keipopnation

Foux du FaFa

2012-03-04T23:38:00.000-06:00

Lately, I've been baking bread and pastries. I've made cinnamon rolls with Emily before, but she handled the dough while I just spread tons of butter, sprinkled tons of cinnamon, and rolled things around. With some inspiration from Haewon, I decided to get a little more involved. First I made Bittman's famous no-knead bread recipe, whereupon I reaffirmed my dislike for Bittman and his what I think are oversimplified recipes. (I also always think back to Phoebe's remarks on Bittman.) The crust was impressive, but the bread itself was so bland that I don't think I'll make it again. I know he updated the recipe, but it offends me that the first recipe caused such a great stir on the Internet six years ago. So then I upgraded to Peter Reinhart's "pain a l'ancienne rustic bread" from his book, Artisan's Bread Every Day. With my first try, I made mini-baguettes and a boule last week. My mom said to me in passing today that it was the best French bread she's ever had and has requested that I make some the day before going to Japan to share with my grandmother. I mention "in passing" because it wasn't like she was gushing about it and overly praising her only child; it seemed like she carefully came to the conclusion over the course of the last week, during which she ate the portion that I gave her to taste.

I also made cassis-filled raspberry macarons last weekend. French macarons continue to be an obsession of mine even though I very rarely buy or make them (I hadn't made them since this one time). They really are difficult because they're so temperamental, but I think I enjoy trying to be sensitive to them. Maybe it's like how I enjoy trying to be sensitive to all of Mitsu's needs and desires, except that I don't get to eat Mitsu. Maybe a better comparison is my attempt to see what my vegetables last summer were sensitive to, though it's weird that I'm more attentive to bread than I am to living plants. Maybe it's that bread, after it's risen, feels kind of fleshy to the touch. That's creepy, but touching dough before it goes into the oven really does give me a slightly maternal feeling that is strange and pleasant at once. Anyway, I might try another batch of macarons soon, this time something involving caramel.

And today, I tried Reinhart's croissant recipe. This is another tedious recipe that calls for lots of careful dough rolling. I supposedly made 81 layers of bread and butter; I lost count after the first three. His recipe calls for about 1.5 sticks of butter; I think it could stand to use a little more butter just because croissants are notorious for their buttery richness, but if you want a manageable amount of butter (either or both in terms of handling and later, eating), then I recommend Reinhart's recipe. My only real complaint is that I imagined more gloss, so I'm going to have to deny his poor egg wash suggestion and lean on Mordecai's (from his youthful days as a Long Island grocery baker), not that these things are all that difficult to figure out. In the future, I'm eager to stuff croissants--with either chocolate, ham and cheese, spinach cream, or my mother's suggestion: red bean paste combined with cream cheese. What the whaaat, Akane?!

With all these sources of inspiration, if I do say so myself, I think I'm doing pretty well for an amateur bread baker. Mitsu seems to agree; I've never seen her pick up anything as quickly as the sound of the bread knife at work and what it promises!

Last Christmas

2012-01-12T21:57:00.001-06:00

Found this gem from last Christmas when Mitsu was three months old!

End of 2011

2012-01-02T00:30:00.001-06:00

I have not abandoned my blog! It's just more time-consuming to post here than to do anything social from my phone. But I want to record and share a few things that took place since the last post.

Robin Thicke & Luke James @ The Mid (12/12)

Robin Thicke released the album "Love After War" at the beginning of December and went on a mini-tour, stopping by the clubby venue The Mid, here in Chicago. The Mid is completely unmarked in a building adjacent to a fish market, in the vicinity of Oprah's studio. There were some administrative issues that the venue should have taken care of, and there were people getting pretty irate, but it's not worth dwelling on. What made me upset was that they tweeted the time change along with an announcement of the opening act. At first, I was like, really? This man is going to open for Robin Thicke? When it seemed like things were getting going, a young black man appeared alone on stage. I was like, THIS IS NOT @LUKEJAMESLIVE!!! The carelessness of The Mid to tweet some garbage lies angered me greatly. The Mid also had some trashy sound quality at the beginning of Luke James' (@whoisLukeJames) performance, but thankfully, they ameliorated the situation over time. If I can tell the sound is muffled, you've got problems. Anyway, the most important thing is, I don't really listen to a lot of music and especially new music, but I was in love with Luke James' voice from the start, even over technical difficulties. It's just raw talent and, it turns out, elite production. I've since been stalking him online, and managed to score a hard copy of his pre-album/mixtape "#Luke" through Twitter. I love how he uses Twitter and Google culture to introduce himself, even if it'll be an outdated concept soon enough. I don't know what else to say about his music except that it's produced by Danja, a protege-like entity of Timbaland (my musical hero of my late adolescent life), so there's a lot going on in each song musically, if you're into this kind of thing.

At one point, I said aloud to Mordecai, Luke James might be better than Robin Thicke, but Robin Thicke was a riot. He is a character, and may seem too foolish for some, but I'm persuaded that he doesn't just intend good, but actually is good as a person and musically. I know some people might have issues with his style, but when I heard the man belt out Jodeci's "Come and Talk To Me" a capella (however habitual and actually planned this might be based on the ubiquity of YouTube videos of him doing this in many live shows), I thought, this is the kind of voice for which one pays money to hear live. It reminds me of how my grandma differentiates my baked goods by saying "This is something I'd pay money for" and not saying that of other things I make. And then I am reminded of how so many Japanese pop singers, who demand a lot of money for CDs (i.e. beautiful packaging and lyrics with liner notes), live shows, and so on, disappoint me with their weak, flimsy voices that might sound okay in a karaoke booth but not live on Music Station or not even pre-recorded on Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ. Anyway, Robin Thicke and Luke James were both really good. You should check out "Love After War" (first half of the album > second half except for "Full Time Believer," which sounds like a Broadway-ish tune to me and so is a nice and funny change from the "Lost Without You" type filler-ballads) and "#Luke" which is available to stream or somehow download for free here. Don't know why "I Want You" is truncated and fades away, but the full song is available on the YouTubes. You can join me in cyber-stalking him on Tumblr and request an invite to follow his private account on Instagram. I'm so creepy!

Baked Goods

I acquired a jelly roll pan, mostly because Emily has one and also because the label-cover thingie on the pan I got had a pretty picture of a jelly roll that made me want to make them. Emily then said to me, You could make these! and I was like "Oh, maybe..." and then that became a "Yes I can!" My pan is kind of on the smaller side so I decided to make two logs. And then I get to make the French language joke of, I don't know if "Bûche de Noël" is feminine or masculine, so I dunno if it's "un" or "une," so instead of learning which, I say I made deux! I first heard the joke from Alan Schrift except he was talking about ordering croissants in France. The logs were a little more fun to make than to eat, but I thought this recipe came out pretty well. I like how there's chocolate whipped cream inside and mocha buttercream on the outside, and the roll itself reminded me of Japanese castella. I didn't make meringue mushrooms this time; I thought that this would be a rather easy holiday tradition to continue and I could dress it up in the future.

My mom requested that I make a pear tart for our early Christmas dinner, so I made a pear-almond tart from a Maida Heatter recipe. Her tarts are not more fun to make than to eat. I ruined the first crust and brunt my wrist, which made me look like a failed cutter. But I tried again and made a pretty good tart. I think the flavor might be something that one would pay some money for, but I might have to lay out the pears better to really impress my grandma.

And then just last week, I made these cake pop things. I wasn't really into them, but I was gifted a kit. I was looking online for recipes and pictures and such, and I found myself getting more and more absorbed by them. I searched for "Shiba Inu cake pop" and came across this, which seems too involved and not that cute. But then I saw these cake toppers, which are cute, and became inspired to make Shiba cake pops. I don't know how realistic this project is, but if any project involves preaching the Gospel of Mitsu, I just might try to realize it.

Doodles

Some time ago, I went to a meeting with Mordecai about the Bloomingdale Trail, which his office has been working on. I quietly suggested to him that there be Mitsu-incorporated stop signs, and this was the best I could do to convey my vision. And then a bunch of people started to make comments about the trail as it has been proposed now, and I became angered by the many selfish comments. "I live next to the trail and my wife works at night and sleeps during the day; I don't want all this noise bothering her." "The trail is too narrow for my kids to walk on and for bicyclists to use; why are my tax dollars going towards this?" Seriously? I propose an exchange: these people don't have to have their income taxed as long as they never speak at community meetings again.

Holiday Travels

Photo by Maddi

The rest of the month went towards preparing for the holidays and traveling to New York. Mitsu seems to be just a little too big to travel in the cabins with us, and I don't want to know what happens to animals in cargo or whatever, so we decided to drive. She just sleeps in the car anyway; I've been telling people that she seems to think of the car as giant, mobile crate that humans also get into. We stopped in Youngstown, Ohio, for a break, and then continued on to Lewisburg the next day to see almost everyone of Mordecai's uncle's immediate family (we missed Sarah and Matt), and then we trekked on to Long Island. While we were there, we took Mitsu to the beach to sniff the Long Island Sound (I'm afraid she won't ever get to experience the Pacific Ocean); we went to the city to support the global flagship Uniqlo store and checked out the Highline (sans Mitsu; she would probably have been welcomed in the former location but not the latter); we took Mitsu with us to New Jersey to visit Mordecai's grandfather and aunt; and the next day we picked up Jenni at the airport and later drove her back to Brooklyn. We took Jenni and Mitsu to Harborfields High School, Mariah Carey's alma mater, and then we went to Cow Harbor in Northport so that Mitsu could mark her territory. And then we drove Jenni back to Brooklyn, which was fun when we got off the wrong exit and found ourselves completely surrounded by graves. On our way back home to Chicago, we realized that it is worth ~$30 or whatever to stay at Comfort Inn & Suites over Super 8 Motel, and I reaffirmed my faith in Cracker Barrel's eggs in a basket.

And now, a new year, and next week, a new semester. Introductory logic, anyone?

Insta-Mitsu-gram

2011-11-23T21:56:00.000-06:00

I've been meaning to update the layout of my blog for a while now and have been hoping for a clean, fresh, minimalistic, streamlined, easy-to-use and -look-at aesthetic, but sometimes that or parts of that description is code for "trendy" or "lazy." Not sure which is worse. I think I will be turning to a white background, at least, and then the real work is in making decisions about fonts and header. Any suggestions are welcome.

The latest place of web-social activity for me has been Instagram. I was kind of oblivious to it, but then Jenni pointed out to me that there were some cute, popular dogs there, like a Border Collie who lets its owner balance objects on his head, and a round, fluffy Shiba named "Maru." Lately, I've also been seeing some Shibas as models (on a can of Science Diet food, on the Target website for Halloween costumes), so I've decided if the opportunities for fame and fortune come by Mitsu, I will do like Usher's mom, Jessica Simpson's dad, Beyonce's dad, and become a "momager." My main concerns have been, how does a dog open up a bank account (Bridgeview gives away stuffed teddy bears!), and how can I convince airlines that Shibas should be carry-on dogs, not stow-away dogs. She would have been perfect for a cameo, especially in the second half, in this lovely dog friendly music video by Real Estate !

