100 words | two truths and a lie.

Last night at work we did trivia night. My team ended up placing in the bottom four, haha oh well. For the icebreaker we played two truths and a lie (give two true statements and a lie and others have to figure out which one’s the lie). Since people I’ve known for years didn’t seem to know, so I figured I might as well leave it here too:

I once had woodstocks deliver pizza through a bathroom window.
I’ve never gotten a traffic ticket before.
I got pulled over once for not stopping at a stop sign on my bike.

100 words | cuckoo for cocoa puffs.

When I was a kid, I was in love with cereal. It didn’t matter if it was lucky charms, kix, cheerios, even corn flakes (except grape nuts… that stuff is bleh). I even had a process: I’d pour half a bowl in some milk, let it sit for a while, then pour the rest of the bowl and mix. I guess I was fascinated with the fact that it could be both mushy and crunchy at the same time (yes... life was simpler back then). These days it’s just plain oatmeal that taste like cardboard… where has that magic gone??

100 words | post-thanksgiving turkeys…

Have you ever seen the Friends episode where Phoebe works at a Christmas tree lot and discovers that unwanted trees go into the chipper? She made a big deal about trees fulfilling their Christmas destiny (I imagine it’d be going to a home and getting decorated). Do thanksgivings turkeys have a similar destiny? I would imagine it would be similar since turkeys would have already been killed and frozen in anticipation for thanksgiving. So what now? Safeway is already having sales on turkeys (seriously… it’s cheaper than rice now…). So… if you feel inclined, go out and buy a turkey.

100 words | chicken soup

Since I’m a bit under the weather, now’s a good time to tell you about the chicken soup my mom used to make when I got sick. Most chicken soups I get from stores have veggies and pasta and taste more or less like campbells. This one’s different. My mom makes one with daikon, wintermelon, onion, and some asian veggies. It comes out a pretty thin and low in sodium that you can pretty much drink it all day long like water. I kinda wish I had some now… the soup was so lovingly prepared even the chicken gets well.

100 words | black friday shopping

Yesterday I woke up with a sore throat and a stuffy nose, so on my way into work I stopped by target to pick up some Dayquil, cough drops, and Kleenex. Big, big mistake. The crowd in there was nuts. To be honest, I’m not really sure why, they didn’t seem to have anything good anyways (except a fully programmable crockpot… alas I already have a crockpot). It took me thirty minutes just to get through line, and everyone around me was coughing and sneezing as much as me. Never have the words triple ply meant so much to me.

100 words | hallmark, you have gone too far.

I went to the store yesterday to buy my cousin Michelle a birthday card. The birthday card section is split into main “For Him” and “For Her” sections, which is cool, so you can get gender specific cards. Well, above each card there’s a description of the card and who it’s tailored for/ from. They were labeled “For My Mother”, “For My Sister”… and so forth. Well there’s no generic “For Her” or “For My Cousin” card. My choices were sister, mom, wife, grandma, or coworker. I had to go with the most ambiguous one there. Thanks, birthday card writers.

100 words | the one day I can wear flipflops to work :)

No matter what we have going on in our lives, I think we can all agree that we’re nevertheless abundantly blessed and have much to be thankful for. From my point of view, the issues we have in our lives, the relationship dramas, the graduation worries, even the unbearable jobs, are so small compared to what we do have. We are blessed with those relationships in our lives, an available education, and even work. We’re blessed!! So happy thanksgiving!

also if you’re my area feel free to feed me cuz the lunch places around here are closed…

lol just kidding…

a simple thanksgiving plea

(I know I may annoy some people for this but…)

To the Occupy Wall Street/DC/UCD folks,

We live in a country that affords you the right to protest. We live in a society that accepts protesting as a legitimate way of getting your voice heard. We live in an era where public opinion often sides with protesters. We live in a privileged time. We have one of the most advanced healthcare systems in the world. We have a government that allows its citizens to peacefully overthrow the government every four years. As we approach this Thanksgiving Day, do we really need to protest? A financial system that favors a few? A government that is not as transparent as we want? Unfair tuition hikes? These are all first world problems. Please take a world view of your protest before writing up your next picket sign.

