So it’s been catch up time on my blog lately. I’ve missed quite a few seasons. So here is our life in fast forward.
For Halloween we got together with a bunch of couples from around the area- 4 of them live in our complex, which is super convenient. We ate Chinese (very Halloweeny I assure you) and carved pumpkins. Full blog with all photos found on Vandyland I only show you what happens in LA if you leave your carved pumpkin on your kitchen counter for 3 days (guess in Utah it’s cold enough that they keep for at least a couple of weeks).
A scary looking lantern
For Thanksgiving we got together with a bunch of people from the ward like last year at the Makins. I didn’t take photos as I was too busy eating. But afterward we met up with the Lund’s at the Grove to see the Blind Side. It was mainly us and lots of Asian tourists (guess they don’t really celebrate Thanksgiving).
The Christmas display on Thanksgiving!
For Christmas we headed to Utah. The Orme’s seriously have one of the biggest Christmas’ that I’ve ever experienced. Susan has three separate Christmas tree areas (I say areas, as one shares multiple trees). It’s crazy. Crazier yet is the sheer number of presents on Christmas morning– Ryan’s nephew Ben of course didn’t mind in the slightest.
Merry Christmas to all! My husband’s brother got Stratgeo this year for Christmas, it totally reminded me of when Shim and I got it for Christmas one year. It’s like chess and capture the flag and battleship all in one… kind of
Other than lots of clothes from Motherhood Maternity and a couple of baby blankets…. if you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m pregnant.. 5 months, due with a boy mid May. ( If I’m 3 days late, I get to share my baby’s birthday with both my brother and sister. The brother’s hoping for this, and feels the child should be named after him). Anyway, other than the typical gifts, the husband told me he was buying a car. In fact we almost got a pretty good deal on the Lexus RX 400. But then after Ryan convinced me I wanted it, he decided it wasn’t worth it. Kinda like telling your little girl you’re getting a pony for Christmas, and then not!
Well Christmas morning I wake up, and there is this very big heavy red box under the tree. I keep hearing, “This is because I didn’t get you a car!” I’m thinking, gee maybe it’s something else I really wanted it, and that’s sooooo sweet of him. Maybe it’s a Kitchenaid Mixer, or a Bernina Sewing Machine, or something else really cool.
Drum roll please……
Yes, that is a vehicle jump starter that doesn’t need another car. For those of you who haven’t heard, I once had to jump start my car 4 times in one day this month. The battery on my Altima (Die Hard from Sears only 2 years old), died. It of course died in Ralphs the day before Thanksgiving.. thanks Jessica for the ride home to save the ice-cream. Thanks to the random girl who works in my building for the jump after work, so I could show up for the Kooza show with the tickets that everyone was waiting for. Thanks to my hubby who jumped my car after the show. Thanks to my co-worker who jumped the car so I could fill up on gas after work the next day, as I’d been empty since the Kooza show. Thanks to the traveling business man with the rental car, so I could re-park it and fill it up with gas on the RIGHT side of the tank. And thanks to the guy who jumped me so I could get home after I filled up. It’s surprising, I think I taught all of these people where their batteries were, and how to attach a cable. The hubby also told me that technically I didn’t have to turn off my car to fill up with gas. Oh well, lesson learned. Now, should my Die Hard, die again, I can live in my own private world of shame. Isn’t the hubby sweet?
So the first Manning boy has been born. In fact the first Manning grandson. All I have to say is I pray and hope that the 9lb 13 oz gigantic kid that came out of Lisa is a result of one of two things.
1. Everything is bigger in Texas
2. Lisa’s gene pool has big babies
If my sister’s girls are any indication, us Manning girls have normal sized 7lbers. Cuter photos will come, give this kid credit, his mom was in labor for ever with him, he looks a bit exhausted. Still pretty cute I have to say.
Ok, so I promise to be better, and you can expect a slew of posts over the Christmas Holiday… not that I’m not working, because I am. Sometimes I wish I would have taken that $16 an hour job that had a mandatory 2 week shutdown in December on top of regular vacation time… they told me I could keep a TV in my office. But you and I both know satisfaction wouldn’t have come from the job, nor would I feel good about making $16 an hour in LA.
I’ve been doing a lot of self reflecting this week. Maybe it’s all the time I’ve spent on Facebook– it makes you think about the past, which makes me think about me in the past and me in the present. I’m very happy with my life, and while I won’t lie and say I don’t have regrets, most of my regrets are regrets of not having more experiences during different periods in my life. Now that I’m in this period… early marriage, early work career? I’m not quite sure what to call it, I want to make sure I pack it full of everything, and I don’t miss out on something– good or bad.
I want to love the crap out of life! I want to be more than a woman on a treadmill. Last night I spent some time looking at my life goals, what I want to achieve, and why I want to achieve it. I do have a strong desire for individualism, a strong need to be independent, and a strong need for social acceptance.. well not really acceptance but awe of my success, although not necessarily approval of me as a person I still haven’t quite put my thumb on that. It does kind of bug me that I don’t want to just do something, but I want to do something that is admired. So in an effort to fight against my natural instincts (e.g. go to Law School and be a super kick A lawyer), I put together a list of things I want to achieve and do now, versus later.
Seriously though.
THE LIST
Owning my own company – maybe several until I’m successful, and not be afraid of scraping my knees along the way.
Getting crafty – actually finishing my pintuck duvet, taking up sewing again.
Seeing America – taking time off and going places. Yellowstone, Alaska, DC, NY!
Doing my genealogy– with pictures and stories, and putting together something nice before all of my memories fade.
Writing a novel — even if it sucks and Ryan laughs at it for the rest of my life.
Reading lots and lots of interesting books.
Being a better homemaker– having an organized house that looks like I want it to look, not like a college dorm. Taking the time to make the meals I like to make, not sacrificing good food for easy food because I worked too long.
Being a good mom – hopefully I accomplish this one first, considering you know..everything.. and all.
Going out and experiencing LA – the plays, the music, the shows!
Oh wow! I’m SOO soo behind. I only have a bit of time as I really am just slammed, but if I don’t make the time now… I’m never going to.
Cathy, a woman I work with had a Crawfish Boil. They shipped the crawfish in from back East and everything that morning. Ryan thought it was disgusting and kept pointing out that we were all sucking crawfish poop. Cathy’s house was lovely, the onions and corn steamed with the crawfish were awesome and spicy. The crawfish were definitely something to work at, but were ever so spicy and yummy.
For this year’s 4th of July, just like last year, we headed down to Dana Point with the Marquis. The fireworks show was amazing. It had some really beautiful fireworks, and I was definitely surprised that it was just a city, free fireworks show. I don’t really like fireworks, and think they’re pretty boring. There. I hope I made my point about how awesome the show was.
I love the 4th of July. It really makes you think to yourself how lucky we are, but mostly it was nice to just hang with friends, eat some very yummy steaks, and stay up late talking. For me that’s what the 4th of July has always been about.
Every time we go to Dana Point I’m reminded of how much I love the ocean (we never seem to make it to the beach living downtown). One day I hope to have a home that has a view of the ocean, and hopefully is as close as the Marquis’ townhouse! Maybe I’ll buy a house on Molokai next to my parents. Sure Ryan and I still rent, but who say’s that’s stopping us from owning a vacation home! Although, I think if we bought a house in Hawaii, Ryan would want one on Kauai… problem is beach front/ocean view is definitely A LOT more expensive there. Ironically, being so close to the beach we actually never made it there. We spent the day at the pool. Or to be more accurate, I spent the day at the pool, and Ryan got his Tennis game on.
What’s that you say? You recognize the glasses from Akihabara? Yep, those are the same ones he bought in Japan. Since buying those green glasses in Japan, Ryan really hasn’t taken them off!
After getting ourselves drunk on meat (I think Ryan ate 3 T-bones!), we had a rousing game of Guesstures. As you can see, from the boys enthusiasm, they won – twice…After two games of Guesstures we were a bit whacked, and had the whole “if 3 atomic bombs hit California, what would you do.” Never mind that if 3 atomic bombs actually hit, we wouldn’t be alive.
I hope that I will never wear a scrunchie again, but I can’t really be sure
JILLIAN LOVEJOY LOWERY: Ah, the scrunchie — an early to mid-90s staple that graced both the heads or wrists of most women (and some men) — seems to be having something of a renaissance. These suckers were EVERYWHERE when I was in high school, but once I went to college, they were replaced by less obtrusive hair accessories – a thin Goody elastic subtly encircling the wrist, bobby pins in the change purse, the claw clip, etc….. But now trendy American Apparel offers scrunchies on their website, in a multitude of fun colors and festive prints.
I really hope I don’t buy one. Because here’s the thing — I can’t guarantee that I won’t. I’m not exactly a slave to fashion, but my resistance is admittedly weak.
When leggings made their big comeback, I scoffed. I snorted. Been there, done that. I made all those grand claims about remembering it the first time around (I preferred mine under a giant men’s flannel shirt and with my knee-high green combat boots, thank you very much). I chuckled at the girls who were BORN in the 90s who rocked them out at the mall. But slowly, surely, I became desensitized.
And now I have leggings. Several pair. And I really like them. All my protesting was for naught. I succumbed to the leggings.
Skinny jeans? Same story. I squawked about them, mocked them, rolled my eyes at friends who jumped on the bandwagon. Now I own them in indigo, light blue and grey. I have no resolve.
The scrunchie, though? At least one can argue that leggings and skinny jeans are a little sexy, if done correctly. There is no sex appeal in wearing elasticized fabric scraps. The convenience factor tempts me, though. Sometimes those Goody hair bands get a little tight around my wrist. It sure would feel nice to have a little extra room, a little more fabric cushioning my forearm….
No. No, I mustn’t. I mustn’t order scrunchies from American Apparel, nor should I scoop them up next month when Forever 21 starts carrying them for a fraction of the AA cost. Because, what then? Would I try to bring back the baby doll belly shirt? The jeans shorts that are also overalls? The burgundy lip liner with the pale pink lipstick? The well of 1990s fashion is deep and dark — Molly, throw me a rope, please!
Just Say “NO!” to Formal Shorts.
MOLLY SCHOEMANN: One of my favorite quotes about fashion comes from the writer Lester Bangs, who said, “style is originality; fashion is fascism.” I think of this quote whenever a particularly nauseating fashion trend takes the world by storm and dresses it in pleated pants.
Then it comes to fashion, I’m all about comfort. I’m also all about hating new trends, and then quietly buying into some of them several months after they’ve peaked and gone out of style, and can be purchased in thrift stores. I like to call this Cheap, Poor and Lazy Chic. Still, there are many trends I steer clear of—including the resurgence of trends I didn’t understand to begin with (high-waisted jeans, I’m staring in your utterly unacceptable direction).
I dreaded the Dawn of the Formal Short, for one thing. If you are lucky enough to have shapely legs that go one for miles, you might while wearing formal shorts manage to give the impression that you are an attractive girl wearing unfortunate shorts. And really, that is the BEST outcome you can possibly hope for when wearing such shorts. Meanwhile normal girls with average sized and shaped legs have to walk around looking like Gumby.
Another unfortunate trend I can’t stand? Belts that appear to be keeping your breasts from sliding down your ribs. I have no problem with putting a belt around your natural waist—which I realize can be quite far above your hips. But I’m fairly sure it’s also at least a few inches below your breasts. I’m just saying. Pull your damn belt down. You look like you’re trying to cinch in your ribs—and I thought we were past all that.
So it was with great trepidation and fear that I learned from Jillian of the potential come-back of The Scrunchie. Why, fashion world—WHY? I feel like I’m in the movie Groundhog Day, except instead of reliving the same day over and over again, I’m reliving the same regrettable fashion trends that vanished—for a reason!—into the ages and the closets of so many regretful trend-followers so long ago. Although, come to think of it, I have the feeling that the film Groundhog Day may itself have promoted The Deadly Scrunchie. But don’t blame Andie MacDowell—she does have a ton of hair. I understand the function of the scrunchie; the soft material was perfect for wrapping around your wrist while you waited for your turn to play kickball. The fabric patterns on scrunchies offered a great variety of self-expression, which is unmatched by the thin, dull elastic. I believe I had one scrunchie in day-glo yellow with peace signs on it—which was a perfect reflection of the point in my life that I was at in the seventh grade. But I think we can all agree that the scrunchie’s day is done. Let us wrap it around the wrist of history. You can never go home again.
This entry was posted on Monday, June 8th, 2009 at 11:50 pm and is filed under Arts & Culture, Humor. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
I am way too busy for my own good… and usually not with what I want to be doing (mental note about working on that), so I need all of the social networking help I can get. I am however a bit overwhelmed by everything that is out there, and I have to ask is it really this complicated to connect with people?
Overall, after trying everything out for a few months here’s what I found works for me. On top of this blog (and my other blog), Twitter, Facebook, which has now been around for a bit, is really starting to explode is an even more pared down version of Facebook, which is why I was initially drawn to it. Navigating Twitter and all of the new Twitter Tools is overwhelming. Especially when I have a blog to maintain, and still have most of my life on Facebook.
As I often tease, I’m kinda a big tech nerd.. not that I’m smart enough to program a computer.. just lame enough to want to not be on something old hat, and miss out on the next cool thing… because really there is a TON out there! So my goal was to simplify my life and my information feed, and not get sucked into things that were just noise e.g. plurk.
I signed up for several social aggregators ping.fm, FriendFeed , twitterfeed, Tabber, Profilactic, Socialthing!, I downloaded yoono, OuTwit, and installed Google Lattitude. I even checked out Spokeo, as in theory this site did what I hoped the others could — pull all feeds, photos and all into one stop shop and find all my friends for me. What I disliked was that most of these sites acted as a way for me to post my information for others to follow, and unless my friends also joined that particular social bandwagon, then I wasn’t going to have it easy in tracking them (e.g. FriendFeed I can manually add everyone’s mini feed -way too time consuming). Spokeo at least automatically found my friends and their social networks, but it’s a $4.95 and mostly if they didn’t tell me about it, or link it to something they told me about, they probably don’t want me knowing what they bought on Amazon or listened to on Pandora. I am digressing, the point is I’ve learned two things:
The google map social stalker tool is just way too much info, and completely useless.
At home I have yoono installed on my Firefox browser. I get to see all of my social sites and email (google, hotmail, Facebook, Twitter , yahoo) all in one nice side browser, so I can do my emails, post my blogs, and I have the ability to share what I web surf to.
At work I installed OutTwit. It compiles everything into neat little Outlook folders, and I can mark all read like emails. It’s not too big of an application, and it’s work time, so I don’t really need to be THAT plugged in. I also set up search parameters (clients we are hunting) and it creates a search folder for them, which has been helpful.
I have found that I like ping.fm. I tend to still post directly to Twitter (for Twitter friends only) with certain things, but ping.fm allows me to post on all my networks at once, which is nice occasionally and cuts time out for me. It also auto shortens links, so I don’t have to worry about tinyurling things before I post. I also tried out the Vox feature, so if I’m driving down the freeway, and the status update urge hits me, I can still do it. It didn’t work too well though last time I tried it, and “Why is a 350Z” ended up as a “Why, is it 350C” but I probably mumble. It does post the audio of what you said, so if people want to get the accurate DL they can.
So in summary:
yoono is super convenient, and a way for you to keep the updates rolling, without having to live in Facebook
ping.fm helps me update blogs, status updates, and a myriad of other things anywhere.. and has voice integration
So I’ve been selling Ryan on Yokohama’s 150 anniversary festival as a great way to see fireworks in Japan. Well, we got on the train and headed to Yokohama on Tuesday. I really liked Yokohama. The temperature isn’t too bad, and it feels less poluted with the ocean air blowing through the city. The stores were all pretty nice, and everyone seemed a lot more normal than the people in Tokyo. I was also influenced by the fact that there seems to be some stores that I seriously thought were ONLY in Hawaii that were in Yokohama like Anna Millers— the best club sandwhich and piece of pie you’ve ever had. I had to snap a photo!
We shared a lunch plate at Bunmei-Kaikan in the mall. It was cheap and filled both of us up. Ryan had fun making sure he was clean with the wet naps they always give you. Now the mall is actually an old shipyard, and so it makes for some interesting architecture. It was actually really neat. I wish I took a photo that did it justice. We then headed to Rinko park where the concerts (i.e. Japanese rappers, rockers, and several local dance classes performed). It was SUPER crowded. On the way there we passed the watershow put on by the coastguard.
