Perpetual Sullivan Reunion

The Real World

noreply@blogger.com (cwistoball james martinez III) — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 04:41:00 +0000

Hello family,

I've been getting hassled a bit recently on Facebook (Jack's doing), text (Jack again), and email (some John Chambers dude; probably Jack's friend) trying to get a straight answer out of me about where I am, what I'm doing, and where I'm going. After that glory of a football game on Saturday that probably even turned Cripes! Marty into an Irish fan, I guess it's time. I don't know what correlation there could possibly be between ND winning and me actually wanting to write something, except that hell must have frozen over sometime since Friday.

As most of you know, after a long and difficult struggle, I found a job that has sent me here to Minneapolis for the past two months. The company is called PTC and is best known for its CAD software, Pro/Engineer (now called Creo). However, I will be primarily be working with one of their other software solutions, Windchill. I have been spending the last couple months learning how to use and install the system along with 16 other new hires from around the country. They are from all around the country/world - I've got coworkers from 15 different states/countries and 11 different schools (the 4 other ND grads with me kinda messed up that number) The kids break down into 11 engineers, 2 math majors, 3 business, and 1 science (with a Phd in Microbiology...and here I was thinking Shannon was the only one crazy enough to do that).

So far, our training has been mostly "Death by Powerpoint": sitting in a conference room with instructors going through presentations for 8 hours/day. Honestly though, it's not too bad - we spent a week learning Java and just began our first case study today, which supposedly means that I know what I'm doing at this point.

I tried to explain what this software does to some people while I was home, but I really didn't have a very good idea myself. We install our Windchill system at design and manufacturing firms around the world such as NASA, GM, Levi's, Coach, John Deere, Volvo, Whirlpool, and Boston Scientific. The point of the software is to automate processes and workflows in order to cut down manufacturing time and costs. For example, instead of having someone run plans around a building or even emailing them, the software automatically sends designs, forms, or other data to the correct people as soon as they are complete. My job will mainly consist of mapping companies' current processes to our software and migrating data from their old system to Windchill.

I will be here for the next eight weeks until my training is complete, and then I'll be moving somewhere else. The job requires me to fly to the client site every Monday and fly home on Thursday night. I then work from home on Friday, hang out for the weekend, and do it all over again. I can live anywhere in the US, although they suggest to live on the East Coast, so I've narrowed it down to Orlando (cheap rent, direct flights anywhere, no state income tax) or going nomad. That would just mean that I would have no home and basically live in hotels for the year. It's actually one of the cheapest ways to live, but probably starts to weigh on you after awhile. I'll be making my decision in the next month-ish, so let me know soon if you've been thinking of going to Disneyworld sometime.

noreply@blogger.com (Nick Roach) — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 22:00:00 +0000

Hey Family,
no one has posted here for a year....that is a huge issue. I just thought I would say hi to everyone and let you know that I miss you all. Feel free to stop by Spokane and visit me anytime. Also, you can meet my girlfriend. She is pretty nice and would love to be exposed to more Roaches....keep in mind I set the bar VERY high. Alright, I will talk to you when I talk to you, as the mystery continues. Peace.
Nick

Clark's Brother or Sister

noreply@blogger.com (Joe) — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 17:36:00 +0000

Family,

May the blog live on!

Some of you may have seen Julie's FaceBook post, but for those of you not on FB, I thought I'd share the amazing ultrasound images we got from last Monday's 21 week checkup.

We turned away when the tech looked down below, so we will wait another 19 weeks to find out if the baby is a he or a she!

This image let us know that the baby is happy and healthy. The big question is where the baby will call home while we are in transition from selling our house and building the new one?? Prayers are being accepted in that department.

Caitlin's having her baby first, then Julie 6 weeks later, then Colleen 6 weeks after that. Anyone else in the queue??

Happy Sunday, hope all's well!

Joe, Julie, Clark and BABY

The rough life of a college study abroad student...

noreply@blogger.com (Clare) — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 01:42:00 +0000

Ciao mia famiglia!!

