We decided to do our civic duty and watch the first democratic debate on TV yesterday. I went into it really looking for a reason to support Barack Obama - I think I am hoping to find the next inspirational Howard-Dean-like candidate for this election and had heard that Obama has some of the same charisma. After listening to 90 minutes of debate, I have formed my first true "opinions" about the candidates this season, and am somewhat surprised about my conclusions. My top four candidates (in order) after the debate are 1) Hillary Clinton, 2) Christopher Dodd, 3) John Edwards, and 4) Barack Obama (because I'm not ready to give up on him yet...).
In case you're interested, here are my thoughts, by candidate:
Dodd: I felt like he was very articulate, he actually ANSWERED the questions that were asked of him, and he seemed humble and intelligent. Specifically, I liked what he said about valuing diplomacy and accepting responsibility for mistakes.
Obama: He really frustrated me - I felt like he was avoiding answering the questions and was just veering off into a topic he wanted to talk about. And his biggest mistake so far was the Terri Schiavo case? Come on, there must be some legislation that affects a broader swath of America that you would change...
Kucinich: Sweet, hippie, elf-like nutcase.
Gravel: Make it a felony to be in Iraq? Accusing other candidates of wanting to nuke people? Whoa. Industrial-grade nutcase.
Edwards: Liked what he said about the importance of appointing supreme court justices during the next presidency. I like how he takes responsibility for his mistakes. I'm tired of hearing about his childhood in South Carolina, though...
Hillary: Really felt like she was trying to build consensus and not attack any of the other candidates up there. She seemed to be able to eloquently sum up opinions that the other candidates struggled with. I feel like she has really learned from her attempt at passing universal health care and I like that she cares about that issue. I also like her views on economics.
Biden: Best moment of the day with his "yes" answer, but I didn't like much else he said. I particularly didn't like his statement about appointing judges that share his views and values - sounds like another batch of activist judges to me.
Richardson: Didn't say anything to inspire me at all - I don't like his "no new taxes" agenda or his pro gun rights feelings.
So, did anyone else watch the debate? Thoughts? Am I way off base?
4.27.2007
The Sarah Jessica Parker of the Dog World
Tom and I eventually gave up on crating Banjo during the day - he just looked so sad every time we left him in there. So we've decided to try leaving him in the main house - we generally close the door to the bedroom and have just been hoping he won't do any significant damage. At any rate, I came home from work today to the following scene: 
You can't see them all, but he had dug out a single shoe from 8 different pairs of shoes in the hall closet and scattered them all throughout the living room. Plus, there was one lone slipper sitting suspiciously in the middle of his dog bed. Fortunately, he isn't really much of a chewer and doesn't seem to have done any damage to any of them. As far as I can tell he just likes to collect them...
You can't see them all, but he had dug out a single shoe from 8 different pairs of shoes in the hall closet and scattered them all throughout the living room. Plus, there was one lone slipper sitting suspiciously in the middle of his dog bed. Fortunately, he isn't really much of a chewer and doesn't seem to have done any damage to any of them. As far as I can tell he just likes to collect them...
4.21.2007
Yard Saling!
Yard saling was one of my favorite activities when I lived out in Vermont after college. My friend Andrew and I would often wile away a Saturday morning searching for such treasures as broken vacuum cleaners, croquet sets, and large handpainted dinosaur clocks. The yard sales in Vermont were wonderful - people seemed to be trying to clean out their houses and get rid of old junk. Prices were great (I once got an entire set of cross country skis for two bucks) and selection was always good.
So when I first moved out here three years ago I had grand ambitions of furnishing our new house with garage sale fare. I was quickly disabused of that notion - in my first weekend I found someone trying to sell a "magic bullet blender (made for TV)" for $50 and some junky hand-done cross-stitch project for $12. Yikes. It seems that California yard sales are a different breed - people are actually trying to make a profit on their stuff. There are also a lot of "professional" yard salers that troll the sales first thing in the morning to buy all of the good stuff. Apparantly they tote their new finds to the flea markets and turn them around for a profit. After trying a couple more times, we basically gave up and turned to IKEA for our inexpensive furnishing needs.
At any rate, when Tom and I woke up to a cloudy morning today, yard saling came to mind. We checked out craigslist and found that it was "community yard sale day" in Sunnyvale, which meant that there were sales all over! We wrote down directions to a few promising ones (in search of a breadmaker, some sporting equipment, and maybe some old video games) and set off. We had a nice day overall - for a grand total of $2.85, we bought a resin tray with a roadrunner on it (matching a cardinal tray we got for the wedding), a ceramic bowl, two books, and a kleenex box cover shaped like a sneezing tiki god. Not exactly what we had been looking for, but treasures nonetheless! We also splurged on two chocolate chip cookies and a brownie for an additional $1.25.
