Wracked with angst over the fate of our beloved and horribly misgoverned Republic, the DiploMad returns to do battle on the world wide web, swearing death to political correctness, and pulling no punches.
Saturday, November 29, 2014
Dogs!
If anybody ever doubts there are wonderful things in this world . . . .
Neighbor's cat was out at the same time we were getting into the truck. These guys do not like cats, or other dogs, or birds, or lizards, or crickets, or . . .
Oh, I want to just give puppy nose kisses to those beautiful faces..Used to have German Shepherd..most gorgeous thing ever..I swear when she died..my Dad never got over it..it was like losing a child..she went everywhere with him, every day..to construction sites. etc. guys were terrified of her..if they only knew she probably would have licked them to death if given the chance..but ,they never got close enough..secretly, think my Dad loved that...
I used to receive distilled water in 8000 gallon batches. it was delivered by a tiny lady in a kenworth conventional cab 18 wheel tank truck. she had a large shepard that rode as shotgun. you could stand right next to the truck no problem but you couldn't touch the truck or her. if you did it was a really big problem. I laid the bill of lading on the left front fender to sign for the load and really heard about it.
she made deliveries all over los angeles and right through the third LA RIOT and it was invariably yes maam, no maam. and thank you maam
Beg your beautiful dogs to forgive Uncle Kepha this story of the Asia/Pacific Bureau and AmConsul Guangzhou.
I carried the briefcase for a senior colleague in an Yao Autonomous County (a Chinese autonomous prefecture or county is a little like a glorified Indian reservation, but with less autonomy) in southern China once. I'd run into the Yao in northern Thailand before, knew that they thought they were descended from a dog, and asked the deputy county chief (a Han, and the guy with real power) about the status of that myth in his neck of the woods. He virtuously declared that "before liberation", the Han called the Yao "dogs", and wrote the Hanzi with either the dog or the bug radical, but now everyone was equal and the Hansi _yao_ was written with the human radical. In any case, he and my superior got along wonderfully, so we got invited to his favorite eatery (run by Han) for a midnight snack. The specialty was dog braised with turnip--actually, a very palatable dish. But I could not help but notice that the deputy chief's driver and security man (both Yao), looked as if they were at a funeral, so I suppose the dog ancestor myth was there among the Yao of southeast China as well as in N. Thailand.
The deputy chief also snidely told us that the more remote and traditional Yao had their pigs sharing the same living space with the humans. I did all I could to resist the temptation to note that the Hanzi for "home" or family" (_jia_家) consisted of a top element 宀 (_bao_), meaning "roof" and a lower one 豕 (-shi_, meaning "pig"), so hence the ancient peasant ancestors of the Han lived a "pig in the parlor" lifestyle like the Yao peasants. But I behaved myself.
So much for Marxist-Leninist sensitivities to the cultures and feelings of poor peasant minority ethnicities.
Bravo Kepha! Wonderful story well told! Shared with my daughter a student of Chinese language who giggled gently through the telling (smile)... thank you for sharing your remarkable knowledge and insight so succinctly. Regards, On Watch~~~
Anonymous, I'm thrilled that your daughter is learning Chinese. It's a fascinating language, although it requires a bit of Sitzfleisch. I had the privilege of teaching the elementary level in my high school for three years, and also take document translation projects to earn a few extra dollars. Please tell her not to stop with the modern vernacular. The Classical language has a very rich literature (4 millennia of it) that's well worth reading. I understand that Chung Yuan University in Chungli, Taiwan has a program for foreigners (loyalty to a place where I taught English before the Foreign Service).
I picked up smatterings of Hakka and Hokkien in Taiwan, and some Cantonese when I was in Guangzhou. Unfortunately, I did not keep up with them as much as I should've. I kept a bit of Hakka longer, for my wife and I kept secrets from our sons in that language (they understood Mandarin, and actually have better accents than mine, albeit without my vocabulary and reading abilities).
By all means, encourage your daughter to learn as much as she can and keep up with it.
