yosemite & mojave

matt & i hung out at yosemite & mojave desert during the week of christmas.  highlights:

- snow.  cross-country skied on a variety of terrains.  skiing on backcountry trails with no prior tracks was the most fun!  not many people -- we only ever saw folks in the first and last mile of the paths.  as matt would say, we've leveled up :)

- water.  we took a quick dip at remington hot spring, a handful of super cute tubs, probably maintained by old hippie dudes, right along the kern river. 

- rocks.  on christmas eve, we camped at an established campsite near these very cool rock formations.  we feasted on fried chicken (a new tradition, we've declared) in the evening and opened presents over hot chocolate in the morning.  skyped with family later.  technology is amazing.

- sand.  headed out to the mojave desert, where we camped for 3 nights off a little road. hoping to see desert tortoises, but sadly no. we hiked around some hole-y rock formations, up some very tall sand dunes, through a forest of joshua trees, and over hills to a former military outpost. very varied landscape.

lots of fire (using scrap wood, fanciest fire ever), scotch, and board games. a nice, relaxed, and not cold christmas break.

taiwan

we visited taiwan over thanksgiving.  a whirlwind tour of sorts. we felt like royalty -- eating, getting gifts, and being shown around by parents & relatives:

- visited relatives.  went to each grandma's house. had lunch and dinner with each side of the family.  one grandma told us how she left her home in china when she was 16, during the japanese occupation of china.  before she left, her grandfather gave her some silver coins, their family's most precious possession.  she gave us a few of the coins.  made me think about hardship over generations, and how the things that i think are "hard" in life really aren't that big of a deal.

- banquet at grand hotel.  we had a small banquet dinner with both sides of the family and a few friends. michelle also came in from japan.  it was really great to be together with everyone!

- touristed. made the requisite trip to ding tai feng.  twice, actually.  taipei 101 with michelle & family (where's michelle?) night market wandering. checked out an old city, park with chiang kai shek statues & nearby dam.

felt super-loved.  a good, short trip.

post-turkey happenings

it's been 3 weeks since matt & i have come back from turkey.  since then:

- celebrated. eddie's 30th bday & booklet launch at 111 minna.

- hung out. good food, back scifi night with the gang.  brunch at hongmai's.  house party at jill & gunn's. mall lunch with julia z. dinner with viv while she was in town!  cornerstone get-together. dinner with jimmy

- moved around. mcnee ranch hike & crystal springs bike ride. trying out a strength training routine involving lots and lots of push-ups among other things. i'll report back in 10 weeks.

- garden drama. the garden continues to grow like crazy -- fall is not going to stop it! the tomato plant joined up with our back neighbor's vines, which creeped over another neighbor's tree and pushed both the tree and vine down into our yard. matt hacked down the vines, i trimmed the tomatoes and been politely suggesting to our neighbors that they do something about their tree. good news though -- our cherry tree produced one cherry :) 

matt's been crazy busy at work.  i'm also taking on a few new projects, which is exciting and scary.

turkey highlights

- eating our way around istanbul. many, many memorable meals, including:  a delicious prix fixe meal on the rooftop of hotel (mulberry compote & ice cream was the best); amazing chag kebabs; lamb & rice baked in a salt crust, then lit on fire; eating basically a school of fish after a bunch of great mezzes. the last three places recommended by multiple sources, including here.

- cappadoccia. hot air ballooning, exploring ruins of churches carved in caves, taking a mini "road trip," and scooting about on little side roads.

- a three-day cruise on the "turquoise coast" -- lots of swimming in the water, sunbathing, and a nice walk on an island.

- totally indulgent turkish bath & massage in a 500 year old building built for the sultan.

- lots of really awesome and old historic sites hagia sophia, blue mosue, topkapi palace, sulimanye mosque, bosphorus cruise, and silly history of islamic science museum. the best, though, was the museum of archeology!  

august is a happy fun time

celebrated. jane & pete's wedding in santa rosa. piqueo's and dessert for nathan's birthday.

caught up with folks. brunch with kat at a cute eatery. bi-rite sandwiches and dolores park with kosar.  harlequin with sibo.

hike & bike. mini-ride in santa rosa.  mcnee ranch hike. the bike path at crystal springs & la canada.  

work field trips. the board of supervisors is on recess, and everyone is on vacation!  so it's summer projects and "site visit" time :)  we visited the exploratorium. rode the fire boat and toured station 35. and toured the calaveras dam.

cooking & eating adventures resume :)

WED. tomato soup, grilled cheese, and salad.

THURS. mapo tofu and bok choy.

FRI. fried chicken, roasted potatoes, and salad.

SAT. cumin lamb and pea shoots.

SUN. bar agricole for hongmai's birthday. corn & tomato salad.

jmt segment

i hiked ~130 mile segment of the jmt!  it was beautiful, and i felt great. some highlights:

- wildflowers and butterflies and bumblebees everywhere! saw a couple of combinations that are planted in our backyard -- leopard lily + meadow rue and  sedges among granite.

- fabulous camping and dips at a couple of gorgeous lakes.

- traversing 7 mountain passes and looking down at stunning views.

- interesting hikers -- sports psychologists studying women pct hikers, retirees, teachers, and a lot of people in their mid-twenties.

- a couple of scary evening thunderstorms. the lightening would light up the entire tent, then the thunder would echo through the valley.

