letting go

I consider myself pretty risk-averse, but I engage in risky behavior every day ... I drive. Today I got rear-ended! What is up with all these bad drivers?! I was stopped at an intersection when I felt a big jolt. I got out of the car and the lady behind me started apologizing. I was not hurt (I've already been checked out) and there was minimal damage to my vehicle. The two bolts holding the lady's front license plate left imprints on my bumper. Nothing big enough to take to the body shop, but now my car isn't new anymore :(((. I took the lady's name, number, and license number, but told her it was okay, that we have to hold on to material things loosely.

stealing gifts

So, I went to another potluck and gift exchange tonight. Yummy turkey, ham, Brazilian rice, fried potstickers, salad, key lime cheesecake, and pumpkin moussecake. Our gift exchange was $5 or less and something you can use while traveling. Love it. People were creative and practical. We had some travel sets--one shampoo/conditioner/lotion/lip balm, one toothpaste/Listerine/toothbrushes (from the dentist), one first aid kit/floss/disposable toothbrush/toothpaste/toilet paper, a flashlight, a deck of cards and gum, and a CD holder. I stole and ended up with a piece of luggage, a little rolling carry-on. I will use it on my next weekend trip. It will have to be short since I can't fit too many clothes in there and I don't know how long $5 luggage will last ;).

doubling up

One weekend, two holiday potluck parties, two gift exchanges, lots of fun. As usual, people brought plenty of good food. I responded to a friend, "Looks like we brought our Party Appetites!" and got a funny reaction. I said, "What, isn't that what you said?" No, it was hearty appetites.


apple martinis


this is what i got from the gift exchange--a singing george w. bush doll


chocolate cake from sweetcake desserts

bird-watching

This weekend left me exhausted and overstimulated. On Sunday, I went to see Disney's "The Lion King" at the Pantages Theater. "The Lion King" is probably my favorite Disney film. When my brothers were toddlers, they watched it every day and I often watched it with them. A few years ago, I saw it in the huge IMAX theater in San Francisco. It's a great movie in which to have surround sight and sound. The musical was fantastic, a combination of a ballet and puppet show. The main characters carried large masks to portray emotions, reminiscent of Greek drama, and they depicted the animals in bold, colorful costumes and emulated their movement patterns with stilts and other apparatus. It followed the movie pretty closely, but with a few added songs. A must see.

racing

I went go-karting for the first time this weekend. It was a lot of fun. I went to K1 Speed in Irvine, which has 2 indoor tracks and electric go-karts instead of gas ones. These karts are fast (about 45 mph), handle well, have good torque (so my friend tells me), and don't produce fumes. I thought it was funny how they pumped fake fog/smoke to give the effect of fumes.

Some of the people there were experienced racers and brought their own helmets. I was talking to a father and daughter who race real cars and had their names, known allergies, last tetanus, and blood type on the back of their helmets. Smart idea, but morbid. Being the novice that I am, I just used the helmets provided by K1. First you put on a head sock, which is a tight yellow ski mask. Then you put on your helmet. When I got in the car, one of the employees asked if I wanted one of the rubber seats that fit on top of the carseat. I asked, "Do you think I need one? My feet reach the pedals." He said it was less for that and more to prevent my ribs from bruising. I was all for that.

My time was slow for the first run. I didn't know how to pass and stayed behind a slow driver. It sucked. I asked my friend if we were supposed to pass from the inside or outside. I ran track in high school and we always passed on the outside. I guess in racing it doesn't matter. My second practice was much better. My average lap time improved by 5 seconds. Then we had our qualifying run in which the people with the fastest best laps got to compete in the mini grand prix. They were running behind schedule, so they took the top 2 rather than 4. I wouldn't have qualified anyway. I wasn't too disappointed, though. I was in a tough group--me against 7 guys and one of the guys in my group ended up winning the whole thing. It was a good time. I learned about how to take certain turns, drifting, scrubbing, and about racing in general. Also, my car never felt as smooth as it did after a night of driving go-karts.

thanksgiving

Happy Turkey Day! I was going to make the turkey this year, but I didn't want to deal with making all the side dishes, so I ordered the Turkey Dinner from Vons. The meal includes a fully cooked 10-12 lb turkey, corn bread stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, a dozen dinner rolls, and a pumpkin pie. It serves 6-8 and, at $37.99 with Club card, it's a great deal. It was very popular and the stores were selling out of meals. I told people I would let them know how it was, so here it goes. You get what you pay for. All the food was pre-cooked, but was in a dry/thawed state. It took about 90 mins to heat the turkey, 30-40 mins for the sides, 3 mins for the rolls, and 4-7 mins for the gravy and pie.

