happy happy

Both dogs are here, we had a good dinner (cooked by me), we've got a fire going, and I got my end of year donations done. We are so lucky.

dog dog dog

Going to pick up Henry in a bit, now that I've had a sleep-in, gotten my laundry started, used up my Flex account, and made plans to buy bells and get him started on potty bell training.

back again

My own house with my own bed where I know exactly how to find the toilet in the middle of the night.

awakened

We had a few hours free this afternoon, and we were too full from eating Michelin-starred dim sum to keep eating or even walking, so we watched the new Star Wars. No Jar Jar Binks, and passed the Bechdel test, so we didn't mind ignoring the fact that pretty much every good scene was a direct derivative of a scene in the originals. We wanted the old Star Wars back, and that's what they gave us, with a kickass female lead to boot.

binge

We ate an entire Peking duck for dinner. And I had three desserts (Asian desserts are less common in the States). And we're planning a Harry Potter marathon street we get back (the library has the DVDs held for pickup). Total gluttony.

bonus round

Hong Kong is just a stopover, and I haven't been here in almost 20 years, and coming here as an adult without my parents and without a tour group is so much better. We can't walk more than a block before seeing something I want to eat. Din Tai Fung for dinner (plus some mango cake and a red bean bun for dessert), and plans for dim sum and Peking duck tomorrow, with stops along the way for random street food.

carry-on only

All of our stuff still fit into carry-on bags, despite the fact that we acquired airline pajamas, custom tailored shirts and dresses, and souvenirs along the way. I'm not sure how that happened.

food glorious food

Spent a whole day on food: 3.5 hours on a walking tour of street food, and another 3.5 hours taking a cooking class, eating the results, and checking out a market. Delicious and mind boggling. The vendors all work in tiny spaces on street corners or back alleys with cans of glowing coals and cutting boards smaller than dinner plates, and the food is delicious, with each one specializing in one or two treats. The guide and our instructor were both tiny and sweet, and I felt like a lumberjack next to them, running around trying not to collide with a million motorcycles that they didn't even seem to notice.

cooler

The weather in Hanoi is more like California right now: highs in the 60s, some rain. It was a welcome break from the blazing, sunny 90s we were getting in the other cities, so we walked around for hours, ordering some custom made clothes, trying street food (oh my god, the street food!!), watching a public aerobics class, and plotting out the next two days (more street food, a cooking class, picking up our finished clothes, and buying souvenirs now that we're not overwhelmed by heat and humidity).

all better

Not having food poisoning is so much better than having food poisoning. So much better.

sixty

Good evening, Vietnam, my 60th country visited!!

splurge

Low grade fever and all kinds of aches means that it's a room service kind of night. Southeast Asian room service means that I can get pho, the ultimate comfort food, right to my door.

six dollars

Price of a one hour foot massage in Cambodia.

perspective

When you're in one of those first world "is that all there is" funks, and then you start talking to people who were forced to be child soldiers, lost their entire families, and worry about their kids getting enough to eat while not getting blown up by landmines.

saved

I think I may have just cleaned the Namibian dust out of the inner workings of my camera, just in time to take it to Angkor Wat.

hark

Suddenly, thunder!!

rain or shine

Yesterday was over 70° and brilliantly sunny, which was a lovely surprise. Today it is raining, which is also a lovely surprise. Apparently, I've reached a point in my California existence where any weather other than 60° and partly cloudy is a lovely surprise in December.

always be closing

As the hours until vacation decrease, the number of deals closed increases. All is as it should be.

mindful

I've been in a 2.5 day mindfulness class at work, and have had some interesting thoughts as a result of some of the exercises, but the best one was really articulating what it is that I appreciate about Boyfriend (he takes care of me and does things I don't want to do, he really gets me and accepts me, and he makes me laugh every day), then deciding to tell him after work, then hearing him say what he appreciate about me (I accept him and make him aware of things he wants to improve without judgment, I make him want to be more generous, I share stone interests and priorities while giving him space to pursue the ones we don't share, and I have a similar but different sense of humor). It was fun to actually spell out what we like about each other.

We also realized that in over seven years, we can't even remember having more than a couple fights, which is crazy and amazing.

black friday

I love Black Friday.

After two days of kitchen mayhem, overeating, playing Twister by the fireplace, and staying up late talking and hanging out (and eating banana-bacon-nutella-peanut butter crepes for breakfast), I'm now alone with two sleeping dogs, listening to the clock ticking in a quiet house, trying not to doze off as I catch up on my reading (but even if I do, an afternoon nap would be lovely), and debating which leftovers to eat first.

Even better, there are still two more days in the weekend.

giving thanks

I am thankful for Fossey, the gentle giant from work who taught Henry that it's OK to trust a big dog, and who is staying with us this weekend.

I am thankful for my sister, who gets me, and my brother-in-law, who also gets me, despite not sharing any weird genes. I an thankful for all of the food they brought to cook at my house.

I am thankful for Boyfriend and Henry, who make up a large percentage of my little universe.

I am thankful for this bed that I have all to myself until Boyfriend gets back.

ten years

Dear friend is coming to visit tomorrow, and we've known each other for ten years now, so that's kind of crazy.

stock up and splurge

Bought 3.5 pounds of pork belly, which is enough for about 9 full meals of pork belly buns.

rain or shine

Six hours of rain overnight, which is great, it will help with drought and wildfires, and the sound of rain on the roof is the best nighttime sound. And then it cleared up and left behind a clear, sunny day an hour before I got up, which is great, I prefer clear skies for my weekend loafing routine.

sinbad

I fall in love with a new dog every week. This week, it was this guy, and while I was cuddling him, a woman who had been looking around and was about to leave saw him on my lap and thought he was adorable. Her whole family was there in short order, and they became his new family. It's sad to see them go just as I get to know them, but I hope they have such amazing lives and never end up in a shelter again.

don't wake me

After weeks of inexplicably (or sometimes unavoidably) short nights of sleep, sleeping almost ten hours is amazing.

maybe in time

Both of our ovens died in September, but after much delay (repairman on vacation, then we were on vacation, then the parts had to ship out for repair and come back), they just might be fixed tomorrow, just in time to host Thanksgiving.

weekday family time

I spent the night at my sister's for a rare weeknight get together, and was amused to realize that my nephew inherited our (lack of) athletic ability (but has lots of enthusiasm for sports that we never had), and my older niece shares our love for musical theater (but with more talent).

