didn't even lift a finger to cook today. nope. went to lunch with susie before she headed to the office to slog through some extra work. Syrian food was on the menu. Damascus restaurant, to be exact. usually lame-o service, although they're really nice; they just don't have a clue about efficiency. of course, we tend to be a bit harsh, considering our restaurant experience combined is about 55 years...no joke. it may be cultural too. restaurants in Latin America are notoriously lax and very laid back. maybe it's the 'i want it cheap and i want it now' American culture...and it needs to slow the fuck down ;)
anyway, gotta go to Damascus a few times a year. you just cannot find better pita bread or hummus in colorado...really! sure, you can find cheaper Middle Eastern food and places that are open later, but i know of no other place (although i'm sure there is) that has massive pizza ovens, baking some of the most divine pita bread. store bought is so foul compared to this soft, chewy, heaven. the hummus? you just have to try it...so creamy and luscious. it really is too bad that the service has been plain rotten the past few years...oh well.
dinner? went to Applebeez in Tamarac Sq. not the best place, but quite convenient since we were going to see Mystic River at the Madstone (in the mall). food wasn't better than the D...but the service shore was!!!
funny, it seems like once a week, lois has been craving a steak and veggies/salad. and we probably whip it up once a week in the kitchen...but tonight...nah. so she got her 9 oz. sirloin and i opted for their buttermilk fried shrimp. do you ever find that food seems to taste better when you don't have to cook it? granted, you may be able to do better, but it's not worth the hassle. besides, i know i'm my worst critic when it comes to cooking; everyone'll like it while i'm still bitching about what i did wrong.
we made good time at dinner. unlike the colo. blvd. applebeez, which is hopping most of the time, the tamarac store isn't as hectic since there are eight (off the top o' my pointy head) other places to eat in the same vicinity. honestly, if you can't find a place to eat near Tamarac, YOU IS BLIND!
movie was great. i hope that Mr. Robbins and Mr. Penn get those statues later today. the story...the camera angles...the acting...excellent. sure, it's intense, but i bet it's a walk in the park compared to the new movie that some Aussie just put out ;)
sorry to cut it short, but i'm just out of things to say. i think i have to digest the film a bit more to comment further...er... or is it those fifteen fried shrimp? mebbe they're talkin' to me!
Sunday, February 29, 2004
Friday, February 27, 2004
life and death...
my yesterday was an overall good...
my mom and eldest sister celebrated their 75th and 46th b-days. cindi even hit the big 5-0 (sounds like it was a blast).
however, i also took my parents to a funeral at Ft. Logan Cemetery. Wong Wah Lui passed away a couple days ago. he was the oldest chinese member of the 'old school' restaurant guys. i guess you could call it a fraternal order of blue collar chinese men who worked/owned restaurants in the denver area in the last 50-60 years. you know, kinda like the tongs...but with a white apron ;)
anyway, Wong Wah was 89. and with his passing, that makes my dad either the oldest or second oldest of the chinese restaurant community. he may be second oldest if Bill Chin (whom we haven't seen since last year) is still alive...
yep. my dad turned 85 last friday. took him to IHOP and watched him eat their rotisserie chicken, chicken noodle soup, and salad w/ blue cheese. it's nice to know that, even though his legs, ears, and heart don't work so good, he still eats well and savors his food; he's still as sharp as a tack and has a helluva sense of humor.
as i mentioned above, my mom is 50% older than cindi ;) this august, mom and dad will celebrate their 57th wedding anniversary. i was meaning to have shared this info on the 14th, but i'm not very good with scheduling...even if i can rant about the perpetual calendar ;)
visiting Ft. Logan today was somewhat of a moving experience for me. i had never been there, nor even witnessed a military funeral service. what moved me wasn't being all those white headstones; i've been to Arlington Nat'l. no, what moved me to some tears and the sniffles was listening to the service and watching the whole procedure (3-gun salute, 13-folded flag, the general military regiment).
of the thirty people in attendance, all were at least 20+ years younger than my father. and watching him salute every time those army guys did, put a lump in my throat. sure, my dad wasn't the only vet present, but he definitely was the 'old guard.'
in the course of my life, i have conversed with dad about his participation in World War II. although he likes to watch war movies, he rarely talks about his experiences.
i don't blame him though. i know my dad was drafted in late 1943 and completed his boot camp in Mississippi. in august of '44, he and his company were deployed to Europe as a radio man. in fact, he landed at Normandy two months after D-Day. to this day, i'm sure he's haunted by the grisly sight of bodies that were still on shore; something he mentions, but won't go into detail - he just shakes his head.
i think the two most vivid memories that my dad has about WWII are selling his rationed cartons of cigarettes (didn't every soldier get two cartons?) in France and nerve wracking guard duty over POWs. staying awake was one thing, but keeping your rifle aimed at another tired and scared soldier, was even worse. oh yeah, Denny, he remembers how grateful he was to not have a defective gas mask when they were doing mustard gas training...eep.
about ten years ago, my brother, Steve, told me the story of what happened to dad at the end of the war. although i'm a little fuzzy on the details, this story occurred sometime in the spring of '45, when the Germans were in a state of panic.
dad was riding on the outside of a tank, with everyone else inside. maybe they drew straws and dad was the odd man out...who knows. anyway, there was a huge flash in the sky. everyone knew that it was a long-range rocket-type (like the tekneecal terms?) thingie...basically something that says 'You're Fu*ked' on the bumper sticker, as it barreled down on yer lame duck ass.
well, the CO ordered everyone out of the tank. sooo, dad jumped first. unfortunately, everyone jumped out and on top of him, effectively breaking his back. the rocket hit and pretty much obliterated everything in the vicinity, including the soldiers on top of dad. drawing the short straw turned out to be a blessing for dad because having a broken back with bodies lying on top of you was still better than being dead.
my dad should have been up for an Oscar at the 1946 Academy Aw*rds for his portrayal of a dead soldier. you see, after (how long though, i don't know) the rocket hit, a German reconaissance team went out to the site and discovered that the WMD had done a doozy on these american GIs. one of them even kicked my dad...in the back...to see if he was dead.
poor dad laid in that field for two days before the Red Cross showed up. they got him to a hospital in France to recover for a couple months. and around the time that the a-bombs were dropped (Aug. 6th and 9th...monday and thursday ;), dad was evac-ed to a military hospital in the U.S. (somewhere in Kansas), where he spent nine months recuperating.
while dad was in this hospital, he was in the care a nurse, named Kathleen. she did a brilliant job with dad, encouraged him, kept his spirits up, etc. she told dad to call her 'Katie' though...to which he gratefully complied. she was so good to him :) dad has never forgotten her...
by the time the summer of '46 rolled around, dad was back in Colorado. he was hanging out and just enjoying the life of a civilian again. however, his dad thought it might be a good time to have him settle down, get married, and raise a family...quite the thing to do after a war ;)
so, the next year, dad went back to China to find a bride. now, no scientific procedure there...your parents arranged whom you met and married. i'm not sure how many gals my dad had met before he chose mom as his bride, but i do know that dad was mom's sixth suitor. and in August '47, they were married.
not much longer, so bear with me...
in January '48, mom and dad arrived in San Francisco, after three weeks on a boat. they get through immigration and start the paperwork. one of the first questions was, "What's the name of your wife, Mr. Wong?" dad started to say, Hung Yu Yee (which would be totally mangled by the immigration officer), when he stopped and decided to give her an English name. he smiled and said, "Katie." hmmm...i wonder where he got that?
my mom and eldest sister celebrated their 75th and 46th b-days. cindi even hit the big 5-0 (sounds like it was a blast).
however, i also took my parents to a funeral at Ft. Logan Cemetery. Wong Wah Lui passed away a couple days ago. he was the oldest chinese member of the 'old school' restaurant guys. i guess you could call it a fraternal order of blue collar chinese men who worked/owned restaurants in the denver area in the last 50-60 years. you know, kinda like the tongs...but with a white apron ;)
anyway, Wong Wah was 89. and with his passing, that makes my dad either the oldest or second oldest of the chinese restaurant community. he may be second oldest if Bill Chin (whom we haven't seen since last year) is still alive...
yep. my dad turned 85 last friday. took him to IHOP and watched him eat their rotisserie chicken, chicken noodle soup, and salad w/ blue cheese. it's nice to know that, even though his legs, ears, and heart don't work so good, he still eats well and savors his food; he's still as sharp as a tack and has a helluva sense of humor.
as i mentioned above, my mom is 50% older than cindi ;) this august, mom and dad will celebrate their 57th wedding anniversary. i was meaning to have shared this info on the 14th, but i'm not very good with scheduling...even if i can rant about the perpetual calendar ;)
visiting Ft. Logan today was somewhat of a moving experience for me. i had never been there, nor even witnessed a military funeral service. what moved me wasn't being all those white headstones; i've been to Arlington Nat'l. no, what moved me to some tears and the sniffles was listening to the service and watching the whole procedure (3-gun salute, 13-folded flag, the general military regiment).
of the thirty people in attendance, all were at least 20+ years younger than my father. and watching him salute every time those army guys did, put a lump in my throat. sure, my dad wasn't the only vet present, but he definitely was the 'old guard.'
in the course of my life, i have conversed with dad about his participation in World War II. although he likes to watch war movies, he rarely talks about his experiences.
i don't blame him though. i know my dad was drafted in late 1943 and completed his boot camp in Mississippi. in august of '44, he and his company were deployed to Europe as a radio man. in fact, he landed at Normandy two months after D-Day. to this day, i'm sure he's haunted by the grisly sight of bodies that were still on shore; something he mentions, but won't go into detail - he just shakes his head.