Most of the bazzar at the park was food, and there was a skateboard ramp booth. Kiddies would strap on the safety gear and jump on in. The skateboard shop guys would then run them back and forth on the ramp. It was something that I think would be a big hit in a fair in Utah, but I doubt we’d ever see it. There were also these garbage/recyle booths everywhere. I took a photo of one. There are like 5 guys standing in front of 5 garbage cans (plastics, cans, paper, non paper, bottle caps only, and then a seperate seive for scraping food into). I had to have them help me figure out where to throw my trash away, I wasn’t sure.
While we were there, we noticed that the tide had gone out and all the kids were playing in one of the made made areas that had been drained. It was full of jelly fish, crabs, and hermit crabs. The older kids were harassing the jellyfish, and the younger ones were scooping crabs, water and seaweed into little water bottles to take home. As the sun went down, all of the ships in the harbor started to come out. They were all decked out, as was Yokohama’s bridge. By the time the fireworks had started Ryan estimates there were over 500,000 people present… he was a bit worried about the train ride back to Tokyo (in fact he made a run back to the station upon the ending of the fireworks).
As promised, the fireworks delivered an amazing show. I took a ton of video and photos– here’s a snapshot of the middle of it.
So day 10. It’s Monday, and it doesn’t suck like normal All of the kids from Springville have come to visit the Nelsons, so the house is full of teenagers. It’s seriously crazy; I don’t know how my mom ever did it. As we have now been here for over a week, we’ve now begun to repeat stops. Also it’s their first day in Tokyo so we decided to head to Harajuku, Omotesando, and the Meiji Jingu shrine we hit last Sunday.
This time we took some time to grasp the significance of everything. The Meji Jingu shrine was built back in the 1920’s but was bombed in World War II so had to be rebuilt in1958. We took some photos in the forest surrounding the shrine. As you walk towards the shrine there are sake and wine casks that are for offerings. The sake casks are really colorful and everyone was taking some artistic photos.. I made my pathetic attempt as well. As you enter further, you pass through a giant Torii, in fact it is the largest in Japan. As I mentioned earlier due to the air raids during WWII all of this was rebuilt, so this Torii was rebuilt in 1975 (I have to wonder if it was originally the largest in Japan). Ryan was really taken by the Torii as you can see.
Before entering the shrine for prayers you are to wash your hands and rinse your mouth at a fountain. When you get in the courtyard for 500 yen you can purchase little prayer wood blocks. There were tons from all over the world. Most had to do with health and happiness for family and loved ones. Ryan took a photo of a particularly funny one. As we were looking at them we heard a drum, and it turns out they were doing the morning ceremony. We snapped a photo of the drummer quickly from outside of the shrine/temple area as you couldn’t take photos inside.
the Meiji Jingu shrine is right next to Harajuku, so we decided to explore the other half of the street. This side was dead, but had the big Harajuku sign – always great for a photo op. We walked all the way up to Omotesando dori and Aoyama dori. Omotesando is where all the upper end stores were. Ryan just couldn’t help window shopping. The Berrycafe had some AMAZING pies, and those are not fakes, those are the real things. They were 800 yen a slice though, so we just shot the photos.
After Omotesando we headed for Harajuku for the evening. I got dressed up like a little Japanese girl, baggy shirt, leggins and big hair thing, but we neglected to snap a photo. We basically walked up and down the street, and then visited Don Quixiote for some more odd buying. They had Yukata sets for $20 bucks, but Ryan said one was enough They did however have this way creepy fish that Ryan snapped a photo with. Across the street and to the right is a 13 store building, it has a Thai restaurant on top. We took the elevator up as it has a glass elevator so you can get a nice view of Roppongi. Seriously, I think we saw a Geisha, I know we saw a couple of prostitutes, and we saw 3 girls escort an old creepy salaryman out of a club. All and all, it was a fun day, but the more I think about it the more I realize how lucky I am to live in LA.
It was so late last night I forgot the photos! Here’s Morio san, Itsuki san, and Maki san. Ryan made Maki and me take a photo Japanese style with the peace signs. I just look silly, but Maki looks cute.
So today we got on the train to visit my relatives in Nobi- Yokosuka (pronounced Yo-kos-ka). It was an eventful train ride, as we ended up going past the same train station 3 times. I umm got a bit mixed up.. the good news is we got to see Haneda airport and Shinigawa train station . .. and Ryan got a great nap … we arrived like 30 minutes late, which always makes for a good impression after 20 years. Also, I decided to go with straight hair today so I straightened it before we got on the train… so in classic Japanese weather style my hair frizzed out by the time we arrived. I also got to carry our lunch tray with us the entire day as well, unless you throw it away at the establishment you bought it, good luck finding a garbage can just lying about. Seriously, they are FEW and FAR BETWEEN! But don’t worry there is no litter in this country. In fact I couldn’t help but notice a woman comb her hair, and take her loose hair ball it up and stick it in her purse, to dispose of in a garbage can I suppose.
Either way, it turns out my cousin Maki lived in San Diego so thankfully speaks English… otherwise it would have made for a horribly awkward conversation. In Japan, families stay together and kids live at home, so both of my cousins were still there. It was SOO weird to see them as they were both adults. My cousin Akira (my nemisis as a child) and I just laughed at each other as we both looks so very different. I hope I can keep in contact with them in the future, and maybe next time speak better Japanese.
Tried to call my other Uncle, but he doesn’t speak English, and well Ryan just laughed at me stumbling through my words.
After visiting our relatives we stopped off to eat at Sweets Paradise in Harajuku… seriously visiting the family was an all day travel event. Sweets Paradise is a cake, cookie, ice cream, shave ice buffet (yeah there is spaghetti and curry too). The food was pretty good, and there is a nice assortment of american style sweets and some yummy japanese ones too. There was a shave ice machine too, with syrup and sweetened condensed milk, but we were already sweeted out. There was also a chocolate fountain– Ryan deemed it unsanitary. The flan was sooo yummy. The kinako mochi was good too. Over all it wasn’t the worst thing in the world, but it’s more kitsch than anything.
We slept in till 9am this morning, which meant no morning session. Ryan did some work, which meant no mid afternoon session. As after the 10 am session there is a 12:30 and 2:30 session we decided to head to Roppongi to check it out in the light of day and grab a bite before heading over. There are seriously a TON of clubs there. We found this random restaurant called Foxtail that had a 1,000 yen lunch special. Ryan was happy to get the beef bowl as he is missing his red meat (the burger at Freshness burger the other night was seriously suspiciously not real cow meat). I ordered the tuna bowl, and actually regretted it. Overall though, from what I could read from the menu the restaurant was super expensive for dinner like 80,000-90,000 yen and it serves wagyu beef, so perhaps Ryan got himself a really sweet deal.
Ryan’s beef bowl ended up being super soft beef in a broth with gobo (a root) and egg. He loved it even though he thought he wouldn’t. I didn’t like the tuna as it was minced, and just too mooshy. The meal came with octopus in vinegar which was quite yummy, and I even got Ryan to agree to try a piece.
After lunch we headed to the temple. If you take the train to Hiroo you get off (I think we took exit 3) and turn right. Right next to the station is the Japanese MTC, we kept going past it, passed the Lamborghini dealership (Ryan wanted the orange one in case anyone needs a birthday gift for him), and turn right up the next street. At the main road and the police station turn right again. The LDS temple is right across from this cute little Asian park with a pond FULL of these turtles. It was all really pretty, and we went for a walk in the park afterwards.
The photo in front of the temple of Ryan and I was taken by President MacArthur, the current MTC Mission President who just happened to be strolling by when we were trying to take individuals photos of ourselves
As all the embassies are in Hiroo, so is the international market. I found some really good European food that I hadn’t seen forever, but like the American food it was all super expensive. For example:
Large Tortillas a/b $10
Can of enchilada sauce a/b $4.20
Rotisserie cooked chicken a/b $21
I wanted to make the Nelson’s some cafe rio pork, but I have no idea where to get Tomatillo’s in Tokyo. I found Casa Verde that sells Brazillian food, and Hanamasa supposedly sells Trader Joe’s food, I have also heard the Tusjiki fishmarket’s vegetable section might have something as well, I just don’t know how much I want to search for Tomatillo’s in Tokyo.
So I lured Ryan to Hakone with the promise of a hot tub water park with slides. Ryan didn’t want to do any of the viewing of Mt. Fuji, pretty scenery etc, just go to the public Onsen. Yunessun is an Onsen that requires you to wear a bathing suit. It’s great for families, or people who want to spend the day with their spouse as Onsens (unless in some remote mountain outdoor random area) are segregated. This Onsen was definitely a touristy trap, and was more kitsch than anything, but overall it was fun and a really relaxing day. We went to the Odakyu travel counter at Shinjuku station and bought a pass for 3,800 yen for the train to Hakone and a pass to the waterpark. The train ride was about 2 hours long, and then in Odawara you transfer to a Hakone Train which at Hakone-Yumamoto station it stops and you transfer to the train to get you to Gora. Now the girl at Shinjuku station just told us about the FIRST transfer. So Ryan and I happily sat on the train at Hakone-Yumamoto station until we realized it was going backwards! Ryan and I jumped off the train at Iruda, one of the teeniest mountain stations. It was very empty, and there were all these train workers working on the tracks. Every 10 minutes a whistle would blow, the safety guy would wave his flag and they would jump off the tracks and stand in a line. It was so efficient, and Japanese.
At Yunnesun we took a picture of almost every bath. The only one we missed was the Sake bath, the cool water baths, the outdoor standard hot tub, and the honey bath. But I think you’ll get the gist. Overall the water in most of the bath’s was pretty warm like bath water. The coal, wine, green tea, black tea, coffee bath’s were in Yutopia, which is aimed towards adults so the water was very warm. The hotest by far was the coal bath.. that one smelled like BBQ sauce, so of course it was Ryan’s favorite (Really his love of bbq sauce is kinda sickening). The wine bath smelt very sweet, not wine like at all, and the others had faint smells, but not sure of what. I seriously look like I’m sitting naked in the green tea bath if you don’t look closely.
Inside there was a giant hot tub area with tons of massage jets that everyone hung out in. Every so many minutes bubbles would shoot out, it was the place to be for families. We tried out the myriad of hot tubs, and they all were very fragrant. Strawberry (turned my bathing suit pinker), chocolate (we spent most of the time in this one), salt water (it stung like the dickens–but boy did you float), and the outdoor cave and waterfall bath.
The bath that opened ever 2 hours was the turkish footbath. This one you stick your feet in and these little fishes came and ate off your dead skin. I guess Ryan and I have some funky skin, as we pretty much got all of the attention from the fish. I think all of the Japanese hated us. Seriously they had one or two fish, and we had them all the way up our legs! It was insane. I went again later, and well my feet are pretty smooth looking… maybe I should invest in some . . .
The train ride back was a nightmare! For all future travelers, 1st, taking the bus to Hakone Yumamoto is totally fine to do, although the winding roads make you a bit car sick. There are several buses that go there from Yusunnesun, but only the one with HAKONE FREE ZONE on it will take you back. When you get the Hakone Yumamoto, look at the train, even though it says it’s going to Shinjuku, if it says LOCAL do not get on it as it will stop at EVERY FREAKING STOP all the way back, this of course means you have a 3 hour train ride back. Ryan and I of course realized this bit of info about 1/3 of the way back. We were literally going nuts as the train not only stops, but waits 3-5 minutes at each station. Oh well, lesson learned.
Day 6 and it’s really raining. Renae insisted that Odaiba would be fun as it has several indoor malls.We were not exactly excited for Odaiba, but it ended up being pretty cool. The architecture there is very modern and it made for some great pictures. The first mall was Aqua City and had some pretty decently priced stores. We really loved the mix of stores. While I’m sure every Japanese teenager wouldn’t be caught dead shopping where we were, we’re American and loved it! In fact, Ryan thought it was the best shopping we’d seen. We hit up the Dollar store, which was really filled with almost everything imaginable. I bought tons of more bento shapers (Ryan put his foot down and made me put back the heart and star shaped rice shapers, but let me keep the heart and start shaped boiled egg shaper!). Right next to the dollar store (Daiso) was Toys R Us. The sold live beetles there, the creepiest things ever! Next to Aqua city was Decks, which had Joyopolis a giant arcade by Sega and some really random shops with tourist crap, toys, and small candies. I don’t recommend it, unless you’ve got wee ones.
On the other side of Odaiba is Venus Fort and the Toyota showroom. We started to walk, but realized that we could totally just take the train. We did pass some really amazing architecture on the way over. Odaiba makes for some really amazing photos. Across the way is Venus Fort and Palette Town, and the Toyota Showroom. Venus Fort is way overpriced, but I found a really cute shoe store with a good sale, so yay for me. Japan seriously has the BEST shoes. As long as you are under a size 8 .
We got on the giant ferris wheel, and it would have made for some amazing photos but the windows were covered in rain drops. As it was REALLY pouring, we spent some time in the Toyota showroom, which was just every guys dream. They had several Toyota race cars, all of the new hybrid cars, as well as some new futuristic cars. There was also this teeny tiny old classic Toyota that all the men (including Ryan insisted in taking a photo with). Downstairs there were these free rides that you could pretend to drive a race car. It was funny, every time you saw the little car shake meant that the person driving it had lost control, was slamming on the breaks or spinning out of control into a wall. I shot some video of Ryan shaking out of control. He was totally sick afterwards, but said it was definitely worth it. Overall Odaiba makes a fun day trip, especially on a rainy day. Next to the car showroom, is a showroom of Toyota inventions (cookware, the Dyson vacuum, and some weird shaped seats.
As for food, we had more Ramen, and have agreed that we’ve reached our limit. Each mall has a food court as well, and tons of restaurants. In Aqua City there was a Ramen restaurant area. If we read Japanese I think the signs said that there was Ramen from different areas of Japan that you could try. We picked the one with the spicy ramen and then purchased a ticket from the vending machine. It wasn’t as good as the black sesame ramen we had in Omotesando but still decent. Between Aqua City and Decks was a takoyaki place, and as it’s the first one I have seen I bought some. When it arrived, Ryan didn’t think it looked appetizing at all, and as we had just eaten lunch insisted I eat all 6 myself as punishment for the impulse buy. I am now cured of wanting to eat anymore while in Japan!
Couple of interesting things about Japan that we’ve noticed:
1. Do not go through the gates! When transferring trains, unless you are DEAD certain passing through those gates gets you to the next train (i.e. transferring from a local train to a JR Train) don’t just walk through them, they will not get you to the train you want to get on.
2. When shopping, take notice they always have tape that they tape your bags shut with. I don’t know if it’s so no one else can see what you purchased, or if it’s just an added sense of service, but it’s kinda nice.
3. When shopping, money is placed on this little tray that you put your money on and they take from you. They then put the change on it and give it back to you. Oh yeah, there is no tipping in Japan.
Today we hit up Shinjuku. Ryan's about had it with me on shopping and has made the executive decision not to go to Kyoto and Osaka. We'll have to come in the spring or fall some other time as he really can't take looking at more Japanese shrines, temples, castles, and pretty gardens. He wants to do stuff, and no, feeding deer and monkey's don't count He's also vetoed the Onsen as being naked with a bunch of Japanese men seems to be out as well.
Today's schedule consisted of:
Getting lost in downtown Shinjuku trying to find the Nuskin Offices at the I Land Tower
Finding Ryan's favorite bakery and trying some lemon bars, a banana pastry, and a blueberry puff. Surprisingly even I ate the banana pastry.
Heading up to the Tokyo Metro Government Building to get the big view of Tokyo
Buying a coca cola flavored Hi-Chew. Ryan said no on buying the Ramune (kinda a bumble gum tasting soft drink) flavored one.
More shopping .. which is where I lost Ryan literally.
I took Ryan to a Japanese department store (all 14 floors of it). Japanese department stores are very much more like upscale malls. Each designer has a little section, that is partitioned off with walls sometimes, but is definitely its own look and style, with its own sales person. The Odakyu department store right out side of Shinjuku station was no different. As I'm super cheap in America, splurging here would be an $80 shirt, not an $800 dollar shirt. Needless to say, when Ryan said, "you shop the next 3 floors, and I'll find you when I'm done with men's." I didn't end up shopping and headed up to the 6th floor to wait. Ryan headed down and began searching the floors. He of course didn't find me as I was sitting by one of the three escalators in this uber department store, not shopping as he had thought.
