well, it was interesting to me

Anglo-sounding names will not make me more likely to open your spam

2009-11-29T21:00:00.000-08:00

I officially hate my Hotmail account. And Canadadrugs.com for selling me out by letting spammers get a hold of my email address. This particular breed of spam started infecting my inbox after I ordered a couple of times from the site.

This is only interesting because of the inoffensive, Anglo-sounding names they always use to try to get gain your confidence. Idiots.

Nancy Johnson
DISC0UNTs for Levtira.. Come see them _ they are relaly B1G!‏
8:25 PM
Mary Moore
Caanidan Onilne phamracy shop is open 24/7
6:50 PM
Lisa Williams
Women's health drugs to forget about proIbems.
5:30 PM
Betty Davis
Anti_dibaetic drugs can be boguht in out phrmaacy.‏
5:14 PM
Mary Miller
Try our (V)iagra pro to incarese your sexuaI poetncy.‏
1:25 PM
Elizabeth Taylor
1t is cofomrtable and_easy to buy drugs online.‏
12:07 AM
Patricia Smith
Buy best products for the men's health_in_our online phaarmcy.‏
Yesterday

Another idea

2009-09-20T18:44:00.000-07:00

Idea #3 - A blog of about ethnic restaurants around LA. Not traditional reviews, but rather a collection of good places and what to order if you go there. To be based on conversations with the cook or wait staff and a survey of what dishes the regular customers have on their tables.

This isn't a new idea. A group of business school classmates and I had tried to build a business idea around this notion a few years back. It would have been a company that did dinner tours at hole-in-the-walls, and it would have been great, if any of us had had the personality to sustain something like that.

The challenge of doing a blog like this is that Eric and I live on the Westside, where there aren't that many great ethnic restaurants, especially not Chinese ones. Not a convenient jumping-off point.

Ideas for a new blog

2009-09-05T15:16:00.000-07:00

This blog is down to just a handful of readers... and I thank those who have cared enough to stick with it. You know who you are.

But since I am not blessed with a coterie of friends and relatives who will comment on my every post, and prop up my confidence in the interestingness of my own random thoughts, I'm afraid this blogger has run out of steam. At least with this blog, which is about nothing.

The next few posts, before the final goodbye, will be dedicated to ideas for a new, more purposeful blog. One that even people I don't know may stumble upon and find interesting.

Idea #1 - A blog about traditional Chinese cooking. It's not that it hasn't been done before, or isn't being done by someone else right now, but it hasn't been done by me yet, which is the point of a blog.

Idea # 2 - A blog about learning how to run a small business, or a second-generation business in particular. Like the daily frustrations or small victories, and the struggle to not let it consume your whole life.

Slow to Twitter

2009-08-03T23:01:00.000-07:00

I joined Twitter yesterday, and so far have been mostly puzzling over how the whole thing works. A lot of @'s and #'s and usernames I don't recognize. It requires a lot more thinking than Facebook.

So I'm not a big fan yet.

The only thing I wanted to "tweet" so far was to let a friend know that her profile photo (a bowl of almond tofu) looked yummy. But when informed that everyone would see my tweet, but that I should just do it because sending a direct message was lame, I gave up and tweeted nothing.

Did manage to find one cool thing made possible by Twitter. But I found it on a friend's Facebook page. Go figure.

A self-centered post

2009-07-27T10:04:00.000-07:00

A.K.A. a lazy post.

Wish I knew which was a better nutritional option for my morning half-bagel: Cream cheese (old topping) or peanut butter (new). Both taste good. Feel more healthy after eating the peanut butter. Am sad that it contains more fat.
An unnamed major retailer of junior clothing and accessories is going to get a big kick in the pants (figurative) from me if they don't get their act together soon.
Facebook status update most lacking in self-awareness to date: XYZ "is off to his aunt's funeral. DO NOT TEXT ME THE LAKER SCORE!!!! if you do, I'm going to kick your ass!!! Especially you, Matt!!!"
Not sure what I hate more: Boring/bragging/annoying/right-wing nutjob status updates, or myself for checking Facebook so often.

An open letter to the NYT

2009-07-16T11:38:00.000-07:00

I e-mailed this note today to Andrew Martin, a New York Times reporter, in response to a story he wrote about credit card companies and the crazy transaction fees they charge retailers. They really are robbing the nation blind.

Can you tell it's a personal issue for me?

I hope he reads it.

--

Hi Andrew, very nice story today on the interchange fees.

May I suggest a follow-up about another major way in which VISA/MC have retailers by the **lls? Credit card fraud. If someone charges a stolen credit card and the real cardholder files a dispute with VISA/MC, the cardholder is reimbursed -- no questions asked. Who takes the hit for this unconditional guarantee? The merchant.

VISA/MC automatically "charges back" the fraudulently charged amount, ie. takes it from the merchant's bank account. Unless a very specific set of conditions are met (positive photo ID, verified signature) -- and think of how many hundreds of thousands of Web and phone transactions happen daily without those safeguards -- there is little room for argument and no forum for recourse. Short of small claims court, and what merchant has the time for that?

Basically, VISA/MC lulls consumers into feeling safe and using their cards as much as possible in order to engender tons of transaction fees. VISA/MC have little incentive to fight credit card fraud, because that would make transactions harder and more time-consuming (ie. fewer transactions, less revenue from fees). Instead, they ignore the problem and simply shift the costs of fraud onto the backs of small businesses.

The worst part is that VISA/MC make all these universal "rules" that are very hard to understand, both for consumers, small businesses, and Congress. So they're not scrutinized and regulated in a way that makes it fair for all participants.

Why not just stop accepting credit cards, you say? That's simply not feasible for most merchants in this day. Credit cards are a part of life. It would be like telling a commuter in NY, don't ride the subway. But if you do ride the subway, you are liable for anything that may happen to you on it. Because you chose to take the ride.

Hope you're interested enough to look into this.

A food manifesto

2009-07-07T12:33:00.000-07:00

There are SO many food lifestyles out there. Your vegetarians and your vegans, your flexitarians, pescatarians, lacto-ovarians, (breath), your raw foodists, macrobiots, non-red-meat eaters. And, naturally, your organic grass-fed meat eaters.

Although I've always been a proponent of eating anything and everything, my interest in a different food lifestyle has been piqued by several friends' recent conversion to veganism. So I've decided to give at least semi-vegetarianism a go. Eric has proven to be (surprisingly, after always saying he wouldn't) a willing and cheerful partner in this.

This means we prepare meals with an exciting lineup of vegetables but no meat, eat meat on special occasions like dining with the parents, and continue to enjoy sushi. Yes, it's a very flexible lifestyle.

Some observations: I've been enjoying vegetables more and not missing meat much. A nicely seared piece of salmon with a little salt and lemon gets my mouth watering the way a grilled pork chop once did. I feel healthy too, with fewer of those episodes of heaviness that can follow a meal.

I've learned some things about how I want to go about eating. Without further ado, a manifesto on food:

1. Listen to your body, not just your tastebuds.

Don't eat stuff that makes you feel bad after you eat it. For me, that means eating less meat, by considering it more as an adornment to a dish and only once in a great while as a centerpiece of a meal.

2. Enjoy food and honor it.

Whether it be a simple tomato sauce or a juicy burger, think of it as something wonderful and to be savored. It can't be healthy to think of any food as bad for you, as the enemy.

3. Keep an open mind.

If you're a vegan, try to understand the appeal of a roasted bone marrow. If you're a red-meat lover, give the subtle taste of tofu a chance.

* Vegetarians with ethical or environmental imperatives, take heart. Even though I have different reasons for eating veggie and doubt that I'll ever eschew meat entirely, just think, if everybody were to cut down their meat consumption to 1/5th of what it is now, how great the world would be.

Food journaling

2009-06-24T10:43:00.001-07:00

My mom and I have decided to exchange daily food journals as a means of keeping track of what we eat. Every night, we exchange an e-mail recapping all the food and drink we've consumed.

We have different goals. Mine is to lose a few pounds, hers to get her cholesterol under control. Although it's only been a few days, keeping the journals has already started to have a good effect on me.

I used to steal a snack here and there without giving it much thought. But now that I have to record every bite, I haven't been snacking as much. Faced with the hassle of taking notes throughout the day or trying to recall all my snacks come evening, I find I'd rather not have the snacks after all.

Also, it's embarrassing to have someone else know just how many random string cheeses, chips, or pieces of candy I might eat on a given day.

I find I'm also less likely to grab a late-night snack after dinner (I know, I snack a lot!) like tea and a cookie, because my nightly e-mail has already been sent.

Another bonus: I like to see what other people eat. And I've always admired my mom's way of eating, which is simple and full of enjoyment.

A sample of our food journal exchanges:

Mine:

5-inch piece of baguette, with thin scrape of butter
1 small piece Jarslberg cheese
1 soft-boiled egg
6 baby carrots
Black tea

Bento box -

Rice, Asian greens, 1 small chicken thigh,

1 small piece salmon, Tofu skin/mushroom/carrot stir fry

Grapes and blueberries

1 small can V8

4 slices mango

2 slices baguette with hummus

Ramen with spinach, bok choy, green onions

Poached egg

Pickled cucumbers, fried gluten, chili oil bamboo

1/2 glass red wine

6 slices mango

My mom's:

1/2 pink grapefruit

4 slices of french bread, toasted

1 hard-boiled egg

black tea

6 pieces of sushi roll ( from Costco)

leftover bento food

black tea

1 apple

1 cup of cranberry juice

5 pork & shrimp dumplings

1/2 bowl of rice in tomato and tofu soup

2 squids

1 piece of chicken

fried bean sprout

tomato & cucumber salade in vinaigrette

1 shortbread cookie

strawberries

Kanpachi sushi in Gardena

2009-06-21T22:30:00.000-07:00

Omakase! Served by the soft-spoken Kiro-san, a sushi chef who is an old friend of Jen and her family.

1) Hirame (halibut) and Tai (red snapper)
2) Toro (fatty tuna) and Maguro Tataki (marinated seared tuna)
3) Hotate (scallop), Mirugai (giant clam), and Awabi (abalone)
4) Uni (sea urchin roe)
5) Aji (Spanish mackerel) and Kanpachi (amberjack)
6) Ama Ebi (sweet shrimp) and Tako (raw octopus)
7) Tamago (omelet)

Interspersed between the sushi courses were a miso soup with the tasty head of the shrimp (from #6) and a delicate steamed egg custard.

Was very interested in the progression of the omakase, starting with the lighter-tasting types of white fish to red fish, then to crisp bivalves, back again to fish, this time of the stronger, oily varieties, and climaxing in glorious shellfish. Tamago a sweet ending.

Tasty bits I got after the omakase was finished, out of greed:

Saba (mackerel), which this chef makes extra luscious through smoking
Tako (octopus), miraculously tender, cut into chunks, and served with a dipping salt

Many thanks to Jen for introducing me to this wonderful restaurant, and for helping to reconstruct the menu we had last week. And for throwing in all the Japanese names for the sushi, which I am still trying to learn.

Salsa Roja!

2009-05-23T11:17:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty sure this is the kind of salsa I was looking for. The recipe doesn't call for tomatoes at all! The red is purely from the chiles. What a revelation.

SALSA ROJA
==========
Ingredients:
------------
3 dried New Mexico, pasilla, guajillo, or ancho chiles
3 dried serrano, chile arbol, or Thai bird chiles
3 medium cloves of garlic, separated from the head but skins left on
Boiling water
Salt to taste

Instructions:
-------------
Heat a large flat griddle or skillet over high heat. Place the chiles on the dry skillet, along with the garlic. Check them every few minutes, looking for brown spots as they toast on the dry griddle; turn both the chiles and the garlic cloves, keeping an eye on the color and more importantly on the aroma. When the scent changes and takes on a toasty, rich character, they're done. Remove them from heat and let them cool for a few seconds.

When cool enough to handle (the peppers cool more quickly than the garlic, which in turn takes longer to cook), pull out the stems, veins,seeds and placentas from the chiles. Tear the skins into medium-sized chunks and place them in a small bowl. Pour boiling water over them just to cover, then place a smaller bowl or saucer over the peppers to keep them immersed in the water. Set your timer for at least 30 minutes before continuing.

After the peppers have had time to soak well, pour the peppers and water into a blender. Peel the skins off the garlic cloves (which should smell sweet, smoky and wonderful in their own right) and drop them into the blender as well. Puree thoroughly. The sauce will be chunky; if appearance is important, you can strain it through a wire strainer to get the larger pieces of the skin out of the mixture. (I begrudge the amount of sauce that clings to the mesh myself...) Taste it; add salt and serve immediately.

Many thanks to the author of this recipe, whoever he or she is. I found copies of it in a recipe archive at Carnegie Mellon, as well as on this New Orleans-related site.

Off I go to run errands and pick up some dried chiles!

My Spanish es malo

2009-05-22T23:23:00.001-07:00

Here's the Google translation of what I mistakenly thought was going to be a great salsa recipe:

Ingredients: 2 chopped onions. 3 pickled gherkins. 50 gr. of butter. 4 tablespoons of vinegar. 4 tablespoons white wine. 6 tablespoons of tomato sauce. 1 minced cayenne. Parsley. Sal

Preparation: Put the chopped onion in a saucepan with vinegar and white wine. Cook over low heat until the liquid is consumed by half. Add chopped pickles, tomato sauce, the cayenne and salt. Let bake 10 minutes more. Add the parsley and butter, stir. Served to accompany grilled meats or grilled.

First of all, Google translations are icky. Secondly, darn. I don't think this is what I'm after.

On the upside, after surfing some more, I have found out that what I'm seeking is probably salsa roja. As opposed to salsa cruda or fresca or salsa verde.

Wikipedia says salsa roja is made with cooked tomatoes, chiles, onion, garlic, and cilantro. But elsewhere, I am reading that salsa roja is made by toasting dried red chiles, then putting them through a blender with garlic.

The quest to learn how to make salsa roja (if that is indeed the yummy stuff served by taco trucks) continues...

On a quest to make real Mexican salsa

2009-05-20T23:52:00.001-07:00

I love hot salsa, not the chunky mild stuff, but the kind that is dark red and smooth and spicy. I've only gotten the good stuff out of big jugs at taco stands or served with chips in hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurants.*

My new mission is to learn to make this simple, proletarian (read: no mangos) kind of salsa for myself. Sadly, I can't figure it out just by taste. I do know it's not just chopped-up tomatoes, jalapenos, onions, cilantro, and lemon juice -- those are the ingredients in your standard Internet recipes for salsa, but you will just end up with pico de gallo.