i think the two most vivid memories that my dad has about WWII are selling his rationed cartons of cigarettes (didn't every soldier get two cartons?) in France and nerve wracking guard duty over POWs. staying awake was one thing, but keeping your rifle aimed at another tired and scared soldier, was even worse. oh yeah, Denny, he remembers how grateful he was to not have a defective gas mask when they were doing mustard gas training...eep.
about ten years ago, my brother, Steve, told me the story of what happened to dad at the end of the war. although i'm a little fuzzy on the details, this story occurred sometime in the spring of '45, when the Germans were in a state of panic.
dad was riding on the outside of a tank, with everyone else inside. maybe they drew straws and dad was the odd man out...who knows. anyway, there was a huge flash in the sky. everyone knew that it was a long-range rocket-type (like the tekneecal terms?) thingie...basically something that says 'You're Fu*ked' on the bumper sticker, as it barreled down on yer lame duck ass.
well, the CO ordered everyone out of the tank. sooo, dad jumped first. unfortunately, everyone jumped out and on top of him, effectively breaking his back. the rocket hit and pretty much obliterated everything in the vicinity, including the soldiers on top of dad. drawing the short straw turned out to be a blessing for dad because having a broken back with bodies lying on top of you was still better than being dead.
my dad should have been up for an Oscar at the 1946 Academy Aw*rds for his portrayal of a dead soldier. you see, after (how long though, i don't know) the rocket hit, a German reconaissance team went out to the site and discovered that the WMD had done a doozy on these american GIs. one of them even kicked my dad...in the back...to see if he was dead.
poor dad laid in that field for two days before the Red Cross showed up. they got him to a hospital in France to recover for a couple months. and around the time that the a-bombs were dropped (Aug. 6th and 9th...monday and thursday ;), dad was evac-ed to a military hospital in the U.S. (somewhere in Kansas), where he spent nine months recuperating.
while dad was in this hospital, he was in the care a nurse, named Kathleen. she did a brilliant job with dad, encouraged him, kept his spirits up, etc. she told dad to call her 'Katie' though...to which he gratefully complied. she was so good to him :) dad has never forgotten her...
by the time the summer of '46 rolled around, dad was back in Colorado. he was hanging out and just enjoying the life of a civilian again. however, his dad thought it might be a good time to have him settle down, get married, and raise a family...quite the thing to do after a war ;)
so, the next year, dad went back to China to find a bride. now, no scientific procedure there...your parents arranged whom you met and married. i'm not sure how many gals my dad had met before he chose mom as his bride, but i do know that dad was mom's sixth suitor. and in August '47, they were married.
not much longer, so bear with me...
in January '48, mom and dad arrived in San Francisco, after three weeks on a boat. they get through immigration and start the paperwork. one of the first questions was, "What's the name of your wife, Mr. Wong?" dad started to say, Hung Yu Yee (which would be totally mangled by the immigration officer), when he stopped and decided to give her an English name. he smiled and said, "Katie." hmmm...i wonder where he got that?
Thursday, February 26, 2004
well...
it may be time to change my blogskin too. if anything, i could add some photos to the right hand margin...to fill in some space. that may be a good thing. i may tinker around with the order of that side...hmmm.
'course, it may be six months before i'm serious about it ;) there are other things on my plate...and they're gettin' cold! sigh. so why am i just playing with my food when i could be eating it? i'm hungry.
'course, it may be six months before i'm serious about it ;) there are other things on my plate...and they're gettin' cold! sigh. so why am i just playing with my food when i could be eating it? i'm hungry.
Wednesday, February 25, 2004
cordless...
is always nice. lois just got a cordless optical mouse from work. well, she did some more college of construction stuff (watched the vids - i don't think there's a test though).
funny how i look at the shape of it and think how far the mouse has come along. i remember the first ones that i used in college...with one button...no one even knew how to spell ergonomics back then ;) a scroll wheel, huh?
you know, one thing that i find a bit awkward though...is the track ball mouse. my friend, chris, uses one. i just find it to be a little too sensitive, even if you tweak the settings. i guess if i had his arthritis, i'd appreciate it more. still, too weird. makes me want to spin it wildly, like the huge track ball on Missile Command or Centipede heh. oh yeah, Golden Tee still has one...
funny how i look at the shape of it and think how far the mouse has come along. i remember the first ones that i used in college...with one button...no one even knew how to spell ergonomics back then ;) a scroll wheel, huh?
you know, one thing that i find a bit awkward though...is the track ball mouse. my friend, chris, uses one. i just find it to be a little too sensitive, even if you tweak the settings. i guess if i had his arthritis, i'd appreciate it more. still, too weird. makes me want to spin it wildly, like the huge track ball on Missile Command or Centipede heh. oh yeah, Golden Tee still has one...
Tuesday, February 24, 2004
bleah...
kind of a lazy day. got the colors in the dryer...probably shrinking them to Lilliputian size as we speak. ever get those laundry days when you don't wanna pull the clothes out and put 'em away? guess that explains my horribly wrinkled clothes ;)
sorting...sorting.
been simplifying some lately. how the hell does this stuff pile up? and at such an alarming rate too!
well, i came across a small bag of papers that was stuffed into a corner of a closet. omg, they contained school stuff from my junior year...of high school! it is so weird to shuffle through European History...4th year Spanish...Calculus...Physics...and British Lit. funny that only the spanish served me well. really, do i even remember what Great Britain's Reform Bills of 1832 dealt with? or how does the Index of Glass Refraction affect my daily life? oh yeah, i can see that Analyzing Sentence Structure between Ashe and Graebner will enhance my human spirituality...barf. it's just too bad that i wasn't a better student; i'd probably appreciate this little pile of 1987 more.
as a sixteen year-old kid, i really wished i had known that all this stuff was gonna be on the blog test for life. geez.
sorting...sorting.
been simplifying some lately. how the hell does this stuff pile up? and at such an alarming rate too!
well, i came across a small bag of papers that was stuffed into a corner of a closet. omg, they contained school stuff from my junior year...of high school! it is so weird to shuffle through European History...4th year Spanish...Calculus...Physics...and British Lit. funny that only the spanish served me well. really, do i even remember what Great Britain's Reform Bills of 1832 dealt with? or how does the Index of Glass Refraction affect my daily life? oh yeah, i can see that Analyzing Sentence Structure between Ashe and Graebner will enhance my human spirituality...barf. it's just too bad that i wasn't a better student; i'd probably appreciate this little pile of 1987 more.
as a sixteen year-old kid, i really wished i had known that all this stuff was gonna be on the blog test for life. geez.
Sunday, February 22, 2004
fun fun...
spent almost seven hours in Longmont with a bunch o' friends tonight. the hosts were arn and helena. arn is a music teacher with boulder county schools and his wife, helena is a medical anthropologist from the Netherlands.
the majority of the party's attendees were fellow anthros whom i've known for about eight or nine years, when we all started a (now defunct) network of anthropologists called AnthroSource. out of the 25 or so members, a core of eight of us remained good friends and alternate hosting duties for get togethers about a couple times a year.
the gathering tonight was not only to catch up but to celebrate Helena's b-day, which was yesterday, and to congratulate them on their purchase of land in Argentina that they hope to retire on in a couple years. wow! they've decided to settle in western Argentina (San Rafael), a very beautiful valley with a mild climate...just over the Andes from Santiago, Chile.
a lotta Malbec (a Bordeaux grape that reigns supreme in Argentina) was flowing...the French Mediterranean food that they prepared was superb...and the conversation was really lively!!! Helena had also invited two of their Dutch friends, Mari and Shanti (sp?). just to hear those three women chatter in Dutch was quite intriguing...what a neat language.
since they requested that we just bring booze, we brought a bottle of Malbec (Bodega Norton...a really good buy for $7), German Spatlese (lois' favorite...kinda sweet white), and some Harrar coffee (Harrar, Ethiopia is where coffee was first domesticated probably 1500 years ago - really rich, smooth, and slightly nutty...you can get it at Pberry).
while we were winding down with coffee/tea and cake (mmm...one lemon and one chocolate), arn and ed (who's married to Shanti) brought out their preferred instruments, trumpet and electric guitar, respectively, and played for a good hour. it was beautiful...they had never played together, but it didn't show. much of the music was show tunes/Gershwin or Brazilian jazz. it was really cool! ed's sound was reminiscent of the great Charlie Byrd and arn's trumpet was soft, nothing like the craziness of Al Hirt or Maynard Ferguson and not quite as sad as Miles Davis. they made for such an awesome duo!
and yes, i'll admit it right now...we are so jealous (but extremely ecstatic) that arn and helena have the guts to walk away from everything and just start another chapter in their lives (vineyards...fruit orchards...olive groves...an apiary) AND in argentina, to boot. i feel bad for the argentines and their economy, which plummeted the instant the majority of the population figured out that their government had done an Enron on them. we're not talking about hundreds or thousands of people whose retirement funds were stolen, but millions of people whose bank accounts were cleaned out. unfortunately, the only good thing that has come out of the fleecing of Argentina is that many people in the capital have resorted to bartering since no one has money; for once, the playing field of social class and economics has been leveled. they're very resourceful and resilient; i hope things get better for the people of Argentina...and soon.
right now, it's also a prime time to visit Argentina. since the collapse of the economy, the value of the Argentine Peso has tanked. imagine prices dropping 60-70%...that's what happened. it's like getting three times the value. great for the foreign tourist, but tough on the Argentinians because they're earning the same amount of money. it's not like they're getting double or triple pay to keep up with the inflation.
this is a scenario that's always beneficial for tourists because it will be some time before the economy recovers; the same thing happened to the Mexican Peso when it was devalued in 1993. it took at least seven or eight years for their economy to make a partial recovery; the prices we were paying in 1992 were higher than those in '99 or '00; something that would NEVER happen in the U.S.
so...yay for arn and helena...but boo on the corrupt gov't officials who cleaned out their citizens. even though prices are rock bottom in Argentina, the tourist Peso sure could generate some capital for the people of Buenos Aires. it may be another five years before things start looking up for them...
