The First Lines

New thing of the day, wrote the first few paragraphs of my first graduate paper.

The dread, oh the dread of writing a paper. The usual procrastination and writer's block, along with the non-motivation to start. Now, with under 2 weeks to go, I decided to suck it up, do the research I needed and start the paper. The only way I could possibly do it, was to go to the library, away from all home and fun distractions.

The library was fantastic. It was just the space and quiet I needed to focus. I logged on to our school library's database and accessed the research articles I needed. Despite the dread and the bore of the class, the topic I chose had a lot of interesting and heated debate and arguments, so it was a good research read. I read a few choice and interesting articles, and it got my brain warmed up and humming.

Then I hit my zone. The part where your mind and ideas start to flow - so open Microsoft Word. I got down a rough outline, some concepts and a full page of paragraphs and a blueprint for my paper. Then the library was closing, so we packed up, came home. I was more productive in that 1.5 hours at the library, then I was a week at home "trying" to work on my paper. Again the library is where I can focus, my happy place. 

The research, the topics, all that forced reading and thinking, the process of writing was really good for me. It was a healthy brain exercise. I've been very soft lately. The job isn't exactly creative or challenging. My personal pursuits are a bit juvenile. So grad school is a needed dose of exercise for the mind.

It was really good and I need to spend more hours studying and writing in the library. It was fantastic to start researching, thinking and writing intelligently again. I suppose, the journey of a thousand words begins with the first letter.

Vegetable Sinigang Soup

New thing of the day, tried a new vegetable sour Sinigang soup. 

It didn't start out as soup. It started out as frozen vegetables. I had a mix of frozen mixed veggies and some frozen peppers. Decided I didn't want to microwave them, so I put them in a pot with some water and was going to boil them until they were done. Then drain the water and have boiled veggies. 

While it was waiting to boil I added some spices and garlic. Then it started to look a lot like veggie soup. I know that a lot of nutrients are lost in the broth, so I decided, why not turn it into soup. The other day we were at a Filipino market and I bought some ready made Siningang soup mix and decided to add some of that in.

Sinigang is a sour Filipino soup that is usually cooked with shrimp, chicken or pork and a variety of vegetables including tomato, green beans, eggplant, etc. It's a comfort food and perfect for this cold weather. Anyway I added some of the Siningang mix, and let the water start to get hot/boil. Then we ate.

It was interesting. It was tasty. I definitely prefer my vegetables cooked rather than raw. They're softer I think is the main reason I like them. Also they're a milder flavor. Regular Siningag has a meat or seafood flavor to it. This one, all veggies, still good but without that extra fat flavoring - healthier!

So this was new - a purely vegetable and completely impromptu Sinigang soup. Mabuhay!

TiMER

New thing of the day, saw movie "TiMER".

Was a husband pick and a good one at that. It's about a fictional world where timers can be installed on a person and it will countdown to the date and time you will meet/find your soul mate. It's about how a whole society functions and one woman's quest to make sure her timer works and that she can find the right person.

I thought it was a great/interesting concept and well played out movie. You are interested in the characters and the drama behind them. There's a lot of comedy and the movie isn't heavy but sort of imagines what life would be like if everyone knew when and who they would meet would be their soul mate.

I think I like how they address the concept of knowing versus not knowing if someone is right for you. It sort of takes the mystery but also the fun of falling in love and finding someone who is supposed to be right for you. You just know, or you don't know almost immediately, unless you do NOT have a timer - which some people do in this movie. I like how, there are some characters who chose not to have timers or use that technology to find "the one" but would rather live their lives in mystery and discovery. Our main character's Timer isn't counting down, which means she has no idea if and when she'll ever meet her soul mate.

It reminded me of the first time husband and I met. If we were in that world of Timers, we would know right away and it would sort of ruin the romance and mystery and discovery of finding a person. But it also addresses the idea of first sight true love and how people just have chemistry and connect at first meeting. Very fun/cool movie.

We didn't waste our time watching it and enjoyed it. A sort of indy and unusual movie but I recommend it :)

A Charlie Brown Christmas Tree

New thing of the day, put together our first Christmas Tree - a Charlie Brown Christmas Tree!

My sister said she saw it at Borders, so the husband and I went to check it out. We had our first Christmas as newlyweds last year, but we were living with family and the house and decorations weren't really ours. This year, it's our first Christmas in our first condo/home. I've been feeling super super festive and excited about everything. All year we've been picking out our own furniture, wall colors and building our home and our lives together :) Now we get to create our first holidays and Christmas season traditions. We also met during a Christmas party, so the holidays are extra special to us. Anyway this Christmas season, feels like our first. 

So, in our spirit of non-conventional and attempt at non-materialistic minimalist living (with our small place), we were debating about Christmas trees. I wanted to buy a large living tree and wrap Christmas lights around it and keep the tree in our house year round. We were looking at plants and debating if we should get a small fake tree instead, or just shopping and thinking of different ideas. Then, the perfect solution, a Charlie Brown Christmas tree. 

It's sad and wimpy, but that's the charm of it. We were standing in line at Borders and a woman commented on our tree saying "Wow is that really a Charlie Brown Christmas tree? That's great! It's sort of appropriate and a sign of the times these days". We agreed. Although I still love the large Christmas trees and the lights and all the ornaments, it's just not our style and not really in the budget. It's kind of a pain to put up and take down, and we don't have room to store a fake one. I was a fan of wrapping lights around one of our living plants/trees in the house, because it's sort of like, unique and sustainable I suppose, saving space and decorating something living instead of fake or dying. 