tailored to fit

And then there's the thing when you think, "what next?" and by coincidence, you get several scary but interesting ideas from random people, and one random but exciting idea from your favorite work buddy ever (and she's so into the idea that she wants you or nobody else).

perf-ection

Annual peer reviews are a pain, but reading the feedback is always a nice postscript.

come together

Right when you think, "I might be interested in being on a non-profit board, but only if it's something I'm totally into," you meet the director and the chairman of the board for your dog's shelter where you volunteer every week, and they mention the possibility of joining the board.

honolulu

I may get to go to Hawaii for work.

playdate

A coworker's dog came over for a few hours after work yesterday, and it was the first time Henry has had another playful dog in the house. There was a solid hour of sprinting, dodging, wrestling, and wagging.

running short

Two hour conference call only lasted one hour.

fixed it

Suddenly, seven years in, Boyfriend has figured out how to give a good backrub.

halloween

No trick or treaters, but I spent the weekend hanging out with dogs at the shelter, buying new boots, eating Halloween candy that I'd bought just in case any kids came, and watching a lot of vampire TV. Dinner with friends tonight (in the post-DST gloom, although it is satisfying to go through the house adjusting clocks), and it's back to another week. Thanksgiving countdown starts... now.

moving on

I was not feeling the last book I was reading, but couldn't bring myself to drop it, because I was already 33% of the way in, and it's end of year, and every book counts... And then I dropped it for a book on the history of Scientology, and found out that L. Ron Hubbard did affirmations to stop being scared of snakes and to protect himself from being hypnotized by his guardian angel. I should have moved on sooner.

like butter

Traffic just gets worse and worse, which means that when I drive in at a weird time on a Friday and there's no traffic, it feels like magic.

more crank

Another day in the zone, banging out stuff that will buy me a weekend of peace, with some well-earned catch-up TiVo time.

And after a day of being completely ignored at work, my dog is now being super cuddly, like he was in his puppy days.

crank

Every once in a while, my calendar and inbox and deadlines align so perfectly that I can just crank out an ungodly amount of work in one day without having to wait on anyone else's feedback, and I like to imagine all these steaming piles of legal work product piling up in other people's inboxes faster than they can shovel it back out. I had one of those this week and it was so satisfying.

lucky number seven

Yesterday was our seventh anniversary! Asking Boyfriend out may be the best impulsive decision I've ever made.

razor edge

The path to here has been a razor edge, and the path ahead is foggy, but I can see a few new razors through the mist.

experiencing delays

Paris: three 3-star meals (two of them totally awesome), a 2-star meal, and a really amazing fancy but friendly bistro. Two weird and fascinating museums. Catch-up time with a law school friend, a former legal assistant, and a cube neighbor. Absurdist jewelry window-shopping. Handmade Italian boots. Working public transportation. Minimal rain.

jetlag

Is there any nap that is a better guilty pleasure than a jetlagged nap after a huge French lunch? I think not.

inside joke

When your friends conspire to make an inside joke unexpectedly show up on your desk from 5,000 miles away, and you actually laugh out loud when you get into work, it's a good Monday.

soon

Paris is so close I can almost taste it. Dogsitter booked, hotel lined up, and four reservations (three Michelin 3* and one 2*) in the books. Hard to believe that we've been back from Namibia for almost three months, and then after this trip, we've got less than two months before our last trip of the year (Vietnam and Cambodia, with quick stops in Bangkok and Hong Kong), and then it's on to 2016!

how things change

After seven years of living in California, including three years of drought (and actually driving by a freeway wildfire this summer), my sun-loving self has finally caved, and I'm excited that we're having a little bit of early rain. Me, excited about rain!

routine

Back in the Bay, and the usual routine feels good, especially the "no longer having a nasty September cold" part of the routine. It was great to see friends and spend time in my favorite city, but it's also great to be back with my boyfriend and dog, just in time for TiVo to start picking up all the fall shows.

east coast tour

Caught up with college friends at a wedding in D.C., where we also managed to score a table at minibar, a fun molecular gastronomy place. Decided to try to get together every year. Took the train to New York, where I'm working for the week, and also seeing as many friends as possible for meals and cards. A week packed with travel, friends, food, and fun, what more is there in life?

random wednesday

Got captured on video wearing a horse head mask while dancing without any music. It was for work, sort of.

belly in belly

Those pork belly buns may be the most delicious thing I've ever made. Even Boyfriend, who doesn't usually like pork belly and avoids carbs, ate three.

free at last

I stopped wearing my FitBit a few days ago after realizing that the 100° heat wave had more power over me than the guilt trip of the step count. It feels so liberating to not be checking and stepping, stepping and checking. I think I'll enjoy the novelty of freedom and laziness for a while, until I'm resensitized to the shame factor of the FitBit. And then once more into the fray.

roots

While I was at Henry's shelter yesterday, we looked up his old shelter records, and I found out that he had spent a month in the public shelter in Hollister, where he'd been turned into their night box with a collar but no tags, malnourished and about five months old. They had one picture of him from that time, all motion and blur, and I'm even more curious about the mysterious lives that all the dogs lead before ending up in what we think of as their real lives with us.

all set

New phone arrived yesterday to replace the one I broke last week. I've gotten all my settings and apps the way I like them. Ahh...

delicious future

We're going to our favorite local Michelin two star restaurant for Boyfriend's birthday dinner tomorrow night, and I'm making sous vide pork belly tonight to broil up and eat with some quick pickles and steamed buns on Sunday. The concierge at work has also started making some reservations for us for our trip to Paris next month.

box of food

Thai chicken burgers (packed with ginger, garlic, lemongrass, and sriracha, topped with hoisin mayonnaise) with home fries were delicious last night. Even Boyfriend, who questions the utility of the food deliveries, was impressed. Tonight, we'll have steak with romesco sauce and potatoes (which we'll jazz up by sous vide-ing the steak and adding sous vide eggs and sunchokes).

solid bet

Margaret Atwood never disappoints.

on track

After a slow first half of the year, I'm on track to get my 100 books in again this year. I'm working on two books now, one of which is an Ian McEwan novel that turned out to be good for a law nerd, and the other of which is the first in Lev Grossman's Magicians trilogy, which is like Harry Potter goes to Narnia as a less innocent college student. It's good to have a good book in progress, and awesome to have two.

what's up cuz

Getting excited for some cousin time tomorrow! Dinner out, whiskey, and games, it will be just like old times (except that the old times didn't involve dinner out or whiskey).