the majority of the party's attendees were fellow anthros whom i've known for about eight or nine years, when we all started a (now defunct) network of anthropologists called AnthroSource. out of the 25 or so members, a core of eight of us remained good friends and alternate hosting duties for get togethers about a couple times a year.
the gathering tonight was not only to catch up but to celebrate Helena's b-day, which was yesterday, and to congratulate them on their purchase of land in Argentina that they hope to retire on in a couple years. wow! they've decided to settle in western Argentina (San Rafael), a very beautiful valley with a mild climate...just over the Andes from Santiago, Chile.
a lotta Malbec (a Bordeaux grape that reigns supreme in Argentina) was flowing...the French Mediterranean food that they prepared was superb...and the conversation was really lively!!! Helena had also invited two of their Dutch friends, Mari and Shanti (sp?). just to hear those three women chatter in Dutch was quite intriguing...what a neat language.
since they requested that we just bring booze, we brought a bottle of Malbec (Bodega Norton...a really good buy for $7), German Spatlese (lois' favorite...kinda sweet white), and some Harrar coffee (Harrar, Ethiopia is where coffee was first domesticated probably 1500 years ago - really rich, smooth, and slightly nutty...you can get it at Pberry).
while we were winding down with coffee/tea and cake (mmm...one lemon and one chocolate), arn and ed (who's married to Shanti) brought out their preferred instruments, trumpet and electric guitar, respectively, and played for a good hour. it was beautiful...they had never played together, but it didn't show. much of the music was show tunes/Gershwin or Brazilian jazz. it was really cool! ed's sound was reminiscent of the great Charlie Byrd and arn's trumpet was soft, nothing like the craziness of Al Hirt or Maynard Ferguson and not quite as sad as Miles Davis. they made for such an awesome duo!
and yes, i'll admit it right now...we are so jealous (but extremely ecstatic) that arn and helena have the guts to walk away from everything and just start another chapter in their lives (vineyards...fruit orchards...olive groves...an apiary) AND in argentina, to boot. i feel bad for the argentines and their economy, which plummeted the instant the majority of the population figured out that their government had done an Enron on them. we're not talking about hundreds or thousands of people whose retirement funds were stolen, but millions of people whose bank accounts were cleaned out. unfortunately, the only good thing that has come out of the fleecing of Argentina is that many people in the capital have resorted to bartering since no one has money; for once, the playing field of social class and economics has been leveled. they're very resourceful and resilient; i hope things get better for the people of Argentina...and soon.
right now, it's also a prime time to visit Argentina. since the collapse of the economy, the value of the Argentine Peso has tanked. imagine prices dropping 60-70%...that's what happened. it's like getting three times the value. great for the foreign tourist, but tough on the Argentinians because they're earning the same amount of money. it's not like they're getting double or triple pay to keep up with the inflation.
this is a scenario that's always beneficial for tourists because it will be some time before the economy recovers; the same thing happened to the Mexican Peso when it was devalued in 1993. it took at least seven or eight years for their economy to make a partial recovery; the prices we were paying in 1992 were higher than those in '99 or '00; something that would NEVER happen in the U.S.
so...yay for arn and helena...but boo on the corrupt gov't officials who cleaned out their citizens. even though prices are rock bottom in Argentina, the tourist Peso sure could generate some capital for the people of Buenos Aires. it may be another five years before things start looking up for them...
Saturday, February 21, 2004
double argh...
i don't know which i hate more, aol or dial-up. i was just about finished with a long blog about how disappointed we were with the Machu Picchu exhibit at the museum of nature and science when i got disconnected...grrrr.
anyway, we thought the exhibit was a bit cheesy...had already illegible description tags that were placed in illogical locations, making for even more useless reading...and of the 400 artifacts that were on display, nearly 1/4 of them were probably assorted small items such as spindle whorls, bone needles, and little gold trinkets. i'm sorry, but you don't need thirty of each, especially when they're all alike.
there were some very nice interactive stations though, which dispensed some good history and audio examples of the Quechua language. and there were numerous examples of everyday Inca items (i.e., quipus, keros, aryballos.
you know, i might just be jaded because i've visited Machu Picchu twice...and seen some freakin' amazing Inca artifacts in the National Museum of Peruvian Archaeology, Dumbarton Oaks (D.C.) and the Field Museum (Chicago). i do understand that this wasn't purely an Inca exhibit, showcasing the best of the culture. the MP exhibit at DMNS commemorates the 1911 discovery of the site by Hiram Bingham, who was a professor of Latin American Studies at Yale. therefore, the majority of the artifacts in the exhibit are from the three expeditions that Yale financed him between 1911 and 1915. i'm wondering if the Peabody Museum (on Yale's campus) wasn't able to procure more of Dr. Bingham's photos of the expeditions... after all, the 'fieldwork' yielded more than eleven thousand black and whites of the site!!!!
ah well. i guess i shouldn't be offended by the layout of the exhibit, nor by the 2nd floor hokey dig for the kiddies. at least it's a concerted effort on the behalf of the museum to 'inform the masses' of something that's not easily accessed by more than half of the world's population. after all, Denver is quite lucky to be one of the six cities that will house this exhibition over a two year tour.
so...although it may not mean anything, i'd recommend that my handful of local readers check out the Machu Picchu exhibit at DMNS before it closes on May 9th because after that, you'll have to go to Houston to see it ;) and after you finish seeing the exhibit, check out the rest of the museum, especially the gems and minerals. only after that will you think the $9 you spent on admission was worthwhile heh
anyway, we thought the exhibit was a bit cheesy...had already illegible description tags that were placed in illogical locations, making for even more useless reading...and of the 400 artifacts that were on display, nearly 1/4 of them were probably assorted small items such as spindle whorls, bone needles, and little gold trinkets. i'm sorry, but you don't need thirty of each, especially when they're all alike.
there were some very nice interactive stations though, which dispensed some good history and audio examples of the Quechua language. and there were numerous examples of everyday Inca items (i.e., quipus, keros, aryballos.
you know, i might just be jaded because i've visited Machu Picchu twice...and seen some freakin' amazing Inca artifacts in the National Museum of Peruvian Archaeology, Dumbarton Oaks (D.C.) and the Field Museum (Chicago). i do understand that this wasn't purely an Inca exhibit, showcasing the best of the culture. the MP exhibit at DMNS commemorates the 1911 discovery of the site by Hiram Bingham, who was a professor of Latin American Studies at Yale. therefore, the majority of the artifacts in the exhibit are from the three expeditions that Yale financed him between 1911 and 1915. i'm wondering if the Peabody Museum (on Yale's campus) wasn't able to procure more of Dr. Bingham's photos of the expeditions... after all, the 'fieldwork' yielded more than eleven thousand black and whites of the site!!!!
ah well. i guess i shouldn't be offended by the layout of the exhibit, nor by the 2nd floor hokey dig for the kiddies. at least it's a concerted effort on the behalf of the museum to 'inform the masses' of something that's not easily accessed by more than half of the world's population. after all, Denver is quite lucky to be one of the six cities that will house this exhibition over a two year tour.
so...although it may not mean anything, i'd recommend that my handful of local readers check out the Machu Picchu exhibit at DMNS before it closes on May 9th because after that, you'll have to go to Houston to see it ;) and after you finish seeing the exhibit, check out the rest of the museum, especially the gems and minerals. only after that will you think the $9 you spent on admission was worthwhile heh
rargh...
i really need to take my contacts out...done nothing but abuse my eyes this week.
my sister is so nice. remember #67 on my 50+ Things About Me? well, i DO like Pim's cookies and not only because my neighbor used to call me PimPim ;) anyway, these cookies are soft, cakey, filled with a fruit jam (e.g. raspberry, pear, orange) and have a little chocolate shell covering on top. they are SO good. thing is, ya gotta pace yerself. each box costs around $3 and only has 12 cookies. it's like going on a rampage for girl scout cookies!!! anyway, she left a couple boxes (orange and pear) upstairs for PimPim and are waiting to be ravaged. i might have to smoke a cigarette afterwards heh
my sister is so nice. remember #67 on my 50+ Things About Me? well, i DO like Pim's cookies and not only because my neighbor used to call me PimPim ;) anyway, these cookies are soft, cakey, filled with a fruit jam (e.g. raspberry, pear, orange) and have a little chocolate shell covering on top. they are SO good. thing is, ya gotta pace yerself. each box costs around $3 and only has 12 cookies. it's like going on a rampage for girl scout cookies!!! anyway, she left a couple boxes (orange and pear) upstairs for PimPim and are waiting to be ravaged. i might have to smoke a cigarette afterwards heh
Friday, February 20, 2004
anything new at the cheapies?
went to see 'Elf' last night at the cheapies. it was cute. although some of Will Ferrell's ingenuous dialogue gets a bit long in the tooth - maybe it's the delivery - the movie was still enjoyable and had its comedic moments. after all, any movie with James Caan, Mary Steenburgen, and cameos by Bob Newhart and Ed Asner has gotta have some redeeming qualities. the movie, which cost a 'paltry' $33 million, has raked in more than $170 million at the box office...which is almost half of what LOTR: Return of the K*ng has earned. does that make it half as good then?
did i mention that we also went to see 'The Cooler' over the weekend? talk about a great movie! if you're not familiar with the movie, it stars William H. Macy and Alec Baldwin. Macy plays an extremely unlucky man who can totally wreck someone's winning streak at the casino tables by basically walking up and betting a dollar chip; he cools off any luck. He's employed by Baldwin, who plays a ruthless Vegas casino owner that refuses to give in to the glamor and glitz of the newer, high-end casinos on the strip. definitely 'old school', Baldwin is a throwback (very Bugsy Siegel) to the early days of Vegas, when the neon and casinos were still in their infancy.
i know that Baldwin is one of the Best Supporting Actor nominees...and well deserving...he was such an asshole, you just wanted him to get greased or horribly maimed. i just wish that Macy would have garnered a best actor nomination. i think his performance was quite worthy. now, i don't think he'd win against Sean Penn, Johnny Depp, or Bill Murray, but his character portrayal deserves a little recognition...
speaking of Johnny Depp...