As I am sitting here, trying to do anything but study for my midterms, I realized I haven't shared by blog with the extended family! It is nothing wonderful, mostly just an attempt to organize my thoughts and experiences of my year studying and living abroad in Florence, Italy but if you want to check it out, and see a snipet of what I've been doing for the last seven months, you can find it at:

http://clarechambers.blogspot.com/

So good to see so many of you at the wedding in December, and can't wait to see you all when I return to the states in May!

Lots of love,
Clare

greetings!

noreply@blogger.com (tobyansen) — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 14:46:00 +0000

Hello to all my beautiful family and friends...
As it's Christmas time, now is the chance to say that I have neither forgotten you nor fallen off the face of the earth. I am alive and well, and I'm still in Korea! I've been lucky enough to have gone far too many places at my age for this to be my first letter of this sort. I know Eamonn was far better at keeping family and friends posted during his time in China, and Colin has already sent many a newsy update from his station in Iraq. So, here goes.

My typical day begins not-too-early and ends not-too-late, in Pyeongtaek, South Korea (pop. 400,000, 50 min. train south of Seoul). I teach English to some of the cutest, a few of the slowest, and a couple of the most diabolical students alive. But don't worry, the rest are incredibly brilliant and kind! Education is the single most important thing in Korean society. After the regular school day ends, parents send their children to another school called a "hagwon" for the afternoon. There are hagwons for math, music, art, Chinese, Korean.... you name it. I teach in an English hagwon called Sullivan School. On my ten-minute walk to and from Sullivan, I pass the public elementary. It's impossible to complete the walk without being greeted by Korean children as they filter in and out of the school yard. Some attend my school as well, but most I don't know at all. It definitely makes the day a bit brighter when every other kid you pass shouts 'Hello Teacher!' It's also quite the opposite reaction from what I get from many elderly Koreans. I suppose the older in age, the less used they are to seeing blonde hair. So, I get a good amount of blatant stares from the old crowd. Depending on my mood, or how blatant the stare, I either let it slide or stare back (which is apparently a rude gesture from my end, but whatever, they went first).

For those of you wondering why I decided to come here, especially since I had zero teaching or Korean language experience, you probably don't know me very well ^^ (that's the Asian version of a smiley face, if you couldn't tell ^^ oops, there's another one). I crave movement and the unfamiliar, perhaps to my parent's chagrin when I was spending my scant post-graduation barista wages on plane tickets out of Seattle instead of saving. I needed a job that paid well enough to put a dent in my college loans and also allowed for a brand new challenge in a new place. Basically I had no clear idea of what to do next, sooo Korea seemed like a pretty good choice. Plane ticket and apartment paid for, I'd never tried teaching, and I'd heard only good things about the country. I got what I came for and so much more. The job is challenging, whether I'm trying to be diplomatic with kindergarteners or attempting to explain/engrain some concept of the English language.
There is newness every day, whether I'm learning another Korean word or changing books or getting a new student, all of which happen pretty often. At times it can be frustrating, but most of the time, the kids amaze me with their intelligence. The better I get to know them and the curriculum, the more manageable and enjoyable it all is. And the job comes with great benefits. On days we have teacher meetings, our director and principal (a married couple who own the school) treat the whole staff to a meal, and if we're lucky, a trip to the karaoke bar. As for healthcare--which is universal here--the two times I've been to the doctor, combined (visit and prescriptions), cost less than $35, which is my insurance co-pay for just one doctor visit (prescription not included) in the U.S.

