Guatemala...
We landed in the airport, that C said looked very much different from the way he remembered it when he left N years ago. It has been newly remodeled and appeared modern but not flashy. We had a simple and painless time in customs, and proceeded to the exit, where we expected to find our car rental company to be waiting for us. To our surprise, they were not there. We didn't have any local cash, and purposely didn't do the exchange within the airport, because of the unfavorable exchange rates. But now we were facing a problem of no cash, no car, and no way to call, since all the payphones use local tokens and not a credit card, and since our phones were turned off to prevent crazy roaming fees. We noticed some other car rental company booths at the airport, and double-checked their rates, to see if we could just use them instead, but like our previous research showed, they were way off our budget. Finally we had an idea to ask information desk to use their phone, which we did, and were able to get the rental company come and finally pick us up. It turns out that they expected us 2 hours later, due to the information that we provided to them, so it seems this was actually our own error. As they drove us to the rental company location, we became slightly concerned, as the area looked a little more like Detroit bus station. Arriving at a man-operated barb-wired gate, we got into the car rental property that National shared with other car rentals. After a quick discussion, we were informed that the car that we are supposed to have will not be available for another 4 hours or so. They suggested that we take another car, and proceed with our plans, and that they will come to us to exchange it later. This worried me a lot, because i have read so many things about car quality issues, and i didn't want to be stuck with any car that was not satisfactory for our long upcoming journey. I personally would have preferred to leave all of the bags at the car rental, and take another one of their cars to do sightseeing in Guatemala City, but C had no desire to do that due to various safety concerns. Sightseeing with our luggage and money in the trunk of the car was not a good option either, since the chances of everything being stolen would be considerable. Because any such incident would derail our entire trip, we opted to take a replacement rental to just run a few errands: exchange money and get a local cell phone.
As C started driving, i quickly realized that the rules of the road in Guatemala were much different from anything that i have ever encountered. Cars, motorcycles, people and dogs were competing for the right-of-way, traffic signals were viewed as optional, and people were spilling out from half-opened doors of buses. As i watched his eyes get really big and his back stiffen, i started murmuring something along the lines of "its ok, its ok" in an attempt to comfort him, but it was no use. The next thing we did added to this discomfort: we went to a gas station. While i waited in the car, C went to pay for gas, then he came back and we happily drove off...without pumping gas. After circling around the block we were able to come back to the gas station and actually put in the gas, right before another customer was about to take advantage of the pre-paid pump.
Our next task was to exchange money, and to buy a cheap phone with minutes. In my infinite wisdom after reading a heap of blogs on travel to Guatemala, i directed us not to use money exchange at the airport, but go to a bank to get better exchange rates. This was probably a mistake, as navigating in an unfamiliar city with difficult parking and not so stellar safety record, in a car full of luggage, and with a non-local looking entity such as i am, was a very stressful adventure. The first bank that we went to after driving around for a while was chosen because we managed to figure out where to enter and how to park there. At the entrance we were greeted by a grim-looking person with a rifle, he inquired what we wanted and pointed us to the underground parking, that was dark, tiny, and full of cars parked in every which way. In the bank when we inquired about exchange, the manager said that without a bank account he could not exchange anything, and that we have to go back to the airport. C was compelled to do that, but i insisted that the man was wrong and all we had to do is find a different bank, as this one was actually more of a credit union. In another bank they happily exchanged our dollars, which we divided in multiple piles and stuffed in different locations for safety. We also walked to a local mall, were we procured without much hassle a phone with some minutes.
Friday, November 18, 2011
Mama's Rassolnik
So, my parents came to town, stayed for a week and headed back home. But i still have the leftovers of the Russian Rassolnik soup in the fridge! My mom made it, and it came out beautifully yummy. This is the soup of my childhood, the ultimate comfort food for the cold weather days. The contents included: cooked barley, onions, potatoes, carrots, celery, chopped pickles, and beet stems (the latter is not a regular ingredient for a Rassolnik, but it was something that we had in the fridge that had to be used up). With some added salt and pepper, and a low sodium chicken stock cube, this came out to be as good or even better than i remember. Back home they ate it with a dab of sour scream on top, but i always preferred it "naked" and not cloudy. I have attempted cooking this myself in the past, but i don't think mine ever came out as good... I guess some things require practice, practice, practice...
Thursday, November 3, 2011
The meaning of life
Yesterday as we were driving around, C told me that our ant Carro asked me to translate a phrase about the meaning of life. I do not recall it exactly, but it pointed to the fact that the point of existence is the search for the meaning of life. I thought it was strikingly accurate. I know that i, along with probably 90% of other teenagers had spent many hours agonizing about the meaning of life, discussing and debating it with others. I have also gone the full circle on it, from thinking that the meaning is something that i will eventually find, to postulating that the meaning does not exist at all and we are all just a biological constructs with multiplying and dying cells. My latest conviction was that the meaning was simply to experience joy and to help others do the same. But perhaps it is all much simpler... Perhaps the meaning is in the quest itself. Perhaps we are encoded to look for a meaning in everything, and that is precisely what drives us, moves us ahead. Finding a meaning in the every day little things is meaningful, and also joyful. I treasure my days, i treasure my moments, they are all so fleeting. Everything is ever-changing, even our memories. Every day we gain more insight, and therefore every day we ourselves are different than we were the previous day, and it is magnificent and horrifying at the same time. Do i wish for my partner to be the same enchanting young man i met in Portland? Part of me does, for sentimental reasons, of course, but another part of me wishes for him to always grow, to reach new heights of understanding, to be wiser, happier, etc. Evolution is the natural order of things, and evolution is constant change. Making peace with evolution, fully accepting it, is like granting yourself the permission to be happy. Not having the urge to pull out grey hair, or to get wrinkles removed is part of accepting the evolution. I haven't pulled any grey hair in about a year now, i don't know how many of them i have now, but i know i started with 3 when i was moving to Cali. I still feel like a teenager, but much wiser. I hope i continue to feel the internal youth for years to come. I think one of the reasons why older people don't like to contemplate the meaning of life is because they are secretly afraid that they have missed it already...
Monday, October 31, 2011
Halloween is here!! Halloween!!!
This Fall is special, its a fall i have never experienced, but had always ( secretly ) dreamed of. It is the magic season of harvest goodies of all kinds, the season of pumpkin patches, hey rides, apple orchards, and Halloween fun. I have always enjoyed the season, but at the same time always felt a little empty experiencing it alone, while watching slews of enthusiastic children with their parents in toe. I have attended orchards and drunk apple cider, and watched other people's children roll around in hey, jump on tractors and weeeee all the way. I dreamed of having this experience with my own child. I dressed up for Halloween and went to bunches of Halloween events, but usually avoided staying home to give out candy to "trick-o-treat "ers. The truth is that it would always make me feel sad and misplaced in a way, and since i valued positive thinking, i mostly avoided those experiences that would negatively affect my psyche.
So, for all of these reasons, this year is special to me, because of my daughter being old enough to partake, as well as understand and appreciate these experiences.
The first Fall fa-la-la-la-la of the season was our trip to the Fall festival, although aside from the pumpkin that we purchased on the way out, it didn't seem to have any connection with Fall. We had a blast watching her do the jump houses and the slides, saw exotic animals on display and had general type of fun. The next day we sat in the park and carved a pumpkin together, which was the first one for all of us -- ever.
Later came my pumpkin casserole, pumpkin pie, and lastly, pumpkin soup, which we struggled to finish. We must be pretty pumpkin-ed out :)
Then this weekend we went to another pumpkin patch that had a petting zoo, a pony ride and a bouncy house, but not much else. We had a pretty good time, until the 40 minutes melt down in line for the face painting. The artist was doing an awesome job, and the kid really wanted to have her face painted. It took us about an hour to get a butterfly on the cheek.
But the rest of the day was lovely, especially watching some babies in costumes, and petting goats.
But this morning is a Halloween!!!! Last night i told the kid she should go to sleep quickly, to wake up early for the special day. She was told she had a bumblebee costume waiting for her, and a preschool Halloween party. I stayed up making the most fabulous kid friendly mac-n-cheese for the preschool party. This morning she woke up bright and happy to put on her bumblebee pantyhose, and antennas, and beautiful wings, and a tutu!!! I felt so exhilarated!!!
It is the best Halloween dress up experience i have ever had! And, the day is still new -- there is a Halloween trick-o-treating tonight at the historical houses museum!!!
So, for all of these reasons, this year is special to me, because of my daughter being old enough to partake, as well as understand and appreciate these experiences.
The first Fall fa-la-la-la-la of the season was our trip to the Fall festival, although aside from the pumpkin that we purchased on the way out, it didn't seem to have any connection with Fall. We had a blast watching her do the jump houses and the slides, saw exotic animals on display and had general type of fun. The next day we sat in the park and carved a pumpkin together, which was the first one for all of us -- ever.
