not a typical display of those. We were able to touch and talk to people who portray the era; they were walking around with us, felt like we were put in the time machine and back to that era.
The firing demonstration was great (and loud!), so was the chivalry demonstration
The firing demonstration was great (and loud!), so was the chivalry demonstration
2008年5月23日
Antiquey Phone
Another acquisition from eBay↓
I found this 50s style phone last Christmas and I fell in love at once. But I was not sure if I wanted to buy a brand new one or used one. Since this phone is not available at a local store and it’s rare to find, a brand new one is pricey.
So I was waiting to see if anyone would put this exact item (called “Monster phone”) on eBay. Occasionally this phone appeared but it was not a good condition or a wrong color. But finally I found it! And luckily it was not popular that nobody else was bidding There was no “bidding war”... I’ve gone through a bidding war once and I found it too stressful!!
Even though it was a used one, I’m very satisfied
I love its shape; it suits my taste very well; now it’s sitting on my console table in the living room.
Note: This phone is not from 50s. It’s only “50s style” and it functions perfectly!
I found this 50s style phone last Christmas and I fell in love at once. But I was not sure if I wanted to buy a brand new one or used one. Since this phone is not available at a local store and it’s rare to find, a brand new one is pricey.
So I was waiting to see if anyone would put this exact item (called “Monster phone”) on eBay. Occasionally this phone appeared but it was not a good condition or a wrong color. But finally I found it! And luckily it was not popular that nobody else was bidding
There was no “bidding war”... I’ve gone through a bidding war once and I found it too stressful!!Even though it was a used one, I’m very satisfied
I love its shape; it suits my taste very well; now it’s sitting on my console table in the living room.
Note: This phone is not from 50s. It’s only “50s style” and it functions perfectly!
2008年5月22日
座右の銘
いきなりですが、座右の銘を探すことにしました。
別になくても良いのですが、どうしても欲しくなったので。
座右の銘は「欲しい」から探すものではなくって
たまたま見つかるものだとは思うのですが。。。
好きな言葉（というか文章）はあるのですが
それでは座右の銘とは言えないほどめちゃくちゃ長いのです。
そこでネットで探してみたらちょうど良く見つかりました↓
従流志不変
です。
読み方は幾通りもあるようです。
私の好きな読み方は「流れに従うも志は変わらず」。
意味は
「大きな艱難（かんなん）に出会ってどうにも出来なくなったときは思い切って時の流れに身をゆだねなさい。けれどもいついかなる場合もいったん立てた志は絶対に忘れる事があってはならない」
です。
どちらかと言うと個人的には世の中の流れに逆らう
ことが多い私ですが、「いつでも志を変えてはいけない」
という教えに共感です
別になくても良いのですが、どうしても欲しくなったので。
座右の銘は「欲しい」から探すものではなくって
たまたま見つかるものだとは思うのですが。。。
好きな言葉（というか文章）はあるのですが
それでは座右の銘とは言えないほどめちゃくちゃ長いのです。
そこでネットで探してみたらちょうど良く見つかりました↓
従流志不変
です。
読み方は幾通りもあるようです。
私の好きな読み方は「流れに従うも志は変わらず」。
意味は
「大きな艱難（かんなん）に出会ってどうにも出来なくなったときは思い切って時の流れに身をゆだねなさい。けれどもいついかなる場合もいったん立てた志は絶対に忘れる事があってはならない」
です。
どちらかと言うと個人的には世の中の流れに逆らう
ことが多い私ですが、「いつでも志を変えてはいけない」
という教えに共感です
2008年5月21日
2008年5月13日
Disgusting Facts about Slaughterhouse
I don't too often point out the animal rights when I explain why I don't eat meat, but today I was reading "Skinny Bitch" and was quite disgusted by how animals are killed at a slaughterhouse and how workers abuse them. That's right. ABUSE them!!!
The followings are quotes from slaughterhouse workers (from Ch.6 in Skinny Bitch),
"I seen them take those stunners - they're about as long as a yard stick - and shove it up the hog's ass...They do it with cows, too...And in their ears, their eyes, down their throat...They'll be squealing and they'll just shove it right down there."