A Google search in Spanish (after looking up the word for recipe, receta), has led me to a recipe that looks pretty promising. My Spanish is not good, but I can tell that this recipe involves vinegar and cooking the salsa.

The recipe is pasted below, in case some kind person would like to translate it for me. Otherwise, my next post will be my attempt at a translation, with a dictionary's help, and maybe a report on my attempt to make this salsa.

Ingredientes:

2 cebollas picadas.
3 pepinillos en vinagre.
50 gr. de mantequilla.
4 cucharadas de vinagre.
4 cucharadas de vino blanco.
6 cucharadas de salsa de tomate.
1 cayena picada.
Perejil.
Sal.

Preparación:

Poner la cebolla picada en un cazo junto con el vinagre y el vino blanco.
Cocer a fuego lento hasta que se consuma el líquido a la mitad.
Añadir los pepinillos picados, la salsa de tomate, la cayena y la sal. Dejar
cocer 10 minutos más.
Agregar el perejil y la mantequilla, remover.
Sirve para acompañar carnes asadas o a la brasa.

Link to the recipe

* The Chinese equivalent of is that homemade, oily chili brew in the tabletop condiment jar of your local Chinese eatery.

1,000 calories in little bites

2009-05-07T15:17:00.000-07:00

Eaten at a leisurely pace, over the course of 3 hours, not thinking it was much food at all --

1 whole milk yogurt: 230 calories
1 chunk of crusty bread: 140 calories
3 slices salami: 100 calories
olive oil & balsamic vinegar
1 glass red wine: 120 calories
1 artichoke: 65 calories
vinaigrette, to dip: 130 calories
1 more glass red wine: 120 calories

Total count: 1035 calories

Hmph. I might as well have gone for an In-N-Out cheeseburger (480 calories) and fries (400 calories).

Obama and Bo

2009-04-16T13:29:00.000-07:00

Amid complicated times, a simple happy moment.

Photograph by Pete Souza/White House via AP, courtesy of news.nationalgeographic.com

Farm Boy in Palms - Produce Heaven, Checkout Hell

2009-03-24T23:10:00.000-07:00

Farm Boy: A quirky Korean-owned grocery store in Palms with which I have a love-hate relationship. It's on Overland Ave. about half a mile down from Trader Joe's.

A tangent: I was just going to post about the weirdness of Farm Boy. But I got sidetracked by some interesting stuff on the Web: Apparently Farm Boy is a small chain of at least two grocery stores, and its business strategy is to be near Trader Joe's. There is also a Farm Boy in Sherman Oaks also in close proximity to a TJ's.

This seems a good strategy, because the clientele that Farm Boy attracts is similar to TJ's - foodies, yuppies, well-to-do family people - and these customers are likely to be ripe (sorry) for another place to buy produce, TJ's produce section being limited to mostly prepackaged stuff. i.e. It's good for if you want a whole bag of onions, but bad for if you want just one onion.)

Now, on to what I wanted to say:

I like Farm Boy because of its focus on fruits and vegetables. The product is cheaper and better than in mainstream supermarkets, where produce is usually overpriced, impossibly big and beautiful, and inevitably tasteless. But since Farm Boy's produce is more "real," it means you have to be somewhat vigilant and choosy.

Farm Boy has become an after-work routine, a place on my way home where I stop to pick up some staples like tomatoes or avocados. If I'm famished, I splurge on one of the more pricey non-produce item that Farm Boy carries: Cheese, dried fruit, gummy candy, or some house-made Korean snack like veggie pancakes.

That is the fun part.

But when it's time to check out, some sort of subtly unpleasant exchange always manages to bring me down.

If the owner-husband is at the cash register, he rings me up so quickly - magician-like, almost - that I can't tell what he has charged for individual items, and my total always comes out higher than expected. One time, as a result of a misleadingly priced piece of cheese, I asked for a receipt. A little taken aback, he printed one out and gave it to me. During my next visit, I think he remembered me: My couple of dollars in change he basically chucked on the counter for me to pick up.

Today, I got the wife. She's nicer, though in an overly polite sort of way. When she was about to ring up some blackberries, I made sure to point out I had gotten them from the stand outside the front door, where they were priced at $0.99. Inside, in the refrigerated section, they were $1.99. She said, "Ok! 99 cents!" and rang them up. Then she looked at a little nub of ginger I had, which I had twisted off one of the two giant ginger roots available for sale (because I just wanted a little ginger, and those roots had been really big). She frowned a little, almost imperceptibly. Rang it up for $0.25.

I left feeling like I had finally shopped at Farm Boy without being taken for a ride. But then I got home and opened the blackberries. Some had a white fuzz on them already, and the ones that looked okay were already past the point of sweet. As in, too ripe and not sweet anymore, though not yet rotten.

Farm Boy: 1 point (for selling me sucky blackberries)

Laura: 1 point (1/2 point for the ginger nub and 1/2 point for avoiding getting charged $1.99 for sucky blackberries)

* Does this post make me sound like a really cheap person? If so, God forgive me. But the owners are Asian too, so they should understand. They would do the same if they were shopping there.

Photo courtesy of www.laist.com

Lobster Macaroni and Cheese - won't someone make this for me? I want to watch.

2009-02-25T21:11:00.001-08:00

A recipe for lobster macaroni and cheese. I am typing it out for your pleasure out of the December 2005 issue of Bon Appétit, because I scoured the Web and could not find it. I will probably never make this dish, but it makes for delicious reading.

Lobster Macaroni and Cheese

6 to 8 first-course servings
...because after going to all this trouble, it had better be tasted by more than just two people

2 live lobsters, 1 3/4 to 2-lb. each

9 tablespoons butter, divided
1 cup chopped onion
1 bay leaf

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup half-and-half
1 cup coarsely grated Gruyère
1 cup coarsely grated aged white cheddar
2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce (e.g. Tabasco)

12 ounces orecchiette or medium shells
6 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup panko breadcrumbs

Cook 1 lobster in large pot of boiling salted water until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Using tongs, transfer to large bowl. Repeat with second lobster. Reserve boiling liquid.

Working over bowl, twist off tails and claws from lobster bodies, reserving bodies and juices in the bowl. Crack claws; remove meat. Split tails; remove meat. Transfer meat to bowl and chill. (Or at least have a glass of wine.) Rinse lobster bodies. Break all shells into 3-inch pieces, cutting bodies with kitchen shears. Reserve shells in bowl with any juices.

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in another large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and bay leaf. Saute until onion softens, about 3 minutes. Add reserved lobster shells and any juices. Stir 2 minutes. Add 4 cups reserved lobster boiling liquid. Boil 18 minutes. (18 seems awfully specific. But okay.) Strain lobster broth into medium saucepan; discard shells. If necessary, boil lobster broth until reduced to 2 cups.

Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in the same pot over medium-high heat. Whisk in flour. Stir 2 minutes. Whisk in lobster broth, then mustard and cloves. (Ahhh, this is the sauce we are making. And it's going to taste extra-lobstery) Whisk in cream and half-and-half; bring to boil, whisking constantly. Add Gruyère, cheddar, and hot pepper sauce. Whisk until sauce is smooth. Season with salt and pepper. (Sauce and lobster can be made 3 hours ahead. Press plastic wrap directly onto surface of sauce; chill. Keep lobster meat chilled. Rewarm sauce before continuing.)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Butter 10- to 12-cup casserole dish. Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain. Place pasta in large bowl. Add sauce and stir to coat. Cut lobster meat into 1-inch pieces. Stir lobster meat and chives into pasta. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer pasta mixture to prepared dish.

Melt remaining 1 tablespoon of butter in medium skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add panko; sauté until golden, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle crumbs over pasta.

And at last...

Bake until bubbling and heated through in center, about 25 minutes*.

* One last interjection: 25 minutes at 425 degrees seems a bit long. What a shame it would be to end up with rubbery lobster. As with all cooking, keep an eye on it and use common sense!

Sunday, Sunday

2009-02-22T12:52:00.000-08:00

The cat has been in the same spot by the window all morning, even though it is a cloudy day. Maybe the UV rays do something for her.

I am having a great Sunday, mostly because there is not much to do. Only:

1) Write a birthday card
2) Nose around on Facebook
3) Run some old bills through a paper shredder
4) Clip recipes out of old food magazines and arrange them in this order.

Soups, like balsamic-tomato soup and cold zucchini-and-cucumber soup.
Light starter-type things like fried eggs on asparagus, bruschetta with fava beans, grilled bitter greens salad
Comfort foods like lobster macaroni and shepherd's pie
Elaborate seafood and meats, like steamed mussels with sausages and fennel and roast pork loin with Italian salsa verde, which is different from Mexican salsa

Notice that there are no desserts on this list. I just can't get excited about making desserts.

A plug directed at the aspiring screenwriter in all of us

2009-02-08T13:51:00.000-08:00

Have a script you'd like to sell? Know someone who does? If you/they'd like professional feedback on it, please check out this up-and-coming script reading service: http://www.scriptdoctoreric.com/. It's Eric's, obviously. So any referral would be much appreciated.

A good day

2009-01-20T16:59:00.000-08:00

Various observations on Obama's Inauguration Day

1. A really busy day at work, but from the snatches of news reports I caught on NPR while in the car and from websites, it sounds like the nation is touched. Nay, the world. I could say the same about myself.

2. The most important part of Obama's speech:

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West — know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to the suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

3. You know you are overwhelmed at work when you update your to-do list and two of the action items are to get through two other, different checklists.

4. We have finally made a hire! And we are excited about her. On her plate: (1) Learn the products, (2) Learn the customers, and (3) Restore Laura's faith in the American worker.

Not using online coupon codes is for chumps

2009-01-18T21:48:00.001-08:00

My new thing is finding coupon codes for online purchases.

It takes about 15 seconds to find one. Just type into Google: "[name of online company you were about to give money to without entering a coupon code, like a chump] coupon code."

Enter it -- and poof! It's like there's money on the ground, and you just need to go to the trouble of picking it up.

Call me a penny-pincher, but I get real joy out of this. And afterward, I like to imagine what I could go buy in sushi with the money I just saved.

E.g. With the 9 bucks I saved a half hour ago on Canadadrugs.com with coupon code PPC-0207, I can now go get the following at Hide Sushi: 2 pieces of yellowtail nigiri and a vegetable roll. Or a scallop special and a tamago. Or one order of dynamite. Oh yeah!

If ground turkey is what you have on hand...

2009-01-15T20:39:00.000-08:00

Cheating again and posting recipes that I send to my brother in college, in place of a real blog entry:

Stuffed bell peppers

2 bell peppers, any color
1/2 pound ground turkey
1/2 onion, chopped
1 small can tomato sauce
1 cup cooked rice or veggies (I chopped up some boiled carrots/cabbage that I had in the fridge, but frozen corn or carrots could also work, as long as it is a veggie that is not watery)
Seasonings (Like oregano or parsley, chili flakes, salt and pepper)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the bell peppers in half lengthwise, scooping out the insides but leaving the stems intact. Spray or brush the empty peppers lightly with oil and pop them into the oven for about 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, brown the onions in a frying pan, then add the ground turkey. When the meat is nearly cooked, add the cup of rice or veggies and half the can of tomato sauce, and combine well. Add seasonings and taste the mixture. It should taste good on its own.

Take the peppers out of the oven and stuff them with the filling, then pour the remaining tomato sauce over the peppers. (This will help them stay moist.) Put them back in the oven for another 30 minutes, or until they smell and look good.

Turkey meatballs

1 pound of ground turkey
1/2 onion, chopped
1 fresh egg yolk
Breadcrumbs or crackers smashed to bits
Seasonings (Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, garlic powder, oregano, salt and pepper -- whatever you might put in a meatloaf)

Sautee the onions in a frying pan. Let the onions cool, and put them in a big bowl with all the other ingredients and seasonings. Combine well but do not overmix. Using your hands or a pair of spoons, form the mixture into balls.

Pan fry the meatballs in a pan over medium-high heat until they are cooked through and nicely browned on all sides. These can store in the fridge for a few days, or in the freezer for longer. Eat them simmered in tomato sauce over spaghetti or in a meatball sandwich with some tomato sauce or ketchup.

A very merry Christmas, and Lulu's remarkable recovery

2008-12-25T12:53:00.001-08:00

An update on our very brave little dog's progress since the car accident in July. Many thanks to our veterinarian, Dr. Lee, and to the makers of the Thera-Paw Dorsi-Flex Assist foot wrap. He put her back together, and the device helped Lulu become a fully four-legged creature again.

Recovery timeline

July 30 - Lulu is run over by a car, suffering a broken hip and pelvis, plus smaller fractures and abrasions.

August - Dr. Lee is unsure whether Lulu's left hind leg can be saved, due to nerve damage. He lets the dog rest for a week and monitors the leg for response to stimuli. On the 7th day, there is still no response and we are faced with the decision of whether to amputate the leg. But Dr. Lee makes the crucial decision to wait a few more days. On the 10th day, the leg finally responds. Lulu undergoes multiple surgeries to rebuild her hip and pelvis, but the vet warns she may never walk on that leg again. Lulu's hospital stay lasts for three weeks.

September through October - Her hind legs in an atrophied state, Lulu can only get around with her front legs, plus a carrying device wrapped around her belly and lifted by hand. Eventually, she regains muscle in the uninjured right leg and starts trotting on three legs. Mom patiently does daily massage treatments on the injured left leg. After some time, Lulu starts to put pressure on the left paw, but in an upside-down "knuckling" position. She has to wear a rubber shoe at all times to protect the soft top of her foot.

November - Lulu gets a Thera-Paw Dorsi-Flex shoe, which corrects the knuckling. She likes it at first and tolerates wearing it. But after two weeks, she resists putting on the shoe and hides it in the ivy several times. Amazingly, her muscles have regrown to such an extent that she now steps on the injured paw mostly right-side up. But she still finds it easier to lift that paw and run on her three good legs.

December 25 - She runs easily on the injured paw (see video shot today), only occasionally lifting it. Merry Christmas, Lulu!

Top 10 mistakes to avoid when applying for a job

2008-12-10T17:39:00.000-08:00

DO NOT:

# 10 - Use cute abbreviations as though you were firing off a text message to a friend, as in "Pls see the attached resume and letter. Thx."

# 9 - Send your resume from an unusual e-mail address, like bigmoerocks@yahoo or lovezthempinups@aol.

# 8 - Write your entire cover letter and resume in ALL CAPS.

# 7 - Make your cover letter one long 300-word paragraph. That is a lot of paragraph.

# 6 - Attach a photo of yourself. e.g. A glamour shot, or a photo "taken last night" in your apartment.

# 5 - Write in your introductory e-mail, before anyone has offered you a job, that you expect to receive X amount in salary, plus medical coverage, plus car-related expenses.

