week of 12/10/2012 in review

a busy first week of work.

- foods made.  MON. salmon, quinoa, broccoli.  WEDS.  mapo tofu w/ bok choy & mushrooms.  THURS.  baked sweet potatoes, w/ broccoli.  

- friends & happenings.  delphix holiday party.  brunch w/eugene&alicia.  brunch with katherine.  shira's housecooling.  birthday drinks w/renee.  LOTR & pot roast @ P&J's.

- having fun drawing with thread using my new free motion quilting foot :)

week in review

- foods made.  MON. alphabet soup.  TUES. leek & chard tart w/ greens. THURS. spaghetti squash w/ bolognese & arugula salad

- crafts made.  finished one quilt, began another.

- friends.  coffee w/ keqin.  lunch w/ olga.  locanda w/ george & matt.  networking lunch.  mayor's budget office holiday brunch.  LOTR & Santung w/ p&j, b&hm, and others.  potluck @ rebecca's.

an open letter

dear birds residing on the anderson-tompkins-ellsworth-ogden block,

it would please me to find you eating grubs and snails in our yard. the raccoons having been digging up our lovely grasses in pursuit of these chewy morsels.  today, i counted 8 grubs.  they are yours -- feast away!  please?

very truly yours,

carol

thought of the day

my most worthwhile and memorable adventures have always felt a little scary and crazy!

- foods made. TUES. salmon w/ pasta & spinach.  WED. roasted chicken w/ root vegetables. THU. pasta w/ broccoli raab.  

- hanging out.  Dinner @ Piqueo's w/ matt to celebrate my new job!  Skyfall & Mifune w/ pete & jane.  LOTR & chicken noodle soup w/ pete & jane.

- crafts.  made lots of felty things.  about 3/4 finished with my first quilt :)

- job.  i'll start in the mayor's office next week.

- wedding.  closing in (mentally at least :) on the date, venue, and caterer. eschewing all wedding-oriented vendors means more coordination / communication and an enormous amount of do-it-together spirit.  i think we can pull it off, and it feels right!

yosemite thanksgiving

matt & i visited yosemite valley over thanksgiving!  highlights:

- seeing a bunch of waterfalls

- eating lunch in a sunny spot on a huge granite rock overlooking the valley

- hiking past the crowds to the quiet section of the trail.  we were the only people camping in a normally-crowded backcountry spot.

- people watching at the ahwanee hotel and making dinner on a tiny camp stove in our room  :)

- driving to and exploring the hetch hetchy area

it was a good trip!  i'd planned to hike out 9 more miles and up 1,500 more ft., but it was very, very, very cold at night.  i'll have to acquire a zero-degree bag before sleeping in below-freezeing temperatures again.

week in review, 11/12/2012

- jobs.  pacific forest trust.  finger printing & background check for the mayor (???)

- food.  i don't remember making much.  a lot of repurposed leftovers.  something with romanesco.  ordered in from zante's pizza.  went to ad hoc w/ matt's family.  pho with keqin & gang.  rosaumunde w/ cr folks.  

- hosted happy hour w/contractor, architect, realtor, and neighbors to celebrate all of the amazing house renovations that matt has done.

- sick.  lounging in bed b/c i was sick.

week in review, 11/5/2012

- food.  MON. stuffed peppers & sweet potatoes.  WED. vermicelli & fried tofu.  THURS. sausage & roasted cabbage.  FRI. fig proscuitto onion, sausage & tomato pizza, chickpeas, beets.  SAT. mushroom ragout w/ polenta, carrot salad.  SUN.  porkchop, brussel sprouts, sweet potato. 

- hung out.  drawing with keqin.  breakfast with rob sammy harry jimmy drew.  matt's parents came into town and we saw the sights! 

week of 10/21/2012 in review

can't find the bullet button on goog's new compose!

- foods made.  MON.  veg mapo tofu w/ boychoy.  TUES.  miso salmon, spinach.  WED.  steamed egg, curried eggplant, miso soup.  THURS.  leek & chart tart w/tomato salad.  FRI.  pork tenderloin w/ fennel & arugula apple salad.  

- jobs applied to.  Lawrence Berkeley Labs.  Roberts Enterprise Development Fund (the Roberts of KKR).  still waiting to hear back about working for ed lee.

- hanging out.  garett's birthday dinner @ little star.  rebecca's pre-thanksgiving birthday dinner w/ the gang.  walk and bike ride around parks -- bernal heights, holly park, and sunnyside conservatory.