I could go on for days, literally, about the culture here, but I don't want to bore you too much, so I'll try to keep my snippets brief.
--Language: The Korean alphabet, Hangul, is phonetic, like the English alphabet, just with different symbols and a few different sounds. You can learn the Hangul alphabet in a couple hours if you sit down and concentrate. Knowing the alphabet makes for some hilarious realizations when you discover that the word you are trying to read is actually just a Hangul spelling of an English word. For example, the word 'sandwich' in Hangul is 샌드위치, pronounced sain-duh-wee-chee. The difficult part about Korean is not the reading or writing, it's trying to figure out formal from informal (i.e. trying not to sound like a disrespectful fool in front of older people, vs. trying not to sound too proper around friends).
--People: I've never seen people with better style, except maybe in Spain. But even then, there's the risk of the Euro mullet. Koreans just look sooo cool. They're all educated-- over 80% of high school graduates go on to university. And they love to party, no matter what age.
--Gestures: Everyone bows to show respect. Everyone does the peace sign in pictures. When my coworker got married she was throwin' up the deuce in her wedding photos. Only in Asia I think. Also, never pour your own drink, and hold your glass with two hands if you are accepting a pour!
--Social Hierarchy: The concept of the upperclassman applies to life here. For Koreans, the first matter of business when meeting a new person is to find out who's older, so you can know how to address them (more vs. less formally). If you are younger, you must call your older friends by special titles and vice versa. After age ranking comes job, then what university you went to, etc.
--Food: There are so many deeeelicious dishes. My favorites are the various sorts of spicy noodles, but the most unique is Korean BBQ. This involves a hot coal grill built into the center of your table where you are in charge of cooking pieces of marinated beef or slices of pork belly. The meat comes with a limitless array of side dishes, including kimchi (as with every meal), fresh garlic, lettuce for wrapping, sauces, egg, soup, the list goes on. And of course, ice-cold beer and soju. The Irish have their whiskey, Japan has sake, and Korea has soju. It's a ghastly liquor but it's dirt cheap, so naturally, it grows on you.

As for my favorite part of Korea, that has to be the city of Seoul. It's huge and sprawling and never sleeps. The subway is complex and efficient. Despite the miles and miles of concrete high-rise apartment and office buildings, it's also beautiful. The wide Han river that runs through it reminds me of the Columbia, the sky is blue more often than not, and there are lush, green hills popping up all over the place. I'm lucky to be living close, and have friends there, so I go practically every weekend. I've seen something new every time. Last weekend I went with my friend Chelsea (she went to Seattle U with me) and our Korean friend to an area of Seoul called Dongdaemun, which is the center of the Korean fashion and textile industry. They have a couple of shopping malls that stay open all night, which was perfect, because I hadn't arrived in town til 9 PM and we still needed to find wedding attire for the following day. We shopped til 3.00 in the morning.

The next afternoon, we made our way to the Express Bus Terminal, where my co-worker/roommate, Lisa's wedding ceremony was held. She had asked me and the other foreign teachers from our school to sing "Moon River" during her ceremony. That went fine, considering the fact that we didn't participate in a rehearsal of any kind, but the ceremony was like nothing I've seen before. I guess you could describe it as a combination of ceremony and reception rolled into one. Everyone was talking and milling around the room during the vows, which were projected onto a big screen. The ceremony was followed by a series of photo shoots----immediate family, extended family, friends and colleagues. Then everyone filtered into the buffet hall, giving envelopes of money as gifts on the way in, for the most elaborate post-wedding meal I've ever had. My favorites were the fresh sushi and salmon sashimi, the most interesting were the various forms of octopus-- whole, live, and sashimi. After dinner, everyone left. No music, no dancing. On one hand it made me long to be with the family at Dom's wedding, which was happening just a few hours later in the U.S., but on the other hand, I'm really happy to have seen what a Korean wedding was like. And I made it out dancing at our favorite club later on anyway, so it wasn't so bad. :)

As strange as it may seem sometimes, Korea's an incredible place with a great balance between tradition and absorbing new ideas and trends. It never ceases to amaze me and I'm really lucky to be here. Feel free to look at sonjainaisia.blogspot.com (yes, there is an extra 'i' in asia). Though I haven't updated it in a while, there is a bit more to read about my life here. And I will definitely update in the future, hopefully after the new year. On Wednesday, I'm off on a six-day vacation to Hong Kong, thanks to Aunt Liz and Uncle Ed and their rad pad. It'll be my second New Year's Eve there and I have no doubt it'll blow NYE 2008 out of the water. Love to everyone this Christmas-- stay warm, hug your families, and be well!

