As you know, Diesel and I have moved to NYC to start a new chapter in our life. I'll put this blog on hold for now, as we both started writing on a new blog:
http://twoforone.wordpress.com/
Keep in touch!
Kellyh
Sunday, December 02, 2007
Monday, November 05, 2007
U.S. Olympic Trials
It's not every day you get to see the best runners in the country in one place. And on Saturday, this place was Central Park.
Since we were staying with Seno, he, Diesel and I woke up at 6:30am and headed over to his friend's place, where his friends met for a bagel breakfast.
When we got to Central park, we watched the runners go around the park several times. It was quite amazing to see what a 4-5 min mile looks like.
I'm sure you read about the triumph (Hall winning) and tragedy (Shay dying) of this event. It was exciting and sad (we only found out afterwards, when Seno told us) at the same time.
Since we were staying with Seno, he, Diesel and I woke up at 6:30am and headed over to his friend's place, where his friends met for a bagel breakfast.
When we got to Central park, we watched the runners go around the park several times. It was quite amazing to see what a 4-5 min mile looks like.
I'm sure you read about the triumph (Hall winning) and tragedy (Shay dying) of this event. It was exciting and sad (we only found out afterwards, when Seno told us) at the same time.
NY Here We Come!
Flew to NY on Tuesday and arrived in the evening. Diesel and I both had 4 huge boxes that we checked in. Between this trip and the next one, where we stay for good, we'll have plenty of room to move all of the stuff we need.
Anxiety aside, we left our boxes at David's apartment and got dinner at a place in the East Village. With lots of gossip to tell, I have to say I had little time to enjoy my salad.
The next day we went apt. hunting. We wanted to go cheap and decided to not hire a broker and do it on our own, but after three days of looking at dumps, we finally gave in and called a broker. Oh what a difference a broker makes! We saw three apartments in the East Village that were nice and Diesel finalized the deal on Saturday at 5, less than 12 hours before we left NY.
This trip definitely made me feel more at ease about moving. The thoughts of leaving little Seatown and going to one of the world's craziest, busiest and biggest cities is quite daunting, but after about a week there, I feel quite confident that this will be a great adventure!
We have two more weeks in Seattle before we leave for good. It's bittersweet, but it'll be a great new chapter!
NY here we come!
Anxiety aside, we left our boxes at David's apartment and got dinner at a place in the East Village. With lots of gossip to tell, I have to say I had little time to enjoy my salad.
The next day we went apt. hunting. We wanted to go cheap and decided to not hire a broker and do it on our own, but after three days of looking at dumps, we finally gave in and called a broker. Oh what a difference a broker makes! We saw three apartments in the East Village that were nice and Diesel finalized the deal on Saturday at 5, less than 12 hours before we left NY.
This trip definitely made me feel more at ease about moving. The thoughts of leaving little Seatown and going to one of the world's craziest, busiest and biggest cities is quite daunting, but after about a week there, I feel quite confident that this will be a great adventure!
We have two more weeks in Seattle before we leave for good. It's bittersweet, but it'll be a great new chapter!
NY here we come!
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Campaigning for the Institution of Murses in America
I've been meaning to tell the world about this fabulous accessory for men that has existed for several decades in Europe but only recently been making its way into the American fashion world. It is the very practical MURSE (or "male purse"), advocated by women worldwide, who are tired of carrying their boyfriends'/husbands' crap.
As always, it is the gay man who, in their fashion forward thinking have embraced this essential fashion accessory, and hopefully, will be able to convince his straight counterpart that he too should be carrying his cell phone, wallet, umbrella, book, camera, etc. in his OWN bag. Not only that, I hope that he is able to make all those heteros realize that they can have a lot of fun mixing and matching different murse designs with their outfits.
Two friends of mine have already joined the murse adoption movement. I'm very proud of them and will support their valient efforts to bring the murse to the United States of America. I'd like to share their take on the port-everything accessory:
Friend 1's choice:
Chic, slick and elegant murse. Black with white pinstripes, goes with everything!
Friend 2's choice:
Fun and colorful "chicken" murse. Perfect for going out and holds all your party supplies: fake eyelashes, lipstick, etc.
For more on murses, get advice from my favorite YouTube fashion guru, William Sledd. He did a whole "Murse Edition" segment (notice I'm not embedding the video because he has a lot of viewers, and I'm leery of having random people reading this blog):
http://youtube.com/watch?v=oF97-XVLc-w
As always, it is the gay man who, in their fashion forward thinking have embraced this essential fashion accessory, and hopefully, will be able to convince his straight counterpart that he too should be carrying his cell phone, wallet, umbrella, book, camera, etc. in his OWN bag. Not only that, I hope that he is able to make all those heteros realize that they can have a lot of fun mixing and matching different murse designs with their outfits.
Two friends of mine have already joined the murse adoption movement. I'm very proud of them and will support their valient efforts to bring the murse to the United States of America. I'd like to share their take on the port-everything accessory:
Friend 1's choice:
Chic, slick and elegant murse. Black with white pinstripes, goes with everything!
Friend 2's choice:Fun and colorful "chicken" murse. Perfect for going out and holds all your party supplies: fake eyelashes, lipstick, etc.
For more on murses, get advice from my favorite YouTube fashion guru, William Sledd. He did a whole "Murse Edition" segment (notice I'm not embedding the video because he has a lot of viewers, and I'm leery of having random people reading this blog):http://youtube.com/watch?v=oF97-XVLc-w
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Elusive sub 2:00
First off, let's just get this straight: It was Tim who COPIED my "Elusive Sub 2:00" title on his blog, and NOT the other way around. They say copying is the sincerest form of flattery, so I'm just glad that despite his lack of imagination, my husband finds me such a great inspiration in his life.
A few months ago I signed myself up to run the Victoria Marathon in October. In a risky move, I also paid an extra 60 bucks to sign Diesel up for the half. He was notified that he was running once I forwarded him his registration confirmation. He took it pretty well and was even excited about it. During training, I hurt my knee and decided it would be cool to run Diesel's first half with him. It was disappointing, but on the upside, marathons are very painful.