- felty.  made a bouquet flowers, trivets, and 2 owls :)

i love bernal heights

i really love my neighborhood.  

• quiet and cozy.  it's set slightly apart from the rest of san francisco because of its hilltop location and is only indirectly linked to BART.  
• sunshine.  it's in sf's sunbelt. the sun shines even when there is fog everywhere else.
• views.  it has some of the best views of downtown and the east bay.
• cortland village and surrounding commercial areas. lots of good stuff without much pretension. 
• playgrounds, parks, community gardens, mini-gardens and greenery. so many.
• interesting neighbors but not so "interesting" that it's dangerous.

life report, week of 10/22/2012

a very, very not productive but fun week.

• meals made.  WED.  tuna noodle casserole.  THURS.  vegetable chili w/ jalapeno cheddar cornbread.
• jobs.  interview 3 w/ mayor's office.
• fun.  lunch w/ eugene.  japa-curry w/ matt.  dinner w/ kat.  coffee w/ leslie & keqin.  near-circumnavigation of sf by foot w/ keqin.  smuggler's cove & suppenkuche to celebrate matt's bday with friends.  bike ride around sf -- stopping for lunch at 4p and eating popcorn for dinner.  bbq @ p&j's.

week of 10/14/2012 in review

• meals made.  TUES. curried chicken pot pie.  WED. stuffed peppers & zucchinis.  THURS. baked sweet potatoes w/ broccoli topping & roasted kohlrabi.  FRI. pizza & salad.  SUN.  leftovers + kale + sweet potatoes.
• jobs.  another interview w/mayor's office.  impact carbon redux.
• fun.  coffee bar with julia.  quick meetup w/ drew.  sf excursion to birite dolores park & lands end w/keqin & ian.  stars show & japanese food w/ matt.  went to "toast a neighbor's house" -- they are moving after having owned the property for 60 years.  strolled around cortland street fair.
• crafty.  made felt flowers and glued to a wreath!

my hand feels spicy

i have tiny cuts all over my hands, all the time!  why?  i don't know, i'm clumsy with paper?

it's not a big deal, except for when i slice chilies.  and then, rub my nose and eyes.  yah.

week of 10/8/2012 in review

• meals made.  MON. vermicelli, fried tofu, asian greens.  TUE. tomato soup + apple-cheddar-lettuce salad.  FRI. sausage, onion, pepper pizza + salad.  SAT. chicken noodle soup + salad.  SUN. pumpkin ravioli w/ spinach.
• job stuff.  wrote three mini research papers as part of interview process.  networked.
• hung out.  walking around market street & eating ramen with keqin.  dinner & the fly @hongmai's.  had pete&jane over for dinner.  lunch & hike w/ matt.
• house.  finished getting all the plants into the ground :)

garden report: i want to hug my garden

really, really loving the backyard.  it's really fun to inspect all the new plants and see the creatures that have come back!  exciting times :)

• earthworms hanging out below the grassy bits -- there were none before!
• weed seedlings -- so far, heart-shaped, oval-shaped, and blades of grass -- sprouting left and right
• a cat poking about -- it scratched its head on all of the staircase posts and on me & matt!
• blue bird visits, including one that flew into the house
• a hummingbird flew past my head -- it was visiting a neighboring avocado tree, but next spring, we should have enough flowering plants to attract some interest.
• the spiders are spinning webs on anything that hasn't moved in a couple of days, including a ladder.

p.s. the kale is doing great -- there's one guy who is thriving!  i like to joke that he's going to go to harvard one day :)

week of 10/1/2012 in review

george stayed with us, and matt was busy with his conference / sick this week.  

• food.  WED. mac&cheese, arugula&strawberry salad, zucchini.  FRI. ratatouille&quinoa.  SAT. roasted tomato sauce&polenta.
• jobs.  interview w/ mayor's office & sasb.  networking with energy people.
• house.  sewed cloth napkins to match the table runner.  planted the plants in the beds!  they're mostly california natives. so excited to watch them grow over the years.  put kale seedlings into their grown up container.  everything is still alive :)
• hung out.  schnapsen w/ matt.  dinner out -- front porch & chez maman -- w/ george.  lasagna @pete&jane's.  watched military planes flying overhead -- fleet week air show.

the weather has been amazing, sf's indian summers.

trick

i find myself thinking "this is an adventure" or "that's interesting" to fight off feelings of irritation.  it actually works, especially if i'm already happy!  cool, huh?