Anyway, we love our little Charlie Brown tree. It's small, compact, and we'll probably take it with us up north when we visit with family. My mother's side is meeting up in a hotel suite for the festivities - so we'll bring it there and have our own little piece of Christmas. Best of all, it stores small and has very little environmental impact. 

I still have to watch the Charlie Brown Christmas - it's on my Netflix queue. 

Anyway - the tree came with directions, really not necessary but funny if you needed these to put the thing together. Anywhoo, Merry Christmas everyone! :) 

Marriage Bed

New thing of the day, put together our new bed frame from Ikea - the Aspelund Bed Frame.

It looks awesome. We had a bit of trouble with parts, but overall, the two of us worked together to put it together. After it was all done, we felt like grown ups and the bed looks amazing. Just kind of cool, putting together our first bed together - and having our first marriage bed.

Slept in the Living Room

New thing of the day, camped out in our living room.

We took advantage of the long weekend by finally painting the master bedroom. Our first painting project, came out with a room color that we weren't completely satisfied with. It reminded me of wintergreen and was far too light and pastel to work. So we decided on another color and took the plunge last night. Turns out the darker sage green worked fabulous in our master bedroom and it was totally awesome.

Unfortunately that meant we were camping/sleeping out in the living room with our bed and stuff moved out. We prepped and painted the first coat of paint Wednesday night, let it dry overnight, and painted the second coat Thursday morning before Thanksgiving with the family.

It's very crowded in the living room and you have to climb over a few things before you can sit on the couch. Overall though, an interesting first, but I'm glad it's only temporary. We got a new bed frame from Ikea, so we've got to put that together before we can move back into our room. Good thing I was a girl scout :)

My Husband the Hero

New thing of the day, my husband being extra special sweet.

So husband and I usually carpool. Since today being Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, there were rumors we might get out of work early, but not sure what times. So husband and I decided not to carpool and just take separate cars. Unfortunately my parking lot for work is about a 8 minute walk from the lot to the building, through hills and cold.

So husband being the sweetheart that he is, followed me to work, then followed me to my parking spot, then gave me a ride to the front of my building, and then drove off to work. He's such an awesome guy and I'm very lucky he's so thoughtful. That's all. Just happy and glad and wanted to share a new thing I've never had happen to me :) Gotta appreciate everything :)

Food Matters

New thing of today, watched the documentary "Food Matters".

Just in time for the holidays and Thanksgiving. I really liked this documentary. It was based on a book and goes over all the ways food and nutrition is essential for health.

I took a nutrition class a few years back and the documentary goes further to say how important food is for good nutrition. There are a lot of great arguments for eating right and treating food more like medicine. You are what you eat, and food is essential fuel for your body.

So I highly recommend this and hope you eat better this holiday season :)

Christmas Card Photo

New thing of the day, picked out our Christmas Card photo.

We're not usually card people, but I'm feeling very festive this year since it feels like our first Christmas since we got married - our own place and our own holiday :) So we were choosing through some fun/goofy photos to use as our card photo, because that's just our style.

Anyway we took a photo at a friend's wedding - of us holding up frames. It was very fun and cool and we decided to use it for our Christmas card. This isn't the two of us below, and it's not nearly as serious or stylized, but you get the point. Happy Holidays! Thanksgiving here we come!

Antiquing Table Display

New thing of the day, visited some antique shops and got our first display table.

Here it is :) It's on our upstairs landing and it's just a cool little table we can put or keys, wallet, purse or other things on it. Right now it's got a plant and some mail on it. Yeay antique shops!

Harry Potter p1 The Deathly Hallows

New thing of the day, watched the first part of the last Harry Potter movie. 

We watched Harry Potter part 1 of the Deathly Hallows on IMAX AMC - pretty cool. I found the movie dragged in the middle and wasn't that exciting at the end. It leaves enough I think, to make it very exciting for the second part, but we'll see. We did like the beginning and the action packed fun stuff. Overall not a huge HP movie fan, but I do like the books.

I thought the movie was ok, not great. Perhaps I'll like it better on TV at home re-watching it all. I think overall the movies are a bit long. I'm not a fan of actor Daniel Radcliffe, but I do like Emma Watson and even Rupert Grint has some acting chops. It's ok, not fantastic. I hope the second part is better!

Chronic Tacos & The Town

New thing of the day, tried a new place called Chronic Tacos and watched the move The Town.

Chronic Tacos! A coworker recommended it after I told a story of how we were asking a local "what's a good Mexican place around here?" and one of them said "Oh the El Torito is really good". Um, not really authentic but we haven't been to the local one so it might be good.

Anyway my coworker was like, you should try Chronic Tacos next to Moorpark College off of the 118 Collins exit. So we tried it - DELISH! We beat the rush of people and it's a bit Chipotle-ish where they assemble your food in front of you.