On October 11, after his 1-week work trip to London, we headed over to the Victoria Clipper pier with our contingent of fans (which was actually only my sister) at 7am to catch the ferry to Victoria, Canada. With the race, Canadian Thanksgiving and a US ship arriving in Canada, we were glad that we decided to take the ferry to Canadia instead of having to wait hours at the border.
The trip was pleasant, and we got to chat with another couple who was running. We arrived safely at our hotel and immediately decided to take a nap. It was then time for a first session of carbo loading, and we took the advice of the foodie community board on chowhound and went Paggliacci's. We were told that it was a laid back, family style and reasonably-priced Italian restaurant, all of which were true. We were also told that the food was awesome, which it unfortunately wasn't. But oh wells. After sauntering for a while, it was suddenly time for dinner, and we ended up at Cafe Brio, which my friend Megan from work had recommended. We got the small plates and the food was awesome!
The next morning my sister sent us off and the race started. The weather was perfect for running (unlike Chicago!) and the course was the prettiest I've ever seen, through parks and on the water. The interesting thing about this race is the many loops you do, where you get to see the elite runners who are way ahead of you. I also decided that the loops make it very easy for people to cheat (you can just skip the loop and go the other direction), so a good tip for all those shady runners who want to qualify for Boston (HA!).
Tim took off and I ran an easy half. It was very pleasant and when the sun finally came out, it was just so nice to be running out there. It is definitely one of the most beautiful (if not THE most) race I've ever done.
Tim crossed the finished line first, and I was about a minute behind him (to read his account of the race with MY title, click here). I suppose I should hate him because this was his first half, but I guess he's my husband, so I won't hate him.
Sadly, both of us missed our 2:00:00 finish goal. After running a 2:00:08 in Vancouver and a 2:00:16 in Bellevue, I have to say the 2:02:31 time was a bit disappointing. Well, maybe next season...
Anyhow, the trip back was tiring and uneventful. The Clipper was filled with your typical race casualties: many limping, several who couldn't stand up, more even that chose to sit on the main deck, daunted by going up the stairs, and your usual line up of stretchers along the walls.
A few months ago I signed myself up to run the Victoria Marathon in October. In a risky move, I also paid an extra 60 bucks to sign Diesel up for the half. He was notified that he was running once I forwarded him his registration confirmation. He took it pretty well and was even excited about it. During training, I hurt my knee and decided it would be cool to run Diesel's first half with him. It was disappointing, but on the upside, marathons are very painful.
On October 11, after his 1-week work trip to London, we headed over to the Victoria Clipper pier with our contingent of fans (which was actually only my sister) at 7am to catch the ferry to Victoria, Canada. With the race, Canadian Thanksgiving and a US ship arriving in Canada, we were glad that we decided to take the ferry to Canadia instead of having to wait hours at the border.
The trip was pleasant, and we got to chat with another couple who was running. We arrived safely at our hotel and immediately decided to take a nap. It was then time for a first session of carbo loading, and we took the advice of the foodie community board on chowhound and went Paggliacci's. We were told that it was a laid back, family style and reasonably-priced Italian restaurant, all of which were true. We were also told that the food was awesome, which it unfortunately wasn't. But oh wells. After sauntering for a while, it was suddenly time for dinner, and we ended up at Cafe Brio, which my friend Megan from work had recommended. We got the small plates and the food was awesome!
The next morning my sister sent us off and the race started. The weather was perfect for running (unlike Chicago!) and the course was the prettiest I've ever seen, through parks and on the water. The interesting thing about this race is the many loops you do, where you get to see the elite runners who are way ahead of you. I also decided that the loops make it very easy for people to cheat (you can just skip the loop and go the other direction), so a good tip for all those shady runners who want to qualify for Boston (HA!).
Tim took off and I ran an easy half. It was very pleasant and when the sun finally came out, it was just so nice to be running out there. It is definitely one of the most beautiful (if not THE most) race I've ever done.
Tim crossed the finished line first, and I was about a minute behind him (to read his account of the race with MY title, click here). I suppose I should hate him because this was his first half, but I guess he's my husband, so I won't hate him.
Sadly, both of us missed our 2:00:00 finish goal. After running a 2:00:08 in Vancouver and a 2:00:16 in Bellevue, I have to say the 2:02:31 time was a bit disappointing. Well, maybe next season...
Anyhow, the trip back was tiring and uneventful. The Clipper was filled with your typical race casualties: many limping, several who couldn't stand up, more even that chose to sit on the main deck, daunted by going up the stairs, and your usual line up of stretchers along the walls.
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Back to Back Girls' Nights In
With Tim in London I was able to plan two girls' nights in this week without feeling guilty about kicking him out of of his own apt.
Anyhow, on Monday Megan and Lauren from work came over and we watched half of Season 2 of The Hills. If you're asking me what it is, you obviously have not seen the BEST TV show EVER. Megan has recently been sucked into
Anyhow, on Monday Megan and Lauren from work came over and we watched half of Season 2 of The Hills. If you're asking me what it is, you obviously have not seen the BEST TV show EVER. Megan has recently been sucked into
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Arizona Trip
I suck. I haven't blogged in a while, but that doesn't mean that my life hasn't been exciting. As always, it's very exciting. HA!
Last weekend we went down to AZ to visit my in-laws and Drew. Tim's brother David, his wife Lisa and their two little girls were there. It was fun spending time with them, and Nicolette and Addison are both at an age where they recognize us, so it's encouraging to wake up every morning and not have the kids crying when they see you because you're a stranger. The adults ensured that was the case by continuously quizzing the girls. "Who's that? Uncle Tim" "Who's that? Aunt Kelly." I'm sure they'll forget all about us, and the whole process will repeat itself when we go back for Christmas.
Anyhow, in honor of their Chinese daughter-in-law, Dad and Mom Sale took us out to dinner at a Chinese restaurant in the Cultural District. The whole place was a plaza much smaller than your usual AZ strip mall, and had about 10 stores ranging from a Chinese bridal shop to a mish mash of Asian restaurants to a Chinese bank ("What is a Chinese bank?," mom asked, but I didn't know either). As we pulled over, I exclaimed: "Oh, so THAT's where the Chinatown is!"
The food was quite good. The in-laws told us to please order, and they were quite impressed when Tim and I ordered something off the menu (which probably WAS on the menu that they give the Chinese people, which is different from the one that white peeps get).