Here are some recent Insta-Mitsu-gram outtakes:

I've found that there's a simple way to get lots of "likes" aside from hashtagging pictures, and it's to follow other people and like their pictures. Sometimes I can't help but also comment, so I've been exercising my written Japanese (in addition to hiragana, katakana, and kanji, you need to know the proper [ab]use of emoticons, too). I guess that for the most part, I "think in English," but given the right context, it appears that I can channel my Japanese-ness pretty well, almost like a "real" native. So anyway, now my feed is overflowing with Shibas from what appear to be various parts of Japan (I love the rural-ish backgrounds, the black beach sand near Maru's home, playdates with other dogs, and stylish dog-apparel). I also search rather desperately for pictures of Yokohama (pictures of the Minato Mirai skyline do not count), particularly the Kannai and Totsuka area. So far, there's one picture of a man doing a handstand at the Totsuka station with the caption "Totsuka yabai," which may translate roughly to "Oh shit, Totsuka"...? Kannai searches produce photos of the New Grand Hotel, which I can't help but "like." As cheesy as it sounds, Instagram has been helping me feel less second-home-ish-place-sick.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Long Island Weekend

2011-11-02T21:53:00.000-05:00

We took a quick weekend trip to Long Island to celebrate Mordecai's dad's X0th birthday. I basically ate and slept all weekend, which were kind of exhausting activities, but of course, in a good way. No matter how often I travel, and how far away or nearby I go, it appears that I never pack well. But at the last minute, I decided to take my DSLR (but forgot to remove the relatively compact but dense G9 from my suitcase), and this turned out to be a smart move because we visited the north shore after receiving only residual effects of the weird winter storm that passed through the east coast. I've decided that I need to either see a skyscraper or set foot into Target while I'm away from home; we didn't go to the city this time, but thankfully, Commack has Targets, and one of them even has Mordecai's giraffe-loving former substitute teacher browsing the cleaning product aisle!

In other news: I'm falling in love with the iPad2; baseball is over (farewell Tigers/baseball post on TBOB still planned); I'm waiting until I can drink ginger ale again with baseball award announcements; I don't know why it's so hard to come up with a prospectus; I'm inspired by Aoyama Thelma (in bed by 10PM) and Crystal Kay (in bed by 9:30PM!) to sleep and rise early; I ran into Dr. Chrucky, the reason why I am studying philosophy, and he is as eccentric as ever; and I'm looking forward to the holidays. But most of all, why is it so hard to come up with the prospectus, even when you're told you won't follow it?!

Tart Tatin

2011-10-19T21:58:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I made a tart tatin using Anne Burrell's recipe. I think it was Emily who said that she is basically a female Guy Fieri, an observation that makes me not want to watch her show. But I was looking into tart tatin recipes, starting with Smitten Kitchen's, and then I looked it up on Food Network just to see what other people did. I landed on Burrell's video, and I think what won me over was the suggestion of adding lemon juice and apple cider to the caramel mixture. This seemed to be, indeed, a secret from a restaurant chef. I was also turned off by SK's endless tale of how she's failed at this supposedly simple tart so many times. I acquired some Golden Supreme apples at the Logan Square farmer's market, Pepperidge Farm's frozen puff pastry at Mariano's, and decided to make this on a slow, gray, Tuesday afternoon.

Everything was going smoothly, especially since I didn't have to make the puff pastry. Which is easy to make with a food processor, but I just didn't feel like it and if you aren't impressing anyone then frozen puff pastry is sufficient, even pretty good. (It seems to have a crispy yet chewy texture, maybe because of all the syrupy awesomeness, but I really like that effect.) I wasn't quite sure how the apples away from the bottom of the pan were going to get blessed by the delicious caramel sauce, but with some flipping and submerging in bubbling caramel using mismatched chopsticks, the apples started to brown.

When I flipped the tart over, to both my horror and delight, this is what emerged:

The apples shrunk in the oven! And they all shifted over to one side! I thought they were fine when I put the pastry over the pan. Even though there was this size problem, and generally, I think tart tatins are not the prettiest things you can bake, this looked alright. The apples themselves looked just as I expected--basically, like in Burrell's video--which is a pretty good feeling one gets in the kitchen, particularly when baking. I wouldn't mind just folding this mess in half to get a big tart tatin croisstant-like thing, but I've been consuming it in slices like a civilized person. There's really nothing to say about the way this thing tastes except, to put it succinctly, "this shit real good." You can never go wrong with recipe that involves a stick of butter and a cup of sugar simmering and baking over the course of an hour. That is just a fundamental principle of LIFE!

Vegetable Soup in Nodame Cantabile

2011-09-13T23:42:00.004-05:00

I realize that to most people, this is a movie and not real life, but to me...it is what it is. Chiaki helps Nodame cram for a number of piano sonatas so that she can be considered to enter competitions while studying abroad in Paris. In addition to assisting her analyze, interpret and play better (not that she can't do these things on her own, but I think she tends to, in her own charming but not necessarily approved manner, get carried away and ignore the notes and directions on the page more than the average student), he prepares her meals. Here, he's made "vegetable soup" (yasai soup) even though I spy a rather conspicuous wiener. She leans in to smell his concoction while holding a baguette, with which she has just been humorously struck by Chiaki, and then sees that he has been up all night preparing to prepare Nodame. They're currently working on Beethoven's Sonata No.31, Op.110, which she will later play for Stresemann, a.k.a. Milch (played so wonderfully by Naoto Takenaka, who was in the original/native version of "Shall We Dance?"), which will significantly stir things up later. This chapter in the DVD is referred to as "Love's Lecture." I think.

When I watch this scene, I can smell that soup. I imagine it to be a dish that is a Japanese cook's take on Western food, which reminds me of Chiaki himself. He was raised to eat with a fork and knife rather than chopsticks, at a dining table rather than on the floor with a low table, but at the core, he is Japanese. Anyway, I WANT THAT SOUP.

Chicago weather has been pretty steady and nice, but generally, I wasn't looking forward to the fall. Then I revisited part two of the Nodame movie series the other day, and realized a couple of things. One is that I need to revisit Nodame once a year. The other is that it's good to do this during the fall and winter, because most of her outfits involve plaid and are perfect for those seasons. So for the past week, I've been perusing style.com for Nodame-like outfits at New York's Fashion Week, trying to see if there are any designers who have the same eye for fashion like Nodame's mom, who makes her outfits. (In "real life," if you must, "Nodame's mother," in the sense that she makes her daughter's clothes, is this store.) Then I remembered that there are other fashion weeks in other cities, and I will want to save some perusing energy for at least Paris. And then I realized that they're all showing spring designs, but I'm too excited to be looking for Nodame clothes again that I don't really care.

VEGETABLE WIENER SOUP!

Repertoire

2011-09-08T21:54:00.002-05:00

I like to cook, but lately I've been making lots of the same. Salmon with lentils, breakfast for dinner, and I've been trying out pad thai as well. The vegetable garden continues to produce cucumbers, sometimes as much as ten per week. I enjoy handing them out like candy (Nik's mom and I recently exchanged six cucumbers for homemade banana bread and salsa), and I've been rarely preparing or eating them myself. But just now, I peeled and sliced two of this batch to make lots of Japanese-style vinegared cucumbers (I skipped the grated ginger and added a tablespoon of mentsuyu [soup base] and a drizzle of sesame oil). It smells good, and I imagine that it'll be edible even if the vinegaring is weak. Mitsu happens to like cucumbers, too, so as I was slicing them, I gave her some chunks to chew on. They sounded so crunchy in her tiny but powerful jaws (super teeth!), so I had some too. So fresh, crispy, and tasty! Maybe I'll have the other eight this weekend. And then there will be at least three or four more to pick by then. I can't wait to wonder what to do with a million radishes when they're ready.

Osaka/Kyoto

2011-09-07T23:38:00.001-05:00

I've been meaning to post these photos from my Osaka/Kyoto trip. Perhaps I'm nostalgic for the summer.

1. Fushimi-Inari in Kyoto, where you can walk through the long row of shrine gates.
2. Fushimi-Inari is surrounded by statues of foxes. Here, you can write your wish or whatever you want on a wooden fox tablet. Mitsu was everywhere!
3. Entrance to Kinkakuji, Kyoto. I'm not sure if he noticed that I was taking his picture "in passing." I stole his image.

The only thing I've had in common with "Lost in Translation": this view, from where I stayed in Osaka with lovely family.

Food thoughts

2011-08-18T15:20:00.003-05:00

I've been meaning to write about my recent interest in eating and being more healthy. Sources of inspiration include being exhausted in and after Japan, feeling older more generally, reading about a favorite fashion blogger's take on food (somewhere buried in there), watching "Food, Inc.," having a vegetable garden, wanting to cure my eczema, and needing to be productive. With a recent purchase of a blender, which was meant for summer smoothies to beat the heat, I've been making "Green Monsters." I make one serving, and split it with Mordecai (he gets the Burger King cup today). I'm not sure if I really feel more energized, but I appreciate that it just tastes like banana but supposedly gives me all this vitamin A, E, and whatever chia seeds (!!) offer.

"Food, Inc." was not as scary as I thought it would be, possibly because I tend to be antagonistic, or guarded, with message-infused documentaries. I didn't think this one was obnoxious, and found myself being able to comfortably be impressed by Monsanto's insanity, to crave McDonald's afterwards, and to love Stonyfield yogurt more than ever. (That scene where Stonyfield gets the organic farmer to meet Wal-Mart higher ups...I love it so much.) It's disturbing to see oversized chickens and cows unable to walk, but it was also horrifying to see the throat-slitting of even the lucky chickens who, as Mordecai's mom once put it while we were waiting for our chicken to be wrapped up at Whole Foods, had stories read to them at night. On Sunday, I also saw "The September Issue," which was fun to watch, and it made me think about documentaries. Two documentaries I would watch (or would be happy to participate in) are humanities grad school (get on it, Pannapacker!) and the nail industry (nail polish, gel, acrylic, etc.). The only documentary I could make is one about Mitsu Scheckter, which would be funny if I really could document her many antics and adventures on video. For a special DVD release, I'd make furry Mitsu cell phone straps and key chains, and bonus features would include a full catalog and explanation of her nicknames (Darkest Muzzle, Mi-chan, Minmi, Redheaded Stepdaughter, Car Fox...), video footage of her at daycare, and a rendering of what her puppies would look like if Sinbad were the father. The credits would roll as I play her favorite song on the piano and she sings along, which she still does, maybe with even more confidence and fervor than before (her muzzle was so dark!).

Weekend photo overload

2011-08-16T18:55:00.001-05:00

The Polaroid-look is a little overdone, but I still find it appealing. Here's my weekend in photos.
1. Got a little too excited at Costco. Moet and Chandon and gummy bears for a going away party.
2. Shiba dog, anyone? Dress from Rose Bud in Osaka.
3. Curiosity killed the carrot.
4. Saturday hail.
5. Parking lot debris. Thumb wrestling?
6. Unnecessary Golden Nugget menu.
7. Guadalajara Skillet ♥
8. In the car on the way to a garden center. (Why does no one sell spinach seeds for a fall harvest???)
9. Rilakkuma iPhone case from Jenni!
10. Scarechild at the garden center.
11. Mitsu and her 1994 Coca Cola polar bear friend. She removed its nose.

Ofuna, Kamakura, Yokohama

2011-07-25T22:51:00.002-05:00

1. Hydrangea, Kamakura

2. Kannon, Ofuna

3. Tree roots as stairs (?), Kamakura

4. Garden, Kamakura

5. Mossy enormous rocks, Yokohama (my cousins' house)

It was really nice to see my childhood favorites this summer--the Kannon at Ofuna and the Daibutsu in Kamakura. This year, my mom's friend Naomi navigated the way to the Daibutsu (and two purple potato soft serve [per person]) by way of Kita-Kamakura. She said she and my mom used to walk from Kita-Kamakura to Kamakura all the time when they were in junior high school. The path was littered with temples, so we stopped by a lot of them on the way. There were lots of hydrangeas, national treasures, and paradigmatic Japanese gardens. I'd like to cultivate a Japanese-ish garden, but it would clash so badly with our not-at-all-Japanese-ish house. I wonder if there are certain elements though, like mossy rocks, or pea gravel-type things, that would work in our garden. It turns out Toguri on Belmont has one enormous rock (not sure if it was for sale...) and a variety of pebbles if one is interested in adding Japanese touches to their garden. I know Gethsemane has some rocks, too, but they look more...man-made?