flying colors

In the past 36 hours, Henry has hung out with two dogs at work that he isn't used to, passed a temperament test at a kennel (which included meeting two dogs, one of which was a mastiff), met a friend and his family (three kids and two dogs, one of which was a very playful pit puppy that he played with), spent half a day in daycare with about two dozen dogs (part two of the kennel temperament test, which he also passed), and met a super nice dogsitter who lives near my parents' house. He did really well, and now has lots of options when I travel, beyond me just begging all of my coworkers to take him. So proud of his progress and relieved to have more flexibility.

west meets east

That thing where you fly cross country for a wedding weekend with college friends, and you split a house, and you remember why you loved them in college and you realize they're even more awesome now, and you get to sing in the ceremony with those awesome college friends, and the groom turns out to be just right for your friend, and one of the readings is from the Supreme Court decision on marriage equality, and you may have sung college fight songs at the reception. That thing is so great.

connect the dots

That thing when you realize that what the dog shelter really needs is better online presence and public awareness, and you remember that you know a marketing person who loves dogs.

happy place

I went to Henry's shelter today, walked five happy dogs and spent a little time playing with two others, and took a bunch of pictures of this sweet girl to try to convince someone to adopt her, and then a nice veteran came in looking for a dog to fill the hole that his last dog left, and I got to see her start her new life!

fully committed

Met up with college friends for dinner in the city and then karaoke, and the bar we went to was small, full, and totally into it. Unexpectedly awesome!

dog walker

The trainer at the shelter decided I only needed one session, not two, so I'm officially a volunteer at Henry's old shelter, and so happy to be helping out!

humans to the rescue

When you've got a lot of travel coming up and people start asking if you're going away any time soon, and if so, if they can take your dog. And then you don't have to stress about lining up all that coverage. My dog and his people are awesome.

mcscreamy

Henry and I have been working on his dog anxiety issues with lots of treats and minimal meltdowns, and he's making good progress. One day, he will be sane around dogs.

they're growing up

A couple former legal assistants came in for lunch today, I love that they still keep in touch. I'm trying to get to know the new ones, and am excited about designing a training program for them.

this week

Dinner tomorrow with a visiting friend who always brings me chocolate. Karaoke with college friends this weekend. Training days at Henry's shelter so I can start volunteering there.

surprisingly calm

I flew down to LA to see how Henry (who hates being crated and is terrified of loud machine noises) would do on planes. He was completely quiet and stayed still the whole time. If he does well on the return flight tomorrow, maybe he can start coming to New York with me.

girls girls girls

Wine, cheese, fruit, snacks, gossip, laughter, old friends, new people, silly music, good times.

brownie points

Found out where my parents were going for my mom's birthday, and arranged for me to treat them, and added in wine and a birthday candle, and got lots of easy points.

birthday recap

Flowers from Boyfriend, FitBit challenge winner, funnel cake at work, pulled pork dinner, next day dinner with sister in the city (where we confirmed that we're sisters in so many ways, most involving singing, odd noises, and inappropriate gestures, much to the embarrassment of our mates).

fitbit reboot

I hit a bit of a rut on FitBit, until my coworker added me to a challenge, which spurred me to a stellar week. He's set one up for next week already, so I'm resting up this weekend.

small revelation

Homemade ketchup tastes nothing like ketchup, and it is so much better.

dinner with friends

Had three friends over for dinner last night, and we all made sous vide dishes (and some non-sous vide): wine, cheese, grapes, flatbread; wilted lettuce salad with bacon; sous vide asparagus (with bacon fat) topped with sous vide egg and truffle salt; sous vide burgers, finished on the grill and topped with lots of deliciousness, including homemade ketchup; sous vide pork loin, finished on the grill with a smoked bourbon BBQ sauce; and sous vide bananas (which acquire an interesting, dense texture) with ice cream and shaved chocolate. Finish it all off with lots of wine and games, and it was a good way to spend a Saturday afternoon and evening.

click

After all that reading, and ten days of practice (and it really is practice, with all of the "I can't do this, it doesn't make sense" that comes with practice), I think that this meditation and breathing thing may finally be starting to make a little sense. On my morning walk with the dog, something just clicked, and even if I still don't understand it, it somehow suddenly made more sense and felt less difficult.

going native

I've been trying out a life coach, just to see what all the California hoo-ha is about. Despite the cringe factor, it has proven to be quite useful for an overachieving procrastinator, because she sets tangible tasks and deadlines, including all of the following...

• reading books on meditation and mindfulness (one very hippie one that she assigned, and one more scientific one that I picked, both of which have been interesting)
• trying out meditation (formal meditation always seemed long and uncomfortable, but short ones have been good so far, and yes, there's an app for that)
• finding multisensory cues (she pointed out that I focus on written word a lot, so I'm working on smells, pictures, and sounds that remind me of my happy place)
• taking step one to New York (if this pipe dream is going to happen, first I have to test Henry on a plane, which is happening in two weeks)
• spending more and better time with people (sometimes you have to just schedule things and assign tasks to people so that you see people but there is still an element that you're not responsible for and which can still surprise you)
• taking better care of myself (more water, fruits, and vegetables)

So I'm not sure it's going to be a total revolution, but iteration and improvement are good, too.

cutting back

Managed to cut out Tums entirely (after a few years of taking them daily, I needed the calcium anyways, right?), and cut my Advil and caffeine consumption by over two thirds while we were vacation. Now I'm cranking up water intake and hoping this all sticks.

serenity or nap

Tried out a guided meditation app today, and fell asleep for a surprise nap, instead. Not quite what I was planning, but refreshing, nonetheless.

what's cooking

Sous vide salmon, roasted sunchokes, and leftover gazpacho for dinner. Friends coming over tomorrow, and we're making mi-cuit salmon, a fresh batch of heirloom tomato gazpacho, sous vide eggs over arugula and smoked beef tenderloin with pickled sunchokes, and stone fruit and berries with a balsamic vinegar reduction over sorbet.

namibia in depth

Two weeks of pure awesomeness on what Boyfriend has declared to be the best trip we've ever taken!