"Sometimes I grab it [a hog] by the ear and stick it right through the eye. I'm not just taking its eye out, I'll go all the way to the hilt, right up through the brain, and wiggle the knife."
"Only you don't just kill it, you go in hard, push hard, blow the windpipe, make it drown in its own blood. Split its nose. A live hog would be running around the pit. It would just be looking up at me and I'd be sticking, and I would just take my knife and - cut its eye out while it was just sitting there. And this hog would just scream."
"I've seen live animals shackled, hoisted, stuck, and skinned. Too many to count, too many to remember. It's just a process that's continually there."
"I seen guys take broomsticks and stick it up the cow's behind, screwing them with a broom."
"One time I took my knife - it's sharp enough - and I sliced off the end of a hog's nose, just like a piece of bologna. The hog went crazy for a few seconds. Then it just sat there looking kind of stupid. So I took a handful of salt brine and ground it into his nose. Now that hog really went nuts, pushing its nose all over the place. I still had a bunch of salt left in my hand - I was wearing a rubber glove - and I stuck the salt right up the hog's ass. The poor hog didn't know whether to shit or go blind."
In America, they take a really good care of their pets, particularly dogs. A dog is a part of family; people don't call themselves "owner" but "guardian". While they treat dogs so well, how come they can torture other animals such as cow, pig and chicken??
Another disgusting fact is how filthy a slaughterhouse is. This is beyond my imagination...
“the poultry plants are filthy. She said there were flies, rats, and 5-inch long flying cockroaches covering the walls and floors. Believe it or not, it gets worse: ‘After they are hung, sometimes the chickens fall off into the drain that runs down the middle of the line. This is where roaches, intestines, diseased parts, fecal contamination, and blood are washed down. Workers [vomit] into the drain….Employees are constantly chewing and spitting out snuff and tobacco on the floor…sometimes they have to relieve themselves on the floor….The Perdue supervisors told us to take the fallen chickens out of the drain and send them down the line.’ ”
“One time we shined a flashlight into a hole they were crawling in and out, and they were so thick it was like maggots, you couldn’t even see the surface.”
“I personally have seen rotten meat – you can tell by the odor. This rotten meat is mixed with the fresh meat and sold for baby food. We are asked to mix it with the fresh food, and this is the way it is sold. You can see the worms inside the meat.”
Speechless...
The followings are quotes from slaughterhouse workers (from Ch.6 in Skinny Bitch),
"I seen them take those stunners - they're about as long as a yard stick - and shove it up the hog's ass...They do it with cows, too...And in their ears, their eyes, down their throat...They'll be squealing and they'll just shove it right down there."
"Sometimes I grab it [a hog] by the ear and stick it right through the eye. I'm not just taking its eye out, I'll go all the way to the hilt, right up through the brain, and wiggle the knife."
"Only you don't just kill it, you go in hard, push hard, blow the windpipe, make it drown in its own blood. Split its nose. A live hog would be running around the pit. It would just be looking up at me and I'd be sticking, and I would just take my knife and - cut its eye out while it was just sitting there. And this hog would just scream."
"I've seen live animals shackled, hoisted, stuck, and skinned. Too many to count, too many to remember. It's just a process that's continually there."
"I seen guys take broomsticks and stick it up the cow's behind, screwing them with a broom."
"One time I took my knife - it's sharp enough - and I sliced off the end of a hog's nose, just like a piece of bologna. The hog went crazy for a few seconds. Then it just sat there looking kind of stupid. So I took a handful of salt brine and ground it into his nose. Now that hog really went nuts, pushing its nose all over the place. I still had a bunch of salt left in my hand - I was wearing a rubber glove - and I stuck the salt right up the hog's ass. The poor hog didn't know whether to shit or go blind."
In America, they take a really good care of their pets, particularly dogs. A dog is a part of family; people don't call themselves "owner" but "guardian". While they treat dogs so well, how come they can torture other animals such as cow, pig and chicken??
Another disgusting fact is how filthy a slaughterhouse is. This is beyond my imagination...
