August has been a fairly stressful month, dominated for the most part by our search for a new place to live. Who would have thought under $1000 for one bedroom, close to freeways, around Mira Mesa with a 10 mile radius, dog-friendly seems to be impossible requirements to fulfill at one time.
I felt my brain was constantly trying to weigh all the factors and trying to find the best possible combination. Unfortunately, though I knew we weren't desperate, none of our fall back options were pretty. Live separately, give up the dog, live either up by San Marcos/Escondido, or down near Downtown, Hillcrest, Golden Hills (we didn't even give a thought to El Cajon and Chula Vista).
We finally decided to stay within our complex in a studio. Last time we had a one bedroom, we remarked on more than one occasion that the apt was rather lacking in furniture, though I refuse to buy more because I detest moving. So a studio hopefully will fulfill our needs better.
I realized after we came to a decision that a stressed out brain trying to make a decision while factoring in the weight of different criteria and options is very much like a computer stuck in a loop, working on a problem. Almost like not having enough RAM. I really had no mental room to spare for other considerations in life. I found myself slightly more paranoid, unable to care about others' needs, and less able to plan for the less essentials. Interesting experience. I like that now my brain is free to wander to think about other things. Like what others' mental life is like? I would like to have the ability to invisibly camp out in someone else's brain. That would be fun. =)
Monday, August 23, 2010
Sunday, August 22, 2010
The Omnivore's Dilemma
In an effort to entertain my brother, we went to B&N. There's something there for everyone.
I wanted to continue reading a book about birth that I picked up last time. The Birth Book did a very good job describing the various interventions used in modern hospitals. In addition to discussing how they work, it also attempted to ascertain their merits based on scientific studies. I got as far as pitocin and electronic fetal monitoring (surprisingly, unnecessary) before forced to leave the store. Unfortunately, when I attempted to find the book again, I couldn't. It was on hold for someone. I know I am selectively reading books that agree with my birth philosophy without giving the same consideration for the other side. However, I am loathe to try and find the opposing side. I will justify this with the excuse that I am trying to find out what average natural births are like.
Disappointed, I wandered around trying to find a book that piqued and held my interest. I chanced upon the much talked about Michael Pollan book The Omnivore's Dilemma (btw, who coined the term "foodie"? What does it even mean?). Perfect. I randomly flipped through some chapters and stopped at his journey in following a typical cow from birth to grill. After reading about the problems steers have with eating corn along with all its associated problems (the one I remember, acidosis, which incubated the much feared e. coli), I am horrified that I eat regular beef at all. Why am I not eating grass-fed beef? What is our diet supposed to be? Are we really supposed to consume so much meat? Obviously, because of corn subsidy and because we don't figure environmental costs in to our food prices, the true price of beef that we currently eat should be much higher. But if not this, then what? I know from experience that with the eating culture that I am familiar, if I don't eat protein during lunch, I will be hungry three hours later, which is a little ridiculous to me.
As I find myself trying more and more to come up with healthy and filling meals, it's quite a mental exercise to come up with variety, figure out cost of food and calculate preparation time. Healthy meals, at least for me, takes a lot of time and effort (which is why I really appreciate it when someone else cleans up afterwards). How do other people eat? How many people are succeeding at this balancing game?
Also, one more book I thought would be interesting to read, Genome, The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters. The author was a science journalist. Hence the book seems to be fairly accessible to anyone without a biology degree. Yet, it seems to give a good sense of where genetics stand as the last 5-10 years. It doesn't claim to be comprehensive, that would be too much information. I thought the fun thing about the book was the his structure: 23 chromosomes, 1 gene selected from each chromosome, so 23 genes in 23 chapters.
I wanted to continue reading a book about birth that I picked up last time. The Birth Book did a very good job describing the various interventions used in modern hospitals. In addition to discussing how they work, it also attempted to ascertain their merits based on scientific studies. I got as far as pitocin and electronic fetal monitoring (surprisingly, unnecessary) before forced to leave the store. Unfortunately, when I attempted to find the book again, I couldn't. It was on hold for someone. I know I am selectively reading books that agree with my birth philosophy without giving the same consideration for the other side. However, I am loathe to try and find the opposing side. I will justify this with the excuse that I am trying to find out what average natural births are like.
Disappointed, I wandered around trying to find a book that piqued and held my interest. I chanced upon the much talked about Michael Pollan book The Omnivore's Dilemma (btw, who coined the term "foodie"? What does it even mean?). Perfect. I randomly flipped through some chapters and stopped at his journey in following a typical cow from birth to grill. After reading about the problems steers have with eating corn along with all its associated problems (the one I remember, acidosis, which incubated the much feared e. coli), I am horrified that I eat regular beef at all. Why am I not eating grass-fed beef? What is our diet supposed to be? Are we really supposed to consume so much meat? Obviously, because of corn subsidy and because we don't figure environmental costs in to our food prices, the true price of beef that we currently eat should be much higher. But if not this, then what? I know from experience that with the eating culture that I am familiar, if I don't eat protein during lunch, I will be hungry three hours later, which is a little ridiculous to me.
As I find myself trying more and more to come up with healthy and filling meals, it's quite a mental exercise to come up with variety, figure out cost of food and calculate preparation time. Healthy meals, at least for me, takes a lot of time and effort (which is why I really appreciate it when someone else cleans up afterwards). How do other people eat? How many people are succeeding at this balancing game?
Also, one more book I thought would be interesting to read, Genome, The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters. The author was a science journalist. Hence the book seems to be fairly accessible to anyone without a biology degree. Yet, it seems to give a good sense of where genetics stand as the last 5-10 years. It doesn't claim to be comprehensive, that would be too much information. I thought the fun thing about the book was the his structure: 23 chromosomes, 1 gene selected from each chromosome, so 23 genes in 23 chapters.
Friday, August 20, 2010
9/11 mosque controversy
I had to drive John home to register for his Junior year classes. In the evening, we went out to dinner with the two kids rooming with the parents.