week in review 9/24/2012

• meals.  MON. pot roast, redux. TUE. curried collards w/ quinoa.  WED. vegetable minestrone.  FRI. mac & cheese w/ snap peas.  SAT. hot pot.
• jobs.  sf mayor's office.
• volunteer.  taking notes and q&a cards at the renewable energy finance forum.  met a few people, good to hear all of the talks and figure out who's who.
• friends.  happy hour w/ jimmy.  had friends over for dinner & screening of total recall.  loved the one-liners!  

week of 9/17/2012 in review

• meals.  MON. roasted chicken, kale & tomato, parmesan cauliflower.  TUE. pot roast w/ roasted cabbage rounds.  THURS. tomato cobbler w/blue cheese biscuits & collards.  FRI. spinach stuffed portobellos w/ sweet potato fries.  SAT.  black bean & corn stuffed peppers, spinach, and sweet potato fries.
• jobs.  freeman sullivan.
• volunteer.  alemany farm.  orientation to install solar PV on low income housing w/ grid alternatives.
• house.  helped matt feed 1,000+ ft. of PEX under the floor / in the ceiling of the basement and position the irrigation stuff.  primed and painted back foundation wall.  halloween cat craft :)  the new fence is in as is the patio!

mitt romney and the 47%

what i appreciate about his comment is that it's elicited responses that include nice pie charts and infographics.  i'm a nerd.

did i mention that i love the sf public library?

they digitized and geocoded old photos.  zomg.  check it out!

the 1940 census

today, fencers are taking down the tall poles on which people hung their clothes to dry.  i looked up our place in the 1940 census.

72 years ago, frank barranti (36) lived at 549 anderson with his wife nina (33) and 2 children, june (12) & frank (7).  they rented the house for $27.50 per month. frank was a clerk in the fruit & produce industry, making $1,716 / yr (among the highest reported pay on that page).  frank completed 8th grade while his wife completed "H4" (?).  like many residents of the neighborhood, frank was born in italy.

frank & nina grew up during world war i, and they spent their twenties living through the great depression. by the date the census was taken (april 1940), war would have just broken out in europe but the us wouldn't become directly involved until 1941.  at 36 years old, frank would have escaped the 1940 peace-time draft but would have had to register for the draft in 1941, post- pearl harbor.

it blows my mind.

p.s. i would like to add that the national archives & records administration rocks.  the interface for the 1940 census is pretty great, especially compared to the digitized version of the 1930 census (by another library, not nara).

week of 9/10/2012 in review

the fog horns sounded all weekend, but bernal hill was safe from the clouds!

• meals made.  MON. taco salad.  THURS.  chickpea & cauliflower stew w/ chard.  FRI.  lao yellow rice & duck w/ green beans.  SAT.  ramen w/ mushroom, chard, and poached egg.  
• jobs.  sustainability accounting standards board.  obama campaign via alumni.
• volunteer.  alemany farm, right next to a housing project in the neighborhood.  harvested radishes strawberries cherry tomatoes, weeded, hauled compost up the hill, planted lettuce.  best part is taking veggies home :)
• hang out.  dinner @ weird fish w/ ruiwen.  after dinner tea @ samovar w/ eddie.
• arts & crafts. made an awesome planter from old fence pickets w/ matt.  making great progress on block print table cloth :)

schnapsen

matt and i just started playing this austrian trick-taking game called shnapsen.  it's a 2-player game with only 20 cards.  there are a lot of fules, and we're still learning the strategy.  it's really fun though, and surprisingly complicated.

week of 9/3/2012 in review

• a legumey food week.  TUE.  black beans & brown rice redux.  WED.  spicy red lentil soup + tomato salad.  THURS.  ratatouille.  FRI.  pork chop w/ mushroom cream sauce + potato + green beans.  SUN.  green lentil soup w/ mushrooms & chard.
• jobs applied to.  data crunching for the obama campaign.
• saw people.  bbq with our across-the-street neighbors.  it was fun to hear about the block's history and its colorful residents.
• plants.  finalized landscaping plans -- successfully appeased dissenting neighbor with wine and obtained consent from a sometimes grouchy neighbor to tie our fences together.  (neighbor diplomacy skills are getting better :) acquired yellow mums, aloe plant, and kale seeds. 
  
• crafty.  block-printing & sewing a linen table cloth.
  

food thoughts

i think about food all the time.  here are a few thoughts:

• diy.  i'll put things like sweet bean paste, tomato sauce, and chicken stock on my grocery list.  then, debate myself in the aisles and decide not to buy these things. i have time to make a healthier, fresher per-unit version.  i like the economy of it too.  ok, $1.50 or $3 isn't much.  but, i might already have a chicken carcass in the freezer or a pile of super delicious tomatoes on the counter.  so why not use it?  i don't do this for everything!  we have jars of mustard, tubes of harissa & tomato paste, and those dashi granules too.

