Yes, I’ve been remiss in keeping TofuWatch.com up to date with good stuff and noteworthy posts.

So, here then, is a photo of a street lamp in my neighborhood – complete with snow falling in front of the light and icicles hanging before the eye.

If you live outside the Seattle area and haven’t seen the weather, it snowed on Monday in this slice of the Pacific Northwest. Two words: Stay warm.

I’ll admit it: Since I was a kid, I loved watching Japanese taiko drumming. The beat. The movement. The booms.

You name it. It has everything a person would want out of a musical art.

So when I heard that The School of TAIKO would perform on Friday at Uwajimaya in Seattle, well, I made sure that my family and I were there.

They were performing as part of the market’s Japanese outdoor summer festival – and there’s another performance scheduled for 3 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 28.

Drop by if you’re in the neighborhood. Or just have a look at these video clips.

I had never heard of this particular group before. But one glance at the musicians showed that they’re a sharp, precise group.

The school is lead by Ringtaro Tateishi, who apparently has performed throughout the world including at Walt Disney World for seven years.

I’m just glad that my family and I had an opportunity to be in the audience.

Even now, as an adult, I could watch these clips over and over.

By the way, if you want to see more videos of The School of TAIKO, the group has its own YouTube channel.

There are drumming videos posted, as well as a few of Japan playing in the World Cup.

Over on Vimeo, Les Fitzpatrick has posted some great clips of another Seattle taiko group – Seattle Kokon Taiko.

Life continues to be a bit on the go for me – but in a way, that’s good.

One thing I appreciate about going almost anywhere is seeing what you spot on the way to a destination.

Photographer Grant Haller enjoyed that while he worked in daily journalism. I was reminded of that idea when my wife and I took our son, earlier this month, to the Blue Angels show over Lake Washington in the Seattle area.

The skies were gray. So the jets hugged the ground in a low-flying demonstration.

But walking through a tunnel near the one used by automobiles across Interstate 90, I saw a mural with, well, aliens.

They looked pretty friendly, as the artists depicted them.

The Space Needle continues to attract – even decades later.

Surfing – whether it be in space or in Santa Cruz, Calif. – also draws various forms of life to boards and challenges.

I also spotted a fish on the wall.

As we were leaving the Blue Angels show, I looked down and saw a nice sight of bicycle riders going home, too.

As time permits, I’ll get to more weighty topics – yes, I know I’ve said that before.

I think I’ve also said that I’m looking forward to the day that is stretched out for more than 24 hours – say, 30 or so.

That way, I think I can get more things done.

Oh, yes. People have often asked me about the purpose of my blog.

It’s largely to stay connected to current events and daily life. It’s also to have fun – and, of course, celebrate bean curd when I can.

Saturday’s heat in the Seattle area already blasted to the top of the record charts.

It’s a shrap contrast to last weekend, when say, overcast skies prompted the Blue Angels to fly a lower-than-usual show over Lake Union for Seafair, the annual summer festival.

So try this one on for size: Costco in South Seattle is selling snow gloves.

I suppose there’s some smart reasoning behind the move – especially since the padded hand warmers were across the aisle from, well, air conditioners and fans.

You figure the heat will last days and that September is quickly approaching. Also, the cold weather in the Seattle area can linger.

But retailers are smart. And playing both sides of the aisle – get it? – really has no downside, unless it’s July 2011 and you still have all those boxes of snow gloves.

If you didn’t see the Chinese Heritage Tour blog – where I posted entries for the Wing Luke Museum in Seattle - I like looking at how people stay cool when the sun is working well overhead.

By the way, when my family and I were shopping on Saturday, I noticed more people were looking at the cooling machines. But a few people stopped to take a look at the winter gear.

I also should add to my headline above: “Cold? Hot? Confused? Content?”

I’m sure there are people who like the mix of cool and hot in the Seattle area.

One thing I’ve learned living here: You really don’t need an air conditioner or fan that often. But when it gets hot – and temperatures have this ability to rise quickly in the region – you do start thinking about the best ways to remain cool.

That means running out to a big-box retail store and plunking down money so you can plug something into the socket to add some chill or movement to the air.

We also stopped by Woodland Park Zoo and here’s how some animals we spotted enjoyed the day and stayed cool.

By the way, our son took this last image – the one of the big cat. Yes, we’re proud of him.

Dictionary.com defines the word as ”a person of great learning in several fields of study.”

Interestingly enough, the use was connected to Sidney Harman, the business leader who is buying Newsweek. He also sits on the board of The Aspen Institute, a think tank that focuses on ideas, civic life and education.

First, I saw the word in this article from The Daily Beast to describe media publisher Steve Brill: “Publishing polymath Steve Brill said…”

Second, I saw it in this Aspen Daily News article which quoted Walter Isaacson, president and chief executive officer of The Aspen Institute, talking about Harman’s purchase.

“He’s got polymath sensibilities. He is interested in almost everything,” Isaacson is quoted as saying.

Third, I heard it in a video from The Aspen Institute in which distinguished panel members were being introduced for a talk about the state of the U.S. economy and the financial crisis.

As you know, I recently spent a week on the road in the American West, blogging for the Wing Luke Museum of Seattle about sites important to Chinese immigrants – miners, railroad workers and merchants – during the 19th century.

So, while I was traveling, the word might have increased in use.

Or, I might have not been paying enough attention to things. Or, it could be this one circle in which use is popping up.

I once thought that the use of “comparative advantage” was part of the global rage – especially with trade. I am still fascinated with trade and the idea of “comparative advantage.”

But as we know, global trade – while still truly important, especially to Washington state - hasn’t been the most popular topic in recent years, given charges that countries are not playing fairly and the fact that the costs of it have become apparent.

