Author: F C

We were in Barnes and Noble seeking to buy a book, any book. We had a 10% coupon, but after 2 hours, we just couldn’t get ourselves to buy anything.

Nowadays people don’t buy books or magazines to learn things – it’s more like joining a club for self-affirmation. Book titles are now so imperative: Make 7 figures in 7 years, Impeach Bush, Take back America, Expose Liberals Gone Wild, I hate Ann Coulter, Why we want you to be rich. Other how to books don’t really have any practical advice you couldn’t figure out yourself – for example, the Automatic Millionaire, or Suzie Orman – if you can’t follow their advice for wealth, you might as well make them rich. The worst are cookbooks that are entirely impossible for the average home cook to pull off, but are a nice fantasy anyway. The Nobu cookbooks are the most obvious offender –unless you happen to be a sushi master that apprenticed for at least 7 years in Japan, the books are just going to sit on your coffee table. Magazines are even worst – pick the most esoteric pastime, and someone will have a magazine for it.

I’ve got half a dozen books on computer programming, project management, and an anthology of ethnic Chinese writers of English in Hong Kong on deck as well as 3 wedding planning books, so I that’s what I’m going try to get through that this week for my birthday and Thanksgiving. And maybe a game of Civilization IV or two….

Lupa is on deck for tonight — let’s see if Mario Batali comes through again.

I get the occasional request to research unusual things. This time it was for seeking a Pinoy Filipino Scrabble set. To save the effort for people in search of it, here is what I found:

The makers of Scrabble in the Phillipines is

Henry J. Estrella, , Mabuhay Educational Center Inc., 3 Agno St., Quezon City Metro Manila, PHILIPPINES
[email protected]

There appears no way to order it online, and there are no sets on ebay right now.

This is what it looks like:
http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2893/377/1600/PinoyScrabble.jpg

The Phillipines set actually uses the same number and distribution of letter tiles as the English set, except you can use Tagalog words, so there is no advantage to getting the “Pinoy” set unless you need the rules in Tagalog.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrabble_letter_distributions#English

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Philly addresses I didn’t get to put in the last time:
Chinese restaurant: Shiao Lan Kung, 930 Race St. 19107
Gelato: Capogiro, 117 South 20th Street, 10107

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Chatted with YC this morning, which was nice. He’s headed to the Philippines today.

Back from a fun-filled weekend. Here’s the short list:
Breakfast at the Amish Corner at the Reading Terminal Market. One of the recent shooting victims had worked at the Amish diner here.
Touring throughout downtown.
The old Wanamaker Department store, now a Macy’s, with the world’s largest pipe organ.
CapoGyro Gelato (really nice since the temps jumped into the 70s.
Rittenhouse Square (sort of like the Village)
Early Chinese dinner in Chinatown (will add the name of the place – very good Cantonese food, the way it used to be)
Moot Court Awards ceremony (two people I know walked away with Bar/Bri gift certificates)
Back to Chinatown, barely making the bus back to New York.
The next day, law school friend’s Catholic Indian wedding (fascinating ceremony), followed by a stupendous reception (350 guests, must have been at least $50K)
Bro from SF is visiting this week – cooking an early Thanksgiving tonight.