After all of the fun in Odakyu we headed over to Time's Square. It's not really Time's Square as there's not a square, just some big buildings next to the train tracks and a large overpass…. speaking of train tracks. We saw the saddest housing ever. The houses were made out of shipping containers, and were right along side of the train tracks. Seriously, we took the photos to prove it, check them out, not pretty at all.
For lunch today Ryan wanted Udon, so we found this little place across from GAP in Time's Square and bought a meal from the vending machine, then handed the ticket to the cook. Ryan ordered Udon noodles with a curry sauce on top. I ordered Udon with tempura, and veggie tempura on the side. Overall it was pretty good for about 4 to 5 bucks each person. We've taken to taking photos of the restaurant names, as they're rarely in English, so we have no idea what they're really called.
More shopping. . . Ryan was very unhappy by this point in time, and I think was plotting my death. I explained the prior days activities were centered around his fun, so this was the take part of give and take He doesn't buy it and says he'll be extracting payment for today's torture at a later date. As I'll be paying for it, I figured why not and I dragged Ryan through the large Japanese book store until I found the floor (there were 7) with the Japanese bento books. While he pointed out that I don't read Japanese, really do you need to read cute?! I hope I'll be able to start making bentos again with this new found inspiration, and my cute bento box.
We also hit up GAP, so far I'm having great luck at US stores in Japan. Things on the sale rack here would never be in LA. Turns out my size comes to my advantage on the sale racks. Where in the US only S and XS are left of the good items, it's quite the opposite here. All the size 7 and 8 shoes were left, and normally those are the first to go. Now this final photo is a bit blurry as I was running pretty fast. Remember when I explained how stores are more like malls. Well so is GAP. The escalator to the basement floor was boys/girls so I thought like H&M, floor 2 was even more women's and hopped on the escalator. It turns out it was floor 2 of the mall structure, and I was promptly greeted by several different "stores" and their sales people saying irashaimase! I shoplifted in Japan! Ryan discreetly walked a few feet behind laughing and whipped out his camera to get the proof needed.
My feet hurt. It turns out that it's really hard to go shopping when your feet hurt, it takes some of the fun out of it. Ryan's probably happy for that, as he says I'm bleeding him dry. Today we hit up Shibuya and Harajuku. Shibuya is of course famous for having the largest crossing in the world. So of course Ryan and I had our picture taken while we crossed. It was crazy to see how many people crossed at once… Ryan kept muttering to himself about what these people did all day as none of them were in jobs. He really wanted to know why they were in an expensive shopping district if they were jobless, and if they weren't why they were there in the first place. I had heard Shibuya 109 was the place to go if you wanted to see all of the clothing shops in one big gulp. Oh my goodness are the sales girls obnoxious. I think it's nice to hear irashaimase when you enter store, but these girls had turned it into this really obnoxious whiny super cutsy version. It was mind numbing. They kept saying it like every 10 seconds. The stores were very cute, and I couldn't help but notice big baggy clothing seems to be in. Everyone seems to be in oversized shirts, that belt at the waist and then for pants super skinny jeans or tights. All of this tight wearing makes me want to buy a pair. Ryan went to Shibuya 109-2, in contrast to 109, he said there were only 3 stores, but he was much luckier than I and picked up a dress shirt for 1,500 yen.
It turns out Harajuku is just down the street from Shibuya, so we headed back there again. Last time we only hit up Takashita street, so this time we went to the main area. H&M Japan how could I resist, cheap clothing! woo hoo. This is where I picked up the cutest hat and hair things. Part of me feels like and idiot as they're probably in the US too, but I couldn't help not wanting to miss out incase they weren't. We did not hit up Forever 21 right next door. The security guard outside keeping the waiting customers in line made us think twice. Ryan says the Japanese have been 3 times as hard as the US when it comes to the economy, so I'm sure a good deal is that much more in need to the eager Japanese teenager. Hannah said we just had to go to KiddyLand (6 floors of awesome!). Seriously it was like Hello Kitty and all the other cute Japanese kid stuff in one great store. We picked up a couple of Christmas gifts for some friends, and I picked up a way cute bento box with chopsticks. I was very tempted to buy the Blythe dolls, or the homemade soba maker , or the caramel maker, or the bank that had a mouth that you could feed – click here for the video. Ryan insisted on taking a photo of Condomania. It was the cutest sex shop you'd ever seen.
Today's eats were the Crepe Cafe where we ordered the crepes without the whip cream (honestly the whip cream is fake crap and just ruins the taste)–they were super yummy. Lunch was right around the corner from KiddyLand at this amazing Ramen restaurant. It may have been Menya Musha, but we forgot to take photos so I don't know. It had this spicy black sesame ramen that was just perfect, not too hot, and very flavorful. mmmmm. Ryan got the tonkatsu ramen, and we discovered we really like it more sesame flavored.
We headed back down to Takeshita street for some more shopping, and Ryan bought a bright green pair of sunglasses at the 390 yen shop. You'll see many more photos with him wearing them. I also insisted on buying some of the cute Japanese socks. Japanese women all wear socks with their shoes, and you can always see the lace sticking out. I'm probably going to buy 10 more pair before I leave.
I feel like we didn't do much today, but there's soooo much going on at once I'm afraid I'll just buy everything in sight!
So today was fishmarket day. As I figure we’re still jet lagged it made all the sense in the world to get up WAY early and jump on a train to the Tsujiki fish market. While we could have got there in time to watch the auction, neither Ryan and I really cared to see it. Seeing the buyers haul away the large tuna carcasses and hour later was well worth the extra sleep. We were even so lucky as to watch them saw in half, using a table saw, a tuna. It was crazy how cheap the seafood was here. If we lived here I would always be here shopping for lobster, and crab, and tuna and well if I ever took to eating sea cucumber, sea cucumber! For breakfast we had sushi. Crazy right? I figured this would be some of the freshest sushi I’d ever eaten. Now there are several popular sushi restaurants that all the foodies blog about, so those of course had like an hour line up outside of them. Ryan and I figured we could get in the line with all the Japanese, as they had to know their sushi. But instead opted for the no-line, full of tourist restaurant. A. it was a lot cheaper. B. Like we could tell the difference between REALLY AMAZING and just KINDA AMAZING for 12 dollars more. So I ordered the Chirashi sushi as it had salmon and tuna, and Ryan ordered the most safe set plate he could find. I ended up eating the snapper, mackrel, clam, ami ebi off of his. But he couldn’t stop raving about how the tuna litterally melted in his mouth. Lest everyone think I am a pig (which I don’t deny in Japan) he had my salmon and tuna.
We jumped on the train and headed to Akihabara– Ryan wanted to buy some peach pan (peach filled bun with peach cream and peaches), and a french toast sandwich (large yummy bread, with a maple syrup sauce in the center) that he neglected to buy when we were there last time. Both were VERY yummy, so much so we forgot to take a photo, and will have to buy it some other day (just for the photo op of course). As I had lost my precious dictionary (again I am crying inside), we took the train up to Ueno to the main lost and found. I explained “Nichiyoubi, on Hibiya or Chiyoda Densha book desu.. Lost..desu” They took me back and I looked through a box, and then sighed, no book. I of course got to practice much more of my pitiful Japanese as we went to 3 different Post Offices to exchange or dollars to yen “Dorrru, yen exchangu desu ka?” and yes we went to all 3 that were too small to do it.
As we were in Ueno we stopped off at Ameyoko. It’s basically just like downtown LA’s wholesale district. Lots of crowded stalls selling an assortment of random stuff. Nothing we really felt a need to buy in Japan, so it was off to Asakusa (pronounced, A-sak-sa kinda). We headed up through the main gate, and Ryan just had to take a photo Japanese style! Isn’t he cute?! Ryan wanted to march right up to the Pagoda and temple, check off the box and get moving. He was dissapointed to learn I wanted to hit up all the touristy Japanese crap filled stalls. I of course know to always hit up the side streets, as the main streets of most tourist traps are A. more expensive B. more cheesy. We found a real Kimono shop (as there were 3 old grandmas in there trying on Kimonos and we were totally ignored) and shopped the discount table. I found the Yukata I was looking for. Cotton, simple, but cute. It was 20,000 yen, so Ryan couldn’t say no, when looking at the 180,000 yen Kimonos inside. He doesn’t know yet I still need shoes and the obi, but I’ll break that news to him in Kyoto when I buy the rest (haha!). We then walked the mile (I don’t know if it was a mile but our feet certainly felt it) to Kabbashidori. This is the kitchen street, that had we not been up so long I would have spent a lot more time here. They had every kitchenware imagineable, as well as all the fake food and fruit you could imagine. I didn’t buy any cute molds, or pans, or Japanese knives as Ryan’s face said if you stop at one more store I will kill you, so we headed home.
Brett and Renae took us out for yakiniku for dinner. It was very very yummy. I’d never had it where you eat it in lettuce wraps. And well Ryan had never had such melt in your mouth meat before. Yes it was expensive, but mmm was it a nice cap to such a wonderful day.
We never made it to Ryogoku this morning to check out the Sumo tournament as we were so tired. We took the train for the first time this morning using the PASMO cards to Akibahara and I think I lost the travel dictionary that Monkeybot gave me (Which was totally useful so I'm REALLY irritated). I am hoping some thoughtful Japanese citizen or the station staff found it and am going to try out the Lost and Found. Tomorrow I am subsiting off of the phrase book in Nintendo DS's "My Japanese Coach" and my limited Japanese. bah! While I do have a realy Japanese-English dictionary it is written in Japanese, and I'm illiterate. Not that this is the important stuff.
Toured Akibahara and took random photos with random things in random shops. If we were techies we would've loved it. We did wander around Don Quixoite for a bit as there were 6 floors of anything and everything you could want. Ryan loved just exploring this cheaply priced uni store. We also bought drinks from vending machines, and Ryan was very happy with the size of his gigantic Coke Zero. Japan is starting to warm to Ryan. The people here are all very poliet, and everytime we stopped when we were lost someone came over to offer help. The video is of this CRAZY fast guy on the drums at the arcade in Akibahra. While it's probably true that this is all this poor guy does, still you have to have some respect for how fast and accurate he was.
At the UDX building on the 3rd floor are a ton of Japanese restaurants. I had heard a very good Okanomiyaki restaurant, Yukari, from Osaka was there. The nice part was that they make it infront of you, so I knew we wouldn't be completely idiotic trying to cook it ourselves. We ordered the Number 1 (pork, squid, octopus, and shrimp) for 1,200 yen and 900 yen for some yakisoba. Ryan thought it was pretty good, but wouldn't eat the octopus, it was too weird looking for him.
On the way home we stopped off at Harajuku and Takeshita street. It was incredibly packed as every kid in Tokyo seemed to be here. Halfway down is Marion Crepes. The whipcream was okay, but I think a custard crepe would have been better, as it was just standard imitation cream. But still for 450 yen pretty good. After some window shopping we headed over to Yoyobi Park. It seems that the gothic look is now in. If anyone And there were several girls (or maybe guys I couldn't tell) with rags over their faces. It was so odd. We never figured out how to get into the main park, but did walk to the shrine, which was nice and peacful to experience in the middle of a big city. Sometimes I wish LA had all the bustle of Tokyo balanced with the beauty and cleanliness of the parks. Los Angeles just has the bustle and the bum parks
Wow! We’re here. Yes the taxi driver rattled off a bunch of Japanese that I TOTALLY didn’t understand. I have no idea why Ryan even looked at me to try and explain to the cab driver that we were definitely not at the right location. We jumped out, turned the corner, and found the place. The Nelson’s were awesome to put us up, and there home is even more awesome. From their rooftop deck you’ve got a great view of Shinjuku. Inside however, you’d think you were back in Utah!
Ryan is totally ready for all of the politeness, cleanliness, and technology of Japan. In fact, as soon as we got to the airport, off went his shoes! The plane was Ryan’s favorite experience so far. On top of one of the best lunches I’ve ever had, we were also showered with snacks like turkey wraps, kit-kat bars, and fruit. We also got fed second lunch! I only took a photo of the main meal, which was the Japanese version. That’s soba, a shrimp, a California roll sushi, and the main course was some very yummy eel, and a senbei cracker.
Now Susan had warned us about the wait time once we get to Japan. She said the health inspectors would board the plane, and then every single last person would have their temperature taken, and we would sit on the runway for an hour! Ok, first off, Susan is prone to exaggeration. But yes, it was definitely a sight to see. We had to fill out this little survey. Basically, if you don’t want to be stopped, don’t check yes. Then these women board and quickly run through and shove their masked faces in yours and check your form. They were definitely not the only person we have encountered with the masks. Almost everyone at the airport had them on, and driving through the city we saw a few too. In fact, I did twitter about the guy who had a cigarette hanging out the bottom of it.
SO soo soo excited for tomorrow. Trying out Sumo, Akibahara, Harajuku crepes, and going to hit Yoyogi park!
So I’m at the end of my diet. I’m still eating pretty cautiously as I’ve learned 3 things about myself.
If it is there I will eat it.
If it is FREE I HAVE TO eat it, and eat as much as I can get.
If I am stressed I eat.
So I know I have to hold my self to some ridged standards of when I can eat, and what my daily diet is. And in the end, maybe I’ll have a flat ab.. Not that at any point in my natural life I have ever had one, but a girl can dream. With that dream is my plan to get my abs and body in shape. Maybe the muscles will bind the fat and just make it magically go away. Or maybe the work out will work and I’ll burn it off. Not that the past 5 weeks of dieting helped as much as I had hoped. Will update later on that part. Either way, in an effort to get in shape. Below is my 2 month… free work outs (except for the one month in June).
And I will one day look like this.. haha!
sweet right?
5/5 6 :00pm Pilates classon a Reformer at Pilates Plus HBV GREAT work out!
5/7 – 8:00 Pilates Reformer Intro Class at Pilates Plus Downtown LA Ok, but shady part of downtown to be walking in workout clothes late at night. Work out was hard too, but not as fast paced.
Sign up for Pilates Plus $99 special. It’s $99 for your first month if you sign up with a friend or someone there. So I’ll sign up with Lea and go every day to 3 times a week (you all know it’ll end up being 3 times a week).
Indra Yoga’s teachers generously offer FREE yoga classes in Runyon Canyon on the following days. Enter Runyon off of Fuller Ave. (north of Franklin Ave.) and look for the class in the grassy area to the left of the park entrance.
So Kari tweeted that she got free tickets to Joss Stone. –> I IM'd Whitney to let her know, as it was something fee. –> Whitney said Joss was awesome and we both submitted a request for two tickets. –> The hubby's begged out, so Shanna and Jamie took their place.
What a wonderful night! I loved the music, though it was definitely chic music, it was still just fun to be there and dance to the music. The backup singers were totally awesome, not just some random boring singers.
Before Joss got on Joshua Radin was up, I REALLY liked him, in fact more than Joss. Although, he was kinda laid back, lo-key sitting back in a coffee shop vibe. Where Joss was much more show. Unfortunately the girls were still munching, so I didn't take any Josh photos as we were at the back of the club. Still what a beautiful voice.
Wow, all of a sudden you turn 30 and the energy is sapped from your body. That is the reason I haven't blogged about what a great 30th birthday I had It made me think, that I want to do a lot more to make people happy. I tend to be pretty logical and factual, and forget the emotional sometimes.. most of the time.. either way, I resolve to do better.
Ryan was a doll.. true to his form he took every jab he could about me being older than him, but I knew it was out of love. Too bad I can't roll my eyes on the internet He took the time to go to the flower mart and purchase two beautiful orchids in full bloom. TONS of flowers. They were lovely. He also actually went and got balloons. If you knew Ryan, you would understand that this endeavor meant a lot, as he would view them as utterly useless, and so a wasted purchase. Which means it was all out of love for me. The card of course he was careful to insert the Office quote of the day into. I wonder if I should be worried by the fact that it's from Creed and mentions prison?
Finally, he went and rented Twilight and we sat and watched it. It was more about him actually sitting through something he knew I liked a lot, and I knew he wouldn't. It was funny to watch him laugh whenever Edward was well, rude– he loved it.. all the rest I'm sure he found dull and sappy.
The girls at work were all dolls and got me a lovely bouquet of flowers. They were just gorgeous. And Whitney, Matt and Tanner made up a sign for me, it was great.