• Windhoek
• showing up and finding a firepit in the room
• Okonjima:
• eating granola with yogurt and fruit every morning, and bacon (I don’t usually eat a real breakfast, but I also don’t usually get up at 5 every morning)
• discovering the joys of having hot water bottles in the bed at night, and a fire in the fireplace
• watching a baby leopard play while its mother ate a warthog on our first drive
• taking an extra day so that we could go on a second leopard drive and a second cheetah drive
• going into safari trances on the road and getting a lot of thinking done, and having some good realizations
• and some smaller realizations, such as how much I really like to pee on dives and game drives
• giving up on FitBit, because it registers too many fake steps on bumpy roads
• not being online
• Ongava
• watching the sun set and the moon rise at the same time
• seeing mother and 3-4 week old baby rhino at watering hole on first sundown drive
• taking a hot shower (super-hot, heated by a wood stove) in a cold tent after a dusty day never gets old
• watching a huge orange full moon rising
• seeing a herd of elephants with two babies at the Okonkuejo watering hole in Etosha, drinking, bathing, playing, and taking a dust bath
• watching rhinos and elephants at the watering hole during second dinner
• seeing a mother rhino and her older baby on our last morning drive, and walking near them
• squeezing extra life out of my camera battery when it tried to give up a few times near the rhinos
• Onguma
• getting in before sunset and not having anything to do the rest of the night
• staying in a warm room and a fancy lodge is so great after a cold tent with a basic lodge -- so glad this was after Ongava so we could really wallow and appreciate it with no pressure to go do things
• seeing the Milky Way from our house
• listening to roaring lions the first night
• going into Etosha and feeling no pressure, since we'd already seen everything we'd really wanted to see, so everything else was just a bonus
• getting back from Etosha by noon and having the rest of the day free to relax, read, write, and think
• taking a 2.5 hour nap on a sunny bed after a week of waking up before 6 a.m., and on this particular day, waking up at 6, going on a walk for an hour and a half, then having breakfast, then getting back in bed before 11 a.m. to have a dream within a dream within a dream in a sleep that felt like I was in an underwater cocoon
• coming across a fat, sleepy male lion on night drive
• having a super helpful manager who fixed our wheel well and got our car washed
• starting to figure out manual camera settings for sunrise, sunset, stars
• eating the best food of the trip (the food was good in general, but particularly good here, and we discovered that all those antelopes are delicious -- oryx and springbok are good, but kudu is the best)
• Windhoek
• after seeing the room they were going to give us, asking for our first room back and getting it
• Sossusvlei
• having the front seat in the plane
• making it up the biggest dune (Big Daddy) after much huffing and puffing
• gliding back down the steep face of the dune after some doubt, making the sand sing like a cello and then like a tuba or trombone
• spending another morning at the dunes -- two fun descents, and a long photo session at Deadvlei
• going horseback riding into the sunset, which was startling when we were galloping but exhilarating
• getting two massages, one of them outside!
• getting a late afternoon flight out of Kulala so we could chill for the day
• spending the last night under the stars
• sitting in the cockpit again, just by asking

And generally:

• I don’t usually keep this kind of schedule when left to my own devices, but it was amazing to see sunrise, sunset, and stars every day, especially when there was so much sky.
• I realized that one of the amazing things about dive trips or safaris is that you just show up, and then you can turn your brain off, because there is no planning to do and no decisions to make. They tell you when to wake up, when to eat, where to go, what to see, and you can just enjoy yourself without worrying over whether you’re doing the right thing at the right time to get the most out of the day.

namibia is awesome

That was an amazing trip, in both expected ways (safari! dunes! stars! no work email! quick catch-up with old friends and the gummy candy store!) and unexpected ways (long meditative rides! hot water bottles! hot showers in a cold tent!) and I will have to dedicate a post to it, but for now, it was an incredible trip, and we came back to our favorite dogs and stone fruit season.

all purpose day

Yesterday: morning meetings, final vacation planning, lunchtime mentoring of high school girls, afternoon heavy drafting session to get a big deal moving, evening pedicure, facial, dog supplies (with some impromptu training thrown in), and human supplies (for vacation).

homecoming

The joys of coming home after a good trip: incandescent canine joy, boyfriend chit chat, your own bed and shower, morning coffee.

perfect timing

When your low fuel indicator goes on just as you pull into the gas station.

pork and cards

Finally got to try the bo ssäm at Momofuku with a bunch of friends, then played cards and hung out like the olden days.

new/old york

Hitting some of my favorite restaurants that I've been going to for fifteen years, catching up with friends from work, Switzerland, college, and law school, and walking and taking the subway everywhere. Today, we had soup dumplings and bubble tea in Chinatown, walked to Nolita, took the subway up to Harlem, walked all the way down through Central Park, cooled off in a fountain in a playground, had ice cream and listened to a busker, and hopped back on the train only when we got down to Columbus Circle. Quick break in the hotel, and then walking down to the Village for Ethiopian. Love this city.

chicken tonight

Leftover chicken tonight. It was pretty darn good last night (pan roasted with quinoa salad and rhubarb preserves), so hoping it reheats well. The shrimp fettuccine on Saturday was good too. Turns out I'm decent at cooking if the recipe and ingredients are delivered and no one is watching. Just me, my chicken, and Miles Davis, hanging out and ignoring the dog.

signed up

Finally got in touch with the shelter Henry came from, and signed up to volunteer with them once all this traveling is done!

relaxxxzzz

After falling asleep repeatedly during a mindfulness workshop at work while sitting upright in a brightly lit room with two dozen coworkers, I thought I should give meditation another shot. Nope. Can't do it on my own. But then it turns out that the library has digital recordings of guided meditations available, so I downloaded one, listened to it this afternoon, and fell asleep within ten minutes. Wonder if it works at night, as well...

pretty good dog

Henry came to a lot of meetings at work this week and met a lot of colleagues who had never met him, and we got a lot of compliments on his training. I guess it's been such a long and gradual process, and I've always been so focused on his weaknesses that I don't notice his strengths as much. So it was good to hear that we're doing well.

purge

Time for a closet purge! Can't wait to have more space, fewer things, and a pile of stuff to donate. So far, I'm at 45 items and lots of fond memories made while wearing those clothes.

single for now

Boyfriend and I have opposite travel schedules for the next twelve days, so that's twelve days of taking up the whole bed and keeping my own hours!

service

Looking forward to doing some work-sponsored volunteer work tomorrow!

return to sender

Finally did a bunch of returns for online shipments today, so that's out of the way and a good thing for my credit card and my office clutter.

well deserved

Watched a wonderful coworker get a really well deserved award today, which was awesome. She was so happy she almost started crying, which was also awesome. And everyone in the room was so happy for her that the applause went on and on and on, which was even more awesome.

third time's the charm

Third day in a row that I've engaged in significant cooking. I'm realizing that I like doing it, just not while anyone else is there.