Tim had been to the place before when he still lived in AZ, but he just didn't have the heart to tell his parents that he had already been there, seeing that they were all excited about taking us there.
The next day we went to see Diesel's friend Jayson and his gf Jenn. Apparently the two of them are currently very much into off-roading with their fellow Land Rover owners. We went to a trail and Jayson even let me do some driving. Who says Asian women can't drive???!!! They obviously have not seen my kind of skills...
Last weekend we went down to AZ to visit my in-laws and Drew. Tim's brother David, his wife Lisa and their two little girls were there. It was fun spending time with them, and Nicolette and Addison are both at an age where they recognize us, so it's encouraging to wake up every morning and not have the kids crying when they see you because you're a stranger. The adults ensured that was the case by continuously quizzing the girls. "Who's that? Uncle Tim" "Who's that? Aunt Kelly." I'm sure they'll forget all about us, and the whole process will repeat itself when we go back for Christmas.
Anyhow, in honor of their Chinese daughter-in-law, Dad and Mom Sale took us out to dinner at a Chinese restaurant in the Cultural District. The whole place was a plaza much smaller than your usual AZ strip mall, and had about 10 stores ranging from a Chinese bridal shop to a mish mash of Asian restaurants to a Chinese bank ("What is a Chinese bank?," mom asked, but I didn't know either). As we pulled over, I exclaimed: "Oh, so THAT's where the Chinatown is!"
The food was quite good. The in-laws told us to please order, and they were quite impressed when Tim and I ordered something off the menu (which probably WAS on the menu that they give the Chinese people, which is different from the one that white peeps get).
Tim had been to the place before when he still lived in AZ, but he just didn't have the heart to tell his parents that he had already been there, seeing that they were all excited about taking us there.
The next day we went to see Diesel's friend Jayson and his gf Jenn. Apparently the two of them are currently very much into off-roading with their fellow Land Rover owners. We went to a trail and Jayson even let me do some driving. Who says Asian women can't drive???!!! They obviously have not seen my kind of skills...
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Victoria Half-Marathon - The Elusive Sub 2:00:00
First off, let's just get this straight: It was Tim who COPIED my "Elusive Sub 2:00" title on his blog, and NOT the other way around. They say copying is the sincerest form of flattery, so I'm just glad that despite his lack of imagination, my husband finds me such a great inspiration in his life.
A few months ago I signed myself up to run the Victoria Marathon in October. In a risky move, I also paid an extra 60 bucks to sign Diesel up for the half. He was notified that he was running once I forwarded him his registration confirmation. He took it pretty well and was even excited about it. During training, I hurt my knee and decided it would be cool to run Diesel's first half with him. It was disappointing, but on the upside, marathons are very painful.
On October 11, after his 1-week work trip to London, we headed over to the Victoria Clipper pier with our contingent of fans (which was actually only my sister) at 7am to catch the ferry to Victoria, Canada. With the race, Canadian Thanksgiving and a US ship arriving in Canada, we were glad that we decided to take the ferry to Canadia instead of having to wait hours at the border.
The trip was pleasant, and we got to chat with another couple who was running. We arrived safely at our hotel and immediately decided to take a nap. It was then time for a first session of carbo loading, and we took the advice of the foodie community board on chowhound and went Paggliacci's. We were told that it was a laid back, family style and reasonably-priced Italian restaurant, all of which were true. We were also told that the food was awesome, which it unfortunately wasn't. But oh wells. After sauntering for a while, it was suddenly time for dinner, and we ended up at Cafe Brio, which my friend Megan from work had recommended. We got the small plates and the food was awesome!
The next morning my sister sent us off and the race started. The weather was perfect for running (unlike Chicago!) and the course was the prettiest I've ever seen, through parks and on the water. The interesting thing about this race is the many loops you do, where you get to see the elite runners who are way ahead of you. I also decided that the loops make it very easy for people to cheat (you can just skip the loop and go the other direction), so a good tip for all those shady runners who want to qualify for Boston (HA!).
Tim took off and I ran an easy half. It was very pleasant and when the sun finally came out, it was just so nice to be running out there. It is definitely one of the most beautiful (if not THE most) race I've ever done.
Tim crossed the finished line first, and I was about a minute behind him (to read his account of the race with MY title, click here). I suppose I should hate him because this was his first half, but I guess he's my husband, so I won't hate him.
Sadly, both of us missed our 2:00:00 finish goal. After running a 2:00:08 in Vancouver and a 2:00:16 in Bellevue, I have to say the 2:02:31 time was a bit disappointing. Well, maybe next season...
Anyhow, the trip back was tiring and uneventful. The Clipper was filled with your typical race casualties: many limping, several who couldn't stand up, more even that chose to sit on the main deck, daunted by going up the stairs, and your usual line up of stretchers along the walls.
A few months ago I signed myself up to run the Victoria Marathon in October. In a risky move, I also paid an extra 60 bucks to sign Diesel up for the half. He was notified that he was running once I forwarded him his registration confirmation. He took it pretty well and was even excited about it. During training, I hurt my knee and decided it would be cool to run Diesel's first half with him. It was disappointing, but on the upside, marathons are very painful.
On October 11, after his 1-week work trip to London, we headed over to the Victoria Clipper pier with our contingent of fans (which was actually only my sister) at 7am to catch the ferry to Victoria, Canada. With the race, Canadian Thanksgiving and a US ship arriving in Canada, we were glad that we decided to take the ferry to Canadia instead of having to wait hours at the border.
The trip was pleasant, and we got to chat with another couple who was running. We arrived safely at our hotel and immediately decided to take a nap. It was then time for a first session of carbo loading, and we took the advice of the foodie community board on chowhound and went Paggliacci's. We were told that it was a laid back, family style and reasonably-priced Italian restaurant, all of which were true. We were also told that the food was awesome, which it unfortunately wasn't. But oh wells. After sauntering for a while, it was suddenly time for dinner, and we ended up at Cafe Brio, which my friend Megan from work had recommended. We got the small plates and the food was awesome!