Denny, since you just got the El Mariachi trilogy in the mail, you should ask Lowa's mom what a 'moco' is (the name of the chihuahua) and who El Cucuy is. then, you should watch the movie again. you'll understand how fitting those names are ;) btw, i know that Johnny Depp's character keeps raving about his favorite dish, Puerco Pibil. funny that he should be eating this because that's a Maya dish from the Yucatán area of Mexico, more than 1000 miles to the east from the western cities (e.g., Culiacán, Guanajuato, San Miguel de Allende) in the movie. also, the correct name for the dish is cochinita pibil. maybe the next time we're in the valley, we can make some tofu or seitan pibil :) then again, i doubt that anyone really cares...especially at two in the morning.
bleah.
did i mention that we also went to see 'The Cooler' over the weekend? talk about a great movie! if you're not familiar with the movie, it stars William H. Macy and Alec Baldwin. Macy plays an extremely unlucky man who can totally wreck someone's winning streak at the casino tables by basically walking up and betting a dollar chip; he cools off any luck. He's employed by Baldwin, who plays a ruthless Vegas casino owner that refuses to give in to the glamor and glitz of the newer, high-end casinos on the strip. definitely 'old school', Baldwin is a throwback (very Bugsy Siegel) to the early days of Vegas, when the neon and casinos were still in their infancy.
i know that Baldwin is one of the Best Supporting Actor nominees...and well deserving...he was such an asshole, you just wanted him to get greased or horribly maimed. i just wish that Macy would have garnered a best actor nomination. i think his performance was quite worthy. now, i don't think he'd win against Sean Penn, Johnny Depp, or Bill Murray, but his character portrayal deserves a little recognition...
speaking of Johnny Depp...
Denny, since you just got the El Mariachi trilogy in the mail, you should ask Lowa's mom what a 'moco' is (the name of the chihuahua) and who El Cucuy is. then, you should watch the movie again. you'll understand how fitting those names are ;) btw, i know that Johnny Depp's character keeps raving about his favorite dish, Puerco Pibil. funny that he should be eating this because that's a Maya dish from the Yucatán area of Mexico, more than 1000 miles to the east from the western cities (e.g., Culiacán, Guanajuato, San Miguel de Allende) in the movie. also, the correct name for the dish is cochinita pibil. maybe the next time we're in the valley, we can make some tofu or seitan pibil :) then again, i doubt that anyone really cares...especially at two in the morning.
bleah.
cherry pie...
mmmmm. scary, but i finally ate the mini pie that we bought on the way to Monte Vista a couple weeks ago. it was still good too...since it hadn't been opened. sweet...flaky...and just tart enough to make it a bit memorable. 'course, now i wanna go to the store and bring back full-sized apple or pumpkin and just wolf 'em down. gotta make sure there's enough milk in the fridge ;)
Wednesday, February 18, 2004
quick read...
finally got around to reading a book that i bought at the national archaeology conference, when it was held here a couple years ago. the book is titled, "Tunnel Kids." a really short read, it's an account of a group of homeless teenagers in Nogales, Mexico. the cultural anthropolgist who spent a few summers conducting this study, paints a fascinating portrait of street kids - the b&w pics really give the characters distinct voices - who, despite drug addiction, general crime, teen pregnancy, etc., still are able create a cohesive family amongst themselves in a sometimes hostile environment. sure, they're kids, but their sense of community is only different to ours by its elements. much of their poverty and splintered lives would just be unbearable for many Americans; they just 'make do.'
the book that i've been reading here and there is "The World Is Burning"...it's a chronicle of Chico Mendes, one of the most vocal rainforest activists of Brazil. he was assassinated in 1988 for simply wanting a better life for his fellow rubber tappers.
in the first fifty pages of the book, the author gives a brief history of the rubber industry in Brazil and how hordes of people were drawn to Amazonia in hopes of 'slaving' for a couple years and returning home with enough to retire on. of course, that's the same parallel story of the American gold rush. the gov't wants to populate some of the wild, uncharted lands. sounds good. however, only in the most idealistic manner. no ever tells these prospectors that they'll be victimized by corrupt bosses...may perish from disease...or even survive the trek there.
and after reading some of the accounts of old prospectors and the corrupt practices of land grabbers, i can see why socialism is so appealing to poverty stricken populations. these poor people dream of being equal, working hard, and having something to show for all that sweat. now, we all know that socialism would be a good model of government if everyone were honest and bureaucracy didn't exist. however, it has failed miserably in every attempt because of some greedy motherfuckers. but hey, it's just a fatal flaw of the human race.
it makes me want to rant BIG time. in fact, i just erased half this posting because i went off on a lotta topics...and starting making no sense whatsoever ;) so, i think i'll just finish the book and see if i can rent the movie (that was adapted from the book, The Burning Season.
what am i blogging for...i got readin' to do! or sleepin' ;)
the book that i've been reading here and there is "The World Is Burning"...it's a chronicle of Chico Mendes, one of the most vocal rainforest activists of Brazil. he was assassinated in 1988 for simply wanting a better life for his fellow rubber tappers.
in the first fifty pages of the book, the author gives a brief history of the rubber industry in Brazil and how hordes of people were drawn to Amazonia in hopes of 'slaving' for a couple years and returning home with enough to retire on. of course, that's the same parallel story of the American gold rush. the gov't wants to populate some of the wild, uncharted lands. sounds good. however, only in the most idealistic manner. no ever tells these prospectors that they'll be victimized by corrupt bosses...may perish from disease...or even survive the trek there.
and after reading some of the accounts of old prospectors and the corrupt practices of land grabbers, i can see why socialism is so appealing to poverty stricken populations. these poor people dream of being equal, working hard, and having something to show for all that sweat. now, we all know that socialism would be a good model of government if everyone were honest and bureaucracy didn't exist. however, it has failed miserably in every attempt because of some greedy motherfuckers. but hey, it's just a fatal flaw of the human race.
it makes me want to rant BIG time. in fact, i just erased half this posting because i went off on a lotta topics...and starting making no sense whatsoever ;) so, i think i'll just finish the book and see if i can rent the movie (that was adapted from the book, The Burning Season.
what am i blogging for...i got readin' to do! or sleepin' ;)
Monday, February 16, 2004
more food...
went to brunch at Pete's Greektown Cafe today. once in a while, ya just gotta have gyros, eggs, and hash browns (or fries, in my case). it should be a mandatory meal every month ;)
it had been some time since we had last eaten there. for one, the ventilation system is not very effective; non-smoking isn't that much different than smoking. ah well. we go for the food and nostalgia. see, this restaurant was a Sambo's in the seventies. in fact, not much of the original place was changed. the roughly hewn rock at the entrance, ancient cash register, wood laminate tables, light fixtures, counter - everything is 30-50 years old. our parents would sometimes take us there to eat as kids. i remember their kids' pancakes with chocolate chips...the blue t-shirts that they sold, with the Sambo tiger in tights and caped regalia...hah
oh yeah. in the seventies, there was also a Red Barn across the street. anyone remember their fried chicken? better than the colonel's... sure, it has been over twenty years since both Sambo's and Red Barn disappeared from the restaurant radar, but good memories linger. so we were quite stunned to look across the way and find out that the old Red Barn building has been transformed into a *$$. whoa! it's gotta be one of the first ones on Colfax...weird.
it had been some time since we had last eaten there. for one, the ventilation system is not very effective; non-smoking isn't that much different than smoking. ah well. we go for the food and nostalgia. see, this restaurant was a Sambo's in the seventies. in fact, not much of the original place was changed. the roughly hewn rock at the entrance, ancient cash register, wood laminate tables, light fixtures, counter - everything is 30-50 years old. our parents would sometimes take us there to eat as kids. i remember their kids' pancakes with chocolate chips...the blue t-shirts that they sold, with the Sambo tiger in tights and caped regalia...hah
oh yeah. in the seventies, there was also a Red Barn across the street. anyone remember their fried chicken? better than the colonel's... sure, it has been over twenty years since both Sambo's and Red Barn disappeared from the restaurant radar, but good memories linger. so we were quite stunned to look across the way and find out that the old Red Barn building has been transformed into a *$$. whoa! it's gotta be one of the first ones on Colfax...weird.
mmmm...
chocolate truffles! lois got me a box of 'em and a T*rget gift card for Valentine's Day. OMG, the truffles are massive! they're about twice the size of the ones that she brought home around xmas. and they're from the same company. geez, these are almost golf ball sized!!! can you believe it...i'm actually rationing myself to one a day. hey, something's gotta be said for self control ;)
see? i'm very good. i didn't even buy her any candy, which, by the way, she has been swearing off since November anyway. if i had gotten her candy, she would've made me eat it - not entirely a bad idea.
nope. instead, i got tix to Thoroughly Modern Millie, which is coming to DCPA (Buell Theatre) in early march. ever see the movie? it was made in 1967 and stars Julie Andrews, Mary Tyler Moore, and Carol Channing.
really campy...and one of lois' favorite movies.
got some really fab seats in the orchestra section, row M...that's one row above eye level...get to see everything. ya know, front row is not the best seat in the house when it comes to theatre productions. that means a lotta looking up at the performers, missing out on some set detail, cast in the back, and an eventual appointment with the chiropractor later in the week ;)
see? i'm very good. i didn't even buy her any candy, which, by the way, she has been swearing off since November anyway. if i had gotten her candy, she would've made me eat it - not entirely a bad idea.
nope. instead, i got tix to Thoroughly Modern Millie, which is coming to DCPA (Buell Theatre) in early march. ever see the movie? it was made in 1967 and stars Julie Andrews, Mary Tyler Moore, and Carol Channing.
really campy...and one of lois' favorite movies.
got some really fab seats in the orchestra section, row M...that's one row above eye level...get to see everything. ya know, front row is not the best seat in the house when it comes to theatre productions. that means a lotta looking up at the performers, missing out on some set detail, cast in the back, and an eventual appointment with the chiropractor later in the week ;)
wow...
i was just informed today that my oldest niece is going to get married this summer. this is too surreal. it's hard enough to believe that she just turned twenty less than a month ago. and now this...
she's a really good kid...fiercely independent...very artistic...totally responsible...entirely selfless. and in a few months, she'll be extremely married ;) good for her.
it seems like yesterday when she was at our house, celebrating her mom and grandma's birthdays (both born 2/26). i was probably fifteen or sixteen (which would have made her two or three years old)...i remember her coming up to me and saying, "IT'S THEIR BIRTHDAY UNCLE BONSOU!!!"
