Tuesday, May 18, 2010
May Mezze Madness!
Tonight's mini-feast was culled from Mark Bittman's 2007 masterpiece, "Summer Express: 101 Simple Meals Ready in 10 Minutes or Less". It's item 73:
Near instant mezze: Combine hummus on a plate with yogurt laced with chopped cucumbers and a bit of garlic, plus tomato, feta, white beans with olive oil and pita bread.
Verdict: Delicious! Opa!
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Toilet Fail
So I visited Sushi Restaurant That Shall Remain Nameless yesterday, and had to run out of the bathroom giggling. Then I had to head back, nonchalantly, with my camera. That's normal, right? Taking a camera to the bathroom? See, I had to capture the majesty of this toilet. That's an Asahi bottle cap there (none but the finest Asian beer for our toilet!), on a string. You pull the cap, the toilet flushes. Excellent! Sadly I can only speak for the women's restroom — who knows what wonders the men's room may contain?
Monday, May 10, 2010
sushi party!
Sara and I wandered around town Thursday, critiquing other people's million-dollar houses, and headed to Mitsuwa for raw fish. And what else do you do with raw fish but have a delicious fish feast? There was spicy tuna, fatty tuna (I loves me the tuna), eel with eel sauce, yellowtail and salmon. Mm mm mm! And avocado and cucumber and nori and rice, naturally. I'm not into fish paper at all, and so wielded the nigiri press, after an ill-advised shot at shaping the rice with my hands. Do you know how sticky sushi rice is? I ended up with delicious, rice-y fingers. We allowed the boys to play too, but not the cats =^.^=
Wednesday, May 05, 2010
"You probably don't want to swim in that."
Hello blog. It's just you and me now. What have I been doing? Oh, I got married and bought a house. What have you been up to? . . . Really? Huh. I didn't know they made those that big.
Anyway, here's a story. In pictures!
So I'm going to Lake Tahoe in June, and I'd like to go swimming. "Great idea!" you might say, thus proving you've never been to Tahoe in June. The water, if we're lucky, may get up to 60 degrees Fahrenheit! Yay! So I got a wetsuit:
Cute, eh? A little pink for my taste, but it was on sale, and I had a coupon. It arrived today, and imagine my surprise when I tore open the box and found this:
I know, right? At first I was like "Sweet! They must have upgraded me to the acrylic fur version!" But then I got it all the way out of the box and had to admit: Honey, that ain't no wetsuit.
So I called, and I talked to Greg, who was just as confused as I. But to his credit, he apologized 16 times AND gave me a gift certificate AND free shipping AND put in the exchange right away so my wetsuit and Mystery Coat will be swapped like WHAM! I may even get the wetsuit before I return the coat.
And that's kind of a shame, really, because, well:
It is my size, after all.
I saw that a'splode!
If you don't know what I'm talking about, read below
Anyway, here's a story. In pictures!
So I'm going to Lake Tahoe in June, and I'd like to go swimming. "Great idea!" you might say, thus proving you've never been to Tahoe in June. The water, if we're lucky, may get up to 60 degrees Fahrenheit! Yay! So I got a wetsuit:
Cute, eh? A little pink for my taste, but it was on sale, and I had a coupon. It arrived today, and imagine my surprise when I tore open the box and found this:
I know, right? At first I was like "Sweet! They must have upgraded me to the acrylic fur version!" But then I got it all the way out of the box and had to admit: Honey, that ain't no wetsuit.So I called, and I talked to Greg, who was just as confused as I. But to his credit, he apologized 16 times AND gave me a gift certificate AND free shipping AND put in the exchange right away so my wetsuit and Mystery Coat will be swapped like WHAM! I may even get the wetsuit before I return the coat.
And that's kind of a shame, really, because, well:
It is my size, after all.
Labels: consumer whore, customer service, vacation
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Oh wait, here's a photo
I saw that a'splode!
If you don't know what I'm talking about, read below
Regrettably without photos
So, they're filming "Iron Man" next to the building where I work. It's a scene on a freeway, and I can tell you that a giant robot and some car crashes are involved. We've been observing from our lofty perch for the last week or so, and they're about done (sadly).