Even the wii told me Happy Birthday! I don't think I've ever got so many thoughtful gifts. Not big gifts, just thoughtful, and that's what meant the most.
Friday Ryan and I went to Tommy Burger after the temple. It definitely didn't look like it would taste good, but I highly recommend it. Yum! However, in anticipation of Japan (and because goal number 2 is to lose 5lbs) I've started my mom's Ultralite diet. So far it's been going well, and I probably should have been eating this many green veggies anyway. Haven't been too hungry– just a pain as no sushi, no Tommy Burger, and no Kogi Bbq. It'll be worth it when I actually buy something in Japan though. Ryan and I have also stopped watching TV (except for the Office and of course the NCAA game last night) and have taken to working out after dinner. Here is to a healthier 2009! Even if it doesn't look as yummy as a hamburger.
I love Twilight, or at least the books, and I certainly am the first to admit they are not works of great fiction. They are not Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, but I am also the first to admit that I love the books as well. So in that spirit, please enjoy this hilarious parody!
We had the missionaries over again this Sunday (we’ve basically taken to feeding them every Sunday now days). It’s fun as I get to try out new recipes, and they always say they like it (unfortunately this Sunday I forgot the conversation by one of the Elders on his dislike of seafood). Overall Emerill’s Tuna Tetrazzini came out great, and everyone said they couldn’t even tell it was tuna fishy, so thumbs up (other than the Elder who didn’t like tuna). I didn’t take pictures of it fresh, as it took a bit to prepare (1 hour 30!), so they were seated as I took it out of the oven (and I thought it a bit odd to snap photos). I have however, taken photos of the leftovers. The link takes you to the original recipe. I however (as per the norm) was out of a lot of the ingredients, so improvised – so here is my version of it.
3 (6-ounce) cans solid tuna, drained and broken up
1 tablespoon dried parsley leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan/Romano mix
1 (1 ounce) bag potato chips, crushed
Directions
Saute the onions in 6 tablespoons butter in wok over high heat until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes, stirring. Add the Essence. Sprinkle with the flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the wine and chicken stock and cook, stirring, until smooth and thick, about 2 minutes. Add the heavy cream and green frozen peas and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and very flavorful, 15 to 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the egg noodles until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain in a colander and set aside. Butter a 9 by 13-inch casserole or baking dish with the remaining tablespoon of butter and set aside.
When the sauce has thickened, add the noodles, tuna, parsley, salt, black pepper, and Parmesan/Romano to the skillet and stir until thoroughly combined. Transfer to the prepared casserole and top with the potato chips. Broil in oven for 5-7 minutes until top is golden brown and crisp.
Emeril’s ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper (didn’t have so used a dash of tabasco)
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme
Combine all ingredients thoroughly. Yield: 2/3 cup
As I was driving to work today, the Dos XXs commercial was on. I couldn’t find the exact commercial, but it was along these lines.
One of the last lines was, ” he never saves anything for a rainy day.” Which made me think about if I wanted to be a saver for rainy days, or a live life to the moment type of person. I also wondered, where the saying came from. After a bit of googling I cam across:
Save for a rainy day – to keep something (usually money) until one really needs it. Formerly most jobs, such as farm jobs, were dependent on the weather. Since they could not be carried out in rainy weather, no money was earned then.
As this saying has been around from before 1850, it was a bit of an old one and harder to find. I found it and other sayings here.
But I digress. My point, saving for a rainy day, should we? Or should we enjoy life now. I am a full believer in being prepared, in fact be prepared for a blog post on my preparation for disasters, etc. Monkeybot has been so kind to send me items for my personal preparedness. But the question that was weighing on my mind this morning, was am I working now like I was a farmer? –waking up at 5am and going to bed when the sun is down, trying to squeeze as much work/savings as I can out of each day, with the belief that when the rainy day comes I’ll have both time and money to keep me safe. With that thought on my mind, I then ran across (thanks twitter) Met Life’s Study on how we are saving money and preparing for rainy days.
Couple of highlights for you:
50% of Americans say they are only one month — or only two paychecks — or less away from not being able to meet their financial obligations if they were to lose their job, and more than half of these, a startling 28% of the total respondents, couldn’t survive financially for more than two weeks.
I thought the statistic on eating out was interesting, especially as it concerns Generation Y:
66% are eating out less often. That figure rises to 71% among GenXers.
We were eating out a lot, because I was working too much and too tired to cook by the time I got home. I’ve been trying to lose weight, so have been making an effort to cook more home low-fat meals, so I guess I fall into that statistic, but for other reasons.
As for savings, we have a bit more saved than most, which makes me ask again, am I saving EVERYTHING for a rainy day, and not living my life? I am thinking yes, as if I was doing something fun, then I’d be blogging about that, and not old idioms, random surveys by Met Life, and my pathetic work life!
We are two peas in a pod. Sometimes I feel like Ryan and I were siblings (so do his parents when we are in a car driving anywhere together!). So the other day we both took the Kiersey Tempermant Sorter. Below are our results:
Our Introverted/Extraverted split is also exactly the same, which is nice, because I think we are introverted to each other. If that makes sense. We are open with each other and get each other and how we each think. People always warn you that you shouldn’t assume you know what your other half is thinking. Most of the time I know. Like if Ryan’s had a really hard day at work, or a really boring day, he’ll come home with this smirk on his face. I know that means that it’s now pick on me time, like I was his lil sister.
For example:
Ash has a friend in town, who took these photos (this is lso why I’m wearing red PJ’s -Susan gave them to me for Christmas, and they are my only pair). Ryan felt we (read he) needed to relax a bit, which means throwing the bean bag on top of me, and then pinning me down old school style.
For Ryan and your enjoyment - more torture:
Really it’s the way he releases stress, and in some sick way I know he’s really saying, “I love you.”
The building is like none other I’ve been to before. And inside is even more beautiful. It’s all spanish style, and there is stained glass throughout the chapel, a choir loft, and ornate wood carving through out. Here’s a small photo of the chapel (sorry it’s the best I could find).
I couldn’t find many photos of the stained glass though. This photo is more of some cute primary kids singing, but you can see the Christ knocking at the door stained glass in the background. Really it’s the best ward to go to. Not only are the people in all 3 wards (Olympic is the Korean ward) wonderful, but how can you get bored in church when there is sooo much to look at in the chapel?
In answer to common questions. Yes it is an original LDS chapel, no we didn’t buy it from someone. Heber J. Grant was at the groundbreaking, and if you ever visit there are photos of the dedication, and building, and several large ward functions, it’s all pretty nostalgic.
Photo courtesy of http://www.michaelmaloneyphotography.com
Can I tell you how happy I am it’s sunny today. Not couldy?!
A few weeks ago when it was REALLY pouring in LA, I had a doctors appointment.
Ashley went with me.
We parked the car on the street.
The appointment was mixed up, so we ended up being there for over an hour.
This is what we came out to:
Yeah seriously. As each car drove by GIGANTIC waves of water would engulf our car, and splash onto the sidewalk. The rain was streaming down our faces, and we had to wait for the cars to stop coming.
And they cars stopped, and I rushed out into the stream of water.
I ran around with my pants pinned up, and my shoes (now deceased) drowning in the water.
And that’s when the sparkly blue Subaru zoomed past at speeds that were way too fast to begin with.
I know he saw me. Why else would you speed by through a giant river as you see a poor girl frantically trying to unlock her door.
But it hit me like a hand smacking me upside the back of the head.
Then it zoomed over the roof of my car and hit Ashley. In fact, the door didn’t open fast enough for Ashley, and she got hit twice by a second car zipping past.
Our shoes were full of water, our door handles were full of water. We were cold, and wet, and covered in icky street water! And we still had to go to Trader Joe’s for food as our fridge was bare.
So that is the story of the not so nice rainy day.
I don’t like standing in lines. I obviously JUST blogged about my lack of patience. However, I am a follower of Kogibbq on twitter. Why do I follow them if I’ve never partaken of their delictable food?
Because this is what their korean bbq chicken taco looks like:
I drool over every twitter I get, and dream about one day being able to get off work, not have a schedule conflict, and be able to eat a Kogi taco. They’re genius, they’ve since expanded to 2 trucks, and a location in Venice. I do have to owe all knowledge to Kari… who I should have listened to and acted immediately. Now they’ve got so much coverage it’s nuts. A taco is $2 and you get that! Ok, it’s kinda small, about 4-6 will do a meal for you, so plan on $8-$12 in spending. Burritos are $5.
I finally gave in and accepted the fact that I would have to wait in some kind of line (still haven’t had Pinks, the line just isn’t worth it for a hot dog). Friday at 5:15pm I got a text saying Kogi was on it’s way to Little Tokyo. This prompted me to leave work immediately and rush home. I knew they would be late, so I figured I’d get there when they got there. This assumption was true. The assumption that hoards of people would actually show up and line up before they got there is what I didn’t account for. I dragged Whitney, Ashley, and baby Tanner along. Ashley gave up and sat in the car. Tanner fell asleep, and poor Whitney stood there the whole time with me. She did take several photos of the line and the trucks (I’m sure there will be a blog post on her part).
We waited in line for an hour 40. The whole time smelling the wonderful smell of korean bbq chicken and short ribs! It was maddening. I hadn’t eaten anything since 11am, and well by the time I got the delicious Kogi sparerib and spicy bbq chicken taco and the sparerib burrito, well I forgot to take a photo of the before… so all you get is after. That sauce was SOOO delicious, and the chicken was so flavorful.
The chicken tacos are my favorite favorite, and all I think I ever want to get. I’m sitting here planning my next trip and drooling as I type this. I did get a burrito, that was good, but just not as yummy as the taco. I think it had egg and cheese in it, and would’ve been great for breakfast.. or I guess a 1am snack after clubbing (kogi’s target market).
From Kogi’s site:
The taco comes with:
sesame-chili salsa roja julienne romaine lettuce and cabbage tossed in Korean chili-soy vinaigrette
cilantro-green onion-lime relish
crushed sesame seeds
sea salt
garnished with lime wedge, orange wedge and red radish wedge
I need to learn patience. We’ve recently upgraded to Goldmine (our CRM software), and every email I read, every appointment I complete means at least a 10-20 second if not more wait, and it’s killing me! Which made me think of my complete lack of patience.
Yesterday, I was watching the phenomenom of the merge lane on the freeway. I am sure you have been in one of these two positions.
1) Sitting behind a line of cars, watching the cars in the lane to the right of you merge in, and then watching the lane go on for another 20-100 yards and seeing the few outliers, zoom to the very end and then cut in. I usually fume at this point.
2) You’ve been late for something, and been that individual who zooms to the very end of the merge lane, and then bumps in.
When I’ve been in the bumper-to-bumper lane, I’ve secretly smiled when some lone car blocks off the rest of the merge lane and slowly drives up it, so no one else can zoom to the front.
Yesterday it hit me. Why are we being so selfish? If that individual has the skills to get to the very end and then merge over, so be it. If I have the patience (ahem stupidity as I’m not patient) to sit and wait with all of the other cars, so be it. Why should I be upset at their genius. They are taking advantage of an opening. The lane was obviously meant to go for another few yards, so why let that perfectly good space go to waste? Why did I get over so early??! So my plea, is the next time you see a merge lane, take advantage of it, or don’t. If you don’t then don’t be made at us zoomers who are making use of every inch of space the freeways in LA give us.
I got super busy and very behind on bloggin in 2008. I also realized that I didn’t do a very good job of capturing with photos everything. I promise 2009 will be better. As soon as Ryan and I gain our lives back from work we promise to update. For now, here’s 24 pages of photos for those of you complain that my blog is too “wordy”
MS Magazine had a essay competition in 2004, one of the finalists article’s captured what I’m about to write about amazingly well. She’s a Pulitzer Prize winner, so her article is much, much more eloquent than I could ever be.
On Friday afternoon I came home to explain to my husband that the heart of our future baby had stopped beating.
My doctor immediately recommended two high quality doctors to see. Neither doctor took my insurance. I looked online for doctors and couldn’t find anything. I looked up doctors on Aetna’s website and began calling doctors trying to find someone in network. I couldn’t understand why I was having such a hard time finding somewhere to do the procedure that I desperately needed. My husband was completely confused as to why I couldn’t find a doctor. I lay in bed all day wondering, when will I begin bleeding, when will I begin to lose this baby.
Aetna was extremely unhelpful in directing me to a doctor (told me to go online and search for one). A helpful call to UCLA informed me that if I called in and explained that I couldn’t find a doctor to do the medically necessary procedure, my insurance could approve a non approved facility. This as I learned was rather common. So today has been spent on the phone with Aetna, my referring physician, Precertification, and Member Services. I’m in, but I still don’t know how much money it will all cost, so I get to wake up at 5am PT to call so that I can ensure I am not saddled with a $3,000 bill, despite having insurance.
So why has this been such a large ordeal? Why couldn’t I just go in and get everything taken care of? Because a D&E is an abortion procedure. Anyone who’s had a first trimester miscarriage is familiar with the terms D&C, and most doctors perform this procedure. However, as the article I mentioned earlier points out:
On November 6, 2003, President Bush signed what he called a “partial birth abortion ban,” prohibiting doctors from committing an “overt act” designed to kill a partially delivered fetus. The law, which faces vigorous challenges, is the most significant change to the nation’s abortion laws since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled abortion legal in Roe v. Wade in 1973. One of the unintended consequences of this new law is that it put people in my position, with a fetus that is already dead, in a technical limbo.
Legally, a doctor can still surgically take a dead body out of a pregnant woman. But in reality, the years of angry debate that led to the law’s passage, restrictive state laws and the violence targeting physicians have reduced the number of hospitals and doctors willing to do dilations and evacuations (D&Es) and dilations and extractions (intact D&Es), which involve removing a larger fetus, sometimes in pieces, from the womb.
At the same time, fewer medical schools are training doctors to do these procedures. After all, why spend time training for a surgery that’s likely to be made illegal?
At this point, 74 percent of obstetrics and gynecology residency programs do not train all residents in abortion procedures, according to reproductive health researchers at the National Abortion Federation. . . .
Fewer than 7 percent of obstetricians are trained to do D&Es, the procedure used on fetuses from about 13 to 19 weeks. Almost all the doctors doing them are over 50 years old.
It is so frustrating to me. On one hand, I am ferverently against abortions for convenience. But on the other hand, the narrow-sighted view on abortion saddens me.
The message I hope to relay to everyone, is no one knows where someone else is coming from. No one can know if a woman going into a clinic is going because she may die if the pregnancy continues, because she was the unfortunate victim of rape or insest, because she is carrying a set of twins and one has died, or because like me her baby is already dead. Each of these poor women is already struggling with her own personal sadness and emotional grief, and to be besieged by the images, hate and fear that are so often associated with abortion clinic angers me.
For those of you are completely anti-abortion, I do concede, that yes I do not have to have a D&E. I could wait until I miscarried, till I began to have contractions and have the experience of actually delivering the fetus.
I also did some research, spoke with friends who were obstetricians and gynecologists, and quickly learned this: Study after study shows D&Es are safer than labor and delivery. Women who had D&Es were far less likely to have bleeding requiring transfusion, infection requiring intravenous antibiotics, organ injuries requiring additional surgery or cervical laceration requiring repair and hospital readmission.
A review of 300 second- trimester abortions published in 2002 in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology found that 29 percent of women who went through labor and delivery had complications, compared with just 4 percent of those who had D&Es.
So that is my story. It was long, without pictures, and not exactly peppy. But it felt good to get it out there, and I really hope this is helpful to someone.
I made it on the news finally (well there were all those morning show appearances when I interned at Fox, but that doesn’t really count). That’s me driving in to the parking lot in my fabulous Altima. No I’m not flipping them off, but I think it kind of looks like I am!
I really am annoyed by the fact that they’re targeting businesses like this (the owner’s daughter donated a whole $100 dollars), for their political contributions. Where were these people before the vote? Why didn’t they make their voices heard then? Did anyone from the No side even ask her to make a contribution during the election?? One of my friends got a “complaint” called in to his work, seriously, they called his work to complain that he had donated to the Yes on 8 campaign. But mostly, that’s me on tv. LOL!
Isn’t that cute?! I may actually start scrap booking. www.scrapblog.com is this nifty service that grabs photos from all of my photo sites, and I can arrange them on scrapbook like pages. I may actually begin to scrapbook! Shh don’t tell the mother in law.
San Francisco Police had their hands full controlling a huge crowd of Twilight fans at a mall.