The texture for everything was good. The turkey was moist and tender with the meat almost falling off the bone as you cut it. The rolls were like what you got in the school cafeteria.The potatoes and stuffing were light and moist. The only thing lacking was the taste. Dinner guests included members of my immediate family and people from my mom's side of the family. Besides my mom and me, the rest were guys. They thought it was good, but I was disappointed.

Next year, I'm going to make the dinner myself. This is me, someone who can cook, but given a choice, prefers not to. I missed my garlic mashed potatoes. But maybe next year we'll have them au gratin? Thanksgiving only comes once a year :).

growing up, but staying the same

I missed out on my high school reunion, but last night had dinner with people who lived on my floor in the college dorm. We had a great turnout for our mini-reunion. Everyone looked the same. We caught up on what we are doing now and told college tales of streaking, strippers, and frozen urine.

gaming

So, I'm no expert on gaming. When I told my teenage brothers I was going to play with my friend's new Nintendo Wii, they laughed. "It's not W.I.I., [Amysan]. It's a Nintendo Wii ("whee")." Anyway, I was the first on my block to play with the Wii Sport game that comes with the console. The controllers are wireless and have motion sensors, so when you are playing, you use the controller as if you are really doing the motion in the game, e.g. swinging the racket in tennis, throwing a baseball pitch, blocking and punching in boxing. In playing the first generation Nintendo, I was the kid who jerked the controller while getting Mario to make a long jump. That may come in handy now.

ack! someone is grabbing mii!

the staples center

Last night, I went to the Kings vs. Sharks game. It was very exciting, seeing the Staples Center decked out for hockey and watching my two favorite teams. Too bad the Kings were so disappointing to watch. Bad passing, bad goal-keeping, and inaccurate shooting, but ... they are the home team and I do love L.A. It's fun just to be at the Staples Center. One of the ushers told me about the Cadillac margarita. Try it. Supposedly, it's the new martini.


zamboni




final score


after the game, we chased after the guy making the bacon-wrapped hot dogs

silverlake

Foods can have medicinal properties. Alkaline foods (most raw vegetables) can reduce inflammation, so when my vegan friends suggested we eat at a raw restaurant, I said yes. We ate at Jade Cafe, an organic vegan raw restaurant in the hip Silverlake area of LA. The cuisine there is fusion, with a heavy Thai, Italian, and Moroccan influence. When they say raw, they mean raw. Nothing is cooked. Sounds simple, but I had a hard time wrapping my mind around that. The chips and bread were dehydrated, not baked or fried. No sugar is used. Instead, agave, a vegan sweetener, is used in the chocolate and drinks. Some vegan raw chefs don't even use soy. Still confused, I asked, "so, my dish comes with noodles. aren't the noodles going to be cooked?" "Uh, they're not the noodles you're used to having. It's probably a vegetable made to be stringy." This place really opened my eyes. Raw foods can be delicious and filling. Bonus: great excuse to have dessert ... it's good for you! But all that chewing gave me a headache (the temporalis is one of the four muscles of mastication and can be painful when tight or knotted). My friend suggested I start with blended foods--foods that are mashed and mixed and require less chewing :P.


dehydrated potatoes, beets, and other veggies


the smallest spring rolls i've ever had


portobello cheese pizza and tomato pesto pizza with a side of greens. when nothing is cooked, it's all about the sauce. i found the pesto overpowering, but the sesame dressing in my Raw Wok subtle and savory.


noodles made of daikon radishes


dismantled dessert--hibiscus infused pear with vanilla gelato drizzled in chocolate sauce and pistachios. the chocolate is made with ground up cacao beans, agave, and coconut butter

sacramento

the rain stopped long enough for us to visit the capitol, but the governator was nowhere to be found. don't forget to vote on tuesday!




inside the dome


i was surprised at how ornate the floors, walls, and ceilings were


the assembly gallery. CA has 80 members in the assembly, 40 in the senate

julian

hiking in the small town of julian, about an hour east of san diego, where they have apple orchards and specialty shops with fresh pie and cider.

feeling carnivorous

I started my vacation in San Diego. After some indoor rock-climbing, my friends and I ate at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. I think I've eaten more red meat this month than the other months of this year combined. I had the New York strip since I was told they are known for that. I ordered it medium rare, but it was more like medium and continued to cook on the 500 degree plate. It was a little tough for my taste and I think I would have liked the ribeye better. Another option is to share the porterhouse for 2, as it has a strip and a filet attached to a bone, which keeps it juicy. So, I'm wouldn't say it was the best steak I've ever had, but it was good and made for very tasty leftovers.


