Whine & Cheese

AI8: Seminfinals Week 2

A pretty rough night on 'Idol' as I am not sure even Nancy Pelosi would have stood up and applauded anything (I beat the whole Not The State of the Union thing like the proverbial dead horse on Twitter/FB yesterday).   Bad song choices reigned supreme and it didn't seem like many contestants learned all that much from what happened to the folks last week. 

Once again, I broke down the performances into 4 groups...

TOP MALE & FEMALE

Whereas the guys were an embarrassment of riches last week, this week Adam ("Satisfaction") pretty much won his gender competition by default.  While I am not sure if he'll have mass appeal (obviously, theatricality is not something that bothers me!), he was certainly the most seasoned performer out there last night.... and he got the "pimp" spot (last performance of the night), so I am just doing what I'm told here... promoting the contestant that the power-that-be tell us they want to go through.  

And performance-wise I thought the same about Allison ("Alone"), she seemed a natural performer - much rougher than Adam, but heck she's only 16 years old.  A bit of odd character, but I liked her.  For the record, I thought both got loud/shouty at times, but that is an attribute that doesn't tend to be looked down on on 'Idol.'

THIRD HIGHEST VOTE GETTER

Simply put, one of the really odd girls!  I have to fully admit my lack of hipness... and not getting this whole Amy Winehouse, Duffy, Adele... weird/odd accent-y, affected type of singing... and while some of those ladies have excuses since they are from the UK, I am not sure what is going on with these girls.

The one I most do NOT get is Megan ("Put Your Records On")... it's the very weird affectation (the word "down" now apparently has 3 syllables!) to her voice, coupled with odd movements and facial tics... but it was those kind of things that the judges went ga-ga for in her audition, so just something I am not getting.  But I think her screen time may serve her well... or, a least more so than these next two girls.  

My favorite of this bunch is Jesse ("Bette Davis Eyes") though I agree with the judge that the song didn't showcase her vocals all that well... but for me she is unique enough (i.e. I think Megan is too unique).

Mishavonna ("Drops of Jupiter") was the best singer of the three, but with the worst song choice... and coupled with a lack of screen time, I'm not sure she did enough to advance... though I certainly wouldn't quibble if she's given another shot with the wild card.

FOR YOUR WILDCARD CONSIDERATION

Here I'll give 3 guys another shot.

I like Kai ("What Becomes of the Broken Hearted")... love his name (Kai Kalama Kai Kalama Lil Rounds Kia Kalama!), love his bird's nest of a hair... and yes, even his voice even if he is an old soul with these "throw-back" songs.  That last part might make him a tough sell with the younger crowd (who I still assume are the primary voters), but I like his vibe even I think he stands zero-chance of winning (or even go very far in the Top 12).

Matt G ("Viva La Vida") was the biggest disappointment of the night.  I think Coldplay is just one of those bands that are their own sound... and unless he was going to totally re-work the arrangement, he seemed doomed for failure.  I think he stands the best chance among last night's guys (unless someone pulls an upset over Adam) to come back for the wild card show.

Only one word for Kris ("Man in the Mirror")... Adorable!   And the squeals from the girls in the audience may indicate that he could be the one to pull that upset.  Again, nothing terribly OMG! about his performance... and again, pretty dangerous toying with such a signature song/artist.

CUE THE EXIT MUSIC

Matt B ("If You Could Only See") was the other hard-working American contestant in the group ("Idol" seems to be under the impression that only blue-collar folk work hard)... and truthfully I preferred this performance of Michael's last week... but much like the faced off in that "judge's mansion" showdown, the competition is only big enough for one of them... and I am afraid Matt's fairly vanilla take on this rock song will send him packing.

If you just showed me pictures and asked who would make it far on 'Idol' this season one of my picks would have been Jasmine ("Love Song")... so this was another disappointment of the night... and going first and not kicking ass is not going to serve her well.   Every year, "Idol" needs its black diva... and that position undoubtedly has been filled by Lil Rounds, so I think Jasmine is toast.

We had not seen much of Jeanine ("This Love") prior to tonight and I think that will pretty much be it... again picking the wrong song, but being over-confident going in that it was the right one... and trying to hard with it once hitting the stage.  But yes, great legs.