Teens from all over the country came to San Francisco’s Stonestown Galleria to try and get a look at Robert Pattinson – an actor who played in the Harry Potter movies and is now the upcoming Twilight film.
The movie is connected to the hugely popular romantic novel that includes vampires.
Police said they expected around 200 to 500 people to come to the mall to get a wristband that would allow them to come back for a t-shirt signing.
One girl reportedly got her nose broken after being pushed against the mall door. Others were reportedly pressed hard by the crowd.
Police were forced to cancel the event after the crowd went out of control.
So Lean Cuisine was on sale last week at Ralphs. I thought to myself, “Now there’s a way to save money and time for lunch!” So I bought a bunch of them (lilke 14 or something crazy). Anyway, this post is how I think they are a great diet tool. haha! The past two day’s I’ve only eaten about 500 calories! Amazing right? You’re thinking how did she have the will power? So, I’ve been trying to pin point what I ate (that the rest of the family didn’t, as I got a bit umm… sick). As I reached in the freezer this morning for lunch, I think I’ve pinned the culprit to the following meal:
Undercooked Shrimp?
I guess I didn’t quite microwave it long enough, as I’m just beginning to feel better this morning. I still highly recommend it, and the butternut squash one. Just make sure to microwave the shrimp for the full time But otherwise, here kicks off my official Pre-Thanksgiving diet! Special K and Lean Cuisine!
As she said, marriage is about society, our future, and our children.
Amen to Lyndsey’s post regarding Proposition 8 on the sign stealing and attacks. It just really irritates me. For the Anti-Prop 8 people to be espousing how this is about fairness and rights and appreciating differences, I really find them extremely intolerant. I am also irritated by the LIES by the California Superintendent about teaching marriage in school. I am unsure how something that blatantly false can get out there. I learned about families in school and sex, I don’t know about you. Hayward elementary school had a “National Coming Out Day” for kindergarteners, instruction in which parents were told they could not opt-out according to recent news accounts. And of course there was the gay marriage the 1st graders were able to attend.
My religious beliefs are that homosexual marriage is wrong, and it does not fall in line with my belief in a family. That’s it. That’s my belief. If I was Jewish, or Muslim, or Hindu, or a 7th Day Adventist I should have a right to hold my belief (just like Jehovah’s Witnesses don’t celebrate Halloween, or vote) even if it’s different from yours. I feel as if I’m being told I cannot hold this religious belief, and my religious practices are being infringed upon. But that’s a whole different issue. My issue today is with the craziness going on around Proposition 8. So much hate it’s crazy.
The Lopez family woke up Saturday to find three tires slashed outside their Bay Park home. Susan Lopez believes the message is in response to her Yes on Prop 8 sign
The most recent incidents occurred Sunday night, when two homes in the southern part of the city had “No on 8″ spray-painted on their garages. One home had a sign supporting Proposition 8 in its yard.
Lyndsey’s post talks about bleach thrown on a woman.
You’d think You Tube could tell who belonged to this account and prosecute their butts. Seriously how are you proud that you are a thief?
Finally, however, on you tube is someone who’s set up sting operations, I think is my hubby’s new weekend activity with the boys! LOL!
I wouldn’t consider myself a huge Disney fan. We went this past weekend (photo’s coming, once ATT figures out what side is up and gets our Internet turned on).
Sleeping Beauty
I couldn’t help it and purchased the 2 Disc DVD. I’ve been waivering as we only have a DVD player, but it turns out this Amazon DVD special comes with the 2 Disc Blu Ray and a DVD. How awesome is that???! I decided hinting that I wanted this for Christmas wouldn’t do, so have pre-shopped for my Christmas gift. Sad I know.
Ohh Soo many goodies!!!
I just need to purchase the BluRay player for Christmas for the hubby now… for him of course
If you read the title and you know me, you’re certainly thinking I’m talking about my sneaky craftiness. But I am actually, truly talking about being crafty! I’m delving into my nesting tendencies and decorating my new apartment. As soon as I get the net at home, I’m uploading lots of photos of the apartment. For now I’m stealing photos on duvet covers from Cayenne & Carob’s blog (and other random places).
So, the boss gets the West Elm catalog, and I have happened to notice this lovely duvet cover (we recently purchased a Calvin Klein one from the Rack, and it has Calvin’s lame name written all over it, so I’m in the market). While I like the structure of this (I REALLY like the pillow) I did worry a bit about the 230 count thread. It’s Organic though, and $79 for a Queen. I saw in on ebay for $54 Sunday, so all in all reasonable.
West Elm's Pin tuck
However, we like our bed soft and snuggly. And the West Elm bed just looks itchy. This photo SCREAMED snuggly softness.
Snuggly Kissing Pleat
Of course, Anthropologie charges like $300 dollars for their 300 thread count sheets, but I think their cover just looks so snuggly and soft. I found some other photos though that are from Anthropologie, and then it looked a bit more flat. I also liked that it has button details with random thread assortments. It makes it a bit fun, and brightens the mood.
Anthropologie Kissing Pleat
Up close and colorful!
Finally, I happend to notice that Ryan and Shana have the West Elm bedding. So I could see what a pin tuck duvet looks like in real life, not primped for the catalog, but sat upon, slept upon, and generally just lying there.
The Real Deal - Shana & Ryan's
So what’s the verdict?
The verdict is that I married a CPA, and he thinks a duvet should cost $20. I’ve found people on Etsy who will make this duvet for $75 plus cost of materials … but that’s still too much. So luckily I found a wonderful blog (which I will be adding to my blogroll as it’s just awesome), who found a Martha Stewart Living article that shows you how to do pin tucks. Ash and I will be attempting to make a pintuck pillow to see how it works out, and if it does, be prepared to see the final product (plus I’m sure lots of additional instructions, as the MS article is a bit vague for me).
And where will I find the time? I don’t know . . . but I will definitely find it!
Below is the TEST. My thoughts are in bold witht he answers.
Try answering the 10 questions below, then I will reveal the actual answers and help you evaluate your fitness to cast an informed (by facts) vote in 2008.
The Test
1. In 2005, the U.S. federal government spent $581 billion on Health and Human Services and $560 billion on Social Security Administration, for a combined total over $1.1 trillion. How much did the United States spend on Defense-Military?
(a) $2.744 trillion
(b) $1.474 trillion
(c) $744 billion
(d) $474 billion
2. In 2001, public spending per capita on health in the United Kingdom, Canada and France was $1,518, $1,531 and $1,599, respectively. How much was public spending per capita on health in the United States?
(a) $168
(b) $682
(c) $1,286
(d) $2,168
3. In 2003 in the U.S., those making $200,000 or more (Adjusted Gross Income, or AGI) made up less than 2% of all federal income tax returns, yet they accounted for almost 22% of all income (AGI) reported to the IRS. What fraction of all federal income tax dollars came from those who made $200,000 or more in 2003?
(a) 2%
(b) 12%
(c) 22%
(d) 42%
4. While 140 countries have signed the Kyoto Treaty to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, the U.S. refuses to do so. From 1994 to 2004, carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of fossil fuels increased by 19.4% in Canada, 26.4% in Greece, 42.9% in Norway, and 68.4% in China. How much did carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of fossil fuels increase in the U.S. from 1994 to 2004?
(a) 129%
(b) 92.1%
(c) 29.1%
(d) 12.9%
5. In 2004 in the U.S., just three years after the 911 attacks, there were 1,013 anti-Jewish hate crime offenses. How many anti-Islamic hate crime offenses were there?
(a) 100,094
(b) 10,094
(c) 1,094
(d) 194
6. In 2004 in the U.S., the cumulative total of men who had AIDS due to sexual contact with other men was 402,722. How many men had AIDS due to sexual contact with women? (a) 43,347,000
(b) 4,334,700
(c) 433,470
(d) 43,347
7. In 2004 in the U.S., it was not known whether a weapon was present in 5.2% of the cases of rape and sexual assault. A non-firearm weapon was known to be present in 7.9% of the cases. How often was a firearm known to be present in rapes and sexual assaults?
(a) 80%
(b) 40%
(c) 20%
(d) 0%
8. The CIA’s “Comprehensive Report of the Special Advisor to the DCI on Iraq’s WMD” by the Iraq Survey Group (ISG), also known as the “Duelfer Report”, is the authority commonly cited to debunk the threat of WMD as an excuse to invade Iraq in 2003. Which of the following statements was taken from the Duelfer Report?
(a) “we cannot express a firm view on the possibility that WMD elements were relocated out of Iraq prior to the war”
(b) “ISG technical experts fully evaluated less than one quarter of one percent of the over 10,000 weapons caches throughout Iraq”
(c) “Iraq could have re-established an elementary BW [biological warfare] program within a few weeks to a few months of a decision to do so”
(d) All of the above.
9. In 2003 in the U.S., the number of pedestrians killed in motor vehicle accidents was 5,991. How many motorcycle riders were killed?
(a) 36,076
(b) 7,663
(c) 6,736
(d) 3,676
10. The intelligence of President George W. Bush is often ridiculed, especially on late-night comedy shows. What fraction of the general population is less intelligent than President Bush?
(a) 25%
(b) 50%
(c) 75%
(d) 95%
The Answers
The correct answer to every question was (d). The answers to the first seven questions can be found in The Statistical Abstract of the U.S. Specific tables from that source, and other sources, are cited in the discussion below.
1. The U.S. federal government spent $474 billion on Defense-Military in 2005, well less than either Health and Human Services or Social Security (Table 461). In fact, it was less than 20% of all federal outlays and just 3.8% of GDP. These are historically low numbers and unprecedented for wartime.
2. Despite the U.S. health care system often being described as a “free market”, the U.S. spends more in public dollars per capita than almost all other countries, including Canada and the U.K. In fact, only Norway spends more (Table 1318). Note that these are public dollars, meaning government spending. Total public and private spending on health care in the U.S. is about double that, or about 16% of GDP.
3. Households with AGI of $200,000 paid over 42% of all federal income taxes, despite making up less than 2% of all returns and just 22% of all reported income (Table 474). In fact, the average tax rate for those making $500,000 or more was 25%, while it was only 7% for those making between $30,000 and $40,000, or near median incomes. That means the richest tax payers pay more than triple the rate of the middle class. And this is well after the Republican tax cuts took effect. I don’t know if I agree with this.. unless these guys need new Tax Accountants! Seriously, isn’t there several loop holes they could funnel their millions through?
4. Between 1994 to 2004, carbon dioxide emissions from the U.S. increased by 12.9%, the same increase as that of France and a smaller increase than that of Canada, Greece, Norway, and China. In fact, U.S. emissions grew at a slower rate than the emissions from 143 of 213 countries (67%), including Cuba, Venezuela and Iran. Moreover, North America is actually a carbon dioxide sink, meaning it absorbs more than it produces. That’s something you never hear… I guess we just produce more trash.
5. In 2004 in the U.S., just three years after the 911 attacks, there were 194 anti-Islamic hate crime offenses, about one fifth as many as anti-Jewish offenses, and only about 2% of all hate crime offenses (Table 308). In fact, anti-Jewish offenses constituted over two thirds of all anti-religion hate crime offenses, despite both the small numbers of Jews in the country and the much-feared “Muslim backlash” (meaning backlash of non-Muslims against Muslims) that appears ever more phantasmagorical.
6. In 2004 in the U.S. there was a cumulative total of 43,347 men who had AIDS due to sexual contact with women, or about a tenth as many as those who had it from sexual contact with other men (Table 177). However, since heterosexual men outnumber gay men by a factor of 10 to 100, gay men (herein meaning men who have sex with men) are 100 to 1,000 times more likely than heterosexual men to get AIDS from sexual contact. I’ll believe this one… 2 men = twice as dumb when it comes to being smart about sex…
7. In 2004 in the U.S., no firearm was known to be present in any rape or sexual assault – zero, despite some other type of weapon being present in about 8% of such crimes (Table 315).
8. The Duelfer Reportadmitted that dozens of chemical weapons actually were found [later determined to be more than 500], that the ISG did not search much of Iraq, that its sources were not reliable, that most suspected WMD sites had been looted or destroyed, that WMD could very well have been taken out of the country, that WMD programs could have been reconstituted and WMD produced quickly, and that Saddam Hussein intended to do exactly that shortly after he bribed enough countries using the “oil for food” program to drop the sanctions and inspection regime. Does that sound like “no threat” or “no evidence” to you?
9. More pedestrians than motorcycle riders were killed in motor vehicle accidents in 2003 – in fact, 63% more, according to the National Safety Council. Of the 44,757 deaths due to motor vehicle accidents, only 3,676 (8%) were motorcycle riders. Should pedestrians be forced to wear helmets, as are motorcycle riders in many states? Why not drivers and passengers in cars and trucks, for that matter? I’m not sure if I should share this statistic with Matt . . . I’m still against bikes. But good news Monkeybot!
10. George W. Bush’s SAT score of 1206 has been widely reported. The SAT score (if taken prior to 1995) can be used to estimate IQ, to compare to the general population, and to compare to occupational averages and popular figures in history. Using such estimates, President Bush’s IQ is between 125 and 130 which ranks him as more intelligent than over 95% of the population, more intelligent than most college professors and medical doctors, and similar to Abraham Lincoln, Rousseau and Thackeray (comparative IQs of 128). I may think Bush is kinda dumb sometimes, but he’s seriously in the spotlight all the time. If the hubby ever got around to posting my entire life on a blog, well, I would like a pretty big moron as well. So yes I think he’s intelligent, but he makes a lot of dumb moves that have nothing to do with his IQ.
Whitney had her baby shower on Tuesday 10/2. Ya I know I’m late with this post. Ryan returned our camera, so all the photos got downloaded to our computer (which doesn’t have internet since we moved), so those will have to come later in a separate all photo post. I just don’t want to postpone this post any longer.
I was really happy it turned out so well. Melissa is seriously just full of awesome, as she seemed to have that soft nack that I just lack. I am so not a good “woman” or girl, as I think I probably should be called if I weren’t so darn old!
We decided to go for a Cafe Rio theme, based on Whitney’s favorite Utah restaurant, and then I threw in a Trifle recipe I found on the Food Network (you can usually not go wrong there).
After some recipe comparison on various sites, I found the PERFECT recipe here
SWEET PORK
2 pounds pork
3 cans Coke (NOT diet)
1/4 c. brown sugar
dash garlic salt
1/4 c. water
1 can sliced green chilies
3/4 can enchilada sauce (I used 1 cup of La Victoria)
1 c. brown sugar (packed)
Put the pork in a heavy duty ziploc bag to marinade. Add about a can and a half of coke and about 1/4 c. of brown sugar. Marinade for a few hours or overnight.
Drain marinade and put pork, 1/2 can of coke, water, and garlic salt in crock pot on high for about 3-4 hours or until it shreds easily, but don’t let it get TOO dry (I cooked it on Low for 6-7 hours). Remove pork from crock pot and drain any liquid left in the pot. Shred pork.
In a food processor or blender, blend 1/2 can Coke, chilies, enchilada sauce and remaining brown sugar (about a cup, you can add a little more or less to taste..). If it looks too thick, add more Coke little by little.
Put shredded pork and sauce in crockpot and cook on low for 2 hours.
CILANTRO-LIME RICE
1 c. uncooked rice
1 tsp. butter or margarine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
1 can (15 oz) chicken broth
1 cup water
1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tsp. sugar
3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
In a saucepan combine rice, butter, garlic, 1 tsp. lime, chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook on low 15-20 minutes, until rice is tender. Remove from heat. In a small bowl combine lime juice, sugar and cilantro. Pour over hot cooked rice and mix in as you fluff the rice.
I still haven’t got the rice to turn out just right – it ends up a bit mushy still.
BLACK BEANS
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/3 c. tomato juice
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro
In a nonstick skillet, cook garlic and cumin in olive oil over medium heat until you can smell it. Add beans, tomato juice, and salt. Continually stir until heated through. Just before serving stir in the cilantro.
CILANTRO RANCH
1 packet TRADITIONAL Hidden Valley Ranch mix (not BUTTERMILK)
1 c. mayonnaise
1 c. buttermilk
2 tomatillos, remove husk, diced
1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro
1 clove garlic
juice of 1 lime (VERY important to the final product)
1 jalepeno (we like it SPICY so we kept the seeds in it, if you like it mild, just remove the seeds)
Mix all ingredients together in the blender. Thats it!
