STEAMER'S BLOG

Steamer

So grows the obsession....
Monday, December 11, 2006

I was working the other day with the student fireman I mentioned a couple of entries ago - the one with whom I was working on the Nathan hydrostatic lubricator (snerk snerk snerk...) He's qualified now, so the other day I went from working with him to working on him. We were discussing our preferences toward motive power and he wanted to know if I had a picture of my favourite engine as the background wallpaper for my cell phone. My answer was a resounding No - wanna see what my wallpaper is? He says sure. So out comes my phone, and sitting pretty on the screen is our beloved Serenity floating serenely in orbit above some planet or other.

"Why am I not surprised?" he says.

Snickering, I climb off the engine loudly singing the last line from "The Ballad of Serenity". I've almost got him. Just a little more time, says I, a little more time and maybe an extra DVD set to lend out.

So, that was the other day. Today - let no off-day pass without a couple of hours' hang-out at Borders. Just for shits and giggles, I browsed the foreign-language section and uncovered a wealth of Chinese tutorial: and as any good Browncoat knows, this is the one bookstore section you have to ransack before you can be taken genuinely as a serious Firefly geek. Asking my folks to get me "Chinese for Dummies" for Christmas ought to be a step in the right direction toward converting them. BUT, to tide me over until then, I picked me up a nice little pocketful o' pages called "Making Out in Chinese." Mind you, this is not what it sounds like: 'making out' in this case doesn't necessarily mean kissing and fooling around, although it does have some phrases you can try on That Geisha in the Window: it has far greater pertinence to getting by, coming through, having a successful mission in China. Not to mention, it's just damn fun. Especially the "Curses and Insults" chapter.

Qing gei wo duo yi dian?

COMMENTS

Tuesday, December 12, 2006 9:40 AM

MSG


Hey no one ever said browncoat recruitment was easy

Monday, December 11, 2006 7:41 PM

BLUEEYEDBRIGADIER


Yep...keep reeling him in, Steamer;)

And one ain't a Browncoat 'less they can get freaky with Mandrin, huh? Well then...guess I got a ways to go;D

BEB


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