Friday, May 26, 2006

Allergies!

May 26th, Friday-Allergies! Sniff. I am under the influence of Sudafed. Sniff. Pay me no mind. Kachoo! I can barely breathe through my nose and I'm giving off turbo sized sneezes. Sniff. Or sonic boom sneezes if Daryl is to be believed. Sniff. Sniff. KACHOO! I do not wish this on anyone, not even my worst enemy. Aaaargh.

Thursday, May 25, 2006

Snail!


May 25th, Thursday-Saw this on my walk from Starbucks. How does the snail do it? He's walking across the tops of the blades of grass.

Landscaping and Out of Control Catnip

May 23rd, Tuesday-People in LA really like their landscaping. On every single day, and I mean, EVERY SINGLE DAY, you can hear someone using a lawnmower, hedgetrimmer, weedwacker, or, my most hated modern landscaping invention, the leaf blower. And when I write "hear," I mean you can't hear anything else. And the gas emissions from these things are not only bad for the environment, they're also unbelievably stinky. So, even though it's too hot to close the windows, we have to if somebody is using the leafblower to gather up the 2 leaves that have fallen on the ground. Where I grew up, people mowed their lawns on Saturdays and since I lived in a place that had an actual winter, left it mostly dormant for a good 4 months of the year. Maybe it's the LA weather, it's makes plants grow like crazy so they have to be kept in check more often. For instance, here's my catnip.

I can't kill this stuff and believe me, I've tried. I keep plucking off the leaves and throwing them to the various neighborhood cats, who love the nip so much I feel like their drug dealer. (One of the cats actually knocked the planter down. That's how much she wanted it. Addiction is ugly, people.) I've neglected this to the point of not watering it for weeks and it keeps on flourishing. In fact, it's so happy it's blooming. I think it may need a bigger pot soon. I was hoping this plant would die since I can't really cook with it, but instead my cilantro died.

I had noticed that the cilantro looked a little limp, like it wasn't getting enough water. But I was watering it plenty. I was just going to make a bowl of salsa with some lovely tomatoes from the store when I looked at this plant and saw a very large colony of aphids. I was so oogged out. I removed them by hand (Oh, yuck, you do not want to know.) when I could see them and then sprayed them with a homemade non-poisonous aphid killer. It was too late though, it went brown and died. Sniff.

The mint simply refuses to die, much like the catnip. At least I can cook with this. I've made many mint meatballs with this plant and will make some nice mint syrup next week for tea, but other than that I don't think I'm going to make a dent in this. It's already growing little mint shoots on the bottom. I'm a little afraid that aphids will attack this one next, so I sprayed it with a food/vegetable spray. I hope I got it in time. Let's hope it's stronger than the cilantro.

This is my basil. When I first got it, I was afraid it was going to die. A good bit of it simply went brown and never came back. But now that the sun has been beating down on it and I've been watering it a lot less it seems to be thriving. Go figure. This I use in cool mozzarella salads and in tomato sauces. I can't seem to get rid of the leaves fast enough.

BTW, all of these herbs (plus a rosemary plant that boringly, seems impervious to my neglect) were brought to me courtesy of Maurissa Afanador, who also supplied the pots and planter. Yay, Mo!

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

More Games and Gamers and Scrabble at Starbucks


May 21st, Sunday-Today, Daryl and I met another couple that likes to play board games, Toh Hean and Julia. We played a game called Ingenious, which I failed to take a picture of, and then a game called Guillotine, which I also failed to take a picture of. We spent a nice few hours playing and then when Julia and Toh Hean left to go see a movie, Daryl and I played two games of Scrabble. I beat him in a very close game and I failed to take a picture of that one as well. Then, Daryl wins the second game and that's the game I take a picture of. If I win a game of Scrabble, but don't take a picture of it, does it mean I really won? Yes. But next time I'm getting photographic proof.

One half of an EARTH SANDWICH...


May 19th, Friday-For anyone who keeps track of the goings-on at www.zefrank.com, you would know that he's got a project going on called "If the Earth were a Sandwich" The website (http://www.zefrank.com/sandwich/) states:

"Never before have two pieces of bread been simultaneously placed on the ground directly opposite each other on the globe, thus making an EARTH SANDWICH."

The picture above is our contribution to the project. (Los Angeles, 34.0511°, -118.3577°, to be accurate.) You can tell that it really is Los Angeles due to the very tiny palm trees and the enormous grass. Our gigantic slice of bread is unlikely to find a partner in the Indian Ocean, which is where our opposite side of the earth is found, but it will provide sustenance for those Los Angeles birds, that are not celiacs, for a very long time.