• not gourmet.  i don't like fussy cooking.  a restaurant recipe for chicken stock probably makes really awesome soup, but it also requires boiling & discarding lots of chicken meat.  that kind of stuff is fun to do occasionally, but most of the time, i'm aiming for value while still being vegetable-ful, seasonal, fresh, and interesting.  on the weeks i get the farm box, i plan meals around whatever is in the box and adapt recipes to accommodate.  leeks, onions, shallots?  they're all kind of the same idea!  maybe the adaptations violate culinary rules, i don't know.  it tastes okay to me, though, i'm not that discerning.  on the off weeks, i try to make one semi-adventurous meal and then spend the rest of the week trying to use up the odds & ends -- half an onion, fistful of basil.  repurposing leftovers is fun too!  that's what pizza and omelets are for :)  

• not healthy.  i realized, as i repinned a recipe from a friend's "healthy recipe" pinboard on pinterest, that i don't think of recipes as healthy or not.  (the big categories in my head are vegetable vs. non-vegetable, adaptable vs. fussy, sweet vs. savory.)  i think, it's because i have all kinds of other rules about food.  like, cookies and fried foods are okay if i make it myself.  because baking and deep-frying is such a pain (to me), i don't do it often.  also, i don't buy many snacks (with the exception of nuts).  so, all of the food in the kitchen is probably relatively okay.  though, it's sad sometimes to eat a spoonful of peanut butter or honey after looking through all the cabinets for a snack. 

there's always a way

one of the things that happens when you are an unmarried woman approaching 30 is that everyone starts to talk about your shriveling eggs (and impending inability to have children).  if it doesn't occur to you to worry, it will soon, because that's what people talk about.

being me, i worry.  (but, i also started worrying about saving for retirement at 10 years old.)  after reading a nice book this weekend, the language of flowers, it occurred to me that while i'd like to have biological children, it's not the only way.  i can adopt.  i can foster.  i can volunteer to work with kids.  and that's okay too.

anyway, it felt freeing to come to the realization that there's always a way, even when it's about having kids.

ultra light

i try to buy light stuff and carry minimal hiking gear, but i can't get the weight of my stuff below 30-35 pounds.

after a quick inventory, i realized the tent, sleeping bag, and pack alone weigh 9 pounds.  the 2-3 pounds here and there adds up!  that's when the advice in this series of videos started to make sense.  next year, i think i'll sell one of my big three items and try an ultra-light version.  and maybe i will cut off my toothbrush handle, switch to tablets for water treatment, and leave the books at home.

week of 8/27/2012 in review

a fun but not productive week.

• my tofu house with lauren evan heather matt.  wandering sf with keqin.  dinner with sibo.  breakfast with kosar.
• meals made.  TUE.  black beans, corn, zucchini, avocado, egg w/ rice.  THURS.  shiitake & chard with udon.  FRI.  mapo tofu & asian greens.  SAT.  two potato vindaloo & green bean w/mustard & tarragon salad.  SUN.  swiss chard & pasta.
• movies watched.  my grandmother @ bernal outdoor cinema festival (fabulous).  god bless america (horrible).  being elmo:  a puppeteer's journey (great).  a documentary about slacklining.
• jobs.  none.
• neighbor relations.  i want to cut down an ivy-covered post, which i believe is technically matt's.  neighbor wants to keep it for privacy.  the landscapers say to bribe them with a good bottle of wine.  
• we spent labor day weekend at a cute cottage in the hilly part of mill valley.  strolled around town, hiked 8 miles in the mt. tam area, visited slide ranch, ate food & watched movies.  a good time.

what i learned on my trip into the woods

i made many mistakes but learned a lot.  so i don't forget:

• starting a hike at 2p creates unnecessary stress.  i hiked in 6 miles the first day -- after driving 7 hours.  i was stressed out about getting to the campsite before dark.  even though i made it by 5p, it would have been better to start the next morning.
• eat, drink, and rest BEFORE getting hungry, thirsty, and tired.  matt usually reminds me to do this.  the first day, i only ate 2 bananas before setting off and didn't stop to snack.  by dinner time, the thought of food was nauseating. (i ate by telling myself to eat "3 more bites" every 3 bites.)  felt terrible.  it's pretty amazing what 12 hours of sleep can fix.  
• it's nice to make camp by 3p or earlier.  it rained in the afternoons, so it was good to start early.  it also leaves time for fun.  i brought 3 books, including a field guide. and splashed around / took a dip in the river almost every day.  amazing!
• pack smaller dinners, more snacks, and hot beverages.  in the past, matt and i ate double portions of dinner.  way too much this time -- the re-hydrated stuff i packed out was heavier than it was initially! 
• it's okay to stroll.  felt so much happier strolling.  and i still made great time.
• bears eat your food, not you.  i worried about bears for a long time but then got tired from worrying.  so i stopped and spent energy on more interesting things like noticing trees and flowers.  

week of 8/20/2012 in review

a good week.