HOWEVER
Mark said tonight that a security guard had warned him about some explosions, so we were kind of waiting for that. There was a big boom at around 9, and everybody jumped up and ran to the windows. We could see a car completely busted up from running into something, and we made impressed noises and got back to work. Now, I was on late shift, which is boring. I spent most of it camped at the window with binoculars. We could tell they were setting up to destroy another car (it was the same car as before, miraculously unharmed — there was a third copy waiting nearby), and everybody wanted to see it this time, so by the time midnight rolled around we were lined up at the window, running commentary. "Look! They're going over there!" "That guy is still shammying the car. How shiny does it have to be?" "Why are they hosing down the road?" "What on earth are they doing to that bus? They've been spraying it or something for 20 minutes." "Are they going to do this again or what?" Finally, everybody on set backed away, and we in the cheap seats started to freak out. The stunt car rolled forward and ran into some kind of green drum (which clearly will be edited out later) with a big bang, and rolled off with a very satisfying crash. Yay! And then ...
FOOM
The frickin' bus EXPLODED! The whole building shook, and flames and smoke shot up in this mushroom cloud all the way to our level, and ... and ... fire! OMG OMG NO WAY That appeared to be the end of the shot. A fire truck came, and they were putting out the bus, which was sheared in half. I am not even kidding. It was so cool.
I'm not that into the Iron Man comics, and I have no idea how good this movie is going to be, but I know everybody at work has to go see it now. Maybe if you look real close, you'll see us jumping up and down in the background =]
From Sunday's Get Fuzzy
HOWEVER
Mark said tonight that a security guard had warned him about some explosions, so we were kind of waiting for that. There was a big boom at around 9, and everybody jumped up and ran to the windows. We could see a car completely busted up from running into something, and we made impressed noises and got back to work. Now, I was on late shift, which is boring. I spent most of it camped at the window with binoculars. We could tell they were setting up to destroy another car (it was the same car as before, miraculously unharmed — there was a third copy waiting nearby), and everybody wanted to see it this time, so by the time midnight rolled around we were lined up at the window, running commentary. "Look! They're going over there!" "That guy is still shammying the car. How shiny does it have to be?" "Why are they hosing down the road?" "What on earth are they doing to that bus? They've been spraying it or something for 20 minutes." "Are they going to do this again or what?" Finally, everybody on set backed away, and we in the cheap seats started to freak out. The stunt car rolled forward and ran into some kind of green drum (which clearly will be edited out later) with a big bang, and rolled off with a very satisfying crash. Yay! And then ...
FOOM
The frickin' bus EXPLODED! The whole building shook, and flames and smoke shot up in this mushroom cloud all the way to our level, and ... and ... fire! OMG OMG NO WAY That appeared to be the end of the shot. A fire truck came, and they were putting out the bus, which was sheared in half. I am not even kidding. It was so cool.
I'm not that into the Iron Man comics, and I have no idea how good this movie is going to be, but I know everybody at work has to go see it now. Maybe if you look real close, you'll see us jumping up and down in the background =]
Labels: work
Thursday, April 19, 2007
when life gives you lemons
Mmm, lemonade. For some reason, making this was the most satisfying part of my day. I like my lemonade almost undrinkably tart (which is why it's good I made it in a small batch, because nobody else will want any). I didn't even measure anything, so it's good that it came out okay. It's kind of brownish from the turbinado sugar.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
hee hee
From Sunday's Get Fuzzy
Labels: comics
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Aw, man
I just saw a guy ride a walrus down a slide. Now I am very jealous. Anybody know where I can get a walrus?
Walrus cooties!
(Check out the video called "Smooshi loves Phil," above)
Walrus cooties!
(Check out the video called "Smooshi loves Phil," above)
Saturday, March 03, 2007
On the Art of the Short Story
"This is a story with a trick beginning."
Your man put down his pen and considered the possibility that if he left this as the only sentence then his story would also have a trick ending.
— Bernard MacLaverty, "Walking the Dog: And Other Stories"
Your man put down his pen and considered the possibility that if he left this as the only sentence then his story would also have a trick ending.
— Bernard MacLaverty, "Walking the Dog: And Other Stories"
Thursday, March 01, 2007
KILL POVERTY
This is a screen capture of a page layout at work ... the picture above and the article below are not related. Good thing we didn't print it like this!