I had venison for the first time. The two bites I tasted were delicious! but partly because the sauce was so good. I didn't care for the gamey aftertaste.

dry cleaning

I was at the dry cleaners today when I saw a big box on the counter. I asked the lady if there was a wedding dress inside. It was a box for a wedding dress, but it was still empty because the dress hadn't been cleaned yet. I asked how much they charge to clean and arranged a wedding dress in a display box. She said $100 and they require $50 up front (for all other items, the customer pays during pick-up). This is because sometimes people get separated or divorced within weeks of the wedding and don't pick up the dress. How sad :(.

On a lighter note, I start my vacation tomorrow! I get one week a year and this is it! I'm excited to get away, but the people I work with told me not to stay away too long. It's nice to know I'll be missed.

oktoberfest

we go every year for ...


... the food, esp. the cheesy fries


... the "chain of love"


... the chicken dance


... and the beer

celebrating october

Last night I had dinner with the October babies and honored guest at Bluefin in Newport Coast, a small, hip restaurant off of PCH. We could smell the ocean as soon as we stepped outside. The sushi was super fresh, the presentation excellent, and the company charming. "Why does Snoop Dogg carry an umbrella?" (scroll down for answer)




lobster roll and spicy scallop roll


green tea creme brulée


"fo'drizzle"

reconditioning

Today I went to see Craig Liebenson, D.C. about my hip. This guy is a published author and expert in rehabilitation. His work is cutting edge. He works with many professional athletes and comes highly recommended by my friend and colleague (the most important credential). He put me through all sorts of orthopedic and functional tests, including gait analysis and endurance tests. He said I'm having inflammatory reactions and possibly bursitis in the hip. Also, my body has been decondiioned since I drastically cut down on my activities after the accident (probably was not a good idea). My biggest problem is the imbalance of my musculature, more of a software problem than a hardware one. We need to retrain the central nervous system to correct the source of the problems, not just the symptoms. This means training the muscle fibers to fire correctly and "waking up" my diaphragm so I can breathe properly while contracting my muscles. To reduce the inflammation, I'm taking anti-inflammatories (Advil) and eating a healthy diet with no fried foods, more fruits and vegetables, no coffee or carbonated drinks, and more water. I'm starting with "bridge" exercises for my upper hamstrings and gluts and we will add exercises one at a time. At the beginning of my consultation, he asked me what my biggest fear was with this hip injury. I said that it would never get better :(. He said that it will, and that it will probably be better than before because I'm focusing so much attention on it. I had such an emotional release leaving his office. I have hope, after 6+ months, that I will get better. That was my birthday wish.

eating sour milk

Last night, I went to Pinkberry Frozen Yogurt in Westwood for the first time. The original one is in West Hollywood. This time I'm on the upswing of an LA trend. It's a non-fat yogurt place and the lines are always out the door. Why is this place so popular? What makes it better than other yogurt places? First, they use real yogurt. It does taste a little sour and it comes in two flavors--regular and green tea. They also offer smoothies and shaved ice made with the yogurt. The toppings are cereal (fruity pebbles, cocoa puffs), crushed graham crackers, chocolate and carob chips, nuts, sweet rice cake (mochi), and fresh fruit (strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, blackberry, mango, pineapple, kiwi, banana). Yesterday, they removed the mango because it wasn't ripe. That's good quality control. I had the green tea yogurt with mochi, blueberries, and kiwi. The store itself is small, painted in pastel colors with full panel glass windows in the front. There is no indoor seating, so we ate outside. It was cold, but I enjoyed the yogurt, shivering all through the second half.

lawry's

We ate at 4pm with all the senior citizens and families with kids and had a great time. It takes that long to digest a large prime rib dinner anyhow. I remember going to the Lawry's factory in elementary school for a field trip, but this was the first time I went to the restaurant. The servers go by their last names, e.g. Mrs. Smith, and spin the salad instead of toss it. The prime rib is wheeled out in a silver serving dish that can fit a large child and the chef cuts the meat in front of each table. I must say, it was a very good steak (I had mine medium rare), very tender and flavorful. It seems that everyone at Lawry's tonight was celebrating a birthday. I think I heard the birthday song 6 times while we were there.

the beginning of the end

at least, that's what my friend tells me.

phone call this morning:
J: happy birthday! how do you feel?
A: the same as yesterday
J: yeah, that's about right
A: at least I didn't find any white hairs this morning
J: yeah, because you plucked them all last night! you're getting wiser as you age.