Beef Taco

Carnitas Taco

Breaded fish burrito

Husband got the beef and carnitas tacos. I got the breaded fish burrito. Their burritos are huge and they battered and fried the fish fresh. I had it with a lime cilantro rice. Everything was really good. The salsa was AMAZING! The breaded fish was fresh and tasty and the breading so good. We really liked it. My husband liked the beef taco better. The carnitas had a tinge of sweet. Overall we were very happy with our food and we will be going back :) 

Next on our date night we watched The Town at our local discount movie theater. It was a great movie! The trailers looked good and the reviews were also good. I was hesitant to watch Ben Affleck star and direct in a movie. The movie was excellent. I won't give anything away, but overall we really enjoyed it. There was action and some smart criminals. It was good drama, good thrills and I liked the ending as well. Not everyone wins and happily ever after, but something else. Not sure if it's worth owning, but we liked it! So go see it :) It was a good evening and 2 good new things of the day.

Library Card

New thing of the day, got a library card from a local library.

I'm working my way to a Master's in Library Science, and interviewed a librarian a few weeks back. We have library cards from various other libraries, but not the one where I interviewed the librarian. So decided to go in today after work and get one. I also took husband to that library and showed him around, and he was very impressed.

We picked up applications and luckily we had documents with our current address on it. Filled out the forms, had the librarian log the info, and she took a photo of us for our cards right there. We got our own personalized photo Library Card ID - all in under 15 minutes. It's a pretty snazzy library.

Then we decided to look around. There were parts of the library I had not yet browsed, being the only 2nd time I've been there. I also think we'll be going there after work more often, because it's hard to do homework at home. There are way too many distractions like TV, housework, etc. In the library, you are sort of forced to focus on whatever is in front of you. So we'll be visiting there for homework more often.

I think the library is a bit like my church. I get a warm fuzzy feeling whenever I go in, and I could peruse the isles for hours and not notice the time go by. It's where I am inspired and I feel like the world has a million positive possibilities. I feel like there are wonderful secrets and infinite knowledge hidden in the stacks. It's where people go to research, to dream, to discover and find places in the heart and the mind we have not yet explored.

Anyway I'm very romantic about the library. I'm hating my cataloging and classification class I'm taking this semester - so this quick trip helped re-ignite my love of libraries and added a bit of fuel to my dying fire for school. Lately I've been procrastinating, dreading and avoiding school work. I really need to be more inquisitive. Lately I've been afraid of asking questions, for fear of looking stupid. I have to be more brave about learning.

I also picked a book on Edgar Cayce - very interesting person. Also got an Eyewitness Guide of New Orleans :) I like the photos and want to do more fun prep for the trip. I think I have 4 library cards now - all relatively local libraries. This is probably the last one for awhile. I think I have every area covered so far. Perhaps I will try to pick-up my alma mater's university library card as well.

So that was the new thing. If I had a happy place, it would probably be the library. I recommend for people to often go to their happy places, to inspire them. It's something that we often forget or take for granted. So go :)

Note by Note - The Making of Steinway L1037

New thing of today, watched "Note by Note - The Making of Steinway L1037".

It's a very cool documentary about the making of a Steinway piano. Throughout the year it takes to make the Steinway piano, they interview some famous pianists and the people who work at Steinway. They also talk about pianos in the industry and some of the difficulties and intricacies of making a piano.

I actually loved the way they talked about and explained the instrument. They say each one is different, because of the creation process, the wood and all the factors that go into making this thing. Pianists will try out different pianos, and get different feels for different ones. There's a collection of concert pianos that are used in great halls and performances. There are many personal pianos that artists like to use or record with. Each piano has its own voice, its own sound. I never knew that before. It was really cool and amazing to see the life of a piano from the choosing of the wood, to the final piano ready to be played.

It was also interesting to hear musicians talk about music and their instruments. I liked hearing from the craftspeople who work with the wood and actually build/create the piano. It's an art that could be lost to mechanization, which I hope it is not. There's soul in the building and creation of a piano. It's an art worth preserving. Lately I've been getting into classical music, and this definitely spoke to me, as the way a piano sounds, it can really be beautiful.

Check out this documentary - I highly recommend it for artists, musicians or for anyone who just likes music.

Jack in the Box 2 free tacos

New thing of the day, tried 2 free Jack in the Box tacos.

 

So Jack in the Box had this special Tuesday Nov 16, 2010. Giving away 2 free tacos per person from 2pm-midnight. We decided to grab some. The ad looked like this, but the tacos looked like this.

 

 

 

Anyway who can turn down free tacos? We grabbed some and met some old coworkers at our local Jack in the Box as well and had a nice catch-up chat. Also got some curly fries and a $1 chicken sandwich which was pretty good.

 

The tacos were sorta gross actually, but ok considering they were free. I was hungry and it satisfied. I wouldn't order them again, and I might pass next time they're free, but I'll probably grab them if they're free just because hey - it's free. So yes the eating healthy thing hasn't been going well for me lately.

 

Alright so that's all. Those were the new things of the day :) No stomach aches and free greasy food - wooo!

Mushroom and Green Bean Casserole

New thing of the day - Trader Joe's Mushroom and Green Bean Casserole.

In an effort to stop listing movies/TV shows as my consistently new thing - as it usually is, I'll mention a small something we tried new today. Our kitchen was lacking some basic food necessities so stopped at Trader Joe's on the way home and tried their sample of the day - always a favorite adventure.

Today was the Mushroom and Green Bean Casserole. They're definitely gearing up for Thanksgiving. I thought it was delish and surprisingly - I thought the green beans were tastier than the mushrooms. I find my tastes and preferences change depending on my mood or nutritional levels. I think my dad was right, saying to follow your stomach. When I'm low in iron it seems I crave and love the taste of spinach and red meat. Some days I'll love the sweets of fruit and yogurt, and some days I'll absolutely find it gross. Sometimes I'll crave salt and fish and once the food need has been satiated, I'll be full. 