And alas... what can really be said about Nick/Norman ("And I Am Telling You")?  I am actually shocked that the judges risked it and put him into the Top 36... though I really doubt, even with the inevitable push by "Vote for the Worst" and the ilk, that he could possibly survive beyond this stage. 

I Love The Smell Of Rafa In the Morning

If I keep on posting pictures like this one and the one from yesterday, you may never want me to come back with a "real" blog entry.  Though that will very likely happen tomorrow as I can't imagine my obsession with IDOL would wane enough to not want me to rip into some musical performances.  So that means basically a picture!

Now this one I did "borrow" from the website that rhymes with RowleToad... it's not like I have any real issue with that blog, but pretty much once it's on there EVERYONE knows about... so it becomes a big 'ole case of "why bother!?"  But by "everyone," I mean gay men... so while the Bamber PETA pic was uber-predictable in becoming a raging wildfire in the gay blogosphere, I still felt the need to share this one here, since it involves the unofficial W&C mascot, Rafa Nadal!

So it looks like the fairly new-ish #1 tennis player in the world is finally getting some good endorsement action outside of tennis equipment and clothing... and now the  face of a fragrance. 

Me?  I just would have called the fragrance "Rafa" (make sure to roll your R) ... and could have still gone with this ad which is pretty much ready-to-go as a cover a Harlequin romance novel! 

Jamie Bamber Shirtless for PETA

Gotta keep it shameless those search hits up... and you don't have to be a frackin' fan of 'Battlestar Galactica" to appreciate Jamie Bamber's bare skin in this UK ad for PETA.

Now only to figure out how to get rid of that texty/word/ad stuff that's in the way!

Here Google, Google:  jamie bamber shirtless peta

UPDATE:  No surprise that this pic is popping up everywhere this morning (Wednesday, Feb 25th).  I first found out about the pic/ad via the TV Guide that arrived in yesterday's mail (though their version didn't quite go down as low!)... and then I had to track it down somewhere before posting it here... so it was on W&C before it was on the site that rhymes with Bowltoad... and when it hits that one, it's pretty much spreads like wildfire!  

Still Here

Hey folks... no worries, I am still around and nothing is wrong or awry.  While I have typically blogged pretty much every weekday, I made the decision a little while back to stop "worrying" about it if I don't... and it's always good advice  that if you don't have anything to say, it's probably not worth trying to say something.  This is vs. the old adage of "if you don't have anything nice to say..." now that is probably worth a blog entry!

I will admit (again!) that things likes Facebook and Twitter (though my Twitters are 95.7% the same as my FB statuses) are cannibalizing this here blog... and while the 140 character limit is adequate in many (most!?!) instances, I love to ramble on way too much to ever ignore W&C (or, the "long form," as I now tend to call it) for too long... also, and most importantly, this is the place I am most un-filtered (or some may say, borderline menacing... hee hee!).  I think many of us can relate to the self-censorship that lurks when it comes to our "friends" on FB and the ilk!  And heck, I won't say that that never happens here either...  but much less than anywhere else in cyber-land!

So, keep checking back... even if there is nothing new in this here main portion, usually something is changing to the right in the sidebar. 

DWTS8 Cast Pix

After the messy Dancing With the Stars cast announcement post... this one should be quite reliable as once the couple gets photographed for their cheesy "official" photo things are pretty locked in!

Here they are!

Shawn Johnson w/ Mark Ballas

Lil' Kim w/ Derek Hough

Chuck Wicks w/ Julianne Hough

Denise Richards w/ Maksim Chmerkovskiy

Jewel w/ Dmitry Chaplin

Ty Murray w/ Chelsie Hightower

Steve-O w/ Lachey Schwimmer

Lawrence Taylor w/ Edyta Sliwinska

Belinda Carlisle w/ Jonathan Roberts

David Alan Grier w/ Kym Johnson

Gilles Marini w/ Chery Burke

Nancy O'Dell w/ Tony Dovolani

Steve Wozniak w/  Karina Smirnoff

AI8: Seminfinals Week 1

I wasn't sure if I was going to do full-blown Idol reviews this year (and/or maybe just wait for the 'big show'), but much like the Four Tops sing in "Sugar Pie Honey Bunch"... I can't help myself!  

Now, I can't promise you'll get this much detail or fancy pictures in the weeks ahead... it all depends on my workload... and let's just say I am in a bit of a lull at the moment, so you get the full treatment today!