This post should be on my home & garden blog, which I am currently updating as well. There is much to report on my vegetable garden. Mitsu's blog is up and running as well!

Hot & Dangerous

2011-07-21T23:06:00.001-05:00

1. I did a load of laundry and did not use the dryer. However, a quick Google search shows that drying clothes outdoors is not necessarily permitted in all parts of this country. Then another quick Google search failed to reveal what the rules are in Chicago. But the relentless sun today did its job in a short amount of time, and none of the items being dried were scandalous, so I don't think the rules really matter.
2. My gel nails are holding up really well! I got them done three weeks ago (that's moyashi [bean sprouts] in the background!) at Kupu Kupu in Higashi-Totsuka (Yokohama), by my cousin's friend Aya. She runs her own business successfully all by herself, it's pretty amazing. I went to see her last year and got a mani-pedi fancy gel manicure; I really like the glitter gradation. It seems that as long as I continue to cut and file them, even with the gel on, they last fine. The color I picked (I copied my cousin) lends itself well to growing them out, too.
3. Roses in the front.
4. Every day, I check on the cucumbers to make sure they're not trying to strangle the maybe-bell peppers or themselves. Every day, when I peek around, I go, "WTF!" and end up harvesting at least one or two cucumbers. Today I found three. I also trimmed down the arugula patches and supposedly-mesculin lettuce leaves. They taste more like...what I imagine grass or leaves from a tree taste like. My mom says they're good when you cook them.
5. Making arugula pesto.
6. Eating arugula pesto pasta and bread from La Boulangerie.

2011-07-19T23:43:00.003-05:00

This year's trip to Japan went by as quickly as ever, but maybe with a stronger force. I was mildly exhausted from a non-stop schedule for fourteen straight days. There were at least two days where I walked for hours temple-hopping and I was surprised that I didn't pass out. What this all means is that I need to spread out my energy more wisely and rest, or in other words, I am getting older. But there is so much to buy, so much to eat, and so many good places and wonderful people to see!

Since the earthquake and tsunami, the most visible effect of the disasters is the cutting back of electricity. Owners of large buildings and corporations have to cut back 15% of their normal usage to avoid a fine, and the general population seems to be doing their part voluntarily at home. There's solidarity, but there's also the practical matter of avoiding scheduled blackouts. In the summer, maybe the most noticeable consequence of cutting back ("setsuden") is that the air conditioners are weak and the escalators don't operate during off-peak hours. When everyone else around you is into setsuden--whether it's felt in conversations with neighbors, on the trains, in the stores, or even when watching commercials or glancing at skylines--it's easy to fall into the habit of cutting back. I've been unplugging unused things at home since returning to Chicago (at least more so than when I saw "An Inconvenient Truth" and saw those poorly drawn CG polar bears drowning and felt faintly bad about wasting energy), and I've even considered minimizing the use of the laundry dryer. However, I am having a hard time even thinking about giving up the dishwasher (heaven-sent) and increasing AC temps (Mitsu has two coats of fur! [Or 1.5, as she's blowing the undercoat out right now]).

After observing Japanese women's fashion (and men's, to an extent) and reflecting on past observations, I've concluded that I must be more American (Midwestern?) in my approach to fashion. I tried, with my collared shirts and not-cut-off-denim-shorts (I cannot wear them stylishly like the Osakan girl above); I even wore heels twice (Birks or Top Siders were on standby in an extra tote). But I just cannot keep up with them! In my eyes, the Japanese know how to dress impeccably, from head to toe, as if every move were not only calculated, but also perfected since, say, junior high. I get the feeling that people over there are also aware of what looks good on them, and what doesn't, which I think this is an impressive, if slightly vain, accomplishment for any person. I remember one girl pinning her bangs on the train to maintain an ever-so-subtle but important curl, and by the time she got to her destination (Shibuya), she unpinned them and they indeed curled out to the side in a delicate, airy, magazine perfection sort of way. Anyway, it just seems like there is so much detail-oriented care put into every single decision regarding clothes, accessories, hair, and makeup. One of my cousins suggests that everyone does it because everyone else does it, which I think is a similar spirit behind everyone setsuden-ing with one another. I wonder if I would pick up on the "society > individual" mentality if I was ever in Japan for a longer period of time, or if I would grow tired of it. But I did catch the shopping bug, especially since it was "soldes"/"bargain"/"sale" season right when I was there, so I have some new outfits, as well as a somewhat renewed sense of caring how I look. We'll see how long this lasts, because it's hard to care about anything when it feels like a sauna when you step outside even for a brief moment.

iPhone photo diary

2011-07-14T17:19:00.001-05:00

1. "Premium Economy" seats
2. Keisuke Toyama concert, Suntory Hall
3. "Bo Boo" print reunion, Sakuragicho's Marimekko store
4. Domino's
5. Summer tangerines and hydrangea in my mother's childhood neighborhood
6. Fauchon mini-eclair
7. Daibutsu, Kamakura
8. "Lost In Translation"-esque view, Osaka
9. Making fun of young Osaka girls who wear big nerdy glasses, Zara
10. Carleton-esque badger advertising okonomiyaki, Osaka
11. Byodouin, Uji
12. Mimiu, yuzu udon
13. Watermelon cocktail at Hotel JAL City, Yokohama

Prep

2011-06-10T00:48:00.000-05:00

Today was my last day of teaching. I think I'm feeling that overwhelming sensation of finishing one big thing, but realizing that I quickly need to move on to other things that have been looming nearby.

After I spend the next two weeks flailing around trying to get my prospectus together, I'll be off to Japan, with the meemaw, who is here in Chicago. Some nights ago, I had a dream that I was in Japan and another huge earthquake hit. I was in a car, and I remember there being danger of a tsunami. I've thought about what I would do if I were in an earthquake--like, if I'm indoors, outdoors, on a train, where do I go? My grandma says go to a place with lots of corners, the example being if you're in an apartment, get in the bathroom since you have four corners close to each other. I guess it's more structurally sound? I don't know, but I like the idea of being a fan of corners.

A relatively trivial worry that I have is how I will look when I am in Japan. I used to not really care about how I dressed there, and I'd wear whatever I felt like, casual or not. But there are two things that have happened since then: one is that it must be admitted that I am no longer as youthful as before (having a husband; my grandma telling people I'm aiming to be a professor of philosophy; being above 25; no longer getting up at noon; etc.) and two is that I am increasingly aware of the Japanese "gaze." I don't mean that art history gaze, I mean the looks you get from random people who look you up and down, try to figure you out, and in doing so judge you. Actually, part of it is the gaze, but it is largely what you do with it that matters most. The awkwardness that I have felt from dressing down, not having makeup on, etc., is self-induced. I think I've had conversations with Mordecai about this, so I know this isn't an entirely a "Japanese thing." Though I do feel really Japanese when I think about this. So anyway, this is all a way of saying that I am starting to prepare to look decent while in Japan.

Yesterday I went to Woodfield Mall with my mom and grandma and started working on this task. Forever 21 helped me out a bit with some basics (not-jean/pajama-ish shorts and an Equipment-esque shirt), as well as Lands End Canvas. I tried on the dress I was after, loved it, and ordered what I hope to be the proper size. It is a Rachel Berry-esque dress, but made of far better material. I also got the pair of Top Siders I was eyeing in champagne gold. My goal is to have an outfit everyday where I don't look bummish, and I was thinking of keeping track of how this will work out. The one thing I dislike about "outfit posts" is that they are usually taken vertically, especially if one is taking a picture of a reflection in a full-length mirror. I accept the vanity and narcissism of outfit posts, but still, generally, I don't like posting vertical pictures. Of course, this might all fail and it might have just been an excuse to shop with the meemaws on my day off, but I have some hope that this will all come through. I don't know what's "youth preservation" about this blog anymore, but that's okay! I still go to Nickel City from time to time and paint my nails like I'm in the 7th grade.

Edge of Glory

2011-05-24T10:54:00.000-05:00

Day 30 – A photograph of yourself today + three good things that have happened in the past 30+ days.

1. Finished topical (currently stuck on prospectus though)

2. Teaching summer school (failing at making aesthetics appealing)

3. Started eating/moving better, but still need to cut back on things like excessive sodium and driving the car.

Garden

2011-05-22T18:22:00.002-05:00

Day 29 – Something you could never get tired of doing.

Planning projects for the house, getting started on them...that's the part I could never get tired of doing. The part that I need to work on is continuing the project, not half-assing it, not abandoning it, and moving along to other projects. I did plant these things today, except for the tomato, cucumber, and bell peppers, but that's because they need their own special bed, which Mordo is helping me figure out. I hope my plants like me.

Friday, Friday, Friday

2011-05-22T00:38:00.001-05:00

Fun fun fun fun looking forward to the weekend!

My grandma bought me this shirt/blouse thing from Zara last week. It has pink stars on it, which is good, but it's dry clean only, which is dangerous. I paired them with my Doc Martens, and jazzed it up with some "Diva in Training" Glee for Sephora by OPI nail polish.

This weekend has so far involved finally getting to painting the dining room and starting to think about a (container, though this looks nice!) vegetable garden. My top priorities might be: cilantro, chives, rosemary, mint, strawberries, and cucumbers. If it's not too much, I'd like to add cherry tomatoes, arugula, radishes, and asparagus. We strolled through Gethsemane today, and Mordecai got some ideas from the awesome Troy regarding a "rain garden" to help with drainage issues that I don't understand nor really care about but probably should, and a patio that where my container vegetable/strawberry garden will reside during the summer. Mordecai took notes on potential patio patterning, centipede leg-looking plants, and plants with red leaves.

2011-05-21T15:43:00.000-05:00

Day 28 – Your favorite movie.

Jose to tora to sakana tachi

Pictures

2011-05-18T23:41:00.000-05:00

Day 27 – A picture of you last year and now and how have you changed since then?

Here's a picture of me last year. Is that my mom's shirt? I was in Japan last May, a fact I can barely believe. Since last year, I've become much more domesticated. I also feel like I've aged a lot, or I can see the effects of aging more clearly.

I've fallen behind on my posts because I don't feel like posting a picture of myself in recent days. I started teaching the four-week "intensive" summer session, and it's pretty tiring. It's not as bad as everyone made it out to be though, at least so far. The material is stuff I've done before, which helps a lot. I like my students (only 13!) and I get the sense that they don't dislike me. So instead of a gpomyself, I present these others photos from day off today.

I went to Ulta today with a 20% off coupon to get pink nail polish by Essie. "Princess Pink" seems to have gone extinct, which is a tragedy, as it was my wedding pick and seemed easy to apply. I chose "Lovie Dovie," the Pepto Bismol color on my index finger. It was my mom's suggestion. I just tried it on more extensively, and Mordecai said it looks like a stripper's nail polish. It requires more care in application so I will try again tomorrow.

While I cooked dinner, Mitsu lied on her back and showed me her teeth. "You use peanut butter in your dinner and I get none in mine? I glare at you. Look at my teefs."

I realize this is not the most flattering picture, but that's PBJ pancakes (peanut butter pancakes, blackberry "syrup" [=heated preserves + water + lemon zest]), an egg, and some ham. This meal was inspired by Sunny Anderson's "Let the Sun Shine In" episode on her show, "Cooking for Real." I saw it for the second time this morning and decided today was the day for some PBJ pancakes, Sunny-style. I recommends them if you like peanut butter, and you can make whatever berry syrup you like! I wonder if almond butter would work with pancakes...? Is that too yuppie/Lincoln Park mom-like?