• jobs. san mateo county sustainability coordinator.
• meals.  variations of vegetable + starch.  MON. matt and i cooked together -- polenta w/ mushroom ragout, chard, and fried egg.  WED.  pasta w/ roasted tomato & garlic.  THURS.  ratatouille w/ baguette & goat cheese.
• movies.  super sold-out showing of the master w/ garett.  outdoor screening of iron giant w/ brett&matt @pixar.
• glamping.  a night at china camp state park w/ a few other couples.  food ridiculousness ensued. for dinner, ancho chili chicken, bread salad w/ tomato, zucchini and corn w/ lime salt, almond cake w/ wine-poached pear & creme fraiche.  for breakfast, bacon egg and cheese on pita & oatmeal scones.  (matt made the scones :)  we brought a down comforter & pillows -- best night of sleep in a tent ever.  we did a bit of hiking around the park and also went on a nice loop hike which included a stop at the tourist club beer hall.

week of 8/13/2012

i went on my first solo backpacking trip last week!  it was a 42-ish mile loop that intersected for 10 mi. with the PCT/JMT.  there was ~7000 ft. of elevation gain over 4 days and then down, down, down.

met interesting people, saw gorgeous things, and reached backpacking nirvana on day 4 -- walking without pushing for mileage, without feeling anxious about bears/lightening/getting lost.  the highlight of my trip was seeing a 75-year old lady on the top of glen pass.  she offered a high school -aged boy her map.  "i don't need a map, i know where i'm going," she said.  it was poetic -- old age's cranky confidence meets youth's recklessness and uncertainty.

i'm glad i did this!  feeling good and strong.

week of 8/6/2012 in review

i still do stuff, though not as much this week :)

• house projects.  uh, watering the weeds (yard) and weeding.  repeat.
  
• meals planned & made.  MON. lasagna & salad. THURS. broiled eggplant w/ lentils, almond cake.  FRI. ramen + fried lotus root, mushrooms, tofu, and chard.  SAT.  chicken pesto pasta & beet greens.  SUN. beet salad, greens, pizzas galore, strawberry daifuku.
• saw friends.  lunch w/ keqin, dinner with eugene & alicia, dinner w/ george, dinner & movie with pete, rebecca, nathan.
• jobs applied to.  google.  wrote a 3-page appeal to the CPUC.
• networked.  went to "young professionals in energy" happy hour. 
  
• reading.  wedding blogs.
• foraged at the farmer's market and bernal hill -wide garage sale.
  

i love the sf public library

it's AMAZING.

week of 7/30/2012 in review

i do stuff, i promise:

• house projects completed. painted dining room chairs red (loving the blast of color).  painted chalkboard wall in kitchen.  smog checked my car.
  
• meals planned & made.  MON.  sausage / fried egg w/ braised cabbage & salad.  TUES.  lentil curry & brown rice.  WED.  zucchini brown rice gratin.  THURS.  black bean & green pepper tacos w/ salsa fresca.  FRI.  pork chops w/ braised cabbage & salad.  SUN.  roast chicken, tomato & yellow pepper soup & salad. 
  
• jobs applied to.  EPA R9's Office of Inspector General.  Impact Carbon.
• networked.  with a former co-worker and alum in the impact investing world.
• reading.  american pie (pizza cookbook) and walkabout northern california (inn-to-inn walking vacations).
• rebecca & nathan's wedding last saturday.
  

eating, lately

one night, we had grilled cheese (cheddar, arugula, tomato, dijon mustard)  and tomato soup.  will definitely try the full version of the soup recipe.

to get rid of cabbage in the CSA box, i made cabbage with tofu & peas.  pretty good.  you can never go wrong with fried tofu.

also, roasted vegetable curry.  the leftovers were way better than the firsts.  perhaps, good for future lunch boxes?

a megan weekend

matt's sister visited this weekend.  fun times:

• a hike near crystal springs reservoir.  pizzas, salads, and bananagrams w/ m&m's cousins, spencer & eva.
• house of air & chrissy field.  dosa.  21 jump street + popcorn + nutella banana shakes.
  