Kepha, A couple of years ago my daughter and her husband taught english in Taiwan, of course of a caliber no where near similar to what you're relating. Well the job nor the husband lasted, but I am preparing myself for large groups of Taiwanese with Alabama accents wandering the land looking for Auburn football games on TV.
James: I taught English a long time in Taiwan. It's where I started my family. My sons joke that my accent is like a teacher from India speaking rapid-fire English, and they are probably right, since they have my wife's native accent. However, I have more vocabulary and can read. As for Taiwan, if I could get paid well enough, I'd go back in a New York minute. I guess I had a much better experience of the place than your daughter. Hope she's recovering well.
She's doing well, got rid of that hubbie and has a nice guy now (at least I think so, as if my opinion counts) and is in a Masters program at at a big Unie. Apparently her ex bumped some old guy with his scooter while there and learned the difference in legal systems. She's a lot like her dad in that she loves travel and now it's more attractive considering her current company. Of course she's more sophisticated than Dad who in his first visit to Spain (70's) couldn't understand why Spanish restaurants didn't have tacos or even burritos! James the Lesser
Wish Diplomad, you'd another post up as I worry about possibly me taken as impugning your dogs - ie "Guilt by association" but thankfully there's a link aside from the one featuring the "Five Letters you can't put on Diplomad 2.0" ala George Carlin;
T'was wasn't it whitewall, too too delicious a series of grimaces indicating poor Mika might want to add a little more fiber before she next sits down with Joe?
But nevermind Mika - I personally wonder if "Rev Al'll" ever share again Joe's table? Or, whether Joe'll have a job next week?
Have two older dogs, (both in or near teens) and two little ones, considerably younger. All the proof I need that there is a benevolent deity in the universe, somewhere.
So, yesterday I was on my way home from shopping and saw a sign that it was the Christmas Electrical Parade that evening at 5 PM. I started thinking about how much fun it would be to bring Ty to the parade with one of those deer antler head bands on. At which time I drove by the local pet shop that had a sign out "have your pet take a picture with Santa" so I pulled in. The woman that takes care of Ty when we are away works there and she encouraged me to bring Ty in for a picture. I went home and got Ty, thinking I could get one of those head bands fitted for Ty. Andy thought this was an insane idea but I went ahead with it. Ty screamed and barked all the way down to the pet store and by the time we got there he was completely out of his mind... Bea, the woman at the pet store, took charge of him and was yelling and whistling at Ty. The first thing Ty did was take down the backdrop behind Santa... Down came the room divider with the wreath and other decorations on it. Santa was trying to hold on to Ty and he was almost knocked out of his chair. It was then decided that I should also be in the picture so I could take charge of Ty. I put his choke collar on kill so that he would remain still, which he did, until the young woman taking the picture said that Ty's eyes were bulging out of his head and the picture would be strange (to say the least). So, we gave up but not before the employees gave him a bunch of dog cookies which he choked on and yacked up on their carpet... I did buy a head band with antlers that blinked. And when we got home I tried to put it on him. He threw them off in no time and started biting them. He thought it was a chew toy. Now, only one antler blinks... Andy asked me if I expected a different result. BTW, on the way out of the store Santa asked me if Ty was a puppy. I said no, he is 8... but you should have seen him as a puppy, he is much more calm now, LOL!
Fine dogs. What was holding their attention Bob?
ReplyDeleteWait staff.
DeleteNeighbor's cat was out at the same time we were getting into the truck. These guys do not like cats, or other dogs, or birds, or lizards, or crickets, or . . .
DeleteIt is a pity your dogs do not appreciate poetry in motion.
DeleteI thought our side only used roof racks to transport dogs?
ReplyDelete-Blake
Oh, I want to just give puppy nose kisses to those beautiful faces..Used to have German Shepherd..most gorgeous thing ever..I swear when she died..my Dad never got over it..it was like losing a child..she went everywhere with him, every day..to construction sites. etc. guys were terrified of her..if they only knew she probably would have licked them to death if given the chance..but ,they never got close enough..secretly, think my Dad loved that...