After tonight's results show, I guess we'll see how this 1-shot automatically advance to the Top 12 thing works out tonight.  It makes me a bit nervous... there will still be the wild-card show to likely correct any glaring omissions... but I guess it's good that they are shaking things up a bit. 

However, they need to get their acts together before next week because technically the show was a bit of a mess last night.  There were audio problems (couldn't hear much of Ricky off the stage, Judge Kara not needing to lean into the mic), video problems (at least one good glimpse of the floor), and tape problems (Brent almost not getting his video bump intro).  Also, the whole "red room" was a hot mess as well... what's this with fellow contestants and/or parents meeting them at the entrance... or starting to talk to loved ones but then having to stop 3 seconds later when the contestant arrived... having annoying parents talk at all (Voooote for Caaaaaaaaasey!).  Idol is usually pretty slickly presented, but not last night!

Ok, onto the contestants... I broke them down into groups (again w/ their fancy photo shoot pix):

TOP MALE & FEMALE

IMHO, Danny ("Hero") and Alexis ("Never Loved A Man") are pretty much slam-dunks to advance.  Overall, I placed Danny at the very top for the night (and getting the coveted last slot of the night makes me think the powers-that-be thought the same).  Alexis was by far the best gal of the night, though that's not too much of a compliment since on the train-wreck territory most of the night for the fairer sex ( she was my only gal in overall Top 5).  It would be interesting to see how Danny would be fairing without the dead wife widower back-story.  I think he would be doing well, but probably not this well.  Right now, I can see him getting very far.

THIRD HIGHEST VOTE GETTER

Things were heavily stacked on the guy's side last night.. and I am pretty confident that it will be a guy that will pull the 3rd "Advance To Go" card to the Finals. 

Everything tells me that it will be Anoop ("Angel of Mine"), though I seriously wished he had sung something up-tempo.  In his bumper, he told us that he was all about going out on stage and having fun... and then he sings, in my opinion, a pretty bland ballad.  But as Simon said, he's very likable and has a good recognizability factor from past shows should serve him well. 

The surprise of the night was Ricky ("A Song For You"), a surprise only that he has hardly been seen until last night.  I put him at #2 overall... ahead of Anoop and Alexis. I agree with Simon that he does not stand-out personality-wise... so that is a bit troubling in this one-shot system.

My dark horse to slip through this evening is Brent ("Hick Town").  I agree with the judges who called it a safe choice and a good / straight-forward, nothing particuarly special vocal.   But I would never underestimate the power and loyalty of the country music audience... and I think Brent was extremely crowd-pleasing to that crowd (and also helped by Simon's diss to the genre).

FOR YOUR WILDCARD CONSIDERATION

Obviously, I would put any of the above contestants who don't make it through into the Wild Card round, but I'll add these two into the mix.

Shockingly enough, Tatiana ("Saving All My Love For You") came in as my #2 female of the night... which again, is not necessarily the highest compliment given the field last night.  But she is quite the enigma...  and as the judges said I kinda missed the unhinged, unleashed version of Tatiana.  So I say, she's worth another look... though I may live to regret that if she makes it to the Finals.

I am not sure what to think about Jackie ("A Little Less Conversation").  I had kinda liked her vibe, but overall I found her to be pretty atrocious last night... as Simon said, it was clown-ish... almost like the female version of Norman Gentle.  I think she would have been more well-served singing a Janet Joplin-esque type of song... whatever, just anything less kitschy.  I kind of like her humor, but coupled with a hubris issue... I don't really see her winning over the public.

CUE THE EXIT MUSIC

At the top of the show, I was worried that it was going to be difficult to see any of the Week 1 contestants go... then I just had to remember that producers definitely seem to stack the show strong at the beginning and the end, which a cream-filled center.  Most of these folks, made me turn my head to Todd with my eyes bugged out.

Every year there is a skinny little white girl who thinks she's big enough to sing Aretha (or Mariah or Celine or pre-crack Whitney)... and she can't... this year it was Ann Marie with "Natural Woman"... and I am just tired of that, so while it wasn't horrible it was just... not.

While I thought Anoop should have gone up-tempo, I really wish Michael ("I Don't Wanna Be") would have slowed it way down with a soulful ballad.  This ended up being frat-house karaoke and what really killed it was his white-boy "can't dance" over-bite shuffle.