• SFMOMA, where we saw the cindy sherman exhibit.  stow lake.  san tung.
• suburban big box store overdose.  vega. 
  

discipline, perseverance, and luck

i don't believe much in "smartness" or other inherent traits.  we're all different, woohoo! 

i think what's most important is cultivating the discipline to achieve whatever it is you want to achieve. 

poking around in the dirt

i've been poking around the backyard, trying to remove weeds, plant material, and as much root as possible.  one day, we'll have a patio and a vegetable garden.

i'm trying to learn to identify the weeds, but i can only recognize bindweed (morning glory) seedlings:

(via)

a scary picture, huh?  their roots can grow 20 feet deep and their seeds can live 60 years!  (the uc integrated pest management website rocks.)

other discoveries:  a toy car, fake flower petals, lots and lots and lots of nails, snail shells, bones of random things, a spring from a mouse trap, plastic bits. 

p.s.

i read a silly book i found at the house, "a summer affair."  it is exactly what it sounds like.

overdose

matt and i joined three other couples in an indulgent retreat last weekend.  at a vacation house near half moon bay, we ate and ate. 

dinner the first night:  salad with shrimp chips, grilled pork with fried egg and rice, and douglas fir panna cotta w/ berry compote.  matt and i were in charge of breakfast the next morning:  blueberry muffins, fruit salad, tomato zucchini frittata, potatoes.  rebecca and others' dinner:  caesar salad, tomatoes & burrata, french onion chicken, baguettes, roasted root vegetables, and nectarine upside down cake.

p.s.

we watched the full moon rise.  that was cool.

moab

afterwards, matt & i hung out in utah.  we:

• canoed down the green river, 50-ish miles from mineral bottom to where the green flows into the colorado.  very cool way to experience canyonlands.  not nearly as hard or hot as we expected (except for one windy and wavy section).  plenty of time for swimming, floating, reading, side hikes, watching canoers go by and making up interpretive dances.  we were grateful for the clouds and wind.
  
• stayed at a couple of super cute b&b's.  hammock, hot tub, showers, air conditioning and breakfast :)
  
• watched 127 hours.  i hope i never have to cut my arm off.
  
• checked out arches np the japanese tourist way.  though, we did get out of the car for a couple of little walks.
  
• camped and hiked around fisher towers.  matt and i ate a long piece of watermelon at the same time!
• looked into the valley from the mountains.
  

a good trip.

durango

the hbe got together in durango for henny's wedding.  (see kilted man in middle.)  we also walked to a mossy lake -- only naureen took a dip.

salmon

matt went on a deep-sea fishing bachelor "party" and brought home a salmon :)

it's been fun to prepare it in different ways and to have friends over to share it with us!  cooked it with an herby-butter sauce and lentils for kat and in tacos with no-mayo cabbage slaw, mango salsa and aguas frescas with keqin & gang.

also, tomato tart (with dijon mustard).

happenings

nothing exciting to report, just little things:

• berry picking & picnic "bachelorette party"
• catching up with friends over dinners and lunches
• decorating and finding places to store my things
• yoga

we'll be in durango, co for mattm & suzanne's wedding.  then, canoeing for a few days in canyonlands np.

notes to future self

replicate spicy pickled watermelon from russian dinner.  and mishti doi from kolkata.

nom nom nom

i've been trying recipes from kansha, a japanese vegetarian cookbook.  so much julienne-ing.

these dumplings, though, are easy and fabulous.

also trying out a new CSA, eatwell farms.

don't stop believin'

enlarge

my Shutterfly.com photobook :)

almost there

i passed the qualifying exam, hooray!  1 more paper and 1 more final to go!

next week, michelle and i are driving across the country together and picking up my mom along the way.  i'll see my my parents (again) for graduation.

the carbon emissions and inefficiencies involved in this plan are staggering, i know. 

oh well, life is not a series of functions that you optimize!

this woman rocks

(via sartorialist)

happenings

matt visited over the weekend.  we and a few classmates went to philadelphia for ethiopian food :)  then, we visited his parents in ct.  it was nice to chill out for a few days.

the weekend before was also lovely!  hosted brunch, went on an easy bike ride, attained some neat stuff at a clothing swap, and ate dinner / played board games in the evening.  met up with lauren & evan in nyc the following day.