Buy the aluminum deep-dish pans at Smart and Final in bulk.
Lay a tortilla in the bottom of the pan, sprinkle cheese on it, and put in the oven at 375 for about 5 min
I hear Food for Less has the tortilla strips, but I didn’t see them. You can always fry your own up from a tortilla, but we all know I’m too lazy to do that.
BERRY TRIFLE
Berries: 1 pint blueberries 1 pint strawberries, hulled and cut into thick slices 2 pint raspberries 1 lemon, juiced 1/4 cup sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
Lemon Cream:
1 quart whipping cream
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (11-ounce) jar lemon curd
1 cup store bought pound cake, slices 1/2-inch thick
Place the berries into a large bowl and sprinkle with half of the lemon juice. Lightly toss.
Combine the berries, sugar, cornstarch and remaining lemon juice in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer and cook just until the berries begin to break down and give up their juices, about 3 minutes. Take the berries off the heat and let cool; the mixture should thicken up as is cools.
In a clean bowl, whip the cream with the sugar and the vanilla to soft peaks. Put the lemon curd into a second bowl and stir in a little of the whipped cream to loosen it. Then fold in the rest of the cream.
To assemble the trifle, spoon a layer of the lemon cream into a large glass bowl. Add a layer of pound cake, breaking the slices into pieces that fit. Then soak the cake with a layer of berries and their juices. Keep going to make 3 or 4 more layers, depending on the size of the bowl, finishing with a layer of lemon cream. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
We’re in Utah for a recruiting event this week, so I’ve been working remotely. This has given me time to peruse the family computer— and boy was it worth it. I would like to introduce everyone to the sexy man I married. . . ahem.
Mr. Shaggy
Mr. Shaggy wasn’t so bad. Because he went into Mr. Long Haired Snowboarder dude, who wore a lot of beanies and baseball hats. The curls were kinda cute, poking out under the baseball hats. Well at the Y you can’t be Mr. Long Haired Snowboarder dude for too long. So let me introduce you to what finally made me say yes . . .
So this is a post from July. That I REALLY need to get up. I’ll post a second one with a slide show of our antics. It was so priceless I wanted to give this post the quality time it needed. I can see that’s not coming anytime soon. I have like 8 more posts I’m behind on!
For Ryan’s birthday he asked that we get him an Ass. He didn’t really think we would, but we came through (with $40 bucks of sugar too!).
I cannot believe where the opening for the candy was, it was priceless! nor could I believe that the thing only cost 10 bucks. Look how huge it is!
And of course, there was plenty to go around afterwards. We ended up Bacci balling the thing, isntead of Pinataing it. how fun!
I keep getting requests for twitter, which I promptly ignore.
Today, I have given in. With my recent update to unlimited texting I figure why not. I personally don’t see why it’s so great. Knowing all the random crap I’m doing all day (it’s not like my blog isn’t egotistical enough) is not something I can figure anyone would care about.. . but perhaps my truest and dearest friends really love me that much, and I them. Cute icons for all your twittering found at AOD Designs
twit twit
Of course I researched how twitter would interface with wordpress, as I have like 8 posts I haven’t quite managed to get up yet! So just wait to see the new and improved Ego fest! I’ll prolly post on how I linked them once I figure the thing out. Have figured out how to post blogs to twitter though, so that’s a start.
I have several old posts that I still need to get up. But they require, wit, photo uploading, and well time that I just don’t have in between moving and packing for Hawaii.
In the vein of moving. How awesome would it be to have this Robot? I can’t believe how far we have come . . . watch out Terminator
So for my regular readers (ahh don’t I sound egotistical– it’s because I am), you may have picked up on the theme of I am a stress case. Someone pointed out today that every time they see me I’m twiddling my hair as it comforts me – a remnant of my thumb sucking as a child. Well it turns out that officially all the time I’ve been spending with my girlfriends is good for me. I just thought I was procrastinating all the work that seems to be piling up both professionally and domestically (thank heavens for Ashley!!!) Read on for the study. . .
Actually the post has to do with how smart the Chinese are. Everyone’s talking about the “super swimmer” suits . . .not just because as Phelps and others remove them, we get to see more of our US Team than we ever imagined. . . but because everyone is breaking world records.
Bringing Sexy Back
The Chinese are geniuses. The Chinese Olympics will be remembered (I really don’t remember Athens at all, it was kinda lame I think), not only for the $300m they dropped on their completely amazing opening ceremonies, but for all of the World Records that were broken. China will be synonymous with good things, not child labor, death and oppression.
The pool is insane. Clipped from npr,
“‘…it’s just deep enough to where the waves dissipate (and) the turbulence dissipates down to the bottom.’
The Water Cube pool also has 10 lanes instead of eight. Waves churned up during races don’t bounce back into the swimming lanes. Waves that reach the sides are siphoned off by perforated gutters.
The Water Cube pool is close to 10 feet deep. That’s 3 feet deeper than the pools of the past. The lane lines that separate swimmers are called wave eaters because they dissipate turbulent water. The goal is to make the water as flat and clear as possible, despite the churning that swimmers create.
…. Wide decks with seats sharply cascading back give swimmers an uncrowded sense of space. That can energize athletes.”
Sure, millions of dollars could have been spent on feeding the starving in China. But who’s going to remember the stinky, rotting poor of China in the future? They’re going to remember the modern, sexy fast Olympics, where everyone’s dreams came true.
So I am a polygamist. It’s kinda nice.. if only Polygamy worked like this. One person to do the housewifely things, and the other to actually be the wife. Ok so maybe I just have a live in maid.. and man I don’t know how anyone lives without one!
Ash has been “visiting” us for quite a bit now, and is pretty much part of the family (the scrubgrub family). At first there was some hesitancy on mr. scrubgrub’s part… uh oh, your moocher sister is going to stay with us, and eat our food, and take away our privacy. Well it turns out, I think he likes her better than me?! Yesterday we were watching this pretty nifty – if not VERY Japanese– Movie from Japan on Daily Motion. Crows Zero here:
It was nice to have someone to sit with and watch the movie, as well, mr. scrubgrub is not as interested in asian culture as I am. Evident by the fact that he came in and took the remote, “Umm, the Olympics are on.” Ash every so gracefully stepped in and said “Well, we can’t watch this in the bedroom; you can watch the Olympics there.” He paused for a half a second and then said, “Well because you did an awesome job with putting my shirts away ok. And you know what… she did! She has some ODD, inhuman nack for cleanliness and organization. She’s got them all slanted somehow.
Ingenious!
She of course will say I have some odd, inhuman nack for messiness, but that’s a moot point as this is my blog and she doesn’t get say here. I do have proof of her unhumaness. We’ve managed to keep this pan cabinet, looking pretty organized, with Ash’s help.
Even the DREADED pan cabinet
I like the idea of putting all spices in a drawer, so that I can see them, versus digging through a bunch of bottles that all look the same.
See exhibits A & B of her, “I was bored, so I organized” benders
Exhibit A
Exhibit B
But I think she’s a better house wife than I am. I’m ok with this. It’s nice to have her there when I’m being unrealistic, or he is being unrealistic, she helps us see things clearly. It’s nice to have someone who’s taken out the trash, or done the laundry at the end of a 13 hour work day. It’s nice to have someone to excercise with, or in his case go and play tennis with and not suck. She’s up for the guy things, and up for the girl things. She’s a calm head, and well she’s neat. So this post is dedicated to how super Ash is.. hopefully it doesn’t go to her head.
So this week has been quite eventful. Work has in general sucked.. for both of us.
He think's he's cute
I in my benevolent nature allowed hubby to take out some of the frustrations of the week on my lovely face – -
He and Ash took photos. It’s really not fair when they BOTH gang up on me. I could in general keep the damage to a minimum when it was just him!
He held me down, and Ash took a nice black pen and gave me a uni-brow and hitler stach.
Don't I look Sexy!
Once everyone was over the angst of the work week, we got together with some friends and went to Philippe’s. Which was great as Ash and I got to continue our quest for the perfect piece of pie. While Philippe’s is known for their French Dip (mental note to try the lamb and blue cheese, instead of just beef and jack), they are not really up there in terms of pie.
Eating Pie
The crust was very dry, and the blueberry pie just tasted canned and kind of chemically. Hubby of course liked it- I am throwing out his vote entirely as he likes anything to do with pies – especially blueberry.
wwwweeeeeeeeeeee. I am a sad pathetic excuse for an almost 30 year old. Though I’m just going to say I’m a very awesome and loving sister.
Ash has left on her trip to Nanny Land Sunday morning. Well, as any good loving sister would do, I took her to go shopping at the Grove – of course this had nothing to do with the Barnes and Noble that was holding my copy of Breaking Dawn. And of course, the park bench I then sat on for the next 3 hours while she shopped reading the book, was out of my obligation to her to finish the book before Sunday morning so she could take it off to Nanny Land with her.
So in summation. My book review.
It was entertaining. I couldn’t help laughing at certain parts (some I am not quite sure if Stephenie Meyer meant it to be that funny, or if the cheesy factor was just too thick). I’m not upset by the character changes– people grow up and I think Stephenie was trying to capture that. But I also think she lost some of the charm of the whole Twilight series in this book. I felt a little less emotional with this book. It was fluffy and happy and entertaining. The “fight” scene was okay, and had a lot going on, but overall I wasn’t super tense. I guess I give it a B. The “romantic” scenes I felt were contrived, and I really have issues with a book that thousands of teen girls are fans of having such mature content. I think Stephenie glossed/faded to black a lot which is fine, but at the same time very strongly conveyed that sex is just so phenomenal you can’t function properly and it’s all you’ll want to do . . .which is not exactly what I want my teenage daughter reading.
I am kind of bugged by the whole Edward can get Bella prego part . . . if Stephenie had never said anything about vampire’s inability to have kiddies, it wouldn’t bug me. But she took the time in an interview to say they couldn’t, and then with no explanation in the book, just made it happen. She explained how Bella’s new closet looked, what Bella’s kid smelled like, but couldn’t take the time to explain this plot point – -well that just irked me. And again, I reiterate, I like the emotional side of Twilight. This book I felt was just a bit too much on the “Oh Bella’s dress was ripped, and Edward couldn’t control himself,” (I’m laughing just typing that line! Which according to DH is a sign that this is most definitely girl porn, and right up their with a Fabio novel).
..is not something that my husband particularly likes unless it’s Jack Johnson, or ACDC, or something along those lines. So when the boss offered me tickets to the Hollywood Bowl, he recommended girls night.
Julie Andrews was still amazing, despite her voice not quite being the same. I really want to watch South Pacific now, and start watching musicals again. . . not sure I’ll be able to get the TV off of When Animals Attack though.. maybe I’ll have to wrestle someone for the remote.
Whitney's lovin' it
Lyndsey, Whitney, and Ash all came. We had some fun with the camera during intermission. I don’t think I took quite as many photos prior to Ash’s visit. So I guess all of our ANTM photo shoots of recent are her fault
The seats were right up front. So we got to feel like we actually had some money.. even though I only earned the tickets through selling my soul to my boss. Oh well. At least we had fun
So I have found chapters 1-14, Of course I have not read pages 274-275 as they were glued together by the dolt who scanned the pages. Do I think it’s all an elaborate hoax? No, not at all. Really, people have a ton of time on their hands, but no one has THAT much time. And these books aren’t THAT important to society. I guess I have to wait till Saturday to pick up my book to get the rest– but I did pass along the first 14 chapters as any dutiful friend would what those people did with the links, I can only assume.
So at the risk of spoiling anyone who plans on reading the book here I go:
It’s EXACTLY what I expected. Ok to be fair, I didn’t expect it to be this CHEESY, but yes I did expect it to be cheesy. It has officially gone to the land of girly porn as my hubby loves to call it. It’s not really girly porn, but MAN does it get close. I’m not really into the whole mushy, hold me and look into my eyes forever stuff… ugh.. gag. This book is SOOO full of the lovey dovey stuff it sickens me. I am kind of surprised at the adultness of it all, being that these books are supposed to be for teenage girls (what I never said I wasn’t immature enough to read this stuff).
Overall, I thought it was a bit amateurish to be honest. Yes I laughed at certain scenes – Jake seriously cracks me up. I rolled my eyes at other silly inserts by Stephanie. I could just see her sitting at her desk laughing to herself smugly at what a funny writer she thinks she is. She quoted the Simpsons! And she snuck in a blonde joke. And she mentioned Idaho! I kinda feel like while writing this book she had a list of “fan requests” that she tried to sneak into the book, you know, ”peep call outs.” Like fit ”chain link fence” into your talk in church on Sunday, kind of stuff.
My bro calls it mass marketed fan fiction, and that is really what it is. I think this book, more so than the others, really begins to clearly mark itself as such. Overall, I guess I’m still picking up the book, but I am a bit dissapointed that Stephanie wasn’t able to really show herself to be an outstanding author, but has, as most LDS authors before her in my book, gone the way to cheesy overwritten girl crap. Oh well, maybe this is all fake and none of what is on the net is true. . . thought I REALLY believed that Stephanie was going to try and get Bella pregnant by SOMEONE.. ANYONE in this book, and well from what’s out there, she played right into my prediction, like the hack writer that she is.
My sister has an amazing wall sticker in her baby’s bedroom. She painted the wall orange and it has this adorable quote in cursive over the orange. I’m thinking some wall stickers would be super cute if Ryan and I move over to the Orsini and finally settle in somewhere, so stop living like college dorm kids! That way I get some color, and some ‘pop’ without having to worry about renting guidelines.
The post originally was entitled, I can cook. But I CAN cook. I really suck at baking. I’m really good at box mixes though I realize that doesn’t count as baking. Anyway, after the pie expedition we thought maybe making a pie at home would be best. Well as our first trip to Clementine’s resulted in no pie being available, I stopped by again. And was I happy to see you can buy a box of apple pie that you just take home and bake!
My Apple Pie
I bought it and baked it, and enjoyed all of it’s yummy flakiness. The crust was covered in white sugar, so was very sweet and flaky. The inside was very tart, and the apples were probably a bit mushy and thicker than the Al Gelato pie we ate.
We discovered that the apple pie did taste really good with vanilla gelato from Pastagina downstairs. It was nice that for $1, I can buy just the right size of gelato for 2 pieces of pie!
Really good pie at that. I’ve been watching Pushing Daisies online (which is a really cute show by the way). And well it’s made me want pie. So Ash and I have gone on a search through LA for yummy Pie. Below is my review
apple pie
We first tried out Al Gelato on Robertson in Beverly Hills. The Gelato wasn’t phenomenal, but the apple pie was perfect. Now the entire pie itself is like nothing I’ve ever seen, it’s all these flaky layers of tart apple in a huge crust circle that’s like 10″ high… perhaps I exaggerate. The point is they serve it with a yummy yummy caramel sauce. The crust was flaky and flavorful, the apples with the carmal sauce was, well yummy yummy as I pointed out above
Ash was then in charge of the next jaunt, and was recommended to Pie n’ Burger in Pasadena. Geeze that wasn’t easy to find! We drove past the little thing 3 times. It’s a total 50’s diner, replete with cash register and waitresses from that era. The burgers definitely looked pretty good, but the pie. Well it reminded me of something my mom would make for Thanksgiving dinner. Not bad, but not worth the 6 bucks I think I paid for it.
olollie
We were wow’d by the Ololiberry pie– we’re suckers for odd names. It was actually pretty good for a “fresh” pie, i.e. not cooked but jello-fied. And yes Jello-fied is a word. The crust though wasn’t that buttery, sugary flakyness that I sought. It was like something I could make! We also got the fresh strawberry, again a pile of strawberries, in some jelloy sauce that I can buy at Ralphs, on top of a crust that was propably a bit over baked.
strawberry pie
Lest you think we gave up. We continued on to Mani’s bakery on Fairfax. This involved a cake with no flour or sugar or dairy. While not as “yummy” as a real cake, I can say it didn’t make me feel sick afterwards, tasted pretty yummy. The (I think it was tofu) creamcheesy filling was perfect, and the nuts balanced the apples well. I really would get this again, and the best part is you don’t feel guilty afterwards!
Apple cake
We also stopped by Clementine’s as we were in the area and heard they have good pie. While their sandwiches looked amazing, and their pastries delish, no pie was in sight so we went home hungry.