We had high hopes for Stephen ("Rock With You").. but his storming off, bong the piano exit to end Hollywood Week should have been an indication he wasn't ready for more... but this should seal the deal both with viewers and the judges who would be a bit crazy to give him another go.

I think Stevie did almost as good a job on "You Belong With Me" as the song's original artist Taylor Swift... the bad news: I don't think Ms. Swift can sing. at. all!   (I guffawed at recent EW's Bullseye feature noting they were:  "Giving up on the idea that Taylor Swift will ever be able to hit three correct notes in a row").  So Steve Wright ended up being Stevie Wrong (sorry that one was too easy!)

The bar kept lowering the bar for the ladies... first with goofy Jackie... then with Stevie... but things did not bottom out until Casey attempted "Every Little Thing S(He) Does Is Magic."  Just the most horrific song choice ever, made only worse by the awkward lyric sex change... just too bumbling, not showcasing vocals... think I can get by because I'm pretty... oy!   Just a slam-dunk mess with the overzealous mom on the back-end.

Bright Light City

We've been itching to get out of town for awhile now, but I am sure we had some of the same conversations that have been going on in many household around the country (and the world for that matter)... what can we afford and/or how much do we feel comfortable laying out for a getaway? 

First off, I will say that we are very fortunate that the conversation is not *if* we will go away... and likewise, at the present we are in good shape to be able to afford to do something nice... but there is that nagging thought of how long all this will last?  Are we willing to take a fancy vacation now when it could possibly be needed (god forbid!) for a month or two of living expenses a few years down the road?

Having really just got out into the world just year, I was eager to keep it going... so I am a bit frustrated that that is on hold for the foreseeable future.  But again, it's this kind of conservative (one of the few times that word about me!) financial thinking of saving and staying out of debt that has allowed us to be in the position to ride things for a while.  And while we've both taken double-digit % pay cuts - mine just a straight pay cut, Todd with "unpaid" "vacation" (and yes, both of them deserve quotes around them) - we know it could be worse (a lot worse)... and like I said, thankfully, we are prepared for it... though I'll admit, it wasn't something *I* did consciously, but more of a result/effect of getting out of heavy debt about a decade ago (though news stories I hear, $25K of debt doesn't sound like a lot anymore).

Anyhow, we decided to go to Las Vegas for a few days.  Ha!  Now I know on the surface that doesn't seem to make any sense!   Here I am just talking about being conservative with the financial end of my life and worried about the economic future... and here I am going to the gambling mecca of the world, a city where excess is the norm.

But when weighing our options, even factoring in some gambling... other locales just could not compete on cost.  For starters, we are getting 3 free nights at Caesars Palace.  This is largely thanks to my Harrahs player's card (the Harrahs Corp pretty much owns 40% of the Strip these days)... and we've been getting offers out that wazoo for a few months now.  Basically, it seems like Vegas is desperate for warm bodies.  For the first time EVER, I received offers for free rooms over New Year's and Super Bowl weekend... in the past, even with my comp rate a hotel would cost $200/$300 for New Year's.  

Now this is where I have to also explain that I am not a compulsive gambler.  I am honestly surprised I am still getting these offers.  I'll admit a few years back, I was going to the local Indian casino (where I get most of my Vegas offers, again thanks to the Harrahs connection) a lot more... and even going to Vegas at least once a year.  These days, I am basically going to the Indian casino 2-3x a year (you have to go every 6 months to retain your comp balance) and we haven't been to Vegas since October 2007!  So again, I am a bit surprised that I still get offers... let alone these quite good ones!

Granted these 3 free nights are mid-week, but this will be our first time at Caesars... a hotel that was always more difficult to get this "free" comp rate in the past.  So not having to pay for a hotel is something that other places weren't exactly offering... and even though gas prices have spiked a bit in the last few weeks, it's still cheaper than flying.  Also, I have coupons for 2-for-1 buffets and I have that comp credit to easily get a few more free meals... so again... oddly enough, Vegas made made financial sense.