To the Occupy Wall Street folks, we have a financial system that has, at its established foundation, a bedrock of property rights. When you sit out in the middle of the field of protest with your blanket and your tent, there is no label or sign saying, this is your tent, or this is your blanket. It is a general understanding between you, the protesters around you, and even the police, that it belongs to you. The police may want you to remove your tent, but the understanding is still there that it is your tent and not theirs. How do you think people in other parts of the world view your protest? Would a person in Somalia, who may have gotten something of his seized by the local warlord, be sympathetic that you’re part of the 99% of Americans and not the 1? As far as he’s concerned, you are the 1% and he is the 99.

To the Occupy DC folks, we live in a place where there exists the rule of law. We have a government that, though imperfect, is working to the larger benefit of its constituents. On the reverse of the Great Seal of the US, there is an unfinished pyramid, the eye of God, and the words Annuit Coeptis (He favors our undertaking). This country is not meant to be finished (or perfect), but it is an undertaking. Yes, protesting does have its part in improving the country, but we must put it into the correct perspective. This Occupy DC movement is no Selma, Alabama. It’s not the million man march. You’re not protesting basic human rights. You’re asking for government transparency. While that may be noble, please put it into a world perspective, after all, your world is bigger than these united states. Shouldn’t we be concerned with getting the less fortunate into a system where they can have the same freedoms you have? Shouldn’t we be concerned with getting others the same right to protest without the fear of harassment and death?

To the Occupy Davis folks, I really don’t know how to express my disappointment. I almost don’t want to admit we have been educated in the same institution. You live in California, and therefore you are heirs to one of the greatest public university systems in the world. You have government subsidized world class education, and you are protesting over the entrance fee? How many people would jump through all kinds of hoops to get in the door of this university system? (BTW I wonder if protesters behind the former iron curtain or in Pinochet’s Chile would classify pepper-spraying as police brutality? We are privileged even in our protests.)

The issues brought forth by the Occupy movement are first world problems. We as a country, look like, to people in other places, to be the elite, unhappy with our trust funds. I’m not here to tell you how to organize your protests; I am here to offer a simple plea: please don’t protest this Thanksgiving. On a day set aside to remember why we are so blessed and fortunate to have what we have, is it really necessary to protest? If you feel you must resume again on 11/25 then so be it, but please please don’t protest this Thanksgiving.

100 words | the garage that scrooge built

This whole week, the traffic on the drive in has been dwindling. On Monday, the traffic seemed fairly normal. By Tuesday, it dropped quite a bit. By today, I80 was relatively deserted, which can easily be explained by the fact that as we get closer to thanksgiving, more people are taking time off to be with their families. This morning it was very empty, until I got to the work garage. This garage was packed, which can really only lead to one conclusion: everyone in Sac is on vacation except for us. And it’s not even Thursday yet. Bah humbug.

100 words | waiting for my world to fall apart at the seams…

This is the worst part, the waiting. The anticipation is killing me. Will it happen?? Or will I be ok? How long will it take? At this point I’m pretty much praying that if the hatchet falls, it be quick and as painless as possible. Last night, when I pulled the trigger on it, I pretty much knew it was a ticking time bomb. Yes, that nine days old box of leftover noodles was a huge risk, but I didn’t feel like cooking. Ahh regrets… now I’m pretty much all in at this point, so we’ll see if I explode...

Turkey No. 82 lives

Saw this story in the davis enterprise this morning. Apparently there was a turkey wandering around south davis for the past two weeks with an arrow shot through it’s posterior. Late last week, the Dept. of Fish and Game captured the turkey #82 (what they named him), anesthetized him, and took him to the UCD teaching hospital where he underwent surgery to get the arrow removed.