Later came my pumpkin casserole, pumpkin pie, and lastly, pumpkin soup, which we struggled to finish. We must be pretty pumpkin-ed out :)
Then this weekend we went to another pumpkin patch that had a petting zoo, a pony ride and a bouncy house, but not much else. We had a pretty good time, until the 40 minutes melt down in line for the face painting. The artist was doing an awesome job, and the kid really wanted to have her face painted. It took us about an hour to get a butterfly on the cheek.
But the rest of the day was lovely, especially watching some babies in costumes, and petting goats.
But this morning is a Halloween!!!! Last night i told the kid she should go to sleep quickly, to wake up early for the special day. She was told she had a bumblebee costume waiting for her, and a preschool Halloween party. I stayed up making the most fabulous kid friendly mac-n-cheese for the preschool party. This morning she woke up bright and happy to put on her bumblebee pantyhose, and antennas, and beautiful wings, and a tutu!!! I felt so exhilarated!!!
It is the best Halloween dress up experience i have ever had! And, the day is still new -- there is a Halloween trick-o-treating tonight at the historical houses museum!!!
Monday, October 10, 2011
Like the "back in the day" times that we never lived
Crystal Cove... Paradise since the 30s, the American version of "dacha", where generations suntanned their summers away, fixing up their dwellings with whatever materials they could scavenge, where teenagers hid for their first romance-on-the-beach moments, and where the little ones dug in the sand for months at a time... And now, a historical park, where locals like us can come for a weekend and channel all of the excitement of the past from the comforts of the newly remodeled cottages over the ocean. And, so we did, vigorously!!!!
I stumbled upon this place almost a year ago, while researching the gateway possibilities for Thanksgiving of 2010. Of course, it had to be booked in advance, so no luck there. But, i book-marked it and on March 1 at 8:00:03 AM i was one of the lucky ones to score a reservation for 38B cabin for Oct 7-8. And so Friday night after work we drove there. Immediately upon getting into our cottage we spoke about leaving work early next time we home here! The deck overlooking the ocean was spectacular. We made a run to the local Trader Joe's for some supplies, and decided to have a relaxing sushi dinner at a nearby restaurant, which was nice. But both of us wanted to be back to the cottage, to watch the waves break in the moonlight from our deck. But, actually, we spent our first evening sharing a bottle of wine in our room and talking about all the important things very freely and frankly. It was nice to be here, to be friends, to be having a good time, to be talking about our stuff. But, overall, not sure if it was the magic of the cove, or the full moon, but the romance was in the air, from the moment we arrived to Crystal Cove, to the very last awake hours of the last day, which turned out to be Monday! :)
We made breakfast and ate it on the deck, followed it up by wonderful reading of Solzhenitsyn's The First Circle, (that we found in the bookcase of the cottage!!!), followed up by some champagne, and an invigorating bicycle ride through the hills of the park, which we have hiked some month earlier. By the way, this was my first outing on a mountain bike actually going up a mountain. I was super intimidated by the thought of it, i knew i was way too out of shape for that undertaking. But C was patient and helpful, and waited for me on every hill, and i was determined to give it a "go", and so we did a nice loop, with a beginning flat section and then a series of hills going up, ending with a bunch of downhill speedy super duper slide. I was actually spooked out from flying down on some of the steeper ones, but enjoyed the milder ones for sure. Afterwords, we rode around a local shopping plaza and watched sunset. Back at the cottage we dug into our leftovers of roasted veggie lasagna that i brought along with whatever random snacks we had. And another bottle of wine. And another beautiful evening. In the morning i started to think about how much i didn't want to leave this place. As we started to organize our things in the room for a faster check-out at 11am, i checked my phone and there was a message from the front office that the room became available for 1 more day. My heart jumped, could we?? Carlos wanted to, and we stayed, spending the day sitting out in the sun, sipping champagne, walking the beach, and dining out at the restaurant below. Not to mention the attic of the top bunk, and the moonlight of the porch, the day was filled with relaxing joy, an imitation, no, a reenactment, of a slow summer day of my childhood, which my brain kept channeling somehow. Beautiful moments in paradise, that's what Crystal Cove was to me..
I stumbled upon this place almost a year ago, while researching the gateway possibilities for Thanksgiving of 2010. Of course, it had to be booked in advance, so no luck there. But, i book-marked it and on March 1 at 8:00:03 AM i was one of the lucky ones to score a reservation for 38B cabin for Oct 7-8. And so Friday night after work we drove there. Immediately upon getting into our cottage we spoke about leaving work early next time we home here! The deck overlooking the ocean was spectacular. We made a run to the local Trader Joe's for some supplies, and decided to have a relaxing sushi dinner at a nearby restaurant, which was nice. But both of us wanted to be back to the cottage, to watch the waves break in the moonlight from our deck. But, actually, we spent our first evening sharing a bottle of wine in our room and talking about all the important things very freely and frankly. It was nice to be here, to be friends, to be having a good time, to be talking about our stuff. But, overall, not sure if it was the magic of the cove, or the full moon, but the romance was in the air, from the moment we arrived to Crystal Cove, to the very last awake hours of the last day, which turned out to be Monday! :)
We made breakfast and ate it on the deck, followed it up by wonderful reading of Solzhenitsyn's The First Circle, (that we found in the bookcase of the cottage!!!), followed up by some champagne, and an invigorating bicycle ride through the hills of the park, which we have hiked some month earlier. By the way, this was my first outing on a mountain bike actually going up a mountain. I was super intimidated by the thought of it, i knew i was way too out of shape for that undertaking. But C was patient and helpful, and waited for me on every hill, and i was determined to give it a "go", and so we did a nice loop, with a beginning flat section and then a series of hills going up, ending with a bunch of downhill speedy super duper slide. I was actually spooked out from flying down on some of the steeper ones, but enjoyed the milder ones for sure. Afterwords, we rode around a local shopping plaza and watched sunset. Back at the cottage we dug into our leftovers of roasted veggie lasagna that i brought along with whatever random snacks we had. And another bottle of wine. And another beautiful evening. In the morning i started to think about how much i didn't want to leave this place. As we started to organize our things in the room for a faster check-out at 11am, i checked my phone and there was a message from the front office that the room became available for 1 more day. My heart jumped, could we?? Carlos wanted to, and we stayed, spending the day sitting out in the sun, sipping champagne, walking the beach, and dining out at the restaurant below. Not to mention the attic of the top bunk, and the moonlight of the porch, the day was filled with relaxing joy, an imitation, no, a reenactment, of a slow summer day of my childhood, which my brain kept channeling somehow. Beautiful moments in paradise, that's what Crystal Cove was to me..
Friday, October 7, 2011
And another thing
"Nothing that’s worthwhile is ever easy" -- may be the most motivating quote of all, well, at least to me. That does not mean that, akin to old Russian communist leaders, you should expand enormous efforts to turn rivers' flow in the opposite direction, but it does mean that a considerable amount of work is generally required to achieve nice results. Relationships and marriages are no exception. Often it is hard to talk when you are in a state of discourse, but it is precisely then when it is the most required. Not allowing for any sense of resentment to build up is the hardest work, but the pay-off is so wonderful -- that lifting up, un-earthly in-love feeling that picks you up to carry you through anything that the daily "real life" throws at you! And, once again, i feel whole, and home, and warm and everything else that doesn't rhyme with anything!
Yey to progress!
So, after a 3 week absence of us in C's homeland, i was expecting to come back to a disoriented, stressed out kid that whines and cries, and acts out 30% more then usual. Our psychologist also agreed with my expectation, stating that "there will be work to do" upon return. But... surprise!!! Nothing bad happened! Even more -- we came back to a happy, talkative, expressive child! Now, i don't think that she miraculously grew up a bunch while we were absent, but i do think that changing her schedule to a stable 5 days a week pre-school has been the key. Plus, now that she is in the older kid's group, their days are even more structured and more 'educational' then before. Plus her current teachers are a lot more involved and energetic then her old teacher that my C named 'the pigeon' so appropriately.
So, yey to progress and to pre-school!!!
So, yey to progress and to pre-school!!!
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
The kid is 3 years old!!!
Yesterday was a milestone -- the kid turned 3!!!!!
We celebrated it with her pre-school group. This was the first birthday that she could understand and appreciate, so it was a big deal for me. We ordered the ice cream cake, she blew out the candles as the kids sang "happy birthday" to her. Dad took pictures while i helped with the cake. S was happy, although still a bit confused. Afterwards we went to the playground for a bit and ended the day with a pizza outing. The presents are still to be presented, since last night we got home to her bedtime. We shell see how she will enjoy those today -- we got two: the 3-d vision that dad wanted her to have and the 'guitar' that i picked out.
She has been experiencing a growth spurt lately -- understanding more and speaking more. She started asking "why" and "where" a lot about a month ago. She started using the word "because" and "actually". I definitely feel that i enjoy her more and more with each passing day, as she turns into her own person with her own thoughts and ideas. I can't wait to see her grow up!!!