All that said, we are allowing ourselves one big indulgence.  The Caesars Palace Colosseum is pretty ground zero of divas... Celine is long gone, Elton is leaving in a couple of weeks... but Cher and Bette Midler are still holding court.  Looking at the March performance schedule, we were on the cusp of Cher finishing and Bette starting their latest runs (each play about a month at a time)... so it was pretty much a gay man's Sophie's Choice: Cher or Bette?  Looking at it another way, it really was a "no lose" proposition, which is pretty rare in Vegas!   Since later in the month worked out better for us... the decision was... (like you haven't already seen the picture on the left)... Bette!   We (well, Todd!) got us some good seats last night (again, mid-week definitely helps!).

This will be our 3rd go-around with the Divine Miss M, but we have enjoyed her each and every time, so we knew we had to see her big Vegas show, The Showgirl Must Go On, at some point.  And choosing Bette over Cher made a bit more strategic sense as Bette's Caesars contract ends a year before Cher's... so hopefully we still have time to catch Cher before she retires... again!

We are also contemplating a day trip out to Valley of Fire State Park (I comically told Todd it was "Ring of Fire")... "located only 50 miles northeast of Las Vegas. The rough floor and jagged walls of the park contain brilliant formations of eroded sandstone and sand dunes more than 150 million years old"... so something different (and non-gambling!) from our previous dozen+ visits to Sin City!   Definitely looking forward to getting away!

Express Lane: Issue 61

USA cancels 'The Starter Wife' - While it certainly wasn't brain surgery, it was still a cute and fluffy show led by the charming Debra Messing... so a bit surprised it got the cut after just 1 post-mini-series season. (2/12/09)

Joanna Pacitti out of 'American Idol' - This ouster is not a huge surprise for the gal gal previously dropped from a record label, friends with execs at 19 Entertainment (Idol's production co.), and rumored to be dating DWTS' Mark Ballas (reason enough for me to get rid of her!). (2/12/09)

China's Lantern Festival, And An Unfortunate Ending - The Big Picture - What a transition in this photo set from the beautiful celebration to a 40-story hotel under construction being set accidentally ablaze by stray fireworks. (2/11/09)

Bushfires in Victoria, Australia - The Big Picture - TBP isn't always fun stuff... here their usual collection of stunning pics from the devastating fires in Southeastern Australia. (2/10/09)

Etta James Takes Shots at Beyonce & President Obama - Stand back folks we got a cat fight on our hands: "I tell you that woman he had singing for him, singing my song, she gonna get her ass whupped" (2/5/09)

ABC Will Announce Cast of DWTS 8 During Prime-Time Sunday - Eschewing 'Good Morning America' for the cast reveals, Tom Bergeron will pop up and drop the "star" names over 3 hours of ABC's Sunday (Feb 8th's) line-up. (2/3/09)

Cable Provider Apologizes For Porn Interruption - We were a bit skeptical when Todd's parents told him about this during a post-Super Bowl phone call, but crazy enough it was true! (2/3/09)

Photo Friday: Pet

It's kismet!   I had already planned a blog post about Rocky and then Photo Friday went ahead and made this week's challenge: Pet.  Perfect!  Although I am guessing all those pet pics won't be terribly inspired, but alas I did not have a "heavy petting" hand on a woman's breast photo to submit! 

Obviously, I had a good selection of photos to choose from... not only Rocky, but alas pets from our past (which was also the planning to be mentioned in this post pre-Photo Friday)... but here is the one that always seems to make us smile:

It was pretty much after this "incident" that we stopped buying plush/stuffed toys for Rocky... or if we do get them, it is with the understanding that they will only be briefly sticking around.  The expression on his face is just pretty priceless!

Anyhow, the post that I was going to write is to tell you that Rocky isn't here right now.  I dropped him off at the vet about a half-hour ago for his very first teeth cleaning.  This whole doggie dental stuff I think is probably a bit of scam (how long did dogs survive without this?!), but it probably is a good thing to do... and we'll probably try to stick to an every other year schedule. 

While the whole anesthesia thing always makes me a little nervous, scheduling and getting through this dental visit has washed up some sad memories.  It was just a year ago (our vet always runs dental specials this time of year), that Toby was scheduled for a dental... which I had to cancel a day or two beforehand because he had developed a cough... and my long time readers will know, that what seemed to be no big deal at that time... just 6 weeks later was our much-too-soon goodbye to Toby to what ultimately ended up being lymphoma.   So again, while it had nothing to do with the dental treatment... it's still a reminder... and I really try my best to not remember dates or unpleasant anniversaries of this sort. 