On the way over, I thought about the current controversy surrounding a plan to build a mosque close the Ground Zero. I brought that up with my brother (he being surprisingly well versed in current events and politics). In a good mood, I was determined to keep up the conversation at the dinner table so as to avoid awkward moments.
Anyway, though I don't think the plan is very tactful, I fully support their right to do so. If it's legal, then why should we prevent them from doing so? I think a benchmark test of the much touted Americans freedoms and rights is allowing people to do things despite of the repugnance that action elicits from within us.
My mom said that they absolutely should not be allowed to do so because it is insulting and not in good taste. I tried explaining to her that things considered in good taste changes with every generation. Miscegenation. Same-sex marriage. That's not a good standard to prevent people from doing something they want. In addition, just as the sins of the father may not be visited upon the son, we cannot hold everyone of one religion responsible for what their fringe group did.
"...then they came for me,
and by that time no one was left to speak up."
-Martin Niemöller
On the way over, I thought about the current controversy surrounding a plan to build a mosque close the Ground Zero. I brought that up with my brother (he being surprisingly well versed in current events and politics). In a good mood, I was determined to keep up the conversation at the dinner table so as to avoid awkward moments.
Anyway, though I don't think the plan is very tactful, I fully support their right to do so. If it's legal, then why should we prevent them from doing so? I think a benchmark test of the much touted Americans freedoms and rights is allowing people to do things despite of the repugnance that action elicits from within us.
My mom said that they absolutely should not be allowed to do so because it is insulting and not in good taste. I tried explaining to her that things considered in good taste changes with every generation. Miscegenation. Same-sex marriage. That's not a good standard to prevent people from doing something they want. In addition, just as the sins of the father may not be visited upon the son, we cannot hold everyone of one religion responsible for what their fringe group did.
"...then they came for me,
and by that time no one was left to speak up."
-Martin Niemöller
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Licensing and microchipping for Butters
I finally went to the county's one stop clinic and licensed and microchipped Butters.
During most of my ownership of Butters (last year), I thought the county forcing people to license their pets is tantamount to extortion. I didn't see the purpose of it at all. I don't care to help offset their fees. Afterall, most of their funding already comes from other sources, why should I have to pay some more? The only argument that made sense to me is if Butters somehow got lost (which I can't really imagine), the shelters might be of help.
With that, I periodically get the perverse urge to browse through the pet section of CL. I know I can't adopt or foster any animal. Yet, I like reading about their stories and looking at their pictures. I think it helps me appreciate Butters and want to make his little life the best I can. The stories are a constant reminder to never be one of those people who gives up their pet due to moving, work, school, or other excuses. Humans are infinitely adaptable. I'm sure we can find ways to deal with the problem if we tried hard enough. I get the feeling that mostly people just don't see the dogs as a deserving member of the family. I can't imagine giving up a child just because it takes up too much time, so I don't see why we should give up pets because they've become a burden. If anything, any behavior problems are the human's fault with lack of training and/or exercise. However, with that said, I do want to leave people the benefit of the doubt as owners pass away or are sick and can longer fulfill their obligations towards their pets.
For the past few days, I've been glued to rescue, shelter and CL pet sites. I read one post on CL that has since been deleted (I can't find it again) from someone claiming to work as a manager at a shelter giving a behind the scenes look at what happens when people surrender their pet. S/he described the sadness of dogs left in kennels, some succumbing to illnesses. Comparatively speaking, very few are adopted, despite being purebred or not. S/he went through the process of euthanizing an animal and its disposal after. I don't know how much of this is true. However, it did make me feel that if nothing else, $14/year for licensing that goes towards helping to keep shelter animals alive even just a little bit longer is worth it.
So I took Butters to the Gaines St shelter (had the hardest darn time finding it because it was a tiny street right before the police department that looked like a drive way). The people were very nice, didn't give me any crap at all about why I'm licensing him now, almost four months after his rabies shot. They took Butters away for microchipping, so I don't know if he yelped. When he came out a few minutes later, he looked none the worse for the experience with just a little bit of blood at the injection site. The whole process was fairly quick despite quite a few other dogs there as well.
Since I was there, I filled out an application to volunteer with them, walking dogs, or whatever else they need. My main goal is to make the lives of the dogs/cats there better while they are there. With that, I have an orientation on August 25th. =D I'm quite excited.
During most of my ownership of Butters (last year), I thought the county forcing people to license their pets is tantamount to extortion. I didn't see the purpose of it at all. I don't care to help offset their fees. Afterall, most of their funding already comes from other sources, why should I have to pay some more? The only argument that made sense to me is if Butters somehow got lost (which I can't really imagine), the shelters might be of help.
With that, I periodically get the perverse urge to browse through the pet section of CL. I know I can't adopt or foster any animal. Yet, I like reading about their stories and looking at their pictures. I think it helps me appreciate Butters and want to make his little life the best I can. The stories are a constant reminder to never be one of those people who gives up their pet due to moving, work, school, or other excuses. Humans are infinitely adaptable. I'm sure we can find ways to deal with the problem if we tried hard enough. I get the feeling that mostly people just don't see the dogs as a deserving member of the family. I can't imagine giving up a child just because it takes up too much time, so I don't see why we should give up pets because they've become a burden. If anything, any behavior problems are the human's fault with lack of training and/or exercise. However, with that said, I do want to leave people the benefit of the doubt as owners pass away or are sick and can longer fulfill their obligations towards their pets.
For the past few days, I've been glued to rescue, shelter and CL pet sites. I read one post on CL that has since been deleted (I can't find it again) from someone claiming to work as a manager at a shelter giving a behind the scenes look at what happens when people surrender their pet. S/he described the sadness of dogs left in kennels, some succumbing to illnesses. Comparatively speaking, very few are adopted, despite being purebred or not. S/he went through the process of euthanizing an animal and its disposal after. I don't know how much of this is true. However, it did make me feel that if nothing else, $14/year for licensing that goes towards helping to keep shelter animals alive even just a little bit longer is worth it.