I used to feel full a lot when I ate super healthy with lots of fruits and veggies. Now I just tend to get empty hungry and crave and eat without necessarily satisfying. I think my palette is a lot more sensitive to my body chemistry needs than I am, so I think I should pay better attention to how things taste and why I crave them. Really need to be more in tune with the healthy eating.

Anyway today's sample was, good :) A nice snack after a long Monday. Been really wiped out and tired lately. Not sure if it's the diet, although it probably is related. I think I'll try exercising tomorrow and possibly eating way more fruits and veggies to see if that kicks me back into normal energy mode. Or perhaps, this is a normal reaction to the cold dry weather and the season kicking in. Super low energy levels but it could be due to my regular monthly cycle.

So that's all. Nothing super insightful or fantastic. Just a mushroom green bean casserole. It was good - about a 7.5, and much healthier than my actual dinner.

Grilled Cheese Invitational

New thing of the day, my first grilled cheese party!

Friend hosted her first grilled cheese party - copying another friend's idea. It sounded delicious and we were excited to go. Everyone brought various breads, cheeses and ingredients to jazz up the sandwich. There were panini presses, skillets and frying pans for cooking. There was also a cheesy movie theme and some hot tomato soup to go with the party. Cheesy movies were Fair Game and The 3 Musketeers. Overall it was a lot of fun visiting with everyone and trying all the different kinds of grilled cheese sandwiches.

Here are a few of my favorites that were new, exciting and I will re-try at home. A simple yet elegant favorite was the white bread, sharp cheddar and dill pickle - YUM! Surprisingly a tasty combination. Then there was the garlic bread grilled cheese with salami. It was a garlic spread mix of butter, garlic and garlic powder with cheese and salami - so yum! I really liked the pastrami, brie, thousand island grilled cheese as well. Was a bit like a cheese steak sandwich. Of course the bacon and egg cheese sandwich was yum! There was grilled cheese with basil and some regular grilled cheese, no other fancy ingredients just different cheeses.

What a great idea! We had a wonderful time and I got to try a lot of new things! Wooooooooo! Thank you friends!

Fargo

New thing of the day, watched Fargo.

I wasn't feeling well and been very sleepy lately, so decided to veg out and watch some TV. Decided I was feeling sluggish enough to try Fargo which I've been meaning to see. I thought it would be painfully slow and uninteresting, but I was wrong.

Fargo was a great movie and very haunting, doncha know? It opens with "this is based on real life events" and it wasn't really, but it hooks you in the beginning. I love the way everyone acts, their mannerisms, the way they act and talk, it's hypnotizing.

Anyway the whole story evolves and spirals and was surprisingly interesting. It's such a simple and provocative tale. I recommend this!

My favorite line of the movie.

And for what? For a little bit of money. There's more to life than a little money, you know. Don'tcha know that? And here ya are, and it's a beautiful day. Well. I just don't understand it. 

Dexter Season 4

New thing of the day, started Dexter Season 4.

We got hooked on Dexter awhile back and have slowly been watching from the beginning. It's been a very tiring and exciting week. Vegas was last weekend, then the Kings game yesterday, so today was a need to relax evening. Sitting on the couch with a blanket in my sweats and possibly falling asleep early was an absolutely divine and exciting idea. So we picked up KFC for dinner, and vegged out in front of the TV - oh so wonderful.

We saw the first few episodes of season 4. I was so mad a few weeks ago because I was flipping through an Entertainment magazine and saw the season 4 mind blowing finale spoiler, as they were talking about season 5 Dexter. I was absolutely mortified. I won't spoil it for anyone else, but I was really really sad that I didn't find out on my own, through watching the show - you know? That was sort of a first. I've never really been sad or upset of knowing the end before seeing it myself - but this was the first.

Anyway so we started season 4. Love John Lithgow. We're only about 4 episodes in, but it's very exciting. I'm finding myself upset at the end of every episode because they leave you wanting more! Instead of feeling satisfied, they hook you and do that annoying TV thing where it keeps you wanting more and more. It's great so far.

I saw a posting that LAPD is hiring and I was entertained at the idea. I thought it might be cool to dress up and be a cop on the street or behind a desk. Not sure if Dexter is having that influence on me, but that was also a new thing - possibly inspired by this show.

So staying tuned and loving Dexter :)

LA Kings game center court Staples Center

New thing of the day, watching an LA Kings game center court at the Staples Center.

Company was giving away tickets for the NHL LA Kings vs Dallas Stars game for Thursday Veteran's day. They buy season tickets for clients, but when no one is using them, they'll offer them up for company staff. We put our names in and got the tickets! 

We sat in the center section in the center rows, here is our view. 

Ridiculously great seats and I am ruined. The two other times I've seen a Kings game - we sat in the nosebleed section, so it was such a great first to get these great seats. Also we sat in the VIP center lounge area - where the concessions and facilities are more posh and make you feel like a VIP. We also got parking passes in the lot right by the stadium so it was super convenient.