ReplyDeleteI used to receive distilled water in 8000 gallon batches. it was delivered by a tiny lady in a kenworth conventional cab 18 wheel tank truck. she had a large shepard that rode as shotgun. you could stand right next to the truck no problem but you couldn't touch the truck or her. if you did it was a really big problem. I laid the bill of lading on the left front fender to sign for the load and really heard about it.
Deleteshe made deliveries all over los angeles and right through the third LA RIOT and it was invariably yes maam, no maam. and thank you maam
pk
The water lady AND her dog sounded like good people to know.
DeleteThat is a great story..our Jemmie chased a delivery man up on the hood of his truck...he said he would never deliver anything at our house again...
DeleteBeg your beautiful dogs to forgive Uncle Kepha this story of the Asia/Pacific Bureau and AmConsul Guangzhou.
ReplyDeleteI carried the briefcase for a senior colleague in an Yao Autonomous County (a Chinese autonomous prefecture or county is a little like a glorified Indian reservation, but with less autonomy) in southern China once. I'd run into the Yao in northern Thailand before, knew that they thought they were descended from a dog, and asked the deputy county chief (a Han, and the guy with real power) about the status of that myth in his neck of the woods. He virtuously declared that "before liberation", the Han called the Yao "dogs", and wrote the Hanzi with either the dog or the bug radical, but now everyone was equal and the Hansi _yao_ was written with the human radical. In any case, he and my superior got along wonderfully, so we got invited to his favorite eatery (run by Han) for a midnight snack. The specialty was dog braised with turnip--actually, a very palatable dish. But I could not help but notice that the deputy chief's driver and security man (both Yao), looked as if they were at a funeral, so I suppose the dog ancestor myth was there among the Yao of southeast China as well as in N. Thailand.
The deputy chief also snidely told us that the more remote and traditional Yao had their pigs sharing the same living space with the humans. I did all I could to resist the temptation to note that the Hanzi for "home" or family" (_jia_家) consisted of a top element 宀 (_bao_), meaning "roof" and a lower one 豕 (-shi_, meaning "pig"), so hence the ancient peasant ancestors of the Han lived a "pig in the parlor" lifestyle like the Yao peasants. But I behaved myself.
So much for Marxist-Leninist sensitivities to the cultures and feelings of poor peasant minority ethnicities.
Bravo Kepha! Wonderful story well told! Shared with my daughter a student of Chinese language who giggled gently through the telling (smile)... thank you for sharing your remarkable knowledge and insight so succinctly. Regards, On Watch~~~
DeleteAnonymous, I'm thrilled that your daughter is learning Chinese. It's a fascinating language, although it requires a bit of Sitzfleisch. I had the privilege of teaching the elementary level in my high school for three years, and also take document translation projects to earn a few extra dollars. Please tell her not to stop with the modern vernacular. The Classical language has a very rich literature (4 millennia of it) that's well worth reading. I understand that Chung Yuan University in Chungli, Taiwan has a program for foreigners (loyalty to a place where I taught English before the Foreign Service).
DeleteI picked up smatterings of Hakka and Hokkien in Taiwan, and some Cantonese when I was in Guangzhou. Unfortunately, I did not keep up with them as much as I should've. I kept a bit of Hakka longer, for my wife and I kept secrets from our sons in that language (they understood Mandarin, and actually have better accents than mine, albeit without my vocabulary and reading abilities).
By all means, encourage your daughter to learn as much as she can and keep up with it.
Kepha,
DeleteA couple of years ago my daughter and her husband taught english in Taiwan, of course of a caliber no where near similar to what you're relating. Well the job nor the husband lasted, but I am preparing myself for large groups of Taiwanese with Alabama accents wandering the land looking for Auburn football games on TV.