The next morning my sister sent us off and the race started. The weather was perfect for running (unlike Chicago!) and the course was the prettiest I've ever seen, through parks and on the water. The interesting thing about this race is the many loops you do, where you get to see the elite runners who are way ahead of you. I also decided that the loops make it very easy for people to cheat (you can just skip the loop and go the other direction), so a good tip for all those shady runners who want to qualify for Boston (HA!).
Tim took off and I ran an easy half. It was very pleasant and when the sun finally came out, it was just so nice to be running out there. It is definitely one of the most beautiful (if not THE most) race I've ever done.
Tim crossed the finished line first, and I was about a minute behind him (to read his account of the race with MY title, click here). I suppose I should hate him because this was his first half, but I guess he's my husband, so I won't hate him.
Sadly, both of us missed our 2:00:00 finish goal. After running a 2:00:08 in Vancouver and a 2:00:16 in Bellevue, I have to say the 2:02:31 time was a bit disappointing. Well, maybe next season...
Anyhow, the trip back was tiring and uneventful. The Clipper was filled with your typical race casualties: many limping, several who couldn't stand up, more even that chose to sit on the main deck, daunted by going up the stairs, and your usual line up of stretchers along the walls.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Days 2-5 in Paris - A Few Museums, Lots of Eating
Tuesday - Visited the Musee d'Orsay and perambulated through the excellent collection of impressionist painting. Afterwards, we took a stroll through the Tulleries Gardens. Then it was home for some cleaning up and preparing for our biggest dinner in Paris at the famous Joël Robuchon's L'Atelier. The wait, we were told, was one hour, but we got there at 8:00pm only to find out that the wait was 2.5 hrs. We went over next door to a hotel and got drinks at a posh hotel, where Diesel spotted a small mouse scurrying across the lobby. Upon being notified of the unwanted patron, the hotel staff seemed quite disgusted. However, after a brief, failed search, they simply gave us as if it wasn't a big deal at all.
At 10:30 we finally sat at the bar (the whole restaurant is all bar seats, with the kitchen in the middle). We did the 9-course tasting menu. I can't remember the names of any of the dishes; all I know is that was really the best meal of my life.
Wednesday - We woke up early for the Louvre. Despite being able to skip all the lines by using our museum pass, we were surrounded, choked in fact, by the large crowed of tourists. Not the art-loving kind, mind you, but the breed that only goes from piece to piece taking pics of themselves with famous works of art and intend to bore their friends with those stupid shots. We met up with Nath after the museum, as she had arrived from Lyon the previous evening. The threatening clouds turned into downpour, and we ran through the streets to find a good neighborhood restaurant--with only 4 days in Paris, we wanted to make the most out of every meal. We picked a small family-owned restaurant, where we ordered steak and frites. That's right. I had RED MEAT. And it was GOOD.
In the evening we had dinner at Marie-Pierre's house. MP is a co-worker of Nath's whom I met while she was traveling through Seattle/Vancouver. Her friend Isabelle, who was traveling with MP was also there.
Thursday - We slept in till 11 and met with Nath for lunch at La Tete de Grouchin or something like that. The food was really good. We then made a stop home and the two decided it was in order to take a nap. I was a bit impatient and wanted to walk around, as we had been lazy all morning. We finally made it out and took a stroll through the streets of Paris.
That night, Nath got a reprieve from us and met up with her friends at a restaurant. We didn't go to far, and went to the restaurant next door (literally), where we enjoyed some hearty Provençal food.
At 10:30 we finally sat at the bar (the whole restaurant is all bar seats, with the kitchen in the middle). We did the 9-course tasting menu. I can't remember the names of any of the dishes; all I know is that was really the best meal of my life.
Wednesday - We woke up early for the Louvre. Despite being able to skip all the lines by using our museum pass, we were surrounded, choked in fact, by the large crowed of tourists. Not the art-loving kind, mind you, but the breed that only goes from piece to piece taking pics of themselves with famous works of art and intend to bore their friends with those stupid shots. We met up with Nath after the museum, as she had arrived from Lyon the previous evening. The threatening clouds turned into downpour, and we ran through the streets to find a good neighborhood restaurant--with only 4 days in Paris, we wanted to make the most out of every meal. We picked a small family-owned restaurant, where we ordered steak and frites. That's right. I had RED MEAT. And it was GOOD.
In the evening we had dinner at Marie-Pierre's house. MP is a co-worker of Nath's whom I met while she was traveling through Seattle/Vancouver. Her friend Isabelle, who was traveling with MP was also there.
Thursday - We slept in till 11 and met with Nath for lunch at La Tete de Grouchin or something like that. The food was really good. We then made a stop home and the two decided it was in order to take a nap. I was a bit impatient and wanted to walk around, as we had been lazy all morning. We finally made it out and took a stroll through the streets of Paris.
That night, Nath got a reprieve from us and met up with her friends at a restaurant. We didn't go to far, and went to the restaurant next door (literally), where we enjoyed some hearty Provençal food.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Day 1 in Paris - Secrets and Lies, Let the Gluttony begin
We arrived at Charles de Gaulle airport at 10:30am but after having problems with our shuttle, we didn't get to the apartment that my friend Nathalie had arranged for us to stay in until 1pm.
We were received by Daniele, who lived in the apartment. Nathalie had tried to explain to me the whole housing arrangement, but seeing that all of the exchange was done over IM, it follows that I did not really understand that Nath didn't know this person personally. In fact, Daniele was actually a friend of a friend (Lili) of a friend (Pauline) of Nath's. To conceal the loose connection, I was supposed to say that I did know Pauline, a fact that escaped my attention. I have a feeling I got Nath and Pauline in a bit of trouble, but we tried to be good house guests.
We got cleaned up and Daniele made us some delicious salad, topping it off with bits of goat cheese wrapped in speck, shaved Parmesan and other little French treats that came in jars filled with aromatic olive oil. After that, we took a recovery nap and finally made it out by taking a stroll around the neighborhood. We were by place Pereire, a hip, borderline snooty neighborhood in the 17th arroundissement.
That night, Lili came over and cooked us dinner: shredded duck and mashed potatoes casserole. The dish name sounds much better in French though. A lot off champagne, and wine were consumed that night which led to some jolly moments that night.
