Double Rainbow

New thing today, saw a double rainbow, not in the way you think. Saw a rainbow on the way into work, and also one on the way home. Just lovely. 

Our Shadows Have Claws - The Nightingale and the Lark

New thing today, willingly reading a book of short stories. I like long stories, books that span a series. Lately though its been tough to read. I get bored or haven’t found anything worth getting invested in. So I am trying this compilation called Our Shadows Have Claws - 15 Latin American Monster Stories. Just finished the first story The Nightingale and the Lark. Overall fine. Snippet. Gets me warmed up for reading. Alright. Ya. Reading before bed. Nightmares? We shall see. 

Fe del Mundo

New thing today, learned about Fe del Mundo a Filipina hero featured in Rad Women Worldwide, a book about women who did incredible things. I had no idea about this one heroine from the Philippines and so read a little more about her in Wikipedia as well. Really nice hearing stories of extraordinary women. 

Mellow host

New thing today, mellowed in prepping for a visitor. We had an aunt coming to visit for the afternoon evening. Usually I go into psycho clean and prettify mode. This week i’ve been fixing up a little and then today cleaned but didn’t stress. Did good enough just fine instead of perfect. It worked out nicely. I focused on trying to have a nice time instead of how nice things are. Also cleaned enough to be nice but not perfect. Put some candles on and ya. Anyway. Nice. Good is good. Learning to mellow. 

Jesus Loves You and You Too

New things today, unexpected kindness. Stressful annoying day at work and took a breather to just - ugh. As I was going back to work some stranger said “Jesus Loves You”. Was a bit surprising but also appreciated as I was having a rough time. I saw him say it to other people walking by. And another coworker said they got that greeting too. Just odd but nice I guess. 

Then later that day there was a kid, bit rough and sassy, who always seems suspicious of me. I try to be nice but she seems reluctant. Tonight I said “have a good night” while walking by, not expecting any response. Delayed 5 seconds later she yells, “you too”. It wasn’t sarcastic or sassy, just regular. Very surprising and a nice thaw to her “too cool for you” facade. 

Anyway some new things and highlights to the day. Just kinda nice. 

Tetchy

New thing today, played a crossword and guessed a spelling tetchy. Turns out it’s a real word. Learning new words. Tetchy means bad-tempered and irritable. Sort of like how we all feel with daylight savings. Hoping you are not tetchy today. 

The Last of Us - TV show

New thing today, finished The Last of Us season 1 on HBO Max. Holy smokes is this thing good from beginning to end. I didn't want to care, but I did. And it went to some interesting places. Love and darkness all wrapped together. My favorite episodes were probably 3 Long Long Time, 5 Endure and Survive, and 9 Look for the Light. Unexpected consequences of love may be the running themes in those episodes. I haven't enjoyed a show in awhile, and honestly was expecting to be disappointed, but this... all the feels. I also needed a week between episodes to recover sometimes. I may rewatch the season, but overall, pretty incredible. Moments were just heartbreaking in some really good ways. Just some incredible moments - great job everyone who worked on that show!

Mitsuwa

New thing today, went to a new Japanese grocery store Mitsuwa in Northridge. Super cool little store. They had samples of fresh cooked wagyu beef slices. So good. All sorts of authentic Japanese market food. Also onigiri and sushi to go. So good. I got some rice, sushi, onigiri, soba and we tried some snacks. A new favorite grocery stop nearby - yay!

Sourdough Bread

New thing today, baking sourdough bread. With the sourdough starter, been making homemade bread. Pretty amazing and enjoyable.

A Little Respect to Morbid Anatomy Museum to Earworms

New thing today, a little Wikipedia journey down the rabbit hole. Join me, on this random adventure. For a completely unknown reason, I had a piece of A Little Respect in my head and could not get it out. After finding and listening to the song, and learning it was from Erasure, I got curious if partners or spouses inspired the song. Then one of the Erasure member's spouses helped found the Morbid Anatomy Museum which was interesting. Then in writing this blog I wondered if it was an earwig or earworm that accurately described that song. So there, ramblings and Thank the Wikipedia and YouTube for our knowledge today. 

Corgi Greeter

 New thing today, went to a boba shop, and was greeted by a very friendly happy CORGI. OMG. The best greeter! Every shop should have a small friendly calm dog saying hello to everyone who comes in. So cute! 