- gear started to break including shoes, tent poles, and tears in lots of fabrics.

where i ended up every night:

7-13 | devil's postpile to deer creek | 6m

7-14 | tully's hole | 11.9m

7-15 | quail meadow | 11m

7-16 | lake marie | 12.9m

7-17 | piute creek | 10.2m

7-18 | sapphire lake | 12.6m

7-19 | middle fork jct. | 15.4m

7-20 | upper basin | 11.8m

7-21 | woods creek | 15.7m

7-22 | rae lakes | 6.2m

7-23 | onion valley | 12.5m

married

we got married!  on top of bernal hill and had the reception at our house :)  yay!

wedding

i enjoyed this article about how "low-key" weddings are a class signifier.  i think it gets it right.

addendum

last week, i brought b&hm some chicken pot pie and met baby emery!

Food Diary

this is what i think we ate this month, based on some grocery lists.

- week of feb. 3. SUN. nachos. MON. matt's sous vide salmon w/ broccoli, a birthday treat! TUES. miso, soba, tofu. WEDS. pulled pork & tamales. THURS. spaghetti FRI. hongmai's chinese new year feast. SAT. dosa w/ mom. (my mom was in town!)

- week of feb. 10. SUN. pulled pork wraps w/ cabbage & tamales. MON. dumplings.  TUES. pizza. THURS. matt's sous vide steak for v-day :) SAT. spinach mushroom lasagna. (megan was in town!) SUN. chicken & potatoes.

- week of feb. 17. MON. ramen @ japantown. TUES. mac & cheese. SAT. matt's sous vide salmon & romanesco.  (eating leftovers in various forms -- fried rice, salads, etc.)

a decade's worth of lessons

i'm starting a new decade tomorrow -- happy 30th to me!  here are a few things i learned last decade:

- it's best to adopt an attitude of curiosity rather than judgement.  everyone is different and that is okay.  

- it's helpful to believe that people (including myself) are doing the best that they can, given their circumstances.  

- my values & priorities are like a map & compass to guide me through hard decisions.  it's ok if they're are different from other people's -- trust that mine will work for me.

- i can't control other people's feelings / opinions / actions.  all i can do is treat myself and others with respect. 

- i am my biggest advocate. it is my responsibility to communicate and secure whatever it is i need and want.

- i can change things.  things probably doesn't have to be the way that they are.

- i don't have to be friends with everyone.  some people are negative, troubled, or unpleasant.  why bother with them?

- don't be scared to make the wrong choice. choices give rise to new options that i might not have had before. 

- i am my own worst enemy when i catastrophize and mistake it for an inevitable reality.

- there are many hours in the day.  so do something :)

- invest in myself and in my relationships.

pretty good, i think.  looking forward another decade!

week of 1/20/2013 in review

- foods made. MON. double mushroom pizza. TUES. slow-cooker vegetable chili. WEDS. mapo tofu w/ bokchoy. THURS. baked potato, broccoli, salad. SUN. arugula pesto chicken & romanesco. started the base broth for this niu rou main.

- hung out.  stayed out on the town friday night! osha thai, candybar, and the judge john hodgman show @ SF Sketchfest.  pete & jane came over and made us lasagna (how awesome :)! the next night.

- home. sewed 4 more table runners. drafted some wedding ceremony text. applied critter ridder to the garden. the raccoon dug up half of the grasses! jerk face!

week of 1/14/2013 in review

a good week.

- used the slowcooker!  foods.  MON. curried vegetable & chickpea soup.  TUES. cancun burritos. WED. lemon garlic chicken w/ noodles.  FRI. drinks & dinner @ beretta.  SUN. butternut squash mac & cheese & collards.

- fun. we camped on angel island. our spot had views of the bay bridge, golden gate bridge, and city.

a note

my new job -- it is both endlessly fascinating and wholly terrifying.

i have a lot to learn and much room to grow.  

week of 1/7/2013 in review

i went to work. george, matt's coworker who works remotely, stayed with us.

- eats. WED. dumplings. THURS. ate out @ nihon whiskey bar. FRI. black bean tacos. SAT. romanesco soup & arugula salad. SUN. salmon, broccoli, quinoa.

- wedding. finished sewing 60 cloth napkins. we calculated that i'm "paying" myself 75 cents an hour ($ savings / hours of sewing). 

invitations and website are mostly ready. sf rec&park is the primary bottleneck to confirming a date. 

we looked at rentals together and said things like, "does it make us $4.20 happier to rent heavy forks?" yes. "does it make us $42 happier to rent crystal champagne flutes instead of standard stemware?" undecided. 

- house. sprinkled half a jar of red pepper flakes in the garden to discourage the critter-who-is-tearing-up-the-yard from digging up our grasses.

- watched moonrise kingdom.

happy new year!

it's been busy. i took three unpaid weeks off:

- visited mom & dad in tejas.  mom & i worked on the dress; i shopped, visited with friends, and threw away a lot of old junk.

- visited the ahrens family in connecticut. lots of eating and games and hanging around.

- visited death valley np for a three-day, 30 mile backpacking trip. it was our first time to put on tire chains to traverse the snowy pass, backpack with almost no water sources, and follow a cross-country route. we did great! we also visited a couple of hot springs, ate too much fried chicken, and picked up an enormous rock, which is still sitting in the car :)

- errands. trying to finalize the catering and park permit, invitations, and website. getting close. 

happy new year!