Nine balconies, at the local police barracks.

Captured: June 5, 2008.

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for the photographers:
[lameda_exif id=927 info="camera,focal_length,iso,aperture,shutter_speed"]

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I captured this while roaming around Yau Ma Tai (Hong Kong). Dawn is a great time for photography, you get a chance to see things rarely seen. And, it’s not blistering hot. Click the image to see a larger version.

Dedicated to to Shawn at Brain Clutter.

aside: I’ve been a bad blogger as of late. Real life has limited my time in the blogosphere. When the end-of-school-year madness is over in a week or two, I’ll get back to reading my faves.

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It’s that time of year: Time to say thank you to our fathers, or enjoy the day if we are fathers. I am not a father. Yet. (Please don’t email me if I am).

I’ve been fortunate in having three fathers. My first father passed away when I was a teen, but there are two other men in my life that took up those difficult reigns.

My step-father (what an ugly term) is a wonderful man. He is thousands of miles away, and I haven’t seen him since I started this Chinese adventure in 2005. To you, Scotty, Happy Father’s Day. Thanks for everything. Your support over the years means more than you know.

My Father-in-law, my Baba (below, left), is a generous-to-the-point-of-foolishness kind of man. He had never seen a real life foreigner (or had anyone in the village) before meeting me, except on TV. The man has made the vast cultural differences not so vast. He welcomed me into his family and treats me as one of his own.

So, the three of you: I’m not with you today, on this plane or any other, but I wish you a cold beer and a sunny afternoon.

As is my life in China, last night I was drinking Hennessy, eating crab, shrimp, and other expensive seafood.

Some times you’re on the top of the world.

This morning I’m installing a toilet seat, washing dishes, and doing laundry. At times I think I need to look into the symptoms of alcohol dependency.

Some times you’re in the gutter.

There is no justice.

Outside my window. I’d rather watch this than Survivor, or the evil and vacant Tyra Banks on ANTM. big brother is another story.

Captured: May 2, 2008, Shenzhen, China

It’s been a challenging week for The Stevo. I mentioned my new desk, complete with credenza and movable cabinet. Thursday morning saw me trying to shift furniture around an impossibly small space. Somehow, the cabinet portion became locked after I shut a drawer. After 20 fruitless minutes I was forced to grab ye ole meat cleaver to defeat the high security device.

My desktop computer has looked disemboweled for several weeks. I added a massive SATI drive and never put the guts back in the tower. Given the new desk, I decided to reassembled my old friend. The heat sync over the CPU was dirty. I mean really dirty. There was black gunk all over the cooling fan. I’m sure it wasn’t healthy. I want my computer to be both efficient and semi-clean.

I will say to all and sundry: I DID NOT KNOW THE HEAT SYNC WAS GLUED TO THE CPU. My bad. Now, the pins on the CPU are bent and the machine is temporarily unusable. It’s kind of like the Bush administration: The computer is a physical presence, but contains no brain. My computer guy, accommodating Samaritan that he is, is coming this evening to pick up the soulless box. Hopefully, he can fix it without me buying a new (and costly) CPU.

Update: The computer guy, Mao Ming, fixed my computer in my apartment, for a whopping 50 Yuan ($8 US). I started this post on my laptop and finished it on my delightful 17″ monitor.

What else happened this week?

• I have received 2 fake 50 Yuan notes. Stupid is as stupid does.
• I waited over 3 hours to catch 2 taxis.
• The friend that was supposed to help me move furniture either fled or was too hung over, or still too drunk, to answer his door.
• I discovered an incredible amount of crap stashed away by Mrs. Stevo as I moved furniture.
• My beloved tourist map of Hong Kong, that I have had since I first arrived, has gone missing. Yes, Chateau Stevo has a Robotic Dog that sings a Shania Twain song, but no maps.

What’s ahead?
My trip to Hong Kong tomorrow coincides with the Olympic Torch Relay. Instead of being able to take my beloved ferry, I will have to cross the border by land, early, because immigration and customs will be a total biatch. I thought about delaying the trip, but I’ve already canceled my appointment with the doctor three times. I fear if I don’t make the journey I will be karmically unable to in the future.

When it rains it pours. I go through misfortunes and misadventures on an epic scale every few months. I often wish I could hibernate.

Update: I did not go to Hong Kong. I am here trying to organize my new workspace, watch DVDs, and sleep. Yesterday I watched Cloverfield and Bikini Bloodbath, the former being better than the latter.