We got there about an hour and a half before the game. We wandered around the Nokia center LA Live next door first. It's a relatively new complex with restaurants and the Grammy Museum which is next on my list of new things to try. Then we went into the Team LA Store. For years I've been wanting to get an LA Kings sweater, but never really found one I liked. That day I finally found a really cool and great jacket - this one :) I look super cute in it, plus it's got the Kings logo and colors, and you can wear it as normal wear - not just a jersey you can wear to games and such. It looks way better on but here it is.

Next we grabbed 2 hot dogs, some fries and a soda at the concessions, ate - food was good, and got to our seats just as the game was starting. One thing that I loved was when they announce "Here are your LA Kings" - the door through which the Kings come to the ice is painted/decorated to look like castle doors. Very fun and festive. I also loved our seats, and it felt like the view and action was so much closer and more accessible/fun. People were way more into the game and the seats were more comfortable. If we can't afford seats in the center center, I think we'll avoid the nosebleed section and try to sit closer to the ice next time. 

What I loved were the period intermission games. The first intermission had a group of people racing in hamster balls on the ice. It is absolutely hilarious watching them roll, slip and slide all over the place. So fun and cool.

The second intermission challenge was to slingshot someone sitting on a metal disc - and trying to hit some large pins on the other side of the rink - sort of slingshot bowling on ice. 3 challengers, one winner! I didn't get any great photos but here's the general idea. 

The game itself was incredibly fun and exciting. All 3 periods were action packed and both teams played really well. The first period both teams scored and it was very heated and fast playing. The Kings scored a second goal in the first period, but because of some penalty or interference, the goal didn't count and that had both the fans and the Kings team heated! The rest of the first period was a bit rough and we saw the first fight break out :) A lot of holding and punching, but I love that you can fight in hockey!

The second period was probably played better by the Dallas Stars. The Kings were on the defensive a lot and didn't seem to have their stuff together offensively to be effective. It was still a great period. A lot of near misses and very close calls. We saw a few more fights and I think the almost 2nd goal of the first period still nagged at them.

The third period was the clincher. The Kings scored twice! They were much more on their game and a few more power plays in. Overall the fans were ecstatic and we were glad for a such an exciting and successful game. The Dallas Stars played very well as well - which made it a nail biting and all the more suspenseful. 

After the game we walked around the arena for a bit and then went back to the LA Live center to look around. It was a lovely game, lovely seats and I am an LA Kings fan for life! Thank you Kings for making me feel like a Queen for a day :) Go Kings Go!

Tales from the Crypt

New thing of the day, watched Tales from the Crypt, the first few episodes from season 1.

Along with our belated Halloween themed movies, my husband mentioned he had never watched Tales from the Crypt as a kid. The beginning always freaked me out a little bit as did the crypt keeper, but I liked it and liked the Twilight Zone twist stories. There's a similar Nickelodeon series I liked watching called  "Are you afraid of the dark?". I think I just like macabre stories with good plot twists or surprise endings. 

So we saw the first 3 episodes of the first season. As an adult, I find them rather slow and a bit boring. I can guess the ending about 10 minutes in. It's nice to recognize actors in the earlier years and see some celebrities making cameos. The first one - was an executioner who gets electrocuted.  The second one - psycho santa. And the third one which was the most interesting - the 9 lives cat guy with that guy from the Matrix and Bad Boys and The Fugitive who always plays sort of a jerk/annoying guy - Joe Pantoliano - he's in everything. 

Anyway, I like the stories but they're from the past so they're a little slow to build and deliver. I don't remember there being that much death in the episodes, but it's interesting. I like how the older style of TV storytelling involved more story and less special effects. The crypt keeper was cool - but it's interesting to see how much is left "to the imagination" or how different the feel of the older TV shows are. 

I'm not terribly interested in the rest of the episodes or seasons. I might read about their plots online. They're on Netflix, not streaming, so I don't think it's worth the dvd mail delivery. If it were online I might watch more of them, but we may keep them on the queue if husband wants to see more. Overall I'm "eh" with it, and will keep it in fabulous nostalgia category. 

So that's that. I dreamt of zombies last night. Maybe I'll dream of cats or bad santas tonight?

The Walking Dead

New thing of the day, watched The Walking Dead episode 1.

They had it online, and the coworkers were talking about it so I was curious. The husband likes 28 days and apocalypse scenarios so I thought he might enjoy it too. We found it online and decided to watch the first episode.

I thought it was a bit slow in the beginning, but sped up nicely and introduced some interesting story lines and characters. Spoilers to come so stop reading if you don't want to know what happens.

I like the scene where he's waking up and walking out of the hospital trying to figure out what happened. Very ominous and creepy. I actually thought him having a horse would be really cool. It was a great mix of cowboy and wild west with zombies. Such and awesome and fun juxtaposition. I really thought the horse would be like his zombie alarm system - I mean a horse being sensitive to smells and an animal being more sensitive to its environment. It would wake up and warn him of danger. It would run and keep them out of zombie populated areas because it could sense them better than a human. I thought the horse would survive and be his pal throughout the series. I was very sad to see him ambushed and the horse eaten by the zombies. I wonder whether the horse would become a zombie.

Overall it's interesting and I hear it's only 6 episodes long. They're contracting for more seasons after the popularity of the show. I hope they keep it fresh and interesting. I'm also hopeful it's one of those things that we can watch fairly up to date, and be "in time" with, with online episodes. Watching this only about 1 week after its premier - very hopeful we can keep up :)

Arrrrghhhhhhhh!

Penn & Teller: Bullshit!

New thing of today, watched episodes of Penn & Teller: Bullshit!