“the poultry plants are filthy. She said there were flies, rats, and 5-inch long flying cockroaches covering the walls and floors. Believe it or not, it gets worse: ‘After they are hung, sometimes the chickens fall off into the drain that runs down the middle of the line. This is where roaches, intestines, diseased parts, fecal contamination, and blood are washed down. Workers [vomit] into the drain….Employees are constantly chewing and spitting out snuff and tobacco on the floor…sometimes they have to relieve themselves on the floor….The Perdue supervisors told us to take the fallen chickens out of the drain and send them down the line.’ ”
“One time we shined a flashlight into a hole they were crawling in and out, and they were so thick it was like maggots, you couldn’t even see the surface.”
“I personally have seen rotten meat – you can tell by the odor. This rotten meat is mixed with the fresh meat and sold for baby food. We are asked to mix it with the fresh food, and this is the way it is sold. You can see the worms inside the meat.”
Speechless...
2008年5月12日
30デイズ
"Supersize Me"というドキュメント映画で
マクドナルドのみを30日間食べ続けたMorgan Spurlockが
最近手がけているTVプログラム、"30 Days"の
シーズン１のDVDを見ました。
コンセプトはSupersize Meと同じ。
30日間ぶっ通しで何かを試みる、というものです。
今回は初回のみ彼自身が経験、
その他は別の一般人が経験。
マックの時もおもしろい企画だ、と思いましたが
今回の企画もなかなかすごかったです。
最低賃金の職につき30日間生活。
キリスト教徒の人がイスラム教社会に入り込み、
イスラム教徒として生活。
ストレートの男性がゲイ社会に浸るもの。
ホルモン剤などの薬を使い、若返りを試みる中年男性の話、
などなど。
この企画を見て良いと感じたことは
みんな経験から必ず何かを学んでいること。
例えばイスラム教徒＝テロリスト、悪い人たち
と思い込んでいた人が、その考えを改めていったり、
「ゲイであることは罪」と信じていた人が
少しずつ心を開いていったり。
自分の育った環境などのせいで
みんな何かしらの偏見を持っていたり
あるものに対して心を閉じていることが
あったりするこの世の中、自分では経験できなくても
他人の経験を見てみる、だけでも大違い、
のような気がします。
ちなみにアメリカでは6月からシーズン３が始まるとか。
今度は見逃さないようにしよう。。。
マクドナルドのみを30日間食べ続けたMorgan Spurlockが
最近手がけているTVプログラム、"30 Days"の
シーズン１のDVDを見ました。
コンセプトはSupersize Meと同じ。
30日間ぶっ通しで何かを試みる、というものです。
今回は初回のみ彼自身が経験、
その他は別の一般人が経験。
マックの時もおもしろい企画だ、と思いましたが
今回の企画もなかなかすごかったです。
最低賃金の職につき30日間生活。
キリスト教徒の人がイスラム教社会に入り込み、
イスラム教徒として生活。
ストレートの男性がゲイ社会に浸るもの。
ホルモン剤などの薬を使い、若返りを試みる中年男性の話、
などなど。
この企画を見て良いと感じたことは
みんな経験から必ず何かを学んでいること。
例えばイスラム教徒＝テロリスト、悪い人たち
と思い込んでいた人が、その考えを改めていったり、
「ゲイであることは罪」と信じていた人が
少しずつ心を開いていったり。
自分の育った環境などのせいで
みんな何かしらの偏見を持っていたり
あるものに対して心を閉じていることが
あったりするこの世の中、自分では経験できなくても
他人の経験を見てみる、だけでも大違い、
のような気がします。
ちなみにアメリカでは6月からシーズン３が始まるとか。
今度は見逃さないようにしよう。。。
2008年5月10日
Sign of Spring
Spring has come to Michigan and there are signs everywhere..
Strawberries that I planted last year are blooming.
May Night Salvia that I bought a week ago
Basil that I am growing from seeds (for the first time)
Fuschia flower that I bought
(Fushia from last year did not survive..
)
Strawberries that I planted last year are blooming.
May Night Salvia that I bought a week ago
Basil that I am growing from seeds (for the first time
)
Fuschia flower that I bought
(Fushia from last year did not survive..