Mo Town

2011-05-15T01:23:00.000-05:00

Day 26 – A photo of somewhere you’ve been to.

Detroit, MI

"PURSE!"

2011-05-15T01:11:00.001-05:00

Day 25 – What’s in your purse?

Buddy Biscuits from Petco ($4.99 with member's card!)

Kuromi Sigg water bottle

Keys

Carmex & Kiss My Face chapstick

MAC lipstick in Siss & Shiseido red lipstick

Pencil case

Earphones

Wallet

Hydra-Stick pour bébé
Aveeno lotion

Popcorn seasoning in white cheddar (for the movies; saw Thor last night and Bridesmaids today!)

Mirror

Cold-eeze

Behind

2011-05-13T11:59:00.000-05:00

Day 24 – A photo of something that means a lot to you.

YOKOHAMA, JAPAN! Specifically, old Japanese people reppin' the CHI in the HAMA.

Factoids

2011-05-10T23:33:00.002-05:00

Day 23 – 15 facts about you.

1. I was born in Chicago.

2. I like to paint my nails and I wish I could repaint them all the time like Eva Chen does.

3. I am starting to like chevre in my salads, but so far only with argula, strawberries, raspberry vinaigrette and walnuts.
4. I've been listening to Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours" album and like a few tracks. This is because of Glee, naturally.
5. I have tons of gray hairs and a growing collection of aging spots.
6. I'm working on a prospectus for my dissertation. The title so far is "Knowledge of Selves" and is about what it means to know or understand others and oneself. I don't know what it means to know or understand anyone but I like my topic.
7. I wanted an Akita but didn't think I could handle one. My second choice was the Shiba. (Mordo's first choice was a shelter dog--shhhh don't tell Mitsu. Actually, I tell her all the time.)
8. In the past year, I think I've cut down on soda and some fast food. I did not think this would ever be possible.
9. You can hear me play the piano from the alley. I think Clementi (YouTube link) will keep the summer-hoodlums at bay.
10. I will be teaching this summer. It's a four-week session; it meets for three hours, four times a week. We will begin with Plato's "Apology."
11. I study philosophy for essentially the following reasons, in this order: Chrucky, Schrift, Pacholec, Ted Cohen, Tony.
12. I am as my name indicates: blessed. With lots of good people and stuff.
13. I am torn when the Tigers and Sox play each other.
14. I don't drink much anymore, I am in bed by 1AM even on weekends, and I manage to experience mornings on a regular basis, even on Sundays. I also thought this would never be possible.
15. My summer wanty list includes: this Lands End Canvas dress, these boat shoes in platinum gold, these Birkenstocks, and these Ray-Bans. Is it gonna be another one of them hot summers, Busta?

Signs and wonders

2011-05-09T22:49:00.000-05:00

Day 22 – A letter to someone who has hurt you recently.

I am not one to write open letters, but I read Cormac McCarthy's "No Country For Old Men" again this past week and reading Ed Tom Bell's thoughts, especially towards the end, pained me. So did the exchange between Ed Tom and Llewelyn Moss's father. The book provides more details, important details that I had forgotten since I last read it, details that clarified many things that I did not even realize were things to be clarified when I last read it.

On a lighter note, I told my mom I was rereading the book and had seen the movie again (she's a fan), and she suggested we both get some Anton Chigurh hair. I see where I get my crazies from.

Weekend

2011-05-09T09:23:00.000-05:00

Day 20 – The meaning behind your blog name.

'Keipop' was coined back in college to express what is popular with Kei. 'Nation' was a common suffix we used to add to words for emphasis, like 'homework nation,' as in 'I'm in homework nation,' or something like that. I think that was high school vocabulary that survived into college. My blog is the land of all things popular and mainstream with me.

Day 21 – A photo of something that makes you happy.

Well, obviously Mitsu makes me happy, so I will post something else in addition.

My home. There are 2 cherry trees in the back. Maybe it's more like 1.5; the other one is like, half alive, or clearly missing a big branch. I like the plastic grocery bag that is caught in, or decorating, the tree at the very top. I am very grateful for this home and try to treat it right, but I'm so messy and lazy. When I clean, Mitsu looks worried. I think she's used to the clutter that accumulates; she certainly likes her toys all over the floor. I think she's also concerned that the vacuum cleaner will come out. She gets angry at it when it's on, and then sniffs it when it's all over.

Her nose drips when she's in the car, sniffing out the window. She tries to get a handle on the nose juices by spraying it outside, but the wind usually pushes it back on my face.

Yesterday

2011-05-07T16:38:00.003-05:00

Day 19 – Another picture of yourself.

This is another Nodame/Rachel Berry-esque dress I was wearing yesterday. We went to Bistro Margot with our GROUPON and watched "No Country For Old Men" last night. Carla Jean Moss is amazing.

Day Eighteen

2011-05-05T23:36:00.000-05:00

Day 18 – Something you crave a lot.

This was taken when I ate with Joe's mom at the McDonald's in the loop. I ran into her randomly one day two years ago.

More than anything, I crave McDonald's (preferably large) fries (preferably with a Filet-O-Fish). Runners up include Golden Nugget's Guadalajara Skillet, Culver's butterburger basket, French macaroons, and Thai food (preferably Naomi's mom's). But none of these things beat McDonald's fries, stateside or in Japan, as something to just grab, go, and be entirely satiated by. In fact, I tried to get some today in between buses, but I knew my Halsted bus was coming and the line was too long. I've still got the $1.10 loose though, so maybe tomorrow will be my lucky day!

2011-05-04T23:02:00.001-05:00

Day 17 – A photo of you and your family.

I won't subject my parents to the Interwebs, though there are probably traces of them here and there anyway. I like these photos, which I'll post instead. These are the characters I see and deal with everyday, myself included.

2011-05-03T22:55:00.000-05:00

Day Sixteen

2011-05-03T22:34:00.002-05:00

Day 16 – Your celebrity crush.

Can you see my heart fluttering?

On a maybe-related note, I remember in eighth grade when Ms. Crushshon said that she was in love with Sydney Carton of A Tale of Two Cities. I'll never forget how seriously I took her words and feelings, and how it did not matter that Carton was a fictional character. It was admirable; I remember wanting to feel that way for something or someone, with such strong conviction, the kind that dumbfounds a naive thirteen year old kid.

Day Fifteen

2011-05-02T22:53:00.003-05:00

Day 15: Something you don't leave the house without.

I don't leave home without my keys, phone, wallet, lip stuff, my super chic eczema meds, and thoughts of Mitsu. Is she winking? Or partially falling asleep?

Oblivious

Speaking of the Meat Stew, we bathed her for the first time this weekend. Generally, she is a pretty clean dog. She doesn't smell doggy and she licks herself clean frequently, I guess not unlike a cat, which I've read is a common trait among Shibas. But I wanted her to get used to bathing, or at least treat it as not a big deal as you are apparently supposed to do with everything. On Saturday morning, we took her to Soggy Paws, where they provide everything except labor. She didn't seem to mind the water or the shampooing--I imagine she secretly enjoyed the massaging, but she didn't want to let it be known. But after we rinsed and towel-dried, we blow-dried her fur, which scared two poop nuggets out of her! Poor thing. I think we'll be DIYing washes in the backyard during the summer so she can air dry, and if she must be bathed in the winter, peanut butter may help, but we may get special presents regardless if we attempt to blow dry.

Help?

Help! I feel funny.

Day Fourteen

2011-05-01T22:53:00.003-05:00

Day 14 – A TV show you’re currently addicted to.

Glee! I was definitely more addicted to (and obsessed with) the first season than the second, but I'm still addicted to it, especially to Rachel Berry and her outfits.

I'm also starting an addiction to Giada de Laurentiis and her TV shows on the Food Network and The Cooking Channel. I'm not sure I'd ever want to meet or hang out with her (you see, I'd hang out with Paula Deen in a heartbeat; and I'd hope she'd kiss me like she does some of her guests on her show), but I do admire her sense of joy for food and life, even if there's a little too much enthusiasm that often manifests itself rather obnoxiously through her horse teeth or excessive cleavage. I saw a couple of episodes of the weekend getaway show, and she was wearing these gigantic earrings. I thought, I want to wear some gigantic earrings! See--I'm hooked. I need to find some gigantic earrings.

Day Thirteen

2011-05-01T00:19:00.004-05:00

Day 13 – Your favorite musician and why?

Mariah Carey, because she wrote and provided hit after hit throughout my childhood, adolescence, and into my adulthood; because she's got a way with words ("dem babies" were finally born today); because she has a strong sense of self (even if it's crazy--aren't we all crazy? oh we're not? oops); because she appreciates us lambs; because she's got the greatest voice ever in the history of pop music.

Day Twelve

2011-04-30T00:03:00.000-05:00

Day 12 – A photograph of the town you live in.

Days Ten & Eleven

2011-04-28T23:58:00.001-05:00

Day 10 – A photo of your favorite place to eat.

I was upset that I ate my Filet-O-Fish without taking a picture of it for my Day Ten post. Then I got over it, because everyone know what McDonald look like!

My other favorite places to eat are my house and my parents' house.

Day 11 – What’s in your makeup bag?

The other day, my mom's friend in Japan sent me a bunch of things from the 300 yen store. One was a pencil cup holder-type thing, and another was a makeup bag. This was exciting to me for some reason even though we have such things here in the States. So I cleaned up my makeup area (stuff piled on a TV dinner table from Target).

This is not a representation of what I actually use in one day, even a fancy day; the bag is just huge and fits anything that I currently use. There are eyeshadows: Visée neutrals, Laura Mercier's Black Karat (more like khaki greenish bronze), MAC's "My Dark Magic" featuring Maleficent of Sleeping Beauty (a shimmery, gothy purple). There's blush by a Japanese company (I accidentally bought the refill without ever having a case for it) and the Chanel case is Orchid Rose. There are four tubes of mascara: Maybelline's standard Great Lash but BIG mascara (whatever), Maybelline's the Falsies Volum' Express (horrible, flimsy wand), a sample of Laura Mercier mascara, and Kiehl's Marvelous Mineral Mascara. I love the last two and am done with drugstore mascara. There are two lipsticks: Shiseido's Perfect Rouge in RD305 (bright berry red as seen here) and MAC's Siss (pale beige), recommended to me by my cousin. I see some nail stuff--cuticle cream and nail strengthening cream. I try to keep my nails nice but it's a tough battle. I also see four eyeliners--two liquid eyeliners (Japanese drugstore--the skinny pink tube is a winner!), Bobbi Brown's creamy liner in a pot, and a smudging eyeliner (also from Japanese drugstores). There are also three lip medications: Blistex (I think that's Mordo's), Kiehl's Lip Balm #1, and skinny Carmex in a tube. I also spy my handy eyebrow pencil with the brush at the end from Sephora. And there's the French lotion in a stick thing (looks like a mini-deodorant) that I should use more often.

I love makeup, but it's so expensive and I don't carve out as much time as I would like for it. I'm sure I'll come back from Japan feeling naked and ignorant though, and will be revitalized in my efforts this summer.

Day Nine

2011-04-26T23:47:00.000-05:00

Day 9 – A photo of the item you last purchased.

I have no photo of the small coffee (cream + sugar) that I bought form Dunkin' Donuts this morning. When I got my little cup, I wondered why I didn't get a medium.