So I took Butters to the Gaines St shelter (had the hardest darn time finding it because it was a tiny street right before the police department that looked like a drive way). The people were very nice, didn't give me any crap at all about why I'm licensing him now, almost four months after his rabies shot. They took Butters away for microchipping, so I don't know if he yelped. When he came out a few minutes later, he looked none the worse for the experience with just a little bit of blood at the injection site. The whole process was fairly quick despite quite a few other dogs there as well.
Since I was there, I filled out an application to volunteer with them, walking dogs, or whatever else they need. My main goal is to make the lives of the dogs/cats there better while they are there. With that, I have an orientation on August 25th. =D I'm quite excited.
Vitamins
I don't know which nerves are crossed in my brain (a Chinese saying that I've translated because I love that it's so great at describing random impulses that we get on occasions), but I suddenly remembered my friend's advice when she was in med school telling me that women stop absorbing calcium at age 35, so we better start taking supplements because it's harder to build bone density when we really need to.
Went to Henry's and bought myself a bottle of Sun Harvest Calcium Citrate with Vit D3.
On the way to the calcium aisle, I browsed through the multi-vitamins, like one-a-day type of thing, just to explore my options. If I can take one with calcium and iron, then why not?
Here's the first thing about multi-vitamins that bothers me: why do I need 2000+% recommended daily value of thiamin? Why do I need more than 100% of any one vitamin? At its most benign, as Sheldon of The Big Bang Theory says, that makes for some expensive (and smelly) pee. At its worst, vitamin toxicity. So no thank you.
Same thing with the calcium aisle. I was surprised to find calcium supplements also sold together as cal-mag-zinc. I feel like they are selling fertilizer and that I'll be ingesting fertilizer (yummy steer manure anyone?). You know, the 10-20-10 or some other ratio of nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium. Anyway, eventually I settled on one that had 63% daily value of Ca and 100% daily value of vitamin D3. Even though the instructions told me to take 2 tablets once or twice a day, I'm going to ignore that and take one a day with my dinner. I feel like that's safe enough.
Which leads me to the second thing about vitamins that bothers me: I opened the bottle and swallowed a pill, even with water, that was a tad difficult. Really, were it just a bit bigger, it might as well be a suppository. So what is up with the size of the pills? I might be able to understand multi-vitamins needing to be bigger because of the crap that they need to put in them, but Ca and Vit D3? There are fillers. How about less of that?
One cool thing though that I do like about my shiny new jar of suppositories...I mean pills is that it came in a brown glass jar. How cool is that?
Went to Henry's and bought myself a bottle of Sun Harvest Calcium Citrate with Vit D3.
On the way to the calcium aisle, I browsed through the multi-vitamins, like one-a-day type of thing, just to explore my options. If I can take one with calcium and iron, then why not?
Here's the first thing about multi-vitamins that bothers me: why do I need 2000+% recommended daily value of thiamin? Why do I need more than 100% of any one vitamin? At its most benign, as Sheldon of The Big Bang Theory says, that makes for some expensive (and smelly) pee. At its worst, vitamin toxicity. So no thank you.
Same thing with the calcium aisle. I was surprised to find calcium supplements also sold together as cal-mag-zinc. I feel like they are selling fertilizer and that I'll be ingesting fertilizer (yummy steer manure anyone?). You know, the 10-20-10 or some other ratio of nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium. Anyway, eventually I settled on one that had 63% daily value of Ca and 100% daily value of vitamin D3. Even though the instructions told me to take 2 tablets once or twice a day, I'm going to ignore that and take one a day with my dinner. I feel like that's safe enough.
Which leads me to the second thing about vitamins that bothers me: I opened the bottle and swallowed a pill, even with water, that was a tad difficult. Really, were it just a bit bigger, it might as well be a suppository. So what is up with the size of the pills? I might be able to understand multi-vitamins needing to be bigger because of the crap that they need to put in them, but Ca and Vit D3? There are fillers. How about less of that?
One cool thing though that I do like about my shiny new jar of suppositories...I mean pills is that it came in a brown glass jar. How cool is that?
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Sexism
I have been reading this incredibly long thread for the past few days on one of my favorite sites, MetaFilter (side link) about the prevalence of sexism in today's society. The blog it links to features real examples of sexism in women's lives. This led to a whole discussion in MF about whether the stories are real and also people sharing their own stories about how frustrating it is when treated differently for having a second X chromosome.
One topic discussed was being talked down to by doctors.
In college, I worked at Summit, one of the on-campus dining halls. After about a year or so of working there, I developed a pain on the bones in my hands. I went to see a doctor at Kaiser about it because my family has always liked them. Not really wanting to base a decision without knowing anything about the doctor, I was ok with the nurses assigning whomever was free to see me. Anyway, the doctor (male), did his exam, looking over my hand this way and that, asking me to move it in different ways. He then made his diagnosis which was a pretty long word. I couldn't catch any part of that word, so I asked him to repeat it. He again, said it at the same speed.Then looked at me. I again, had no idea what he said. He went on to tell me how to treat it and if it gets worse, that he'll have to give me an injection of corticosteroids to help with the pain.
To this day, I have no idea what I have/had (it only flares up occasionally when I've been repeatedly picking up/carrying heavy objects). And I regret not standing up for my needs by asking him to write it on a piece of paper or something. I know I'm not the fastest in comprehending auditory information, but I shouldn't have to feel bad about it.
I am not sharing this as an example of sexism because I don't know if it's just his way of interacting with female patients or if he does it to everyone. And most of the time, I don't really care to see the problem because it makes me depressed when I do. I'd rather just deal with these things on each individual basis and hopefully, I'll have enough self-confidence to know and help myself when something is glaringly not ok with me. Plus, I think a lot of times women use these attitudes from men to their advantage in getting what they want. I've certainly done it on numerous occasions.
One topic discussed was being talked down to by doctors.