Erewhon

New thing today, went to Erewhon in Calabasas. I had never been, and husband said they had a good deli hot menu, so we decided to visit for lunch today. Very… wholesome and thoughtful, also yes expensive but yummy. I got papaya later which you don't see pictured. Papaya was amazing. Pizza was cold and meh, but would have been better warmed up. Sushi was AMAZING. I was a huge fan. Dolmas eh. Coconut rice pudding really good. Overall I would say everything is of a high quality and I enjoyed it. They had a number of interesting ingredients i'll go back to try. I liked it. But be prepared it is pricey.

M on High

New thing today, went to M on High in Moorpark. Busy, steady but amazing. Service excellent, food took awhile probably 30-45 minutes, but fine because we were socializing and having fun. Friend ordered the pot pie - yum crust but I thought it was dry and she thought the bell pepper was off putting, but overall good. I ordered the short ribs with mushroom risotto. Amazing so so good. A lovely treat. Also highly recommend the "I'm Your Huckleberry" drink not pictured, but oh so good - lemony deliciousness. I recommend reservations but we really enjoyed our dinner there! We will be going back and recommending and going back with others. 

Top Chef Masters

New thing today, started watching Top Chef Masters. It came on automatically after I finished a Top Chef season. Surprisingly my new favorite background noise show. Has the Top Chef formula but is kind of boring. I can easily do other things while it's on, but is only interesting part of the time. Makes me restless but also has some gems in it. It also is fairly old so could be dated, but overall a new delightful discovery.

Sourdough Starter - Knead Ace

New thing today, developed a sourdough starter. For Christmas I asked for this on Amazon Knead Ace starter kit and got it. Then went ahead and followed instructions for the starter. The first batch I accidentally killed by mis-measuring and adding too much water. Second batch wasn't working, so I went off-script and fed it half the amount twice as often. Then I also warmed it with those therapeutic muscle warmer cloths, sort of mini electric blanket. The warmth really helped as it has been super cold. Now I have a healthy sourdough starter that has been doing very well. Was exciting to feed and care for it in the beginning. Now its more of a chore, but my favorite thing is the smell of the starter - amazing :)

Three Bears

Had a writing exercise as part of a writing club I setup. I forgot how much fun writing is, and how much I enjoy it. Half the fun is researching, writing and the process, more than the results. Same with cooking, and many other things. Making the journey good.

Let's see if I can make writing regularly part of a balanced life. 

Anyway sharing, here's the story - Rewrite the Fairy Tale - Goldilocks and the three bears.

Goldilocks and the Three Bears

Once upon a time there was a picky eater named Goldilocks who was always searching for happiness in the food she ate. She was often grumpy because everyone else enjoyed food so much more than she did. She was always looking for the best bite, and a flavor that would make her go, “mmmmmmm”. She liked to Yelp review the places she explored and ate. She became a traveler and explorer, wandering many lands in the search for the perfect bite. She explored the oak parks, the woodland hills, and finally came upon the land of a thousand oaks.

In the land of a thousand oaks there lived a family of Bears. There were three cousins who all grew to love cooking. Pablo Bear’s mama was Peruvian, so he loved the food and culture. He visited Machu Picchu, learned the Quechua language and most of all loved to visit the coast and make a Parihuela, a spicy seafood soup that is hearty, warm and would comfort fisherman after a long day at sea. Maeena Bear’s father was Malaysian, and so she loved to cook Malay food. She loved to visit the rainforests of Malaysia, the capital Kuala Lumpor and learned to make a soup called Mee Sup which is a noodle soup with meat, shrimp and vegetables. The last one was named Balan Bear and he had a mom from Bangladesh. Balan loved to learn the language Bengali, loved visiting Kuakata beach and loved celebrating the annual Durga Puja festival honoring good conquering evil and the year’s new harvest. Balan’s favorite thing to make was a Borhani, a spicy yogurt drink that can help with digestion.