We were received by Daniele, who lived in the apartment. Nathalie had tried to explain to me the whole housing arrangement, but seeing that all of the exchange was done over IM, it follows that I did not really understand that Nath didn't know this person personally. In fact, Daniele was actually a friend of a friend (Lili) of a friend (Pauline) of Nath's. To conceal the loose connection, I was supposed to say that I did know Pauline, a fact that escaped my attention. I have a feeling I got Nath and Pauline in a bit of trouble, but we tried to be good house guests.
We got cleaned up and Daniele made us some delicious salad, topping it off with bits of goat cheese wrapped in speck, shaved Parmesan and other little French treats that came in jars filled with aromatic olive oil. After that, we took a recovery nap and finally made it out by taking a stroll around the neighborhood. We were by place Pereire, a hip, borderline snooty neighborhood in the 17th arroundissement.
That night, Lili came over and cooked us dinner: shredded duck and mashed potatoes casserole. The dish name sounds much better in French though. A lot off champagne, and wine were consumed that night which led to some jolly moments that night.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
On Our Way to Paris/The Boy Who Wouldn't Shut Up
It finally came! Diesel's and my trip to Paris. Catching the flight was quite stressful, as we had to get up at 5am on Sunday morning and drive down to Seattle from the Baker cabin. You see, our friends Rebeca, Steve and Heidi threw a big party at the cabin to celebrate their 40th, 40th, and 30th bdays, respectively, so on Sat afternoon Diesel and I made the 2.5 hr drive to Baker and, in a ambitious, yet utterly stupid plan, decided to drive back to Seattle at 5 so we could make a 7:30-8am stop at the Danskin triathlon to cheer on our friends Tarah and Regina, who were doing their first tri.
After gett pulled over by a cop but not getting a speeding ticket despite doing 57 on a 35mph road, we cheered Tarah on but missed Regina :(
Back at our apartment, we showered, grabbed our bags and got a ride from my sis to the airport. The flight to Chicago was a lovely flight in business class with a free meal and a separate bathroom from the plebe.
The Chicago to Paris flight, on the other hand was in economy class, which is fine cuz, as you can tell from the previous paragraph, I'm no snob. However, right off the bat this 7-year-old boy who was sitting next to us started talking. Yapping really. It was an ominous sign to a long and sleepless night.
I might exaggerate sometimes, but I kid you not when I tell you that the kid yapped non-stop from the time we took off to the time we landed. It was a 9-hour flight during which 8 hours were spent yapping away and one hour going to the bathroom and walking aimlessly in the forbidden aisles of business class, where he got kicked out of.
Anyhow, curiously enough; his mother, father and sister were all sitting in adjacent seats in the row in front of him. He was the only member of his OWN family that was sitting in the row next to ours. Did his mom KNOW something we didn't???
So as I mentioned and reitterated, the kid's yapping continued through the night, even after the lights went out and most of the passengers went to sleep. It got so bad that Diesel woke up from the little sleep he could get with the sole purpose of shushing the boy. Even after a loud SHHHHH the boy continued yapping--I guess in his defense I have to say that he turned it down a tad. But he did NOT, I repeat, did NOT stop talking.
The next morning breakfast was being served, and the flight attendants went around with the drinks cart. Upon being asked what he wanted, the boy said: "coffee."
COFFEE? COFFEE??? NO WONDER!!!!! The flight attendant was taken aback and had to confirm with the boy's mom that he was allowed to have some. Unfazed, the mother--who let me remind you, was NOT sitting next to her own son--replied with an emphatic "YES."
Judge me if you want, but it just seems unfair to me that a parent would give her already hyperactive kid nature's version of Red Bull and let him go wild on a night flight annoying the hell out of the other passengers (and by "other passengers" I mean ME), when what he really needed was a big dose of ridelin.
All I can say is that after that, French will never again be the language of l'amour et romance; instead, it'll be forever tarnished by the boy that wouldn't shut up.
After gett pulled over by a cop but not getting a speeding ticket despite doing 57 on a 35mph road, we cheered Tarah on but missed Regina :(
Back at our apartment, we showered, grabbed our bags and got a ride from my sis to the airport. The flight to Chicago was a lovely flight in business class with a free meal and a separate bathroom from the plebe.
The Chicago to Paris flight, on the other hand was in economy class, which is fine cuz, as you can tell from the previous paragraph, I'm no snob. However, right off the bat this 7-year-old boy who was sitting next to us started talking. Yapping really. It was an ominous sign to a long and sleepless night.
I might exaggerate sometimes, but I kid you not when I tell you that the kid yapped non-stop from the time we took off to the time we landed. It was a 9-hour flight during which 8 hours were spent yapping away and one hour going to the bathroom and walking aimlessly in the forbidden aisles of business class, where he got kicked out of.
Anyhow, curiously enough; his mother, father and sister were all sitting in adjacent seats in the row in front of him. He was the only member of his OWN family that was sitting in the row next to ours. Did his mom KNOW something we didn't???
So as I mentioned and reitterated, the kid's yapping continued through the night, even after the lights went out and most of the passengers went to sleep. It got so bad that Diesel woke up from the little sleep he could get with the sole purpose of shushing the boy. Even after a loud SHHHHH the boy continued yapping--I guess in his defense I have to say that he turned it down a tad. But he did NOT, I repeat, did NOT stop talking.
The next morning breakfast was being served, and the flight attendants went around with the drinks cart. Upon being asked what he wanted, the boy said: "coffee."
COFFEE? COFFEE??? NO WONDER!!!!! The flight attendant was taken aback and had to confirm with the boy's mom that he was allowed to have some. Unfazed, the mother--who let me remind you, was NOT sitting next to her own son--replied with an emphatic "YES."
Judge me if you want, but it just seems unfair to me that a parent would give her already hyperactive kid nature's version of Red Bull and let him go wild on a night flight annoying the hell out of the other passengers (and by "other passengers" I mean ME), when what he really needed was a big dose of ridelin.
All I can say is that after that, French will never again be the language of l'amour et romance; instead, it'll be forever tarnished by the boy that wouldn't shut up.
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Food Project 7-8: Dinner with Charlie
To prevent my brother-in-law from eating yet another sandwich while my sister is traveling for work, we had Charlie over for dinner.