# 4 - Submit a resume that has zero relevance to the job opening, with no cover letter explaining how anything you've done is in any way relevant.

# 3 - Make really standout spelling errors, like

"Goo morning!"
"My salry expetation is no less than $40K."

# 2 - Attach two resumes that list totally different companies you've "worked" for. Over the exact same time frame.

# 1 - Be weird. By writing, for example, that you are like Kobe Bryant except that your MVP stands for "Multi-Talented, Victorious, and Persistent."

Thanksgiving 2008 menu

2008-11-27T11:20:00.000-08:00

Starter
Bloody Maries
Prosciutto-wrapped dates

The Meal
Roasted turkey
Giblet gravy
Bread stuffing with apples, dried apricots, and olives
Cranberry jelly (dressed with orange slices)
Creamy mashed potatoes (with snipped chives on top)
Marshmallow candied yams
Mushroom bake (button, crimini, oyster, shiitake)
Balsamic roasted asparagus
Roasted pearl onions
Steamed squashes
Fresh bread
Cabernet Sauvignon

Dessert
Fruit Plate
Pumpkin pie
Cherry pie
Tea

Our place in the world

2008-11-06T16:40:00.000-08:00

The amount of attention that Barack Obama's election victory has generated abroad should fill us with pride. Despite our grave mistakes and ever-inward focus, we are a nation that other countries continue to look to. Maybe it's that we have just too compelling a storyline, like a TV series you continue to watch even through a really poorly-written season.

I hope that Americans marvel at all the attention, like I do. I hope it engenders some humility in us and a renewed sense of the responsibility we have toward the rest of the world.

My biggest reason for supporting Obama was that - because of his racial background and his promise as a thoughtful, intellectual leader - his election would in one fell swoop make right so many wrongs that have been done to America's image by the Bush administration. Even before Nov. 4, I imagined the world headlines and thought how great it would be able to get copies of these glorious front pages so I could roll around in them, like the world's happiest pig in mud.

Special thanks to www.newseum.org for collecting the world's front pages and making them available to all.

Stewed Chicken with Olives

2008-10-24T12:00:00.000-07:00

Another recipe for my brother. This was a dish that my mom's best friend, who died some years ago, used to make for us when we would visit her in Paris. It's very easy to make and fills your kitchen with a homey Mediterranean smell, a great thing on a chilly fall evening.

Stewed Chicken with Olives, Onions, and Tomatoes

Two chicken leg quarters (drumstick and thigh)
1 onion, chopped
3-4 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup of black, green, or mixed olives (preferably with pits)
White wine
Cooked rice or pasta

Sautee onions in a bit of olive oil in a pot large enough to hold the chicken legs. Take out the onions and set aside. Sear the chicken on both sides in the same pot until brown. Return the onions and add the tomatoes and olives. Add a few splashes of white cooking wine, a bit of salt and pepper, and lower heat to a simmer. As the tomatoes cook down, they will release cooking liquid, hopefully enough to cover most of the chicken. If not, add more wine or a small amount of water. Simmer for about 25 minutes, or until meat is cooked through but not too soft. Serve over rice or pasta.

Potato and Leek Soup

2008-10-21T11:03:00.001-07:00

My kid brother is in his second-year of college, and the dorm food is not agreeing with him. So he has started to cook all his meals himself, and asked me for recipes. I'll post them here too occasionally, for whoever is interested:

Potato and Leek Soup

4 potatoes

2-3 leeks

2 carrots

1 small onion

1 can chicken broth (optional, can use just water)

Butter

1) Wash and roughly chop leeks. Peel and chop potatoes, onions, and carrots into small cubes.

2) Coat the bottom of a big soup pot with olive oil and add a pat of butter for flavor.

3) On medium-high heat, sautee onions until soft. Add leeks to the pot and continue sauteeing.

4) Add 1 can of chicken broth and/or water until the leeks are submerged.

5) Add potatoes and carrots to the pot, then enough water to barely cover the veggies. Remember that veggies will give off some water as they cook.

6) Simmer for about half an hour, until all the potatoes and carrots are nice and soft. Add salt and pepper. (The right amount of salt is important - keep tasting it.)

** Bonus tip - Near the end, I like to smash the potatoes and carrots against the side of the pot to make them look irregular and the soup thicker.

Favorite cheeses at Trader Joe's

2008-10-15T10:03:00.000-07:00

Bavarian Beer Cheese
Italian Truffle Cheese
Jarlsberg
Saint-Andre

Just wanted to share these four cheeses because they bring me no end of enjoyment, either as part of a light supper (crusty bread, cheese, salami, olive oil, a salad, and a glass of wine) or with breakfast. The first three are hard cheeses. The fourth is a soft rind cheese that is pretty strong, but more flavorful than stinky. It's perfect. This morning, I put some of the beer cheese in my scrambled eggs.... mmm.

Incivility and vegetable cream cheese

2008-10-06T11:28:00.000-07:00

On knocking on doors for Obama in a swing state, and getting verbally knocked down*

People are mean, especially conservatives who live in gated communities in the desert. "I already got a visit from you people before. I was rude to the last guy and I'm going to be rude to you. This just pushed me over the edge: I'm voting for McCain," said the old man in the house at the end of the street, before slamming the door.

A morning's tally: 40 doors knocked on, 13 confirmed Obama votes, 6 definite pro-McCain and/or anti-Obama votes, 1 threat to call the police, and 1 young woman who said through a metal door that she hates Obama because "he's the reason [she] went through hell in the foster care system." That's not to say that the state in question is leaning so heavily toward Obama - we were actually working off a list of "good" leads.

* We were asked not to blog about this because it could derail the Obama campaign's attempts to influence the story of the day. But as a former journalist, I don't believe campaigns should dictate what stories are covered. And I doubt any reporter would be thrilled to quote another, even former, reporter anyway.

On a delicious twist to a breakfast staple

Last month, I had a wonderful vegetable cream cheese at Absolute Bagels in Harlem. I made my own version this morning:

Vegetable Cream Cheese
- 1 green onion
- 2 radishes
- 1 small carrot
- 1 cup of plain cream cheese

Chop the vegetables very finely into confetti-like bits. Combine well with cream cheese. Use on your bagel.
(I just used the veggies I had on hand, but Absolute Bagels' version had chopped bits of broccoli, carrots, and red onion. Very pretty, and completely delicious.)

A deep funk

2008-09-25T10:03:00.000-07:00

I am in a deep funk.

1. Employees only do what they are told. So instead of figuring out what I should be doing, I have to figure out what 4 people should be doing. Being that it is our slow season, that responsibility often leaves me stressed and frustrated.

2. I have in mind a new Internet retail initiative to get rid of some excess stock. (Lord knows we have excess stock.) I got the idea from one of our customers who inherited 2,000 kids' sailor hats and decided to put them up on Amazon. She sells 12 of the hats a day. That means in half a year her stock could be gone! But I am getting hung up on the logistics of it all. It's complicated.

3. I have not exercised regularly since I don't know when. This is adding to my unhappiness, because the toxins or whatever are not getting released. Also, I am getting fat.

NY food, and friends on the LA freeways

2008-09-08T23:01:00.001-07:00

On New York:

I have been surfing Chowhound for the past hour, trying to find a good but not overly expensive restaurant to try during a quick trip to New York next week. But sadly, on Chowhound the prevailing opinion seems to be that $60 a person is a bargain.

If you are seeking to spend less, Chowhound may not be friendly territory. Just ask the poor guy who was looking for suggestions on an anniversary dinner for two for around $100. He got a list of top-notch carryout options and was directed to a previous post about "cheap eats" around the city. But in a nice way.

Despite this, and in the spirit of splurging a bit, I've narrowed it down to 3 places I'd like to try: The Spotted Pig, a British-Italian "gastropub" whose chef worked at Chez Panisse; Aquavit, a Swedish place that serves things like herring, salt-baked fennel and house-made flavored liquors; and Convivio, where I read you can get a good southern Italian prix fixe dinner for $59.

On L.A.:

Twice now, I have re-seen the same person on a freeway during my commute, days or weeks apart! It gives L.A. such a small-town America feel, just like running into people you know at the post office or market.

1) The first guy is a motorcyclist. He wears a helmet that is not so much a helmet as it is a costume mask shaped like a brown, wrinkled demon's head, with curved horns at the top. I have never seen his face, only the back of him as he zooms through traffic on the 10.

2) A dark green Nissan 240SX. It has stickers all over it, and a stuffed blue M&M character dangling from its rear bumper, really close to the ground. The M&M is wearing a Santa's hat. I spotted it for the first time on the 110 a week ago, and again this afternoon on my drive home on the 10.

Annoying Edison radio spot

2008-08-22T09:14:00.000-07:00

There is a radio spot that comes on every day during my morning commute. It's been driving me crazy. I used to change the station as soon as I heard it, but it's still there, won't go away. So now I am on the offensive. I am going to break it down, put it out there, and see if anyone else finds it as annoying as I do.

Here is what it says:
Support for KPCC comes from Southern California Edison. Electricity is different from other things we use. It can’t be stored and it must be used wisely, but we can’t do without it completely. Electricity is a special form of energy that brings us light, comfort, and progress.

I find it extremely annoying for these reasons:

It's read by one of those annoyingly bright and wholesome girl-next-door voices.
The grammar is annoying. Why is it "BUT we can't do without it completely" instead of "and"? There is nothing in that third clause that contradicts the first part of the sentence.
"Light, comfort, and progress" is an annoying sequence of words.
Come to think of it, it's as if someone just took a list of things they wanted to say about electricity, and just strung it all together in an atrociously written paragraph. ie. Things to Convey about Electricity in the KPCC radio spot: a) different, b) storage issues, c) responsibility, d) necessary, e) light, f) comfort, g) progress.
Seriously, try listening to it - in your head - using the annoying voice I mentioned before. Every morning between 8:30 and 9. You'll be annoyed too.

* I forgot one last reason. In order to do this blog entry, I've had to stalk the ad in recent days and jot down pieces of it to get the whole thing right. I tried looking on the Internet for a transcript of it, but apparently no one has seen fit to commit it to print. Until now. Just sharing the joy.

Mom's amazing bento boxes

2008-08-19T12:31:00.000-07:00

My mom is the best mom for a lot of reasons. The latest reason is the delicious and very inventive bento boxes she packs for my dad and me to eat for lunch at the office. The meals used to be just as tasty, but more predictable (A typical one would be soy sauce-simmered chicken, stir-fried green veggies, and a fried egg over rice).

Nowadays, she seems to have gotten into lunch-making with extra gusto:

Today's bento box:

Steamed rice
Salt-and-pepper pork chop
Calamari with Chinese chives
Stir-fried bell peppers from mom's garden
Soy sauce-simmered tofu and carrots

I don't blog enough

2008-08-17T11:26:00.000-07:00

My reasons:

1) The stuff on my mind lately is not appropriate to blog about. Like personnel issues at our company. Especially on a blog with my name on it.

2) Blogging is a creative activity. And I don't do anything creative on a regular basis anymore. That includes reading. Not that reading is especially creative, unless you consider as creative the act of having new thoughts and feelings. The only things I do regularly now are go to work, make breakfasts and dinners, clean my apartment, and groom the cat.

Nevertheless, a short blog entry follows:

Yoga and beach volleyball yesterday have left me tired and sore today. But I feel good and happy to be alive.

Lulu is back at home after 2 weeks at the vet. She is recovering from leg surgery. My dad calls her the "iron dog" because she now has metal in her leg and pelvic joint. I'm going home this afternoon to see the dog and submit to the weekly family BBQ.

A difficult week ... for my mom

2008-08-01T21:58:00.001-07:00

Tuesday
- 5.4 Chino Hills earthquake

Wednesday
- Mom's college friend is in town from Taiwan, but her visit is gloomy due to family problems
- Lulu, who is more Mom's dog than anyone's, escapes from the backyard. Takes off down the street in search of avocados fallen from our neighbors' trees, and is hit and dragged by a driver who leaves the scene.

Thursday
- Vet is unsure whether Lulu can be saved; extent of nerve damage in her legs unknown

Friday
- Mom gets a flat tire on freeway on-ramp
- Still no decision from the vet; but Lulu wags her tail during Mom's visit

ISO of a good employee, and sweet irony

2008-07-18T11:17:00.000-07:00

As it turned out, the bad 20% overwhelmed the good 80%. So we are now in the market for a new assistant.

I turned to Craigslist, and while figuring out how to write a good listing, was entertained to read this in a job ad placed by another company:

"HS dilpoma required, BA/BS degree preferred. Must have extremly strong verbal and written communication skills - spelling, punctuation and grammer;"

The vagaries of international mail

2008-07-03T09:49:00.000-07:00

China and the U.S. are among a handful of countries that have linked up their postal systems, so that a package from China can make it to the U.S. in a miraculous 3 days (less time than it takes the U.S. Postal Service to deliver something coast to coast here), and for not a lot of money.

The system works well most of the time, but sometimes not.

This week, not.

My current stressful situation: An important customer is freaking out about the color of a hat they have ordered, because they are worried it will not turn out to be the shade of teal they need it to be. We had the factory in China send out a sample on Friday, and it should have gotten here on Monday or Tuesday.

Unluckily, it got stuck at customs in Shanghai. By comparison, another package sent to us by the same factory on Monday is already in Los Angeles - and scheduled to be delivered today. The factory will send out another color sample today, but with my luck I bet it will not arrive until after the main shipment of 20,000 hats.

=*(

A new emoticon

2008-07-02T09:31:00.000-07:00

Born as a result of a typo while trying to type the more well-known =(

I give you ... "crying face"

=*(

A good lunch & a promise

2008-06-25T12:31:00.000-07:00

I am having a delicious lunch today: A salad with grilled salmon, half an everything-bagel, and a peach from a central California farm stand I visited last weekend.

The salad is romaine lettuce, a small vine tomato, some cucumber, and a sprinkling of radish sprouts, topped with a cold piece of grilled salmon. All great ingredients, but the key is the vinaigrette. My recipe follows:

Simple Vinaigrette

Olive oil
Mustard
Vinegar
Salt
Pepper

Making a vinaigrette from scratch is easy and takes about 1 minute, and it raises a salad to a whole new level. I've never measured the amounts of the ingredients I use. Instead, I just add and taste as I go along.