We celebrated it with her pre-school group. This was the first birthday that she could understand and appreciate, so it was a big deal for me. We ordered the ice cream cake, she blew out the candles as the kids sang "happy birthday" to her. Dad took pictures while i helped with the cake. S was happy, although still a bit confused. Afterwards we went to the playground for a bit and ended the day with a pizza outing. The presents are still to be presented, since last night we got home to her bedtime. We shell see how she will enjoy those today -- we got two: the 3-d vision that dad wanted her to have and the 'guitar' that i picked out.
She has been experiencing a growth spurt lately -- understanding more and speaking more. She started asking "why" and "where" a lot about a month ago. She started using the word "because" and "actually". I definitely feel that i enjoy her more and more with each passing day, as she turns into her own person with her own thoughts and ideas. I can't wait to see her grow up!!!
True Love
From my personal observation, there is a general lack of understanding of that "true love" is. People are taught about love by Hollywood, were sentimentality and emotions, along with sexual chemistry is presented as love. It may look compelling on the screen, but it is disconnected from reality. Emotions are unstable, ever changing, they come and go, affected by everything from our own hormones to the phases of the moon. Fulfilling adult relationships are much different.
True love is built upon a choice, and it is very much a covenant, with no back door option of divorce. Both people have to go "all in": both people must make a conscious choice to love and to build together. An integral part of that choice is acceptance of the flaws and weaknesses in each other, and commitment to put in the work required for changing those. That change does not constitute giving up one's identity, but it is a process of self-improvement with the help from the partner.True love is experienced though this process of putting yourself out for another person, through helping each other grow into a better
person and a better partner. And, in turn, seeing the results of the transformation in yourself magnifies the feeling of love.
True love is built upon a choice, and it is very much a covenant, with no back door option of divorce. Both people have to go "all in": both people must make a conscious choice to love and to build together. An integral part of that choice is acceptance of the flaws and weaknesses in each other, and commitment to put in the work required for changing those. That change does not constitute giving up one's identity, but it is a process of self-improvement with the help from the partner.True love is experienced though this process of putting yourself out for another person, through helping each other grow into a better
person and a better partner. And, in turn, seeing the results of the transformation in yourself magnifies the feeling of love.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
How things change...
It has been about a year since i became a parent. In this year so many things have changed... No, not really things, but rather my perspective. It is true that in order to really understand and relate to your parents you must experience parenthood yourself. It is not that you assume that parenting is no big deal unless you yourself have to get up 5 times a night to tend to a sick toddler. No, i think people are perfectly capable of theoretically understanding all the challenges associated with raising and caring for a brand new human being, but, it is something else, something not so tangible that you are now able to perceive that allows you to value and "feel" your parents in a whole new way. Once you produce a kid, your life efforts are directed towards him, all of your plans include, or work around him, and your previous, pre-child life goals now seem like just wonderful hobbies that you will be very happy to pursue if/when time allows. It is the "scarifies of focus", from the present in favor of the future, in the biggest sense. It is the hopes of achieving things via your descendants, things that you no longer have the hope of achieving yourself, that is the driving force behind this "sacrifice", so it is in a way still selfish, but it is a natural occurrence once you have reproduced. I see how my parents' life was centered around me, even though it was my grandmother who was my primary care-taker. Same as my life is now centered around S even though i work, enjoy hobbies and hope to achieve quite a few things myself in the future, the change of focus is unavoidable. Sometimes it makes me agree having all the responsibility, but none of the control, but such is a typical role of a step-parents, so i must submit to my destiny. I say that in jest, of course..
All of this comes to mind because my parents came to visit us on their trip to CA, and we have had the pleasure to spend a few weekends together. My mother seems more energetic and younger that before, while my father seems more tired, forgetful and sleepy. I hope C doesn't take after my father in the future :)
All of this comes to mind because my parents came to visit us on their trip to CA, and we have had the pleasure to spend a few weekends together. My mother seems more energetic and younger that before, while my father seems more tired, forgetful and sleepy. I hope C doesn't take after my father in the future :)
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
S is 2.9, but we are all growing up...
When you are 2, a couple of month make all the difference in the world; and I am so amazed to witness the transformation. As the understanding and vocabulary grows, so does the imagination and the ability to communicate it. Last week on one of our evening walks, S declared that she was a doggie, started walking on all fours, and requested us to be "gentle", which meant that she wanted to be petted. Earlier that day she also pretended to be an elephant and a horsie, while jumping on the bed -- one of her favorite pass times withing the confines of our bedroom. The week before that she laid on the kitchen floor in front of a cat bowl and pretended to eat the cat food -- i was too amused to stop her, of course.
Some new habits are also emerging: when we are trying to tell her the important things she doesn't want to hear, she now closes her eyes and turns away, demonstrating "i am not listening to this". Earlier she tried closing her ears, which C found to be too rude, so i think he did a good job of discouraging that one :)
Last weekend we made acquaintance with the mother of S's favorite pre-school friend Michelle, when we ran into them at the mall. S and Michelle ended up playing together in the playground of the food court, and her mom and i exchanged a few words and phone numbers. We are expecting them to invite S to Michelle's birthday party this June. I was really excited, since this was my first parent to parent contact of all times. Looking forward to continue this story.
On Saturday S got her first tricycle, its a successful Schwinn model that i selected based on reviews, and it was definitely a success with the kid. She declared it to her hers before we even put it together, and she paddled tirelessly as we circled the blocks. I was amazed that she didn't get bored and didn't start whining at all, as this was quite a long distance. The next day she requested her bike, and the day after as well. May be tonight we will be able to indulge her.
This Sunday was Mother's day, and i have really been looking forward to it, because, unlike last year, when i felt like some part-time co-parent, this year i do really feel like a mother. On Friday S brought a craft from pre-school for the occasion. I didn't want to feel anything about it, -- i knew that she didn't really make it herself, and she didn't really understand the meaning, but nevertheless, it felt really cool, -- this was my very first Mother's day gift from the child that i am raising, and it is very special to me. But i am always very careful about "mother" stuff, especially about Mother's day -- i need to protect my sanity, for the sake of our whole family. With Mother's day coming, I wanted to play down the whole identification with words thing, because i know that it is safer to not name things, but just live them as they are. So, i didn't verbalize any of my thoughts to C, but just went on to have a special day, all in my head. We drove to Ventura, which is a charming little town that we visited last year, approximately around the same time. The flowers at the top of the hill were all in bloom, -- a beautiful sight of yellow daisy-shaped flowers of two different shades all over the hill that overlooks the ocean and the nearby hills. This was the perfect spot for our picnic, and kite flying. Finally we were able to test out the "Oreo" kite that we bought in San Diego. After a few adjustments, the thing took to the air, and all three of us took turns holding it. I haven't flown a kite since forever, and i enjoyed it so very much, and so did S, although her interest eventually subsided, as she found over ways to entertain herself. On the way back from the hill, to our amazement, S commented "it's windy". Now, that's progress!
Some new habits are also emerging: when we are trying to tell her the important things she doesn't want to hear, she now closes her eyes and turns away, demonstrating "i am not listening to this". Earlier she tried closing her ears, which C found to be too rude, so i think he did a good job of discouraging that one :)
Last weekend we made acquaintance with the mother of S's favorite pre-school friend Michelle, when we ran into them at the mall. S and Michelle ended up playing together in the playground of the food court, and her mom and i exchanged a few words and phone numbers. We are expecting them to invite S to Michelle's birthday party this June. I was really excited, since this was my first parent to parent contact of all times. Looking forward to continue this story.
On Saturday S got her first tricycle, its a successful Schwinn model that i selected based on reviews, and it was definitely a success with the kid. She declared it to her hers before we even put it together, and she paddled tirelessly as we circled the blocks. I was amazed that she didn't get bored and didn't start whining at all, as this was quite a long distance. The next day she requested her bike, and the day after as well. May be tonight we will be able to indulge her.
This Sunday was Mother's day, and i have really been looking forward to it, because, unlike last year, when i felt like some part-time co-parent, this year i do really feel like a mother. On Friday S brought a craft from pre-school for the occasion. I didn't want to feel anything about it, -- i knew that she didn't really make it herself, and she didn't really understand the meaning, but nevertheless, it felt really cool, -- this was my very first Mother's day gift from the child that i am raising, and it is very special to me. But i am always very careful about "mother" stuff, especially about Mother's day -- i need to protect my sanity, for the sake of our whole family. With Mother's day coming, I wanted to play down the whole identification with words thing, because i know that it is safer to not name things, but just live them as they are. So, i didn't verbalize any of my thoughts to C, but just went on to have a special day, all in my head. We drove to Ventura, which is a charming little town that we visited last year, approximately around the same time. The flowers at the top of the hill were all in bloom, -- a beautiful sight of yellow daisy-shaped flowers of two different shades all over the hill that overlooks the ocean and the nearby hills. This was the perfect spot for our picnic, and kite flying. Finally we were able to test out the "Oreo" kite that we bought in San Diego. After a few adjustments, the thing took to the air, and all three of us took turns holding it. I haven't flown a kite since forever, and i enjoyed it so very much, and so did S, although her interest eventually subsided, as she found over ways to entertain herself. On the way back from the hill, to our amazement, S commented "it's windy". Now, that's progress!