now, it's major studying to pass a comprehensive exam next week.  unfortunately, the test is supposed to be pretty tough for the economics -tracked people (me).

inter-generational career building

i read, in a profile about mitt romney, that it takes several generations to make a career.  a new (to me) and interesting thought.

mr. marcuse, we meet again

for the record, last week, i was super duper duper angry about a reading for class.  enough so, that i formed a bond with a classmate over our mutual loathing.

we read a philosophical critique of technological fixes to climate change (particularly, carbon capture & storage) for class.  i agreed with the spirit of the paper -- a path to sustainability involves radical lifestyle changes, but its reliance on herbert marcuse's one-dimensional man as supporting evidence annoyed the hell out of me. 

it's hard to know what to do with criticisms of the "techno-industrial complex," particularly in the policy realm.  it's funny that i write that, because i often argued on mr. marcuse's side in high school debate. 

maybe it's that i'm not good with theory:  the details of history are more interesting than the models of political science.  microeconomics make sense but macro is incomprehensible.  or maybe, i'm just pragmatic.  but, why was i so infuriated by the paper?

happenings

• birthday party
• mad men -themed "prom"
• made shen jian bao from flour and water
• state of the states energy talk
• lots of hot yoga lately

family times!

my mom & dad visited this weekend!  we saw mamma mia and had dinner & dessert.  easter brunch @ prospect house with aunt, uncle, and cousins.  i realized that the last time i saw them was... 15 years ago!  then, shanghai park for dinner with a few friends.  nice to show them around and to hang out with people!

i also had dinner with michelle in nyc this evening! (she's here for a job interview :)  she's so grown up -- taking cabs, staying in a hotel, wandering around the city, and worrying that i won't be safe walking to the subway because it is dark!  cute :)  we had pretty awesome tuna tartar, spinach & mushrooms, and handmade soba at soba totto. 

doo doo doo

a classmate of mine made a "30 things to do by 30" list -- a nice idea! 

i'd love to do some epic traveling, but this doesn't feel like the year for me. 

here's my list. it's less than 30:

• graduate and celebrate
  
• get a job working on issues that i care about

• train for and finish a distance race
• multi-day hike in colorado
• drive across the country, check out the south

• grow plants to eat
  
• join a new csa
• volunteer at an urban farm
• find and master special go-to veg meals

• take a non-fiction writing class
  
• make the house homey
• join / start a book club
• interview my parents and write / illustrate our family story

• dress up

• make more girl friends. so many have left for school or work!

• take time to meditate and breathe
  
• unplug my brain: understand how i feel and be nice to myself about it.
  

quote of the day

"if i can't microwave it, it's not food." :)

spring break

i visited sf.

• fat angel with matt, rebecca et al and the artist.
  
• dates with matt.  mcnee ranch hike & bento boxes from 903.  delica & dave eggars talk.
• painted the hallway a nice, vibrant yellow.  i don't think you can feel anything but happy and warm standing in that hallway!  also, decision to use subway tile for the backsplash.  my summer project, perhaps?
  
• meet up with alums at various institutions.  lots of leads to follow up on.
• pasta making success with keqin!  it's been fun to have a culinary co-adventurer :) 
• finished crossing to safety by wallace stegner, a beautiful, reflective book about marriage and friendship, with long passages like this: ''What ever happened to the passion we all had to improve ourselves, live up to our potential, leave a mark on the world? . . . We all hoped, in whatever way our capacities permitted, to define and illustrate the worthy life. With me it was always to be done in words. . . . Leave a mark on the world. Instead, the world has left marks on us. We got older. Life chastened us so that now we lie waiting to die. . . . And all of us, I suppose, could at least be grateful that our lives have not turned out harmful or destructive.''
• hunger games with garett.
• thai massage for myself :)
• made some frozen meals for matt, the last batch until i'm back :)
  

hilarious

text from my sister: I had a dream that you grew a third eye and when you were talking to me you didn't even address it.  I kept thinking, "I don't want a third eye!"

p.s.

we finally finished our report on health in west bengal.

by far the longest, most quantitative report of our class.

happenings, vol. 2

it's nice when school and my interests are aligned:

• learning about a cool non-profit, green city force, for a social entrepreneurship project.
• modeling household-level air-purifier purchasing decisions in beijing (to filter out PM 2.5) for a risk project.
• a nice series of management seminars.
• going to the undergrad dorms to get free yoga :)  we're not sketchy at all.

development (i.e., economics of poor countries) is a pretty disappointing class. maybe it will be better when go back down to earth with a micro view instead of all that macro.  ick.

happenings

matt came and went.