Take a small bowl and add to it a small amount of mustard. Add a few dashes of some type of vinegar you like (I usually use red wine, but cider or white are also fine. Balsamic is only good if you want a really strong tasting dressing). Stirring the mixture continually with a spoon (or a whisk if you want to be fancy and have more dishes to do), slowly pour in the olive oil. Stop pouring when it looks like you have the right amount of dressing for your salad. Salt and pepper to taste. Adjust with more vinegar or mustard as needed. Keep playing with the relative amounts until the dressing tastes good.

The only thing that can go wrong as you keep adding and tasting is you end up with too much vinaigrette. But vinaigrette stores very well in the fridge, though the oil may harden and need to be returned to room temperature before using again.

I promise to make a video soon showing how easy it is to make, with a couple of my favorite variations using ingredients like honey, herbs, shallots, or cream.

A new post

2008-06-10T11:26:00.000-07:00

1. The sushi chefs at Hide do not do omakase, as it turned out the other day. So we consoled ourselves by trying out the sweet shrimp. They serve you the sushi first, glistening pink flesh that is crisp-tender when you bite down (in the manner of very fresh shellfish - not green beans!). Then the head, delicately fried, on a separate plate.

2. Dealing with employees may be the hardest part of running a business. Do you give up on a person because he or she is not measuring up 20% of the time? What about the really good 80%?

* Addendum, 08/17/08. Yes, you do give up on that person. And you learn from the experience and move on.

A passing

2008-05-12T22:08:00.000-07:00

This is very difficult to write.

A good friend's death is hard to put into words, especially in a space as weightless as a blog. And because of the vanity that goes along with any writing, it can feel like you are doing something wrong by writing at all. This touching tribute to Chris Ewell by a mutual friend changed my mind. I hope you will have time to read it.

There was also an obituary that ran in The Sun, the newspaper where Chris and I worked together.

Observation: When a journalist dies, as opposed to anyone in any other profession that toils in near-obscurity, there is an unusually large amount of words put into print about it. That does not mean that the world of journalism is self-absorbed. The heartbreak is just as real.

Christian Ewell, center, with close friends.

Cooking video: Ramen!

2008-04-28T22:51:00.000-07:00

This is my first cooking video ever! Thanks to Eric for the great camera work, editing, and laugh track. Scroll below the video for ingredients and cooking tips.

For a quick, yummy, and complete meal, all you need is (love) and:

1 package of ramen
1 fresh egg
1 handful of spinach leaves
1 green onion stalk

A good way to make Ramen Noodles with Poached Egg:

In two cups of boiling water, add ramen and contents of seasoning packet and allow to cook on high for about a minute.

As soon as the noodles are soft enough to break up, make a sort of nest in the noodles for the egg you are about to poach. Crack an egg (in a bowl first, if you want), and slide it into the nest. Take care that the egg does not slide to the bottom of the pot, or it will overcook and possibly break!

Turn the heat to low-medium and add spinach to the pot. Simmer for about 2 minutes more. Finish off with a sprinkling of sliced green onions, and pour everything gently into a bowl: Some soup first, then some noodles, then finally your softly-poached egg on top of the noodles.

Monkfish liver

2008-04-26T12:32:00.000-07:00

Ate monkfish liver for the first time the other night. It was a pale, grayish-beige mixture piled in a big mound on top of rice wrapped in nori, and garnished with some thin curls of green onion. It looked a little daunting. But the taste was very mild, and the texture a bit like cooked fish roe and a bit like foie gras. The chef had taken spoonfuls of it from a bowl in the fridge, so it was cold. Ankimo is filling and left me more satisfied at the end of this meal than any previous sushi meal.

Scrambled eggs

2008-04-12T11:23:00.000-07:00

Until recently, I never understood the appeal of scrambled eggs. They seemed unimaginative, overly safe. Often hard and rubbery, and vastly inferior to a soft-boiled egg or eggs over-easy. But after taking the time to watch some other cooks and read up some on scrambling technique, I decided to give it another go. This morning, I made a really good plate of scrambled eggs and was very tempted to crown myself a scrambling queen.

Eggs
Milk or cream
Oil or butter
Salt
Cheese, optional but a very nice addition

Break the eggs, and mix them up a bit with a dash of milk or cream. Add salt. Heat a saucepan to medium-high heat with some oil in it, and add a dab of butter for richness. Pour the eggs in and give them a few seconds to adjust.

Stir the eggs continually with a wooden spoon, preventing the bottom layer from cooking and hardening. The egg mixture should gradually thicken as a whole. Lift the pan occasionally from the heat, if the bottom is cooking too quickly. Sprinkle in a bit of grated cheese and keep disturbing the eggs.

Timing is very important. Turn off the heat when the curds are still soft and glistening. By the time they reach the plate, they will be just right. Very soft, and very flavorful because of the milk, cheese, and butter.

Turbotax stalker

2008-04-11T16:33:00.000-07:00

I wish that, instead of stalking my blog, the people over at Turbotax (Intuit) would just refund me the 30 bucks already.

charger.intuit.com (Intuit Inc) [Label IP Address]

California, San Diego, United States, 0 returning visit

Date	Time	WebPage
7th April 2008	08:27:04	No referring link lauraloh.blogspot.com/2008/04/turbotax-sux.html
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7th April 2008	09:35:27	No referring link lauraloh.blogspot.com/2008/04/turbotax-sux.html
7th April 2008	11:14:05	lauraloh.blogspot.com/2008/04/turbotax-sux.html lauraloh.blogspot.com/2008/03/sushi-night.html
7th April 2008	11:14:11	blogsearch.google.com/blogsearch?hl=en&q=turbotax&um=1&ie=UTF-8&scoring=d&sa=N&start=20 lauraloh.blogspot.com/2008/04/turbotax-sux.html
10th April 2008	16:10:51	blogsearch.google.com/blogsearch?hl=en&q=turbotax and customer service&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wb lauraloh.blogspot.com/2008/04/turbotax-sux.html
10th April 2008	16:47:46	No referring link lauraloh.blogspot.com/2008/04/turbotax-sux.html
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TurboTax sux

2008-04-05T16:39:00.000-07:00

I just finished doing my 2007 taxes online using Turbotax, and had a nagging feeling as I worked through it that I was getting charged twice as much as last year. In fact, it ended up costing $64 plus tax to e-file my federal and state taxes, versus the $29.90 I paid last year for the same service. After filing my 2007 returns, I went back to the Turbotax homepage to find that they had a "free edition" for federal returns that I swear was not offered to me when I logged in as a returning customer. My lowest price was $29.95. (It's very unlike me to overlook a freebie, so it must've been in 4-point font at the bottom of the page, if at all.)

As usual when I feel like I've been taken for a ride, no matter for how small an amount of money, my head gets hot (literally) and I can't rest until I have had it out with some poor customer "service" representative. This time, it was via a chat that I am copying and pasting below. Remarkable, that in the 21st Century it is now possible to have electronic transcripts of these infuriating exchanges:

Please wait while we find an agent to assist you...

You have been connected to 02_Mahdi Ali.
02_Mahdi Ali: Thank you for contacting Intuit. My name is Mahdi Ali. Could you please wait for a moment while I read your question?
Laura Loh: yes
02_Mahdi Ali: I understand that you you filed your federal and state returns and you were charged $29.95 and you realized that you could have filled your federal returns for free.Am I right?
Laura Loh: i was charged $64 total for fed and state returns. i did not see an option for free federal return any time during the process. but then i finished and logged out, went to the turbotax home page, and saw that there is free federal filing for easy returns available
Laura Loh: the "free edition"
02_Mahdi Ali: Laura How are you doing today?
Laura Loh: I'm doing all right. Thanks, and you?
02_Mahdi Ali: I am fine.
Laura Loh: good good
02_Mahdi Ali: Lauara Have you efilled your returns?
Laura Loh: Yes
Laura Loh: Just 5 minutes ago
02_Mahdi Ali: Laura Once you have efilled your returns We cannot do any thing now.
Laura Loh: but it isn't till the end of the process that you are told how much you are charged
Laura Loh: that doesn't seem right
02_Mahdi Ali: I am sorry Laura.
02_Mahdi Ali: I can understand your problem.
Laura Loh: well, I used to be a fan of turbotax. but now, not so much.
Laura Loh: don't think i will be using it next year, or recommending to anyone.
Laura Loh: too bad, because it would have been many years of income for your company. but one incident like this makes an impression on a person
02_Mahdi Ali: I am really sorry Laura.We cannnot do any thing now.
02_Mahdi Ali: You can file your taxes free next year.
Laura Loh: if i had not efiled yet, do you agree that i could have done the exact same thing for free this year?
Laura Loh: for federal
02_Mahdi Ali: I am really sorry.
02_Mahdi Ali: Laura Have you filled your federal returns for this year?
Laura Loh: yes. my question is, am i correct that i could have filed federal for free this year, and that i mistakenly chose a more expensive version that i really didn't need?
02_Mahdi Ali: Yes Laura You are right.
Laura Loh: ok. thank you. i know there is nothing you can personally do.
02_Mahdi Ali: I am really sorry.
02_Mahdi Ali: Is there anything else I can help you with today?
Laura Loh: no, thank you.
02_Mahdi Ali: You may receive a survey from us through email in approximately 24 hours asking you about my performance on today's contact, as well as comments you may have in regards to the TurboTax product. So we can continue with our promise to provide our customers with the best support available, please take a few minutes to complete the survey.Thanks again and have a good day!

Sushi night

2008-03-30T12:47:00.000-07:00

I'd been shunning salmon sushi for various reasons interesting only to me.* But on Wednesday, we ordered some, for a change. It was streaked with fat and delicious.

A note on the sushi chefs at Hide. I like the funny middle-aged chef who stands in the middle spot the best of the three. He teases customers good-naturedly and always looks like he is enjoying his work. Which either means he is a happy man, or he is a good actor. Regardless, if we ever order omakase, I would want this chef to be our man.

Ambition for next time: Monkfish liver.

*Ha, I almost forgot the purpose of this blog. So, the reasons I had not been ordering salmon sushi were (1) it's so commonplace, (2) I eat cooked or smoked salmon all the time, (3) it's one of those "safe" fish that a lot of sushi beginners eat, so less cool-seeming, (4) I have a slightly OCD acquaintance who is into sushi and told me he eats nothing but a big plate of salmon sushi every time, (5) raw salmon can have a slightly overpowering taste sometimes, and feel a little too rich on the tongue. But now all these things don't matter anymore -- salmon is delicious again!

Two reasons not to vote for John McCain

2008-03-22T22:34:00.000-07:00

I used to think McCain was rather harmless, but then I saw these clips.

Street scene

2008-03-20T17:44:00.000-07:00

Once in a while, the entertainment industry pays a visit to our corner of downtown. This afternoon it looked like they were shooting a music video. Or maybe a scene for one more of those "Stomp" movies.

Revolving Sushi

2008-02-28T09:34:00.000-08:00

Another sushi excursion, this time not at Hide Sushi but at Daichan Kaiten Sushi, one of these sushi bars with the conveyor belt. We only got a few of the dishes off the belt, and ordered the rest from the chef, who sat us right in front of him. This night was about gobbling up lots of types of sushi for pretty cheap.

Consumed:

Frothy mugs of Kirin
Ono (explained as "white tuna")
Inari (adorable, miniature stuffed tofu skins)
Hamachi (middling)
Uni (good, but so small they were almost circles instead of ovals)
Unagi (perfect soft, flaky flesh and crisp exterior)
Salmon skin roll (fine)
Scallop Dynamite (filled with mostly other things besides scallops, and tiny bay scallops at that.)
Tako (unimpressive octopus, sliced too thin)
Edamame (warm, salty)
Spicy Scallop Roll (the bay scallops, tasty and overflowing, redeem themselves here)
Seared Tuna (ordered it, then regretted the "seared" part when the chef picked up a glistening red hunk of tuna. But then tasted it. Spectacular.)
Banana Tempura (smashed flat, then fried. Drizzled with chocolate sauce and on the house, the best kind.)

The ono was pure white and clean-tasting. But I'm not sure what type of fish it was, exactly. Searching on the Net didn't help. I learned that white tuna is usually called shiro maguro, and is white albacore tuna, or sometimes a fish called escolar. That Hawaiians eat a fish called ono, "after the Native word for 'delicious,'" (Wikipedia) but this fish is known elsewhere as wahoo. And that black marlin also sometimes poses as white tuna on sushi menus. V. confusing.

Sushi Night

2008-02-21T12:52:00.000-08:00

Went again to Hide Sushi with Eric last night. It was packed, so we could not land the sushi bar and were instead seated at a table. Both agreed that the quality of the food is not the same when you are not at the sushi bar, where the chef is either (a) compelled by your nearness to give you the best cuts, or (b) close enough to see you really love sushi and are not a chump who will swallow his best cuts without tasting. So it may be better to hold out for the sushi bar, however hungry you are.

Sushi consumed (in no particular order, since it arrived at the table all at once):
Maguro (Tuna)
Hamachi (Yellowtail)
Uni (Sea Urchin)
Unagi (Eel)
Scallop Special (Sushi topped with chunks of scallop and flying fish roe, in a pink sauce)
Saba (Mackerel)
Red Snapper with salt and lemon (The flesh is scored, maybe to allow the seasonings to penetrate)
Tamago (Egg)

Also:
Clam and scallop dynamite (Baked in a small dish with flying fish roe, mushrooms, mayo, and finished with a squeeze of lemon.)

Voting is f*#!@'d up

2008-02-02T10:37:00.000-08:00

On voting. It's f***ed up because:

1) Voting instructions are cluttered and nearly incomprehensible

2) You are a nonpartisan voter, and you sign up to vote in the Democratic primary (because what else really matters, right now?). But what you get in the mail is a sample ballot with only the local initiatives that you don't care about -- no presidential primary information at all.

3) You realize you never received the information booklet that explains the local initiatives -- so basically if the gov't had its way, you would be voting only on the items you don't care about, and you would be voting blind on those too.

Epilogue: I outsmarted THE MAN. I borrowed a Democrat's sample ballot, I voted for Obama*, and I read about the local initiatives and voted on most of those too. So, HA!

*I like Hillary too. In fact, I was impressed with her (finally!) after her debate with Obama here in Los Angeles on the 31st. He fumbled a lot and spoke generally, and she talked like someone who has thought through the issues carefully and thoroughly. However, if she is going to win the nomination, which it looks like she might, I want her and other Dems to see the support Obama was able to gather, because I think they could do well as a joint ticket.

Sushi night

2008-01-30T20:48:00.000-08:00

Hurray! This is the first installment of my to-be regular sushi report. Wednesday nights, every other week, at Hide (said Hee-day) Sushi on Sawtelle Blvd, in the middle of "Little Tokyo West" here on the Westside of Los Angeles. The goal is a deeper understanding of sushi, how to eat it, how to order it, and to get to know a great local sushi bar and the 3 sushi chefs who man it.

