I'M LEAVING ON A JET PLANE

Won't know when i'll be back again....
Well that's a lie but i wish it were true.
Heading off to Asia tomorrow for a whirlwind tour of the armpits of Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Hong Kong and China. Posting will probably be difficult but i'll try my hardest to not keep all you loyal followers, (all five of you) in suspense.

robots rule.
one of the better costumes spotted this evening....

D.I.B.

ANOTHER SATURDAY NIGHT

JUST ME & MR. MOOSE

Meet Moose, the most regal lookin' longhaired chihuahua this side of brooklyn.

I've been dog sittin' for a couple days while his ma and pa are on vacation. Poor guy, he misses them so much.

COOKING MORE = STAYING WARM

So fall lasted 2 weeks and now it feels like the dead of winter in the middle of october. Been trying to cook more so i don't have to leave the warmth of the apartment.

farmer's market ingredients waiting to go into a corn chowder

sage apple pie with shaker crust
the product of last week's apple pickin'

HAWAII, A ROLE MODEL?

Interesting article in NYTimes today about Hawaii's mandatory law instituted in 1974 which requires that employers provide affordable health care to employees working over 20 hours a week. Though other states have tried to implement a similar law, it often ends up being repealed. The article explains that part of the reason it works in Hawaii and not in other states is partly due to Hawaii's geographical isolation. Employers can not threaten to move across state lines as easily as their counterparts on the mainland.

Article also gives some surprising statistics such as:

"But perhaps the most intriguing lesson from Hawaii has to do with costs. This is a state where regular milk sells for $8 a gallon, gasoline costs $3.60 a gallon and the median price of a home in 2008 was $624,000 — the second-highest in the nation. Despite this, Hawaii’s health insurance premiums are nearly tied with North Dakota for the lowest in the country, and Medicare costs per beneficiary are the nation’s lowest."

Read full article here.

I have to say it's kind of surprising to hear that Hawaii is doing something right. As for public education, well now, that's a different story.

Parent's Fear Furlough's Effects

I WANT YOU AND WON'T BE FOUND

Listen to Tallest Man on Earth Daytrotter session here.

Listen to I Want You and I Won't Be Found

APPLE PICKING