Thursday, April 28, 2011
all the words that we now say without prompting!
food words:
orange
apple
pamello
strawberry
banana
tomato
cucumber
salad
chicken
fish
rice
couscous
pizza
katchup
sauce
cheese
syrniki
yougurt
ice cream
cookie
juice
milk
water
animals:
octopus
cat
doggie
bunny
bird
spider
horsie
elephant
butterfly
Human:
eyes
nose
toes
hand
tongue
teeth
hair
baby
girl
guys
family
friends
princess
doctor
Objects:
ocean
flower
tree
rainbow
moon
airplane
bycycle
car
truck
firetruck
tracktor
shoes
boots
umbrella
earings
shampoo
soap
house
balloon
payground
seesaw
lights
picture
phone
computer
sounds
noise
purse
Colors, shapes, numbers:
yellow
blue
red
green
purple
white
triangle
circle
1-20
ABCDEFG-MNOP-WXYZ
Actions:
catch
Look
mine
come on
Let me see
sing
clean
draw
tickles
right back
dinner time
hungry
want some
more please
happy birthday to you
fine, thank you
not tired
orange
apple
pamello
strawberry
banana
tomato
cucumber
salad
chicken
fish
rice
couscous
pizza
katchup
sauce
cheese
syrniki
yougurt
ice cream
cookie
juice
milk
water
animals:
octopus
cat
doggie
bunny
bird
spider
horsie
elephant
butterfly
Human:
eyes
nose
toes
hand
tongue
teeth
hair
baby
girl
guys
family
friends
princess
doctor
Objects:
ocean
flower
tree
rainbow
moon
airplane
bycycle
car
truck
firetruck
tracktor
shoes
boots
umbrella
earings
shampoo
soap
house
balloon
payground
seesaw
lights
picture
phone
computer
sounds
noise
purse
Colors, shapes, numbers:
yellow
blue
red
green
purple
white
triangle
circle
1-20
ABCDEFG-MNOP-WXYZ
Actions:
catch
Look
mine
come on
Let me see
sing
clean
draw
tickles
right back
dinner time
hungry
want some
more please
happy birthday to you
fine, thank you
not tired
End of Winter and Spring adventures
Time is really flying: winter quickly gave way to spring, and now the signs of a hot summer of 2011 are visible. And, as it turns out i was too busy to record any of our happenings in February and March, and almost missed April. But that is probably a good sign - we were busy experiencing life, enjoying each other, learning, growing individually and together as a family.
Among the latest family accomplishments i would list:
0) S goes to pre-school, 3 full days per week. Never a single cow on the subject -- amazing!!!! I think my father was the one who was surprised the most by that. Sari comes home with the ABC song re-mixed with "Twinkle, twinkle". And suddenly we are compelled to count from 80, including Carlos' favorite numbers as "eight-eleven". At home glued-on letters are decorating the fridge.
1) Our first trip to Channel Islands was great, although the next trip has to include camping overnight on the island. The scenery was beautiful,
and the time spent was both relaxing and invigorating. We were enjoying ourselves so much that we had to run the trail on the way back in order not to miss the only departure of the ferry.
2) Trip to Santa Barbara to celebrate our California Feb 10 anniversary was a smashing success. We enjoyed the time to be the love birds that we are, walking around town and checking out the local "cool stuff",
relaxing, dining out, and getting frisky in the Botanical Gardens. The whole trip was a model of love and harmony! The best dining experience was at a fancy sushi restaurant, where we got to sit outside, on the main street, watching the move festival "pretty people". And, after the botanical gardens we had time to visit a historical church, which rounded our trip into a sightseeing gateway.
3) Great success was achieved by C on the ski slopes, as he conquered some intermediate and difficult slopes at Big Bear. I am so impressed by how fast he learned to ski so well!!! We had a Sunday of all day skiing, and a beautiful show of clouds cuddling the mountains on the way back.
3) C and I finally went for the weekend to Joshua Tree and enjoyed some nice hiking and even nicer photography opportunities, with two tortoises and a very large lizard, not to mention the scenery and cacti. The Lost Horse Trail turned out to be much longer than i expected and included a variety of different types of scenery, much different from the Oasis trail. I think next time we will explore the other ones that we have missed this time, although we may have to wait another year if we want to see the blooming desert flowers again. Time and time again i confirm to myself that being away in Nature gives me the type of rest and enjoyment that no most fascinating city activity could ever provide.
4) With documents in our bags, we were finally at liberty to take a trip to San Diego, which we did via Amtrak, a wonderful train ride it was, and oh, so relaxing!!! In San Diego we visited Sea World and San Diego Zoo, and got a chance to check out the rest of the city. The most enjoyable part was just to be spending time with C, away from the daily grind.
5) S had her first boat ride on a whale watching tour, and we happen to run across a large herd of dolphins, following the boat, playing, and jumping, -- the site so unique, i have never imagined it!
The kid liked the boat ride very much, although she was compelled to run around it on the way back, which was not allowed, so she proceeded to have a cow... But that's more of the usual :) We finished the evening at the "Crab Pot", which was yummy and pleasant, although a little low brow for the bill amount, i thought.
Among the latest family accomplishments i would list:
0) S goes to pre-school, 3 full days per week. Never a single cow on the subject -- amazing!!!! I think my father was the one who was surprised the most by that. Sari comes home with the ABC song re-mixed with "Twinkle, twinkle". And suddenly we are compelled to count from 80, including Carlos' favorite numbers as "eight-eleven". At home glued-on letters are decorating the fridge.
1) Our first trip to Channel Islands was great, although the next trip has to include camping overnight on the island. The scenery was beautiful,
and the time spent was both relaxing and invigorating. We were enjoying ourselves so much that we had to run the trail on the way back in order not to miss the only departure of the ferry.
2) Trip to Santa Barbara to celebrate our California Feb 10 anniversary was a smashing success. We enjoyed the time to be the love birds that we are, walking around town and checking out the local "cool stuff",
relaxing, dining out, and getting frisky in the Botanical Gardens. The whole trip was a model of love and harmony! The best dining experience was at a fancy sushi restaurant, where we got to sit outside, on the main street, watching the move festival "pretty people". And, after the botanical gardens we had time to visit a historical church, which rounded our trip into a sightseeing gateway.
3) Great success was achieved by C on the ski slopes, as he conquered some intermediate and difficult slopes at Big Bear. I am so impressed by how fast he learned to ski so well!!! We had a Sunday of all day skiing, and a beautiful show of clouds cuddling the mountains on the way back.
3) C and I finally went for the weekend to Joshua Tree and enjoyed some nice hiking and even nicer photography opportunities, with two tortoises and a very large lizard, not to mention the scenery and cacti. The Lost Horse Trail turned out to be much longer than i expected and included a variety of different types of scenery, much different from the Oasis trail. I think next time we will explore the other ones that we have missed this time, although we may have to wait another year if we want to see the blooming desert flowers again. Time and time again i confirm to myself that being away in Nature gives me the type of rest and enjoyment that no most fascinating city activity could ever provide.
4) With documents in our bags, we were finally at liberty to take a trip to San Diego, which we did via Amtrak, a wonderful train ride it was, and oh, so relaxing!!! In San Diego we visited Sea World and San Diego Zoo, and got a chance to check out the rest of the city. The most enjoyable part was just to be spending time with C, away from the daily grind.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Is it weird to observe yourself from the side as you are fully engaged in life? May be so, but it has been by habit since i have been aware of myself, i think. So, after so many years of self-observation, i was quite used to the fact that i am always rational and introspective, and i came to accept that as my "default setting". Imagine my surprise as i was suddenly made aware that i have been a basket case lately. In the midst of a discussion following an argument, where i felt very much like a victim of his bad mood, C closely examined my behaviors and reactions for the past 4 days. I tried to refute his "evidence" at first, but then something "clicked", and i actually was able to look at myself objectively again. Omg, i have been a typical woman: i took issues with how he looked at me, or how he lacked enthusiasm, or how his voice sounded, got mad and just about attacked him on all those points. Since when is my mood dependent on his? Since when do i take his mood changes personally? When and how did i switch from comforting him when his mood changes to being mad at him for ruining my evening with his less-than-happy outlook? Not good, not good! But, it took C's patience to drive the point across, for which i am grateful. This is yet another building block for our happily-ever-after!
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
catching up
So many things have come and gone, and as our busy life is zooming by, i am struggling to find the time to stop and make note. But i know that unless i put some of this to paper, most will eventually be forgotten, or, at best, overlaid with other memories and recollections.