Banjo was a big hit throughout the day as well, and endeared himself to many of our fellow yard sale patrons. At one point, a smitten vendor offered to trade us a $10 workshop vise we had been admiring for little 'Jo. We think he is worth a shop-vac at least, so we declined.
We returned home 4 hours later, having walked 5.8 miles (according to google pedometer) and feeling quite pleased with ourselves. Nothing better than a bargain!
So when I first moved out here three years ago I had grand ambitions of furnishing our new house with garage sale fare. I was quickly disabused of that notion - in my first weekend I found someone trying to sell a "magic bullet blender (made for TV)" for $50 and some junky hand-done cross-stitch project for $12. Yikes. It seems that California yard sales are a different breed - people are actually trying to make a profit on their stuff. There are also a lot of "professional" yard salers that troll the sales first thing in the morning to buy all of the good stuff. Apparantly they tote their new finds to the flea markets and turn them around for a profit. After trying a couple more times, we basically gave up and turned to IKEA for our inexpensive furnishing needs.
At any rate, when Tom and I woke up to a cloudy morning today, yard saling came to mind. We checked out craigslist and found that it was "community yard sale day" in Sunnyvale, which meant that there were sales all over! We wrote down directions to a few promising ones (in search of a breadmaker, some sporting equipment, and maybe some old video games) and set off. We had a nice day overall - for a grand total of $2.85, we bought a resin tray with a roadrunner on it (matching a cardinal tray we got for the wedding), a ceramic bowl, two books, and a kleenex box cover shaped like a sneezing tiki god. Not exactly what we had been looking for, but treasures nonetheless! We also splurged on two chocolate chip cookies and a brownie for an additional $1.25.
Banjo was a big hit throughout the day as well, and endeared himself to many of our fellow yard sale patrons. At one point, a smitten vendor offered to trade us a $10 workshop vise we had been admiring for little 'Jo. We think he is worth a shop-vac at least, so we declined.
We returned home 4 hours later, having walked 5.8 miles (according to google pedometer) and feeling quite pleased with ourselves. Nothing better than a bargain!
4.20.2007
Exciting Newses
Two pieces of exciting news lately!
First, our good friends from Dartmouth, Steve and Sarah, are now engaged! We're so happy for them and can't wait to congratulate them in person, which will probably be this summer at our other friends' (Gordie and Amanda) wedding in Vermont. Hooray for weddings!
Second, I am now (officially) an uncle! Wendy and Jon are now the proud parents of Claire Frances Kimball. We are very excited and can't wait to meet her.
First, our good friends from Dartmouth, Steve and Sarah, are now engaged! We're so happy for them and can't wait to congratulate them in person, which will probably be this summer at our other friends' (Gordie and Amanda) wedding in Vermont. Hooray for weddings!
Second, I am now (officially) an uncle! Wendy and Jon are now the proud parents of Claire Frances Kimball. We are very excited and can't wait to meet her.
4.14.2007
Thai Cooking Class
I just finished a two-week Thai Cooking class at a local high school. I had taken an Indian cooking class in Foster City about a year ago which was great fun, so I was excited to take this one in our new town, Sunnyvale.
I think I liked the Indian one a bit better - it was hands-on, and everyone in the class was able to contribute. That teacher was also very good about showing us little tricky techniques and shortcuts that really have helped my cooking. For example, I always thought that you could only use the cilantro leaves, and I learned that the stalks have just as much flavor - no use wasting them! I also learned that almost any spice in a recipe will benefit greatly from "blooming", which is cooking it briefly in a pan (either dry or with a bit of oil) before adding the other ingredients.
Anyway, the Thai class I just finished was fun, too, but it was a "demonstration" class. The teacher had a stove in the front of the classroom and cooked the dishes while we watched. We saw 7 dishes in all, including tom khai ghai soup, prawns in red curry, thai fried rice, chicken satay, salmon cakes, coconut steamed rice, and lemongrass chicken. They were all spectacularly delicious and I am happy to know how to make them. It was interesting to me how similar the ingredients in each dish were - almost everything contained curry paste, fish sauce, lemongrass, coconut milk, garlic, basil, onion, and cilantro. It's nice that these ingredients are relatively simple and easy to find (contrasted with the Indian food, which has a million crazy spices), so I think home-cooking authentic Thai might actually be pretty do-able. The main problem for me is the ubiquity of the coconut milk, which, incidentally, has 28 grams of fat per 1/6 cup serving. Pretty outrageous. There is some "light" coconut milk that I may try, which I understand is just a later pressing of the coconut, but I have been warned that the dishes won't taste the same.