WTF? Bonsou? i have no idea how you can get bonsou from spencer... maybe that's what 'spencer' turns into in a fit of unbridled excitement ;)
anyway, uncle bonsou hopes that the wedding is after June 8th...
she's a really good kid...fiercely independent...very artistic...totally responsible...entirely selfless. and in a few months, she'll be extremely married ;) good for her.
it seems like yesterday when she was at our house, celebrating her mom and grandma's birthdays (both born 2/26). i was probably fifteen or sixteen (which would have made her two or three years old)...i remember her coming up to me and saying, "IT'S THEIR BIRTHDAY UNCLE BONSOU!!!"
WTF? Bonsou? i have no idea how you can get bonsou from spencer... maybe that's what 'spencer' turns into in a fit of unbridled excitement ;)
anyway, uncle bonsou hopes that the wedding is after June 8th...
Saturday, February 14, 2004
¡guácala!
means 'gross' in spanish...pronounced GWA-ca-la...easy on the 'g' though. best used when you're ready to say 'eeeewwwww' in english.
this came to mind because of Rachel's 'beer fart' tag. kinda funny though. makes me think of one of my college roommates, Scott. every time we were gettin' crazy with the alcohol...and he had to shoot a bunny...he'd run to the door or wall and try to plant one real good. sometimes too good. it was like shooting a gas cannon; when that boy shot bunnies, he'd bring a double barreled shotgun...with a hole to match ;)
of course, now that we're on the subject of stupid things you do when the beer takes over yer mind... i'm gonna tell you about how i nearly missed an art history final.
ya see, someone had rented a bus, gotten two kegs of beast (Milwaukee's Best), and planned a road trip to Royals stadium for a game between the Kansas City Royals and the Milwaukee Brewers...for 55 guys. well, the day of the game, much of Missouri had been under some serious rain. so, only sixteen of us decided to make the trip...but with the bus and kegs intact. and we all know that two kegs for sixteen college guys spells 't-r-o-u-b-l-e.'
well, i remember filling my 16 oz. tumbler (can't have it too big...gotta keep the beer flowin' cold) up to the keg - twelve times on the way to the stadium, which is less than two hours west of Columbia. yep, when we got to the parking lot, my middle name was 'sheeyit-faced.' or was it 'bloated bladder'?
i stumbled off the bus with my two roommates and actually made it into the stadium. either the security didn't care that i was drunker than Dean M*rtin or i was doin' some Academy Award winning material, 'CAUSE I WAS SLOSHED.'
we trudged up to the third level, where our seats were and looked out into the cold downpour; there was just a handful of people braving it. and there were SO many good seats that weren't filled.
as the brilliant students we perceived ourselves to be, we knew that we could go down to the first level and pretty much take our pick of prime seats. after all, it looked like the attendance for the game (if they just had a rain delay) might not even top out at 10,000, which was nothing, considering the capacity of Royals Stadium is around 41,000.
however, before we sauntered down there to select our 'seats with a view,' i decided to challenge Steve (who lived upstairs) to a race down the corridor, towards the escalators. he said 'let's do it!' thing is, while i was saying 'ready...set...go' i had already taken off before 'go.' I WUZ GONE!
so, i raced down the dark corridor with steve in hot pursuit. i remember cackling the whole time and looking back to see his face when i went from dry pavement in the corridor to SLICK pavement outside. yep...
i totally bit it...my feet came up from under me and i must've slid on my tailbone for a good twelve or fifteen feet (bouncing three or four times too), stopping about fifteen feet from the top of the escalator. good thing i didn't wipe out anyone else - woulda been ug-lee. and steve? his cowboy boot wearin' ass did the same thing and came to a stop about a second later...RIGHT next to me. yeah, stopped his yuk yukkin' too.
thoroughly embarrassed, we sheepishly scraped our asses off the pavement and found some killer seats downstairs. funny, i don't remember the searing pain of sitting down; the beer was such an effective numbing agent. we got through the rain delay...the game didn't start 'til after 9:00 and ended about 12:45. btw, just for the record, the Royals lost.
we made it back to Columbia and i nearly died from the evil pain. i did nothing but whimper the next day. my roommate said the bruise looked like someone had glued a ripe avocado on my tailbone...yeah, picture that!
luckily, i had a day in between the baseball game fiasco and my Delacroix art final. still, i don't think i ever finished a final SO fast in my life. i was twitching, tossing, and just about crying in that damn seat. i know everyone was labeling me as the new poster boy for hemorrhoids. really, i should've had someone take my picture when i turned that test in...i must've looked like some addict who had accidentally flushed his crack pipe down the toilet. oh man, that pain was tremendous!!!
and here i sit, 13.5 years later...telling the world about it. that's cool though...i still get a good laugh out of it :)
beer farts...feh
this came to mind because of Rachel's 'beer fart' tag. kinda funny though. makes me think of one of my college roommates, Scott. every time we were gettin' crazy with the alcohol...and he had to shoot a bunny...he'd run to the door or wall and try to plant one real good. sometimes too good. it was like shooting a gas cannon; when that boy shot bunnies, he'd bring a double barreled shotgun...with a hole to match ;)
of course, now that we're on the subject of stupid things you do when the beer takes over yer mind... i'm gonna tell you about how i nearly missed an art history final.
ya see, someone had rented a bus, gotten two kegs of beast (Milwaukee's Best), and planned a road trip to Royals stadium for a game between the Kansas City Royals and the Milwaukee Brewers...for 55 guys. well, the day of the game, much of Missouri had been under some serious rain. so, only sixteen of us decided to make the trip...but with the bus and kegs intact. and we all know that two kegs for sixteen college guys spells 't-r-o-u-b-l-e.'
well, i remember filling my 16 oz. tumbler (can't have it too big...gotta keep the beer flowin' cold) up to the keg - twelve times on the way to the stadium, which is less than two hours west of Columbia. yep, when we got to the parking lot, my middle name was 'sheeyit-faced.' or was it 'bloated bladder'?
i stumbled off the bus with my two roommates and actually made it into the stadium. either the security didn't care that i was drunker than Dean M*rtin or i was doin' some Academy Award winning material, 'CAUSE I WAS SLOSHED.'
we trudged up to the third level, where our seats were and looked out into the cold downpour; there was just a handful of people braving it. and there were SO many good seats that weren't filled.
as the brilliant students we perceived ourselves to be, we knew that we could go down to the first level and pretty much take our pick of prime seats. after all, it looked like the attendance for the game (if they just had a rain delay) might not even top out at 10,000, which was nothing, considering the capacity of Royals Stadium is around 41,000.
however, before we sauntered down there to select our 'seats with a view,' i decided to challenge Steve (who lived upstairs) to a race down the corridor, towards the escalators. he said 'let's do it!' thing is, while i was saying 'ready...set...go' i had already taken off before 'go.' I WUZ GONE!
so, i raced down the dark corridor with steve in hot pursuit. i remember cackling the whole time and looking back to see his face when i went from dry pavement in the corridor to SLICK pavement outside. yep...
i totally bit it...my feet came up from under me and i must've slid on my tailbone for a good twelve or fifteen feet (bouncing three or four times too), stopping about fifteen feet from the top of the escalator. good thing i didn't wipe out anyone else - woulda been ug-lee. and steve? his cowboy boot wearin' ass did the same thing and came to a stop about a second later...RIGHT next to me. yeah, stopped his yuk yukkin' too.
thoroughly embarrassed, we sheepishly scraped our asses off the pavement and found some killer seats downstairs. funny, i don't remember the searing pain of sitting down; the beer was such an effective numbing agent. we got through the rain delay...the game didn't start 'til after 9:00 and ended about 12:45. btw, just for the record, the Royals lost.
we made it back to Columbia and i nearly died from the evil pain. i did nothing but whimper the next day. my roommate said the bruise looked like someone had glued a ripe avocado on my tailbone...yeah, picture that!
luckily, i had a day in between the baseball game fiasco and my Delacroix art final. still, i don't think i ever finished a final SO fast in my life. i was twitching, tossing, and just about crying in that damn seat. i know everyone was labeling me as the new poster boy for hemorrhoids. really, i should've had someone take my picture when i turned that test in...i must've looked like some addict who had accidentally flushed his crack pipe down the toilet. oh man, that pain was tremendous!!!
and here i sit, 13.5 years later...telling the world about it. that's cool though...i still get a good laugh out of it :)
beer farts...feh
wha???
my tongue hurts. it has been a bit swollen on the left side for a couple days now. i don't know what i did to it, but it seems to bump my bottom left teeth when i stick it out. guess it's time for a trip to the acupuncturist... she just got back from a three week trip back home in Kunming, which is SW China. isn't it Boulder's Chinese sister city?