dinner club reunion

Our old dinner club got together for the first time in years. Wine, cheese, bread, salmon two ways (smoked with creme fraiche and sous vide with homemade quick pickled onions, broiled crispy skin), truffled mac and cheese, grilled and smoked corn on the cob, smoked filet mignon on English muffins broiled with cheddar cheese and topped with truffled arugula and sous vide poached egg, Humphrey Slocombe ice cream (Secret Breakfast, Blue Bottle Vietnamese Coffee, and Peanut Butter Curry), and assorted Japanese KitKats. Good friends, good food, good times. I think we're going to reboot and reconvene every two or three months.

no reheating necessary

The warm lentils and cold sunchoke pickles went well with the fish yesterday, and today they were good as a cold dish without the fish, straight out of the fridge. Sunchoke pickles may be my new thing for a while.

two in a row

Decided to cook again tonight. Sous vide sole (this time with garlic and olive oil), lentils with chorizo, and sous vide sunchoke quick pickles. Let's see how this turns out.

hep hep hooray

Blood test came back, and I'm already fully immune to both Hep A and Hep B for the rest of my life, so no more shots needed for those. I'd probably know this if I'd kept better records of my vaccinations in the past, but now I know, no more shots for hep, ever.

ask and receive

Noticed that the sous vide circulator that I bought at a discount was even more discounted. I planned to quietly fume, but Boyfriend asked if I was going to ask for a credit. I screwed up my courage and set aside my embarrassment and sent an email asking if they price match, and lo and behold, I got an email back saying I'll get a credit for the difference! Much more effective than fuming.

ange can cook

Between free food at work and a boyfriend who likes cooking, I rarely motivate myself to make anything beyond the most basic stuff to eat. Today, I decided to cook! On a weeknight! Three dishes! Sous vide sole with dill and butter, sauteed sugar snap peas with mint and feta, and roasted sunchokes with truffle salt. I'm kind of proud of myself.

free shots

Went to the clinic at work today to get some shots in preparation for Namibia. Got three, plus a blood draw and two prescriptions, and it turns out that because it was all preventative care, there wasn't even a copay. So then I went to the allergist for my fourth shot and fifth needle of the day. Free shots!

number one

As much as I hated being required to get good grades, I sometimes miss the uncomplicated clarity that good grades gave. An A said, "you're doing well." Anything else said, "try harder." It's hard to get that kind of clear message once you're out of school. So when you reach the number one position in your FitBit rankings, it's a sweet little taste of the uncomplicated past, when it was so easy to know where you stood in relationship to the world.

long weekend

We're taking most of our vacation as long trips this year, so we aren't taking a lot of random days off for long weekends, so I love when we have one built in, because that extra day makes a weekend feel amazingly long.

chorizo

Chorizo is so delicious. Turkey chorizo isn't even that bad for you, and freezes in small portions for convenient use.

climber

The conference last week and then a lazy weekend totally killed my FitBit step count, but now I'll get to watch them go up again.

back for seconds

Apparently ten hours of sleep wasn't enough, and I was also in need of a two hour nap.

experimentation

We tried making abalone three ways (raw, smoked, sous vide), with varying success but lots of fun.

it's people

Met some interesting people at a conference this week, spent time with my sister's family and a college friend, then had a law school friend over for a night.

rekindled

I've hit my weight target, so can back off that a bit and spend more time on books, which have taken a bit of a backseat these past few months. That pile of seven library books is looking delicious!

make up

When you sleep ten hours after a few nights in a row of sleeping 5-6 hours.

aspirations

I spend so much time aspiring to be someone different, some better iteration of me that is less like me, that it comes as a pleasant shock when a coworker says that she aspires to be more like me.

everyday victories

I may have found the perfect sweatpants. Can't say for sure until they've gone through a few washes, but this is an amazing possibility, given my fondness for lounging around the house in comfy pants.

today

Called mom. Saw a dog that looked like she could have been Fiver's younger sister. Returned a bunch of stuff. Made brownies. Read more of this gorgeous book. Ate junk food and played games at a friend's house. Confirmed plans to reconvene our old dinner club for a reunion in a few weeks.

oh the possibilities

Finally got around to getting a sous vide circulator, with a discount, free shipping, and no tax! Now we just have to decide what to make first. So many foods, so little time...

wfh

Working from home on a sunny Friday is so great. I can wake up late but still start work early. Sweatpants are a given. The house is silent, other than birdsong and the washing machine. I can make as many faces and snide comments as I want, without judgment from the sleeping dogs. And eventually, when the workday is over, I'm instantly home and ready for the weekend.

mirror mirror

Trying on clothes is so much fun when you're the size you want to be. Even though I'm a total jeans girl, I admit that dresses are kind of fun once in a while. I've got two candidates balled up at the bottom of my closet (so that I can see if they'll travel well). May the best dress win.

box of chocolates

One of the benefits of keeping a long queue of books to read is that by the time I get to some of them, I have no recollection of what they're about or why they got added to the queue in the first place. You never know what you're going to get, and sometimes, every once in a while, it's an unexpectedly delicious one. There's nothing quite like reading the first few pages of a mystery book, loving it, and realizing that there are another 600 pages to devour.

just breathe

It still periodically boggles my mind that I can breathe through both nostrils, thanks to several years of allergy shots. Breathing just never gets old.

lost and found

Lost my driver's license while walking Henry yesterday. Found it today in the parking lot we walk through at the end of our walks. Whew.

never gets old

Mac and cheese, you're delicious out of a box, and even better homemade or from the place down the hill. You're delicious fresh, and still good reheated. You can stand on your own, but you also play nicely with truffle salt or pulled pork and BBQ sauce. I want to be you when I grow up.

brown paper packages

I'm in one of those phases where I order lots of things online, admire them for a little while, then return most of them, because I don't actually need to spend more money or have more stuff. So many packages makes it feel like Christmas!

box dinner

Last night, we tried one of the many services that sends you a recipe with pre-measured ingredients to cook at home, and it was actually pretty awesome.

good customer service

There is so much bad customer service these days that when you get good service, it is shocking and wonderful. The kind, patient sales associate who helped me three times as I changed my mind about hiking shoes (and even remembered my name) and the accommodating manager at REI who let me transfer the since-expired discount from the first pair to the second to the third, that's good customer service there.

stranger things

I never thought I'd like rain, after years of living on the East Coast and Europe, but after a three year drought here in California, every time it rains, it makes me happy and a little bit hopeful.

late rain

The smell of freshly washed eucalyptus trees while walking the dog at Stanford after what is probably the last rain we'll see until October.

jasmine season

six eyes

Vision plan covers two pairs of glasses now, so I ordered two. Doctor called today to say one pair had come in, and by the time I went to get them, the second had arrived, as well.

insomnia wins

Wide awake at 5:30 = at my desk before 7:30 = so much work done by lunch.

the new black

These are my favorite wildflowers in California. They surprise me every year with their orange-ness.

sound of music

It just so happened that The Sound of Music was showing at our local theatre in honor of the 50th anniversary of the movie release. I've never seen it on the big screen before, so we went, and I ate a whole box of Milk Duds, so it was pretty much amazing. I thought I knew that movie inside out, but you can see so many more subtle facial expressions and random things in the background, so that was awesome.

food glorious food

Went off-campus for a team lunch today, and had a nice steak and amazing cheese grits.