In college, I worked at Summit, one of the on-campus dining halls. After about a year or so of working there, I developed a pain on the bones in my hands. I went to see a doctor at Kaiser about it because my family has always liked them. Not really wanting to base a decision without knowing anything about the doctor, I was ok with the nurses assigning whomever was free to see me. Anyway, the doctor (male), did his exam, looking over my hand this way and that, asking me to move it in different ways. He then made his diagnosis which was a pretty long word. I couldn't catch any part of that word, so I asked him to repeat it. He again, said it at the same speed.Then looked at me. I again, had no idea what he said. He went on to tell me how to treat it and if it gets worse, that he'll have to give me an injection of corticosteroids to help with the pain.
To this day, I have no idea what I have/had (it only flares up occasionally when I've been repeatedly picking up/carrying heavy objects). And I regret not standing up for my needs by asking him to write it on a piece of paper or something. I know I'm not the fastest in comprehending auditory information, but I shouldn't have to feel bad about it.
I am not sharing this as an example of sexism because I don't know if it's just his way of interacting with female patients or if he does it to everyone. And most of the time, I don't really care to see the problem because it makes me depressed when I do. I'd rather just deal with these things on each individual basis and hopefully, I'll have enough self-confidence to know and help myself when something is glaringly not ok with me. Plus, I think a lot of times women use these attitudes from men to their advantage in getting what they want. I've certainly done it on numerous occasions.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Breaking bread in La Jolla
Seems like the heat wave is finally on its way out.
Luis and I came home rather late because of Kathryn's birthday party last night. We woke up late to find a message from Butters' "grandma" (in quotes because I am not really comfortable with the dog park convention of calling owners moms and dads. Used here however because it helps more to convey her relationship as the owner of the bitch who gave birth to Butters.) saying that she won't be home, much to our relief. We both needed more sleep.
In the afternoon, we had a lunch/dinner date with Amanda and Syrus at his parents' place in La Jolla. She warned me that Butters might get lost in the yard since it's pretty big. I dismissed it because 1. I couldn't visualize in my mind just how big it is and 2. had no idea it was on a hillside with copious vegetation. I thought a little white dog, if I can find him in the dusk when all other colored dogs have disappeared into the night, then I can find him amongst the greenery.
The house is located on Mt. Soledad. In addition to a gorgeous view (why didn't I bring my camera again?) of the cove, the ocean, pier, and beaches, it had a sloped yard that could've been any child's dream with secret paths, trees, and secret places to play and run in. If a 70 lb black dog can disappear, I'm not even going to keep track of where Butters might go. I trust that he loves us enough to come when we call him.
The other thing she wasn't kidding about was the combination of the meal being lunch/dinner. The dining room, adjacent to the kitchen, presented the entire view the property has to offer. Throughout the whole dinner, the cool ocean breeze never let up through the balcony doors. I felt like I was vacationing in a private beach house, escaping the summer heat of Mira Mesa. When they invited us to sit down, I noticed the table was "informally" laid out with a plate, two glass bowls, two glasses, a knife, two spoons, and a fork. Yeah, don't ask me about the names about any of them. I just remember (was it in Titanic? Or some kind of movie.) to go from outside and work our way in. Plus, the table was so big and I was far away enough from Syrus' parents that I don't think they can see what utensil I was using. Not that they would care, I think.
Anyway, lunch/dinner. The table was laden with food before the main course even arrived. Five different cheeses. Bread, crackers. Many different vegetables. My stoplight salsa. Enough roughage to fill everyone up even before the main course. Syrus bbq'ed different sausages, asparagus, portobello mushrrooms, salmon burgers and corn. Amanda made potatoes with corn flakes, really flavorful.
The whole thing lasted from 2 to 6pm. We were eating the whole time and I loved it. Reminded me of dinner affairs in China. I wish we could have kept going.
At first, I was nervous being in Syrus' parents house, but they were such nice people. In the end, we were comfortable enough where there was even a bit of teasing.
Luis and I came home rather late because of Kathryn's birthday party last night. We woke up late to find a message from Butters' "grandma" (in quotes because I am not really comfortable with the dog park convention of calling owners moms and dads. Used here however because it helps more to convey her relationship as the owner of the bitch who gave birth to Butters.) saying that she won't be home, much to our relief. We both needed more sleep.
In the afternoon, we had a lunch/dinner date with Amanda and Syrus at his parents' place in La Jolla. She warned me that Butters might get lost in the yard since it's pretty big. I dismissed it because 1. I couldn't visualize in my mind just how big it is and 2. had no idea it was on a hillside with copious vegetation. I thought a little white dog, if I can find him in the dusk when all other colored dogs have disappeared into the night, then I can find him amongst the greenery.
The house is located on Mt. Soledad. In addition to a gorgeous view (why didn't I bring my camera again?) of the cove, the ocean, pier, and beaches, it had a sloped yard that could've been any child's dream with secret paths, trees, and secret places to play and run in. If a 70 lb black dog can disappear, I'm not even going to keep track of where Butters might go. I trust that he loves us enough to come when we call him.
The other thing she wasn't kidding about was the combination of the meal being lunch/dinner. The dining room, adjacent to the kitchen, presented the entire view the property has to offer. Throughout the whole dinner, the cool ocean breeze never let up through the balcony doors. I felt like I was vacationing in a private beach house, escaping the summer heat of Mira Mesa. When they invited us to sit down, I noticed the table was "informally" laid out with a plate, two glass bowls, two glasses, a knife, two spoons, and a fork. Yeah, don't ask me about the names about any of them. I just remember (was it in Titanic? Or some kind of movie.) to go from outside and work our way in. Plus, the table was so big and I was far away enough from Syrus' parents that I don't think they can see what utensil I was using. Not that they would care, I think.
Anyway, lunch/dinner. The table was laden with food before the main course even arrived. Five different cheeses. Bread, crackers. Many different vegetables. My stoplight salsa. Enough roughage to fill everyone up even before the main course. Syrus bbq'ed different sausages, asparagus, portobello mushrrooms, salmon burgers and corn. Amanda made potatoes with corn flakes, really flavorful.
The whole thing lasted from 2 to 6pm. We were eating the whole time and I loved it. Reminded me of dinner affairs in China. I wish we could have kept going.