Dinner consisted of some light and fresh Ravioli Caprese. I bought a $5 ravioli stamp at Sur la Table which worked great. The filling was filling and fresh with lots of basil and a hint of lemon zest. For the dough, I had to use a cup of wheat flour (only because we ran out of regular flour), which I think made the dough tougher, less malleable and thus harder to roll into thinner pasta sheets. Next time I'll use all-purpose flour for the whole thing. I served it with FRIED polenta (keeping up with the "light meal" theme) and cherry tomatoes (for redemption).
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Nigella's Quadruple Chocolate Loaf Cake looked amazing on her show. The cake finished baking at midnight last night, after both Diesel and I had brushed our teeth. It was then that Diesel reminded me that we are both adults, and if we wanted to eat cake in bed after brushing our teeth, we should do it! It tasted really good fresh out of the oven. Today the cake was a lot denser; I prefer it warm and gooey. Not sure this was my fave choc cake...
Dinner consisted of some light and fresh Ravioli Caprese. I bought a $5 ravioli stamp at Sur la Table which worked great. The filling was filling and fresh with lots of basil and a hint of lemon zest. For the dough, I had to use a cup of wheat flour (only because we ran out of regular flour), which I think made the dough tougher, less malleable and thus harder to roll into thinner pasta sheets. Next time I'll use all-purpose flour for the whole thing. I served it with FRIED polenta (keeping up with the "light meal" theme) and cherry tomatoes (for redemption).
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Nigella's Quadruple Chocolate Loaf Cake looked amazing on her show. The cake finished baking at midnight last night, after both Diesel and I had brushed our teeth. It was then that Diesel reminded me that we are both adults, and if we wanted to eat cake in bed after brushing our teeth, we should do it! It tasted really good fresh out of the oven. Today the cake was a lot denser; I prefer it warm and gooey. Not sure this was my fave choc cake...
Food Project 2-6
So I have not been so good about sticking to my cooking project, but I have indeed tried somed new recipes. Unfortunately, I have not been able to take pics of the final products, as Diesel had the brilliant idea of taking our camera to a RAFTING trip, and consequently brought it back broken.
Anyhow, here's a list of the recipes I have tried:
Gaucho-Grilled Skirt Steak with Chimichurri Sauce - A Tyler Florence recipe. Every Tyler recipe I ever tried has been simple and turned out great, and this was no exception. It's just unfortunate that the hunky chef ever agreed to "create" a dish for TGIFridays. I did a trial run for this with Charlie and Emy, and after the successful attempt, served it at Diesel's b-day.
Corn and Tomato Salad- This was a recipe given to me by my friend Emily. It's a refreshing and original salad and perfect for summer
Tiramisu - I'll count this one as well, as it's been about two years since I last made it. The recipe is Costa's, a real-life, younger Italian mama that I met while doing study abroad in Germany
Pasta Carbonara - I don't eat pork, but ever since Diesel made this classic dish, I've been hooked. It love it as a pre long run meal. I tried to make it myself last Friday, and everything was doing well until the step where I was supposed to toss the hot pasta with the raw egg + cheese mixture. The eggs cooked and turned into omlette, which was quite sad. Looking back, I should have used a regular pot instead of the cast iron pot I used, which holds a lot more heat
Anyhow, here's a list of the recipes I have tried:
Gaucho-Grilled Skirt Steak with Chimichurri Sauce - A Tyler Florence recipe. Every Tyler recipe I ever tried has been simple and turned out great, and this was no exception. It's just unfortunate that the hunky chef ever agreed to "create" a dish for TGIFridays. I did a trial run for this with Charlie and Emy, and after the successful attempt, served it at Diesel's b-day.
Corn and Tomato Salad- This was a recipe given to me by my friend Emily. It's a refreshing and original salad and perfect for summer
Tiramisu - I'll count this one as well, as it's been about two years since I last made it. The recipe is Costa's, a real-life, younger Italian mama that I met while doing study abroad in Germany
Pasta Carbonara - I don't eat pork, but ever since Diesel made this classic dish, I've been hooked. It love it as a pre long run meal. I tried to make it myself last Friday, and everything was doing well until the step where I was supposed to toss the hot pasta with the raw egg + cheese mixture. The eggs cooked and turned into omlette, which was quite sad. Looking back, I should have used a regular pot instead of the cast iron pot I used, which holds a lot more heat
Sunday, August 05, 2007
19 Miles Miles and Micky-D's
So I was supposed to run 20 miles this weekend. Instead, I did 19, but it was still a lot. I started pretty late, and despite the (inaccurate) weather report of an overcast day, it was too hot for me by the time I hit mile 5.
Anyhow, after a hard run like that, I decided I was going to celebrate. Since Diesel was going to take me to the Harvest Vine that night, I decided to postpone my reward to the following day (today).
After a hard day of fabulous shopping with my friend Koko, I went after the gold: the McDonald's drive-through window. And then I did something I have NEVER done in my life: I SUPERSIZED. For the fries, really, since I never seem to get enough of those delicious golden treats, especially when I go to the drive-through and eat half of them before I even get home. So yes, it made perfect sense to supersize it. And so I did it. Much to my surprise and rage, I realized that despite being inside a large fries container, the quantity in the box was actually the size of MEDIUM fries. What the heck??!!!
Anyhow, there was no time to whine, as I couldn't let my chicken sandwich or fries get cold. Since McDonald's is SO bad for you (but oh, it tastes SO GOOD), I don't let myself be tempted often, but when I do, I just have to get it right.
At home, I faithfully followed my ritual: I put on my elastic shorts (or pants, depending on the weather), turned on the TV, and guess what? A show called "Big Mac" on CNBC was on. I immediately thought, "Oh great, this Supersize Me-like show" will ruin my happiness," but fortunately, the show did not diss my favorite fast food restaurant.
Anyhow, after a hard run like that, I decided I was going to celebrate. Since Diesel was going to take me to the Harvest Vine that night, I decided to postpone my reward to the following day (today).
After a hard day of fabulous shopping with my friend Koko, I went after the gold: the McDonald's drive-through window. And then I did something I have NEVER done in my life: I SUPERSIZED. For the fries, really, since I never seem to get enough of those delicious golden treats, especially when I go to the drive-through and eat half of them before I even get home. So yes, it made perfect sense to supersize it. And so I did it. Much to my surprise and rage, I realized that despite being inside a large fries container, the quantity in the box was actually the size of MEDIUM fries. What the heck??!!!