Sonja

LONG LIVE THE BLOG!

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 21:09:00 +0000

Resurrection!!

Long live the blog!

Girls trip to France 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Miguel and Caitlin) — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 20:59:00 +0000

Hi Family!

It really has been on my mind to write a blog post about our awesome girls trip to France and Italy for a few weeks, but I was shy because I know the blog has of late been overlooked. On November 3rd, 2010, RoseAnne, Colleen, and I (and a two of my friends from UP Sara and Bree) took a trip of a lifetime to France and Italy for 7 days. Here is a little debriefing of activities:- We arrived on November 4th after 20 hours of traveling to the wonderful city of Marseille. We bussed into the city and met up with Kathy Sullivan, who many of you may know. Her energy was exactly what we needed! She gave us an amazing 2 hour tour of the city and we stopped for lunch along the way. We learned that Marseille is known for it's handmade soaps, moroccan spices, and seafood. mmm!! (see pic of Kathy and me!)

- We headed for Aix en Provence late in the afternoon, about a 30 min bus ride from Marseille. We arrived at our wonderful B&B, Le Epicerie (or Grocery Store), where we would stay for the next three nights. It was the perfect place to stay after a loong 30+ hour day. We all recommend! Our host Luc greeted us and chatted in his limited, but very good, english and headed for dinner. We unexpectedly came across a delish Moroccan/French place and had our best meal, tangine chicken. After full bellies we got a great night sleep! (see pic of Colleen and I in Luc's B&B back yard!)

November 5th we had the best French breakfast made by Luc. (well, that was every morning there...such a cultural experience!) We then met up with Miguel's good soccer friend from UP, B-lo. His parents were in town visiting as well. We spent the day shopping around finding Provencial treasures and goodies. Aix is a gem! We had a delicious pasta dinner and went out for a bit to see what local night life was like. Turns out it's pretty wild, since it is a college town- we made lots of French friends and even witnessed a French fist fight! eek!

- November 6th was our "big day" of cooking school. After graduating from UP five years ago, B-lo started a cooking school and wine tasting company in Aix. We met early in the morning at a market that has been going on every day since the 1300s!! We picked out all of the ingredients with our amazing chef, Patrick (pronounced pat-REEK), and even squeezed in a little time for shopping along the way for provencial table cloths!

Patrick showed us how to make veal blanquette, ceps (mushrooms) with garlic and parsley, pumpkin soup, and crepes suzette. Each dish was paired with a different type of provencial wine. DELICIOUS! This was one of our best days of the trip! (See pic of Rosita learning how to cut a veggie properly. "Bon!" Patrick said after she learned!)

- November 7th Sara and Bree headed for Paris, and us Roach girls headed south to San Remo, Italy. It took us about 7 hours and four trains, although it's only a 2 hour drive from Aix. It was a fun journey, and we kept saying, "oh no big deal, there's the Mediterranean!" We were in constant awe of the beauty before us! We arrived late, checked into our hotel, and decided to get the perfect snack while in Italy...gelato!

November 8th we toured around San Remo, shopping for Italian delights. We walked

through La Pigna, or old San Remo, and found ourselves having a picnic, that we brought, of prosciutto, mozzarella, pesto, and French bread at a local pub with delicious Italian wine. We stayed there for much of the afternoon, and chatted with locals and befriended the young bartender girls. We were there for about 5 hours until dark! The bar had prosecco on tap, how could we leave??! It was a fun, fun day to say the least! (see pic, "Salute!")

November 9th we woke up and headed for Nice, France. Our hotel was right on the boardwalk and had a stunning view. We walked all through old Nice. What a beautiful city! We found catholic churches on just about every other block! That evening, we ate a delicious traditional French meal of ratatoulli and veal. mmmmmm! (Thanks Mom/Aunt Liz!!!)