The last week and a half has been dedicated to the very first lice incident by the kid. K noticed them first, but C delivered the news as sort of a joke, so i didn't take it seriously, until i saw her scratching. After a very dramatic, cow-filled episode of hair examination, and extensive research about lice on line, we were sadly able to confirm our fears - the kid had lice. Since i have never had them myself, i was absolutely freaked out and so was C. I started out treatment with tea tree oil, rubbing it on the scalp, keeping for 40 min, then washing it off, as well as adding it to shampoo for prevention. But either we were not able to cover the whole head with this method, or her problem was bigger than the oil could handle, but she still had lice. Not wanting to wait any longer, we moved to Rid. That seemed to have killed them on the kid, although we still had to do our brushing to get the eggs. I kept checking my hear, being totally paranoid about it, but i was clean. I still applied tea tree oil all over my head, just to be sure. And C and i have been doing our daily checks of each others hair. And, 2 days after we treated the kid, C came up with an egg!!! omg!!! So, the next day i launched into more research and in blogs saw some recommendation of LiceFreee spray, over Rid or anything chemical. So, the next day we got that at our local Wallgreens, and i applied it vigorously over C's hair. He complained that he had to let the stuff be in the hair overnight, but once we started brushing out dead things, he was no longer complaining. The next day i treated myself with it too, but nothing was brushed out, that confirmed my previous conclusion that i was, in fact, lice-free. Now we will wait and re-treat them both after a week and a half. Hopefully all the money i spent on the laundry, washing all the bedding daily, and these meds will pay off!
On a different subject, cooking experiments were in full force as well, and there were some successes and some, well, not so much...
The shining success was the Singapore Street Noodles revision of my existing recipe, where i made more sauce and replaced rice thai noodles by the real stuff - the dry chineese egg noodles. This made all the difference in the world, the color, the texture, were all right! And it looked beautiful:
This time i also skipped the sprouts, and added commercially fried onions as my topping. This is definitely good stuff!
The proportions for the sauce is now as follows:
1.5 tsp rice vinegar
1.5 tsp curry powder
1.5 tsp raw sugar
3 Tbsp soy sauce
3 Tbsp ketchup
1.5 tsp fish sauce
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
2 Tbsp chicken stock
splash of dark sesame oil
The other cooking experiment was the french toast, following the recipe from the Food Network by Alton Brown . I added cinnamon, but followed the rest of the recipe exactly, and it turned out well, although both of us thought that we needed to use think bread, not the regular pre-sliced stuff.
And, finally, the napales cactus salad was the thing for this Saturday. We also made yucca and corn-flakes coated baked red snapper to compliment it. The napales were totally new to me, so not knowing how they are supposed to look cooked, or how to work them was a challenge. So it was that much more rewarding that it actually turned out well, and even better the next day. We did cheat by buying the pre-trimmed leaves that didn't have any edges or thorns anymore, that we got at a mexican store where we stopped for the fresh panela cheese. The proportions are as follows:
1 small red bell pepper chopped
1 small onion chopped
3 garlic clove, minced
3 paddles of cactus, diced, and pre-cooked
1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 medium tomatoes diced
7 oz corn, cooked
2-3 haas avocados
1/2 cup cubed panela cheese
2 Tbsp marinated jalapeno peppers or to taste
Oh, and for the red snapper, this time i used beer instead of water with my eggs, and a combination of lemon pepper and old bay sprinkling on the lemon 20min pre-marinated fish.
The last week and a half has been dedicated to the very first lice incident by the kid. K noticed them first, but C delivered the news as sort of a joke, so i didn't take it seriously, until i saw her scratching. After a very dramatic, cow-filled episode of hair examination, and extensive research about lice on line, we were sadly able to confirm our fears - the kid had lice. Since i have never had them myself, i was absolutely freaked out and so was C. I started out treatment with tea tree oil, rubbing it on the scalp, keeping for 40 min, then washing it off, as well as adding it to shampoo for prevention. But either we were not able to cover the whole head with this method, or her problem was bigger than the oil could handle, but she still had lice. Not wanting to wait any longer, we moved to Rid. That seemed to have killed them on the kid, although we still had to do our brushing to get the eggs. I kept checking my hear, being totally paranoid about it, but i was clean. I still applied tea tree oil all over my head, just to be sure. And C and i have been doing our daily checks of each others hair. And, 2 days after we treated the kid, C came up with an egg!!! omg!!! So, the next day i launched into more research and in blogs saw some recommendation of LiceFreee spray, over Rid or anything chemical. So, the next day we got that at our local Wallgreens, and i applied it vigorously over C's hair. He complained that he had to let the stuff be in the hair overnight, but once we started brushing out dead things, he was no longer complaining. The next day i treated myself with it too, but nothing was brushed out, that confirmed my previous conclusion that i was, in fact, lice-free. Now we will wait and re-treat them both after a week and a half. Hopefully all the money i spent on the laundry, washing all the bedding daily, and these meds will pay off!
On a different subject, cooking experiments were in full force as well, and there were some successes and some, well, not so much...
The shining success was the Singapore Street Noodles revision of my existing recipe, where i made more sauce and replaced rice thai noodles by the real stuff - the dry chineese egg noodles. This made all the difference in the world, the color, the texture, were all right! And it looked beautiful:
The proportions for the sauce is now as follows:
1.5 tsp rice vinegar
1.5 tsp curry powder
1.5 tsp raw sugar
3 Tbsp soy sauce
3 Tbsp ketchup
1.5 tsp fish sauce
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
2 Tbsp chicken stock
splash of dark sesame oil
The other cooking experiment was the french toast, following the recipe from the Food Network by Alton Brown . I added cinnamon, but followed the rest of the recipe exactly, and it turned out well, although both of us thought that we needed to use think bread, not the regular pre-sliced stuff.
And, finally, the napales cactus salad was the thing for this Saturday. We also made yucca and corn-flakes coated baked red snapper to compliment it. The napales were totally new to me, so not knowing how they are supposed to look cooked, or how to work them was a challenge. So it was that much more rewarding that it actually turned out well, and even better the next day. We did cheat by buying the pre-trimmed leaves that didn't have any edges or thorns anymore, that we got at a mexican store where we stopped for the fresh panela cheese. The proportions are as follows:
1 small red bell pepper chopped
1 small onion chopped
3 garlic clove, minced
3 paddles of cactus, diced, and pre-cooked
1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 medium tomatoes diced
7 oz corn, cooked
2-3 haas avocados
1/2 cup cubed panela cheese
2 Tbsp marinated jalapeno peppers or to taste
Oh, and for the red snapper, this time i used beer instead of water with my eggs, and a combination of lemon pepper and old bay sprinkling on the lemon 20min pre-marinated fish.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Friday's date night
The best thing about living in LA is having options: because there is such a diverse community of people living here, you can get a chunk of just about any culture within minutes of drive. Apparently this does not apply to finding a low-key, relaxed establishment to play pool at on a Friday night. After a bunch of frantic yelp.com searches, we both came up with nothing. What we had available was either a crowded "hip and happening" place where we would be mingling among the glued-hair-wanna-be people trying to look pretty, or a hole-in-the-wall dive bar with one raggedy pool table and loud and obnoxious music, or a male gay bar with, at least based on reviews, a fighting atmosphere and a hostile bouncer. We didn't want either, so we ended up dropping the idea in its entirety. Perhaps i have been spoiled by the Midwest, where every other block you can find a half-empty pool halls where locals come with their own and leave with their own, no one wants to know your name, and you can miss all the shots you want without any embarrassment, because no one is looking at you, unless they came there with you. But, i guess, it makes sense that with a large population of LA and such a high price for a piece of land, a place with a bunch of pool tables and no crowd would not be able to stay open very long, since they won't be able to pay their rent. Ha!
But, Friday wasn't lost to new discoveries, because we went to Cholos. This place, as it turns out, has been in business for decades, and proudly displayed its history on their walls, and memorabilia in their menu covers. They existed way back when a dinner could cost 35 cents -- pretty cool to stay in business through so many changes in population, tastes, the economy. But i digress...The place was busy, primarily with large groups of people, and we had to wait to be seated. But the drinks were extremely strong: i was buzzed from 1/3 of my mojito, and was smashed after i finished it. My C was happy with his margarita as well. We placed an order for the food, and it came out almost immediately, - we were both surprised. But the most surprising part was how incredibly good it was. I ordered the crab enchilada, and it came with delicious green sauce, and all geometrically arranged! I love my food geometrically arranged! The enchilada was perpendicular to a stripe of rice, and a stripe of beans, and had avocado smiley face -- awwww.... C ordered a veggie enchilada, and although there was no geometry on his plate, the yellowish sauce that it came with was unique, slightly sweet and delicious. The rice and beans were also yummy, by the way. I will definitely look forward to my subsequent visits.
But, Friday wasn't lost to new discoveries, because we went to Cholos. This place, as it turns out, has been in business for decades, and proudly displayed its history on their walls, and memorabilia in their menu covers. They existed way back when a dinner could cost 35 cents -- pretty cool to stay in business through so many changes in population, tastes, the economy. But i digress...The place was busy, primarily with large groups of people, and we had to wait to be seated. But the drinks were extremely strong: i was buzzed from 1/3 of my mojito, and was smashed after i finished it. My C was happy with his margarita as well. We placed an order for the food, and it came out almost immediately, - we were both surprised. But the most surprising part was how incredibly good it was. I ordered the crab enchilada, and it came with delicious green sauce, and all geometrically arranged! I love my food geometrically arranged! The enchilada was perpendicular to a stripe of rice, and a stripe of beans, and had avocado smiley face -- awwww.... C ordered a veggie enchilada, and although there was no geometry on his plate, the yellowish sauce that it came with was unique, slightly sweet and delicious. The rice and beans were also yummy, by the way. I will definitely look forward to my subsequent visits.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
things of dinner and discipline
After the inspiration that i have gotten for all thing new by C's salad the day before, i was also feeling like taking it up a notch.