This evening I went to a Rockies vs. Cubs game, brought to MordeKei by Big John and Little Debby's (Mordo won these tickets). Finally, I made use of this hat (last picture). I was decked out in various non-matching shades of purple. Everything went pretty well--my grandma hooked it up with parking nearby; the Rockies won; I saw CarGo; I may have been on TV briefly in the background of a child boasting his eighth birthday with a giant home-made poster; I ate a slice of pizza and nachos, and I got to smell red rope nearby (I probably would have gotten/felt sick if the guy came around one more time because I would've bought some); Mitsu was fine at home alone while we were gone and seems to be doing well. So, the last thing "I" bought, by which I mean "we," but which I mean Mordecai, was nachos. I have no photo of this purchase either, so instead, I present to you two pictures from the game.

Tomorrow I 'defend' my topical. Can't catch up on the latest 90-minute episode of Glee until that is over.

Day Eight

2011-04-25T22:32:00.000-05:00

Day 8 – A song to match your mood.

I don't know that either of these songs 'match my mood' but they have been in my head for the past week. Dan gave me Adele's '21' album, and I've been listening to it in the car nonstop. I keep forgetting to bring it in and copy it onto my iTunes so that I can pass the good shit on to Emily. I like to listen to the songs and arrange the lyrics to Mitsu's circumstances or personality. "Rumor has it...rumor has it...rumor has it Mitsu has some tummy troubles~" "There's a fire, burning in my dog!" And so on.

Bonus factoid: Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" was actually written for the only real "little monster" who belongs to no one but herself--Mitsu. I imagine she sings the song with amended lyrics when, say, the vet says to me and Mordecai that we're raising her well. "It doesn't matter who my real parents are...or who my human parents are...I'm putting my paws up...Ms. Vet, I was born this way! I was born this way, I was born this way...My name is Mitsu Scheckter, I was born this way!"

Days Five, Six, Seven

2011-04-25T07:58:00.001-05:00

What a blogging-delinquent weekend. It was a cooking-heavy weekend, as well as puppy health issues-heavy weekend. Mitsu has been having some tummy troubles, and she also had a random allergic reaction to something on Saturday night. I'll be calling the vet soon; I hope the desk attendants are like, "Oh poor Mitsu! Bring her in right away." She hung out with them when she got spayed. Anyway, here are Days 5 through 7 in one post.

Day 5 – A photo of yourself two years ago.

Two years ago, I wore bright colors and frequented Golden Nugget more than I do now. I still get the Guadelajara Skillet.

Day 6 – A photo of an animal you’d love to keep as a pet.

I think Mitsu would have a ball with another creature in the house, but I think capybaras are really mellow and would want nothing to do with Mitsu-like creatures. I think her ideal companion would be an equally enthusiastic-for-life!!!!!!!111 male Shiba or a Jack Russell Terrer. But I also think I'd die if I had to take care of another dog.

Day 7 – Your dream wedding.

Been done did it!

Day Four

2011-04-21T22:27:00.002-05:00

Day 4 – Your favorite photograph of your best friend.

A typical answer: the person who has been condemned to live with you for the rest of their life. Here, Mordo is in a batting cage. I think he has a good batting stance; at least, it looks better than certain professionals (namely, Kevin Youkilis). So in work clothes, his batting stance appears particularly handsome to me.

Day Three

2011-04-20T22:33:00.001-05:00

Day 3 – Your idea of the perfect first date.

Perhaps these '30 Day Challenges' are meant for young, free spirits, i.e. unmarried. In any case, I guess my idea of a perfect first date (or a place to receive your engagement ring) would be the Art Institute of Chicago. If I get tired, you (Mordo) can take me across the street to Bennigan's. Or we can walk the rest of the block and you (Mordo) can take me to McDonald's for an even cheaper, more satisfying meal.

Ideally, the museum would not be crowded, and would be soothing, like Ando Tadao's Museum of Modern Art in Forth Worth. You wouldn't have to wait in a line that wraps around a giant cement upside cone thingie and then snakes its way up the escalators, like I had to last summer at the National Art Center in Tokyo for an exhibition of stuff from the Orsay.

If you are not Mordo, and you want to take me out on a date, a perfect one would be to a White Sox game. But I think the only other 'dude' who is permitted to take me out, by MordeKei standards, would be Southpaw.

Day Two

2011-04-19T16:18:00.001-05:00

Day 2 – A photo of something you ate today.

For 'breakfast,' I had tea, honey roasted peanuts, and some Peppridgefarm goldfish. All donated kindly by Mordo.

For lunch, I had a Dunkin' Donuts eggwhite flatbread sandwich and a chocolate frosted donut. I like egg white more than egg with yolk a lot, so this product appealed to me. I'd say that they're fine for something to eat on the go, but in general, they're pretty salty, and it is depressing to see all the items heated up. Or 'nuked,' as Shaun said the other day of all DD items.

The weather here is dreary today, as it was yesterday. I've been out in my North Face jacket, which I knew not to put away. I try not to let it get me down--once you make that decision in your head, and when you're armed with Ann Sather's cinnamon rolls or have a Shiba puppy by your side, it's slightly easier to follow through.

Day One

2011-04-18T23:31:00.002-05:00

I got this idea from a blogger I randomly came across long ago. She is an absolute stranger to me but she's pretty and she has pretty jewelry, bags, and shoes, so I check her blog a lot. She once commented on this here blog. Let's see how far I get with these daily tasks.

Day 1 – A photo of yourself and a description of how your day was.

Here are 2 photos of me today. Mitsu has amazing teeth. She also smelled my eye for a while.

This morning I got some work done at Argo. I stepped into Rugby across the street for a few minutes and found some nice khaki pants, which I touched. I also saw some nice shirts on sale, but decided that theoretically, if I were to buy anything, it'd be the more practical or needy item, which would be the pants, as opposed to the wanty items. My current pants all fit weird because I've recently gained a significant enough amount of weight to notice such things. I also need nice pants, pants I can teach in during the summer. But I don't live in a theoretical world, so when another customer came in and occupied the employee, I slipped out. I'll probably be back though; let's just face the truth.

I went to yoga later in the afternoon, where I was the only person in my class. It was a lot harder than last week, which was good. But in order to fit into certain pants again, I figure I'll need to go again this week, or add another aspect to my exercise regimen that is not walking Mitsu around the neighborhood for fifteen to twenty minutes once or twice a day. I dread running, and we no longer have a VCR so I can't do "Buns of Steel" from the early 90's and even if Naomi returned Wii Fit (I think I kind of instructed her not to), that'd be of no use to me. To be continued.

Recent photos

2011-03-08T22:35:00.003-06:00

Playing now

2011-03-01T09:35:00.005-06:00

It's taken weeks, maybe a couple of months, but I'm finally playing this up to speed. Obviously not with wisdom, knowledge of much beyond what keys to hit when, or with the kind of emotion that lifts me from my piano bench. I remember when this song came out in Japan back in the day, when it dominated the mainstream charts despite having no vocals or lyrics. I think part of the appeal was its promotion in a commercial for an energy drink or something, but also that it soothed many overburdened, stressed out Japanese souls. There is indeed something soothing about the melody, like menthol, but there's also something catchy, popular, dare I say "easy," too, like candy. Basically, what I'm saying is, this song is a good cough drop. As with all other non-Beethoven pieces I play, Mitsu is not interested, so there are no videos of us jamming together on this one.

Foodies

2011-02-17T19:47:00.002-06:00

Some go-to edibles as of late

Chicken & ginger-miso dish

Blueberry-cream cookies

Cookie watch (dog not edible, but they say the red ones taste good)

Roast chicken

Good stuff

2011-02-09T23:23:00.001-06:00

When I think about what Paula Deen would have done if she were given this opportunity, at least at my age and place in life, I feel ashamed that I walked away with only four boxes (pounds) of unsalted butter. I think I bake enough to merit four more boxes at this price point. Anyway, I wasn't even expecting butter to be on sale (I checked the circulars), so when I saw this price tag, I just leaned over the refrigerator container and admired it. Then I took this photo with my phone, and then I just couldn't stop marveling that I had to tweet and blog about it. I might have to call my mom in case she doesn't know, though she probably does (but then why didn't I get a call?!).

In other news, I think last night's episode of Glee was one of the best of this season so far. I haven't been obsessively watching like I did for season one, mostly because I didn't get the iTunes season pass for it, but also because I feel like the writers of the show are aware of its massive success and popularity. Maybe the episodes evolve around the musical themes more, and less around the characters? I don't know. But damn, those Warblers are just killing it every episode! I can't believe they did a Robin Thicke song, long-haried, vintage Thicke, no less! I was hoping to see the original version of "When I Get You Alone" in the Top 50 singles on iTunes, but I have a feeling that looking up the single under "Robin Thicke" and getting nothing, while the single actually hides under the artist name "Thicke," has something to do with it. And the fact that Glee Cast songs do better than originals. Anyway. And finally, I saw the old Rachel of season one last night when she and Finn were talking towards the end, and when she sang "Firework" to herself in her mirror at home with her brush as the mic. It was like when she sang "On My Own," at home and in her Glee audition, except she wasn't depressed and sad and solitarily slushied all the time. And her dresses! The green one with the bows, the pink one with the black prints of who knows what! If/when I get that episode in HD, I will obsessively try to find the most flattering frame of her in them and the maybe scour the internet in hopes of finding them or something similar. And then I will post myself trying to look like as hopeful as Rachel Berry, maybe as the snow melts and spring approaches.

Mitsu x Beethoven Collaboration

2011-02-03T19:55:00.001-06:00

Last week, I was playing the piano, and Mitsu starting vocalizing when I played the theme to Beethoven's 7th. I've been playing this piece, a Nodame Cantabile version, for about half a year now so it's become the one-trick-pony piece I play when I feel like playing something but not really practicing. At first, I thought Mitsu was telling me to shut up, and then I thought she had to go outside. But then she sat and lied down by my bench, so I continued playing. When I started a section that involved a crescendo, Mitsu joined in by howling. Her face, looking straight on, is super cute when she stretches her howls out. I started to give her treats when she would sing along to my crescendos, and she performed for Mordecai a couple of times. I was finally able to capture all of this on camera tonight with minimal mistakes on my part. She doesn't seem to care for any other pieces I play, so I like to think that she and Beethoven are basically best friends.

You kind of have to wait for her to hear the howls clearly. She warms up a little throughout the song, misses my conducting cues in the middle, but then comes through at the end (~1:00 mark)!

This is our one hit wonder, guys! We won't be coming on tour near you! You might hear about a comeback 10 years from now! Good night!

Aftermath

2011-02-02T21:20:00.000-06:00

So I guess we had only two days off of school back in 1999. Maybe it felt like a week off because it was close to a weekend? Anyway, let's see how many students show up to my sections on Friday.

For some reason, I found last night's epic blizzard to be pretty exciting. Occasionally, I'd hear some voices or tires spinning or snow being shoveled, so I'd peek outside. One group of kids got stuck in the alley next to our house, and seeing it'd be unhelpful for me to go out there, I sent Mordo out with a shovel. Eventually, some other kids across the street joined, and the car was successfully dug out and pushed to Fullerton. It turned out to be a neighbor who had to get his girlfriend home.

This morning, the snow was still falling, but it eventually stopped and the sun came out. Before noon, people were trying to dig their cars out, clearing sidewalks, and trying to clear the side streets and alleys using shovels and cars. I thought it was kind of interesting how major events like these move many people to do something about their situations instead of wallowing in self-pity, blaming Daley & Co., or napping. Not that napping didn't occur. I thought I'd be cabin fevering it today, but since the snow and wind stopped, walking Mitsu seemed appealing and shoveling necessary. All the physical work culminated into a rather epic nap, which then energized me to make dinner and dessert (separate post).

Mitsu was less annoyed by the less harsh winds, and she enjoyed a nice long walk along Fullerton and some other side streets that were almost impassable.