At first, I was nervous being in Syrus' parents house, but they were such nice people. In the end, we were comfortable enough where there was even a bit of teasing.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Janet's visit
Spent Thursday with my Precious Heart.
First order of business: dog beach with her, Butters and Mona. Seeing her in bathing suit, I'll have to ask Grant again what he was talking about with regards to her weight. I thought she looked great. She just have the body type where the lower body is rounder than other parts. Hourglass?
We didn't have enough time to drop off Mona and so took her with us to meet up with her friend for Thai food. Her friend is Thai and gave her stamp of approval to this place, Sab-E-Lee, that's almost literally a hole in the wall, that's how small it is. We had sticky rice with papaya salad, raw beef, fried beef jerky, and a ground pork dish. We also ate with our hands, which is awesome, because I love eating with my hands. I love the licking finger part. Precious juices that just won't adhere to metal utensils. Anyway, raw beef. It was seasoned wonderfully and I loved the precious first few bites when I didn't think about it as raw beef. Then my mind kept circling back to the fact that it's raw beef and the texture came through and I couldn't eat it anymore.
Afterwards we went beer tasting at Alesmith. Janet's friend works there as assistant manager, so we got a very educational tour of the place and barely managed to taste all the beers they listed. We were so buzzed that we had to take only sips of the last three. I am not a fan of beer, however, I thoroughly enjoyed myself and the beers as well. I'm surprised that beers can be so different. I see more beer tasting in the future.
Overall, I had an awesome time with Janet and found some more great places to keep coming back to.
First order of business: dog beach with her, Butters and Mona. Seeing her in bathing suit, I'll have to ask Grant again what he was talking about with regards to her weight. I thought she looked great. She just have the body type where the lower body is rounder than other parts. Hourglass?
We didn't have enough time to drop off Mona and so took her with us to meet up with her friend for Thai food. Her friend is Thai and gave her stamp of approval to this place, Sab-E-Lee, that's almost literally a hole in the wall, that's how small it is. We had sticky rice with papaya salad, raw beef, fried beef jerky, and a ground pork dish. We also ate with our hands, which is awesome, because I love eating with my hands. I love the licking finger part. Precious juices that just won't adhere to metal utensils. Anyway, raw beef. It was seasoned wonderfully and I loved the precious first few bites when I didn't think about it as raw beef. Then my mind kept circling back to the fact that it's raw beef and the texture came through and I couldn't eat it anymore.
Afterwards we went beer tasting at Alesmith. Janet's friend works there as assistant manager, so we got a very educational tour of the place and barely managed to taste all the beers they listed. We were so buzzed that we had to take only sips of the last three. I am not a fan of beer, however, I thoroughly enjoyed myself and the beers as well. I'm surprised that beers can be so different. I see more beer tasting in the future.
Overall, I had an awesome time with Janet and found some more great places to keep coming back to.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Good deed for today
Took Butters to the dog park in the evening. He spent the entire time trying to hump a female dog. While he was doing that, I noticed a family come in their their tiny little maltese puppy. A frisky husky puppy was picking on it, the maltese got scared and the owner picked him up. I observed them some more and they really seemed like they didn't know what they were doing. So the next time she picked him up, I walked up to her and told her she's basically rewarding his fearful mindset. I told her to leave him on the ground and watch his tail. If his tail is in between his legs, then help him by blocking the bigger dogs but don't pick him up. Otherwise let him figure out how to interact with other dogs. By the time they left, the little one had his tail up and exploring and trying to sniff out other dogs, but came running back and hide between human legs if anything scared him. Yay! One less fearful dog for the future!
Monday, July 12, 2010
Book club: World War Z
Discussed the book today over freshly made deli sandwiches (Luis) and creamy chicken and wild rice soup (me!).
Seems like most everyone who read it enjoyed it.
Before anything else, I don't really understand the popularity of zombies and vampires in today's culture. Ok well, maybe I can see the romanticism behind vampires ala Twilight which I don't think is so different from Anne Rice's vampires. But this thing with zombies baffle me.
As for the book, it definitely made me think about survival in the event of an apocalypse. We agreed it's probably best if we stay in San Diego since knowledge about our surroundings is important. Some sort of transportation that doesn't require fuel would be good too. Emergency food to get through the immediate crisis. If it lasts longer, then we'll definitely look at a more self-sustaining living style. I know from my mom's place that it takes significantly less than an acre to grow enough vegetables for seven people during summer. I don't know about winter though because vegetables tend to grow slower then and fewer things grown during that time. In southern California, finding water for the plants will be a problem.
I remember reading an article about someone's personal experience living in siege like conditions. As I recall, the author said that things s/he missed the most during that time was oil, salt, and others.
That got me thinking about how to prepare. Making my own vegetable oil. A bit of luxury: homemade olive oil. Store tons of salt, pepper. Seeds. Chickens. When I have my own place with a yard, I'm going to make it as self-sustaining as possible.
Seems like most everyone who read it enjoyed it.
Before anything else, I don't really understand the popularity of zombies and vampires in today's culture. Ok well, maybe I can see the romanticism behind vampires ala Twilight which I don't think is so different from Anne Rice's vampires. But this thing with zombies baffle me.
As for the book, it definitely made me think about survival in the event of an apocalypse. We agreed it's probably best if we stay in San Diego since knowledge about our surroundings is important. Some sort of transportation that doesn't require fuel would be good too. Emergency food to get through the immediate crisis. If it lasts longer, then we'll definitely look at a more self-sustaining living style. I know from my mom's place that it takes significantly less than an acre to grow enough vegetables for seven people during summer. I don't know about winter though because vegetables tend to grow slower then and fewer things grown during that time. In southern California, finding water for the plants will be a problem.
I remember reading an article about someone's personal experience living in siege like conditions. As I recall, the author said that things s/he missed the most during that time was oil, salt, and others.