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Chair lust
So, kind of a hobby of mine is furniture design. It took me completely by surprise, and I can tell you exactly when it started (and I will, because this is my blog and I get to do such things): In high school, I climbed with some friends into the upper level of the art museum in Richmond so we could peer over the railing into the Egypt exhibit, which we had no intention of paying to get into. The best illicit view was from the corner where the Art Nouveau furniture (incidentally, one of the finest collections in the country, go figure) was kept. And I said "MY GOD, WHAT IS THAT DESK?" editor's note: quotes may not be accurate It was love at first sight.
Thanks to the Interwebs, I can read about furniture all day long now, if I want. Lately, I've been seeing a chair all over. It's obviously not new (or at least modern, except in the mid-century sense), and I clearly have the same taste as everyone else, because it seems sometimes like everybody has this chair. Anyway, I just found out what it is: The Eames Plywood Lounge Chair.
Co-worker Austin's response: "That doesn't look comfy at all, Megan." But I bet it is. I BET IT IS.
So I had to add it to my Chair Lust List.
... What, you don't have one of those? Anyway, it's Number Two, after the Anthropologie Astrid Chair:
As soon as I win the lottery, man, chairs.
Thanks to the Interwebs, I can read about furniture all day long now, if I want. Lately, I've been seeing a chair all over. It's obviously not new (or at least modern, except in the mid-century sense), and I clearly have the same taste as everyone else, because it seems sometimes like everybody has this chair. Anyway, I just found out what it is: The Eames Plywood Lounge Chair.
Co-worker Austin's response: "That doesn't look comfy at all, Megan." But I bet it is. I BET IT IS.
So I had to add it to my Chair Lust List.
... What, you don't have one of those? Anyway, it's Number Two, after the Anthropologie Astrid Chair:
As soon as I win the lottery, man, chairs.
Labels: consumer whore
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
The Low-Down Meg Blues
Can you hear my day today? It's like an R.L. Burnside song, with a wailing harmonica, and, like, a dog or something. I'm not sad or anything, but man, I feel like crud. I woke up at 7:30 this morning because my stomach hurt, and at first I thought it was because Jupiter was jumping up and down on me (note to cat: I am not your freakin' trampoline, go feed yourself) but then I rolled over and realized it still felt like a rabid weasel was living in my large intestine and wanted out. And then I realized it was probably my stupidly complicated Japanese bowl thing that took me four hours and an emergency trip to Vons for soy sauce to cook yesterday and then wasn't very good. Anyway now the pain has stopped but I still feel all pale and shaky. Bleh. And it's my day off, so I can't even call in sick! I'm going to go eat a pile of starch and see if that makes me feel better.
P.S. Oh and I can't open my refrigerator because the remaining ingredients of yesterday's disaster are in there and they SMELL LIKE DEATH and then I turn green and have to run away. So, lunch is oatmeal and rice pilaf.
P.S. Oh and I can't open my refrigerator because the remaining ingredients of yesterday's disaster are in there and they SMELL LIKE DEATH and then I turn green and have to run away. So, lunch is oatmeal and rice pilaf.
Saturday, February 10, 2007
String in a tin
Because really, who doesn't need string in a tin?
From Baileys Home and Garden
Just minding my own business
So I got off work at about 11 last night, as usual, and was cruising down Ocean Boulevard on my way home. "Ooh, the light at Shoreline's green," I thought, and followed the car ahead of me into the intersection. And then SCREECH! and WHAM! and BREAKING GLASS! and I had to swerve suddenly, because a guy had just made an illegal left turn right in front of the guy in front of me, and their cars went boom.
I pulled into the Villa Riviera's driveway without thinking, really, and ran over to check on things. A man standing next to an SUV was calling the police, and the drivers were standing next to their cars, looking dazed. (Actually, the guy who did the illegal turning looked drunk, but I'm not the police.) But then ... what to do? I was right there when it happened, so I should tell the police or something, right? Where is my mom when I need her? A woman ran up and asked if everyone was alright, and I said that they looked okay. I figured she was the closest thing to a grown-up I was likely to find, so I asked her whether she thought I should stay or go. "Oh, you should talk to them," she said. "I'll wait here with you."