I don't have the energy or creative power to make a better looking collage, but I love all these pictures. Mitsu is showing off her good walking skills with me, she's being protected by MoDiddy, she looks deranged because the snow looks like it's taking over her pupils, then she's recovered, then she's looking dainty with me, but with MoDiddy she looks more noble and proud to be a big Shiba baby. I'll end with this one, where she's forging ahead, leading the way, almost getting lost in all the snow.

Mitsupocalypse!

2011-02-01T22:12:00.001-06:00

Chicago and its inhabitants are being severely punished right now by a massive snowstorm. The last time we were assaulted like this was in 1999, and I remember having about a week off from school. But I don't remember phrases like "potentially life-threatening," or "thundersnow" being thrown around back then. I am not looking forward to the aftermath, but my parents report that Oji is shedding a little early this year, which hopefully means spring is coming sooner rather than later. I'll put up with a thundersnowstorm and a day (or two? or three? please?) off of school if spring arrives sooner than usual.

Mordecai and I took Mitsu out for a quick potty break. She was very displeased. Mordecai had to carry her out to the front, where there is less snow because it gets blown away. She quickly realized it wasn't going to get any better anywhere else, so she got to business and then immediately started whining to go back inside. I'm glad we have a dog with human-ish sensibilities. Also noteworthy about Mitsu and the elements: she seems to be able to sense patches of ice and water on the ground far sooner than I can. I wonder if she has good eyes, at least for a dog. This has actually helped me out a couple of times when I hadn't even noticed the ice. We don't need a repeat of 2008 of ankle breakage. Thanks, Mitsu!

Platonic forms

2011-01-22T00:20:00.003-06:00

I've been searching for the ideal dessert. I like to believe that I'll know it when I eat it, so I figure I'll just make lots of desserts and see what pleases me the most. So far, the front runners include my standard strawberry tart, grapefruit cassis, and macarons. (I find La Boulangerie's to be the best in Chicago that I've tasted so far.)

Last week I saw Giada making angel food cake. It seemed like a nice, light dessert, so I tried it out. I like angel food cake because it involves lots of egg whites and sugar, like marcarons, but the yogurt honey sauce didn't seem to go all that well with the cake. I added fruits for garnish (blackberries one day, cara cara oranges the next at my parents'), but this didn't add or take away from the cake. Basically, while it wasn't bad, I will never make this again.

Next up: Ina Garten's coconut cupcakes. I really want cream cheese frosting...now! I wonder how it will fare in comparison to Emily's frosting.

Unrelated to my desserts, but I guess it's a kind of dessert, or snack, is cotton candy, now apparently available on campus. Seriously? In January? It sells? Is class at UIC now like attending a sporting event?

***

Sleeping princess; sleeping fools

Certain corners of the Internet are in great debates about raising children. (Don't forget this take on the story.) What I find interesting about all of this is how in many ways, the discussion parallels dog training. Do you praise your children and let them be picky eaters; do you train dogs exclusively through positive reinforcement like Victoria Stilwell? Or do you call your kids garbage and make them practice piano without bathroom breaks; do you make your dog submit to you or expend their energy on treadmills like Cesar Millan? My mom let me be a picky eater and showered me with praises, but at the same time, a lot of Amy Chua's explanations in her WSJ excerpt made sense to me (and why it might not make as much sense to "Western" parents). And likewise, positive training works well with Mitsu, but with nipping/mouthing/biting, merely walking away and ignoring her briefly does not seem to cut it. I try to teach her "kisses" by rewarding her for licking my hand, but this process is usually preceded by unpleasant biting. How do I know she's not learning to bite, then wait for "kisses" command to receive treats? Puppy, please.

Roast puppy de cassis

2011-01-07T23:21:00.001-06:00

Today Wendy DeCarlo came to our house for some puppy consultation. We have books and cable TV, which all let us know that we aren't horrible dog-parents or that Mitsu is a she-devil. But all of that provides only general information--even the Shiba Inu book--so we wanted a trainer to meet her and assess our particular situation. I don't want to be one of those parents who brag about their dogs and children, but I think she did pretty good today. It helps that she came to us crate-trained by the breeders, and that she naturally has an outgoing and confident personality. The more I think about it, the more it seems like Poo Monster Dud exhibited more skittish behavior--"I see you but I don't really feel like acknowledging you"--whereas Mitsu was much more willingly interactive with us when we hung out with the two pups in the breeder's living room.

This evening, Mordecai and I made roast chicken. It wasn't difficult! It helped that the Food Network posted Ina Garten's roast chicken episode on YouTube. This was our first time, so our chicken-carving skills are pretty non-existent, and the bed of vegetables was more like jail-cell-bed than Ritz-Carlton bed so most of them overcooked. I wish there was a way to practice cutting chicken without actually using meat. (...Is there?) Dessert came from a recipe in Maida Heatter's book, which was the super easy grapefruit and crème de cassis with a little bit of honey (above). I don't know what it is about it--it's like raspberry and grape combined?--but cassis is one of my all time favorite flavors ever. It makes me feel nostalgic, but I don't know for what. Like I grew up with it. Or maybe I was a little black currant in my past life.

Best of 2010

2011-01-04T23:35:00.001-06:00

I don't know if I have any resolutions for this year except to continue ones from last year--wake up early (now mandatory with the puppy, but then naps-with-puppy become a problem); maintain healthy hair, nails, skin. And then there's some usual stuff, but it's probably more "grow the eff up" than resolutions, like be productive, clean the house, cook more often, spend wisely, and so on. One thing I do know is that I didn't go berserk for baseball in 2010, so I'd like to return to 2009-style passion for 2011 baseball. Anyway, like I did last year, here are my reflections on 2010.

Personal Best of 2010

Book: Axel Honneth, "Struggle for Recognition" & Thomas Harris, "Silence of the Lambs"

Album: Kylie Minogue, "Aphrodite"

Place visited: Yokohama, Japan & Vandalia, Ohio

Meal cooked: Pork-ginger-miso dish from Orange Page, the Japanese equivalent of "Real Simple"

Movie: Nodame Cantabile: The Final Score, parts 1 & 2

Article read: Stanley Cavell, "Knowing and Acknowledging" & "Avoidance of Love"

Information learned: Various things about owning a home and a dog, including how common it is to improperly care for both of these things

Quote discovered: I don't really have a favorite quote from this year. Basically, I find inspiration in any philosopher (i.e., Stanley Cavell) who criticizes parts of mainstream analytic philosophy (i.e. an overemphasis on rationality and science at the expense of the self) that I find strange (i.e., the quote from last year will do).

Item Bought: Honda Fit, house, Mitsu

Honorable Mentions: Reduced access to Facebook by about 99% from previous years; reduced spending on clothes and shoes significantly (only to spend them on Japan, the house, and Mitsu); increased interest in some classical music; MET LORD MIGGY

Shiba World

2010-12-28T00:59:00.001-06:00

2011 Mameshiba Calendar

Mitsu is bed-less because she destroys them, and towel-less because she pees on them. So she is left with the hardwood floor or our laps. Here, she is nestled between my calves, on her back, teeth exposed. Also photographed are my fleece socks, which I've realized, after living in the Midwest for 26 years, are absolutely necessary in the winter. Do they come in non-hippie, non-40 year old mom prints? (I'm sure they do, but I don't actually care. Warmth is my priority!)

Today, we went to the vet so she could get some more puppy vaccination shots and to check on her heart murmur. The vet reports that she no longer hears the murmur! Unfortunately though, Mitsu was not treated to Gerber baby food like she was during her first visit. She got rid of her murmur, allowed the vet tech and vet to probe and prick her, and all she got were some cookies! Life is so hard for a sweet faced puppy. So I gave her the beloved chicken and chicken gravy baby food when we got back. After playing with her millions of toys, and after I did my nails and after Mordecai played Metal Gear Solid 4, she got sleepy and sweet, like nectar, like her name.

Merry Mitsumas!

2010-12-25T09:38:00.001-06:00

Christmas Decorations

2010-12-22T14:25:00.004-06:00

I'd say "Holiday Decorations," but the menorah was put away earlier and I think the Hanukkah candle holders should not be near so many flammable objects.

At the request of Mordecai's mom, we assembled some decorations. We got a little rosemary tree from Trader Joe's, and Mordecai found an animatronic tree that sings "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" at Walgreens. It was one of those moments where one of us says, "Look at this silly thing" and then it ends up home with us. This reminds me of someone, who, despite the addition of the puppy, is still a star member of our pack:

The tree's eyes reminds me a little of Doraemon.

Puppy Frosting

2010-12-16T22:43:00.003-06:00

That's a lot of cupcakes. I made red velvet cupcakes but with Emily's cream cheese frosting:

1/2 pound (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

Cream the butter and cream cheese together in a mixer until fluffy then add confectioners’ sugar and vanilla and mix well. Then, try not to eat it all.

As usual, Emily's cupcakes are better. At least my frosting is sufficiently good.

Tomorrow is TRON LEGACY in 3D for IMAX. And laundry. And the usual puppy antics.

"Do you know about Shibas?"

2010-12-11T19:41:00.000-06:00

Our breeder experience went well, so I'm going to share our little story we've got so far. This is also for Phoebe, who is apparently in the market for a little poodle! And maybe Wesley!

My previous, limited experience with breeders involved finding one at the dog show at Chicago's McCormick Place in February. This seems a good way to meet breeders and to see their dogs' dispositions, but I wasn't willing to wait until February. After figuring out which breeders were in the Midwest and approved by official figures (AKC, National Shiba Club of America), I started contacting breeders in the early fall, asking about litters and providing some information about me and Mordecai. Actually, everyone ignored me, so I was getting a little nervous. Were Shibas in such high demand?! Was I going to have to prove in some helicopter mom way that I was a fit owner?! Momoko did say that she had to be "selected" to own her puppy from her New York breeder, and this breeder wanted a survey filled out (which I did, and which was ignored). Finally, Mordecai called Glenchester Kennels. They made sure we knew about the breed, but didn't drill us about ourselves. We were placed on a waiting list, but somewhere at the ass end. So we watched their website and our emails for updates, and eventually anticipated a puppy from either Spirit's litter, born at the end of September, or Danica's litter, born at the beginning of October.

Spirit's litter: Who knew we'd get the one that first caught our eye, "Darkest Muzzle"?

Debbie and Mark diligently kept us updated with many pictures of their growth, from when they looked like guinea pigs to when they looked like miniature wolf pups. We arranged for a late November pick-up, aiming for some time around Thanksgiving. A lot of friends and family started asking us about which gender we wanted. I initially wanted a boy, because I wanted to name it Felix (after 2010 AL Cy Young winner King Felix Hernandez). But I knew that it wasn't necessarily a good idea to get fixated on something superficial, that it had more to do with matching personalities, and anyway, Mordecai did not care at all either way. So eventually I softened up to the idea of a girl, and since there were so many girls in both Spirit's and Danica's litters (8 out of 10 puppies were girls), we figured we'd end up with one. After waiting for so long, we stopped caring about genders, and just longed for A PUPPY in our house. But thinking about it now, it's good that we got a girl because so many of her dog friends will be boys (Oji, Jackson, Boba), and the breeder mentioned potential same-sex aggression in Shibas.

Around the time we figured out we were likely getting a girl, my mom thought of the name "Mitsu," taken from the word "hachimitsu," which means honey, or literally, bee nectar. It looks like (according to my observations at ShibaInuForm.org) everyone who has a Shiba has to name it something Japanese, and I had long been needing to do this as well. Mitsu is easy to pronounce, as it's contained in known Japanese names (Mitsubishi, Mitsuwa), so we were leaning towards Mitsu. (Other contenders were Strawberry, Ichigo ["strawberry" in Japanese], Josée [from "Josée, the Tiger, and the Fish"; apologies to Sean!]).

