Ok it is not technically New Years on the Chinese calendar, but .

They celebrate New Year in Japan around this time (technically on January 2) so it can apply.

I've been having amusing dreams about old girlfriends. I say that not because I remember the dreams very clearly, but I have twice woken myself up laughing. I do have vague pieces of the dreams as memories, but don't recall anything that was said in them. For some reason one old significant other was dressed up like Belinda Carlisle. You know--the ratted out hair-spray enhanced hair with a Flashdance top and a white miniskirt. The girl in my dream wasn't the one, however, that it would be most appropriate for since she won a California beach lip sync contest to Eternal Flame. Now I know that Belinda Carlisle with the Go-Gos did not sing Eternal Flame and that it was, in fact, the Bangles who came out with that pop icon anthem, but those two groups are pretty much inseparable in my mind, and particularly in my dreams. See that's what makes it funny. Well that and 80's dress styles and heart-throbbing melodies. It is enough to make anyone wake up laughing, I should think.

My only question is, did ASIMO kill its evil human overlords as seems to be suggested in the last clip of the announcement for the latest research model? (Note: pay attention to the "introduction" panel of smart-looking folks in the back.) I think I'd get a bit tired of their mind games and telling me where to stand too.

On a lighter note, ASIMO's first movie role will be to play a cringing lacky in a remake of Throne of Blood.

1) i've been doing a few mountain hikes while on vacation.

2) A pair of magpies is hanging out in the yard that the cam looks out on.

It was an odd day of visiting old--very old--relatives. My dad's cousins/brothers were all considerably older than him as he was the youngest child; I being the youngest child of him, therefore, have quite a bit of age difference between all of them. My sister and I headed out to do the traditional rounds--well traditional for her as I have been rather slack in such familial duties (and can seem to get away with it.) One thing about not being around much (as my mother found out since her family comes for So. Utah and she could only visit occasionally) you being the center of attention when you make a visit. I wasn't too fond of that since I didn't really want to be the center of attention or all the questions etc. I soldiered through, however, and it was interesting being in some of those houses that I haven't been to in a decade or two.

All the folks look old--really old; my uncle Ted who is not really my uncle by my dad's first cousin looked as thin as I remember my dad did right before he died. He has some blood disorder, apparently, and said to my sister "You had me dead already." I think I stunned him a bit by showing up, as the first thing he said after a few seconds of stunned silence was "You look so much like your dad." He and my dad had been quite close--really more like brothers than cousins. It hit him hard when Dad died.

I thanked him for that compliment and sat down. The next 45 minutes was devoted to recounting what I am doing etc and events that they could remember about me. As we were leaving, Uncle Ted gave me a punch and said "Good to see you." I think it was my dad he was thinking of then. It was been a long time since those two shot the shit.