Anyway, if anyone's interested, I am posting the lemongrass chicken recipe below. It is the only non-coconut milk recipe and really had a wonderful flavor. Let me know if you try it!
I think I liked the Indian one a bit better - it was hands-on, and everyone in the class was able to contribute. That teacher was also very good about showing us little tricky techniques and shortcuts that really have helped my cooking. For example, I always thought that you could only use the cilantro leaves, and I learned that the stalks have just as much flavor - no use wasting them! I also learned that almost any spice in a recipe will benefit greatly from "blooming", which is cooking it briefly in a pan (either dry or with a bit of oil) before adding the other ingredients.
Anyway, the Thai class I just finished was fun, too, but it was a "demonstration" class. The teacher had a stove in the front of the classroom and cooked the dishes while we watched. We saw 7 dishes in all, including tom khai ghai soup, prawns in red curry, thai fried rice, chicken satay, salmon cakes, coconut steamed rice, and lemongrass chicken. They were all spectacularly delicious and I am happy to know how to make them. It was interesting to me how similar the ingredients in each dish were - almost everything contained curry paste, fish sauce, lemongrass, coconut milk, garlic, basil, onion, and cilantro. It's nice that these ingredients are relatively simple and easy to find (contrasted with the Indian food, which has a million crazy spices), so I think home-cooking authentic Thai might actually be pretty do-able. The main problem for me is the ubiquity of the coconut milk, which, incidentally, has 28 grams of fat per 1/6 cup serving. Pretty outrageous. There is some "light" coconut milk that I may try, which I understand is just a later pressing of the coconut, but I have been warned that the dishes won't taste the same.
Anyway, if anyone's interested, I am posting the lemongrass chicken recipe below. It is the only non-coconut milk recipe and really had a wonderful flavor. Let me know if you try it!
Lemongrass Chicken
Serves 4
2 T oil (could probably get away with less)
2 T garlic (chopped finely or paste)
3 Thai chilies, split
1 c chopped onions (white or bottoms of green onions)
2 tsp chicken bullion powder (although cubes would probably work)
1/3 c lemon grass puree (made from blending 1/2 stalk lemongrass with 1/2 c water and straining out solids)
1 c cubed boneless chicken
1/2 c chopped cilantro
6 mushrooms, quartered
2 tsp lemon juice
1.5 T brown sugar
2 tsp fish sauce (Prawn brand was recommended)
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 c green onion tops
Heat oil and add garlic and chilies. Saute for a minute or so. Add onion and saute 3-5 minutes on high. Add buillion, lemon grass puree, and chicken cubes stir, and bring to boil. Add cilantro, mushrooms, lemon juice, fish sauce, brown sugar, pepper, and onion greens. Cook 3-5 more minutes. Add salt if necessary (probably won't be).
Serve with steamed rice. Yummmm!
2 T oil (could probably get away with less)
2 T garlic (chopped finely or paste)
3 Thai chilies, split
1 c chopped onions (white or bottoms of green onions)
2 tsp chicken bullion powder (although cubes would probably work)
1/3 c lemon grass puree (made from blending 1/2 stalk lemongrass with 1/2 c water and straining out solids)
1 c cubed boneless chicken
1/2 c chopped cilantro
6 mushrooms, quartered
2 tsp lemon juice
1.5 T brown sugar
2 tsp fish sauce (Prawn brand was recommended)
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 c green onion tops
Heat oil and add garlic and chilies. Saute for a minute or so. Add onion and saute 3-5 minutes on high. Add buillion, lemon grass puree, and chicken cubes stir, and bring to boil. Add cilantro, mushrooms, lemon juice, fish sauce, brown sugar, pepper, and onion greens. Cook 3-5 more minutes. Add salt if necessary (probably won't be).
Serve with steamed rice. Yummmm!
4.12.2007
Lombard St. Big Wheel Races
Yet another reason why San Fran is the craziest city out there. File this along with Bay to Breakers, Urban Iditarod, Critical Mass, Urban Golfing, and whatever other crazy events there are out here that I don't yet know about. I'm sure there are tons.Link to YouTube video
Another video, with "Helmet-Cam" (more interesting, if not more nauseating)
We didn't see this in person, just heard about it from someone. Those of you who have been on Lombard St. might find it amusing. There are lots of good pictures up on Flickr, too.