I added the series season 4 to our Netflix instant queue because I thought my husband would enjoy it. So while I was busy he started playing an episode, and it caught my interest and got me watching too. They focus in on an issue or thing that they think is "bullshit".

I really enjoy the swearing in this pseudo-documentary style. It's part entertainment, documentary and sort of a journalistic candid viewpoint on issues. It takes a comedic jab at any point it can. It doesn't take the issues seriously and tries to take a rounded view on things.

We skipped around the season on topics that sounded interesting. The first episode we saw was on prostitution. It was about the debate of legality and criminalization of prostitution. I really enjoyed this episode. They partly shock and make you think. They interview both sides, look at history and they also make fun of people and situations. Of course they show naked girls and make light jokes about various situations. It was overall a comedic view the issue but also takes a side and adds some magic side demonstrations to help elaborate points.

The next episode we saw was based on the topic of rudeness. This was hilarious! It is based on etiquette and analyzes how rude people in America are. They interview various people, talk about etiquette organizations. Of course they're making fun of everything as they go, especially the etiquette experts. Calling one guy "Let's go back to the angry fuck". Wow the etiquette lady is a total bitch and they make a point to point it out, politely.

The next episode we saw was on crypto-zoology, the study of finding hidden bizarre mysterious animals such as the bigfoot, chupacabra, loch ness and various other mythical animals. Interestingly enough, the most interesting evidence they demonstrate against Loch Ness is a new and very smart solution that I've never seen on any loch ness documentary. They bring in a scientist that talks about the feasibility of an animal being that large, living off the lake and the food in the lake. He demonstrates how the amount of food in the lake can't sustain an animal like the Loch Ness. That is amazingly smart and logical.

This may be my new favorite show. We laughed out loud quite a few times. The etiquette episode was the funniest. I love how they make fun of people and situations. I'm so happy it's on season 4 which means there's plenty of fans and fodder for future and past shows. This is another show that makes me sad that we don't have cable or TV.

This is a perfect show for our tastes. It brings up interesting issues and has some very smart comedic views on things. It's an easy watch. Lighter than a documentary, but not as serious. Surprisingly it has more information then a lot of watered down history channel type shows. It's got a lot of smart insights and some meaty informational bits, mixed in with comedy and magic. As odd and weird as that sounds, it totally works.

It also makes me re-think my swearing off swearing. I really like Deb - the sister on Dexter who swears all the time. This show swears a lot, but it's fun and entertaining. I like the rawness and honesty and no holds barred mentality behind swearing. I think I won't be so anti-swearing any more.

I absolutely love this show. I think Penn said it best when he said, "Don't take yourself too seriously". It gets my thumbs up and we will continue watching.

Charlie Brown Farms

New thing of the day, stopped and checked out Charlie Brown Farms.

We decided to re-take Pearblossom highway back home from Vegas. On the way back stopped at a wonderful little bizarre place called Charlie Brown Farms. It was a fabulous break and a fantastic rest-stop.

We stepped out of the car and it smelled like fresh baking donuts. Oh so good. We walk in and it's packed with weary travelers. The right side has a long line of people waiting to order hot fresh food like barbecue, donuts and other delicious food.

We weren't interested in ordering or waiting in line, so we wandered through the rest of the store to the left. They have a huge selection of trail mix, dried fruit, various flavored nuts and tons of candy and snacks. They had a great selection of sugar free chocolates and candies as well. I especially loved the section of local and flavored honey that you could buy. There were honey dispensers and honey combs you could buy and bring home. As you wander through the store there's a gnome garden and various knick knack type stuff. There's a very creepy doll house at the far end of the store. There's tons of stuff all over the place. It would be easy to stay an hour or more just wandering around the store and checking stuff out.

We went out the back and saw a rattlesnake cage. I wondered if that was on their menu. After using the restroom and buying a few snacks, we got out of there. It's a fantastic wonderful great little stopover and a great way to break-up the monotony of the long drive home from Vegas. Next time we'll plan and make more time to make this a longer stop on the way home. Maybe pick-up some presents, some kitchy stuff you can't see or get anywhere else, and possibly try some hot food. Great stopover!

Hash House A Go Go - Imperial Palace Las Vegas

New thing of the day, tried Hash House A Go Go - restaurant in Las Vegas.

We watch Man vs Food and one of his shows featured this place in Vegas called Hash Hash a Go Go. It had massive portions and as they say in the promos "Twisted Farm Food". We were staying in Vegas and our hotel Imperial Palace - also a first/new thing - had this restaurant in their lobby. I was so frickin excited to try it out so we woke up on Saturday and decided to have Brunch there.

So, we had a 20 minute wait for our table, and as I was excited and hungry we knew by the time we sat down what we wanted to order. Our waiter was nice but really inattentive. He sat us down, got our drink orders, then I was like "we know what to order so can we put in our order now" and he said "sure thing let me get your drinks and i'll be right back to take your order". 15 minutes later he comes back with a soda that took 15 minutes to get/find, then he takes our order? He says that they cook to order so it may take time, and I was fine waiting, so we waited.

We waited, and waited and waited. About 30 minutes passed by and nothing. That's fine, but it wasn't really even that crowded in our section and it was tough just to get refills on our soda and water because our waiter wasn't really around. We saw other waiters and servers a lot more than we saw our waiter. We saw other people waiting awhile for their food and we were ok. Then, 30 minutes into our wait for food, during which I'm quite patient, we see another couple seated next to us. They look at the menu and our waiter takes their order right away. About 20 minutes later (at this point we've waited 50 minutes), the couple next to us gets their orders!!!!! OMG!!!!!!!