Left, Mitsu; Right, Poo Monster Dud

It turned out the one I thought was a boy was one of the remaining two puppies we could choose from. Our other choice was her lighter coated littermate with rounder eyes. The latter presented a couple of problems right away. One was that she had a heart murmur, which we were told would most likely go away. The other was that we observed her go potty in the breeder's living room, and after she relieved herself, she proceeded to begin EATING what she just excreted. This is apparently a habit picked up from their mother, who is particularly meticulous about cleanliness. I've read that Shibas are very careful about being clean, sometimes prancing around puddles, avoiding the rain, etc., so I wasn't entirely disgusted. "Darkest muzzle" also seemed tempted to join the fecal adventures, but she hesitated and missed her chance.

Goodbye Poo Monster and Keeper (breeders' pick of the litter)!

Mordecai was turned off by the Poo Monster Dud, so we were more prone to picking "Darkest Muzzle." We (and others) had thought she was the cutest of the bunch from previous pictures, so it was nice to see her remain an option for us. She seemed very outgoing, friendly, and cautious but optimistic about unfamiliar territory. I was also impressed that she let pretty much anyone hold her, play with her paws, gums, and even trim her nails with a dremel. I've read that Shibas are not particularly cuddly, so I was drawn to the possibility of contact. And finally, the breeder said that she looked like a good Shiba. Her ears taper forward a little and are well-proportioned, her hind legs bend well, and her eyes are triangular instead of almond (Asian eyes!). If they were keeping two puppies from the litter, the breeder said, Mitsu would have been her second pick. I wonder what her other three littermates were like, especially as they transition into their new homes.

Mitsu's penthouse

I was afraid that Mitsu would have a hard time in the car ride home from Ohio, that she would have a hard time in a new environment, that she wouldn't like being crated at night, etc. But so far, she's been totally fine with car rides; she immediately claimed her crates, bed, toys; and she's allowed us to sleep at night by crying for only a couple of minutes in her crate. It's also been relatively easy to potty train her, as the Shiba literature indicated would happen. Her confidence in herself and her new surroundings is growing, and she's starting to get a bit feisty. One of the current challenges is being able to leave her alone in her giant crate (it's Yuki's old crate, so it's for an Akita, which means she has a mansion of a den space for Mitsu). The main challenge though is to make sure her will never triumphs over ours, partly because she's a Shiba and partly because she's a puppy. I like how people ask us, "Do you know about Shibas?" as if we're gonna be like, "Oh really? They're stubborn and willful and hard to train? My, thank you for informing me!" Child, please! I know how to read a book and use the Internet. I appreciate it, but don't. Anyway, I can already tell what kind of trouble we've gotten ourselves into, and I'm always busy thinking about how to erase bad habits, effective immediately! I got this!

MITSU!

2010-12-01T21:39:00.001-06:00

She's here! Our Hanukkah Puppy!

The six hour ride home went rather smoothly. But I'm so exhausted, mostly from worrying, anxiety, and driving in crappy weather, rather than actually taking care of her. I had read that new environments can cause a lot of stress in puppies, that their first car rides can make them sick, that potty training is difficult or tedious, that you have to assert your authority right away, that the first couple of nights involve a lot of what should be ignored crying and whining, and so on. For now, she's adjusting well, and responding to both Mordecai and me. It's only Day One, so I'm thankful that there have been no serious issues. But damn, it's a really long Day One, I could pass out any second.

Brothas From Anotha Motha

2010-11-28T21:59:00.077-06:00

If you know me, or have been to Golden Nugget with me on more than one occasion, then you know that I will likely order the Guadalajara Skillet (first photo). It is a skillet of potatoes, onions, peppers, chorizo, cheese, tortilla chips, topped with a fried egg, accompanied by a side of salsa and a hot pepper, and it also comes with corn tortillas.

Today, I encountered the Guadalajara Skillet in burger form, or its "brotha from anotha motha." At Maddi's request, we went to Kuma's Corner for lunch (best time to go? Sunday, 11:45AM), and I ordered the "Megadeth," named after the band (second photo). It is a burger topped with a chorizo and potato hash, tortilla chips, and a cayenne avocado mayo-ish sauce, served on a pretzel roll. I had the handmade chips, as you can see. I imagine the Guadalajara Skillet and the Megadeth writing letters to each other, reunited without ever knowing they were separated.

Dearest Megadeth,
I hope you are well. At Golden Nugget, they continue to ring the annoying bell every hour so the employees know to wash their hands. I don't know if they actually do. The funny-looking Asian girl continues to order me, regardless of the location. She always takes me home, and I feel special. Maybe one day you will meet her.
Best,
Guadalajara Skillet

Hey Guaddy, Yeah that little lady came, ordered me and took my creamy cayenne avocado top off. She just SHUT IT DOWN. I guess she likes chorizos and potatoes a lot. Over here the music is still loud and I saw a waitress rub her nose a lot with her hand, so I was like Oh Shit It's Dirty Up In Here but then I saw another lady with blonde and black hair find a stray strand of hair and she properly took it to a garbage can, or at least out of my sight so I was like Oh Snap Maybe It's Alright Here. Sometimes I sense that big old devil dog but it stays outside and doesn't eat me. My worst nightmare is to be devoured by the Beastmaster. Anyway this crazy little Asian girl had me BURNT! The waitress was like Watch Out Now but your girl was like Oh You Don't Know Me Honey. Okay I'm sick of writing to you because I'm a burger and I shouldn't be and don't want to do this, I'm gonna go smell good now, so bye. MEGADETH

We saw Senshi, an Akita, behind Kuma's Corner. I know Kuma was an Akita, and I wonder if Senshi is to Kuma like what Oji is to Yuki for my family. He looks like Oji's "brotha from anotha motha" so I felt compelled to pet him, but I knew better than to stick my hand in between the bars. Not that I ever knew a mean Akita, but you never know. That combo of black head and golden eyes is amazing.

Now I will continue to imagine what life will be like on Wednesday and on. Will the Shiba puppy hate me for the first couple of days? "How dare you take me away from my littermates and mother! Who are you and why do you smell bad?! SHIBA SCREAM!!!"

Chicago Sun-Times Show

2010-11-22T23:15:00.002-06:00

This past weekend, we attended another Chicago Sun-Times card show. Some prominent active guests were: Ubaldo Jiminez, Clayton Kershaw, Curtis Granderson, Jayson Heyward, Armando Galarraga, Edwin Jackson, Evan Longoria, a canceled Aroldis Chapman, a canceled Matt Garza. Some former star guests were: Dwight Gooden, Darryl Strawberry, William "The Fridge" Perry of the '85 Bears (he wore a cowboy hat and walked with a cane). It was a pretty good lineup, but a number of the young players don't merit the high prices for autos. Curtis Granderson--UIC alum, Chicago native--comes back from New York, and charges $99 for an auto?! I know it's out of his hands (he's a gentleman, I trust it's out of his hands), but damn, FORGETCHU (à la Gwyneth Paltrow or Cee-Lo, however you want to hear it in your head)! At least at the card show. Jayson Heyward had higher price tags than Galarraga and Jackson. FORGETCHU! Ubaldo was charging $49, Longoria $89, and Kershaw $59. FORGETCHU!

Armando Galarraga is our "Honeymoon Pitcher," so I wanted his auto. Mordecai wanted to be reunited with Darryl Strawberry and pick up where they left off at a T.G.I.Friday's in Queens 20 years ago, so we had to check out his booth. I told Galarraga that we went to a Tigers game for our honeymoon, and that he won, so he was our "Honeymoon Pitcher." He gave a good laugh in response. I forgot to tell him that Justin Verlander pitched badly the next rainy day, and to thank him for blessing our marriage. Mordecai recounted his T.G.I.Friday's story to Mr. Strawberry, who laughed at the "You were trying to eat your steak, but I really appreciated you taking the time to sign my card" line. I really enjoy meeting beloved players, but it's always so nerve-wracking to actually meet them. What do you say? "Hey, you don't look as dorky as I thought you would. In fact, you're pretty good looking." (Galarraga.) "Hey, you seem confident." (Strawberry.) What would you say to your favorite player? "Can you sign this? How about this? And this too. Can you sign my puppy? How about my arm? Would it be creepy if I got your signature on my arm tattooed? Did you know you're the first baseball player I cared about who's not Japanese? You're welcome. When will you forget me? Thanks!" (Miggy.) I guess it's just important that you say what you want to say to them, thank them, and treasure the memories.

Milwaukee, May

2010-11-22T22:20:00.000-06:00

I never posted these but always meant to. Back in May, we went to Milwaukee for a Milwaukee vs. Mets game. In the last picture, we're waiting for the gates to open, so we could see the Mets' batting practice. Corey Hart went berserk at this game, and the Mets had a laughable starting pitching situation.

Philosophy in the Times

2010-11-14T00:56:00.003-06:00

It's interesting to see philosophy outside of academia. Here, a portrait photographer, Steve Pyke, posts some black and white photos of important philosophers looking into the distance, caught in deep thought, disgruntled, and so on. They explain "why philosophy," and Pyke explains why he takes their pictures. I've never been a huge fan of reading through comments, but it was interesting to see people's reactions to the feature and essay. "Since when are 'philosophers' exclusively anglo-american?" (My follow-up question: when not Anglo-American, why Zizek?) Why aren't scientists and other theorists in there? "Lawyers and philosophers...are like half-brothers. Sometimes I wish I was a philosopher, but I love my flat screen TV. Whatever." I think a lot of these questions have to do with Pyke being based in New York and how he is interested in philosophers who are respected by other philosophers. But this doesn't explain the best question: "How about Philosopher trading cards?"

Of the portraits and explanations, I liked Kwame Anthony Appiah's and Tim Scanlon's best. Appiah looks inviting, and though he gives a standard explanation of "why philosophy," it's succinct, and the way he puts it is worth repeating. I like the look in Scanlon's eyes, and the compelling comment about becoming our own prisoners without philosophical distinctions. Of course, this has got me thinking about myself, so I'll be posting my own philosopher trading card here soon, complete with an explanation of "why philosophy." I'm sure all -3 of you are dying to know, so stay tuned.

And then Jade alerted me to this essay on hipsters, also from the NYTimes. It references Pierre Bourdieu's Distinction, which is not quite philosophy, but its premise is beef with Kantian aesthetics so I say it counts. Anyway, Bourdieu's whole research on class and taste is interesting, but ultimately, I don't think taste is determined by class. I mean, we all saw Vivian cry at the opera in "Pretty Woman," right guys? REMEMBER? I just saw that movie last night on USA (i.e., edited and laced with commercials not from 80's, which would be preferred) for the first time. I couldn't tell if the writing was terrible, especially for Vivian's parts, or if Julia Roberts is a terrible actress. I didn't mind looking at Richard Gere's character and his sometimes-Asian-looking eyes, and I loved George Kostanza's cameo as the lawyer, and the storyline is interesting enough to keep watching. But damn, I felt so gross after seeing it, and not just because Julia Roberts has wiry eyebrows, like the fur of an Airdale Terrier.

PUPPY

2010-11-13T20:38:00.004-06:00

Which one of yous is coming home with us???

Are you the lucky star?

Everyone guesses that you're the boy, which means you won't come home with us. And you've got soy sauce on your face, bro.

All photos kindly sent to us by Glenchester Kennels.

YouTube has been a useful resource for researching puppies. You can read about a breed, and that's really great, but it's nice to be able to see the breed in action. Did you know Shibas elict a kind of scream?! Here's the best one (go to about ~1:40). Anyway, there's this one video of an 8 week old Shiba puppy who is being introduced to some human friends. I like the commentary provided by a man in the video:

"Oh man, I mean, seriously like...I dunno...I guess I've seen a few dogs that are pretty cute but this one seems to be...this one seems to be like top 5 percentile of the cutest dogs..."