Sushi consumed, in this order:
Maguro (Tuna)
Hamachi (Yellowtail)
Unagi (Eel)
Mirugai (Giant clam)
Saba (Mackerel)
Ikura (Salmon roe)
Tamago (Egg)
Vegetable Roll (Avocado, cucumber, radish sprouts, gobo)
Uni (Sea Urchin)

Ambition for next time: Red snapper sushi with lemon and salt, and what looked like a piece of shiso leaf between the snapper and rice. The couple next to us, who appeared to be regulars, were having it and it looked good.

Klutziness & tea leaves

2008-01-17T09:34:00.000-08:00

Last night I kicked over a small table in my living room. It held a glass of red wine. The wine went flying. Some of my books and a good portion of carpet got doused. It was spectacularly bad.

Continuing in the same vein, this morning at the office I went for a jar of green tea and spilled a bunch of leaves on the floor. As I bent over to pick them up, I thought about what I always think about when I waste any tea leaves: Wang Lung, the poor farmer in The Good Earth, and how on the morning of his wedding he gives himself and his old father a special treat, a couple of tea leaves to flavor their breakfast hot water. His father scolds him for being wasteful but then slurps up the tea greedily. And Wang Lung drinks his tea and then chews and eats the precious leaves.

LLPMS

2008-01-05T17:34:00.000-08:00

Around this time of the month, I have a few bad days. I'm emotional and cranky. I see the world through shit-colored glasses. I am unreasonably annoyed by everything. People who are just trying to be nice, store employees who don't do what I want them to do, the way food tastes a little blander than usual.

I also get sad very easily. Yesterday, in my car, I cried as I listened to a segment of NPR's StoryCorps in which a woman described growing up very poor in Appalachia, and how one time she forgot about a school assignment to bring in an object related to farm life, and her mother after a long day's work stayed up all night to fold a barn out of plain notebook paper. The girl found it in the morning and was amazed by it, had no idea her mother was capable of such a thing. The barn even had working doors.

Warm and fuzzy thoughts

2007-12-20T08:58:00.001-08:00

Okay, in the time that it just took Blogger to unfreeze and reload, the warmth and fuzziness has already dissipated somewhat. But I'm going to try to recapture it.

My ideal life:

Home is a cabin somewhere pure and isolated, but only an hour's drive away from a big city
A job writing and designing greeting and holiday cards
A nice husband and health for him, me, and all my family and friends
Kids, but also solitude
A fast Internet connection and a good kitchen
An organic garden with vegetables, herbs, fruits, and flowers
Nice neighbors who can watch my house when I'm traveling overseas
An energy-efficient private jet to bring friends over for dinner parties

Okay, that last wish probably won't happen. But everything else might be doable in this lifetime, no?

Rich people annoy me

2007-12-14T09:17:00.000-08:00

In New York earlier this week, the things that annoyed me most were the rich people. I was scouting winter fashions, and that meant sometimes going to places like 5th Avenue and downtown, where the women walk around in floor-length mink coats and men charge by in sleek suits and giant shiny shoes. In my puffy jacket and comfortable sneakers, I felt out of place and more than a little annoyed.

Back here in LA, I got that same feeling again this morning watching a corporate executive-type ahead of me in the line at Winchell's. He was accompanied by a little girl, about 7, who from the looks of things was probably not his daughter, (1) because they didn't look like family, and (2) because he was petting her hair and asking her for all kinds of input on the donuts. Oblivious to the fact that it was morning rush hour for donuts, the big man decided to turn the donut-buying into a teaching moment. As in, if we order a dozen donuts, they actually round up and give us 14, so how do we get to 34 donuts? A dozen, another dozen, and a half-dozen. Very good!

The worst part, though, was this exchange between the big man and this young Hispanic guy who took his order:

Big man: "We want 34 donuts."
Order-taker: "You want to choose, or we can assort them?"
Big man: "What?"
Order-taker: "You choose, or we assort them for you?"
Big man (loudly, indignantly): "What? I can't understand what you're saying!" (Read: "Learn to speak properly, you immigrant.")

I was so disgusted that as soon as another store clerk was free and it was my turn (while the big man and the girl were still busy selecting their 27th donut or something), I sprang into action and stole a couple of glazed bars from under his nose. He wanted four, but only got two, the poor bastard.

Cumin chicken bones

2007-11-25T21:43:00.000-08:00

In which I attempt to explain a strange-sounding but revelatory dish.

First experience: Yesterday
Location: Shenyang Restaurant in San Gabriel
Cost: $4.98

During one of my family's early visits to this Dongbei* restaurant, we were halfway through our meal when we noticed that one particular dish was on everyone else's table, but not on ours. It looked like a pile of dark brown meat and bones, and the other diners seemed to relish picking through it. We felt left out and resolved to try it the next time.

Yesterday, back at Shenyang, we ordered the dish -- translated as Cumin Chicken Bones -- along with some sesame-and-salt flatbread. It was even better than I could have anticipated. Two chicken "frames," the skinny portions of the chicken left over after the "best" parts -- breasts, wings, legs and thighs -- are removed. The frames are chopped into hunks small enough to be handled with chopsticks, then simmered in a sauce of sugar, soy, and perhaps fermented bean, all flavored with a generous amount of cumin seeds. On the plate, the simmering liquid has become a sticky reduction that clings to tender bits of meat, skin, and cartilage. Had it been served on a more fleshy cut of meat, the sauce would have been pushed to the sidelines. Here, nibbling on the bony pieces, you revel in the sauce itself.

The dish does not look attractive, and neither will you as you are eating it. The only way to eat it is to lift a hunk of bone with your chopsticks and attack with your teeth, tongue and lips. How much of the fragrant meat you get depends somewhat on skill, and somewhat on patience, much like picking through a steamed Maryland blue crab.

One more reason this dish seemed so delicious: It was another example of how Chinese cooking, like other old cuisines around the world, has found ways for people to enjoy every last part of each animal we use for our nourishment.

*Dongbei literally means "East-North" and refers to the three northeasternmost provinces in China, bordered by Russia to the north and Korea to the east.

Full-priced adult furniture, not for me

2007-11-21T16:43:00.001-08:00

Rejoice, for I am finally beyond the IKEA furniture phase of my life (except for the occasional, irresistibly fun kitchenware). The two IKEA items that I still own -- a couple of small white-and-beech colored pieces -- I find myself staring at these days with almost-loathing.

My new predilection: Second-hand furniture. Stylistically a step up, but not yet quite arrived. I'm sorry to anyone who thinks I should have been farther along in life by now, but I just can't bring myself to pay $1600 for one sofa from Pottery Barn. Not now, and perhaps not ever.

Below is an antique writing desk and chair I bought yesterday for $100 from a guy in Glendale I found via Craigslist. Before it really feels like it's mine, I'll need to sand down and refinish the top and stretch some new fabric over the chair pad. But how cool is it? If you're curious, scroll past to see what the same amount of money would have gotten me in real stores.

$100 at Pottery Barn would have gotten me... the keyboard tray in this attractive home office setup:

$100 at IKEA would have gotten me this perfectly functional desk. But the cost to my soul: Another $100. Resale value: $10.

Flush with coupons*

2007-11-06T13:12:00.001-08:00

I currently have, in my possession -- and a good thing too since I am setting up a new household in Palms and needing things like a new toilet seat, bath rug, under-cabinet light strip, bedskirt, small pieces of furniture and other exciting items -- no less than the following 7 very useful coupons:

Two 20%-off-one-item for Linens-N-Things
One $5-off-$15-purchase for Bed, Bath & Beyond
One 20%-off-one-item for Bed, Bath & Beyond
One 15%-off-purchase for Home Depot
One $25-off-$250-purchase for IKEA
One 25%-off Friends-&-Family pass for Cost Plus/World Market

That last one I just received from Randi via e-mail, and it pushed me over the edge: I had to let the world know about my ridiculously great stash of coupons. (I do this not to brag, but to appease the gods of good fortune, so they know I appreciate what they do for me.)

I am collecting these kinds of coupons like a hungry squirrel storing up nuts for the winter. I have looked through my neighbors' discarded junk mail. Don't pity me; these things are as good as cash! I pity you if you are one of those chumps who wanders into Bed, Bath & Beyond without a big blue 20%-off coupon in your hot little hands.

*On a side note, I considered the alternate title "Awash in coupons" for this blog entry. I ended up liking the sound of "flush with" better than "awash in," plus it's less pretentious-sounding. But I confess I had to google the phrase to make sure I had it right, and that it wasn't actually "flush in" or something. Google, thank you for helping me keep my idioms straight.

Musings, Turning 29

2007-10-30T16:14:00.001-07:00

40 minutes till I can spring myself from work... though I wish Jenny from Forever 21 would get in touch with me before that; I'd stay here an extra half hour for a call or e-mail back.... looking forward to the rooftop view at the Standard, and the handful of friends who will make the trek downtown for drinks on a Tuesday night and on such short notice...there was a yummy fruit tart that mom brought to work to share with the staff... this is quite the lazy blog entry, but I'm entitled because it's my birthday and I don't want to work hard! ... blogging is also easier when I am not on a Chinese-enabled computer like I was the last time I blogged; I had to guess what button said "publish post" and what button said "save," my Chinese not being so good... not everyone remembered my bday this year which was kind of sad... but not the reason I burst into tears yesterday... yesterday was a tiring day... I always remember childhood friends' bdays, even when I don't talk to them regularly anymore, but I guess not everyone is like that... still I am impressed whenever someone does remember... there are only a couple of people outside the family who I expect never to forget...and so far they have never not remembered.... gotta call grandma soon and thank her for the scarf she sent.... how odd that I received a scarf, I who am drowning in scarves I am trying to sell at work.

I am a very bad person

2007-10-20T12:46:00.000-07:00

and mean and rather vulgar.

About once every few months, I'll be in just the right kind of mood for road rage. Sometimes I initiate it, but mostly it's the other driver. This morning, the other driver was a middle-aged, slightly overweight man at the wheel of a faded blue Previa. Warning: If you think that I am nice + sweet, or you think a girl should always act like a lady, please stop here and don't read on.

I was on Olympic Boulevard in West LA on my way to pick up my friend Randi for breakfast when I changed lanes in front of this Previa to make a left turn at an upcoming intersection. Without really looking in my rear view, I felt that the said Previa swerved impatiently out from behind me, zoomed past on my right, then skidded to a halt at a red light. The Previa was one car ahead of me, one lane over, and the driver looked at me in his side mirror and shook his head. From behind my sunglasses, I shook my head back.

He mouthed, "Fuck you."

I shook my head again, then pointed at the side of my head to indicate what I thought of his state of mind.

He flipped me off.

I flipped him off back, but more hardcore. (I was schooled in the right way to do it back in the 7th grade. You not only extend the middle finger, but also cock the index and ring finger at almost right angles on either side. It looks like you really mean it. The Previa driver had flipped me off the weenie way, holding all his fingers down except his middle one. Anyway.)

He looked at me in disbelief, clearly unhappy at the way our "conversation" was going. He made a gesture like he was jerking off, in the air.

I gave him a big thumbs-up.

He then made some kind of motion with his curved index finger. Was he saying, come here let's fight? Or now-that-I've-jerked-off-I'm-going-to-pretend-to-finger-you? I couldn't tell.

Whatever it was, I laughed in his face. He was almost beside himself at this point, but had apparently run out of ideas. The light turned green.

I resisted the urge to blow him a kiss goodbye, because I thought he was already about to have a coronary. And I had misbehaved enough for one day.

Moment of Zen and other freeway observations

2007-10-03T10:35:00.001-07:00

Now that I have settled into my robust 40-minute daily commute, I am finding the time to smell the roses, so to speak, and appreciate what our car-culture here in L.A. has to offer.

Moments of Zen: See above, Buddha patiently sitting in traffic
Conversations with strangers: A cool afternoon and traffic going about 15 mph, so my windows are rolled down for a change. Out-of-town driver in next car: "Excuse me! Is the 405 freeway that way?" Me: "Um, yeah. About 15 or 20 more miles." Out-of-town driver: "Oh, good. I didn't want to miss it." Me: "Don't worry, you have a long way to go."
People-watching: A teenage girl in a passenger seat screaming with laughter, holding an Icee. A barefoot man slowly exiting the freeway on a downtown off-ramp.

Drowning at work + Guilty Pleasure

2007-09-24T15:05:00.000-07:00

I shouldn't be blogging right now, since there are a lot of important things on my plate. But I need to vent so here goes. I'm drowning! Fielding calls from customers who want to return stuff ("The felt on this hat has some tiny spots on it. We can't sell it."); customers who want to change their orders ("We just opened a new store. Can I double my order?"; an avalanche of calls and e-mails from about a dozen Web design firms because I made the mistake of going online to request bids for a new website; asking one of our warehouse guys to PLEASE not stand on top of the stacks and break his neck; trying to fill out mounds of bureaucratic paperwork from a catalog house that wants to become a client but won't tell me how much of anything they'll buy; staring at piles of to-do-lists and other crap all over my desk (I've moved over to my dad's spot in his absence, and his desk is starting to look like mine. Sorry, Papa, I will clear it up before you return); trying to think of ways to increase sales because we have lots of great stuff for the winter but that doesn't matter if no one KNOWS about it.

Whew.

Guilty pleasure of the day (that I'll admit to): Looking at my blog page stats and seeing how many hits I've gotten. Plus, looking at where those hits are coming from. Today's Google searches that landed people on my page: "chez panisse, "stop bananas from getting overripe," "eating salt and running," and "feline leg injury." I love people.

Observations from a Quebecois supermarket

2007-09-08T05:11:00.000-07:00

There are numerous butter choices in the butter section, most in generous (ie. huge) foil-wrapped portions. This speaks well of local culinary tastes.
Cans of gravy are displayed next to bags of frozen French fries. These are two of the three ingredients needed to make the comfort dish of poutine, which I still am not sure how to pronounce. Last night, I said pou-teen, and I think the server girl said back to me pou-tin. There are no cheese curds - the third ingredient - anywhere in the supermarket though, and I know because I looked hi and lo and even considered accosting an innocent shopper to find out. Turns out it's because cheese curds are very perishable, and need to be eaten within a day of being made. And so this squeaky, mild-tasting delicacy is not only hard to find in such a place as a supermarket, but it is also apparently only to be had in cheese-making towns.
Another Quebecois delicacy: cretons. This has been variously translated as potted pork; a breakfast spread made of pork; a food similar to the French rillettes; and the very helpful "cretons."
Paté of all kinds is very cheap here. Like $1.50 for a nice-sized chunk. This also speaks well of the Quebecois table.