Friday, May 19, 2006

6 years feel like 10 1/2

May 15th, Monday-Daryl and I have been married for 6 years. But we actually feel like we've been together for 10 1/2, because we met in January 1996. I am a lucky woman, people. After all these years, Daryl and I can still sit on the couch together and joke and laugh with each other. I miss him when we're not together and I feel like seeing him every day is simply not enough. He thinks I'm wonderful and I think I've got him conned. I love the guy and it amazes me that he loves me.

You know what people do on their anniversaries? You go out to have an expensive meal and give each other diamonds, etc.? (According to TV, anyway.) Well, Daryl and I went to our favorite Vietnamese place where the meal was less than $25 (and that's with the tip), and then walked to the local Starbucks and played Scrabble. Now that's a great way to celebrate.

Starbucks addiction


May 7th, Sunday-Recently, I've become addicted to Starbuck's iced soy chai latte. I haven't found anyone else who makes it as good as they do. Man, that is some good chai. Plus, they have a great iced herbal passion tea. And it's portable! Going to Starbuck's gets me out of the house so I've been going there for a drink and then I read a bit, and then walk home. Boring? Yes, but it gets me out of the house. And then on the weekends, Daryl and I play Scrabble in the afternoon. (One day, Frame, you are going to lose this game to me, Mr. Scrabble on the third turn.) In fact, I go there so often they all know me now. I even bought one of their steel thermos cups. Grande sized. I am such a naughty consumer.

You may be wondering if this is all I am doing. It isn't, but I'm still not working. Sigh.

Thursday, May 18, 2006

LA Metro Buses 717 and 163


May 4, Thursday-Today I worked at Disney again. Since it was only a one day job, I decided to take the bus. Now, the last time I took the bus I had to catch the bus at 7:30a and then got to Burbank at 9:45a and it was horrible. I had to take three buses and one of the stops was on a scary corner. (Look, I'm a short Asian lady. Anyone could take me. I'm soft and small, like a marshmallow. That you can crush. So almost all strangers are scary.) Anyway, it was with not a little bit of trepidation, that I went on www.mta.net to check out a different route. I've been walking around the neighborhood recently and I've discovered that the walk to the local Starbucks takes only ten minutes and it's right on a corner for a bus stop, Fairfax Av/Olympic Blvd (and San Vincente. That's where the two roads meet up.) I enter that corner into the Trip Planner and put in the Disney Channel building as the destination. They give me a route that has only two buses and it gets me to Burbank faster. Still skeptical, I take the Metro Rapid 717 at 8:24a to Hollywood/Highland and then take the Metro Bus 163 to Burbank and I get there at 9:11a. Perfect. I am amazed that this worked. I get to sleep in a little more and I get there a lot sooner. And today the bus is only 10 minutes late, not 45 minutes late like last time. And it only cost $3-for the entire day. Of course the return trip was not was problem free as they had re-routed traffic due to some kind of shindig at Mann's Chinese Theater. It annoyed me greatly as there was no sign as to where the bus would pick up people. I had to wait and then when I discovered the new bus stop I couldn't cross the street in time and I missed it. Grrr. I hate shindigs. But now I don't hate the buses here. I just dislike them a little. Unless it's a Rapid and then I only have like for it.

Oh, and I finished my 12 week weight training/yoga program (4 days/week), which actually took more like 17 weeks since I lost 2 to illness and added more to make up for it. Did I lose any weight? I don't think so. In fact, I think I may have actually gained weight. And now my lower back is giving me issues. I thought exercise was supposed to be good for you. All those exercisers are total liars. But it's nice to finish something. I think my biceps are bigger, which was not the goal I had in mind. I mean, my arms are big enough as it is. And I still can't tip my wok with one arm. (That was the goal, btw.) Of course, next week I start the 12 week program over again. That wok isn't going to tip itself.

Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Protest! En Espanol!


May 1st, Monday-Hey, hey, hey, it's protest day! Is there anyone around to

cut your lawn?
pick your fruit?
clean your house?
wash your dishes?
help you move?

No? Well, maybe it's because they're all out protesting in the hopes that they'll get to continue to do all the work you'd rather not do. Let's support that, people, because we all know what a pain it is to wash your own dishes. Or at least, we will after today.