went out tonight with our friend, Regina. she's so cool...we simply adore her.
we had dinner at El Trapiche, a Colombian/Venezuelan restaurant that's way out east...on Colfax and Chambers. we luu-uuv their food! it's just a simple hole in the wall place...in a non-descript strip mall. it's owned by two couples. the two men who run the dining room are from Cali and Medellin. i know the lady who does most the cooking is Venezuelan and is married to the guy from Medellin, who totally reminds me of the Spanish professor i had for Advanced Composition in college. he was Cuban though ;) really, if you gave him a slightly deeper voice and a pair o' glasses, he'd be the spittin' image...
anyway, lois had pork chops (chuleta de cerdo)...i had the creole style skirt steak (sobrebarriga a la criolla) and regina had the pabellon criollo (which is the national dish of Venezuela; shredded beef, black beans, rice, fried plantain, and an arepa). man, it was so mouthwatering good! this was the first time that i had the sobrebarriga (funny, in spanish, this translates to 'over the bellybutton'). although it was really tender (the meat is the same as the pabellon...you just get more) and filling, i think i'll stick to the Bandeja Paisa. it's the national dish of Colombia and consists of red beans, rice, avocado, plantain, chicharron, chorizo, a fried egg, and the same shredded beef. i could easily OD on this dish ;) i don't see how this resembles the national flag (bandeja paisa) of Colombia at all though. maybe that's what the food would look like if i OD'd on it and barfed it out :P
it was an international night. not only did we have cuisine from two countries, we had beer from three ;) lois had a Club Colombia...i had some Cerveza Pilsener (think Ecuadorean Budweiser)...and regina had a Polar (Venezuelan). thank god for different beers! although i think Corona commercials are cute, i can't stand American brewed Corona...bleah. Mexican brewed Corona tastes better. hell, i can think of ten or twelve Mexican brands that are WAY better than Corona. go get a six pack of Bohemia or Sol and tell me what you think ;) if you like dark beer, see if you can find Noche Buena ('poinsettia' in spanish)...mmmm. i know the Great American Beer Store on west alameda carried it a few years ago. ooh, Indio is really good too...but you can only get it in the Bajio states of Mexico (Guanajuato, Michoacan, Aguascalientes, Jalisco).
yawn...well, maybe a boring post is better than no post at all. maybe.
went out tonight with our friend, Regina. she's so cool...we simply adore her.
we had dinner at El Trapiche, a Colombian/Venezuelan restaurant that's way out east...on Colfax and Chambers. we luu-uuv their food! it's just a simple hole in the wall place...in a non-descript strip mall. it's owned by two couples. the two men who run the dining room are from Cali and Medellin. i know the lady who does most the cooking is Venezuelan and is married to the guy from Medellin, who totally reminds me of the Spanish professor i had for Advanced Composition in college. he was Cuban though ;) really, if you gave him a slightly deeper voice and a pair o' glasses, he'd be the spittin' image...
anyway, lois had pork chops (chuleta de cerdo)...i had the creole style skirt steak (sobrebarriga a la criolla) and regina had the pabellon criollo (which is the national dish of Venezuela; shredded beef, black beans, rice, fried plantain, and an arepa). man, it was so mouthwatering good! this was the first time that i had the sobrebarriga (funny, in spanish, this translates to 'over the bellybutton'). although it was really tender (the meat is the same as the pabellon...you just get more) and filling, i think i'll stick to the Bandeja Paisa. it's the national dish of Colombia and consists of red beans, rice, avocado, plantain, chicharron, chorizo, a fried egg, and the same shredded beef. i could easily OD on this dish ;) i don't see how this resembles the national flag (bandeja paisa) of Colombia at all though. maybe that's what the food would look like if i OD'd on it and barfed it out :P
it was an international night. not only did we have cuisine from two countries, we had beer from three ;) lois had a Club Colombia...i had some Cerveza Pilsener (think Ecuadorean Budweiser)...and regina had a Polar (Venezuelan). thank god for different beers! although i think Corona commercials are cute, i can't stand American brewed Corona...bleah. Mexican brewed Corona tastes better. hell, i can think of ten or twelve Mexican brands that are WAY better than Corona. go get a six pack of Bohemia or Sol and tell me what you think ;) if you like dark beer, see if you can find Noche Buena ('poinsettia' in spanish)...mmmm. i know the Great American Beer Store on west alameda carried it a few years ago. ooh, Indio is really good too...but you can only get it in the Bajio states of Mexico (Guanajuato, Michoacan, Aguascalientes, Jalisco).
yawn...well, maybe a boring post is better than no post at all. maybe.
Wednesday, February 11, 2004
humph...
although i may be prepared for certain occasions or travel notes, i am NOT prepared to go downtown tonight. we're supposed to meet our friends, Russ and Sandy, for dinner tonight at Samba Room (sumpin' that Monte Vista doesn't have - Cuban cuisine)...our treat...it's his birthday. unfortunately, we probably shouldn't put it off...since his b-day was monday and they postponed the thing yesterday. but still, this cold and snow is just putting a blah on everything...
it should be good though...even fun. ya see, Russ and Sandy were my first regular customers when i worked at the Harvest - sorry, Lowa and Denny. i guess they're the jewish godparents i never had ;) we share the same penchant for good food and art house movies... oh yeah, he likes photography too. in fact, they even gave me a Yashica T-4 as a 'tip' once.
i know you're saying, 'huh.' or WTF?!? well, the Yashica T-4 is considered to be one of the best point-and-shoot cameras ever to be manufactured. they stopped making my version about a few years ago...but for $180 this camera rivaled other high end models like the Contax T2, which costs around $550-$650. of the 1200 or so photos i've taken with this baby, i've been happy with at least 95% of 'em. you can't say that about all cameras, that's fer shure.
they're just good people...everyone should surround themselves with people like them; it makes life more fun interesting. i know i'm very fortunate to have all the good people in my life...driving 217 miles or through cold and snow make it all the more worthwhile.
okay, good people...gotta go!
it should be good though...even fun. ya see, Russ and Sandy were my first regular customers when i worked at the Harvest - sorry, Lowa and Denny. i guess they're the jewish godparents i never had ;) we share the same penchant for good food and art house movies... oh yeah, he likes photography too. in fact, they even gave me a Yashica T-4 as a 'tip' once.
i know you're saying, 'huh.' or WTF?!? well, the Yashica T-4 is considered to be one of the best point-and-shoot cameras ever to be manufactured. they stopped making my version about a few years ago...but for $180 this camera rivaled other high end models like the Contax T2, which costs around $550-$650. of the 1200 or so photos i've taken with this baby, i've been happy with at least 95% of 'em. you can't say that about all cameras, that's fer shure.
they're just good people...everyone should surround themselves with people like them; it makes life more fun interesting. i know i'm very fortunate to have all the good people in my life...driving 217 miles or through cold and snow make it all the more worthwhile.
okay, good people...gotta go!
there ya go...
i've been going through some stuff and found a huge cache of assorted greeting cards and postcards...to the tune of 110. yep, i've collected some 59 cards over the last 15 years or so that i have meant to send...but never did. i'd say about 15 of 'em are addressed or directed to someone. you name it, there's Easter, Valentine, Get Well, Birthday, Anniversary, Bon Voyage, Graduation, Miss You/Thinking of You, Thank You, and even a Christmas card...in Swedish!
the 51 postcards are a jumble too. more than half of 'em are from Mexico, Peru, Guatemala, Colorado, Washington D.C., San Francisco, Las Vegas, and New Orleans. unfortunately, some of the cool ones are already addressed to people that i am no longer in contact (with). i think it's time to put those in a photo album...
well, at least i'm prepared for something :) now, where are those stamps?
the 51 postcards are a jumble too. more than half of 'em are from Mexico, Peru, Guatemala, Colorado, Washington D.C., San Francisco, Las Vegas, and New Orleans. unfortunately, some of the cool ones are already addressed to people that i am no longer in contact (with). i think it's time to put those in a photo album...
well, at least i'm prepared for something :) now, where are those stamps?
Monday, February 09, 2004
well...
we're back. what a freakin' great time we had in Monte Vista. it had been at least a couple, if not a few, years since i had seen Denny and Laura last!
denny was right in his last post about the beauty of blogging. even though it had been some time since we had visited (face-to-face), our blogs kept us up-to-date; peeling away the years of 'separation.' god, i love these people!
also saw Di for the first time in probably seven years...she's as cute as ever. must get it from Emma ;) and, of course, meeting Emmathecharmer was such a highlight of the trip. i don't want this to sound pedophilic, but that little one is PONY-LICIOUS.
we arrived friday afternoon - perfect day for the drive down 285 - and checked in at the Comfort Inn that's less than two blocks away from Lowa and Denny. rested a bit and headed over to Boyd and Joyce's house. they're friends of lois whom she had met on a trip to Maracaibo, Venezuela, when she served as a mission group's Spanish translator.
they're a cute older (but once TOTAL flowerchildren) couple originally from the Berkeley area. boyd is a retired pediatrician...joyce is the pastor for the Methodist church in monte vista. they just moved there a couple years ago, after living in Conifer for about fifteen years.
we met them at their house, which is just two blocks north of Di's. they gave us a tour of their 1884 abode and of the church before we walked on over for dinner at the Monte Villa Hotel...which was okay. i don't know why some Monte Vistans believe this place to be so great. the decor is nice...and the general service was friendly...but the food is average...and the manager of the restaurant is a total bitch. i think one visit was enough for me...
saturday was quite busy. we grabbed a bite to eat at the Mountain View Restaurant...washed the car (even though i almost broke my neck nearly falling on the ice ;)...had snax and coffee w/ the Murphy clan and their Wallace slave-boy at the Corner Merc...swung by a house on Stallo to see a really cool greenhouse and some boisterous (but funlovin') dawgs...stuffed ourselves at Nino's (sorry your sopaipilla was greasy Lowa :(...and spent some time at Crys and Pablo's house, which has a woodburning stove that we would kill for...and called it a night. i guess our Scrabble night will have to wait for the next visit either here or there.