Anyhow, there was no time to whine, as I couldn't let my chicken sandwich or fries get cold. Since McDonald's is SO bad for you (but oh, it tastes SO GOOD), I don't let myself be tempted often, but when I do, I just have to get it right.
At home, I faithfully followed my ritual: I put on my elastic shorts (or pants, depending on the weather), turned on the TV, and guess what? A show called "Big Mac" on CNBC was on. I immediately thought, "Oh great, this Supersize Me-like show" will ruin my happiness," but fortunately, the show did not diss my favorite fast food restaurant.
"She Eats Well!"
After a hard 19-miler on Saturday, Diesel took me to one of our favorite restaurants, the Harvest Vine, in Madison Park. It's a very small neighborhood restaurant that serves the most delicious tapas. Diesel and I like to sit at the bar to watch the chefs cook and annoyingly ask questions about what this and that is and how this and that is made.
I got all dressed up even though I was about to crash, but I figured the fabulous meal deserved some serious celebration, and by goodness, I was going to celebrate it with a cute outfit.
We sat at the bar as usual, and the ordering started: perfectly cooked octopus on potatoes (I'm not a fan of octopus, but this was really good) and bonito with braised leeks. Then it got better, much better: pimientos stuffed with blood sausage, eggplant with tomatoes and cheese, suckling pig, spinach with pine nuts and cream sherry. It was during this episode of utter gluttony that the chef turned to Diesel and said: "Wow, she eats well!"
I know it was his way of saying that I was being a pig, but oh well, it was all damn good, and I'll be damned if I had let all that good food go to waste.
I got all dressed up even though I was about to crash, but I figured the fabulous meal deserved some serious celebration, and by goodness, I was going to celebrate it with a cute outfit.
We sat at the bar as usual, and the ordering started: perfectly cooked octopus on potatoes (I'm not a fan of octopus, but this was really good) and bonito with braised leeks. Then it got better, much better: pimientos stuffed with blood sausage, eggplant with tomatoes and cheese, suckling pig, spinach with pine nuts and cream sherry. It was during this episode of utter gluttony that the chef turned to Diesel and said: "Wow, she eats well!"
I know it was his way of saying that I was being a pig, but oh well, it was all damn good, and I'll be damned if I had let all that good food go to waste.
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Happy Birthday, Book Club!
Last Monday, "Never 5," my book club, had its third birthday. I can't believe it's been three years already!
We met at Jenny's for some very yummy and elegant hors d'oeuvres and sat out in her balcony--which we later found out is unstable and for that very reason had never been used for a bigger gathering--thanks Jenny, for almost killing us! ;)
We caught up on gossip and the summer, and reminisced about all that we've been through together during the past three years: 2 baby boys and a third coming anytime now (Molly's VERY preggers), a wedding, and three 30th birthdays!
After we finished dinner and discussed last month's book, Kendra got up and said she had to leave. Very strange, but in an odd turn of events, four of the seven girls got up and said "Let's go!" The remaining three of us were clueless, but were dragged by the rest of them, as we were going "somewhere."
We arrived at the Melting Pot, where the four not-yet-30-year-olds had planned a surprise celebration for those of us who had turned 30 this year. It was so comfortable and fun! For our presents, we each got subscriptions to different mags that they girls thought we would like: Molly, the TV/movie junkie got "Entertainment Weekly," crafty A got "Real Simple" and I got "National Geographic Traveler."
How thoughtful and sweet of them! Thanks girls and looking forward to many more years reading and going through life with you.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Run. Drive. Sleep? Repeat - Ragnar Relay 2007
Last night I slept for 13 hours. I have been sleep deprived for two days.
So my friend A had a friend organize a mixed team to run the Ragnar Relay this weekend. Simply put, it's a race where teams for 12 (there were over 60 teams) in 2 vans run 189 continuous miles from Blaine (by the Canadian border) to Langley (on Whidbey Island)
It's hard to compress the last 40 hours in one entry, but suffice it to say that it was one of the coolest things I've ever done. Van 1 of our team (which started running at 8am) left Seattle on Thursday afternoon due north. We tried to sleep as much as we could on Thursday night at the luxurious Motel 8.
At 7:30 we checked in, and at 8, our first runner took off. Each of us was going to run 3 legs, and as runner #3, I was expected to run at 10am and 8pm on Friday and then again at 8am on Saturday.
By 11, our van was done, and van 2 took over. We got some lunch and relaxed for a couple of hours before we had to head out again to start our next legs. We were ahead of schedule and finished a bit before midnight. The next van got the short end of the stick, as all of their runners had to run in the middle of the night, many times on big country roads where cars and trucks go fast and the shoulder is only wide enough for one runner. It was them and their headlamps, running in the dark, while we in van 1 tried to get a few hours of sleep in one of the local high schools. We later heard that one of the runners on another team got hit by a car at 2am that night. I'm not sure how he was doing, but I hope he is ok.
We were not expected to start our runs until around 5am, so needless to say we were surprised to get a call from van 2 at 2:40 in the morning, informing us that their last runner had already started and we should start heading over to the next exchange point. We had only slept about 3 hours. At around 4, Adrienne, our first runner began her third and final leg. She and KT had to run with headlamps on, and I took over at around 6ish. Fortunately for me, it was bright out and I only had an easy 2.5 miler.
Our team finished 3rd to last in our division, which is, well, better than last. It was tons of fun though following our runners and others; cheering for them and spending for some 36+ hours stuck together, mostly in a stinky van. It was definitely a great experience, and I'd do it all over again.
So my friend A had a friend organize a mixed team to run the Ragnar Relay this weekend. Simply put, it's a race where teams for 12 (there were over 60 teams) in 2 vans run 189 continuous miles from Blaine (by the Canadian border) to Langley (on Whidbey Island)
It's hard to compress the last 40 hours in one entry, but suffice it to say that it was one of the coolest things I've ever done. Van 1 of our team (which started running at 8am) left Seattle on Thursday afternoon due north. We tried to sleep as much as we could on Thursday night at the luxurious Motel 8.
At 7:30 we checked in, and at 8, our first runner took off. Each of us was going to run 3 legs, and as runner #3, I was expected to run at 10am and 8pm on Friday and then again at 8am on Saturday.
