Dragon Boat Results

I'm behind again - Happy Birthday Jen, Happy Anniversary Rachael and Jeremy!

Feet are doing better - it's officially "tennis shoe" week for me though since they are more comfortable. I'm optimistic to be "normal" by this weekend!

The Dragon Boat Festival was a great time! New pictures to the right - or click HERE!!! It wasn't as crowded as I anticipated, the threat (and eventual realization) of rain may have had something to do with that. But there were a lot of people, including the largest gathering of Westerners I've seen in Taipei. While it's still celebrated in the Mandarin speaking areas of this part of the world, I'm sure it's like a lot of yearly celebrations in the US, it's not as much fun if you go every year - where the visitors (like me) in Taipei make sure they go to something like this!!!

We decided we're having Team IBM next year and will race in a boat. The boats are "loaned" to the team so we don't have to worry about building or buying one. I figure we can make some fun shirts and represent our company as well as we can. I know there's no way we can win, after seeing the Firefighting team dominate everyone (as they do every year I'm told). But honestly, do you really want to be the group of Nerds that beats the Firefighters?

After the racing finals (they do a couple of days before for the preliminaries), they have a special designed theme contest. There are some pictures of the Recycle team, the Monk/WhiteSnake team (not the band), and the Pirates of the Caribbean team. There was a lot of food (as is typical with any festival around the world it seems) and some stage activities or stuff for kids in case watching the racing wasn't their desire. And the big hit in the crowd was the guy walking around with a huge python! Yes, I took photos (snake haters, you've been warned). I got in close (thanks to my $210 worth of hypnotherapy many years ago) but still wasn't ready to wrap him around my neck for a photo.... maybe next time!

One thing some of you will find as funny as I do.... I've seriously heard the NUMA NUMA song about 5 different times at the most random places. Once was on the radio during my massage in China last week. One was on someone's cell phone here at work. Another was being played at a bar as I walked by a couple of weeks ago. Didn't realize the song was so popular. But for your enjoyment - here's the real group performing to help get the song stuck in your head (the actual video had embedding disabled which sucks).



And a comment about the French Open Men's Final.... Nadal wins AGAIN on clay to stay unbeaten in 4 years at the French Open. That alone is amazing. The fact that he beat Federer yet again on clay is amazing. The fact that he beat one of the greatest competitors of this decade as bad as he did (6-1 6-3 6-0 - didn't drop a set the entire tournament).... What the heck???? That's incredible. Look for Federer to get back on track at Wimbledon like usual.

We tried a new restaurant last night on their opening night. It was advertising that they make their own beer and had a German name. I went expecting to order some German food, but it was very much like a Rock Bottom Brewery or something. It was ok food, beer was... brewery kind:) But no German food - just a standard TGIFridays type menu. No Liederhosen even:(