)
Cleaning on our own
I had an unusual task this morning, cleaning our lab area. Usually cleaning is a janitor's task, but we don't let janitors clean the lab because there are many chemicals and machineries which might be dangerous. So once a week, our lab workers clean it by themselves, clean the floor, clean the equipment, clean the desk etc... but this task used to be a headache to a manger because many of lab workers refused to do so. They think cleaning is a janitor's job and not theirs; they think it is a low level work; they are too proud to clean.
In this country, there are always "janitors" to clean the facility so people do not learn to clean except maybe at their own home. As a person grown up in Japan, it was a totally different story. At school, we clean our own classrooms, bathrooms, hallways, everywhere! even outside streets. There are no janitors so we are all responsible to keep our school clean. We learn to work as a group and learn how to clean. I remember that I was so surprised to hear that kids don't clean at school in this country!
I really like the idea of "clean on our own". After all, it's our school, our work area, our stuff... Shouldn't we be responsible for our own mess?
In this country, there are always "janitors" to clean the facility so people do not learn to clean except maybe at their own home. As a person grown up in Japan, it was a totally different story. At school, we clean our own classrooms, bathrooms, hallways, everywhere! even outside streets. There are no janitors so we are all responsible to keep our school clean. We learn to work as a group and learn how to clean. I remember that I was so surprised to hear that kids don't clean at school in this country!
I really like the idea of "clean on our own". After all, it's our school, our work area, our stuff... Shouldn't we be responsible for our own mess?
2008年5月6日
2008年5月5日
携帯電話で悪戦苦闘
つい先日、eBayで携帯電話を競り落としました
でも着信音の設定に大きな制限あり。
この携帯、mp3プレーヤーもかねているので
自分の音楽がたくさん入っているのですが、
なぜか自分の音楽を着信音としてセットできない！！！
↑
機種としてはその機能があるのに、
携帯電話会社がその機能をブロックしてる。
これは携帯会社の作戦。着信音を”購入”させて
さらにお金儲けしてる。
そこで携帯電話をハッキングすることに。
それが違法なのかどうか知らないけど、
その機能があるのに携帯電話会社の私欲で
使えなくしているなんてひどい！と思い。
私と同じように考える人はやっぱり世の中にたくさんいて、
何とかしてその方法を探し出しました。
でもそれまでの道のりが長かった。。。
ネットで調べること数日。
必要なパーツをオーダーしてさらに数日。
最後に必要なソフトウェアをダウンロード・インストールして
丸々1日苦戦して、やっと成功！
携帯をアラーム代わりにもしているので、
これで自分の好きな音楽で朝目覚めることが出来る
トータルコストは約10ドル。
もしかしたら着信音を買った方が安かったかもしれないけど
でもやっぱり「自分で好きなように変えられる」
という自由を得たから、それで10ドルは安い？！
My model: Motorola RAZR V3m
Carrier: Verizon
Put own ringtones on Motorola RAZR V3m
でも着信音の設定に大きな制限あり。
この携帯、mp3プレーヤーもかねているので
自分の音楽がたくさん入っているのですが、
なぜか自分の音楽を着信音としてセットできない！！！
↑
機種としてはその機能があるのに、
携帯電話会社がその機能をブロックしてる。
これは携帯会社の作戦。着信音を”購入”させて
さらにお金儲けしてる。
そこで携帯電話をハッキングすることに。
それが違法なのかどうか知らないけど、
その機能があるのに携帯電話会社の私欲で
使えなくしているなんてひどい！と思い。
私と同じように考える人はやっぱり世の中にたくさんいて、
何とかしてその方法を探し出しました。
でもそれまでの道のりが長かった。。。
ネットで調べること数日。
必要なパーツをオーダーしてさらに数日。
最後に必要なソフトウェアをダウンロード・インストールして
丸々1日苦戦して、やっと成功！
携帯をアラーム代わりにもしているので、
これで自分の好きな音楽で朝目覚めることが出来る
トータルコストは約10ドル。
もしかしたら着信音を買った方が安かったかもしれないけど
でもやっぱり「自分で好きなように変えられる」
という自由を得たから、それで10ドルは安い？！
My model: Motorola RAZR V3m
Carrier: Verizon
Put own ringtones on Motorola RAZR V3m
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