creating new memories

The last wedding of the year was that of my oldest friend. She was my first friend after I moved back to California. We were in the second grade. Camping, toilet-papering, spaghetti ... we have decades of memories together. Now she's a married woman. This was the first time I remember tearing up during the ceremony. Usually, it's during the slideshow, go figure. The wedding was lovely, under a gazebo at the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden. The string trio played the wedding march and music from "Phantom of the Opera" afterward. The reception was a yummy Chinese banquet at 888 Seafood Restaurant in Rosemead.


bridal bouquet


appetizer


wedding cake with panda toppers


the groom's cake is a part of southern tradition (think "steel magnolias"). it used to be sliced up and given to unmarried female guests to put under their pillows. supposedly, the women would dream of their future husbands. hey, where's mine? the cake is designed to represent the groom's interests. this groom works at the NASA jet propulsion lab in pasadena and the cake looks like mars.

lake arrowhead

Lake Arrowhead holds many memories for me. There was that time my tennis team made the trip up to play a match against Rim of the World High School. I got really sick playing in the high altitude and we lost our match :(. The home team played no-ads, so our games ended the point after deuce. That didn't help us. Then there was the time my friends and I went up to ski and snowboard. We watched "Titanic" at the Cinema and, at the part when the boat starts flooding, the film burned up right before our eyes. We sat around for 20 minutes until they got the movie started again. Then we got snowed in. To cope with cabin fever, the girls styled my hair and dressed me in a powder blue raving coat. Good times.

Last weekend, my friends and I went up for our friend's brother's wedding. There comes a time when you share so much history with someone that they are more like family than friends. It was a beautiful, intimate gathering. The weather was perfect, the food was delicious, and the plum brandy was flowing. It was a respite from our busy lives. I was a little disoriented driving to work this morning. I felt like I had been away for a week.


golf course across from the cabin


part of the floral arch


grandma's homemade cozonac bread, made with nuts and cocoa. we dipped it in champagne during the cocktail hour and in coffee during breakfast


salad (no spinach) with cute little lightbulb tomatoes


big fat pork chop on a bed of mashed sweet potatoes and spinach at the lake arrowhead resort


chocolate cake with sliced strawberries in the center


fog around the mountains

greek

Opa! The Greek Festival at Saint Nectarios Greek Orthodox Church and Shrine was this weekend. They had amazing food, live music, and dancing. It was so much fun, I went two nights in a row. I went on the church tour the second day. It was magnificent, designed in the Byzantine style, with stained glass windows, hand-carved wood from Greece, and hand-painted murals. There were icons on all the walls, including ones of Saint Nectarios, a modern-day saint. They had one of his relics from Greece, a piece of one of his ribs.


Gyro (yee-roh) Sandwich (flavorfully seasoned beef and lamb roasted and served on Pita bread, topped with a cucumber-sour cream sauce, diced tomatoes and onions)


counterclockwise from top: diples (flaky pastry dough delicately folded and deep fried then sprinkled with honey and nuts), galaktobouriko (delicately flavored custard baked in filo pastry and topped with a delicate syrup), kourambiethes (light butter cookies, sprinkled with confectionary sugar that melt in your mouth), baklava (chopped walnuts, cinnamon and sugar between layers of filo dough, baked to a golden brown and drenched with a honey syrup)


Pork Souvlaki (a sizzling skewer of tender pork, marinated with herbs of Mediterranean origin and cooked over an open flame)


loukoumades (fluffy and light fried dough, tossed with honey and sprinkled with walnuts and cinnamon)

celebrating the end of summer

On Sunday, I went to the Fireworks Finale at the Hollywood Bowl to mark the end of the summer concert series and the end of John Mauceri's 16 year stint as conductor of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. The concert was fantastic, with special guests Kristin Chenoweth, Members of the Joffrey Ballet, Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy. We sat in the cheap seats, but had a great central view (binoculars help).

The Hollywood Bowl is the largest natural outdoor amphitheater in the United States. I didn't appreciate it as a kid, but now look forward to attending concerts there in the summer. It was a pleasure for me to plan for this large group event because the Bowl makes it easy. They allow you to reserve seats and add more as needed with no extra charge. They also allow you to leave tickets at will call for people you are meeting at the concert. I love when people and things are flexible and accomodating. Maybe because I'm not. I used to be (or so I've been told) easy-going. What happened?


kermit singing "it's not easy being green"


fireworks finale








as part of the encore, miss piggy sings farewell to mr. mauceri