November 10th we had a tour scheduled to show us around Fragonard (perfume factory), the stone city of Eze, and Monaco. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and was fluent in Spanish, so we mostly spoke spanish on the tour! Eze was all of our favorite because of the midieval feel and stunning views. Monaco was pretty dang incredible with its yachts! (see pic of RoseAnne and me in Eze)

We left for home on November 11th. We were sad to leave, but excited to get back to our husbands (and kids, RA!). It was the trip of a lifetime! EVERYONE should visit the South of France!

New Job

noreply@blogger.com (Joe) — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 05:44:00 +0000

Family,

Remember this blog? Well it's been over a year since I've posted, which means over a year since anyone has posted.

I just wanted to give an update on my latest job change. I am now a contracting D&D engineer out at the Plutonium Finishing Plant in the 200 West region of Hanford. Here is general fact sheet about the site that will give you an overview.

So the idea is to take the plant down piece by piece, safely and dispose of the pieces properly. Sort of like a reverse jigsaw puzzle. My job is to get in there and measure, research, and provide technical guidance how the operators should take the pieces out without spreading the nuke-nasties all over. When I go in for walk-downs (about twice a week) , I have to dress up like this:

Notice the enthusiastic look on my face. If the contamination goes airborn, I've got to don this outfit:

but that isn't expected to happen often. Normally engineers don't go in if "stuff" goes airborn.

A good book on the Hanford legacy was written by my co-worker's mom, a local PHD, entitled On the Home Front. This is pretty technical, but a great read.

So that's my latest, but what I would really like to do is use this blog again, especially getting updates from all the other cousins and relatives who have interesting jobs. Shannon, what's your latest? Jimmy, Brian Cooke, what is it you guys do? Anna, does everyone know your new title? It would be good to know how we cover the professional gamut.

Most importantly, this would be a good medium to document Collin's upcoming experience doing his part to serve this great nation.

Ok, I'll end with a photo of my two favorites:

Bye-bye.

JDR

Happy Monday!

noreply@blogger.com (Joe) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:56:00 +0000

Clark - 5.5 months

Clark Joseph Roach (2 months, 3 weeks)

noreply@blogger.com (Joe) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 20:47:00 +0000

Welcome back to the Perpetual Joseph Roach Family Blog!

Since Uncle Jer said that he checks out the pictures of Clark on this page often, I thought I would throw a couple more on there for the non-FaceBook'ers of the family. You wouldn't believe how easy this is to do.

Clark with the furrowed brow:

Clark at his 2 month photo shoot:

His latest tricks are smiling, singing, sticking his tounge out, grabbing stuff, and advanced Calculus. He's really growing up fast!

Peace,

Joe, Julie, and Clark

Clark Joseph Roach

noreply@blogger.com (Joe) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 15:38:00 +0000

Familia,

Does anyone read this anymore?? I'm sure most of you are on Facebook and Gmail, and Twitters, etc... but I thought I would do an old-fashioned blog post about our new addition to the 521 Roach family.

Clark Joseph Roach was born 5.22.09 at 7:32 AM weighing in at a whopping 5 lb 8 oz and measuring 19.25" long. He is a beautiful healthy baby boy, born from a mother who is also healthy, happy, and feeling great. We have already gone through hundreds of diapers, done multiple loads of laundry for the little fella, and are adjusting to the new life well.

We are so thankful for all of the prayers and we continue to pray for all the soon-to-be families, that we can one day understand God's plan.

Can't wait for you all to meet him,

Love

Joe, Clark, Julie Roach

UNA BODA!!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Miguel and Caitlin) — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 05:33:00 +0000

Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii familia!
As I am sure all of you have already heard, Mr. Miguel Glove and I are getting married!!!!! We are sosososososo excited to announce that we will be tying the knot on.........wait for it........October 24, 2009!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Some of Miguel's family will be coming from Panama, so practice your salsa dancing for the reception! (Miguel Sr. was actually a salsa competitor!) We will keep you posted on the details as they come! yaay!
~Caitlin and Miguel
PS: Miguel is wondering if he can be part of the mass family emails now?? hehe, cute! He doesn't want to miss out on Roach discussions any longer!! mguante@gmail.com

Spain Trip!

noreply@blogger.com (Joe) — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 06:50:00 +0000

So I'm not going to go through Spain city by city here, I am just testing out this new video camera's capabilities. You only get one clip, with more to come as well as pictures and dialog.