sunday was just breakfast at the Kelloff's (Lowa is SO right about their mouthwatering waffles...sigh) and the drive back to Denver. this time, we took 160 to Walsenburg and I-25. although not as pretty a drive as 285 and a bit longer, it was still nice to stop in Tes' for a cheeseburger, burrito smothered in green, and a twist cone. i learned about ten years ago that the only worthwhile places to grab a bite to eat in Walsenburg are Tes' and the Pizza Hut (i swear it's the best one in colorado!) right off the highway.
thanks guys for such a fantastic time! hopefully we can get together more than every couple years from now on, eh :)
now...it's off to the store. we ain't got one fresh veggie in the house. and you can eat only so much canned...
denny was right in his last post about the beauty of blogging. even though it had been some time since we had visited (face-to-face), our blogs kept us up-to-date; peeling away the years of 'separation.' god, i love these people!
also saw Di for the first time in probably seven years...she's as cute as ever. must get it from Emma ;) and, of course, meeting Emmathecharmer was such a highlight of the trip. i don't want this to sound pedophilic, but that little one is PONY-LICIOUS.
we arrived friday afternoon - perfect day for the drive down 285 - and checked in at the Comfort Inn that's less than two blocks away from Lowa and Denny. rested a bit and headed over to Boyd and Joyce's house. they're friends of lois whom she had met on a trip to Maracaibo, Venezuela, when she served as a mission group's Spanish translator.
they're a cute older (but once TOTAL flowerchildren) couple originally from the Berkeley area. boyd is a retired pediatrician...joyce is the pastor for the Methodist church in monte vista. they just moved there a couple years ago, after living in Conifer for about fifteen years.
we met them at their house, which is just two blocks north of Di's. they gave us a tour of their 1884 abode and of the church before we walked on over for dinner at the Monte Villa Hotel...which was okay. i don't know why some Monte Vistans believe this place to be so great. the decor is nice...and the general service was friendly...but the food is average...and the manager of the restaurant is a total bitch. i think one visit was enough for me...
saturday was quite busy. we grabbed a bite to eat at the Mountain View Restaurant...washed the car (even though i almost broke my neck nearly falling on the ice ;)...had snax and coffee w/ the Murphy clan and their Wallace slave-boy at the Corner Merc...swung by a house on Stallo to see a really cool greenhouse and some boisterous (but funlovin') dawgs...stuffed ourselves at Nino's (sorry your sopaipilla was greasy Lowa :(...and spent some time at Crys and Pablo's house, which has a woodburning stove that we would kill for...and called it a night. i guess our Scrabble night will have to wait for the next visit either here or there.
sunday was just breakfast at the Kelloff's (Lowa is SO right about their mouthwatering waffles...sigh) and the drive back to Denver. this time, we took 160 to Walsenburg and I-25. although not as pretty a drive as 285 and a bit longer, it was still nice to stop in Tes' for a cheeseburger, burrito smothered in green, and a twist cone. i learned about ten years ago that the only worthwhile places to grab a bite to eat in Walsenburg are Tes' and the Pizza Hut (i swear it's the best one in colorado!) right off the highway.
thanks guys for such a fantastic time! hopefully we can get together more than every couple years from now on, eh :)
now...it's off to the store. we ain't got one fresh veggie in the house. and you can eat only so much canned...
Friday, February 06, 2004
before i go to bed...
you must all read today's Pearls Before Swine. poor pig...so ingenuous...but ya gotta love him! he never hurts anyone but himself :)
cyclical or linear?
time, people. something that we either have too much of or, usually, too little. recently, i was rummaging through some stuff in my parent's basement and found a 1980 calendar that was probably my brother's (Steve). curious, i brought out the almanac and looked at the perpetual calendars. turns out that the 1980 calendar, will repeat itself in 2008; all leap year calendars repeat every 28 years. therefore, if you had an old 1976 calendar hanging around, it would be the same exact one used for this year and in 2032.
the perpetual calendar is quite a neat tool to have. by looking up a year, you can find the corresponding designated calendar. and although i'm probably the only person who makes use of them on occasion, it's most useful to find the day of significant events.
for example, i can tell you that the year i was born (1970), was a #5 on the perpetual calendar list...which, btw, will be coming up in 2009. anyway, i was born on a monday (June 15th). lessee here...
12/7/41...bombing of Pearl H*rbor. #4 calendar. happened on a sunday. course, that was a strategic tactic on the behalf of the Japanese bombers, to catch 'em off guard while the servicemen were off duty...picnicking with their families.
3/24/89...grounding of the Exxon Valdez oil tanker (which is not the largest oil spill by far, just in U.S. history). #1 calendar. happened on a friday.
1/17/95...Kobe, Japan earthquake. #1 calendar. happened on early tuesday (Japan), but it was a monday here since Japan is 15-18 hours ahead of the entire USA. hell, you didn't need a perpetual calendar...i coulda told you what day that happened ;)
4/20/99...Columb*ne rampage. #6 calendar. happened on a tuesday. bet you can recall what you were doing the exact moment you heard the news (me? i was standing next to the bread warmers at the Harvest, when our manager, Nikki, told us what she just heard on the radio). quite similar to the generation before us and their memories of the JFK assassination.
9/11/01...this is the December 7th of our generation. #2 calendar. another tuesday. and just a few days before i was supposed to go to Bolivia. surprisingly, actually got out on the right plane (without cancellations)...after spending three hours in line, just to get to the dang ticket counter.
and now that i've lost the remainder of my 'loyal' readers with this posting...
i forgot to mention that there are 14 different calendars that make it perpetual. #1-#7 repeat in six or eleven year intervals. basically, if the year repeats in six years, it will repeat in two eleven year intervals before it repeats in six again. of course, 6+11+11=28...just like the leap years (i.e., calendars #8-#14) repeating in 28-year intervals.
now, there should be a small asterisk next to all that i have said because based on the Gregorian calendar formula, there are century years as well. this goofy year is thrown in to balance out all those freaky quarter days that the earth gets on its axis (kinda like mileage). century years are years that are only divisible by 400...like 1600, 2000, 2400, etc. basically, by having a century year thrown in (it's still a leap year), it eliminates three leap years in a 400 year period...somehow straightening out all those 365 days and 5 hours and 48 minute (a true solar year) rotations. damn, this has my head spinning now.
so, with the century year, there will be a twelve year skip in the 6+11+11 interval. as for the leap years, it messes them up too. three of the seven leap years come back in twelve (#9,#11,#13 on the perpetual) and the other four (#8,#10,#12,#14) are extended to a 40 year interval before returning to the 28 year pattern. luckily, it only happens every 400 years... maybe a mathematician has collaborated with a computer programmer and figured out the whole pattern by now.
looks like calendar tinkering is much more work than we can imagine. hell, it's so easy to take it for granted and just buy that cute puppy calendar...or the Sports Illustr*ted Sw*msuit calendar...or the latest Far Side planner.
it works fairly well though. if you look at other ancient calendar systems (e.g., Egyptian or Julian), they weren't so easily transitional. the Egyptians knew that the earth year was 365.24 days, but they chose to have a 360 day calendar and have a leap year every 1460 years, to even things out. this meant that they had a precisely correct calendar only every 1460 years. 'course, even if you lived to be 100...you were just 25 days off ;) nevertheless, if we implemented their system, that would mean 730 years of opposite seasons. like it matters when your body has already been reduced to microdust.
so, even though we Americans and much of the western world tend to run on a linear system of thought and calendrics, things really are cyclical. after all, what goes around...
back to time on our hands...either too little or too much...guess which one i had in composing this post?
bet you won't come back for a week... shee-yit, i'm so confused that i may not blog for longer than that ;)
the perpetual calendar is quite a neat tool to have. by looking up a year, you can find the corresponding designated calendar. and although i'm probably the only person who makes use of them on occasion, it's most useful to find the day of significant events.
for example, i can tell you that the year i was born (1970), was a #5 on the perpetual calendar list...which, btw, will be coming up in 2009. anyway, i was born on a monday (June 15th). lessee here...
12/7/41...bombing of Pearl H*rbor. #4 calendar. happened on a sunday. course, that was a strategic tactic on the behalf of the Japanese bombers, to catch 'em off guard while the servicemen were off duty...picnicking with their families.
3/24/89...grounding of the Exxon Valdez oil tanker (which is not the largest oil spill by far, just in U.S. history). #1 calendar. happened on a friday.
1/17/95...Kobe, Japan earthquake. #1 calendar. happened on early tuesday (Japan), but it was a monday here since Japan is 15-18 hours ahead of the entire USA. hell, you didn't need a perpetual calendar...i coulda told you what day that happened ;)
4/20/99...Columb*ne rampage. #6 calendar. happened on a tuesday. bet you can recall what you were doing the exact moment you heard the news (me? i was standing next to the bread warmers at the Harvest, when our manager, Nikki, told us what she just heard on the radio). quite similar to the generation before us and their memories of the JFK assassination.