After figuring out an alternate route for Daryl to get to Burbank, I walk to my friend Christian's. He's planning to take some pictures of the protest. The protestors walked from Wilshire and Alvarado (downtown) to Wilshire and LaBrea, which is near where Christian lives (Wilshire and Fairfax). We walk out, since driving would be insane, all the way to LaBrea and immediately see huge crowds of people, almost all in white tops, walking down the road. You cannot even see the end of the line of people, they just keep coming and coming. Some Fox News Reports stated that the crowd consisted of about 75,000 people, but I think it was around a million. (Fox News strangely also seemed to concentrate on whether or not the protestors were going to be violent. Very weird. Everyone was very well-behaved, I mean, people brought their babies! No one was going to cause any problems.) It was very surreal, to be walking on Wilshire like this. I even saw Martin Sheen. Christian even got a picture. (I forgot I had a phone that could take pictures.) We kept walking east trying to avoid getting caught up in the waves of people pushing in the other direction towards La Brea where there were a bunch of speakers, including the mayor. Christian also kept pointing out the hotdogs with bacon wrapped around them that the hotdog sellers were selling. It smelled great, btw. And the lines were huge. Christian told me that a bunch of them had run out earlier, which almost never happens. Anyway, the protest was fun, we should encourage the government to allow these immigrants to stay, because, I mean, really, it was A MILLION PEOPLE. We'd be stupid not to. Speaking of stupid, I finally realized I had a cameraphone and started taking pictures. Christian and I knew it was time to leave when a lady started singing, and it seems that a lot of other people felt the same way. (Although it could have been the cold from the sudden fog and the sunset and the late hour, but I don't know. I think it was the singer.)

Something to think about, eh?

Tuesday, May 02, 2006

Games!

April 30th, Sunday-Daryl found a group on the internet that gets together and plays boardgames. Today is a day of games at The Moose Lodge in Burbank. We get there and it's like Daryl has discovered Nirvana. (The ineffable ultimate in which one has attained disinterested wisdom and compassion, not the band.) There are boxes of games on tables that line the side of the room. There are many games and some of them we've never even heard of. There are snacks at the door and a large number of people playing the games. There's a fee, but it's nominal and we're happy to pay it. This group also does book clubs, walking workouts, bowling, you name it. Daryl's just happy to play with other people. He even gets to play Robo Rally with, I think, eight other people. It's a fun crowd and we meet Jen, who runs the group with her husband Brian. Jen plays a game called Wooly Buly, with us and it's like Carcassone lite, and it's fun. And cute. It's got little cartoon sheep on the tiles. Daryl wins. I then play Europe in 10 Days with Rosemary, Erin, and Jen, while Daryl plays Robo Rally. I then play Taboo, with the same crowd and Christy, Newton, Lynn, and Mary. It was electronic Taboo where it was all in a little computer that could keep track of correct answers, buzzes, and passes. We played a few games of this while Daryl plaed Robo Rally. Then I played, with the same crowd, another game called Squint, wherein you had to use cards with various shapes drawn on them to describe a word on a stack of cards. It was difficult. I think I got one point. The winner got 8. Yikes. Daryl and I then took a break to get dinner and then came right back to play another game called Privateer. By this time it was around 9p, so we had to take off. But fun! They do this every month! Daryl was so happy. He didn't even want to leave.

Gladstone's and Lunch with the Cousins


April 23rd, Sunday-Daryl and I get to Gladstone's, a seafood restaurant in Malibu, to meet up with David, a cousin, and Stella, another cousin, and Diego, Stella's boyfriend. Daryl and I arrive way too early and while we are waiting we see David ride up to us on a skateboard. I'm surprised to see him not driving up in a car. I think, hey look, it's a kid on a skateboard....kids these days....hey, wait a minute, that's my cousin...boy am I old. He's going to take his finals next week and the LSATs later this summer. Man, this kid has got it together. And he tells me that his little brother, Christopher, is really into film and has done a bunch of short movies that are really good. I wonder where he's going to go to school? Hmmmm. Diego is in a bit of a pickle because he hates seafood. We are all glad to find burgers and a chicken sandwich on the menu. Daryl and I brought our laptop so that Stella could see The Easter Bunny's Revenge. She couldn't get her computer to download it so we brought her a DVD copy and played it on our laptop. Our waiter even stayed to watch. Afterwards, we gave all of the leftovers to David. If food is going to disappear, it's going to disappear fastest in a frat house. Stella and Diego had some time to kill so we took them to the 3rd Street Promenade where I hope to see the Psychic Cats. (Yes. They are cats and they are advertised as being psychic. I swear it is true.) Alas, it is not to be. But it's not all disappointing because I stop at one of the FOUR coffee shops, TWO of which are Starbucks, within a three block strip. Soy chai latte, you are so tasty, you are like crack to someone like me. I cannot resist. Diego and Stella now have to catch their plane after waiting for me to get my drink. Seriously, the line at the second Starbucks was insane. That place must be making money like crazy. We all say goodbye and hug and hope that they don't get lost after we gave them directions. We follow them for a bit just to make sure. Sigh. I miss Stella.

Stella! And Shogun Sushi!