Traipsing around New England

2007-09-06T19:16:00.000-07:00

Day 1. Sundown earlier today in Essex, Mass. Near a very good seafood joint called Woodman's. Tomorrow we set off from the White mountains of New Hampshire, near the Vermont border, and head to Quebec.

In a great mood

2007-09-03T19:24:00.000-07:00

I return from a weekend in the Bay Area today to find my quiet residential street closed to traffic and transformed into a giant Labor Day barbecue and block party.

My landlady, Diane, is overseeing one of several grills sizzling with meat, and there are tables set out with salads and fruit under canopies. Small children are jumping in moonbounces and sliding down a big inflatable water slide. Long-haired teen-agers are doing tricks on their skateboards and falling down. A small band is playing. I am greeted warmly and offered food and drink.

Every weary traveler should be welcomed home like this.

Life as a Vegas showgirl

2007-08-15T22:35:00.000-07:00

Double booth at the ASD/AMD Variety Merchandise Show = $5,000
8 oz. of Kobe beef = $250
30-minute wireless Internet tryout = $0
Discovering vintage Vegas = priceless

Aging and not liking it

2007-07-29T09:32:00.000-07:00

Things that occurred this week that made me realize I am getting older:

1. I lied about my age. To a telemarketer who was flirting over the phone. He was 19.
2. I did not get carded at Ralphs while buying Vermouth and dirty martini mix. (Maybe it was the choice of alcohol that gave me away.)
3. I did not get carded at Albertson's while buying a six-pack of Dos Equis. (No mollifying explanation here.)
4. My friend Cheryl, who is a doctor, was giving me a bit of therapy yesterday on my pulled IT band and pointed out a crinkly sound in my kneecaps that she said is a symptom of arthritis and probably caused by my running. If there's anything that could have made me feel older this week, arthritis would be it.

Nice argument, Mr. Genius

2007-07-20T11:17:00.000-07:00

NPR had a report today on illegal dogfighting rings in the U.S. and efforts to curb them. Check out the very logical argument by one pro-life congressman about why he decided to help defeat a bill against dogfighting:

Most of the bill's opponents say they aren't fans of dogfighting but are conservative, pro-life Republicans. Iowa Rep. Steve King says it's wrong for the federal government to criminalize pit bull trafficking while allowing legal abortion.
"My vote says that human life needs to be elevated and stay above animal life. And I think it devalues all human life, when you set the life of an animal up above that of a human," King says.

All right, lemme see if I follow the logic: Until abortion is prohibited, people out of principle should be free to maim, kill, and otherwise be cruel to animals. In that case, is there any better way to celebrate the sanctity of human life than the routine harming and punishing of animals? Heck, until the evildoers among us stop this abortion nonsense, the little critters are just gonna have to pay.

The burden of rotting fruit

2007-07-17T12:14:00.001-07:00

In my fridge right now, getting overripe, are:

2 pounds large globe grapes
3 peaches
1 striped melon
1 big artichoke
1/2 avocado
1/2 tomato

I brought one of the peaches to work today, and it was mealy. The other day, I had two bananas that were getting abominably brown so I peeled them and put them in the freezer.

I am always attracted to nice-looking fruit in the market and end up buying a lot of it. But it's like this weight on my shoulders to have fruit in the house that's not getting eaten. A person can only eat so much of it.

Which brings me to another thought. One of my big rants is about how a lot of low-income people tend to stock up on food that is very processed and unhealthy, just because it's cheaper and lasts longer. Hot dogs vs. fresh meat. Frito chips vs. corn on the cob. A frozen pizza vs. bread/cheese/tomatoes. Which can lead to fat or frail kids, higher medical bills, and a tradition of junk-food eating (or at least, not-really-fresh cooking) that gets passed down from generation to generation.

How very fortunate I am to be able to buy and cook and eat, and even waste, perishable foods.

Downtown digs

2007-07-02T19:15:00.000-07:00

I'm quite a fan of my new workplace. It's in this industrial part of downtown LA, home to companies dealing in produce, pallets or scrap materials, or that manufacture or import different goods. Driving around this jumble of streets takes some vigilance because trucks come flying down the road. If I don't get into an accident (knock on wood), I should become a pretty badass driver in short order.

Today, we opened for business in the new warehouse and office. This is the view from my desk (left). The inventory in the yard belongs to Arnold, a 59-year-old Mexican guy who buys and sells pallets. I quite like having this view; there is always something interesting to look at. If you have ever seen a forklift in action, I think you would agree that forklifts and pallets are the product of a genius mind.

This is not the type of work environment that most MBAs end up in, I'll grant. We have no cubicles or morning meetings here, and you do have to get your hands dirty some of the time. But I like it, because it's real and tangible. It makes me feel alive.

Besides Arnold the pallet man, the cast of characters in our building consists of:

Simon, our landlord. A 40ish Hong Kong guy who runs a toy import business that he is phasing out. A bit of a control freak, and sometimes talks too much. After seeing me all of three times, he commented that he thought I was "soft" and needed to toughen up. We'll see about that.
Aroldo, 22-year-old Guatemalan who manages Simon's warehouse. Nice kid, pretty sharp, works hard, keeps a lot of fruit in his fridge.
Three HK ladies in Simon's office, which looks like a bank because it used to be a bank. I probably won't see them much, except when I go in there to get our mail and stash my lunch in the fridge.
A very large, tan Chinese woman who apparently used to do martial arts competitively. She runs a wholesale operations for some kinda trinkets. Glass figurines? Her warehouse guys are pretty tough-looking pair, with lots of tattoos and such.
An Indian guy, also a wholesaler of some kind.

At first, I was not looking forward to sharing a building with other tenants. But I think it'll turn out to be muy divertido.

Counting blessings... and hats

2007-06-26T17:00:00.000-07:00

I'm lucky to have a family business to step into. It's not glamorous, but it's a good, productive business. We import hats and handbags from China, most of them made out of straw, and sell to wholesalers and retailers around the US and also some in Canada and South America. My dad's been at it for more than 15 years now, and now it's my turn.

That said, it was tough starting work even before I officially graduated from b-school. Three days before graduation, to be exact. People said I should have negotiated time off with the boss, or at least a bonus for starting work so early. To them I say, um, it's my DAD.

In about a week, I learned the ins and outs of our sales and accounting system. I've made mistakes, of course, but my dad has caught them all. I swear I won't make the same mistake twice. Besides staying on top of customer orders, I am helping with our big move. Our new location is all of 5 minutes away in downtown LA, but there are a ton of people to notify and loose ends to tie up so that we can operate without interruption. Looking forward to being done with the move, because I want to start working on some ideas I have.

Highlights of the past 2 weeks:

Had the new office painted blue. Arctic Paradise blue.
Lost 4 pounds - this is not a sedentary job. Plus the bento boxes from Mom make for very well-balanced lunches.
Picked out some purses for myself - hey, hafta get familiar with the product
Cute Fedex guy
Makin' money again - yeehaw

Next stage

2007-06-16T10:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was our graduation, or the commencement of our careers as MBAs. For most of us, it was also the last time we would ever be students again -- for real this time. So even though it was the celebration of an achievement, to me it marked the unfortunate passing of a happy era.

Life has always been divided into small, neat chunks, including the last 2 here in business school. From birth, 2 years in the US, 1 year in Taiwan, 4 years in France, 2 years in Monterey Park, 2 years in New Jersey, 2 years at Orange Grove MS in Hacienda Heights, 4 years at Los Altos High, 4 years at UCLA, 2 years as a reporter in LA, 3 years in Baltimore, 2 years at Anderson.

Every time I've moved on, I have always regretted leaving behind the people I got used to seeing every day. And then gradually, precise memories become a blur, and then I struggle even to recall names. But the faces and the impressions always remain, woven into this great tapestry of a life I have been lucky to live.

Too much sadness

2007-05-31T22:03:00.001-07:00

A classmate of mine, Peter Odebjer, died yesterday in a motorcycle accident. He was 32 and from Sweden, a guy who was literally always on the go. Did things like fly airplanes, run marathons, drink like a fish, work with Doctors Without Borders in Darfur, and make other people feel good about themselves. I was fortunate to get to know him better in the past year, especially during a spring break trip to Japan. I had been very much looking forward to continuing the friendship.

Obituary

2007-05-22T21:53:00.001-07:00

Xiao Hei, a 150-pound Neopolitan mastiff who loved to eat noodles and roll in the grass after a bath, died yesterday of natural causes. He was 10 years old.

Adopted by the Loh family as a puppy, Xiao Hei spent his early years going to work every morning at Mr. Loh's warehouse in downtown Los Angeles, where he honed his skills as a ferocious-sounding guard dog. On weekends, Xiao Hei accompanied the family on outdoor excursions. He enjoyed running away from ocean waves, plodding around shallow riverbeds, and eating snow during winter trips to the mountains.

Family members described Xiao Hei as a gentle giant who, despite his intimidating appearance, was always careful not to hurt any person, even by accident. In fact, the most effective way of getting Xiao Hei to release something in his jaws was always to jam one's hand into his mouth, which caused him to immediately let go.

The only creature on whom Xiao Hei ever took out his wrath was Cheeto, a fuzzy orange cat who was his tormentor until the day the dog struck back with a paw under a fence that clipped Cheeto's leg, sending the feline to the hospital.

Because of his heavy build, Xiao Hei understood he could never be a lap dog. When he wanted to feel close to one of his family members, he would content himself with plopping his bottom down on one of their feet. He had tender feelings, and was known, after a scolding, to hang his head or occasionally take himself to a far corner of the backyard to brood.

In later years, Xiao Hei was bothered by a hind leg injury that caused him to limp. But there were still good days, when he would charge around the backyard for no apparent reason, or roll around in the grass under a hot afternoon sun, snorting and growling to himself. One of Xiao Hei's favorite treats in his old age was the bowl of noodles or rice in warm broth that he would be fed every evening after the family's dinner.

Several family members were present in the backyard yesterday afternoon when Xiao Hei laid himself down one final time, on a pile of freshly-cut peach tree trimmings. He will be missed.

Naming is such sweet sorrow

2007-05-10T22:36:00.000-07:00

mr. fob lives on. Not in name, but in spirit. This is the ethnic food exploration business that some business school friends and I started last year. We run tours at mom-and-pop restaurants that serve great authentic food from different countries.

The name mr. fob was a riff on FOB, which means fresh-off-the-boat, for the uninitiated. It's used to describe recent immigrants in the Asian community. In turn, the fobs call people like me ABCs (American-born Chinese). mr. fob was a character we created, a kindly middle-aged fob who knew all the great restaurants to go to, and not just Asian ones but miraculously also Oaxacan, Indian, Moroccan, and even Ethiopian restaurants.

Sadly, a few weeks ago our name got around to some people who found it offensive. So they wrote us a bunch of nasty emails and insisted we change it. After much internal debate, we agreed it was our best option.

We are reborn as Tastination. Taste + Destination.

It was quite a grueling brainstorming and selection process, and everyone defended their favorites (usually the ones they came up with) passionately. We could only consider names for which the URL was still available. (Found out there are lots of meanies out there who park URLs and don't use them, then try to charge you loads of money. Like this guy in La Habra who tried to get $10,000 from me for "Hungry Ninja.") In the end, we polled a couple of hundred of our friends and got about 75 responses with the overwhelming favorite being Tastination. We hope you like it.

Here were just some of the names we went through. We might have been a bit delirious when we thought of some of them. Don't ask.

aefla (authentic ethnic food lovers association)
begopa
bepoga
bouffedom
chewtrain
chezsauj

cuisinecompass
cuisineat
eatavenue

eatdownhome
eaticy
eatizen
eatore

eatwithfatty
ethnicfoodie
fattystable
fiestasauce
fiestysauce
fiestytofu
foobuff
fooddummy

foodluva

fooducate
foodventurous

foopert (or with PH)
foopin
foorney
fooyin
foozine

foreignfoodie
gogrubbin
goodwithchopsticks
howyoueat
mahndu
mrJuanTon
mrmandu
mrphoodie
myphood
outdiner
pantanie
pholla
phoodfinder
phoodfinds
phoodles
phoodtown
phorksticks
platefull
reefoo
udany
wantonton
wantony
wewillwokyou
wontanie
wontonie

Chez Panisse

2007-05-02T21:01:00.000-07:00

I'm in the middle of writing up a hellish real estate investment case (case study, for non-MBAs), but just wanted to post the menu I had with some friends at Chez Panisse on Friday. Liz and I drove up from LA straight to Berkeley, where Alice Waters' famous restaurant is located.

Friday, April 27 David's favorites

An apéritif (This was fruity, light and chilled... or am I confusing it with the dessert wine that the nice staff treated us to after the meal?)

King salmon paillard with fava beans and herb salsa (I thought a paillard was a flattened piece of meat that is then fried - chicken paillard, non? This was actually a most delicious salmon carpaccio. Fresh fava beans = awesome)

Handcut pasta with green garlic and morel mushrooms (This turned out to be a risotto. Very delicate. Some of my friends found it bland. Fresh English peas dotted the dish. I wish I'd kept the printed menu! Now it occurs to me there were lots of substitutions.)

Warm Paine Fram squab salad with Banyuls vinegar sauce, squab liver toast, roasted celery root, carrots, and artichokes (I was wild about this one. Though I could have had the squab a bit more well-done. Basically it was an entire squab, in lovely deboned slices; each of our plates came with 2 squab hearts, for some reason)

Rhubarb-strawberry coupe with ginger parfait (A nice ending: Sweet rhubarb paired with lovely local strawberries, including one tiny one with a stem left on. But even nicer was the aforementioned dessert wine on the house and the tour of the kitchen and chatting with one of the assistant chefs who was extremely wired, and maybe even on speed.)

Expensive lessons

2007-04-14T12:36:00.000-07:00

I have been getting the shaft lately in terms of government taxes, fines, and penalties. Not that this should surprise anyone, considering my history, but here are 3 recent things that I learned the hard way:

1. When given the choice to be an employee or contractor, be an employee.

I made only $13,000 last year, but somehow I owe $1,500 in taxes. This is because when my summer employer asked whether I wanted to added to the payroll or be paid as an independent contractor for my 10-week internship, I said, "I'll be a contractor." I knew there were tax implications, but I thought it was just a matter of timing. (ie. pay taxes now or pay them later, and it sounded good at the time to pay them later).