All three bears had their own restaurants in the land of a thousand oaks. Goldilocks decided to try their foods. Pablo Bear’s food was too hot and spicy. Maeena Bear’s food was too cold and mild. When Goldilocks went to Balan Bear’s restaurant, Balan had heard about Goldilocks from Pablo and Maeena. He decided to settle her stomach. He put down the Borhani drink before the start of her meal. At her first sip, Goldilocks said “mmmmmmm”. The drink settled her stomach, and she absolutely loved the Bangladeshi foods at the restaurant. It was the first time ever Goldilocks felt settled and content. After the meal, Goldilocks met Balan. They talked for a long time, and Goldilocks went home and had never slept so good before. Balan and Goldilocks were friends for many years, and one day got married. They had many children and lived happily ever after. But more importantly, before every meal, Balan would give Goldilocks a kiss, and make her a special Borhani to show his love for her every day.

 

Rolling Cabinet Assembled

New thing today, cheap organizing cabinet and drawers, assembled.

Roadrunner - a film about Anthony Bourdain

New thing today, watched the documentary Roadrunner - a film about Anthony Bourdain. Odd choice for the first post of the New Year, a film about someone who committed suicide, but it was interesting and good. Filmed in the Bourdain style of documentary, a little rock and roll, raw and poetic. We watched it in 2 parts, half yesterday and half today. The end was quite sad, and then, a kind of fantastic tribute to the personality that he was. 

He was a writer, an artist and a little fucked up, but in a lovable way. Of course he was a chef and traveler. We got a glimpse into his personal life and that darkness that consumed him. It really was a fitting tribute and a good documentary made with love and affection by friends, family and those who knew him. 

It was inspiring to see this and relate to it in some ways. The artist and writer in Bourdain, but also his discoveries through travel. Perhaps a kindred  spirit. I think we might start watching his shows more. I also recommend Kitchen Confidential, but the audiobook read by Bourdain adds so much extra flavor. 

Check out the Trailer to Roadrunner

My favorite song played at the end - fantastic tribute - Black and Blue is the Best I can do by Queens of the Stone Age. It's going on my playlist. 

Please enjoy.

Rose Parade 2022

New thing today, watched the Rose Parade on time live from start to end from 8am-10am, instead of just catching replays or bits here and there. Also loved this 2022 Grand Marshall LeVar Burton! I have a strange affection for the Rose Parade. I don't actually like it that much, but something about waking up on New Year's day and watching some of the parade or having it on in the background during the morning is kind of a tradition. My favorite memory is a hungover drunken morning sometime in college, and the parade playing in the background. I also think we saw it when I was a little kid, miserable waiting in the wee hours for it to happen. We watched the parade live when I was an adult when my cousin was a dancer with KC and the Sunshine Band float one year. Mom knew the secret Pasadena parking spots and watch spots. 

I know next year it will play January 2, so I'm not sure how i'll feel about that. But, just... waking up and having it on in the New Year makes it feel, like a new year, like new beginnings are possible, or just another stamp in time. 

This year was kind of hilarious because I love KTLA coverage but the sound was all off. We kept overhearing the announcer at the parade route - who was very good - but also very loud interrupting and discordant with the KTLA news anchors and announcers. We also kept hearing LeVar Burton with a mic and yelling "Happy New Year" over some of the commentary, which was pretty funny. Overall though I love watching it on TV (or laptop) or from a cozy home listening to random commentary, instead of trying to watch it in person as it looks like it would be miserable. KTLA always does a great job and I like their coverage. I also liked their morning show when I had to be at work at 6am, KTLA is my favorite morning show. 

Additionally the miniature therapy horses were adorable, and I was amazed that the LAUSD marching band played "Beggin" a song that just came out in (I think) in August 2021 - so it was cool to hear it and be like, what is that, and be able to spot it. Floats are floats, not a huge fan, but one year we did go to Sierra Madre and walk around the floats parked - so you could really appreciate them. I would recommend that and do it again too. You can smell all the flowers and plants, you can see up close all the handiwork, and it was just amazing. 

I suppose what I love most of all about the Rose Parade are all the other memories connected to it, and the way this tradition, for some reason, has a soft spot in my heart. 

Throughout the morning we had the parade on but I tuned out here and there. We had breakfast and I played some video games so I wasn't glued to the parade the entire time. I don't even like parades, but I think the tradition of New Years morning, bleary eyed and watching commentary and video on the Rose Parade is something of a tradition. Happy New Year 2022!

The T Room Montrose

New thing today, went to The T Room in Montrose. Server said it was there 17 years. Really cute spot, good tea, average pricey for tea and overall good goodies. You can buy anything that catches your eye so lovely tea sets all around. Lovely and look forward to visiting again.