That got me thinking about how to prepare. Making my own vegetable oil. A bit of luxury: homemade olive oil. Store tons of salt, pepper. Seeds. Chickens. When I have my own place with a yard, I'm going to make it as self-sustaining as possible.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Tantrum
I threw a few tantrums today. Not proud of it. But it speaks to just how frustrating not being able to do a simple thing is.
I worked out my arms last Wednesday with a trainer. I thought it was getting better yesterday. However, today I woke up, any my triceps are in a special kind of pain. I touch it gently and pain flares up. Luis finally convinced me to take some Advil, which eventually helped a few hours down the line. However, meanwhile, I can't touch the top of my head, much less reach around to the back of the neck...which means I can't tie a pony tail. Unfortunately, today was the day I was supposed to wash my hair because it's rather noticeably greasy and I knew by afternoon it'll be unbearably greasy.
Thus I asked Luis to tie the ponytail for me.
I now harbor a special sort of dislike for any guys preferring girls keeping their hair long without the accompanying appreciation of how much work goes into managing that long hair.
1. How to gather long hair together in a ponytail
2. Knowing the need to smooth/brush the hair so I don't look like a crazy person off my meds when I step outside the apt.
3. Brushing the hair. How?
4. Holding the hair while brushing it.
5. Using a hair tie. How to tie it? How to tie hair with it? Luis looked like Dr. Zoidberg trying to tie a pony tail. No joke.
The first try I stopped him after getting stuck at #2.
I asked him to try again because the hair kept tickling my face and scratching my face was a chore.
We skipped #3 and 4, and threw a tantrum after reaching #5. I showed him how to tie things with a hair tie using the said hair tie and his finger as an example. Apparently translating that act to tying up hair is a different matter entirely.
I feel sorry if he had to do that for any daughters we might have.
Washing hair. Need to use fingers to get to scalp! Otherwise I feel like he got the surface but down the roots, where it matters, it was still greasy.
Combing wet hair. Start from the bottom. There's a reason why combs have teeth. To reach the scalp and comb out everything.
Argh!!!
Who knew such basic knowledge as prevalent among girls as masturbation is among guys has such a massive gender divide?
I worked out my arms last Wednesday with a trainer. I thought it was getting better yesterday. However, today I woke up, any my triceps are in a special kind of pain. I touch it gently and pain flares up. Luis finally convinced me to take some Advil, which eventually helped a few hours down the line. However, meanwhile, I can't touch the top of my head, much less reach around to the back of the neck...which means I can't tie a pony tail. Unfortunately, today was the day I was supposed to wash my hair because it's rather noticeably greasy and I knew by afternoon it'll be unbearably greasy.
Thus I asked Luis to tie the ponytail for me.
I now harbor a special sort of dislike for any guys preferring girls keeping their hair long without the accompanying appreciation of how much work goes into managing that long hair.
1. How to gather long hair together in a ponytail
2. Knowing the need to smooth/brush the hair so I don't look like a crazy person off my meds when I step outside the apt.
3. Brushing the hair. How?
4. Holding the hair while brushing it.
5. Using a hair tie. How to tie it? How to tie hair with it? Luis looked like Dr. Zoidberg trying to tie a pony tail. No joke.
The first try I stopped him after getting stuck at #2.
I asked him to try again because the hair kept tickling my face and scratching my face was a chore.
We skipped #3 and 4, and threw a tantrum after reaching #5. I showed him how to tie things with a hair tie using the said hair tie and his finger as an example. Apparently translating that act to tying up hair is a different matter entirely.
I feel sorry if he had to do that for any daughters we might have.
Washing hair. Need to use fingers to get to scalp! Otherwise I feel like he got the surface but down the roots, where it matters, it was still greasy.
Combing wet hair. Start from the bottom. There's a reason why combs have teeth. To reach the scalp and comb out everything.
Argh!!!
Who knew such basic knowledge as prevalent among girls as masturbation is among guys has such a massive gender divide?
Friday, May 21, 2010
Book club: My Lobotomy
Our little club is chugging along, slowly but surely.
Yesterday, we met to discuss My Lobotomy by Howard Dully. As usual, the conversation went somewhere completely unrelated but highly charged. Somehow we talked about pedophilia, leading to the reading of a Republican candidate statement about the creation of a "self-supporting village" on Santa Rosa Island for pedophiles...leading to the benefits and the harm of legalizing all drugs.
It's scary to me that someone I dismissed completely off-handedly as an obvious lunatic based on his candidate statement actually draws serious comments like "yeah, I think they totally should." Pedophile on an island? With no expense to the taxpayers?
Also blowing my mind: the fact that independently, an attorney general candidate and Erin thinks that it's horrible that prisoners get better healthcare than non-prisoners. I mean, how dare the criminals? It pains me that instead of focusing on improving everyone else's healthcare, they want to lower them to ours. That's just so sad. They would rather suffer than see someone else enjoying something that we should get as well. Why lower the high bar to match the low bar? Why not raise the low one to meet the high one?
It's disturbing to me that there are people like that out there because I don't understand why they think that way. I feel like it's an extremely negative worldview, with little trust in mankind, society, legal system or anything. It all seems to be a system of thought where blatant contradiction exists and facts cannot change anyone's mind. Am I missing something here?
Yesterday, we met to discuss My Lobotomy by Howard Dully. As usual, the conversation went somewhere completely unrelated but highly charged. Somehow we talked about pedophilia, leading to the reading of a Republican candidate statement about the creation of a "self-supporting village" on Santa Rosa Island for pedophiles...leading to the benefits and the harm of legalizing all drugs.
It's scary to me that someone I dismissed completely off-handedly as an obvious lunatic based on his candidate statement actually draws serious comments like "yeah, I think they totally should." Pedophile on an island? With no expense to the taxpayers?
Also blowing my mind: the fact that independently, an attorney general candidate and Erin thinks that it's horrible that prisoners get better healthcare than non-prisoners. I mean, how dare the criminals? It pains me that instead of focusing on improving everyone else's healthcare, they want to lower them to ours. That's just so sad. They would rather suffer than see someone else enjoying something that we should get as well. Why lower the high bar to match the low bar? Why not raise the low one to meet the high one?
