Last Friday, Grandpa Paul took Auntie Marlene and Anthony to Chinatown's Ocean Harbor Restaurant for a Dim Sum lunch. Auntie Marlene wanted a mixed vegetable dish and Grandpa picked a taro root pastry for Anthony.
"I want noodles.", said little Anthony.
Oh well thought Grandpa, why not get him what he wants. He always seems to enjoy his noodles. So the waiter was call and a dish of chicken pan fried noodles was ordered. Ten minutes later the noodles came. Guess what? Anthony didn't want a single one of them!
At breakfast the next day, Grandpa prepared for breakfast... some sliced Asian Pear, a soft boiled egg, a waffle with butter, milk amd then..."I want toast", said little Anthony.
Five minutes later, Grandpa had toasted and buttered a piece of toast. Guess what? Anthony didn't want to eat any toast!
Hmmmm...:-)
Proof of Life
Very enjoyable film based on a true story about an American oil executive kidnapped in South America. Starring Meg Ryan and Russell Crowe, the filming is done in the Andes mountains of Ecuador. Beautiful photography and lots of plot. This is not the normal shoot em up action film.
Russell Crowe's character falls in love with Meg Ryan whose husband he is supposed to rescue from the rebels/drug lords.
Very believable story with a happy ending. Go and see this one!
Amtrak's Acela
In Novemeber, Paul tried the new "bullet train" from Amtrak. It runs a couple of times a day from Washington,D.C. to Boston.... passing through Philadelphia and NYC. The Bullet Train is called Acela and is always 1 hour to 2 hours faster than the normal trains that still run regular schedules.
Pricing information first.
The Acella Regional train(which makes about 10 stops between Philly and Boston) takes about 5 1/2 hours between Philly and the Route 128/Boston station. The cost is about $70 one way and if you are a AAA member, you can get a 10% discount on any Amtrak ticket.
Then there's that Acela Express that is really expensive. The Acella Express has no "coach class", only business class or first class. The price of a one way ticket between Philly and Bos is about$200. This is more than double the Acela Regional train, but is 1/2 hour faster with less stops.
The Acella trains are new, quiet, and fun and comfortable to ride. The seats are roomy and there's a dinnett car for great snacks and drinks.
This next trip in December will Paul ride the train, take a bus, drive himself or fly? Wooo, Woooo! Chug-a-chug-chug-a
Acela Starts Service
On the evening news on Dec. 11th, Amtrak announced the openning of its "bullet train" service between Washington D.C. and Boston. Rachel and Paul watched the news during dinner and saw that the "first" passengers from NYC to Boston for a fare of $120 were all very excited about this new service.
If you read the article above, you'll see that Paul rode the Acela Regional one week before. He too was very pleased with the service. He didn't realize that he was riding the bullet train before its official openning!
With air service in the USA getting worse, and rail service getting better, Amtraks timing couild prove fortuitous! Chur-a-chug-a Woo-woo!
Rachel visits MGH
Following a sigmodoscopy 2 months ago, Rachel was scheduled for a colonoscopy in mid-December at the Massachusetts General Hospital. There was one polyp to be removed and then a thorough exam of the rest of the colon.
This is exactly the same procedure that Paul went through about a year ago. After the removal of the polyp, it is sent off to the lab to see if there is cancer present or not. Of course we hope not! Rachel's doctor for the procedure was Peter Kelsey and everything seemed to go smoothly.
After the anesthesia wore off, Rachel took Paul's arm and they walked to the car in the Fruit Street Garage. "I have really bad cramps",complained Rachel. "Did you have these when they did your exam?"
Paul didn't remeber cramps. It turns out that during a colonoscopy, the doctor pumps air into the colon in order to have the folds or the colon open for a better visability.
After the exam, the patient over time releases the air, and all the cramps and discomfort are gone. Seems like everything with Rachel is fine. These colon exams for early detection of cancer are becoming common medical procedures.
Hiro Sushi
Hiro Sushi Japanese Restaurant is located on Route 135 in Natick near the Natick/Wesslesley Line. Tel: (508) 655-6868.
Rachel likes Japanese food a lot and friends had suggested this eatery. The Weston Food Critic's first visit was a positive one. The decor is light and the dining room open and large with plenty of elbow room between tables. The Weston Food Critic ordered Agemono... the Tonkatsu(Pork), which is always one of his favorites. Very good !
Rachel wanted the Obento(dinner box) and tried the Seafood Udon(noodles). She was just delighted by the taste and the size of the portion. Ron also ate the Tonkatsu.
The waitress was efficient and very pleasant. The overall dining experience was top rate. The bill(without alcohol) for three people was $48.00( including tax and tip). We will definitely make a repeat visit to this good value restaurant and recommend it to our readers.
Autumn Clean-up Continues
Yep, it's December and the Handyman is still raking leaves and trimming bushes in Weston. December 8, 2000 was the first snow, a light dusting to be sure. The Handyman continued to rake the oak leaves from the flower beds and dump them into the woods surrounding the house.
He's in a clean-up race with Mother Nature as Winter is about to set in. Mother Nature is winning!
Derek wins Fellowhip
Our recent newly minted PhD has been awarded a post-doctoral fellowship grant in cancer research by the Damon Runyon-Watler Winchell Foundation. Derek Tan's award was announced in November. He is doing his work at the Sloan-Kettering Hospital in NYC.
Congratulations Derek!
Men of Honor
Excellent acting by Robert de Niro and Cuba Gooding,Jr. are the highlights of this film based on a true story of US Navy divers in the 1950's. Cuba Gooding, Jr. plays the role of the first black American to successfully enter the ranks of US Navt divers. During World War II, Negroes had three options( and I think Chinese Americans too) in the US Navy. they could be cooks, the could be stewards to the officers or they could leave the service.
Quite a change in 50 years since when a black American became Head of the Joint Chiefs of the Arm Services, Colin Powell.
Normal Amtrak
On the 19th of November, Paul took the "normal train"(not the Acela) to Philadelphia. Well it started off 10 minutes late, because a switch between Boston and Westwood made a mistake. If kept having track switching problems and then a "hot car" and a "blue light"(only Yen Tan knows what these terms mean) until finally Train#85 pulled into the Philadelphia 30th Street Station 1 hour and 10 minutes late.
Two weeks ago, Paul took the Acela Regional(the bullet) train to Boston and arrived right on the dot. He and Anthony are booked on the Acela the day after Christmas.
Last Friday, Grandpa Paul took Auntie Marlene and Anthony to Chinatown's Ocean Harbor Restaurant for a Dim Sum lunch. Auntie Marlene wanted a mixed vegetable dish and Grandpa picked a taro root pastry for Anthony.