James: I taught English a long time in Taiwan. It's where I started my family. My sons joke that my accent is like a teacher from India speaking rapid-fire English, and they are probably right, since they have my wife's native accent. However, I have more vocabulary and can read. As for Taiwan, if I could get paid well enough, I'd go back in a New York minute. I guess I had a much better experience of the place than your daughter. Hope she's recovering well.
DeleteShe's doing well, got rid of that hubbie and has a nice guy now (at least I think so, as if my opinion counts) and is in a Masters program at at a big Unie. Apparently her ex bumped some old guy with his scooter while there and learned the difference in legal systems. She's a lot like her dad in that she loves travel and now it's more attractive considering her current company. Of course she's more sophisticated than Dad who in his first visit to Spain (70's) couldn't understand why Spanish restaurants didn't have tacos or even burritos!
DeleteJames the Lesser
I'm afraid they take a back seat to the cat as the most appealing domestic creature.
ReplyDeleteThe dog on the right does look as smart as "highball".
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3YLPCYFNgc
Nice theft deterrent system.
ReplyDeleteBehold indeed! Beautiful doggies who are lucky to have you (and you them).
ReplyDeleteWish Diplomad, you'd another post up as I worry about possibly me taken as impugning your dogs - ie "Guilt by association" but thankfully there's a link aside from the one featuring the "Five Letters you can't put on Diplomad 2.0" ala George Carlin;
ReplyDeleteVery thankfully:
http://hotair.com/archives/2014/12/01/scarborough-the-thugs/
Arkie
Take a stab at "8 pieces of music" yourself. No nonsense involved.
DeleteI think Scarborough just pooped in a bunch of Liberal Easter baskets if the priceless looks on Nika's pouty little face are an indicator.
DeleteT'was wasn't it whitewall, too too delicious a series of grimaces indicating poor Mika might want to add a little more fiber before she next sits down with Joe?
DeleteBut nevermind Mika - I personally wonder if "Rev Al'll" ever share again Joe's table? Or, whether Joe'll have a job next week?
Arkie
And now back to more depressing topics;
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nationalreview.com/campaign-spot/393698/senate-votes-today-two-obamas-embarrassing-ambassadorial-nominees-jim-geraghty
Have two older dogs, (both in or near teens) and two little ones, considerably younger. All the proof I need that there is a benevolent deity in the universe, somewhere.
ReplyDeleteThe first human and dog to take up with one another were two of the greatest geniuses in history.
ReplyDeleteSo, yesterday I was on my way home from shopping and saw a sign that it was the Christmas Electrical Parade that evening at 5 PM. I started thinking about how much fun it would be to bring Ty to the parade with one of those deer antler head bands on. At which time I drove by the local pet shop that had a sign out "have your pet take a picture with Santa" so I pulled in. The woman that takes care of Ty when we are away works there and she encouraged me to bring Ty in for a picture.
ReplyDeleteI went home and got Ty, thinking I could get one of those head bands fitted for Ty. Andy thought this was an insane idea but I went ahead with it.
Ty screamed and barked all the way down to the pet store and by the time we got there he was completely out of his mind... Bea, the woman at the pet store, took charge of him and was yelling and whistling at Ty.
The first thing Ty did was take down the backdrop behind Santa... Down came the room divider with the wreath and other decorations on it. Santa was trying to hold on to Ty and he was almost knocked out of his chair.
It was then decided that I should also be in the picture so I could take charge of Ty. I put his choke collar on kill so that he would remain still, which he did, until the young woman taking the picture said that Ty's eyes were bulging out of his head and the picture would be strange (to say the least).
So, we gave up but not before the employees gave him a bunch of dog cookies which he choked on and yacked up on their carpet...
I did buy a head band with antlers that blinked. And when we got home I tried to put it on him. He threw them off in no time and started biting them. He thought it was a chew toy. Now, only one antler blinks...
Andy asked me if I expected a different result.
BTW, on the way out of the store Santa asked me if Ty was a puppy. I said no, he is 8... but you should have seen him as a puppy, he is much more calm now, LOL!