It’s funny that at this time of year, where millions of turkeys are killed for the thanksgiving and Christmas season, there are people working this hard to preserve the life and livelihood of this one particular wild turkey. Just out of curiosity, who pays this turkey’s medical bill? Would it be the Dept. of Fish and Game? Or does the UCD vet school shoulder the cost of the surgery?

This story gave me a chuckle this morning. There’s something almost Forrest Gump-esque about this little guy.

Here’s the article if you want to read it in full. Apparently he had a girlfriend too. Way to go, #82!

100 words | the perfect stuffing

Over the weekend, I experimented with a risotto stuffing. While it tasted good, it didn’t quite fit right, and seemed a bit out of place. This got me thinking, what would be the perfect stuffing? The juices from the turkey generally make for a pretty moist stuffing, but what exactly would that be? There are so many different kinds of stuffing. Some do the traditional bread based stuffing. For some, it’s rice based (like asian stuffing). I’ve even seen an all vegetable stuffing (quite good). But what kind would benefit most from turkey juice? I plan on experimenting this week.

100 words | colors of davis

These are pretty cool fall colors right?? I honestly think this is on par with the leaves that change colors in New England and all along the eastern coast. I snapped these shots early this morning on my way to church. Look at all the orange, yellow, and red! Too bad it’s so cold out, makes it tough to enjoy the colors. It’s funny, this year we are actually get all four seasons, with summer being even milder than usual. You know, if mild summers and fall colors are the effects of global warming, then it’s not all that bad.

100 words | Schubert’s miracle

I’ve been listening to ave maria all morning. This is one of those songs which I would only feel comfortable singing in the shower. There’s a particular section of the piece that, well, lets just say unless I turn the water all the way to hot or someone sticks me with a fork, I’m not hitting that note without a pole vault. When sung right (when someone else sings it), it’s actually pretty powerful. There’s a few different versions of the song, but the most common is the one in the video above. Who knew German could sound so good?

coffee shop shenanigans

Since I was super tired this past weekend and visiting my folks on Sunday night, I figured I’d sleep for a bit and drive back up on Monday morning. I left the house at 4:30, and since starbucks didn’t open till 5am, I planned on stopping by the one in Fremont to pick up a double espresso on the way up. As I walked in, a lady ordered a hot mocha, and then proceeded to step outside for a second. I ordered my iced double, and took it over to the condiment bar to get some cream. As I came back to get the straw that I left on the counter, the lady comes back in, runs over to the counter (thinking I’m gonna take her drink), says in a loud voice “This is my drink. Excuse me…isn’t this my drink?!”, proceeds to take both her hot drink and my straw, and sits down, giving me the stink-eye the whole time. Confused and sleepy, I just kind of stood there… hand in the half-reaching position, staring at the spot now vacated by the straw that once sat there. By the time I realized what had happened, the barista had seen what happened, placed another straw in it’s place, and rolled her eyes understandingly as I picked it up and walked out, averting eye contact with the lady that was steadfastly staring me down. By the way, who drinks hot coffee through a straw?!

Ok rant’s over…nothing to see here…have a nice day.

100 words | unqualified

After Wednesday’s small group, I went home and looked up the astronaut candidate posting. I am totally unqualified to travel in space. Apparently you need to be American, have studied engineering, science, or mathematics. (I guess economic research in space isn’t a priority to NASA), and pass a thorough drug test (had a poppyseed muffin today). Plus you need to either know or are willing to study Russian. BTW, educators with K-12 experience are encouraged to apply?! Are they gonna teach kids Russian in space?! Man… I think the only qualification I pass is that I’m the perfect height. Darn.

100 words | november’s ear-crush

Meaghan Smith’s new Christmas album is now available on itunes, and let me tell you… it’s awesome! Well, I’m usually a sucker for Christmas anyways, but you have to hear her sing. I tried to link to a youtube video but blogger app doesn’t really let you (look up her Silver Bells video). Anyways, her voice has this big band era feel to it, like something out of an old rat pack movie, really something you don’t hear these days. She’s almost like a female Michael Bublé (without the Elvis hair). Anyways… check it out if you get the chance.