The police showed up with lightning speed, which I was a little startled by. I guess when it's a big accident in a major intersection, they pick up their normal glacial pace a bit. I tiptoed over and looked involved, and finally an officer came over to talk to me. I waved goodbye to the nice lady (never did find out what her name was) and gave the officer my ID and my story. It really didn't take that long, but I was feeling rattled. People really need to not have spectacular car accidents in front of me, that's all I'm saying.
Then, today, I pop outside to get my newspaper and THERE IS NO NEWSPAPER. Now, I understand that sometimes stuff happens. I always call the Times so I get credited, but it's not a huge deal. However, it's started happening at least once a week. I smelled a rat. I walked aroud the back on my way to work and peered into the recycling bin, and sure enough, there was my paper. It had clearly been read, and then chucked in there. How do I know it was my paper?
Now, I know that's circumstantial, but come on. So what do I do? I don't want to be passive-agressive about it, but this has to stop. It's stealing! Co-worker Craig suggested I knock on doors, since there are only three of them (I will ignore the rest of his advice, about brass knuckles and thinly veiled death threats). Any thoughts, Internets?
I pulled into the Villa Riviera's driveway without thinking, really, and ran over to check on things. A man standing next to an SUV was calling the police, and the drivers were standing next to their cars, looking dazed. (Actually, the guy who did the illegal turning looked drunk, but I'm not the police.) But then ... what to do? I was right there when it happened, so I should tell the police or something, right? Where is my mom when I need her? A woman ran up and asked if everyone was alright, and I said that they looked okay. I figured she was the closest thing to a grown-up I was likely to find, so I asked her whether she thought I should stay or go. "Oh, you should talk to them," she said. "I'll wait here with you."
The police showed up with lightning speed, which I was a little startled by. I guess when it's a big accident in a major intersection, they pick up their normal glacial pace a bit. I tiptoed over and looked involved, and finally an officer came over to talk to me. I waved goodbye to the nice lady (never did find out what her name was) and gave the officer my ID and my story. It really didn't take that long, but I was feeling rattled. People really need to not have spectacular car accidents in front of me, that's all I'm saying.
Then, today, I pop outside to get my newspaper and THERE IS NO NEWSPAPER. Now, I understand that sometimes stuff happens. I always call the Times so I get credited, but it's not a huge deal. However, it's started happening at least once a week. I smelled a rat. I walked aroud the back on my way to work and peered into the recycling bin, and sure enough, there was my paper. It had clearly been read, and then chucked in there. How do I know it was my paper?
- It was from today.
- This has been happening a lot lately.
- Nobody else in my building gets the paper.
Now, I know that's circumstantial, but come on. So what do I do? I don't want to be passive-agressive about it, but this has to stop. It's stealing! Co-worker Craig suggested I knock on doors, since there are only three of them (I will ignore the rest of his advice, about brass knuckles and thinly veiled death threats). Any thoughts, Internets?
Labels: things happen to me
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
The new hotness
I made a hat.
Do you SEE that hat? I MADE that hat! Look at that hat!
That's all. I just wanted to show off.
Do you SEE that hat? I MADE that hat! Look at that hat!
That's all. I just wanted to show off.
Labels: knitting
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Rainy day
So, I was going to write a post about how it's finally raining, and how I planned to sit quietly and do some crafting, but I see now that the sun is out, the sky is blue, and the street is already starting to dry. Fine, Southern California, be that way.
Ima go pretend it's still gray and wet outside, okay? Okay.
Current Music: Yann Tiersen, baby
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Ah, the holiday paper
So, in the news business *looks pompous* we got this thing called "the breakfast table test." When you're putting things on the front page, you've got to imagine Joe Public eating breakfast, reading the paper. Will he take a sip of coffee and then spit it out, seeing your picture of a man severing a turkey's head? (We had that photo, a while ago. It didn't run on the front, much to our disappointment.) Generally, we put the lurid stuff on the inside pages, when we have it. But this isn't about the breakfast table test; this is about what I'd like to call "the Christmas tree test." What would your family like to read about while recovering from the morning's gift orgy? Today in the paper (for tomorrow, Christmas Day) we have:
Yay! I ... I think we fail. Merry Christmas, everybody!