9/11/01...this is the December 7th of our generation. #2 calendar. another tuesday. and just a few days before i was supposed to go to Bolivia. surprisingly, actually got out on the right plane (without cancellations)...after spending three hours in line, just to get to the dang ticket counter.
and now that i've lost the remainder of my 'loyal' readers with this posting...
i forgot to mention that there are 14 different calendars that make it perpetual. #1-#7 repeat in six or eleven year intervals. basically, if the year repeats in six years, it will repeat in two eleven year intervals before it repeats in six again. of course, 6+11+11=28...just like the leap years (i.e., calendars #8-#14) repeating in 28-year intervals.
now, there should be a small asterisk next to all that i have said because based on the Gregorian calendar formula, there are century years as well. this goofy year is thrown in to balance out all those freaky quarter days that the earth gets on its axis (kinda like mileage). century years are years that are only divisible by 400...like 1600, 2000, 2400, etc. basically, by having a century year thrown in (it's still a leap year), it eliminates three leap years in a 400 year period...somehow straightening out all those 365 days and 5 hours and 48 minute (a true solar year) rotations. damn, this has my head spinning now.
so, with the century year, there will be a twelve year skip in the 6+11+11 interval. as for the leap years, it messes them up too. three of the seven leap years come back in twelve (#9,#11,#13 on the perpetual) and the other four (#8,#10,#12,#14) are extended to a 40 year interval before returning to the 28 year pattern. luckily, it only happens every 400 years... maybe a mathematician has collaborated with a computer programmer and figured out the whole pattern by now.
looks like calendar tinkering is much more work than we can imagine. hell, it's so easy to take it for granted and just buy that cute puppy calendar...or the Sports Illustr*ted Sw*msuit calendar...or the latest Far Side planner.
it works fairly well though. if you look at other ancient calendar systems (e.g., Egyptian or Julian), they weren't so easily transitional. the Egyptians knew that the earth year was 365.24 days, but they chose to have a 360 day calendar and have a leap year every 1460 years, to even things out. this meant that they had a precisely correct calendar only every 1460 years. 'course, even if you lived to be 100...you were just 25 days off ;) nevertheless, if we implemented their system, that would mean 730 years of opposite seasons. like it matters when your body has already been reduced to microdust.
so, even though we Americans and much of the western world tend to run on a linear system of thought and calendrics, things really are cyclical. after all, what goes around...
back to time on our hands...either too little or too much...guess which one i had in composing this post?
bet you won't come back for a week... shee-yit, i'm so confused that i may not blog for longer than that ;)
Thursday, February 05, 2004
too strong...
i left the tea bag in my mug for just a little too long. bleah. the flavor has imparted a weird, bitterly tannic residue on my tongue. watering it down wouldn't help either. you know, i just want a good cuppatea...sounds like a sorority. *squeal* are you gonna rush for the Kuppa Teas? i don't like the Tri Delt girls, they're bitches!
gawd, i think the bitter flavor has gone to my head as well...
gawd, i think the bitter flavor has gone to my head as well...
Tuesday, February 03, 2004
shoot...
went to Barnes & Noble last night to see if they had done their final reductions on xmas cards... well, looks like i was a bit too late. the $1 display had been decimated, down to a few boxes of Hanukkah cards and three boxes Thomas Kinkade holiday cards - ick.
i know i should have been haunting them all last week, but when i went to check last monday, all the items on the table were still 75% off - not cheap enough. besides, who wants to hear little whispers of, "ooh, there's that weirdo chinese guy who has been coming every night and hanging around the bargain section..."
ah well. i don't know why i'm complaining; i probably have a two year stash of cards at home. maybe it's missing the good buy and saying goodbye instead.
oh yeah, not all was for naught. there were a couple copies of Europe By Train for $1. so i snatched a good copy and also picked up People Almanac 2003 for $3.98. with tax, both books cost me less than $5.50...about $24 less than what i would have paid for them a year ago, when they were 'new'.
all is good in bargain-land...
i know i should have been haunting them all last week, but when i went to check last monday, all the items on the table were still 75% off - not cheap enough. besides, who wants to hear little whispers of, "ooh, there's that weirdo chinese guy who has been coming every night and hanging around the bargain section..."
ah well. i don't know why i'm complaining; i probably have a two year stash of cards at home. maybe it's missing the good buy and saying goodbye instead.
oh yeah, not all was for naught. there were a couple copies of Europe By Train for $1. so i snatched a good copy and also picked up People Almanac 2003 for $3.98. with tax, both books cost me less than $5.50...about $24 less than what i would have paid for them a year ago, when they were 'new'.
all is good in bargain-land...
big trouble...
well, looks like the dogs are gonna be havin' more cookies for awhile. after noshing on the yummy oxtail soup, we gave them a couple of the bones...which they lu-uuv. unfortunately, we forget that the bones and cartilage are a bit rich for their tummies.
of course, Coco barfs up a spot on a throw rug last night and this afternoon, Annie goes on a diarrhea spree on the carpet, right in front of the TV. all this excitement because we like to see them deliriously happy.
feh. it'd be nice to see some miserable dogs here for a bit...
of course, Coco barfs up a spot on a throw rug last night and this afternoon, Annie goes on a diarrhea spree on the carpet, right in front of the TV. all this excitement because we like to see them deliriously happy.
feh. it'd be nice to see some miserable dogs here for a bit...
Sunday, February 01, 2004
speaking of eBay...
i have been bidding on some items (even though i shouldn't be) as of late. in addition to The Golden Child, i was high bidder on a camera and a pair of headphones. i really didn't need them; the lure of the price was too great.
the camera is a Samsung Evoca 115. not a bad camera, retailing for $180-$200. although Samsung stopped making it a couple years ago, it usually got good ratings. well, as you can see in the auction, i got a used one for $25. now, why i bought it...when i've got four other cameras ;)
the headphones are a good deal. i first purchased some Sennheiser HD 340s in 1995, for $60...when they usually sold for $100-$120. so, it's nice to replace my almost worn out pair for $29.30, especially since they're still-in-box new.
i have yet to receive the headphones, but the camera came today. funny, the gal who sold me the camera didn't have a strap nor camera case, but she did include two rolls of 24 exp. 800 speed color print - a nice gesture (even though i mainly shoot slide). guess i gotta find a cheap case and strap on eBay now :)
the camera is a Samsung Evoca 115. not a bad camera, retailing for $180-$200. although Samsung stopped making it a couple years ago, it usually got good ratings. well, as you can see in the auction, i got a used one for $25. now, why i bought it...when i've got four other cameras ;)
the headphones are a good deal. i first purchased some Sennheiser HD 340s in 1995, for $60...when they usually sold for $100-$120. so, it's nice to replace my almost worn out pair for $29.30, especially since they're still-in-box new.
i have yet to receive the headphones, but the camera came today. funny, the gal who sold me the camera didn't have a strap nor camera case, but she did include two rolls of 24 exp. 800 speed color print - a nice gesture (even though i mainly shoot slide). guess i gotta find a cheap case and strap on eBay now :)
ever wax nostalgic...
and later say to yerself, "WHAT WAS I THINKING?!?" well, i found myself in that same situation tonight. recently, i purchased a copy of Eddie Murphy's "The Golden Child" for $0.50 on eBay (course, shipping was $3.00).
i recall seeing this movie as a sixteen year-old and really liking it for its dumb humor. i always thought that it would a good acquisition for my video catalog. unfortunately, seventeen years later, i'm chuckling still, but suffering through some of the movie...especially the 'Beverly Hills Cop/48 Hours/Lethal Weapon-esque mid-80's' soundtrack.
sometimes, memorable movies enjoyed as teenagers...should stay that way ;)
i recall seeing this movie as a sixteen year-old and really liking it for its dumb humor. i always thought that it would a good acquisition for my video catalog. unfortunately, seventeen years later, i'm chuckling still, but suffering through some of the movie...especially the 'Beverly Hills Cop/48 Hours/Lethal Weapon-esque mid-80's' soundtrack.
sometimes, memorable movies enjoyed as teenagers...should stay that way ;)
fork tender...
cold outside? well, sometimes you just gotta make a batch of oxtail soup. yep, been simmering some for about 90 minutes now. probably gonna give it another half hour before i turn it off. it's gotta sit ya know. can't get no fork tender oxtail unless you cook it twice; it always tastes better the second day anyway. so i'll probably cook it for at least another hour tonight, adding the potatoes, celery, and carrots the last half.
funny, there was a time when you could get oxtails for near nothing. my mom and grandmother would make them once or twice a month when i was a kid. however, once the waves of SE Asian immigrants started hitting the USA in the late seventies, oxtail prices literally doubled overnight. all of a sudden, oxtails became a precious commodity for those meat plants. no longer were the Wongs just buying the ugly things, but Nguyens, Les, Yangs, Phams, Nols, Khieus, etc. were flooding local groceries for this once unwanted part...which, btw, run about $4.00/lb. now.
you just can't microwave the things...got a few hours?
short ribs can be a good substitute (at least they're way cheaper), but they can't match the flavor of oxtail...sigh.
funny, there was a time when you could get oxtails for near nothing. my mom and grandmother would make them once or twice a month when i was a kid. however, once the waves of SE Asian immigrants started hitting the USA in the late seventies, oxtail prices literally doubled overnight. all of a sudden, oxtails became a precious commodity for those meat plants. no longer were the Wongs just buying the ugly things, but Nguyens, Les, Yangs, Phams, Nols, Khieus, etc. were flooding local groceries for this once unwanted part...which, btw, run about $4.00/lb. now.
you just can't microwave the things...got a few hours?
short ribs can be a good substitute (at least they're way cheaper), but they can't match the flavor of oxtail...sigh.
such big nuts...
in the caramel corn that i was eating. really good, but really sweet. it didn't help that the almonds and pecans were heavily coated too. almost enough to make yer teeth scream...
$12...yep, you read it right. this canister of tooth killer was purchased from the 2nd grader up the street for his school fundraising. geez, i remember selling candy bars in elementary, thinking that $1 was too much. so now we're blowin' $12-$15 on popcorn! what's up w/ dat?!?
$12...yep, you read it right. this canister of tooth killer was purchased from the 2nd grader up the street for his school fundraising. geez, i remember selling candy bars in elementary, thinking that $1 was too much. so now we're blowin' $12-$15 on popcorn! what's up w/ dat?!?
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