The monkeys had a strange way of intimidation, which I had to catch on film.

Here we go:

Baby Ultrasound

noreply@blogger.com (Joe) — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 21:09:00 +0000

All,

We have confirmation... it's a baby! Last week we got to see the little baby moving all around in Julie's tummy, it was really cool! We didn't have an ultrasound scheduled, but when we went in for our 11 week checkup the doctor said "every parent should be able to see their child" so he whipped around the machine to give it a look.

He commented on Julie's "pooch" and thought she looked more than 11 weeks. Luckily he did it with such tact that Julie blushed and laughed, and I didn't have to show off my brute strength and defend my wife. Once he took a look at the baby he knew it was bigger than 11 weeks, and it turns out that we were 13 weeks (now 14) along, so he changed the due date to May 30th! That means the 1st trimester is already over! He actually looked around for about 5 minutes to see if there were twins! He couldn't find another one on the last go around, but I think he'll have to take another look before I rule it out :)

Anyhow, I'm posting a picture of the ultrasound here:

Can't wait for the new life that has begun to join us in this wonderful and mysterious life!

Love,

Joe and Julie Roach

We are having a baby!

noreply@blogger.com (Joe) — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 06:26:00 +0000

All,

(I emailed this out earlier to those on John's email list, so if you are on this distribution, but not John's email distribution, you need to talk to him)

Family,

We are pleased to announce that Julie is pregnant! We waited until the 8 week doctor visit, and once we heard the heartbeat we couldn't hold it in any longer! The expected date is June 9th so we have a lot of time to prepare and pay close attention to all of the other babies in our lives (Finn eats HOW much?)! I thought I could hear synchronized heartbeats when we were at the doctor, but Julie assures me it's just one little guy in there.

Of course it would be wonderful to tell you each in person but as technology goes, the word will be out instantly so at least now no one can say who was the first or last to be informed! Now that you know, we would love to hear your stories and ask you questions and advice next time we see you. Please say many prayers that our baby will be as healthy and happy as the cousins it will soon meet!

Love,
Joe (Dad) and Julie (Mom)

P.S. - Julie is going to be a great mom and I am one excited daddio! :)

We're Engaged!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 01:03:00 +0000

Heelo Familia mia,

just a little post to let you all in on our Big Newes. Yes, Roger Hales (Pasco Native) and I are Engaged! Hooray! Please say lots of prayers as we start out our Super spectacular adventure! We're both very excited. We both feel like God has brought us together. (Actually, back together-- Roger and I first met on the 66 bus route we took to and from grade school and middle school.) I (re)met him at church in Richland where I was manning booth for my summer work project (I taught art to children in a spirit-led ministry). We are planning a wedding at the Park in Pasco (Chiawana) where we both have secret places= maybe in the spring? We hope all the family can come. Roger is an engineer at PNNL in Richland, I started a new job at the college at the end of the summer. I am taking classes working towards a masters degree in Art Therapy. Our first date was RunNIng up Badger Mountain and back down. "Awesome," we both thought! A few weeks (4) later, Roger proposed on a trip to Ringold to look at stars. Please pray for us! We are both eager for the Holy Spirit to lead us every step of the way. I love you!
Anna, and Roger says hi too!

Chips

noreply@blogger.com (eroach) — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 09:39:00 +0000

Dear all,

During this present period of worldwide financial crisis, the American presidency being up for grabs and everybody just being out trying to make a living, I figured I would take the time to inform the masses about a subject that I find myself spending way too much time thinking about on a weekly or sometimes even more frequent basis. I know that this isn't really important to many who may be reading this, and as a matter of fact, the actual item discussed isn't even that important to me, in and of itself, but it is a good example of the small cultural differences aren't just noticed in the color of people's hair or eyes, their driving habits or even in their language.