April 22nd, Saturday-Today we meet up with my cousin Stella, who is here visiting from Chicago. She tells me that we have another cousin in the area who owns a sushi restaurant near Anaheim called Shogun Sushi. Now, I have to explain something. I have many, many cousins. Both my mother's family and my father's family have more than 4 siblings and my father's mother was the second wife. The first wife had a number of children too, and most of the relatives from her I have never met. I also have cousins on my mother's side, who, while I met them when I was an infant, haven't met them since. And they have kids, who I also haven't met. Watch out people, you never know when you might run into one of my many relatives. Actually, neither do I. Daryl and I get to Shogun Sushi impossibly quickly. We estimated 45 minutes. We got there in 20. Very, very odd. Stella was running late because they were driving back from a short stay in Las Vegas and missed an exit. Daryl and I wiled away the time with shopping. We stopped by the local Staples and bought a shredder and a digital camera. This is what happens when we're left on our own for an hour in a mini-mall. We spend our time learning how to use the camera. It's terrific! Here is the first photo.



Stella and her boyfriend, Diego show up in a Ford Mustang right after Daryl mentions that this town must be a Mustang haven, because he'd seen five in the last half hour of waiting. Diego had to leave to meet up with his mother's best friend, so it was just us three. We had a great meal although I coudn't finish the spicy tuna roll. Man that was seriously spicy! Love the burn! Love the burn! And then our cousin shows up. I don't know Korean so she mostly speaks to Stella, and talks about....exercise? Is it LA? What's with the exercise talk anyway? She eventually moves on to other topics, her two sons, her husband who is working behind the sushi bar. By the way, the both of them look terrific. Maybe that explains the exercise talk? Anyway, they want to comp us the meal, but we surreptitiously leave money behind a glass on the table as we leave. We then drive Stella back to her hotel where we relax and chat about her horoscope and what the 50 best jobs are according to Money magazine. Stella is trying to get her real estate license and eventually hopes to get a house with another one of my cousins, Hoon, who likes to be called Jack. I love that she's such a go-getter! Atta girl! Eventually, Diego arrives and when I can see him nodding off when we are talking to him we finally decide we should let the boy get some sleep.

Tomorrow is brunch with Stella, Diego, and another cousin, David, who is going to Pepperdine and wants to be a lawyer. Seriously, I've got a lot of cousins.

Anyone know a good tax accountant?

April 18th, Tuesday-Daryl and I have left two messages with our accountant who still has not called us with any questions about our taxes, nor did she even tell us if she filed an extension. I'm not going to be a nag, but I'm going to leave another message later in the week and try another accountant next year. Do you all agree with me on this?

Happy taxes!

And we return to our favorite rental car place...

April 14th, Friday-This time we return the rental car and there are no comically annoying incidents. And then we go to The Griddle where we see Ian Ziering again. I guess he loves this place as much as we do. He rises in my estimation of him.

I just want to point out, taxes are due soon. Daryl got his last W-2 last Thursday. We sped the info to our accountant and she said she was going to be working on our taxes Thursday, the 13th. We've gotten no phone calls, no emails, nothing. Taxes are due Monday and we have nothing and all of our information is with our accountant. We don't even have any idea if we owe anything. Well, all you can really do is relax and maybe have some delicious soy chai latte.

Kenny's House Party

April 8th, Saturday-Disney has called again and I am working. But not today. Today we went to our friend, Kenny's, brand new house and we met his new wife as well. The house is in Pasadena in a lovely little neighborhood. We are awed by the lovely little waterfall and pond in the back, along with a lot of tastefully landscaped flowers and trees. They had to do a lot of renovation, but it all worked out and the place looked great. And their cats, annoyed by the group of strangers clomping around in their house, hid themselves in the upstairs bedroom. Daryl and I tried to pet them, but we decided they were too freaked out. Onwards. Daryl drives us all the way from Pasadena to Culver City and then practically to LAX to get some Mexican food. It was worth it, because we also got to spend time with Maurissa. And it really is true. LA has terrific Mexican food. And it's cheap, too.

Fifth Day of Bunny

April 2nd, Sunday-Another day with a caffinated start. We get to a park to film a scene wherein Bunny ruins an Easter party. We wait for children and their parents. It takes a while, but eventually everything is set up---Christian has a plethora of Easter paraphanalia---and everyone arrives. It's basically a playdate with a large group of kids, some of whom take on the character of misbehaving children seriously. They are so Method. One of the children was in love, love, love with Bunny, so much so that he practically needs to be restrained so that he can't get into the shot. The little girls had a hard time with Bunny. First, they were all fine with him, and then one started crying, and then another, and then another. It was like watching dominos fall. We kept on rearranging the picnic table to make sure there were still kids sitting there. Daryl, as usual, performed admirably and even apologized to a traumatized young girl, without the Bunny head. Afterwards we all sat down to enjoy the refreshments Nanette, the producer, kindly provided and relaxed in the sun. The parents and even Christian's brother get into the movie. It's the last day of the shoot and Daryl gives up the Bunny costume. But we'll have lots of Bunny memories! And a movie!

Here it is!

http://www.christianwhite.com/EASTER/