By 11, our van was done, and van 2 took over. We got some lunch and relaxed for a couple of hours before we had to head out again to start our next legs. We were ahead of schedule and finished a bit before midnight. The next van got the short end of the stick, as all of their runners had to run in the middle of the night, many times on big country roads where cars and trucks go fast and the shoulder is only wide enough for one runner. It was them and their headlamps, running in the dark, while we in van 1 tried to get a few hours of sleep in one of the local high schools. We later heard that one of the runners on another team got hit by a car at 2am that night. I'm not sure how he was doing, but I hope he is ok.
We were not expected to start our runs until around 5am, so needless to say we were surprised to get a call from van 2 at 2:40 in the morning, informing us that their last runner had already started and we should start heading over to the next exchange point. We had only slept about 3 hours. At around 4, Adrienne, our first runner began her third and final leg. She and KT had to run with headlamps on, and I took over at around 6ish. Fortunately for me, it was bright out and I only had an easy 2.5 miler.
Our team finished 3rd to last in our division, which is, well, better than last. It was tons of fun though following our runners and others; cheering for them and spending for some 36+ hours stuck together, mostly in a stinky van. It was definitely a great experience, and I'd do it all over again.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Erasure Forever
Erasure was in town!
For those who don't know them, Erasure is like one of the best bands of the 80's, and they were on tour and playing at the Moore on Tuesday.
Ben, Lauren and I got tickets to see them. Andy Bell was fab and sounded great, very entertaining indeed. Even the bad ballerina moves he busted out were quite funny. The great thing about going to one of their concerts is that, because their fan base consists of a large contingency of gay men, the show is always a big, unrestrained party. There was a lot of dancing and singing along.
I hadn't really heard their new album, and along with our their classics like "Blue Savannah," "Little Respect," "Stop," etc, they had material from ther new album, which sounded great as well. Definitely a show that is worth paying more to get one of the floor seats.
For those who don't know them, Erasure is like one of the best bands of the 80's, and they were on tour and playing at the Moore on Tuesday.
Ben, Lauren and I got tickets to see them. Andy Bell was fab and sounded great, very entertaining indeed. Even the bad ballerina moves he busted out were quite funny. The great thing about going to one of their concerts is that, because their fan base consists of a large contingency of gay men, the show is always a big, unrestrained party. There was a lot of dancing and singing along.
I hadn't really heard their new album, and along with our their classics like "Blue Savannah," "Little Respect," "Stop," etc, they had material from ther new album, which sounded great as well. Definitely a show that is worth paying more to get one of the floor seats.
Monday, July 16, 2007
Je Suck Beaucoup
Back in April, I decided that I was going to take French classes. I've always loved the language, and some of the best friends I've made while living in Germany were French, so deep inside I've always had this itch to learn the language. So when Diesel got us tix to go to Paris, I felt it was the right time to sign up for a French course.
I even got work to pay for it, since we have a French site, and I claimed I would be able to cover for the French producer should he ever go on vacation.
Anyhow, I decided to go with Seattle Languages International. I had taken a 3-month intensive course some six years ago, but I was surprised at how much I didn't remember. However, my newfound motivation to learn French made the first two months very enjoyable. I felt like I was learning a lot, and I felt confident that if anything, I had acquired the survival skills necessary to order food, ask for directions, and understand some stuff by the time our trip came around.
But somewhere along the way, I kinda lost my motivation. I felt a bit burnt out with two classes a week, right in the middle of summer plus a few hours more doing homework throughout the week.
I got so lazy that I started making up words to expedite homework completion. No dictionary needed. I would just take a word in English, add a French-sounding ending and precede it with a "le, la or les" depending on the gender and number of the said newly-created word. The problem with making up words is that it only works about 50% of the time, if not less. It can work for "Je faire DU CAMPING" (I go camping), but it does not work for "J'ai PLANEJE un voyage" (I planned a trip). And this practice's less than favorable odds amount to a lot of embarrassment when you're in a class of three students and get called on all the time. Embarrassment that was, nevertheless, eased by the fact that the other two girls started taking the same tragic learning path that I was taking.
I should have known better. Made up languages do not survive. Take Esperanto, for example, an artificially-created language with no social history that died in the academia circle before it even made it out. Wikipedia will rebuff my previous statement--it says there are up to 2 million Esperanto speakers in the world, but seriously, have you EVER met anybody that speaks it???
But I digress...anyhow, the point is, I need a break. My class ends next Monday, so I'll take a break, review what I've learned so far and go full-on again next fall.
I even got work to pay for it, since we have a French site, and I claimed I would be able to cover for the French producer should he ever go on vacation.
Anyhow, I decided to go with Seattle Languages International. I had taken a 3-month intensive course some six years ago, but I was surprised at how much I didn't remember. However, my newfound motivation to learn French made the first two months very enjoyable. I felt like I was learning a lot, and I felt confident that if anything, I had acquired the survival skills necessary to order food, ask for directions, and understand some stuff by the time our trip came around.
But somewhere along the way, I kinda lost my motivation. I felt a bit burnt out with two classes a week, right in the middle of summer plus a few hours more doing homework throughout the week.
I got so lazy that I started making up words to expedite homework completion. No dictionary needed. I would just take a word in English, add a French-sounding ending and precede it with a "le, la or les" depending on the gender and number of the said newly-created word. The problem with making up words is that it only works about 50% of the time, if not less. It can work for "Je faire DU CAMPING" (I go camping), but it does not work for "J'ai PLANEJE un voyage" (I planned a trip). And this practice's less than favorable odds amount to a lot of embarrassment when you're in a class of three students and get called on all the time. Embarrassment that was, nevertheless, eased by the fact that the other two girls started taking the same tragic learning path that I was taking.
I should have known better. Made up languages do not survive. Take Esperanto, for example, an artificially-created language with no social history that died in the academia circle before it even made it out. Wikipedia will rebuff my previous statement--it says there are up to 2 million Esperanto speakers in the world, but seriously, have you EVER met anybody that speaks it???
But I digress...anyhow, the point is, I need a break. My class ends next Monday, so I'll take a break, review what I've learned so far and go full-on again next fall.
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