Sometimes the differences can be most drastic by just strolling down the potato chip isle of your local Chinese grocery store. Though this might not be quite as easy for most of you as it is for some, there is quite the glaring cultural difference located just in this aisle, I don't have time to mention the meat department where the chickens are still alive and and cows still have their heads on, or the bread aisle which is virtually non-existant due to the fact that mostly everyone eats rice, not wheat, or even the seafood section that is full of sea cucumbers, live fish of every shape and size and more gross-looking seafood than I could refuse to eat in a lifetime. Anyway, I digress...

As I was saying, since coming to China on the 6th of October, I have been eating a lot more potato chips. I'm not sure why, maybe because they are one of the few foods that I can read the labels of here in Hangzhou. And they remind me of the abstract idea of potato chips that the Chinese have taken and skewed to match their own idea of "Potato chips with Chinese aspects" directly in line with their idea of "Communism with Chinese aspects."

So, I'm eating more chips than I ever would in the United States, and these aren't your "healthy" corn potato chips, I'm talking about Lay's and the like... the ones that I avoid like the plague in the states for fear of chemicals that I can't pronounce the names of and deep fryers that try their best to take the "potato" out of the chip. These are the only ones offered here within China's borders and I have at least a few bags a week.

You might think that this is bad, and it is, but I haven't run out of new flavors yet. You might think that there are only a few different flavors judging by "American Standard" store aisles. However, you would be mistaken, the flavors offered here aren't those preferred by us fat Americans, the Chinese have a totally different view of what flavor tastes good and what doesn't.

"Normal" flavor is always the standby flavor for those without any imagination, but once you diverge from that flavor they go from tomato to Barbecue to the outright unbelievable. Pringles have a presence here and their best selling flavor is Breezy Blueberry. We quickly move on to Cantonese Roast Duck Lays (which aren't too bad), Inca Ethnical Flavor (not a spelling error, at least on my part), and Seaweed Chips.

None of these are to be outdone, however, by my new personal favorite, Salmon Sushi Flavor...

While I am usually a pretty conservative flavor player, I disregarded my usual apprehension while buying this bag of chips that I saw in a store in Guangzhou. Once I opened it I realized that it had two bags inside and it was at that point that I saw that there were directions on the back, luckily they were also pictorally narrated.

Step 1, you opened the big bag, and out came a smaller bag with the chips in it and the other bag with the powder.
Step 2, pour the chips and whatever amount of powder you wished (in my case all of it) into the big bag.
Step 3, Shake it, shake shake it, shake it, shake shake it.
Step 4, enjoy.

And boy did I. These were the greatest chips I had ever tasted. After blocking the thought of what type of chemicals had made this delicious, genuine-tasting raw salmon on a rice bed with wasabi for added taste I managed to eat the whole bag, and then buy another one and eat that one too...

So, next time you cruise the chip aisle of whatever store that you happen to be in, wherever that might be, if you see Salmon Sushi with wasabi powder flavored chips, do yourself a favor and buy two. (And appreciate the cultural differences that brought you those two bags of heaven.)

A public service announcement brought to you by none other than Ai Meng.

Pat Here

noreply@blogger.com (ratpoach) — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 07:16:00 +0000

Heyya Fam,
I don't blog enough. And so I'm blogging now. Just wanted to say hi and much love to all of you. Have a great week.
Willy Pat

Northern Cali

noreply@blogger.com (Ner) — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 16:04:00 +0000

Hi family,
We wanted to let you know that we are finally settled in our new city of Menlo Park. We are located between Palo Alto and Atherton. We are about 15 minutes from the Baumels in Los Altos. Brian started his new job for Coast Capital yesterday and I have a few interviews today for positions at Stanford Children's Hospital (1.9 miles from our apt). We hope that you will give us a call if you are ever in the area. We would love to have you over and have a guest bedroom for a comfortable nights sleep. :0) We miss you all and hope so see most of you in the next few weeks as we make our rounds to Portland, Pasco, and then Seattle for the baptism. (Brian will not be joining me in Ptown, unfortunately someone has to work in our family. But he will be in Portland and Seattle.)
Love you all.
Ner

Eamonn?

noreply@blogger.com (Joe) — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 20:04:00 +0000

Is Eamonn in China or something?