4.10.2007
Spring snow
Kate and Banjo and I got up to the mountains this past weekend for one last bit of winter before all the snow melts, which it's pretty well on its way to doing up there. We were lucky to get to stay for free with some friends at a condo in Incline Village, on the North Shore, Nevada side. Others went snowboarding in the slush, but we opted for another snowshoe hike. The first place we attempted was low - maybe 6,000"- and was totally dry, so we opted to head up the Mt. Rose highway that connects Tahoe and Reno and crests at around 8,000" in an attempt to find some snow so we could justify at least a small portion of the winter sports equipment that we had toted up with us. Although the Mt. Rose ski area looked pretty bare, the backcountry on the west side of the highway, at least the north-facing slopes and ridges, had a good amount of nice snow left, making for a nice 5-mile-ish tromp with our pup.
I think we ventured off-trail pretty quickly, but we ended up going to Mt. Tamarack and back, in the middle of a popular backcountry skiing area when conditions are better. Banjo, as always, was excited to be off-leash and romping around with all sorts of new smells to sniff. We had great views of the Lake to the south, and of Mt. Rose to the north (maybe that will be the destiniation of another day...).
On the way back we got some good glissading in on a decently steep slope- steep enough to give Banjo pause before he cautiously walk/slid his way down after us. As you can see, my second - and more ambitous - attempt had a little unintended excitement midway through, but ended nicely.
Our trip finished with a nice hearty Easter breakfast at the Wildflower diner in Incline, and then we got to listen to the A's take down the Halos on our drive back. Hope everyone else out there had a nice Easter weekend.
I think we ventured off-trail pretty quickly, but we ended up going to Mt. Tamarack and back, in the middle of a popular backcountry skiing area when conditions are better. Banjo, as always, was excited to be off-leash and romping around with all sorts of new smells to sniff. We had great views of the Lake to the south, and of Mt. Rose to the north (maybe that will be the destiniation of another day...).
On the way back we got some good glissading in on a decently steep slope- steep enough to give Banjo pause before he cautiously walk/slid his way down after us. As you can see, my second - and more ambitous - attempt had a little unintended excitement midway through, but ended nicely.
Our trip finished with a nice hearty Easter breakfast at the Wildflower diner in Incline, and then we got to listen to the A's take down the Halos on our drive back. Hope everyone else out there had a nice Easter weekend.
4.05.2007
Poop Head
Tom, Banjo and I went hiking in Sunol - Ohlone Regional Wilderness last weekend. It is a nice big park in the east bay with some amazing panoramic views of the hills and central valley. They allow dogs to be off-leash, which was the main draw for us.
Some highlights include:
Banjo going crazy in the first big meadow we found - running around in circles so happily and chasing his tail.
Banjo chasing some ground squirrels which appeared to be taunting the little guy. He wasn't even close to being fast enough to catch them - they kept popping up out of holes and chattering at him, only to disappear when he got close.
Banjo seeing his first cow - he slammed on the breaks, turned tail and sprinted back to us as fast as he could.
Some lowlights include:
Banjo rolling enthusiastically in a fresh cow pie. Little poop head. We couldn't stop laughing when we saw him with his bright green mohawk looking sooo proud of himself. Needless to say, he got a nice long bath when we got home...
I'm "Acceptable"!!
Many of you know that I have had mysteriously high cholesterol. Mysterious because generally 20-something women who are in pretty good shape and eat (relatively) healthily have cholesterol in the low-100s, while mine seemed to hover between 250 - 300. There was clearly some genetic component as a number of people in my family are in the same situation, so we've been monitoring it since I was in high school.
Anyway, I had a yearly cholesterol test last week, and for the first time ever I am below 200! 198 to be exact, but at least this is in the "normal" range. Also, my HDL (good cholesterol) has about doubled and my LDL (bad cholesterol) has dropped since the last time it was tested.
I'm not 100% what the cause of all this is, but I'm willing to let Banjo and the 2 walks / runs a day we've been giving him have some of the credit. Anyway, I got a letter from the doctor telling me that these levels were "acceptable" and she didn't recommend any medication at this time! So that's great news all around, and hopefully it continues to drop. Time to bust out the flax seeds, oatmeal, and avocado...
Anyway, I had a yearly cholesterol test last week, and for the first time ever I am below 200! 198 to be exact, but at least this is in the "normal" range. Also, my HDL (good cholesterol) has about doubled and my LDL (bad cholesterol) has dropped since the last time it was tested.
I'm not 100% what the cause of all this is, but I'm willing to let Banjo and the 2 walks / runs a day we've been giving him have some of the credit. Anyway, I got a letter from the doctor telling me that these levels were "acceptable" and she didn't recommend any medication at this time! So that's great news all around, and hopefully it continues to drop. Time to bust out the flax seeds, oatmeal, and avocado...
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