Okay, that was Debbie Downer... so just go back and look at the picture of Rocky and what was a stuffed giraffe ... only lasted 86 minutes, which at the time was a record destruction time, which I am pretty sure has been broken since then!

Beijing Coma (#2)

As usual, I find myself a little behind in posting book "reviews"  but it's probably a good thing to let it sink in and see what I remember about it a few weeks later.

Todd surprised me with Beijing Coma by Ma Jian for Christmas.  He was quite sneaky and got onto my Kindle and looked at my "Save For Later" list (i.e. wish/to be read/want list) and this is the stuck out.  My addiction to reading on the Kindle had been pretty strong, but I am glad he got this one because one of the big negatives in my book (ha!) about the Kindle is no book covers (or even reasonable b/w reproductions of them)... and this book has one of the most gorgeous covers I have seen (so much so that I used it as a backdrop for a handwriting / photography meme). It's so nicely textured and the light at the end of the bird's beak really does seem to glow.

Ironically, it is highly doubtful that this book will ever be on a bookshelf in Beijing as the protagonist, Dai Wei, is a survivor of the Tiananmen Square massacre... well, a survivor of sorts... as the title of the book suggests, "awake" but still in a coma ten years after those events of June 1989.  Even without the book centering around this taboo subject (more on this later), Jian already had his works banned in China back in 1987, as a short story collection about incest and rape in Tibet apparently didn't go over to well with the government. Jian left for Hong Kong (it's own strange entity), but still traveled through China and supported the pro-democracy movement in Tiananamen, but has lived as an ex-pat in Germany and London since the late 1990s.  The book alternates between Dai Wei's current life in a vegetative state (more active than you would imagine!) in his mother's apartment and flashbacks to Dai Wei's life leading up to the day he was struck in the head with a bullet.

I'm guessing I am not alone in that my primary (or heck, lone!) memory of Tiananmen was "Tank Man," the brave man who stood and tried to block the tanks coming into the square to crack down on the protests.  And I'll also admit, in advance of going to Beijing I didn't do any additional research about it.  This was both a good and bad as I was blissfully ignorant of the extent of the massacre during our brief and rain-soaked visit to the Square.  But once there we quickly realized what a big deal it is... we only got onto Tiananmen on our 3rd attempt.  With the world watching during the Olympics, it seemed as if it didn't take much to close the Square.  Also, as with two different tour guides - both friendly and quite vibrant young people - and on the bus to the Square we were told politely, but pretty firmly, to not ask about or even mention anything aloud about the events in 1989 when on the Square.  To this day, I don't have a sense how much even our tour guides knew about it - other than it happened.  I read somewhere, that people born after 1989 aren't aware of the event and when Frontline somehow showed the now college-aged students photos of "Tank Man" in a 2006, some thought it was some sort of military parade. 

So now you can see how provocative this book is... and even further (!!!), it delves into some history about the Cultural Revolution and Mao Zedong, a history that is exponentially more horrific than Tiananmen and again quite strange since Zedong's image is omnipresent from his portrait at the entrance to the Forbidden City and overlooking Tiananmen and his own Mausoleum... and his face is pretty much on every piece of currency!  You can probably understand why I am so intrigued by this country!  

Ok, as not is so unusual, I haven't said much about the book!   I am currently on my 4th book of the year, and if I have to rank them - right now this book would be pretty comfortably at the top.  That said, it is a book that I am sure I could comfortably recommend to many people.  If it wasn't for my lingering obsession with China, this would have been a tough book to get through.  Heck, even I found it a bit of a slog at times ... dare I even say, it was coma inducing at in spurts!

Clocking in at nearly 600 pages (or just a little shorter than this rambling post!), a large chunk of the book is devoted to the organizational details of the student protests, which maybe for 100 pages or so is okay, but beyond that it gets to be a bit much.  And I don't know if others feel this way, but when characters are not named Joe and Mary... but Zhu, Zhoa, Tian, Ke, Mou, etc. it can get pretty confusing/hard to follow... and likewise, it is not a history text book so I did find myself scouring the Web for more background information about the actual events (even watching old news footage via You Tube).  

So while it was a challenging read (though Jian's prose is not difficult to read, if that makes any sense!), it is a rich work... often lyrical/poetic work, but also funny in parts... and certainly did nothing to quench my thirst for more things China.