Happy BDay to Joe tomorrow (the 16th!!) and Happy Bday to Shannon on the 17th!

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 06:17:00 +0000

We are dying to see what we missed at the ChamJohn Triathlon last week.

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 16:21:00 +0000

Please Blog It!!!!!!

Happy 87th Bday to Mom and 19th to Nick today!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 16:17:00 +0000

The Thornhills hope you both celebrate well this week! We started Mom off well on Saturday with a celebration at Jerry & Maria's house.

Making the big move

noreply@blogger.com (Miguel and Caitlin) — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 19:24:00 +0000

Hello my wonderful family!

I am almost out the door taking my last load of ish down to Portland. Yep, the rumor is true, I am indeed moving there...today! I decided in July that moving to Portland is probably the [most reasonable] next step in Miguel and my relationship. He reminded me a couple months ago that we haven't lived in the same city in almost THREE years. geesh, I had never really put it together like that before. (time flies when you're having fun in San Diego, and then at home with the 'rents, and then at the Sammamish summer vacation spot!) Dispite the fact that it is not exactly the circumstances in which I imagined moving there, I am very excited! I am living right on NW 23rd with my best college friend and roommate for 3 years, Sara. It should be awesome. If any of you need a place to crash in Portland for a night or two, this is seriously the place to stay! I will be working with my same company I work for now ( per diem at various hospitals around the city), it just will be through the portland office. Hopefully I will pick up a travel assignment soon and make as much as Colleen does! haha. :) I am excited also to be closer to my favorite sister and to 5 of my 7 closest college friends. Plus, I think the best part about all of this moving thing, which I surprisingly often forget, is that I am only, only, only just three hours from Seattle and Pasco! WOO!

(WARNING: GRAPHIC PICTURES) On another note, many of you are wondering what has happened to my eyeball. Last week I was having strange symptoms in my left eyeball, as if I had a crumb or something stuck in my contact. My eye got redder and redder, and more painful each day. By Thursday I was doubled over in the worst photosensitivity eye pain/headache ever. (picture attached of what my eyeball looked like) I finally went to the optomitrist at that point. (I know, I should have gone in earlier, I have already been lectured like 67 times). Turns out I had/have one huge bacterial ulcer (ulcer means hole) on my cornea from not cleaning my contacts well enough. (SUUUPER embarrassing since I am a RN myself, they must think I am the worst nurse ever if I can't even clean my stupid contacts correctly!) I started a regimen of antibiotic eyedrops every 30 minutes for the whole weekend. I went back and saw the Opthomologist on Friday. She added two more eyedrops and basically scared the crap out of me saying that I would end up blind in the L eyeball if I don't keep up with my meds. I still have a visible white mass on my cornea, but it is getting smaller each day. Anyways, I am now only having to put eyedrops in every 2 hours, and I think it's going to be okay without any visible damage. I am telling you all this story because I want you to understand how important it is to clean your contacts every day, change the solution every day, etc. They doctors also stressed the importance of going to the eye doctor if you are in eye pain for 24 hours, and going immediately if you have photosensitivity. Oopies.

I really gotta go pack up, but love you all, and hopefully see you soon!

~Cait

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TODAY FIONA, AILIS AUG 14TH, AND TOM AUGUST 21ST!!!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 20:06:00 +0000

Fiona is 18 today, Ailis was 17 on the 14th, and Tom....how old were you on the 21st?????

Hope all celebrate/celebrated in style!