100 words | Costco milk

Is anybody else besides me skeptical about the fact that you can get little cartons of milk that sit out at room temperature and doesn’t expire for another FOUR MONTHS?! If this really works, without preservatives, how come not all milk comes like this? With regular milk, heaven forbid you leave it out for more than three hours at a time, not even mentioning the fact that if it’s in the fridge for more than a few weeks it turns into cheese. Something’s amiss. As a matter of fact, the whole thing smells a bit fishy. It tastes good though.

100 words | quest for a hobby

Everybody, it seems, has something they do. For some, it’s mountain biking, for others, photography. I have nothing. I don’t snowboard, I don’t take pictures (at least not with any skill), I don’t knit, I don’t even fish regularly, and I think I’ve reached the age where bumming around the house on weekends and being a homebody isn’t cutting it anymore. I would like something. Maybe something out of my home, as long as it’s not woodworking, knitting, or jigsaw puzzles (last one I tried was called “blue sky”). Yes, I need to find something to do. Got any suggestions?

100 words | fear factor potluck?

It’s simple. You bring food items that are weird, look funny, and sound a little questionable (but hopefully safe and edible), and the challenge is to get your friends or coworkers to eat the stuff that you bring. I would imagine someone will end up bringing something uber weird, such as duck tongue or pig butt or something (I think that’s a dish) and there’s the ever looming threat of projectile vomiting at some point during the potluck. If not, I suppose we can just declare that a victory in itself right? Sounds simple enough, anyone want to try this?

100 words | thoughts on nature

Over the course of this weekend I’ve come to realize that, Mother Nature, like certain things in life, is to be admired from afar. If you come too close, or try to get involved, She will cause you to feel pain, to surrender your dignity, and in one particularly disastrous incident, to lose a toenail. Oh yes, she bites. All the great ones know this to be fact. That’s why they write poetry, sing songs, and paint murals. The smart ones do. The other than smart ones climb Everest and are recovered with the spring thaw. Remember, admire from afar.

100 words | coffee gum

Yes, in theory this was a superb idea. I like coffee flavor. I like gum. So, as I reached for the package on the shelf next to the checkout stand, I thought to myself, what could be better than coffee gum? Sadly, this was not a marriage of goods that has a happy ending. No, no, this… was a disaster. As I chewed this brown concoction, a feeling of disgust rose from deep inside. This, gum was an abomination. Oh Lotte, you have failed me spectacularly. By the way, would anyone like what remains of a five pack of gum?

100 words | 11.11.11

Interesting day today. Days like this don’t really come around a lot. I wonder how many people in hospitals around the world will be bribing their doctors so they can get their baby out today (maybe at 11:11:11am)? I wonder how many people are going to try to get married in vegas today? I’m sure there’s going to be wedding chapels offering marriage licenses for $111 or something like that. I’m also surprised not more stores have $11 sales today. Oh well… in any case, this post is just to say… glad I’m not a doctor or a minister today.

100 words | two star pub?!

Interesting probably wouldn’t begin to describe how a pub in London gets two Michelin stars. The NYT food blog gave it a full review, but I’m more interested in how a pub gets stars?! I think we can safely assume that most hold Michelin ratings in high regard, and to hear that it’s going to a pub… well that’s a little surprising, but then, not many English pubs serve slow roasted duck breast. Now I know… I’ve never tried the place so I can’t really say, but the food blog reviewer gave it a pretty awesome review so… who knows?