I was soooo pissed! It's fine if everyone waits a ridiculous amount of time for their food, but the fact that the people who came in after us got their food before us was ridiculous. We waited another 10 minutes for our food - that's ONE HOUR for a meal to be set in front of us after we order.

By this time, I was so pissed off at our wait, that I had a hard time enjoying the food. I ordered a sage fried chicken benedict - the Man vs Food favorite dish. Basically it was a biscuit, mashed potatoes, tomato, egg, cheese and chicken covered in a chipotle cream sauce. It was a lot of food and good food, not great or amazing. The chicken was juicy and tender and the breading was good, but I couldn't taste it over the bitter of my wait time.

My husband ordered the Kokomo Burger - a meatloaf burger and a signature dish. The best part about this dish was the massive bread it was on - so fresh and buttery good. The fries were good too. The meatloaf, dry and not too tasty.

It was an overall disappointment. Overall I found it very difficult to enjoy because of the ridiculous wait time and our inattentive waiter. We even tipped him decently but I severely regret it. I'm usually open to giving things second chances and trying it again. Perhaps this was just unlucky. But I'm absolutely furious at our service and the average overrated quality of the food. It was good, giant portions don't make it great. Plus we're in Vegas so what the heck are we going to do with all those leftovers?

We boxed it all up and as we were walking the strip gave it to a homeless person. I was a bit sad because we gave all 2 boxes of leftovers to just one homeless person. We kept walking and saw more homeless, and I wished that we'd saved a box for the next person we saw. Oh well.

Anyway, I'm very distraught by this experience and not sure I'll try it again. I was whole heartedly disappointed. I wanted to love this place and I was incredibly excited to try their food. Husband brought up an excellent point - not every new experience can be a great or positive one. This is true. I just really wished/wanted this one to be a great. Oh well.

It's interesting but the more I'm trying new things, the more it's been amiss. Usually I try new things and 80% is good. These days it feels like the percentage is going down, about 70%. Maybe because I am trying more new things, not just better bets, so I'm hitting more misses than usual.

Anyway, this is what was left of my benedict. A ridiculous giant mess, just like the restaurant.

Pearblossom Highway

New thing of the day, drove the Pearblossom highway on the way to Las Vegas.

On the way out of town for the weekend, my coworker suggested a new route. Every time I've driven to Vegas from LA, we take the 210 East, then meet up with the 15 north and go straight on to Vegas. It's a good route, but there's quite a bit of traffic on the 210 at various points.

My coworker said that he usually takes Pearblossom highway. It's up the 5 north, 14 north, then winds through Palmdale, Sierra Highway and finally the 138/Pearblossom Highway to the 15 north. It's a long road through rural areas and no passing lanes. I was a bit worried about getting lost. After all "hey guys, weekend in Vegas, let's take a new shortcut route through the boonies" sounds like the beginning of a scary movie.

My coworker said it saves going through traffic and is mostly on the way. So we tried it and I really enjoyed it. It was neat driving through the small rural towns in California like Little Rock and Pearblossom. It reminded me of the movie Cars - Radiator Springs where there's this neat little forgotten town that no one drives through anymore because they built the highways. It's also neat driving near Edwards Air Force Base and you see a tiny bit of military presence there, like a truck with a missile launcher on top of it.

Overall I hope not too many people take this way to Vegas because I don't want it to get crowded or busy, but it was a good option for us. There are a few downsides. There is no passing lane so if you're stuck behind a slow car, you're stuck. Also, on the way there it's easy to miss the "continuation" of the highway because sometimes the road turned or forked in a confusing way. We nearly missed turn and completely took the wrong fork on the next major shift and had to backtrack. I enjoyed the drive very much, mostly because I was in the passenger seat.

Just make sure your car is in good shape and you're gassed up. Also make sure you have an electronic map device, because, it is in the boonies and you can get rerouted or lost if you take the wrong turns. Signs aren't super easy as in most rural areas. But don't take this road, I don't want it to get crowded for our next trip to Vegas.

Daphne's Greek Cafe Lemon Chicken Soup Starter

New thing of the day, tried the Daphne's Greek Cafe Lemon Chicken Soup Starter.

OMG it is amazing! I LOVE LOVE LOVED it! I have a new favorite soup and am now becoming a fan of soups. It's only 219 calories according to the nutrition guide - and so filling and delicious!

The soup is warm, creamy and goes down smooth and with a pop of tang at the end. There's the great flavor of chicken and vegetables, but that lemon, OH! It's perfect cold weather feel better food. Despite the fact that it's been quite warm the past week, I absolutely love this soup.

It all starts with a bad day at work and a need to fill it up with something delicious. Daphne's is one of my favorite restaurants and Greek food being the healthiest type of food according to some experts. Anyway I adore the restaurant and they have this great $7 for a 3 course dinner meal. It's a starter, entree and dessert all for a cool $7. I got the soup - new. For the entree I got the street pitas and for dessert the baklava, all regulars.