And for dinner, we're eating pasties that Boyfriend brought back from the place we like near Phoenix, where he had a conference. We tried making them at home, but they just weren't the same.

wild

The wildflowers are out in full force all over the place, even on scrubby, neglected, little patches next to the freeway. Impossible shades of orange, purple, and pink in the most improbable places.

happy feet

Spent hours yesterday and today agonizing over the right pair of waterproof (for rainy winter days in California) hiking (for Namibia) shoes, and finally settled on the right ones. They were 20% off, love REI. Also picked up nine pairs of socks to replace the ones I've had for ten years that are finally going into retirement as they grow holes (is there anything quite the same as feeling like you have enough socks or underwear?). 

Bonus round: I had thought about getting Five Finger shoes years ago, but never pulled the trigger, and now they've come out with one that suits me better. Good things come to those who wait?

high efficiency

Ran around to four different stores today returning a ton of stuff I didn't really like and buying a few discounted things that I like or need, so it was a satisfying day. Net income from all those returns, decrease in the total amount of stuff I have, net increase in things I have that I like, and a well-plotted day that ran right on schedule.

seconds

Went to the lobster shack at the bottom of the hill to have dinner with a friend yesterday. I ordered pulled pork, and got a good sized plate of pork, mac and cheese, and baked beans, but after I'd started eating, the guy came out with another plate of pork, because he thought my portion had been too small. So now I've got another two meals covered :)

neck pillow revisited

So I had decided I was going to buy a neck pillow, then couldn't decide which size to get, based off of Tempur-pedic's online sizing guide. My cousin happens to work for them, so I asked him for advice, and he referred me to his sweet coworker and also gave me a discount, so now I have a neck pillow on the way, peace of mind that I picked the right one, and it cost much less than anticipated! My neck is excited, as is my wallet.

itinerary

Next two New York trips booked, one with a weekend in DC for a wedding! Working on nailing down Namibia details (including a crucial layover in Zurich to see friends, grill at the lake, and buy gummy candy), looking into another DC trip for another wedding, and maybe a weekend in Portland or Vancouver? Probably one more New York trip, and then Vietnam and Cambodia are so far in the future that they're just pleasant shadows, but what a year!!

the perfect storm

Went to bed last night, and it was clear outside. Woke up in the middle of the night a few times, and it was raining. By the time I left for work, it was clear again. The only sign that it had rained was that the giant bird poop deposited on my windshield yesterday afternoon (big enough to warrant sending a picture of it to Boyfriend) had been washed away.

poorer and happier

Filed my taxes, which always gives me a sense of satisfaction, despite the fact that it always costs a lot. I just like the sense of accomplishment, and finding and filling in the numbers is oddly soothing.

Also, I finally got around to paying off the balance of my law school loans!! You're supposed to pay the minimum on government loans and invest it in something else, because the interest is so low, but I've never invested the money elsewhere, so I finally admitted that it was better to just pay them off and not have that piece of debt anymore.

cannot be overstated

The deliciousness we experienced in Japan cannot be overstated. Simple things, like tempura shrimp heads (and I don't usually like shrimp heads). Perfect ingredients, like Kobe beef and fatty tuna. Creative dishes, like a yuzu sourdough bread that cooked at the table. Every day was another feast, and out of the hundreds of things we ate, these dishes were some of the very best.

sweetness follows

What can I say, I'm Asian, and I think beans belong in desserts and sweet dishes. Like so.

cherry blossom

We were a bit early for cherry blossom season, but did get to see a few.

neck pillow

The hotel in Tokyo offered a selection of pillows, so I tried one of those weird looking Tempurpedic neck pillows, and it was so good. Might have to get one for my crazy neck.

sad but good

A high school friend's dog passed away this week, and this time two years ago, I was in the midst of losing Fiver. Terrible and sad, but emailing with my friend and remembering it all over again reminds me of how much Fiver changed my life for the better by influencing my choices, setting examples on love, patience, and forgiveness, and giving me more empathy. I am a better person for having known Fiver, and hope that Henry is reaping the benefits of what Fiver sowed.

fully stocked

A trip to Japan means all kinds of bounty: we ate so much good food, I can't even pick a favorite restaurant or narrow down favorite dishes to fewer than ten (and I only gained two pounds!!); I've got tons of pajamas (this means a lot to a  couch potato with hoarding tendencies); the TiVo is full of so many options (which I can watch in my new pajamas while pacing around the room trying to lose those two pounds).

april fool's

My product team did a clever prank today that was simple and fun (com.google was a flipped version of google.com), and even gave me credit for making them think of doing one in the first place.

together again

First play date after Henry and his favorite work dog both came back from vacation. They played long and hard, then cuddled on the couch, then played some more.

take care

Back in town after a month of mostly being away, and I'm making appointments and taking care of all kinds of things I was putting off, from taxes to toenails to back pain to pores to glasses to allergy shots to checkups. Some are fun, some aren't, but it's good to get things done.

barkbox

I signed Henry up for a few Barkboxes (monthly shipments of toys and treats), and the first treat was pretty cool: you put it in the microwave and it puffs up into this warm crunchy thing. He was so excited to eat it that he was hopping around so much that he couldn't eat it.

clean

Glad I decided not to cancel the cleaning lady while we were gone, so we came home to a tidy house. Laundry in the dryer, mom's cooking in my belly, first round of inbox triage complete, I'm as ready as I'll ever be to go back to real life...

record unpacking

For the first time in years, I'm fully unpacked the same day I got home from vacation. This was partly to triage the laundry situation, and partly to enjoy my loot, which includes three (!!) sets of airline pajamas, lots of exciting candy, and a sweat suit that came highly recommended by a friend.

one more day

Only one day left of vacation, but at least that day will include sleeping in, cherry blossoms, a bullet train, red bean KitKats, one last dinner, and a first class seat with a few movies I'd like to see. And my dog waiting for me on the other side of the ocean.