I was feeling Thai, but not Pad Thai, so i decided to go with the Thai fish cakes, the healthy baked version of them, of course. I strolled into my local Jewish grocery store for some fresh ground fish, which i like because they do a nice blend of salmon and white fishes. As i was there, i saw a bunch of very fresh looking parsnips, and the idea emerged, -- parsnip and carrot salad
I took a couple of parsnips and a couple of organic carrots that i had in my fridge and shaved them into long thin slivers.
Then for the dressing, i mixed:
lemon juice from half a lemon and its zest
1 teaspoon of mustard
1 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons of oil
pinch of salt and some white pepper
Then i chopped up some parsley and put that on top.
This salad turned out to be a great compliment to the fishcakes, which i served with rice noodles cooked in wok with a mix of oyster sauce and peanut butter with a splash of soy sauce. Great stuff!
Oh, and the kid called my fish cakes "fish cookies", which i took as a compliment :)
And, speaking of the kid,
yesterday was the first time she actually climbed up the monkey bar on the play ground! She was still freaking out a bit and wanted the security of us holding her, but she did do it a few times, with just a little help and instruction, before she got tired and frustrated and gave it up.
Also, yesterday i implemented my first discipline move - a time out, for 1 minute for repeatedly poking cats with the broom and yelling "shut up" in Spanish when the broom was taken away. I had to return her to the corner about 4 times before she finally gave up and stood there. At the end of one minute, she asked "Good?", which means she was inquiring if this was enough and if she could come out. I explained to her why she was there in the first place and told her that i loved her, but didn't love the behavior. She seemed to understand....In any case, it was a good first run.
I was feeling Thai, but not Pad Thai, so i decided to go with the Thai fish cakes, the healthy baked version of them, of course. I strolled into my local Jewish grocery store for some fresh ground fish, which i like because they do a nice blend of salmon and white fishes. As i was there, i saw a bunch of very fresh looking parsnips, and the idea emerged, -- parsnip and carrot salad
I took a couple of parsnips and a couple of organic carrots that i had in my fridge and shaved them into long thin slivers.
Then for the dressing, i mixed:
lemon juice from half a lemon and its zest
1 teaspoon of mustard
1 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons of oil
pinch of salt and some white pepper
Then i chopped up some parsley and put that on top.
This salad turned out to be a great compliment to the fishcakes, which i served with rice noodles cooked in wok with a mix of oyster sauce and peanut butter with a splash of soy sauce. Great stuff!
Oh, and the kid called my fish cakes "fish cookies", which i took as a compliment :)
And, speaking of the kid,
yesterday was the first time she actually climbed up the monkey bar on the play ground! She was still freaking out a bit and wanted the security of us holding her, but she did do it a few times, with just a little help and instruction, before she got tired and frustrated and gave it up.
Also, yesterday i implemented my first discipline move - a time out, for 1 minute for repeatedly poking cats with the broom and yelling "shut up" in Spanish when the broom was taken away. I had to return her to the corner about 4 times before she finally gave up and stood there. At the end of one minute, she asked "Good?", which means she was inquiring if this was enough and if she could come out. I explained to her why she was there in the first place and told her that i loved her, but didn't love the behavior. She seemed to understand....In any case, it was a good first run.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
my hobby
From Wiki:
"A hobby is an activity or interest that is undertaken for pleasure or relaxation, typically done during one's leisure time."
I was thinking about hobbies today, which i have had so many. From chess and stamp collecting as a kid, and later from photo editing to all of the outdoors sports, from building things to growing things, -- there is an endless list of enjoyable activities that i have embarked on, some mastered, others barely got into. Some of them occupied me for a period of time, some of them lasted a lifetime and filled my existence with unforgettable experiences and awesome thrills.
Today i realized that now taking care of my family is my main hobby. It is something that gives me pleasure and relaxation, it is something that i would rather do over anything else. Just a short while ago i would not have imagined it. It is not the kind of thing you can conceptualize abstractly. But as i cut another green onion for my Thai fishcakes, i feel joy, and energy, and love, - i feel i am attempting to create another daily masterpiece to nurture those that i love the most with the most flavorful nutritious, creative food that i can master. And, as i fold the warm laundry, my heart fills with tenderness, fluffy as the towels i washed, because i am taking care of items that will caress the bodies of my loved ones, and that exhilarates me like no other hobby ever did.
"A hobby is an activity or interest that is undertaken for pleasure or relaxation, typically done during one's leisure time."
I was thinking about hobbies today, which i have had so many. From chess and stamp collecting as a kid, and later from photo editing to all of the outdoors sports, from building things to growing things, -- there is an endless list of enjoyable activities that i have embarked on, some mastered, others barely got into. Some of them occupied me for a period of time, some of them lasted a lifetime and filled my existence with unforgettable experiences and awesome thrills.
Today i realized that now taking care of my family is my main hobby. It is something that gives me pleasure and relaxation, it is something that i would rather do over anything else. Just a short while ago i would not have imagined it. It is not the kind of thing you can conceptualize abstractly. But as i cut another green onion for my Thai fishcakes, i feel joy, and energy, and love, - i feel i am attempting to create another daily masterpiece to nurture those that i love the most with the most flavorful nutritious, creative food that i can master. And, as i fold the warm laundry, my heart fills with tenderness, fluffy as the towels i washed, because i am taking care of items that will caress the bodies of my loved ones, and that exhilarates me like no other hobby ever did.
happy busy days
How amazing it is to have a great husband:
Yesterday i had to work late, some sort of work crisis broke out, so i didn't have time to cook dinner at all. C called me on his way from picking up vaccination paper from the doctor for the kid's pre-school. It was already getting late, the fridge was pretty much empty and i was still in the midst of work. What happened next left me in awe: C went to the store, got some good stuff, picked up the kid, came home and cooked some great stuff, while taking care of the kid and making effort to keep me from any interruptions. He came up with an awesome salad, that i absolutely adored, and he even made my comfort food - mashed potatoes!
I was so tired, but i felt such a burst of energy: i was so grateful, so impressed, so in love, that i was able to quickly fix the software problem that i've been working on for the most part of the day in about 2 hours. My C rocks!
Oh, and, the salad contained:
Tuna
Avocado
Romain lettuce
Red onion
Red pepper
Tomato
Egg
Apple
Mayo
Parmesan cheese
Proportions will forever remain a secret though :)
In other developments of the day: It seems that VLC player has some issues working with the current configuration of Vista on our Sony laptop. Last week the laptop kept freezing, but when i looked at the processes, there was nothing chewing up the CPU or anything like that. I tried a bunch of stuff, and in the end just removed the VLC player. Time will tell if this was the true issue, or if more things will crop up...
On the brighter side, the iPhone app for Skype works great on my iPhone 4, so this is exciting, because it means that we can talk with my parents even while we are out and about. I personally get no particular joy from seeing them, vs just talking to them on a regular phone, but it is important for the kid to know her grandparents, and for them to love her as their grand kid. In the past we've had a difficult time connecting with them on Skype, because it always felt like a bit of a production - moving laptop to the kitchen, booting up, connecting, C trying to watch the kid while i am trying to cook, while we are both trying to communicate with my parents - it all seemed way too hectic at times. Now it will be a more spontaneous communication, or so i hope.
Yesterday i had to work late, some sort of work crisis broke out, so i didn't have time to cook dinner at all. C called me on his way from picking up vaccination paper from the doctor for the kid's pre-school. It was already getting late, the fridge was pretty much empty and i was still in the midst of work. What happened next left me in awe: C went to the store, got some good stuff, picked up the kid, came home and cooked some great stuff, while taking care of the kid and making effort to keep me from any interruptions. He came up with an awesome salad, that i absolutely adored, and he even made my comfort food - mashed potatoes!
I was so tired, but i felt such a burst of energy: i was so grateful, so impressed, so in love, that i was able to quickly fix the software problem that i've been working on for the most part of the day in about 2 hours. My C rocks!
Oh, and, the salad contained:
Tuna
Avocado
Romain lettuce
Red onion
Red pepper
Tomato
Egg
Apple
Mayo
Parmesan cheese
Proportions will forever remain a secret though :)
In other developments of the day: It seems that VLC player has some issues working with the current configuration of Vista on our Sony laptop. Last week the laptop kept freezing, but when i looked at the processes, there was nothing chewing up the CPU or anything like that. I tried a bunch of stuff, and in the end just removed the VLC player. Time will tell if this was the true issue, or if more things will crop up...