100 words | Gilad Shalit

I read an interesting article today in NYT regarding the recent exchange of prisoners in which 1,027 Palestinian prisoners and terrorists were exchanged for one Israeli soldier. It sheds some light on the Israeli psyche regarding Israeli captives. I’d say it’s definitely worth reading (it’s loooonnnnggg). It goes through the history of Israel’s negotiations with terrorist organizations and traces previous deals and their potential impact on the recent deal. While there’s some attempt to rationalize this current deal, I’m not entirely sold on how Israel could make this agreement. I guess you’re gonna have to read and decide for yourself…

100 words | Saddam’s plates

Apparently in New York this month, diners eating at Park Avenue Autumn restaurant can experience a little bit of the Iraqi invasion at their plate. After the invasion in 2003 and the subsequent ousting of Saddam, his various palaces around the country were looted, with people seizing all kinds of stuff that the leader collected. Some put the loot on ebay, others held the stuff as keepsake. Thirteen plates from Saddam’s personal collection got to New York by way of ebay, and will be used to serve food at the restaurant throughout the month. Talk about a unique dining experience…

100 words | a year from election day

With all the buzzing around GOP candidates and who the Republicans are going to field to go up against President Obama, nothing really seems as clear cut as it should be. There doesn’t seem to be a bulletproof GOP candidate that is a clear choice. Each of these guys have flaws that have been exposed (or are in the process of being exposed) and picked apart by the media, leaving the entire GOP field looking like a group of amateurs. It’s funny to think, in one year one of these guys will be elected president (or Obama stays in office).

100 words | freedom!

Me: 1, Erwin: 0.

After many long weeks of playing hide and seek, I finally caught the mouse (and yes… I’ve also named it Erwin). We weren’t sure what to do with the little guy, and didn’t want to let him suffer a long and painful death in the mousetrap (it’s one of those cave-like self-contained mousetraps that will kill or trap the mouse inside), so we let him go over by mike’s house (say hi if you see him!). It was limping a bit but could still move at a brisk pace. So long little fella; don’t come back.

100 words | sad friend

Today as I was walking out of Kim’s market (over by E Street and 4th) I saw the saddest sight. There were two squirrels crossing E Street when one of them gets hit. I watched sadly, as the other squirrel gets to the other side, has a confused moment as he looks around for his friend, then realizes that the poor guy’s down. He then runs back into the street to go check on his buddy, then scurries away behind the Chase building. I imagine this sort of thing happens all the time, but it’s still sad to see nevertheless.

100 words | five stages of grief

I’m not sure how other sports fans react to their team’s ultimate demise, but I tend to go through the five stages in my own way:

The Phillies were cheated… the umpires were conspiring against them (Denial)
Grrr… the cardinals suck… (Anger)
If the Phillies win the world series again… I just know I’ll have a new zest for life! (Bargaining)
Phillies suck. Baseball sucks. Time to watch NASCAR. (Depression)
It’s going to be ok. They’ll be back next year. (Acceptance)

That’s ok… it’s football season has started and the eagles are still in contention for the division title. (Denial)

100 words | occupy update

Well…it’s been roughly a month now since the Occupy Sac folks started taking over Caesar Chavez (“taking over” used loosely to characterize a few tents and picket signs set up in the middle of the park). As of this morning, there’s exactly one tent left a few lawn chairs. I wonder if most protests fade like this, with a whimper. I’m not old enough to have been around for the big protests you read about in history books like the million man march and stuff, but it’d be sad if it too ended with three guys sitting by a tent.

100 words | bouncy ball

Bounce, bounce, bounce, the little rubber ball methodically hits the glass every 1.5 seconds, almost like clockwork, as I sit in backwards my cubicle, facing the window. Who knew something this simple could bring so much joy and entertainment? People have spent countless hours and resources trying to concoct some intriguing object that somehow increases productivity in the office, and yet, this ridiculously low-tech object can hang with the best of them. Bounce, bounce, bounce. Whether it’s moments of boredom, instances of stress, or the depths of thought, this little guy has never failed in its duty: bounce, bounce, bounce.

100 words | I see red cups…

Halloween has just passed, and leftover candy is still sitting in the pumpkin bucket. The minute you walk outside, the wind is picking up, the leaves have fallen, and starbucks has just rolled out their red cups for the winter season. Yet another sign that Christmas is around the corner (you’ll see quite a few holiday posts, get used to it). I notice that people are generally nicer around Christmas, though I wonder how long it takes to kick in. Surely it’s not going to be as sudden as the red cups… but wouldn’t it be nice if it was?