140K

Managed to get over 140,000 steps this week, for an average of over 20K per day.

rub a dub dub

Always take a bath at the hotel, especially if there is a giant cedar tub.

jealousy

Oh, to live in a place with good public transportation, bath houses, and delicious food in small portions...

firm

Firm mattress is best mattress.

best part

The best part of vacation might be the psychological freedom of having email sync turned off on my work account.

keeping up

We're getting lots of walking in, plus I've been watching Orange Is the New Black once a day on the treadmill to get some extra steps, so I think I'm actually going to come out of this binge trip OK.

specific tastes

When you eat enough Japanese meals in a row to identify your own specific obsessions therein. Mine: noodles, lotus root, shirako, red bean, soy lattes. His: yuzu.

addiction

When you finally get Wi-Fi after an unexpected 26 hour hiatus.

butler

When the hotel has a butler, and he brings you a big bag of the welcome snacks (yuzu flavored crunchy things) after you ask where you can buy them.

lookit that egg

shiso smoothie

Who knew that shiso would make a blueberry smoothie super tasty? The cafe in the Google Tokyo office, apparently.

new snacks

Best thing about checking out another Google office is trying the local snacks. Giant apples, sour grapes gummy candy, dried fish with almonds, huge vending machines, black vinegar drinks? Gotta try them all, and find room for breakfast and lunch at the cafe, too!

first class

The only bad thing about a flight in first class is that it ends much too soon.

lizard buddy

Boyfriend directed Henry's attention to a lizard on the deck today. Henry's excitement and enthusiasm knew no bounds. Jumping, whining, scrabbling at the window, yodeling, it was ON.

61

Realized that with our planned travel this year, we'll hit six or seven foreign countries, four of them new ones, bringing my total to 61.

also great

My own bed. Daylight Saving Time. Happy dog.

that was great

The weather softened up while I was in New York, I ate lots of good food, saw friends and coworkers, walked and took the subway, had a pretty fascinating experience at Sleep No More, and had a smooth journey home.

mini hibernation

A post brunch jetlagged nap in a cozy hotel room with blackout curtains when it's freezing cold outside.

walking from new york

Turns out there's a walking desk right next to my engineers, so I can still get some steps in despite the frigid weather this week!

strangers on a plane

Flight was delayed by four hours. On the upside, I knew about two of those hours in advance and got more time at work to get stuff done, and also had time to pace and get some steps at the airport. Guy on the plane said I was the nicest stranger he's ever traveled with, just because I offered to switch seats with him for his bum leg and gave him water for his pills.

different strokes

Squeezed in for an unexpected appointment with the chiropractor at work today, so I was with a different one than usual. I love my usual chiropractor, but it's fun to get a different style adjustment sometimes.

closeup

Went in for a company-funded photo shoot today to get a headshot for a conference. There was a makeup artist, and the photographer did silly photos, too, so I have lots of good pictures for serious and silly uses.

skinny jeans

I'm wearing a skinnier pair of jeans today! Just a few more pounds and I will fit into every pair I own.

toffee bread pudding

Yum.

so thankful

Nothing like vacuuming the house myself to make me really appreciate my cleaning lady.

early bird

When you have to wake up much earlier than usual, and for some reason, you're up and alert before the alarm clock goes off.

fireplace s'mores

Super easy, the ingredients are shelf stable, and always a crowd pleaser.

rainbow

Seeing a rainbow always feels like a special event.

hills are alive

We actually got some rain this winter, and so all the hills below our house are green and beautiful. The trees in the area all started blooming in late January, so it's a beautiful spring. Can't wait to see three cherry blossoms in Japan in a few weeks!

help wanted

An unexpected and repeated job offer is never a bad thing for one's self confidence.

sleeping dog

The smell of a bleary-eyed dog who just woke up.

not a death march

My sister came by for lunch, and we walked down the hill, instead of driving. Alone, it's enough hills that it would have felt like a death march, but with company, it was time to catch up.

ski week

Last week, Bay Area public schools had vacation, and most people go skiing. I love when schools are out, because it does wonders for my commute when all those families leave town.

eating the dogfood

I'll never get tired of the free gadgets at work, which we use in order to "eat our own dogfood" and improve the products. New tablet shows up at my desk today; I have no idea why I was chosen, but I will gladly use it.

chocolate

Surprise chocolate delivery by a friend I didn't even realize is in town! Coming back to my desk yesterday and finding it there was a happy surprise.

like butter

Work thingy I helped plan went smoothly, and my preso was fine. I got to meet some new people, and hung out chatting with folks for a while afterwards. I do like having some social time at work...

old standard

When you make the lentil stew recipe you got when you were in Chile fifteen years ago, and you get the lentils and rice cooked juuuust right.

a is for apple

Perfect, crisp, sweet apple.

sunny saturday

Went into town to pick up some framed photos, and they came with (another) box of Girl Scout cookies! Then, I picked up Boyfriend's favorite kind of bagels and some cupcakes, so we'll have dessert tonight and breakfast tomorrow (after we eat the steak he's making for dinner tonight, which we'll eat while watching a movie about bronies). A good Valentine's day.

next up, namibia

Scratch the Mexico in August plans, looks like we're doing South Africa and Namibia in July, with a layover in Zurich, so that we can say hi to friends and stock up on gummy candy!!

more reservations

Our Japan trip is approaching, and we've been looking at lots of restaurants! Between New York and Japan, March is going to be quite a Michelin star frenzy for us!

overboard

I've bought thirteen boxes of Girl Scout cookies, including six boxes on Thin Mints and four boxes of Savannah Smiles, which I'd never tried before, but are lemony and delicious. Giving away a bunch, because no one should eat that many, but the cookie hoarding instinct is strong...

every day

Henry has had four play dates with three different dogs this week. He has the best job.

better back

All this walking may be helping my back and neck problems.

surprise supplies

Lovely coworker pinged me today saying she has something for me. Turns out she was in Zurich and remembered that I liked gummy candy and picked up a couple bags for me. I love surprise gummies!!

rain is gone

Gorgeous sunny day, perfect for walking across campus for lunch with a former teammate and some extra steps on Fitbit.