- Girl, 2, stabbed to death by 9-year-old;
- Man shot, killed after fight at shopping mall;
- A local boy, 8, who had a sudden relapse of cancer and died unexpectedly.
Yay! I ... I think we fail. Merry Christmas, everybody!
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
L'esprit de l'escalier
Okay, here's what we're going to do: Pretend that you never saw anything about posting every day, because I LIE. I lie to you, Internets. Don't give me any lip about it. I see nobody posted any comments, so that's good. Let's just pretend.
Here is a story, nonetheless. Do you know l'esprit de l'escalier? It is when just the right thing to say comes to you too late, as you're leaving, usually on the stairs. I had a visit from l'esprit last night. Mark, the news editor, had asked me to take five minutes before I left and come up with a good headline for the feel-good holiday story about a local company that slaughters turkeys (oh, you should have seen the photos we didn't run). I thought for five minutes, but only came up with "Before you gobble 'em ..." which was okay but not brilliant. I told Mark it was the best I could do, and headed out. As I was literally on the stairs, it came to me. I ran back up, into the newsroom, and shouted "Mark!" He jumped (I am startling, like a ninja) and said "Wha?!" "TRUE TALES OF THE TURKEY TRADE," I said. He threw both arms in the air and cheered, and I went on my way. And you know? You better believe it's the lead story on the front page today.
Here is a story, nonetheless. Do you know l'esprit de l'escalier? It is when just the right thing to say comes to you too late, as you're leaving, usually on the stairs. I had a visit from l'esprit last night. Mark, the news editor, had asked me to take five minutes before I left and come up with a good headline for the feel-good holiday story about a local company that slaughters turkeys (oh, you should have seen the photos we didn't run). I thought for five minutes, but only came up with "Before you gobble 'em ..." which was okay but not brilliant. I told Mark it was the best I could do, and headed out. As I was literally on the stairs, it came to me. I ran back up, into the newsroom, and shouted "Mark!" He jumped (I am startling, like a ninja) and said "Wha?!" "TRUE TALES OF THE TURKEY TRADE," I said. He threw both arms in the air and cheered, and I went on my way. And you know? You better believe it's the lead story on the front page today.
Saturday, November 11, 2006
NaBloPoWhat?
It's NaBloPoMo! I'm too late to participate for prizes, but I think it's a great idea. I started this blog spurred by a class assignment, with no clear idea of what I wanted to do. It's a good way to keep in touch with family, share photos and things found on the Internets, sure. But I also wanted it to be a place where I could work on my writing. When you do something every day, you get better at it, really and for true. I've seen it happen with Webcomics (check out a current QC, then an old one), and with blogs too. If you're much of a blog-reader, you know what I mean — ever find a delicious new blog, then spend hours wading through the archives? Well, probably not. But I have.
So I've had this idea burbling around in the back of my brain for a while. It's wedged in between "I should learn to sew" and "I should read more nonfiction," but I'd like to think that it has a slightly better chance of happening now, rather than later. (Or ever — do you know how expensive sewing machines are?) Being relaxed and happy seems to have had a beneficial effect on my creativity, and I've been collecting anecdotes from work for something I'm calling "Adventures in the News Media." Not quite sure how to go about it, yet. Should I write them down first? Should I start a new blog? Should I move this blog to typepad so I can have a separate section for it? If I've learned anything in the past several years (*looks wise*) it's that a crappy first step is better than a million awesome plans, so ... tomorrow. Look for something tomorrow. (What? I've got to save stuff up now, if I'm posting every day!)
So I've had this idea burbling around in the back of my brain for a while. It's wedged in between "I should learn to sew" and "I should read more nonfiction," but I'd like to think that it has a slightly better chance of happening now, rather than later. (Or ever — do you know how expensive sewing machines are?) Being relaxed and happy seems to have had a beneficial effect on my creativity, and I've been collecting anecdotes from work for something I'm calling "Adventures in the News Media." Not quite sure how to go about it, yet. Should I write them down first? Should I start a new blog? Should I move this blog to typepad so I can have a separate section for it? If I've learned anything in the past several years (*looks wise*) it's that a crappy first step is better than a million awesome plans, so ... tomorrow. Look for something tomorrow. (What? I've got to save stuff up now, if I'm posting every day!)