The other new thing I did try with the soup was the Tabouli salad side, not a huge fan. It sorta looks like cous-cous and veggies, but doesn't have a flavor or texture I really like. Eh - a not so successful new thing to try. Here's a similar look of the dish below - though not that big a portion. I won't order it again at Daphne's but I'll be willing to try it somewhere else, but not with much enthusiasm.

Overall, the not so yummy Tabouli salad was a small cloud on my new favorite of Lemon Chicken Soup! I'm so happy I discovered it and hope they keep it as a menu item! I plan on going back semi-regularly for this, possibly once a week. I may possibly learn how to make it, but more likely I'll just keep ordering theirs in hope they keep making it. So amazing! I am so happy to find a new awesome favorite nearby. Plus it's healthy and perfect for the winter season. Very fun!

So when life gives you lemons, have a bowl of Daphne's Greek Cafe Lemon Chicken Soup Starter! It warms my soul :)

Pomegranate

New thing of today, tried the fruit pomegranate.

More like, tried the seeds/fruit? I had never seen a pomegranate or its "fruit" in person before. I've only tried the juice. A coworker had a tupperware full of these little red glass beads. He said they were pomegranate and offered them up to people to try. I had a few.

I had it one by one, very potent and like biting into almost a roe fish egg except gigantic. It popped in your mouth and gave a burst of delicious sour nectar. It was incredibly tasty, but tart. They were amused at the pucker face I made with every bead I ate.

Overall amazingly delicious but sour - which I am not a huge fan of. It's much better as the fruit than the juice. I would definitely have it again. It would be an amazing tart topper to cakes and as a fun thing to sprinkle on waffles or pancakes. I will definitely have it again. Yeay for trying new fruit!

Blinky & Star tins

New thing of today, tried candy from the Blinky and Star tins.

I got these awesome little candy tins at City Walk in a store called It's Sugar with lots of fun candy stuff. I saw these awesome little tins and decided to get them. Being not a huge fan of candy, was going to give the candy away and use the tins for my stuff. I was going to use the red Blinky pac-man ghost as my vitamin/advil/pill box. I was going to use the Star from Mario World as a mint holder.

So today I opened the boxes and tried out the candies - disgusting! They had no flavor, although they had cute shapes like the tins they came in. 

The star one had zero flavor, banana-ish, but gross. The red one had a sour flavor to it - very mild, but not even that tasty. So I dumped out the candy on a napkin, gave it out to coworkers, and now have fun empty tins to use for my stuff! It will make me more likely to take my vitamins and to use up my mints - both of which I forget to take and really should take more often. Anyway, just love the tins, but glad the candy is gone - so gross!

PS - did you know that Mario World has it's own Wiki - check out the listing on the Mario Star. Also some info on Pac-Man and Blinky :) 

Unhinged

New thing of the day, took off a door.

Home renovations have been on the back burner, despite how much they're needed. Inspiration came in the form of visiting a friend/coworker's new condo. Their place was amazing, beautiful, clean, well furnished and show worthy and made our place look and feel pretty shabby. I was a bit depressed, because they had everything settled and looking pretty. We still had work to do. Plus I don't have that interior design talent so we have a mix of furniture and display items that, well, I'm not sure really go together.

Anyway after talking with the husband, one thing we could do was take the door off the downstairs closet. It's right next to our front door and it's always a pain opening it with the front door there and taking off/putting on our shoes. Being Asian, we take off our shoes when we come in the house to keep everything cleaner and it's a tradition I like.

So after seeing the handymen who installed our washer/dryer, hammer out the pin that is part of the hinge of the door, and then taking off the door, decided to try it ourselves. Unfortunately the thing had lots of caked dried paint on it, and it was securely in there, but we were able to get it out after, oh, about 45 minutes of twisting and pounding. Most of the work was done by the husband. Although it was nice to feel like a part of the solution and we were able to take it off. The door currently sits in our garage along with the washer/dryer door (unit wouldn't fit).

I love it with the door off. It's so much easier and more room to put on/take off shoes. Plus opening/closing the front door isn't a hassle. We can have people over now and they will have a nice place to put their shoes. Although, the place is still not show ready in my opinion, at least the shoe situation is fixed.


This reminds me of one of my favorite moments from Ever After. Where they're breaking out Drew from jail and da Vinci basically does it ingeniously not by breaking the lock, but by unhinging the door so they could open it. Per IMDB memorable quotes


[after DaVinci opens a locked door by removing the pins from the hinges] 
Louise: Why, that was pure genius! 
Leonardo da Vinci: Yes, I shall go down in history as the man who opened a door! 


Just love that quote, and love that moment in the movie. Not that our taking off the door was ingenious, but it felt like, well, hopefully, we're creating a new opening in our lives, for home improvement. We've become so caught up in school, having fun, unwinding from work and all our other daily obligations, we sort of forgot about all the renovations and things that still need fixing with the place. Although the conversation left us slightly unhinged, we were glad we had it and know we need to get on those multiple projects we've been lagging on.

Also, the guest thing. It's not that we don't like our friends. I would love to have people over. It's just that, I feel like, I'm not happy with how the place looks just yet, so I don't want anyone to see the wreck in progress. Perhaps when more sweat and blood has gone into this place, when things look better, we'll be proud enough to show it off. I never wanted the perfect wedding, but I always wanted the perfect home. It's not really fabulous now, and needs a lot of work, so I guess I'm just sad I can't have the home for entertaining I always wanted. Hopefully this place cleans up nice and we are competent and good renovators. For now, time to get out hands dirty.