back to back

After being cooped up all weekend, Henry had play dates with his two favorite dogs yesterday and today, and he played as if he might never get to play again.

grumpy

Someone (not me) was extremely grumpy all weekend. Good thing we had scheduled friends to come over for dinner and couldn't cancel, so that someone (not me) was forced to talk and smile for a few hours.

better timing

Managed to get a reservation at Eleven Madison Park at 5:30 on a different night, which is so much better than 10.

good night's sleep

Best sleep I've had in a few weeks.

good night's sleep

Best sleep I've had in a few weeks.

quick progress

Have I really lost five pounds in a little over two weeks? My austerity measures may not have to last quite as long as I'd thought.

step miner

Despite only popping outside momentarily for the dog, I managed to walk over six miles today, just pacing around the house. Laziest walk ever.

get it done

I am so glad I taught my dog to pee and poop as quickly as possible on command. It was raining cats and dogs on me and my dog today.

serious reservations

Booking tables for New York. I even woke up at 6 to get a reservation at Eleven Madison Park (and was only able to get a 10 p.m., so we'll have to think about that...), and we're definitely going back to Marea for their incredible pasta and seafood.

rainy day

Rain to break the drought! And it's on a Friday that I'm working from home, so I don't have to drive in it. And it didn't start until right after Henry did his morning business. And maybe I needed a little break from walking so much every day for the last two weeks...

upcoming travels

New York for work (with added perks of friends and for), then Tokyo and Kyoto for cherry blossoms and food (with added perk of first class tickets and Boyfriend's favorite hotel in the world), and an end of year trip to Vietnam and Cambodia (in which we get to try the first class service on Cathay and see if it lives up to the hype). Still to plan, a summer trip to Mexico to see whale sharks, perhaps?

everything in excess

Henry went on all of my walks over the weekend, which means that he also did all of the steep hills (over 70 floors per day). This morning, he refused breakfast, refused to walk, and fell asleep all over the place all day. I never thought I'd wear this dog out, but apparently I did!

In other news, I ordered seven boxes of Girl Scout cookies, because it's that time of year!

sunny days

Everyone else's weather report says cold and snow, and we've got sunshine, 70° temperatures, and all the trees are blooming. Good thing for me, with all this walking...

fitbeast

I'm addicted to the numbers, the rankings, the gadget... I've been walking so much that my sad body was aching the first few nights. I've been walking so much that I'm well over 100k weekly steps. I can't help it. I can't stand exercise, but even more than that, I can't stand to lose.

sister day

Steam room, scrubbing mitts, hot tub, lunch at Google, sunny walk, discounted galoshes at the company store, pedicures!

four day weeks

Last week was a four day week for MLK. This week, I'm taking Friday off for some sister time. I love long weekends...

hotel booked

The website for the hotel I stayed in last time in New York wasn't recognizing our corporate booking code, and it looked like they were over budget, anyways. I called them on the phone, and it turns out the current discount rate brought them back in budget, so it was worth the call. If I decide to bring Henry, it won't even cost extra. Maybe not this time, but next?

lazy fitness

If I do one meeting a day at the walking desk, I can meet my daily step goal without too much effort...

killing leftovers

Half a Napa cabbage, one slice of pork belly, and tofu becomes... Korean-ish cabbage soup, if you toss in some chicken broth, scallions, garlic, hot sesame oil, gochujang, salt, and soy sauce.

winter is going

Hurray for the return of temperatures in the 70's, and lengthening days!

fitter

Finally caved and bought a FitBit, which I started using yesterday, in addition to logging calories. A few months should get me back to where I like to be.

unexpected ramen

I was in my pajamas and prepared for a lazy evening at home yesterday, when my sister asked if we wanted to go to her place to have ramen. Headed up to the city for delicious ramen, Cards Against Humanity, then stayed the night and had crepes and a slow morning before heading back down in time to prepare for tonight's dinner guests.

2/3

We're hosting three dinners this weekend. Friday we had Chinese hot pot with a former legal assistant and her boyfriend. Last night, another former legal assistant came over with her husband, and we had a pretty fancy (and very delicious) dinner that used our smoker and their sous vide machine a lot: burrata, mi-cuit salmon with quick pickles, sous vide duck, Brussels sprouts with bacon, smoked chateaubriand with arugula salad and 63° egg, a few bottles of wine, and s'mores. Former teammates coming over tomorrow for hot pot and catching up.

perfect lunch

With these four things on my plate at work today, I could hardly pay attention to the presenter who was talking while I was eating:

• Raw Mustard Green Salad with Gruyère and Anchovy Croutons 
• Simmered Farro Salad with Cranberry, Golden Raisin and Toasted Almonds 
• Grilled Napa Cabbage with Toasted Sesame Seeds 
• Orange & Soy Glazed Pork Belly

step one

I always think that I should do things like go to the gym and work out, but I don't, and so today, I did a very short workout at home. Here's hoping that eliminating the laziness about getting to the gym will help me get in better shape.

emergency food

That thing where you stay in bed too long and then you're too weak to get up and get food, so you fall back asleep and wake up even hungrier, until your boyfriend brings in poached eggs and cheese on an English muffin and yogurt, and you won't have to die in bed, after all.

optimal weekend

If you do a social thing on Friday night, and unavoidable errands or obligations on Saturday, you still have the rest of Saturday and all on Sunday to lounge around in your pajamas.

joy joy joy

Henry is having one of those days where everything is exciting and requires running and leaping and celebrating. He was pretty much dancing while he pooped. No idea why, but today seems to be a very good day for him.

belated

Finally had our across the street neighbors over for dinner, almost a year after they hosted us. I can now greet them without shame and with a clear conscience. Next door neighbors, not yet.

resolved

Did my Year in Review yesterday, and I gave myself surprisingly decent grades on my goals for last year, and figured out my goals for this year.

again again

Booked tickets for my next work trip to New York! Now I just need to book the hotel and decide whether to try bringing Henry.

quick dinner

Kimchi scrambled eggs with a bit of sesame oil on a toasted English muffin is both quick and tasty.

radishes and salt

Crunchy and cold.

leftover heaven

So many options! Cookies, dips, veggies, meat, soda...

rawr

I am become Death, destroyer of fruit flies.

happy new year

We hosted a dinner at our place, and I think we're finally getting to the point that it's presentable and we can start doing more things with guests.

on time

After over a year of not having a clock that kept accurate time in the living room, I finally motivated to go buy a new one. It's kind of cool.