Ryan and I tease quite frequently, and we are definitely characters to most who know us. I am sure you often wonder if we’ve been married for 30 years or are headed for divorce. Ryan’s a bit of a goofball.. See exhibit A:
The "Falic" rock
However, in his sleep Ryan is the sweet as candy guy I married.
I’ve had a really stressful few days at work.
I kicked the office fridge today and then sent someone home to take some time to de-stress as they couldn’t possibly be as unpleasant naturally as they had been acting. Really I think it was for their own good (I’m sure you’re thinking, would Kinohi really cause bodily harm to a co-worker . . . today I seriously contemplated it).
But Ryan needless had noticed (and of course heard me). The other night I had to go into work at 5:30am. I guess the stress of it all had me tossing and turning all night. Ryan noticed (as it kept waking him), and would gently rub my back. I thought he was dead asleep as he would do it for about a minute and stop. But it turns out he was awake and would pass out after about a minute. Really he’s such a doll!
If you’ve ever seen my kitchen you may notice right next to the stove, a large collection of recipe books. It’s a hobby. There is something about seeing all of those delectable ingredients on one page, and how they all just so magically work together and taste so different each time. Not that I cook a whole lot… just the thought of having all of that knowledge (and photos to dreamily flip through) at my finger tips as I eat my cold cereal for dinner :/
my sister Ashley is the best ahhhhh .. . she has been doing the cooking. Unfortunately we had a “work picnic” so I had to bring the potato salad. Here is where I whip out my famously yummy and not too mayoey potato salad recipe.
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch dice (1/2 cup)
1 medium onion, finely diced (1/2 cup)
10 cornichons, cut into 1/4-inch dice (1/4 cup)
3 scallions, thinly sliced (1/2 cup)
2 tablespoons freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon paprika
Directions
Place potatoes in a large pot with enough water to cover by several inches. Bring to a boil over high heat, add 1 tablespoon salt, and lower to a gentle boil. Cook until potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife, about 25 minutes. Drain into a colander. Using paper towels or gloves to protect your hands, peel potatoes, and cut into 1-inch dice while still hot. Drizzle with vinegar; set aside.
Place eggs in a small pan with enough water to cover by 1 inch, and place over medium-high heat. When water comes to a boil, turn off heat, cover, and let stand for 13 minutes. Drain, and place in a bowl with cold water to cover. When cold, peel eggs. Chop 2 into 1/4-inch dice. Slice the third egg into 1/4-inch-thick rounds, and set aside for garnish.
Combine diced eggs, mayonnaise, celery seed, mustard, 2 teaspoons salt, and black pepper in a large bowl, and whisk to combine. Add reserved potatoes to mayonnaise mixture. Add celery, red pepper, onion, cornichons, scallions, and chopped parsley. Stir to combine. Chill for 30 minutes before serving. Garnish with paprika and reserved hard-boiled egg rounds.
I give credit to Martha Stewart… even though she is the devil.
After a nice weekend at the beach a few weeks back I am officially ruined. Especially as I haven’t had time to go back yet. Not only did a day at the beach made me realize I truly am fat. Photos found on Natalie and Gavin’s blog, though I personally am fonder of the photo Paul sent. . .
Point being I woke up at 5:30 to do some P90x exercise routines to get skinny. I can’t say again, as I’ve never quite been the skinny type. But being out of shape isn’t what’s ruined me (that’s only depressed me). I’m ruined because my will to work is gone. Granted I did emails for 15 minutes at 7, showed up to work from 8:30-7:20 and didn’t take a lunch . . . digressing. . . I don’t want to work anymore!!!! That’s the point. I have lost any drive to achieve anything in the work realm. I could care less about the money. I could care less about the recognition, sense of achievement and learning. Bah, bah, and double bah.
I want the sense of achievement from having a kid, or volunteering at some nice non-profit. I want the enjoyment of reading a really good book and analyzing the crap out of it. I want to be able to walk along the side of a lake and just reflect inwards. I want to try out a new recipe, or actually decorate my house! But I also loathe the thought of just being at home, I just want more me time too. So I think I need to start a business. I really think I can do it! Here is to more week days at the beach!
So after what feels like two months of being bloated (hubby says it’s fat, but I refuse to believe it’s anything but water weight- if I can’t lie to myself who can I lie to?), I’ve turned over a new leaf and am eating healthy. It hasn’t been that hard to reduce the amount of calories I eat, and increase the amount of healthy nutrients. Found a nifty site that has random photos of 200 calories worth of food. Did a little experiment and created a day worth of normal (e.g. bad eating) versus healthy eating.
It’s really crazy to think how easily we rack up way more calories than we need… especially when the candy jar is kept at your desk!
I would probably eat a bowl of chili with this, which would bump this up to an even 2000 calories. But all healthy calories so worth it.
Changing my eating habits get me partially there, but exercise unfortunately is also needed. I’ve started doing P90x. I’ll be sure to post photos of the after..and before ..but only after the after. Of course you all know if you don’t ever see the afters that I have once again succumbed to my lazy tv watching self Wish me luck!
I love this photo! She’s got the EYES down just right. A little bit of playful mischief, a whole lot of curious excitement.
The whole lack of hair thing is disconcerting for a baby with Ailee’s genes though.
Kristie’s kid’s a bit bigger. And as posted previously, also wears a diapers. But how can you not love her? She’s adorable, and even makes Ryan look all soft and daddy like. A few of the other cute photos are up oh Flickr, man she makes me want to have kids . . . but only when I look at the photos. Funny how having the kid in real time changes things.
I’ve posted a not so soft and daddy like Ryan lest anyone forget.
So I’ve been sick. I’m still sick as I lay here, keyboard in lap. I should be taking all the cute photos and uploading them, but that would involve energy other than that found in the tips of my fingers. So no fotos.
I got sick last Thursday night, right when Ryan picked up his Z-pack from the doc. I was determined that my immune system was better than his (just like my Dad can beat up his Dad, and my job is better than his job, and I am smarter than him, and I can run faster than he can –I’ll leave it up to you to decide which ones of those he beat me on already as well) and I didn’t need antibiotics. Well after an entire week had passed, and I was beginning to lose feeling in my legs, and had lost the will to eat I figure something must be wrong – - sushi wasn’t even appetizing (sure, you’re thinking, “is it ever?”)!
Long and short of it is my Doctor’s visit:
Me: I can’t breath, I’m dizzy, I’ve lost feelings in my ankles, I’ve got a fever and I’m freezing. I can’t eat, I can’t sleep, I can’t breath properly.
Doctor: Here you need to take this codeine laced cough syrup, some antibiotics, and this inhaler.
Me: Great. What’s an inhaler?
Doctor: Follow my example. Shake it, then exhale. Now put lips on the inhaler, push it down and suck in, and hold it all in lungs.
Me: *Fails miserably* I was really out of it ok!
Doctor: It’s easy. You know, just think of it like when you’re smoking pot.
So I ask myself… do I come across as someone who regularly smokes pot?
Photos coming soon. But Kristie brought the wee one this weekend. She had to Go-Go dance for some band opening for My Chemical Romance at either Bamboozle in Irvine and/or the Roxy. Either way she left at 9am, and as of 11pm she’s not home yet. My worst moment.
“Hey Auntie, you’re standing in my shi-shi. hehehe.”
Who doesn’t potty train a 3 year old?
She wouldn’t even agree to the toilet at first and began screaming at the mention of it. I figured out a little healthy coaxing of, “I’ll only paint your toe nails on the toilet because that’s what big girls do,” worked well. It was great, I could paint the toes and she would patiently sit there, so she didn’t get too bored while she waited for the shi-shi. That was part I…getting over the “BIG HOLE that I’ll FALL INTO!”
I can proudly say after Ryan asking “Do you have to shi-shi” every ten minutes she finally ran into the bathroom and said, “It’s coming.” That of course involved me sitting on the floor for another 10 minutes as she told me about Elmo, and the 3 pigs house and the teletubbies story at Old McDonald’s farm.
I can’t decide if I won because she agreed to pee in the toilet, or if she did because she got me to step into her pee while I made her lunch.
. . . . her current complaint of tummy ache concerns me though… because I REALLY don’t want to go through THAT phase of potty training. . .
My baking stone is great. I slap a frozen chicken breast on it. Sprinkle with Paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper, and depending on mood Olive Oil. Pop in the oven and turn it to 425 and cook it. Usually about 10-15 min on each side – or till it looks done. Walla. Pop a bag of frozen veggies on top of it for the last 5 minutes and I’ve got a meal.
It is truly awesome, I can plug in my pantry (granted, konbu, soba, okinomiyaki sauce, and enoki mushrooms don’t show up), but otherwise I put my epantry in and walla! If I’m missing a couple of things it lets me know, and presto insta groccery list. I just click search recipes.
I find this pretty ironic, as the following comments have been made in my household.
“I’m taking these pictures for my blog,” and “I’m going to quote that on my blog so the whole world can hear what you say honey.” So one of two things must be occurring. One he thinks I’m crazy and I have an imaginary blog I like to refer to in daily life. Or two, like most men he’s simply just not really listening.
He really thought this blog was a secret, and was surprised to learn that yes our friends do know about it. He’s so excited to now know where he can find my blog…though the entire idea of a blog to him is completely ridiculous. And yes, it is a bit pompous, self-serving, and mostly filled with inane babble, but hey it’s easier than a diary for me, and I get to capture all my thoughts. . . that my hubby is so obviously not listening to . . . somewhere.
So I’m on a redecorate my apartment so it looks urban and modern kick. I am absolutely in love with Modern Interiors, and due to it may have to work another 5 years to achieve my dream home (everyone in LA knows 5 years would still not be enough salary to buy a home in this overpriced market).
See current couch:
One day this couch will die. On that day my decorating plans will begin. Until then they reside on the net with all my other hopes and dreams. Ryan wants a bean bag, I want a couch. So I’m trying to figure out how to compromise and still have a super cute and modern living room. I have a couple of ideas . . .like a beanbag couch . . hmm… possibly. Click to see larger.
I’m currently listening to Muse videos on Youtube thanks to monkeybot my bf who’s , I think the right word’s obsessed, with Muse. Anyway the point being, me listening to Muse because she referenced it to Twilight got me thinking about the hubby.
I think we are a perfect twisted set. I absolutely adore every little thing about him– and I think those things are quite odd, and obnoxious as well, which makes me love them even more. I think I love him more now than when we were dating. I always laughed when people said things like that, because usually when you’re dating it’s the peak of desire etc… etc.. Either way, at the risk of getting too mooshy *something we avoid at all costs* I have to say I’m having the time of my life, and if I had it to do over again I would have dated him the first time I met him. . . not the third. . . which brings me to the how we met tangent.
How I tricked Ryan into dating me
I love the story because it’s just another testament to just how nice of a guy my husband is. I tricked him into bringing me home for Christmas. I told him I had nowhere to go (of course I had somewhere to go), and he just felt bad for me. Moral of the story is I guess you shouldn’t bring girls home for Christmas if you don’t plan on dating them. Well just to ensure dating success, I think offered to drive him and friends to Vegas for New Years – ensuring at least a new years kiss. . . and the rest as they say is history.
I think I have found my new favorite blog. Witty, insightful, and glaringly truthful. While I don’t know if it is necessarily a list of things “white people like,” (my hubby took offense as if you put in any other race he says no one would think it was funny but racist). Anyway, point of the blog is it makes fun of yuppies – which in California I’m starting to think is possibly the entire state (sans the immigrants of course because they truly may be the only normal part of this state, in a sick sad way). As I live in the heart of the yuppie movement this blog is my new found joy.
So I got a free sample of DHC’s velvet skin coat and wanted to compare it to my Smashbox Photo Finish sample. 0.93oz is $32 on Sephora for Photo Finish or 1.04oz is $40 on DHC but currently going for $32.
You’ll notice my face is a bit shinier without the Photo Finish and velvet skin coat. I think the Photo Finish side looks a bit less porous, but then maybe that side is just naturally a bit less porous. I was so excited to compare though, that I forgot to apply moisturizer. So here’s day 2, with moisturizer.
So other than the matte finish, and the hiding of all my yucky nose pores, there’s not too big of a difference. For me the biggest thing I noticed is I use a lot less foundation as it spreads over my skin much easier, so I think I end up looking a lot more natural, and still getting a matte look.
I’m going to say I prefer DHC’s product as it was thicker, and I felt like it was coating my face. The Smashbox product went on a lot thinner, and didn’t feel as creamy, more slick. Also, a lot of reviews I saw online said if you put too much Photo Finish on it gums up. From it’s consistency I would find that very believable.
Ultimately the best test is which product looked good at the END of the day right?
So after a 12 hour work day here are the results. The right side is DHC, and the left Smashbox. Obviously it works MUCH better when you remember to moisturize first. But again, I can’t tell a difference.
After taking all of these photos of my skin close up, I think I will shortly be posting some reviews of anti-aging and moisturizing creams!
For a future post on my new makeup purchases I have taken some photos. Taking photos of yourself at close range from your bathroom mirror makes you realize how perspective changes everything.
I think I look like an ompa loompa elephant man in the photos, but then when I look in the mirror I’m me again.
Monkeybot sent me a support the rabid arm band- you know like those Live Strong ones. . . the ones I have sworn never to ever wear. Well I couldn’t help but wear this one. It’s my motivation. How is Support the Rabid motivational to me, and the LiveStrong etc. ones not you ask? Well it all stems from my self delusions of grandeur. The band is a subtle reminde, reminds me of how pathetic it is to be so misguided in visions of grandeur.
I would like to think if the world were to end in some post apocalyptic nightmare see… Terminator, Matrix, Night of the Living Dead, 28 Days, I am Legend, etc… that I could and would survive.
I would have the stamina to out run hordes of approaching zombies. The agility to maneuver my way through tight situations. The strength to at least escape my attackers, and hopefully annihilate them.
Sadly, the fact that running a mile kills me, and I am a far cry from the 8 minute mile makes me realize . . . I am zombie food. So I now wear my I support the rabid wrist band, as I run to Blumchen, AC/DC, and 50 Cent and tell my self to push a little harder, as I want to be able to know for sure that I could survive if I had to. That my visions of grandeur are possible reality, not the pathetic fantasies of an out of shape slob.
Odd how our minds tell us things that aren’t quite true. If only I, like the many Anorexics out there told myself I was too fat and too out of shape… where’s the disease curing doctors for my delusions?
I am proud to say I’m two weeks in to running every day. . . and I think the legs are firming up. . .the lungs are still as pathetic as ever though. And I guess I’m not quite hitting the “every day” goal.
Why: Microbe growth in makeup can cause skin irritations and infections, explains Paula Begoun, author of “Don’t Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me.” The worst offenders are liquid cosmetics, which build up bacteria more quickly. Keep mascara for a maximum of three months; other liquids and creams (eyeliner, foundation) for no more than a year. Powders (eyeshadow, blush) can be used safely for up to two years.
I have bought 4 items since being married: mascara, Cargo foundation, Smashbox powder, Smashbox sample set of (eyeliners and photo finish). That means my eyeshadows are WAY past expiration (and probably the reason I just stopped using it).
I’m not too tore up about this, though having to rebuild an entire eyeshadow collection is daunting. I could go with the Pop “brown eyes” pick, as it’s thorough and supposedly designed for me, though I’m just not wowed by the packaging- so girly I know. Reviews weren’t too hot on it.
Though the thought of eyeshadow in sealeable containers is highly appealing. I am of course a sucker for all marketing ploys and do love Cargo’s products. Liquid and a sealed container. . . it’s a thought.
There are not a lot of reviews out there about Cargo’s Blu-Ray. I’m not quite sure if people are just falling for the products hype or if it truly is amazing. Seems the mascara isn’t all that (I still think Covergirl is fine), and I was able to find a raving review of the blush . . . though I’m more of a bronzer girl. It’s all so pretty though.I am pretty happy with my one tube of lip gloss by L’Octtaine that Monkeybot got me. The rose smell and flavor is
just soothing, and the pale color is unobtrusive.
Sugar has done a nice job of packaging this, though I just don’t know if I would wear this much shimmer.
I guess I’m a Republican, and I really didn’t like the Clinton years, but if John McCain gets the Republican vote I’m voting for Hillary. There are several reasons.
1. While kinda shady in the whole business world, she at least understands it. McCain is a complete idiot! My biggest concern is the economy, and this man knows nothing about economics. He’s just a politician from Arizona.