On the brighter side, the iPhone app for Skype works great on my iPhone 4, so this is exciting, because it means that we can talk with my parents even while we are out and about. I personally get no particular joy from seeing them, vs just talking to them on a regular phone, but it is important for the kid to know her grandparents, and for them to love her as their grand kid. In the past we've had a difficult time connecting with them on Skype, because it always felt like a bit of a production - moving laptop to the kitchen, booting up, connecting, C trying to watch the kid while i am trying to cook, while we are both trying to communicate with my parents - it all seemed way too hectic at times. Now it will be a more spontaneous communication, or so i hope.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Odd things in LA
Since i have moved to LA i have seen many things that struck me as odd, unusual, or just plain weird. Now, it is possible that some of them are only new to me because a) i am from the "villagie" mid-west b) i wasn't born here. Here are some of the things that i saw and captured:
1) I saw this "Jail collect calls to cellular phones" poster on multiple intersections...I guess i didn't realize that jail services were so popular, or that the jailed population was so significant that it warrants general intersection advertisement... Weird...
2) So, i went to the Sanrio's "Hello Kitty" special event, and as a part of the even they presented an art show with "Hello Kitty" themed art. This was one of the paintings:
I understand it was close to Thanksgiving and all, but isn't this waaaay too disturbing? If i was a kid, i'd bursting in tears!
3) Ok, this one comes from the lab located in Beverly Hills, in the bathroom where you are supposed to put your urine specimen, on the box it says: "No Drugs or money kept in box, blood and urine specimens only"
Like, someone would break into the medical lab in Beverly Hills, and while they are at it, run to the bathroom, see this attractive white box, and decide that it contains money and drugs and take it with them....And this sign is to clear up any confusion... yeah, great!
4) Ok, this next one is not unique to California, i guess, but this is a tree trunk. It is just weird. I guess the tree wanted to prevent people from climbing on it.... Because animals with fur wouldn't really have a problem, i don't think...
5) This is definitely an LA oddity. Its a train that goes up and down a little tiny hill. No, its not free, its about 50 cents or so. There are stairs there too, of course. And, there is a way to drive around to the top. But i guess if you don't like either option you can take a train:
6) Our local bakery created this crap-turtle mutation...Perhaps they are branching out into a pet store soon? or a genetics lab?
7) Art can take all forms. Advertisement too. This cell phone store is decorated with art from empty plastic bottles:
It looks cool. But if it was my store, i think i'd try to use the huge window space to advertise my product instead of just displaying fun odd stuff, especially if my store was located in a pricey area with expensive rent space, unless of course my husband was a zillioner and i just owned this store for kicks.
8) A combination of plumbing and lighting:
we encountered this on a walk of the Food Truck Friday, and event which itself should be included in this list of odd LA things: first Friday of every month all of the lunch trucks gather in this one area and huge crowds of people come out to stand in loooooong lines to eat various truck food.
9) Food full of bugs, on purpose! This was at a nice restaurant that featured "down south" food. Crickets were on the menu, so i tired them. They were crunchy and delicious!
10) If you decided to organize a fair, wouldn't the perfect place for the Ferris wheel be right NEXT TO A MORTUARY? Oh, yeah, that's a great idea!
this was, by the way, right in our neighborhood!
1) I saw this "Jail collect calls to cellular phones" poster on multiple intersections...I guess i didn't realize that jail services were so popular, or that the jailed population was so significant that it warrants general intersection advertisement... Weird...
2) So, i went to the Sanrio's "Hello Kitty" special event, and as a part of the even they presented an art show with "Hello Kitty" themed art. This was one of the paintings:
3) Ok, this one comes from the lab located in Beverly Hills, in the bathroom where you are supposed to put your urine specimen, on the box it says: "No Drugs or money kept in box, blood and urine specimens only"
4) Ok, this next one is not unique to California, i guess, but this is a tree trunk. It is just weird. I guess the tree wanted to prevent people from climbing on it.... Because animals with fur wouldn't really have a problem, i don't think...
5) This is definitely an LA oddity. Its a train that goes up and down a little tiny hill. No, its not free, its about 50 cents or so. There are stairs there too, of course. And, there is a way to drive around to the top. But i guess if you don't like either option you can take a train:
6) Our local bakery created this crap-turtle mutation...Perhaps they are branching out into a pet store soon? or a genetics lab?
7) Art can take all forms. Advertisement too. This cell phone store is decorated with art from empty plastic bottles:
8) A combination of plumbing and lighting:
9) Food full of bugs, on purpose! This was at a nice restaurant that featured "down south" food. Crickets were on the menu, so i tired them. They were crunchy and delicious!
10) If you decided to organize a fair, wouldn't the perfect place for the Ferris wheel be right NEXT TO A MORTUARY? Oh, yeah, that's a great idea!
this was, by the way, right in our neighborhood!
the kid is 2.5
Yesterday the kid turned exactly 2.5. That's an interesting age -- they start to understand things and to control things, and, apparently to use inappropriate language, in our case. The Spanish equivalent of "shut it" has been yelled at us whenever the kid is dissatisfied with our discipline lectures. We are not exactly sure who's behavior she is modeling, because in our home we don't use rude language, and we don't yell or swing arms. But we don't live in a vacuum, so whatever influences are out there, our influence has to be the deciding factor ( at least until she is 13 :) ). And, C handled it very well yesterday, i was proud.
But, on the bright side, the interesting thing about having a little kid is that every day there is something new: either a new word, or a new game, or a new understanding of something.
Yesterday the kid came home and drew a face, all by herself. Previously she would draw eyes, a smile and a nose, but only after she already had a head drawn for her. But yesterday she drew eyes, smile, nose, ears, and then a big circle around it for a head. The head turned out quite a bit big for the face, but everything was quite symmetrical.
But, on the bright side, the interesting thing about having a little kid is that every day there is something new: either a new word, or a new game, or a new understanding of something.
Yesterday the kid came home and drew a face, all by herself. Previously she would draw eyes, a smile and a nose, but only after she already had a head drawn for her. But yesterday she drew eyes, smile, nose, ears, and then a big circle around it for a head. The head turned out quite a bit big for the face, but everything was quite symmetrical.
Monday, January 10, 2011
baking experiments of the 2010
I am no baker, - i don't really like sweets all that much, and i always feel that the harm to the body is not worth the enjoyment received, so, i never really bothered. But in my new life i found a new inspiration to bake, in a form of my sweet-loving C. Learning a new skill is always nice, especially when there is someone appreciating the effort and the result. Plus, seems that C was well accustomed to the freshly baked goods being always available, since K enjoys baking as a hobby, so i figured i might as well try
.
The first was yablochnaya sharlotka, using the family recipe, and it came out nicely, the picture of it was saved off somewhere, i'll add when i find it again.
The second one was my favorite Lemon Merengue Pie, for which i make my own graham cracker crust, which tasted good, but the edges didn't look pretty. The Merengue part was a bit flat, because when i separated the whites from the yokes, one of the eggs broke and, consequently, the yoke touched the whites, which, as i later found out, prevents the whites from whipping properly and becoming stiff. So, soggy merengue it was...
then there were banana mini muffins. Since i don't care much for banana-baked goods, it was hard for me to be excited about them. But C ate them, and so is his visiting cousin, although i later discovered that they must be shrink-wrapped individually to preserve freshness.
Later i made cranberry walnut muffins, and liked them a lot better.
The masterpiece came in a form of a late birthday cake for C's birthday. This German Chocolate cake took some 6 hours to complete, but it was truly amazing. We shared some with his brother, and he approved the creation as well. I am not sure i would be brave enough to repeat this though.
The next thing i tried was pumpkin cranberry cookies, using my Fridays off for the experiment. They looked too yellow, and had a soft cake texture, so i was tired of them after eating the first two cookies. I got the recipe off the all-recipes spinner, but i don't think i'll be repeating that one.
The next came the German Apple cake, also off the all-recipes spinner. I modified it a bit, and it came out perfectly delicious, very similar to our yablochnaya sharlotka, but even better and healthier, i think.
For thanksgiving, C's son asked for the pecan pie, which i myself like, so i figured it would be a good idea to try. Once again, i made my own graham cracker crust, and picked a recipe that did not call for corn syrup, which is probably why it lacked the gooey layer that i like in pecan pies. The son liked the taste, so we will call this production a relative success.
The next experiment was a Key Lime pie. For this i used a store-bought gram cracker crust. The pie was very easy to make, the only effort being squeezing a zillion key limes, and both C and his son loved it, but it was certainly not healthy, as it contained loads of condensed milk .
Somewhere in between all this, there was also a pizza from scratch experiment, which was time consuming but fun and delicious.
and left my kitchen looking like a war zone
So, this was 2010 baking, in review :). Now we will see what the 2011 will bring us!
.
The first was yablochnaya sharlotka, using the family recipe, and it came out nicely, the picture of it was saved off somewhere, i'll add when i find it again.