Sadly, I found out last week that I am now paying more in taxes because of my decision to not be on the payroll. If I had chosen to be an employee, I would have paid income tax over the summer but would have gotten a nice little refund from education credits at tax time. Instead, I am now on the hook for my own SS and Medicare taxes, which my employer would have normally paid as part of the costs of having an employee.* Plus, about $50 in fines for not paying the taxes at the time that I earned the income. And no, education credits do not count toward SS, Medicare, or late fines.

2. If you forget to hang up your residential parking permit on my street - a wide open street with plenty of parking on both the east and west sides pretty much at all times of day and night, mind you - you will get a ticket. For $47. And it might just blow away in the wind, and you might not even find out you got a ticket until you receive a late notice in the mail, say after returning from a nice trip to Japan.

3. If you park at a broken meter in Santa Monica on a Saturday morning, even if you try to put coins into the meter, and said meter fails to register your money, and you are fuming because you don't have enough change left to go to another meter and so you decide to just take a chance - you will get a ticket. Within a half hour. For $35.

* So that's why they said in business school that payroll costs are a big burden on employers. The lesson has finally penetrated my thick skull.

Virtual stir-frying

2007-04-10T20:47:00.000-07:00

Stir-frying is the lazy man's cooking method of choice. It's easy to do (chop chop, stir stir, fry fry), and a hot meal is on the table in just a few minutes. For those of us who are even lazier at times, here is the lazy man's momma's cooking technique:

Virtual stir-frying *

Take a vegetable that you would normally stir-fry (Zucchini, bell peppers, Asian greens)

Chop it up into small pieces that would cook in a wok in just a couple of minutes. (No wok needed, don't worry)

Put veggies in a microwaveable container that comes with a lid

Drizzle in a small amount of cooking oil (or olive or flavored, if you want to be fancy)

Sprinkle a bit of salt

Put the lid on, and shake it all around

Pop it into the microwave and cook on high for a couple of minutes

Take the container out, give the veggies another shake, and cook again for a few minutes. (The amount of cooking time depends on type of veggie and size of chopped pieces).

I did this for the zucchini in my homemade bento dinner tonight. Okay, it was just food on top of rice in a bowl so it wasn't really a bento. But there you go.

* Virtual stir-frying works well with vegetables. Try other types of food at your own risk. Don't neglect the oil. You'll get a sopping mess of half-steamed veggies if you don't coat everything with a thin layer of oil. And nobody likes that.

Two things I brought home from Japan

2007-04-03T21:19:00.000-07:00

Instead of a recap of the whole trip which would be interesting only to me (in a nutshell, it was a mixture of cultural travel and spring break shenanigans), here is an offering of my two favorite experiences in Japan:

Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo: I gorged on uni, which I have praised in a previous post. It's basically my favorite food in the world at the moment. The uni I had at 7 am one morning after visiting the famous wholesale fish market was an unusual breakfast, I grant. But oh my gosh, was it soft, fresh and delicious. I wish I had pictures of my chirashi bowl, which also contained slices of tuna and salmon roe, but the establishment didn't allow photos. All I have is these of the little restaurant district that adjoins the market. The meal I chose is pictured on the second row from the bottom. See the gorgeous yellow color of the uni peeking out? My companion was a first-year student, Vishal, who was on a pilgrimage in search of baby octopus. We sat together and ate in quiet reverence, pausing only to praise or share a morsel.

The Japanese people: I'm not going to say I'm a big expert now or that I met every last one of them, but the ones I did encounter did help to enlighten me about Japanese culture and customs. I used to think the culture rather stiff and artificially formal, with lots of hidden societal problems and tastes that lean toward the small and cute rather than the large and grand. Then of course there is that nasty business of past Japanese imperialism in China and Korea. But the visit helped me gain a more multi-dimensional perspective - which is the most valuable thing a person can gain from traveling abroad - and better appreciate Japanese culture (not excusing the imperialism).

I was struck by how comfortable and safe I felt at all times, unlike when I'm traveling in other foreign places. Never did I have to worry about a harsh word or a rude tone. My wallet, which I left behind in a stadium in Osaka after a Sumo tournament, was tagged and filed away by the staff before I even got back to the place where I had lost it. People bent over backwards to help me and my friends, and they did it all with a spring in their step and a pleasant manner. (Picture this: Our first day in Japan, we stand helpless in front of a bank of subway ticket machines in Kyoto trying to figure out how to purchase our fares, when a section of the wall in front of us actually opens and a man pops out his head to assist us).

Suffice it to say, I'm now a big fan of the Japanese notion of separating public behavior and private feeling. I see the value of behaving one way in public, regardless of how you feel inside, and helping to maintain an extreme kind of social order. The calmness may be superficial, but it sure does remind you that your fellow man is someone to be respected, not constantly struggled against. (Don't ask me to reconcile this with a horror story I heard from Tony, my very emo Taiwanese friend who lives in Tokyo. He was jailed for 2 weeks, after he aroused policemen's suspicions by being dressed in all-black and having a pocket knife in his backpack. He was eventually released with no charge.)

Things I like and don't get enough of

2007-03-21T09:31:00.000-07:00

(This is not a reproach, just a fact I'm lamenting)

Fried yucca
Friends who burn CDs for me (Listening to Lily Allen right now - Nice! glad to be introduced to her)
Days when I feel good, like today (The last time was in November)
Movie adaptations of books I love (Just saw Masterpiece Theatre's new version of Jane Eyre - the second half of it in bits and pieces on youtube, but still muy excellente. A shoutout to MileyxJake4Ever, whoever you are. You have a lot of time on your hands, and I thank thee.)
Time to be idle

A general malaise

2007-03-17T12:38:00.000-07:00

Complaints:
1) My head hurts, but not enough to take a Tylenol.
2) I've been tired for days. I've tried sleeping, but it only helps a little bit.
3) I worry about the future.
4) I have no one who I can just call up and make go see a movie with me.
5) I ate a fattening breakfast this morning, and now I regret it.
6) My new haircut is not cooperating.
7) I haven't done my taxes yet.

On the bright side:
1) I'm going to Japan on Thursday for a school spring break trip.
2) I plan to eat a lot of good food, and soak away my troubles in a hot spring.
3) It's sunny out.
4) I have some friends who care about me.
5) I know what I'm doing after graduation.
6) I finished classes/exams early and so I have 2 weeks off instead of just one.
7) I'm really stretching here. Hence, the general malaise.

Scenes from the LA Marathon

2007-03-05T21:54:00.000-08:00

People huddle for warmth near the starting line... lines at the portable toilets are 20 deep a half-hour before the starting time... a tree's branches become decorated with discarded clothing as runners file by... the stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame streak by in a blur... a barefoot runner with black soles... a man walking under a bridge holds up a sign to runners that says, "Have you found Jesus yet?" ... one man yells to another, who is wearing a T-shirt honoring a comrade killed in Iraq, "Lt. so-and-so, Hooyah!" ... two burly biker types perched on a flatbed truck blast Guns N' Roses from giant speakers ... people sit in folding chairs on their front lawns... the sun beats down on the runners... people line the streets holding signs with their friends' or relatives' names... handsome police officers guard an intersection... a Korean kid raps atop one of the entertainment stages... a runner is stricken with a leg cramp and others try to help, one of them lightly kicking the bottom of his heel... the ground is strewn with flattened cups and banana peels... the welcome cold spray of someone's front-yard hose... little kids hold out cups of water or their hands for high-fives... bystanders read your bib and cheer you on by name... another mile marker passes overhead... someone consoles a teenager who has stopped running and is crying... the crowd has thinned out... some runners stop to stretch their legs on the side of the road... the welcome faces of friends, looking so fresh and encouraging, not at all how you feel... a cheering station volunteer forces a packet of Gu into your hand, and it turns out you really did need it... some cloud cover provides relief from the heat... a perfect view of downtown stretches out ahead... the crowds begin to thicken in the final miles of the race...a news photographer kneels on a street corner, waiting for a good shot... a homeless man yells encouraging words... "You're almost there!" someone else shouts... the Mile 26 banner is straight ahead... the finish is a yellow blurry line too far off in the distance... runners try to smile as they force their legs across the 26.2 mark... volunteers yelling "Congratulations" practically tackle runners to remove computer chips from sneakers... medals are draped around people's necks and plastic blankets are handed out... runners grab at the hundreds of bottles of water set up on tables... paramedics cart away a wiry, ashen-faced runner... people spread blankets out and fall to the ground... some scarf down fruit, bagels, nuts... others make their way on wobbly legs to reunite with their families

5:00:43

2007-03-04T22:14:00.000-08:00

The best part of today, in addition to finishing the marathon, was the wonderful support I received from friends who came to watch the race and sent e-mails and text messages. I didn't know it would matter so much, but it did. Also a special thanks to Sonia, my triathlete friend who stopped by to run miles 19-22 with me and kept me going through that tough stretch, when I was very tempted to give in to the urge to walk.

I want to say more, but right now I'm not good for much but sleeping. My bed beckons.

Hurray for runners!

Clichés, and Eating salt before the marathon

2007-03-01T08:47:00.000-08:00

Words are like fashion or music. If you hear or see something too often, it becomes passé or very "last year," like pointy shoes or a Gwen Stefani song after a few weeks on the radio. (On a side note, I'm not making fun of people with pointy shoes. I have a pair, acquired too late, and I've only been able to wear them once and I'm quite sad.)

But back to words. Phrases that are so overused that they become shells of their former selves. When someone uses a cliché, you know what he or she means to say, but you don't give it much weight because the words knock against your ear without really getting inside, to make an impact.

That said, I think clichés still have their value. When a phrase becomes commonly used, it's a good form of communication because people instantly know what you are talking about. There's no ambiguity. Like when my running group met last weekend to go over our game plan (another cliché!) for Sunday's marathon, we decided that although we'd been training as a team, on the day of the marathon it would be "every man for himself." That's a big-time cliché, but it's also an efficient way of conveying the idea.

And sometimes, clichés just say it better than anything else. Like this morning, I was thinking about whether I'm more or less marketable because I don't have any great skill, like finance. I went back and forth and then, to cheer myself up, I thought: "The world is my oyster." Now, I know that phrase is pretty worn. But I liked it anyway and it made me feel better.

On another note, there are 3 days left until the marathon. We've been advised get enough sleep and increase our salt intake. I love both salt and sleep, so ... Aye aye, captain! I'm on it. You don't have to tell me twice.*

*These are all clichés. I don't really talk like that.

Yes, I realize that my Ford is not a Mercedes

2007-02-17T12:57:00.000-08:00

Last night, a couple of friends and I went for drinks on the Sunset Strip. As we were getting into my car to leave - a 5-year-old Ford ZX2 with 78,000 miles and a healthy number of dings and paint chips - someone called out to me, "Nice car." I looked up to see a group of young guys grinning out of the open windows of a white Mercedes. I gave the guy in the passenger seat a smile and got into my car, unable to think of a good retort.* Also, I had to digest what had just happened: The only-in-status-obsessed-Los-Angeles equivalent of an egging.

This incident brings to mind the last time someone told me "Nice car" in reference to my little ZX2. It was about 2 years ago, in Baltimore. I had driven to a creek to catch crabs on a summer day, and a boy about 12 years old who was out there fishing or something saw the car and said, "Is that your car? Nice car." And he had meant it.

*I later thought of many things I could have said. One of them was, "Like it? I'll let you sit in it if you promise to shut up and just look pretty." But I think I was better off smiling and letting the insult fall flat. It's like when you tell a joke and no one laughs.

Back on track

2007-02-10T18:25:00.000-08:00

Ran 13 miles today after a five-week hiatus from training with my running group. During the run and for hours afterward, I had a sense of exhilaration that I haven't felt since I quit running to rest my knee injury. I've been accused of being "depressy" recently. Now I realize that my mood was probably dragged down by a lack of physical activity. How strange to think that all of my complaints and frustrations - which seemed to me very real at the time - were just the product of a brain hungry for serotonin!

After this morning's long run, Erin and I celebrated with a shopping spree at the running store. I got a lightweight hat to wear during the marathon, a knee support band, and a watch that keeps track of intervals -- all of which purchases made me inordinately happy. Runner's high, I heart you.

My knee remains a bit stiff, but I believe the injury is going to be manageable from here on out.

Days left till marathon = 21

My parents, the animal lovers

2007-02-09T09:09:00.000-08:00

My parents have an old friend, Jojo, who is a dog person. He breeds dogs as a hobby and everyone know him to be a dog person, so when someone has a dog they need to get off their hands, they come to him. That's how we got Xiao Hei, our 150-pound Neopolitan mastiff, 10 years ago when he was just a pup.

Last week, Jojo brought my parents a 1 1/2-year-old dog named Nalua to check out. She's a breed that is indigenous to Taiwan. "Formosan dog" is a possible English translation.

Nalua is 30 pounds of lean, wiry muscle. She behaves like a skittish cat, prancing away when you try to touch her. She's extremely aware of everything going on around her, and savvy enough not to try to compete with Xiao Hei for the humans' attention. She's also a bit of a coquette, and can be persuaded to pose for photos:

A bit of background about the parents: My dad is a dog fanatic, and has for years been hoping to get Xiao Hei a playmate. But my mom generally is known to view animals as little poop machines that she has to pick up after. Imagine my dad's surprise when Mom went out and bought a new dog house the very day after Nalua's arrival. Not only that, but she also has nicknamed the dog Lulu.

Running in the swimming pool really sucks

2007-01-26T10:49:00.000-08:00

Following my 23-mile run three weeks ago, my left knee gave out.

For days, I dutifully iced and elevated it and ingested lots of ibuprofen. I even went to the clinic on campus, where I was told by a very old, slow-moving physician that I had injured my iliotibial band, which runs down the outside of the leg. I had to have him spell it for me. Days later I realized he meant my IT band, which runners commonly injure. His lack of expertise with runners notwithstanding, I was very relieved when he told me to just rest and get back to running once I felt up to it.

However, when I tried that - about 2 weeks after the injury - I had to stop after running about one block. The knee became swollen again the next day, sending me into a slight panic. To try to remedy things, I have taken two drastic steps to try to salvage my marathon training (Days left till marathon =37):

I made a pact with God (I'm not even religious) that I would give up smoking (I only smoke a cigarette like every few days - don't freak out), if he would allow me to recover in time for the marathon. I thought I began to feel some slight improvement after that.
I swallowed my pride and went to the gym this morning to run in the swimming pool, which I heard is a good, low-impact way to keep your muscles in some kind of shape while you're recovering from a knee injury. As if I didn't feel foolish enough, during my little therapy session a group of doughy, middle-aged women descended on the pool for a water aerobics class. I think THEY looked at ME with a mixture of pity and amusement.