It's disturbing to me that there are people like that out there because I don't understand why they think that way. I feel like it's an extremely negative worldview, with little trust in mankind, society, legal system or anything. It all seems to be a system of thought where blatant contradiction exists and facts cannot change anyone's mind. Am I missing something here?
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Death
On the drive home today, I thought about my high school French teacher, Mrs. Carr. But that wasn't how she introduced herself the first time I walked into her class. It was something else, but for the life of me, I can't remember. I remember her wedding, her third. She wore a cream colored dress that tapered inwards, ending at the knees and matching hat. Looking back, I am surprised she invited three of her high school French students. I ate a raw oyster for the first time at her wedding reception. Didn't have the class to appreciate the delicacy and still don't. I remember sand, sliminess, and trying really hard to swallow it without spitting it out which I wanted to do. Everyone laughed and cheered when I finally did it and made a face.
One day, she wasn't in class. Absent again the next. By the third day, we wondered if anything happened because it wasn't like her to miss class like this. We should know. We've been with her for three long high school years.
When she finally came back, she looked gaunt and worn. Black blue crescents hung from the bottom of her eyes. Did she wear makeup to try and conceal it? Was it that bad?
In an off-handed way, she told us what happened.
She took her medication earlier, forgot and drank a glass of wine. The combination of alcohol and drugs knocked her unconscious. Her stepson found her lying on the floor. 911. At the hospital, stomach pumped, they put her on suicide watch, even though she insisted it was a simple matter of her forgetting the fact that she took medication and drank some wine.
I believed her. Though she wasn't as bubbly and happy as she was before.
Willis. The ultra liberal English teacher with whom I never interacted. Each time I picture her, a blond energetic and outspoken woman voicing her opinion on some topic comes to mind. My high school best friend was very close to her.
Did you hear? Ms. Willis died of something...What? I don't know...and they didn't find her till a week later when Mrs. Carr went to check on her to find out why she hasn't been coming to class. Oh, how sad. What a lonely life that must have been. The funeral's this Saturday. Are you going? I didn't know her that well. I will. Just to see her.
One day, she wasn't in class. Absent again the next. By the third day, we wondered if anything happened because it wasn't like her to miss class like this. We should know. We've been with her for three long high school years.
When she finally came back, she looked gaunt and worn. Black blue crescents hung from the bottom of her eyes. Did she wear makeup to try and conceal it? Was it that bad?
In an off-handed way, she told us what happened.
She took her medication earlier, forgot and drank a glass of wine. The combination of alcohol and drugs knocked her unconscious. Her stepson found her lying on the floor. 911. At the hospital, stomach pumped, they put her on suicide watch, even though she insisted it was a simple matter of her forgetting the fact that she took medication and drank some wine.
I believed her. Though she wasn't as bubbly and happy as she was before.
Willis. The ultra liberal English teacher with whom I never interacted. Each time I picture her, a blond energetic and outspoken woman voicing her opinion on some topic comes to mind. My high school best friend was very close to her.
Did you hear? Ms. Willis died of something...What? I don't know...and they didn't find her till a week later when Mrs. Carr went to check on her to find out why she hasn't been coming to class. Oh, how sad. What a lonely life that must have been. The funeral's this Saturday. Are you going? I didn't know her that well. I will. Just to see her.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Dog park
Finally decided to take Butters to the dog park after a long hiatus. In truth, I really don't like socializing with the people there. I just like watching my dog. I dreaded meeting the regulars.
When we got there, Butters took off to meet other dogs. In the process, a little black dog with a pug nose came barreling down on him and tried to get him to play. Misto! Amanda must be here. I was really happy to see her because she's probably the only one there I really like and enjoy talking to. Might have something to do with our dog philosophies. This is the first time seeing her since her hip surgery so I was happy to find that everything went pretty well. Seeing that she has a cane with her, I offered to take her dogs out walking around the lake. Again, I felt happy that she was okay with me talking Misto and Kuma. I've walked with Kuma before. He seems to like walking with his nose right behind my knee (I know because at the end of the walk, my knees would always be slightly moist from dog snot). Misto is a bit like Butters, meaning she likes to pull ahead. So we decided that I will be walking them on Sunday. Looking forward to it.
When feeling emotionally drained, seeing a well-liked friend that I haven't seen for awhile really lifted my spirits. Still brings a smile to my face when I think about it.
And I finally took Butters to be professionally groomed yesterday just to even things out and so that I have a template for when I cut him next time. He looks very clean. I love when the groomer did to his tail, ears, and paw. The face takes a bit getting used to. He looks like a different dog who answers to the name "Butters." It's quite a shock. Will post picture.
When we got there, Butters took off to meet other dogs. In the process, a little black dog with a pug nose came barreling down on him and tried to get him to play. Misto! Amanda must be here. I was really happy to see her because she's probably the only one there I really like and enjoy talking to. Might have something to do with our dog philosophies. This is the first time seeing her since her hip surgery so I was happy to find that everything went pretty well. Seeing that she has a cane with her, I offered to take her dogs out walking around the lake. Again, I felt happy that she was okay with me talking Misto and Kuma. I've walked with Kuma before. He seems to like walking with his nose right behind my knee (I know because at the end of the walk, my knees would always be slightly moist from dog snot). Misto is a bit like Butters, meaning she likes to pull ahead. So we decided that I will be walking them on Sunday. Looking forward to it.
When feeling emotionally drained, seeing a well-liked friend that I haven't seen for awhile really lifted my spirits. Still brings a smile to my face when I think about it.