The second one was my favorite Lemon Merengue Pie, for which i make my own graham cracker crust, which tasted good, but the edges didn't look pretty. The Merengue part was a bit flat, because when i separated the whites from the yokes, one of the eggs broke and, consequently, the yoke touched the whites, which, as i later found out, prevents the whites from whipping properly and becoming stiff. So, soggy merengue it was...
then there were banana mini muffins. Since i don't care much for banana-baked goods, it was hard for me to be excited about them. But C ate them, and so is his visiting cousin, although i later discovered that they must be shrink-wrapped individually to preserve freshness.
Later i made cranberry walnut muffins, and liked them a lot better.
The masterpiece came in a form of a late birthday cake for C's birthday. This German Chocolate cake took some 6 hours to complete, but it was truly amazing. We shared some with his brother, and he approved the creation as well. I am not sure i would be brave enough to repeat this though.
The next thing i tried was pumpkin cranberry cookies, using my Fridays off for the experiment. They looked too yellow, and had a soft cake texture, so i was tired of them after eating the first two cookies. I got the recipe off the all-recipes spinner, but i don't think i'll be repeating that one.
The next came the German Apple cake, also off the all-recipes spinner. I modified it a bit, and it came out perfectly delicious, very similar to our yablochnaya sharlotka, but even better and healthier, i think.
For thanksgiving, C's son asked for the pecan pie, which i myself like, so i figured it would be a good idea to try. Once again, i made my own graham cracker crust, and picked a recipe that did not call for corn syrup, which is probably why it lacked the gooey layer that i like in pecan pies. The son liked the taste, so we will call this production a relative success.
The next experiment was a Key Lime pie. For this i used a store-bought gram cracker crust. The pie was very easy to make, the only effort being squeezing a zillion key limes, and both C and his son loved it, but it was certainly not healthy, as it contained loads of condensed milk .
Somewhere in between all this, there was also a pizza from scratch experiment, which was time consuming but fun and delicious.
Another beautiful weekend:
Friday's dinner and a movie turned out to be a complete success, despite the fact that we forgot to load up on the liqueur prior to the movie outing, which made me worry about my ability to sit through a 2 hour movie next to a person who is actually "into" movies. But "The King's speech" was both engaging and emotional and was based on actual historical events, so we both really enjoyed the story and the acting. I will omit a review, since so many others are way better at it, and i am in no way a movie critic.
The Japanese restaurant was right next to the theater, called Torafuku. It promised authentic Japanese cuisine, and it delivered on the promise. The miso appetizer was good, although not worth the $7 in my personal opinion, just because it was miso and not fish, but i am, clearly bios, because C loved it and raved about it long after dinner. Something called a "sushi ball" was new for me, it was sushi rice compacted into a patty with a choice of fill-in wrapped in sushi paper. I had the one with baby anchovies, and enjoyed it very much. Next time i will try it with smelt row. I think what made it exceptional was their sushi rice -- it was simply delicious! Also, the fish itself, i felt, was of a superior quality.
Saturday we had a late start, C picked up S from K pretty late, and i was actually waiting for them for quite a while before they showed up. But, i guess, the extra "talking time" was good for K, so, whatever keeps the peace... The kid was badly in need of a nap, but we pressed on with the daily agenda, which was a big mistake, because she was constantly in a pre-cow state, wanting everything we didn't have, from chopstick, to fish, to juice, to bubbles. But we were well rested, and very much in love, so we handled it well, and remained in harmony. Harmony is actually what makes or breaks a day, and i think sufficient sleep and good intimacy is the key to cultivating harmony.
We tried to follow up on the doctor's note that we needed for the pre-school, but they were already closed - bummer. A trip to the nail salon, potatoes with mushrooms, and finally a nap for the kid followed. The funny part is that the kid loves all the industrial smells, just like me - and kept asking me to let her smell my freshly painted nails, even the next day - i had to explain to her that it only smells while the paint is fresh -not sure if she understood though.... Subsequent outing to Menchies followed by a late evening stroll in Beverly Hills completed the day. One complaint - Menchies must always carry the dulce leche flavor -- it is the whole point of going to Menchies, as opposed to Yogurt Land.
Sunday's syrniki were exceptional, a $7 tvorog was part of the reason, but definitely the skill of the syrniki maker was the defining element. We enjoyed our breakfast outside, as the kid blew bubbles of the balcony. It warms my heart that she takes so much after me.
My parents were celebrating their 41 anniversary, so we decided to join them remotely and cracked a bottle of champagne, which was both pleasant and effective and made our playground outing that much more fun. We finished the day at Cheverichnaya, where i had their 7 mares soup for the first time. I did like it, although La Baron still holds the 1st place (lunch time better than evening though). We crashed as soon as we got home, and slept nicely from 7pm until the morning, although not without a nightmare for me, about an escalator and the kid disappearing to the other side of it, just like my grandmother told me once a chicken did... Yeah, i know it doesn't make any sense...
Friday's dinner and a movie turned out to be a complete success, despite the fact that we forgot to load up on the liqueur prior to the movie outing, which made me worry about my ability to sit through a 2 hour movie next to a person who is actually "into" movies. But "The King's speech" was both engaging and emotional and was based on actual historical events, so we both really enjoyed the story and the acting. I will omit a review, since so many others are way better at it, and i am in no way a movie critic.
The Japanese restaurant was right next to the theater, called Torafuku. It promised authentic Japanese cuisine, and it delivered on the promise. The miso appetizer was good, although not worth the $7 in my personal opinion, just because it was miso and not fish, but i am, clearly bios, because C loved it and raved about it long after dinner. Something called a "sushi ball" was new for me, it was sushi rice compacted into a patty with a choice of fill-in wrapped in sushi paper. I had the one with baby anchovies, and enjoyed it very much. Next time i will try it with smelt row. I think what made it exceptional was their sushi rice -- it was simply delicious! Also, the fish itself, i felt, was of a superior quality.
Saturday we had a late start, C picked up S from K pretty late, and i was actually waiting for them for quite a while before they showed up. But, i guess, the extra "talking time" was good for K, so, whatever keeps the peace... The kid was badly in need of a nap, but we pressed on with the daily agenda, which was a big mistake, because she was constantly in a pre-cow state, wanting everything we didn't have, from chopstick, to fish, to juice, to bubbles. But we were well rested, and very much in love, so we handled it well, and remained in harmony. Harmony is actually what makes or breaks a day, and i think sufficient sleep and good intimacy is the key to cultivating harmony.
We tried to follow up on the doctor's note that we needed for the pre-school, but they were already closed - bummer. A trip to the nail salon, potatoes with mushrooms, and finally a nap for the kid followed. The funny part is that the kid loves all the industrial smells, just like me - and kept asking me to let her smell my freshly painted nails, even the next day - i had to explain to her that it only smells while the paint is fresh -not sure if she understood though.... Subsequent outing to Menchies followed by a late evening stroll in Beverly Hills completed the day. One complaint - Menchies must always carry the dulce leche flavor -- it is the whole point of going to Menchies, as opposed to Yogurt Land.
Sunday's syrniki were exceptional, a $7 tvorog was part of the reason, but definitely the skill of the syrniki maker was the defining element. We enjoyed our breakfast outside, as the kid blew bubbles of the balcony. It warms my heart that she takes so much after me.
My parents were celebrating their 41 anniversary, so we decided to join them remotely and cracked a bottle of champagne, which was both pleasant and effective and made our playground outing that much more fun. We finished the day at Cheverichnaya, where i had their 7 mares soup for the first time. I did like it, although La Baron still holds the 1st place (lunch time better than evening though). We crashed as soon as we got home, and slept nicely from 7pm until the morning, although not without a nightmare for me, about an escalator and the kid disappearing to the other side of it, just like my grandmother told me once a chicken did... Yeah, i know it doesn't make any sense...
what happened before, in pictures
one fateful moment that started my life (6/1/2009)
the mix tape:
then a very long wait over a mimosa:
then the concert (11/4/2009):
and one place to keep in my heart as "the beginning":
all of this was the beginning of the road toward my "happily ever after".
Then there was a pre-life "honeymoon" vacation:
Then came all the hard work:
the search for a home:
and the packing:
and, finally, the long road to California (since we were both way too in shock to take photos, i believe this is the only photo from the trip):
And, then we were here, the new place:
 |
| Portland, Pioneer Square |
the mix tape:
 |
then the concert (11/4/2009):
 |
| Bunbury |
and one place to keep in my heart as "the beginning":
 |
| Marina Del Rey |
Then there was a pre-life "honeymoon" vacation:
 |
| captured on a night walk |
Then came all the hard work:
the search for a home:
and the packing:
 | ||||||
| which one to take? |
And, then we were here, the new place:
so, this is life
I have been long wondering what makes one start a blog. Now that my Facebook account is no longer in use, i feel i am lacking a web-based platform of self-expression. It is true that i have been feeling a sense of freedom since i quit it, -- more time to work during work hours, less "ding"s on my iphone, less distractions from my real life that i am living. But, Facebook's "year in review" app showed me that it is nice to have a summary of a year's themes and feelings. It is nice to re-visit all the little moments that made you smile that were, perhaps, not significant enough to remain on the forefront of your memory. Diaries are so passe, but perhaps an on-line notebook is ok? Let's try that.
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