2. He’s a total liar. It bothers me when people call Romney a flip-flopper. He’s a politician yes, but he changes his views over time with his constituents (that’s what good politicians usually do). He doesn’t change his mind by the second as McCain seems to do depending on the situation.
3. To be honest his temper scares me, as does his military background. I’m a bit of a democrat in terms of my views on the war. And McCain just screams to me of a President who wouldn’t think twice about going to war with Iran. In fact I know he would bomb Iran, he’s not joking!
4. McCain is proAmnesty. At least Hillary seems a bit more cautious about it.
5. McCain is the ugliest of all current viable candidates. Obama’s already got the “I’m the hot candidate card,” Hillary looks amazing for her age, and well Romney looks like a Ken doll.
I’m voting Romney on Feb 5th, so that there will at least be a Presidential race worth watching. If it’s McCain v Clinton or McCain v Obama, there’s no reason for me to even vote . . . it’s that simple of a choice.
Audit prom rolls by once a year. We get to eat yummy food, and schmooze with all of Ryan’s Deloitte buddies. Best of all we get to dress up.
I hit up Loehmann’s for the dress – $69 brown Calvin Klein and stretchy so it was SUPER comfortable – what I care about now that I’m old and boring. Just to think about some of the “formal” dresses I’ve bought where you can barely move/breath/lift your arms higher than your shoulders!
I digress. When I have some time next month I want to make a map of downtown super great shops to find cheap wholesale stuff. I found a bead shop which helped me make the cutest bracelet (you can kinda see it under the gold ones in this photo), and now I wish I didn’t have to work so I could just bead. And I found a shop with cute cheap jewlrey, and a shop with really modern interior stuff. Where did I find the time you ask? Well I was sick, and then I felt better for a few hours so I went walking around downtown…. and you know what . . . it inspired me.
I don’t want to work anymore.
I want to take time to volunteer at a women’s shelter, I want to take time to help people find jobs and make their resumes better (if working in recruiting has taught me anything it’s how to get anyone a job!), I want to cook elaborate meals (and get good at making elaborate sushi rolls), I want to get politically involved with my district–maybe even run, I want to do my genealogy, and I want to travel with el-monkeybot, I want to exercise and not regret that it’s taken away an hour of my 3 free hours a day, I want to nuzzle up to a good book weekly, and I want to be able to spend time with my husband for more than an hour a day.
So one of my co-workers got me Bob, the orange wobble clock. Obviously from the image below I’m too lazy to take an actual picture of Bob.
Anyway, the point of this blog is that Bob doesn’t wobble. I have to push mode to get Bob to change functions (time, date, temp, and timer) instead of just knocking him and making him change modes while wobbling. Sure he “technically” works, but he doesn’t do the useless wobbling that I so desire. Brookstone said if it was bought online then they would replace. Otherwise it’s a no go. Well I’m actually not too disappointed about this yet because I MAY get to take it apart.
Thinkgeek.com (because they obviously knew how geeky I am) sent me a nifty little mini screwdriver a bit back. Now that I actually have something I want to take apart and fix, the stupid mini screwdriver is missing. I’m beginning to look through the pile of junk on my desk, that is how badly I want to find the screwdriver! No not behind Michael Scott Bobblehead or Dwight Schrute Bobblehead. I’ve tried a paper clip (yeah I know that wouldn’t work, but I was at the peak of desperation), my husbands swiss army knife (sure they have a pen, but where’s the miniscrewdriver!!), big screwdrivers (I dunno, I was hoping I would get lucky and it would miraculously fit in the tiny hole – That’s what she said! hahaha).
So if everyone could kindly pray that I find the mini screwdriver -hubby says I can’t buy a mini screwdriver to fix a “not technically” broken item, nor could I buy one to fix a technically broken item as I would just be tinkering and probably not end up fixing it anyway.
Should I find said mini screwdriver I will update everyone on fixing my wobble clock.
Update on progress:
Sticking to not working too hard, eating bentos, blogging, and not fixing everything. I actually went home sick today.
Day 1. I made it 1 day into the new year, and I haven’t died.
I’ve lost count on how many pieces of candy I have consumed today- score 1 FATTY FAT.
I came into work at 8 am today, and didn’t come in at 7 am to put together a kit because someone got me information late -score 1 K
I am still at work because my boss wanted me to fly out some 20 (21 tomorrow) year old Swedish girl to St. Barths from Miami – tomorrow at 11. So I just finished (1 hour later) with the travel agent – SCORE 3 FOR BOSS (1 for making me work late, 1 for flying some hot swede out, and 1 for using me instead of the travel agent directly).
Now if I go home and don’t exercise then it’s -SCORE 1 FATTY FAT.
I went to a seminar earlier this year and they asked me what my hobbies were. My answer was my husband. I have a ton of hobbies, or at least I did till we moved to LA. Now I work, and then I come home and try and make my husband feel loved and taken care of as I feel guilty that I spend so much time working. I need to learn to say no. Sure Ryan and certainly my boss likes that I’m a pushover. But wow, I’m learning, and I’m learning fast. I am not the catch-all-be-all.
So I begin the new year by finding more ME time.
I will blog/yelp/shelfari more.
Which means I will read more.
I will make myself cute little bentos that I can blog about, and obessively aim for “kawaii” status with.
I will work an 8 hour day.
I will tell my boss when he is being an unreasonable spoiled child.
And I will no longer be the super pooper picker upper.
I will decorate my house the way I want to, not the way Ryan thinks we can “survive” with.
I will go out and see LA more with my husband.
I will also be 15lbs skinnier, or at least lose 15lbs of fat, and hopefully gain 5lbs of muscle.
Monkeybot has an ingenious idea on how to motivate herself, but I just haven’t been able to find the motivation…. hopefully I will or that last goal is out the window!
So as I walked from Macy today towards the car the conversation went something like this:
He: Wow that was the worst customer service, and Men’s Wearhouse wasn’t any better, probably worse.
Me: Mental note to yelp this. Yeah I know it’s like good customer service has gone out the window.
He: It’s the Y Generation. The new Generations are so irresponsible, and self absorbed. They’re all about them and their needs, and feel completely entitled.
And that is when it hit me. I am old, and not just old. Old and uncool, and probably like some shriveled up old granny telling you about kids in her day. I was glad to read however that it’s not my fault that my husband an I are so stodgy and old. My best friend and I have had this conversation many a time as well, and we always just thought it was the Japanese parent who raised us to be a bit more um… conservative than the average American. But it turns out it’s our generation. Well it’s not our generation’s fault, it’s the dumb F-ups before us. And yes I can say F-ups, because that’s what they were. Seriously key-parties, and AIDS spread worldwide. Half of Africa is dying because you guys couldn’t keep it in your pants responsibly. I had to watch click through videos in Health class on what some poor schmo’s schlong would look like if it had one of the myriad of STDs that were running around rampant. Like I wanted to see some random guys schlong to begin with, yet alone one infected with Gonorrhea!
But then I ran across Generation X goes slack on sex. Ok, so I’m Mormon, so naturally I’m already a bit more on the conservative side than most of Generation X. But still! I think the person writing the article was insinuating we need to loosen up. As our parents (and I’ve already pointed out what boneheads they were) and the Generations below us are a lot more “free.” Well if “free” means and entire Generation of Paris Hilton’s, may I die now? And if “free” means another virus even worse than AIDS (now that we’ve got that one under somewhat control) then I guess we deserve whatever comes. What is wrong with a generation that actually values relationships and families? See here to see the divorce rate increase while we were young. Ya good job mom’s and dad’s of America. We were the latch-key generation, and now studies are surprisingly finding power-women from top-tier schools are deciding to be stay at home moms. And why is this so bad? We are smart women, who know that we would rather raise our children our way, where we have influence over them, than leave them to some pre-school teacher (who doesn’t have nearly the education or experience we have) or some high school teacher (who could possibly molest them). We have gone through divorces and seen what it does to us. We value relationships, and I hope that our children will be better for it.
I think my favorite part about Christmas is the surprised looks everyone as when you get them that truly great gift. Melissa got a set of golfclubs, a cellphone and the wii with guitar hero. I think she almost had a heart attack. We got a Zune for Bill – I know he wasn’t expecting that! And I surprised Ryan and his bro with XM satellite radio and some old school games for the Wii. Ryan’s Skyfi3 won’t arrive till after 1/4 so we’ll see how cool that is.
Ryan however trumped me with the Zune and Guitar Hero III for the Wii. So here is my new Zune (take that Ipod).
*Update: If you don’t login to Youtube and hit share, the URL shows up (I guess they hide it now). I used two sites, one with a daily limit of 5 zamzar and the other youconvertit had no limit. I used wmv and mp4 files. I thought Zune’s could take wmv but I had to reconvert those to mp4 for my Zune to take them… I’ll have to google why that is. Youconvertit has a faster response time than Zamzar, so I think I’ll use them from here on out. Zamzar took upwards of 2 hours to send me the email.
Here’s to free movies!
What movie you ask did I chose to convert? Ninja Warrior of course!
We went to church with the family yesterday, or at least we went to sacrament (we got a bit distracted with visiting old friends afterwards). I have to say it was a great program they had the choir sing with excerpts from scripture. There is something to say about music and the way it touches you. I can hear Melissa practicing the piano right now and it’s just so beautiful. It was odd as the choir sang I was left to my thoughts, and normally they roam free during sacrament and it’s a chore to bring them back to what I “should” be thinking about. But some how with the beautiful voices of the choir in the background I was left thinking about being a better person, making a difference, and being thankful. Seriously how did they make me do that?
I have succumbed to the world of blogging. Just like I succumbed to myspace, facebook and orkut. I think I will find greater satisfaction here, as myspace is filled with useless noise, facebook is filled with mindless applications, and okrut is filled with everyone from Brazil my husband ever knew – - and I just am tired of google translating everything into Portuguese. I just want somewhere to empty my thoughts.
Since the opening of Pinkberry in Little Tokyo our credit card has been peppered with charges from Pinkberry. Being the fiscally responsible people we are we knew we had to find an answer soon. We are addicted. To put it into terms everyone may understand, prior to going to a work Holiday party we had to stop and buy Pinkberry at the Century City mall. Yes we would soon be eating a fabulous meal and dessert, and the eating of the Pinkberry may have pushed us into the gluttony category, but it really is THAT good.
So I knew I had to find an at home recipe. I’ve found two. I tried the saveitforyourblogone but used any old yogurt (trust me the YOGURT matters), and it was way too sour. I hear Dannon is a lot milder in taste so I may try that or shlep over to TraderJ’s to get some of their yogurt (I guess that’s what I get for not following the recipe exactly). Trial two will be the Umami Mart recipe, but I gotta get a yogurt strainer or some cheese cloth first. I think that one may work out better, as I like the remove all liquid first logic. I think it will make a creamier yogurt. I will keep you posted.
** Update So I made the Umami Mart recipe. I made it twice actually. Once with Alta Dena Plain Yogurt and once with Dannon low fat. I strained the Alta Dena for a couple of hours, and the Dannon for a day and a night. The Dannon was much less icy, and I highly recommend getting the consistency to cheese. However, the low fatness of the Dannon made for a kinda chalky or yogurt I think. So next time it’s Alta Dena. It’s definitely not quite Pinkberry, but for at home snacking, I think it’s the best frozen yogurt recipe out there!
Hot dogs. . . mediocre. . .relish . . . bad . . . but it’s baseball food so it’s part of the charm. The game however, is DULL DULL DULL.
Baseball, really why do people sit through 9 innings of BORING? I guess if I were Missa and the really cute baseball guys were intriguing to me (i.e. 9 innings of tight white pants) it wouldn’t be so bad. I realized though in the 9th inning that when everyone jumped up and started cheering, that they weren’t cheering for the Dodgers to win, they like me, were as excited to know that this mean the game was over, and they could go home to their warm homes, with free drinks, and good food, and entertaining tv and internet.
So I’ve always had a personal goal to do something noteworthy enough to propel me to the front page of a newspaper – - be it running for office, having something really intelligent to say, or just being that famous.
Recently, I’ve been thinking about how the way I’ve lived my life, and I’m pretty far away from that goal. But I’ve realized something as well, my priorities have changed. I don’t want to acheive some obscure 15 minutes of fame. I want to touch people’s lives. I want to make a difference in this world, even if no one remembers that I was the one who made the difference. I want to help those who need help. I work with the children at church, and it’s the most rewarding feeling in the world to know that you’re making a difference (even if it’s small) in their little lives. Seriously am I sappy? Geeze! Maybe I should start aiming for the newspaper goal, then I wouldn’t be such a schmuck!
They say when one door shuts another opens. Hopefully my blogs will be as fascinating as Missa’s but I highly doubt I can compare to the wit and sarcasm contained in her little gems.
Sometimes I still think I’m 16. I have changed much over these year. I have more confidence in myself, and I’ve lost some weight and gained some weight, but I’m still me. I still could sit in my pj’s on a saturday watching X-Men cartoons. I still have a superman fetish. Getting together with friends and playing Nintendo is still a better afternoon than being at “school.” (If only I could get my hands on a freakin wii!) I still resent authority, and I still find ways to procrastinate doing my “homework.”
The only difference now is I have my friends and my loved ones, and I know who they are. I don’t have to hold on to friendships I don’t need, or seek love from those who can’t give it back. And I actually get paid for the work I do — even if I still resent having to do it.
Some days as I sit at my desk, phone in hand, I think how much easier it would be if I were a carefree kid. But then I remember how insecure it is to be a kid.
I think even if I didn’t quite go through the same hardships, EVERYONE went through hardships. We all had our lumps as a kid, and we have our lumps now. So what is it that makes childhood so much sweeter? Was it the merry-go-round, swings, or was it Saturday morning cartoons. I propose that Saturday morning cartoons is what made life so much sweeter.
I present my argument; the music alone makes me happy..
So I’ve taught my sister-in-law (13) how to make nifty origami boxes, hearts, notes… and I am proud to say Melisa does not have the market cornered on nifty little puffy mini stars.
It only took me 10 years, and the invention of google, but I’ve got it figured out—take that Melisa!
The waves in the pool were great…I cannot say the same for Cabo or for Mazatlan. I have to go find a massage place now as my internet time is almost up.
mmmmmmmmm shrimp, daquiris (virgin of course). Anyway…enjoy work! Gotta run.
I asked my sister to describe me in one word. She pulled out opinionated, which immediately surprised me, not because I disagree, but because I was surprised that she knew such large words. Seriously though, I need an outlet for all that goes on in my head as my husband ... Continue reading »
Every time we go to Dana Point I’m reminded of how much I love the ocean (we never seem to make it to the beach living downtown). One day I hope to have a home that has a view of the ocean, and hopefully is as close as the Marquis’ townhouse! Maybe I’ll buy a house on Molokai next to my parents. Sure Ryan and I still rent, but who say’s that’s stopping us from owning a vacation home! Although, I think if we bought a house in Hawaii, Ryan would want one on Kauai… problem is beach front/ocean view is definitely A LOT more expensive there. Ironically, being so close to the beach we actually never made it there. We spent the day at the pool. Or to be more accurate, I spent the day at the pool, and Ryan got his Tennis game on.
You recognize the glasses from Akihabara? Yep, those are the same ones he bought in Japan. Since buying those green glasses in Japan, Ryan really hasn’t taken them off!
They did however have this way creepy fish that Ryan snapped a photo with. Across the street and to the right is a 13 store building, it has a Thai restaurant on top. We took the elevator up as it has a glass elevator so you can get a nice view of Roppongi. Seriously, I think we saw a Geisha, I know we saw a couple of prostitutes, and we saw 3 girls escort an old creepy salaryman out of a club. All and all, it was a fun day, but the more I think about it the more I realize how lucky I am to live in LA.
Today’s post is dedicated to my ward building
Our shoes were full of water, our door handles were full of water. We were cold, and wet, and covered in icky street water! And we still had to go to Trader Joe’s for food as our fridge was bare.
Isn’t that cute?! I may actually start scrap booking. 
For Ryan’s birthday he asked that we get him an Ass. He didn’t really think we would, but we came through (with $40 bucks of sugar too!).
It’s really crazy to think how easily we rack up way more calories than we need… especially when the candy jar is kept at your desk!
I would probably eat a bowl of chili with this, which would bump this up to an even 2000 calories. But all healthy calories so worth it.
I really am a techno dork. I love my roomba and preach it’s virtues to all. So the Zune is truly perfect for me. Especially since I just found out I can 