"the arts"

2007-01-19T12:28:00.000-08:00

It irks me when people talk about "the arts." As in: "I wish I had more time for the arts in my life." Or: "I am a big supporter of the arts."

Unless you are a big-time philanthropist and are actually in a position to affect the art world in a major way - like by donating a million bucks to a museum and having them name a wing after you - then you really have no business calling it "the arts." It just sounds pompous and dumb.

Better, though still not good: "I wish I had more time to appreciate art" or "I love art" or "Art is a big part of my life."

Best: Don't refer to art like it's some kind of hobby or activity. If you have really been touched by art, it's not something you need to say. You're too busy whiling away an evening with a good book or movie, losing yourself in music, or finding beauty in the daily life around you to even talk about it.

Thank you, my left knee

2007-01-06T17:37:00.000-08:00

And a little shout out to my right knee, for taking up the slack while my left one did its best not to hobble me.

Distance covered: 23 miles

Length: 4 hours 35 minutes (including about 10 minutes worth of water/bathroom breaks)

Route: Santa Monica to UCLA and back, with lots of loops to make the extra distance

Starting time: 5:30 am, in pre-dawn darkness except for a big, bright moon

Challenges: I almost lost it even before the running began for two reasons: (1) I tried to turn on my new iPod shuffle, and panicked when nothing happened. (Turned out the "on" and the "off" positions are kinda hard to tell apart, in the dark.)

(2) I stupidly pulled a muscle on the outside of my left knee while doing a quick stretch. Almost cried thinking I couldn't do the run, then decided to run on the knee, gingerly. I was running pretty darn funny for a while, with my right knee doing more than its share. Eventually the pulled muscle warmed up, and the pain went away. It was still stiff at times, and I took very cautious strides during the entire run.

Personal triumph: For the last 2 miles, three other runners and I ran ahead and ended up finishing a couple of minutes before the rest of the group. It felt good to take advantage of that last wind I got, and as we neared the end point, I thought our little senior center at Ocean Ave. and Broadway the most beautiful building in the world.

Blogging angst

2007-01-04T21:08:00.000-08:00

I have a confession to make. Sometimes I get busy and forget that I even have a blog, and that is one reason I go for long stretches without any new entries. But other times, I would like very much to blog but can't because I can't think of anything appropriate. It's hard out there for a blogger, especially if he/she is trying to strike a balance between writing something that's personally satisfying (like a good diary entry), yet still suitable for public consumption. With that in mind, here are my own personal rules for blogging.

What a blog entry should be, if possible:

Personal
Clever
Written with readers in mind (i.e. Interesting, hopefully, to someone besides myself)
Purposeful (Such as being a funny story; an update for anyone who cares about events in my life; or thought-provoking.)

What a blog entry should avoid being:

Overly revealing
Too clever
Excessively self-absorbed (Though this may not be possible, given the nature of personal blogs.)

The end.*

*I'm not the first one to steal this neat way of concluding things, popularized by Sauj. It's nice and short and suits my bad habit of ending things in a hurry when I get tired of writing, like my newspaper articles back in the day.

Holiday on the road

2006-12-24T07:53:00.000-08:00

We've been driving for a couple of days now headed north, and finally arrived in Seattle yesterday. Drove past Mammoth and around Lake Tahoe after a big snowfall, so everything was covered in white and we saw a few cars that spun out. The Jeep Laredo we rented in LA has snow tires and did very well on slick roads. (I think I'm in love with that car, by the way). Saw lots of little American towns, most of which at least had a bar if nothing else, and if they were any bigger, a taqueria as well. Stayed in small hotels and two nights ago cooked up some noodles, because my parents can't eat too many days of non-Chinese food. But they did like the DQ that I took them to yesterday.

Other travel observations: The pine trees in Oregon grow especially tall and dense - you can't see very far into the forests at all. The Columbia River is so wide, almost like a lake. (The picture on the left is just a small river, not the Columbia.) Mountains are easier to photograph than lakes and rivers, especially if it's not sunny out.

My uncle has a condo in Chinatown and is putting us up here. When we arrived last evening, he broke out the scotch and some black Taiwanese peanuts. It was a nice welcome.

Dream

2006-12-15T08:48:00.000-08:00

2 shots of 1800 Silver tequila last night to celebrate the quarter's end + a tired brain = the following dream, which I'll call Armaggedon

There's a strange feeling in the air
It's the holiday season
But I feel that going shopping this evening would be disastrous
So I tell my friend, Don't go
Of course, the very shopping mall where she goes
Is the one where people get massacred
I drive over there later that night
And walk up to the front door
The security girl tells me, You can't come in
An older woman walks by and picks up a magazine from a stack near the door
She says, I just wanted to see, and sobs
I flee back toward home
It's a long path across the desert
And I'm riding a small flying motorcycle, with a lot of other people doing the same
At some point, I flip and take a fall
When I get up, I can't figure out which side of the bike should face forward
I stop and retrace my route
Kohan has gotten off his bike and is holding little pieces of mine in his hands
That he has picked up
Basically, I don't have a useable bike anymore
So I get on the back of Casey's bike for a ride
Joann appears out of nowhere and also hitches a ride with some guy
Later...
The massacre stopped at the door of our school
And it appears to be thanks to all the ghosts that live right between our front gate and the school
The evil (whatever it is) might be afraid of ghosts
So we think we'll use that to our advantage
I hear a little tinny voice coming from where I can't tell
But apparently the Mayor of Evil is specifically coming after me
For something I did to thwart him

Francophile no more

2006-12-12T10:26:00.000-08:00

When I was younger, I used to annoy my friends (I imagine) by talking about the few years when I lived in France as a kid. I stayed in love with Paris for a long time, remembering rotisserie chickens and good bread and cheese, gray buildings and cobblestones, and women who dressed themselves simply but with great care. I also loved the precise and sonorous quality of the French language.

As I've gotten older and my French has become rusty and outdated, I've gradually let go of my infatuation with the French tongue. Maybe it's because I majored in English and was a writer for 5 years. But it's finally sunk in. English rocks! It's such a colorful, flexible, always-changing language, and it belongs to the people. Here are some turns of phrase that make me happy to be part of an English-speaking world, in no particular order.

He stole my thunder.
We're not out of the woods yet.
She's a riot.
This is going to knock your socks off.
I need a _____ like I need a hole in the head.
Time to hit the hay.
It's a mile from here as the crow flies.
My eyes were bigger than my stomach.
You're dead to me.

Okay, this is a pretty weak list, and doesn't do justice to my sentiments at all. You know when you set out to do something, and suddenly it becomes really hard? But I'll keep adding to it, so please check back!

Months-old fresh milk

2006-12-07T22:42:00.000-08:00

I like the idea of buying food that's grown locally. There's a theory that it's healthiest to eat food that is local and in season, even if it means not being able to put blueberries in your cereal in February. That's one of the reasons I love avocados. When I eat an avocado, the odds are high that it was picked less than 2 hours away, probably somewhere in San Diego County*.

With that in mind, I generally have lots of tomatoes in my diet in the summer and foods like squashes and root vegetables in the winter. (I stuck to this practice the best when I lived in Baltimore and tended a little plot in a community garden. In the summer, I would come home with bags stuffed with soybeans and string beans, tomatoes, giant zucchini, eggplants, and herbs that knocked you out they smelled so good.)

My one exception to this great way of eating is when it comes to milk. I use milk only occasionally: a splash in my tea, or the odd bowl of cereal. But I hate being without it, like I would hate not having olive oil or salt in my cupboard. So I buy milk that is ultra-pasteurized and stays "fresh" in the fridge for months -- and it turns out this kind of milk was probably farmed far away.

A friend whom I recently converted to organic milk asked me whether ultra-pasteurization had any damaging effects on milk. I had no idea, so I did a bit of Internet research and found this: Ultra-pasteurization is a process that sterilizes milk to a temperature way higher than regular pasteurization, then cools it again very rapidly. As a result, you get milk that lasts for 2-3 months in the fridge, instead of the normal 2-3 weeks. Authorities are split on whether this process strips any flavor or nutrients from the milk in a significant way. Personally, I can't tell if there is a difference in taste.

What surprised me was the distance issue, which I had not thought about. I read that ultra-pasteurization has enabled farmers in remote places to reach bigger markets, so some small organic dairy farmer in Wisconsin can now sell milk to me in Santa Monica.

Most of the milk I buy is probably not local, and I guess I'll have to live with the fact that I'm trading off natural eating in favor of convenience. When I do occasionally get regular pasteurized milk, it probably is from some dairy farm here in California. But knowing that it has such a short shelf life kind of stresses me out. My current carton of milk, I bought more than a week ago and only opened today to eat half a bowl of cereal. It expires December 15, which to me seems like a very short time away.

*Fun fact: California produces 90% of the nation's avocado crop, and SD County produces 60% of the state's avocados. I live in avocado land, and I like it.

Anatomy of a long run

2006-12-03T08:34:00.000-08:00

Start time: 6:10 am on Saturday

Distance traveled: 18 miles

Length: 3 hours 17 minutes

Bathroom breaks: 2

Water/food stations: 5

Mile 2 - My body feels great. I can't believe I've been running for more than 20 minutes and I am not at all out of breath. And no knee or foot pain to speak of.
Mile 3 - Mentor reminds us to drink water. It's a cold day, so we're not going to feel as thirsty as usual, she says.
Mile 5 - Blisters are starting to form on the insides of my feet. This is despite the athletic tape I carefully wrapped around those areas. Ouch.
Mile 8 or 9 - Blisters have numbed and there is no pain anymore. Parts of my skin that are exposed start to feel chafed from the wind. My ponytail is damp with sweat, so that little beads of moisture occasionally fly off the end.
Mile 11 - Getting hungry. Munch on gummy bears, Oreos, and other goodies at the water stations. I shake out my hands, which are puffy from blood pressure.
Mile 12 - Still hungry! Start eating gummy energy candies (Clif Bloks) that I brought along. During walk breaks, I lift my knees up tin soldier-style to relieve the pressure on them a bit. I notice that others are doing the same.
Mile 14 - Starting to drag a little, as my energy level drops. I start focusing on the ground in front of me. Hips and quads are starting to feel tight and stiff. Feet are kind of burning where the blisters are, but it's not a bad feeling compared to the earlier rubbing pain.
Mile 15 - Woohoo! Only 3 miles left to go. Knowing we're in the final stretch gives me a new burst of energy.
Mile 16 - Eat my very last Clif Blok.
Mile 17.8 - Charge up the final hill (as much as I can "charge" at this point), chugging along slowly but surely. Jog a few extra steps than necessary and come to a glorious stop.
End of the run - As I sit on the grass stretching with the rest of the group, my eyes suddenly start to sting so terribly that I have to squeeze them shut. It dawns on me that they're stinging because of the saltiness of my sweat.

T-Day and total exhaustion

2006-11-23T23:09:00.000-08:00

Food and drink consumed:
Peanuts
Avocado-crab cucumber canapes
Scotch on the rocks

14-pound turkey barbecued over peach tree twigs
Mashed potatoes with giblet gravy
Dried-fruit-and-nut couscous
Herb-roasted squash
Stir-fried bitter collard greens
Candied yams
Sauteed mushrooms
Corn and bell peppers
Baby vegetable salad
Merlot

Fruits (papaya, kiwi, honeydew, pineapple, oranges)
Organic pumpkin pie
Green tea

Games played by the young people:
Halo 2
Star Wars
Five in a row (checkers)
Scrabble

Miscellaneous highlights:
Went for a trail run for the first time ever this morning. 50 minutes of pure am-I-going-to-survive-this.

Finished making most of the side dishes and dozed in my brother's room for 20 minutes while waiting for Dad to finish barbecuing the turkey.

Melody, on her way to the fruit platter after dinner, was sidetracked by some leftover cranberry jelly. She took a slice and added a small mound of mashed potatoes on top, for good measure. My kind of girl.

Went to surf the Web for a bit after dinner, and returned to find everything cleaned up and leftovers put away in plastic containers. After chaos, cleanliness.

Made turkey stock, blogged, and am heading off to bed now. A good day.

Changes at the Griffith Observatory

2006-11-19T20:46:00.000-08:00

The Griffith Observatory was always one of my favorite spots in LA, growing up. It was kind of a rag-tag landmark, with a cheesy planetarium show and spectacular views (on a clear day) of all around the city, from downtown to the Hollywood sign to the giant-mound-by-the-ocean that is Palos Verdes. My father used to drive the family there, on a whim, to see the city lights. I remember being driven up a dark, winding road through Griffith park, walking along the covered walkway that wraps around the exterior of the Observatory, brushing past strangers and searching for a good spot to lean over and admire.

The Observatory closed about 4 years ago for major renovations, and reopened this month. Jen and Jason got us some reservations to go visit, so this morning we parked at the bottom of the hill beneath the Observatory and hiked a short way up to it. For now, they're only allowing people up on a reservation basis, because they're expecting a crush of visitors in the first few months and want to do crowd control. My review of the renovated building:

What's bad - The place has lost some of its old charm. The exhibits are more sophisticated and polished than before, with a Smithsonian feel, but I couldn't find this one exhibit I used to like where you had to push little buttons and try to match groupings of stars to the right constellations. That was fun as a kid. Other small changes that make me long for the old days: the coin-operated telescopes on the outside of the building are gone. Gone also is the raggedy little gift shop that used to sell silly things like glow-in-the-dark sticker kits of the planets and stars for your bedroom ceiling.

What's good - The changes don't hit you at once, because most of them occurred underground or are simply replacements of old things. Everything's clean and spiffy. The museum is twice the size it used to be, thanks to the underground expansion. I hear the seats in the planetarium are super cushy and much better than the old ones with wooden head rests. There's a big cafe with Wolfgang Puck food and outdoor seating with nice views. The giant pendulum that greets you at the entrance is still there, ready to puzzle a new crop of kids with how it proves the earth is spinning.

Another addition I really liked: They have added a long, curved hallway with a glass display all along one side that contained thousands of pieces of inexpensive jewelry fashioned into stars, suns, and moons, arranged in a milky-way type of pattern. It strikes you as kind of kitschy, all these metal and plastic trinkets that you might find in a dusty case at an antique shop. Until you step back and realize how touching it is, really, that humans are so fascinated by the heavenly bodies that we so often incorporate these symbols into our daily lives, without even being conscious of it nowadays. Think of the gold stars that your teacher gave you.

Overall, the Observatory's suffered a little from the changes, which makes me sad. But it's still a grand old landmark. It still inspires. Which is what Griffith J. Griffith always wanted for the citizens of LA. Even if he did shoot his wife in the face.