The Return of Wednesday.

In a victory for common sense, the annual attempt to amend the U.S. Constitution to make flag burning illegal has failed again. Now our represent-atives can go back to addressing real problems facing the nation, such as monogamous gay couples getting married.

No, wait! As The Daily Show reported recently, Congress has been tackling an imminent danger to the nation’s youth: violent video games!

An excerpt:

Rep. Lee Terry (R-Nebraska): As a father of three young boys -- 11, 8 and 6 -- who are avid gamers, I'm very concerned about the content included in the games.

Jon Stewart: And as I stand there, watching them play these violent games, helpless to do anything about it, I can't help but wonder where the system has failed... Who wants to be the first person to sound like an out-of-touch jackass? Oh, you! Congressman Upton.

Rep. Fred Upton (R-Michigan): I'm a gamer myself. I used to be an expert in Pong. That was a great game. Boop! Boop! Boop boop!

The whole segment’s worth a watch. Check it out here.

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One dedicated engineer makes honest-to-goodness, real-life steampunk robots. Some of this guy’s models look like they stepped right out of a Miyazaki film.

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In my adopted-home state of Texas, incumbent Rick Perry is in the lead for re-election so far. Boooo. Right behind him? Kinky Friedman. Yay!

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Much to the dismay of some, An Inconvenient Truth has been doing really well at the box office. It’s taken in a little over 9.5 million bucks so far, and that’s been with low-key showings compared to summer blockbusters. This movie’s on my must-see list, too. I love nature and environmental documentaries and I read the book Earth in the Balance cover-to-cover twice in middle school.

 Also on my must-see list: Silent Hill, Cars, A Scanner Darkly, Over The Hedge, and Superman Returns.

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I was pretty happy with last night’s ECW show. They launched right into the program, no credits. There was some great character continuity with Sandman (it’s all fun and games... until you TOUCH HIS BEER), and the main event match between Rob Van Dam was really, really entertaining. It doesn’t hurt that both guys are two of my favorite wrestlers. I’m also really digging Angle’s new style—it’s ground-based, amateur-style wrestling with a harder, brutal edge to it. He uses lots more submission moves, lots of counter-holds, suplexes that look like they're all impact…. It’s really fun to watch.

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Soup Dumplings! I have been craving these all week for no discernable reason. When I went to Shanghai Joe’s a few years back, I was enthralled with these delicious foodstuffs. However, I didn’t have the money to take the train to NYC and then a cab to Chinatown… but when I’d make visits to the import shops or the huge arcade therein I’d make a special stop for soup dumplings and red bean buns.

When the team behind Shanghai Joe’s opened up a sister restaurant, Shanghai Goodies, in New Brunswick and a mere 6 or 7 blocks from where I lived, I was there at least twice a month. I’d get a huge portion of crispy-salt-and-pepper-fried ell and soup dumplings and NOM NOM NOM.

I hear tell of a restaurant in Austin that does soup dumplings, but my Google-Fu fails me.  turandot? sardius_? mia_d? coldjones? Know what I’m talking about? 

Anyhow, while my search for soup dumplings continue, I am comforted by the fact that our new place is close to Arlington’s Little Vietnam, and thus there are plenty of good Asian groceries, decent pho joints and no lack of good bubble tea cafés.

EDIT: Well, CRAP. As I was writing this post, I found out that Shanghai Goodies is closed, along with Szechwan Gourmet and Zafra's. Crap. Crap, crap CRAP. Having to schlep to Chinatown and elbow past crowds to get decent soup dumplings is a pain in the butt. Paulie’s Pizza is still around, but has changed ownership ( I hope the food’s still good, though. They had the best calzones, no matter what Stuff Yer Face claims!). Still, that bums me out.

Thank Dog that I’s Café, Noodle Gourmet, Serenity Inc, and Junkyard Dogs are still around and going strong.