And I finally took Butters to be professionally groomed yesterday just to even things out and so that I have a template for when I cut him next time. He looks very clean. I love when the groomer did to his tail, ears, and paw. The face takes a bit getting used to. He looks like a different dog who answers to the name "Butters." It's quite a shock. Will post picture.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Accident and power outage
Ever since meeting the crew twice a day at the Sorrento Mesa food court, I've been discovering quite a few delicious and delightful little shops. Thanks to my CL's recommendation, I tried Donut Touch. With G's name, I managed to get some fresh muffins as opposed to the ones sitting in the case. I also found some fresh Vietnamese sandwiches at a European bakery. It's owned by a Vietnamese family, though the wife told me that if I wanted an Asian cake, I'll have to describe it and they'll try to make it. Anyway, Luis and I also tried Knockout Pizza. It is so great! I think I'm a bit addicted. They serve NY style pizza and I just love the ones with no sauce or white sauce.
Anyway, so yesterday, I was in our afternoon meeting when all of a sudden a bunch of the workers/owners of the stores came out. Someone spoke in Vietnamese. I asked our Vietnamese speaker, "Are they fighting?" He laughed and said, "No. The power's out." Oh.
I left the meeting 15 minutes later and took my usual way home. Just when I managed to turn out of that plaza, I found myself stuck in traffic, also managing to discover the cause of power outage. A white SUV ran into a green electrical box thing (a transformer, I found out later, the function of which is still unknown to me). The crash was pretty bad. The front part of the SUV looked shortened by half, the windshield was blown, the green box itself looked like something bit a chunk out of it. Grey smoke rose from the contact of the two. The police, firefighters, and paramedics were on the scene.
Found out later on the news that the knocked out transformer killed power for close to 1200 residents. The driver either passed out or had a heart attack, or both. He didn't try to brake at all, crossing the medium and plowing headlong into the transformer. Thankfully, it's not a busy street for pedestrians and a mere box stopped him as opposed to something or someone else.
Luis and I had plans to hang out with the Perkins. In fact, he had already left to pick up John from work when I called him and told him what happened. So we decided to switch locations to the Perkins' place instead. Due to work on both sides, we haven't really talked for two weeks, so we had plenty to catch up on.
When Luis and I got home, power was still out. I thought the whole situation was a bit reminiscent of the earthquake, mostly the procurement of emergency supplies, i.e. light source. Anyway, the whole apartment complex was dark. It never occurred to me how many light sources we take for granted and never notice, such as parking lot lights, little path lights, lights shining through blinds. Without all that, the whole complex was eerily quiet and dark. As we walked back, our surroundings seemed to grow darker and I momentarily regretted living on the ground floor underneath a walkway. Both Luis and I talked rather loudly to stave off nervousness. It did not help that he said, "It seems like a perfect setting for a slasher film." I almost kicked him for that had I not been too busy walking, intent on going inside. My one comfort was Butters. I knew he would bark at whatever we can't see.
When we finally made it inside, we immediately lit a bunch of tea lights and candles. Luis debated whether or not to take a shower by candlelight since he can't see very well. I told him that I have to deal with that all the time because my eyes are bad and I can't see anything in the bathroom anyway since I have to take off my glasses before showering. Mostly it's by feel. At night, he didn't want to go to the bathroom to turn off a dripping faucet after we blew out all the candle light. I scoffed at him, proud that years of my pretending to be blind and walking around in the dark at night is finally paying off. It's mostly memorizing the layout of the room before going to sleep, looking for dark and light contrasts, not stubbing anything and fluttering fingertips lightly to figure out where things are. Blind pride.
Power came back on at 3am. And the whole drama over. Still, the night felt extra intimate without light pollution.
Anyway, so yesterday, I was in our afternoon meeting when all of a sudden a bunch of the workers/owners of the stores came out. Someone spoke in Vietnamese. I asked our Vietnamese speaker, "Are they fighting?" He laughed and said, "No. The power's out." Oh.
I left the meeting 15 minutes later and took my usual way home. Just when I managed to turn out of that plaza, I found myself stuck in traffic, also managing to discover the cause of power outage. A white SUV ran into a green electrical box thing (a transformer, I found out later, the function of which is still unknown to me). The crash was pretty bad. The front part of the SUV looked shortened by half, the windshield was blown, the green box itself looked like something bit a chunk out of it. Grey smoke rose from the contact of the two. The police, firefighters, and paramedics were on the scene.
Found out later on the news that the knocked out transformer killed power for close to 1200 residents. The driver either passed out or had a heart attack, or both. He didn't try to brake at all, crossing the medium and plowing headlong into the transformer. Thankfully, it's not a busy street for pedestrians and a mere box stopped him as opposed to something or someone else.
Luis and I had plans to hang out with the Perkins. In fact, he had already left to pick up John from work when I called him and told him what happened. So we decided to switch locations to the Perkins' place instead. Due to work on both sides, we haven't really talked for two weeks, so we had plenty to catch up on.
When Luis and I got home, power was still out. I thought the whole situation was a bit reminiscent of the earthquake, mostly the procurement of emergency supplies, i.e. light source. Anyway, the whole apartment complex was dark. It never occurred to me how many light sources we take for granted and never notice, such as parking lot lights, little path lights, lights shining through blinds. Without all that, the whole complex was eerily quiet and dark. As we walked back, our surroundings seemed to grow darker and I momentarily regretted living on the ground floor underneath a walkway. Both Luis and I talked rather loudly to stave off nervousness. It did not help that he said, "It seems like a perfect setting for a slasher film." I almost kicked him for that had I not been too busy walking, intent on going inside. My one comfort was Butters. I knew he would bark at whatever we can't see.
When we finally made it inside, we immediately lit a bunch of tea lights and candles. Luis debated whether or not to take a shower by candlelight since he can't see very well. I told him that I have to deal with that all the time because my eyes are bad and I can't see anything in the bathroom anyway since I have to take off my glasses before showering. Mostly it's by feel. At night, he didn't want to go to the bathroom to turn off a dripping faucet after we blew out all the candle light. I scoffed at him, proud that years of my pretending to be blind and walking around in the dark at night is finally paying off. It's mostly memorizing the layout of the room before going to sleep, looking for dark and light contrasts, not stubbing anything and fluttering fingertips lightly to figure out where things are. Blind pride.
Power came back on at 3am. And the whole drama over. Still, the night felt extra intimate without light pollution.
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