Vacation Monday Notes

I’m very excited for Captain E and MK3 with their new house.  They’ve been in there for a little over a month, but today is the first day they had a real cookout in the backyard.  It was a tiny thing, just those two, Evan and Roberta, Captain E’s brother Bryan and myself.  Hot links from the Weber, cold barley tea and friends on a holiday…it just doesn’t get any better.

Evan lives in Shanghai these days and offered advice and asked questions about my upcoming trip.  Evidently, I will be getting lots of clothes tailor-made while I’m over there.  Also, he suggested I learn to say the phrase “I don’t want any” in Mandarin.  Roberta said that the best way to become acclimated, to learn the language and the navigate the place is to get a Chinese girlfriend, which is just the advice I wanted to hear and…you know?!  I’m just really glad there’s someone thinking on my wavelength here!!  I’m thinking I ought to get a Chinese girlfriend for the summer for a trial run.  We’ll see how that goes…I’m going to do everything once work ends.

I was telling Bryan how I must have seen or heard 200 ads for the McDonald’s Southern Chicken Biscuit and sandwich.  I’ve seen multiple different TV commercials, radio ads and billboards.  I even saw a Southen Chicken Biscuit puppet as an advertisement on some kids’ show while channel surfing (If only I could find a PICTURE!!).  Normally, this wouldn’t affect me whatsoever because I’ve been eating reasonably well lately and even when I eat crap food I still won’t go to McDonald’s.  I’m strictly a Jack-in-the-Box man.  Seriously, thought, McDonald’s is like food for kids.  Those gross tiny burgers with the diced onions and the thick-ass mustard.  The chicken McNuggets that have a texture unless any other chicken, processed or otherwise, on the planet.  It’s just not my thing.  However, I received two coupons in the mail for FREE Southern Chicken sandwiches!  No strings attached…I’ve read them over and over.  And it’s like…a coupon like this is so rare and I just cannot throw them away.  They’ve been sitting on my desk right next to the computer for weeks.  And their advertising is so effective that I’m stressing about these coupons and bringing it up in conversation and blogging about it.  Incredible persuasive powers, man.