So, if you’re like me and have uttered “comparative advantage” in recent years, keep in mind that, well, its use – in many circles - is so 2005.

And probably even earlier than that.

Anyway, if you’re stuck for a word to describe a friend, mentor, instructor or relative, you can add polymath to your vocabulary.

In fact, if it becomes used so often, you can rank it up there with the use of: ”It is what it is.”

Awesome, huh?

Wikipedia and Urban Dictionary also weigh in with definitions.

If the Urban Dictionary definition has meaning, you’d probably want to watch your spelling and avoid polypath.

As you might have seen, I had an exhilarating and invigorating time blogging for the Wing Luke Museum’s Chinese Heritage Tour of the American West.

If you haven’t read the blog entries, please have a look. The pace was fast – but good- and the investment in time was well worth it. It’s one of those trips in life that you set time aside to take – well, because it’s unclear when you’ll have time to do it again.

The group of 35 people or so returned to the Seattle area early last week. I’ve been resting up and getting caught up on things on the homefront.

That included a great Saturday visiting Top Gun Seafood Restaurant in Bellevue, Wash. One thing I always enjoy is food to bring the mind and belly back to the center.

For me and my family, that has always included delicious dim sum – or dian xin or little bits of heart. Yes, we ordered noodles among other dishes because, well, I’ve liked them since I was a kid.

A few freelance projects remain on, um, my plate. So, I’ll update TofuWatch as often as I can.

One tidbit, as you see below, is that there’s a new Asian market – jingjing – coming to Bellevue. It will be right next to Top Gun.

So, what’s the next best thing after eating a delicious Cantonese meal? Well, shopping for delicious Chinese vegetables and ingredients, of course!

I hope jingjing turns out to be a Chinese market well worth visiting.

Oh yeah, I spotted the Buddha figure at Top Gun and I just liked it. The translation below the figure is about a lucky star hanging in the sky.

Yes, I know the figure and the saying are not little bits of heart. But the saying, in my mind, is something good to hear.

In the past, my family and I would eat dim sum at Tea Garden Seafood Restaurant in Seattle. But on our last visit a month or so ago, the food didn’t hit the taste bud highmark for us. It might have been that visit.

And speaking of Chinese food, John Pai, who was on the Chinese Heritage Tour, told me that he liked eating egg foo young for breakfast.

It’s true: Life really is rich.

The  Wing Luke Museum’s Chinese Heritage Tour of the American West takes place this week – and I’ll be helping the Seattle institution devoted to the Asian Pacific American experience file blog dispatches from the road.

Please visit the museum’s travel blog. Among the places tour participants and I will visit in Washington state, Oregon, Idaho and Nevada will be the mines where Chinese immigrants once searched for gold.

It will, I think, be good stuff all around. And yes, please pass on the word about the journey and travel blog.

Which, as we know, is a good thing.

As we know, the Chinese have come up with a robot that can make food in a wok – and IBM has its supercomputer that will challenge humans in Jeopardy!

You’ve seen the two flying cars – Aerocar and the Transition - I’ve written about in earlier posts. By the way, if you end up buying a Transition, please let me know.

Or just tell the world via the Web or a Tweet.

And so, in this light, I’ve thought about stretching the day out so there will be more hours than just 24. That way, I can have some extra time to blog at TofuWatch.com.

I will get back to more posts – um, make that more thoughtful and interesting posts – as soon as I can. I do miss posting entries.

One bit of news that I came across is that the economists and other staff members from the Washington state Employment Security Department have started taking furloughs from work because of the tight budget.

Mind you, and this applies to the Labor Market & Econonomic Analysis staff, these are the people who help track unemployment in the state, as well as jobs created and lost.

From this month until June 2011, these staff members will not work for 10 days. State lawmakers called for the furlough. I do hope the state of Washington’s economic picture improves.

I should say that I’ve always enjoyed interviewing these economists and analysts – that is, when I was a newspaper reporter. It was good to hear what they had to say and to study their charts.

Of course, it also was good to walk the city streets to talk with business owners and neighbors about what they were experiencing, too.

Late last year, I attended the state’s annual economic outlook meeting, held near Olympia, to hear what these observors had to say. I thought it was fascinating.

I’ve been busy with a few odds and ends recently. But certainly, a flying car – in 2010 – will catch my attention.

The people at Terrafugia are the brains behind this flying vehicle, the Transition, which has received much online and television attention.

I should note that while it captures human attention, there was another flying car from Moulton B. Taylor of Longview, Wash. It was called the Aerocar – and yes, newsreel cameras captured it flying in the 1950s.

The Aerocar is on display at The Museum of Flight in Seattle. And I will say this about the Terrafugia Transition – it is inspiring.

Oh, yes. You also can own a flying hovercraft, if you like.

I’ll get to more blog entries as soon as I can. I know there’s much to talk about these days.

It is easy to get busy in life and let things that you want to do slip by.

So, in that spirit, I’m posting some quick photographs I took while my family and I visited Port Townsend, Wash. earlier this month.

With the top photograph, it was fitting that after I snapped the image that a man walking his dog appeared and hopped into his white van. It looked like he and his dog were living inside.

It also was fitting that to the right of the van was an appropriately-named coffeehouse for this city: The Better Living Through Coffee Coffeehouse.

Inside the coffeehouse, you can watch your drip coffee actually drip, if you’d like.

Outside the coffeehouse are a beach and a red brick building partially over the water.

Speaking of brick buildings, blocks away is the Historic Elks Building.

There’s also a window with mugs, a vase, flowers and the reflection of a Victorian-era building, which had an amphibious tricycle across from it.

My family and I have visited Port Townsend before – we saw a lone castle as well as buildings that have symmetry.

I’m certain we will return.