• modern dance performance.  we left after 2/3's of the show.
• potluck, clue, and oh hell.
  
• beat pandemic!
• how i met your mother.
  
• the met & mediterranean food.  walked through american period furniture and egyptian sections.

it's nice to do non-school stuff.

week in review

every day feels like a week. not because they are long but because there's so much information to take in. and so many feelings to process.

this week:

• a walk and dinner with simona & friends.
• negotiated the second to last worst deal in my negotiations class.  there's only room for improvement, right?  :)
• had an inspiring phone chat with matt lambert.  i reread notes from our talk, and they looked like this: THINK BIG.  what does success look like to you? what problem do you want to solve?
• danny kahneman lecture on intuition.
• kirtan with lauren.  two hours of mantra-chanting went by faster than i expected!
• hot pot dinner with asian ladies of the woo.
• met up with flora, ian, and baby andrew in princeton.

matt will be in town next week.

story telling

i feel like so much of what we do is story telling -- telling stories to ourselves and to each other.

as i apply to jobs, i've been looking at my life like a historic text -- picking out relevant bits, weaving a narrative around it. 

in the process, i end up introspecting a lot about who i am and what matters to me. 

it's a good thing, i guess.  one of our career services people said that we often confuse our identities with our jobs.  so when job situations change, people lose themselves.

happenings

• partee time.  leslie's birthday.  woo progressive party.
• magic show with lis.
• workshop on media interviews.  be quotable.  get our talking points across.
• yoga class, taught by a classmate's mom.  loved that she would say, "everyone is doing a great job" and "let's do a fun pose."  :)
• class.  liking them.  also, liking no class on wednesday or friday. 
  

v-day

i had a great v-day skype "date" with matt.

we tried a new thing -- listening to a podcast on the interwebs together -- with great success! 

it's the most fun i've had a skype. 

my sf map

me and berkman

berkman

ma79, vol. 2

ma79, vol. 1

twenty-nine is mine

for my birthday, matt and i transformed into pacman and ms. pacman.

we ate our way from 18th & guerrero back to bernal.  nom nom nom.

before i completely forget winter break

i did some non-chinese food experimenting:

• curried carrot soup (so good, though it makes your house smell like an indian restaurant for days)
• ginger butternut squash soup (eh)
• butternut sage ricotta gnocchi (decent first attempt)
• snow pea, mushroom, almonds with orzo (yum)

first day of school

was today!  i'm really excited.  what is most exciting is all of the six-week "half" classes.  like dim sum. 

in ascending order of difficulty:

• negotiation
• social entrepreneurship (half)
  
• environment & development (half)
  
• impact evaluation (half)
  
• development economics
• risk analysis (half)
  

hawaii

we spent a week on kauai.

• a bit of hiking.  to hanakapi'ai falls, where we were rewarded with a dip.  another to a little dam, where we swam up to a spa-like area. wierdo spiders spotted.
  
• most awesome boat ride.  ever.  snorkeling.  whales, dolphins, turtles.  napali coast. 18 foot swells.  wind and sun.
• camping on the beach, sitting in the shallows, snorkeling.
• plate lunches. lau lau. poke galore. taro fries. taro bread. saimin. farmer's market excursion.
• we also saw the moon, venus, and jupiter in the sky.  all at the same time!
  

matt's grandmother

died this month.  we attended her funeral in maryland a few weeks ago.

adventures on i-95, vol. 2

distractions

i do many things to procrastinate (including blog posting).

one thing is to look at pictures of kittens via cute overload:

another is to look at my friends' babies on fb.

two dreams

i had 2 happy dreams recently:

• i found a kitty (smaller than the size of my hand) outside the door!
• matt bought 216 dorland to surprise me!

the holidays

• visited naureen in brooklyn a while back.  it was nice to see her and to escape from princeton.
• caught matt for 9-ish hours while we were on the same coast.
• texas for the holidays.  shoe shopping with michelle / coffee with michael / euchre with michael matt suzanne / hammered out a paper. 
  
• san francisco for all of january.  one more paper and job time.  mostly, though, i've been procrastinating from both.  meeting up with friends and trying out chinese "recipes".  meatless mapo tofu, rib & daikon soup, meatless deep-fried eggplant pockets, spicy steamed eggplant, and mushroomy stir fries :)
  

ugly but good

i'm not into cookies.  i like cakey things. 

but today, i discovered brutta ma buoni, a cookie that is cakey!

in italian, it means ugly but good. 

:)