THAT'S RIGHT, TOP 5 PERCENTILE. That means ELITE. I think that's a pretty accurate description of the Shiba puppy. What is it that makes it so cute? Its furriness, tininess, the foxiness, the pointed ears, the curly tail, the beady eyes? Next to a Lab or Husky puppy, would the Shiba automatically win in a Battle of Cuteness? How do you walk away with only one?

After Thanksgiving, Mordecai and I plan to drive to Ohio to Glenchester Kennels, where we will meet two of these puppies shown above, and pick one to come home with us. I suppose it's possible that we'll have three or four more puppies in the next litter, Danica's, to choose from, but I also suppose that the breeders would rather us take a 9 week old puppy than a 7 week old puppy. I mean, after we take our pick, who's going to want a geezer 9 week old Shiba puppy over a 7 week old one? Actually, Yuki was 12 weeks old when we got her. She was a talker ("Ooo ooo ooo" which meant, "Love me!" but sounded more like, "I'll kill you!"), and apparently that was not appealing to a lot of people. I thought it was her best attribute, and picked her over Pinto, a younger male, with black pinto bean prints on his white coat. I'm sure Pinto was a good guy, but that was the best decision ever in the History of Decisions.

It seemed criminal not to share these pictures (house? painted walls? resodded backyard? new floor in the sunroom? PUPPY!). This may turn into a Shiba puppy blog, but whatever, YOU'RE WELCOME IN ADVANCE!

Damn French Horns

2010-11-12T12:20:00.004-06:00

Last night Mordecai and I saw a Chicago Symphony Orchestra performance of some Mozart, Beethoven, and Mendelssohn. (I recommend taking advantage of their "student ticket" system.) I've been into classical music lately, but only to the extent that this all pertains to "Nodame Cantabile." (I saw the two movies, which left me with so many questions, but settled the main ones between Nodame, Chiaki, and music.) There were two reasons why I picked Thursday's concert: 1) Jonathan Biss, the pianist performing Beethoven's concerto, looks like a snooty Mordecai, and 2) I recognized the beginning of Mendelssohn's Italian Symphony from the Nodame soundtrack.

We went to a pre-show lecture on Mozart's Symphony 23, Beethoven's Concert no.2, and Mendelssohn's Symphony 4. The woman-encyclopedia talked for 30 straight minutes about the three composers, what they were going through when they composed the pieces, and how they all related to one another. It was like a human Wikipedia article but somehow more trustworthy. What was most helpful for me was her explanation that the fourth movement of Beethoven's concerto had a rondo structure of parts: A, B, A, C, A, B, A. ("Music students say it as a word, 'abacaba.'") I had been listening to the concerto before the concert, but never really listened for any patterns beyond the first movement, so when Biss performed, it was nice that I could locate the A parts ("like the refrain in a pop song") and anticipate the different B and C parts. Prichard had also explained that the last movement of Mendelssohn's symphony was going to be aggressive, so I looked out for that as well, having never heard that symphony beyond the first two minutes of the first movement.

If you can't tell by now, I've had problems in the past trying to get into classical music. I need something to notice, pay attention to, or else I will get bored and start thinking about random things, or I will just doze off. Even if I am familiar with the music (this past summer, we went to see Beethoven's 1st and 7th symphonies; it was pretty AWESOME to see Nodame's theme music live!), the performances are so ephemeral, not loud enough in my opinion (I want it all to go BOOM in my ear!), and it's all just so different from being able to press << and listen to or see it all again.

Mordecai's advice to J-Biss: Don't comb your hair back.

So aside from some superficial familiarity with the music, I had one more thing to my advantage, which was what Jonathan Biss looked like. We were in the upper balcony, so it was hard to tell exactly what he looked like in person, but he seemed super tall, lanky, even gangly. It looked like his wingspan was such that he could play two concert grand pianos if he wanted to. My guess is that he can reach an octave-and-a-half or more with one hand. His feet looked huge as well, like Sideshow Bob's. Anyway, it was hilarious to see a Mordecai-look-alike sway during the orchestra's parts and wave his head around while he played his parts. (It's even funnier if you imagine Mordecai in this pose, or this one. Maybe I can imagine this better, or find this funny, only because I get front row seats to his comedy acts.) I have no way of providing a serious judgment of his performance, but it was nice to have a view of the keyboard live, instead of just hearing a version through headphones, or getting a straight-on view of Mitsuko Uchida's ridiculous facial expressions during her performance.

And then came the french horns. Mendelssohn's Symphony 4, or "Italian" Symphony, has two french horns, and they have a pretty prominent part throughout the whole thing. They keep a kind of bass line going while the strings are doing their main-melody thing in the beginning, and Mordecai's claim was that they were way too loud. This seems to be a complaint not so much about the horns, but the conductor, Antonio Pappano. (I said maybe Pappano's Italian heritage was responsible.) And later, Mordo says, the horns themselves messed up when they had the spotlight. It was as if something was caught in their reed thingamabob (that thing that collects the spit), or as if they didn't blow enough air, or, figuratively, as if the horns' voices cracked. I think that I heard what Mordecai heard (he has more sensitive ears than I do), but I wasn't confident enough to say that this sounded effed up to me. When the concert was over, there was the usual clapping for five minutes so that the conductor could come out three times, but some people left immediately. I thought this was normal especially since it was getting towards 10PM and there were tons of old people whose bedtime was probably when the concert started (you know, like how people leave early or right after a Sox game to avoid parking lot traffic!). Mordecai said he assumed everyone else was mortified by the horns, which I thought was funny. (Does everyone assume that others are like them?) I had no way of gauging whether others found the horns to be shameful, and I wished more than ever that Twitter could be useful for this reason. But alas, 95% of the audience was over 70, so what could I do. I checked, but of course, no one tweeted about Jonathan Biss, the CSO that night, or about those pieces. One person tweeted that they were going, but nothing about their thoughts on the show or french horns. I suppose I could've gone to the ladies room after the concert and eavesdropped, but that only occurred to me right now. Although, I didn't think about checking Twitter for french horn complaints until I was in bed. See, it's not always about "the good old days" vs. "kids these days." I'm just slow!

ETA: Two reviews (here and here) confirm a number of things. The french horns are probably unable to sleep at night; there was a strange buzzing sound during the Beethoven piano concerto; Mozart's symphony was faster than "usual" (at least, faster than the recording I bought on iTunes); though born and based in London, Pappano is, let's just say, "unapologetically" Italian.

Today

2010-10-28T21:26:00.005-05:00

As I noted earlier today, here's a log of today, inspired by Richard. Yesterday I watched two episodes of Nodame, read four pages of philosophy and graded zero exams. Today I repented.

7:27AM Wake up, reluctantly get out of bed.

7:45AM Leave with Mordecai; he goes to work, I order medium soy latte at a nearby Caribou. The foam of my latte tastes a little like tofu. I eat my croissant I brought from home in a Ziploc bag.

9:30AM I've graded two exams, set out a short stack of papers that I don't think will be difficult to grade (i.e., good students' papers) and started reading Axel Honneth. I've got about 25-30 more pages to go. It's an essay on reification and recognition, and there are moments that make me sad. Why is philosophy so caught up in knowing things, like the world and its people are the subject matter of a standardized test? I note in the margin "REQUIEM" of some page and draw clouds, a stick of lightening, rain, and wind. I have in my mind Mozart's Requiem Mass that he was singing to Salieri at the end of "Amadeus," but only the second movement of Beethoven's 7th Symphony comes to mind. I don't know much Mozart, come to think of it.

10AM I check Twitter to see confirmations of Mariah Carey's pregnancy. I anticipated a good "article" on the matter on Dlisted, and whoever that genius is, delivered. I tweet that link, tweet again about how sad it is that Mimi had a miscarriage two years ago.

By this point, I've also probably checked to see if Glenchester Kennels has updated (or "pupdated," as I almost accidentally typed) their website with a recent photo of six puppies, one of which will come home with us soon (more on this for another post)!

11:30AM Finish Honneth, skim the responses to his essay, get annoyed by them. I start to bother Mordecai with texts about lunch. Also, I've been at this Caribou for about 3 hours and wonder now and then whether anyone secretly notices cares, because no one apparently does. Wonder why I don't do this more often.

12PM I meet Mordecai in the car at the parking lot between Caribou and his office, and we go to some place called Jason's Deli, which is basically a variation of Panera. I think I prefer Panera. I have a BLT with potato soup; Mordecai has a "Chicago Club" and some red-colored soup. I see a bulldog running in the parking lot outside, people chasing after it. A young man was able to grab it by it's collar, and patted it while the owners caught up with the leash. The bulldog appears to appreciate the petting; it looks happy to have had its ephemeral moment of freedom.

12:45PM I get dropped off at the Roosevelt red line, take it to Fullerton, and take the Fullerton bus home. Someone on the bus is coughing up a storm. By the time we get to Clybourn, I start to think about Nodame. She asks, "What's so wrong about playing the piano freely, for fun?" I think this is a good question. What's wrong with her original ambition of being a preschool teacher? I love Nodame so much. I wonder if I'll grade that little stack I set out for myself earlier.

2PM I get home, watch the last episode of the Nodame drama series, cry, look for the Europe specials. I can't find them on DVD, which I know I have somewhere, but they seem to be on Mordecai's external hard drive (mine is almost full with HD version of Glee, Season 1). At some point I practice piano--working on a simplified version of the first movement of Beethoven's 7th. I've got it down, but can't play it through without slipping on the black keys.

3PM I blog, gchat with Emily, gossip about the Regenstein staff, clean the kitchen somewhat, prepare things for dinner. No more papers will be graded, but two is better than zero.

5PM Start cooking rice. Prepare potatoes, tomatoes, green beans, tofu in a light stew of soba tsuyu, miso, sake, sugar. The ginger is no good.

6PM Mordecai comes home, helps with dinner, and we start watching World Series Game 2. Mordecai laments that Jeff Francoeur is not starting in right field, and Daniel Murphy is instead. I expect that Jorge Cantu will warm the bench. For dessert, we share an almond croissant and a plain croissant.

8PM Mordecai installs the blinds in our sunroom. I practice some more piano, this time a theme from "Nausicaa: Valley of the Wind."

8:30PM I blog, watch Edgar Renteria hit a home run, the Rangers continue being unable to produce anything offensive, and C.J. Wilson get pulled for a blister on his finger. I note to myself that I should shower and get ready for bed--I want to watch the first Nodame Europe special and go to bed early to leave with Mordecai again tomorrow morning.

9:15PM PUPPY PICTURES OMG OMG OMG

Red nails

2010-10-28T16:17:00.004-05:00

I'm not in despair. I thought my hair would serve as the best background to picture my nails using Photobooth. I got them done yesterday.

I've been recording, more or less, what I've been up to today, as Richard did in this post. Naturally, this being a public log of my text and photos, I've picked an anomalously productive day to share. It will be a good comparison to yesterday, where I woke up at 10AM, called Salon Moka to make an appointment on whim, called my mom to see if she was free to take me to my appointment (she was), got some puppy news, read four pages of philosophy, watered the backyard for about 20 minutes, went to my appointment with my mom while she meandered in K-Mart (she said it was fun), and then went to the French bakery for the second day in a row, this time to hoard croissants (split douze with my mom, she paid for most), and then came home and watched an episode of "Nodame Cantabile." When Mordecai came home we made dinner (mozzarella, tomato, basil with balsamic vinegar on herb baguettes), watched World Series Game 1, went to the grocery, watched the rest of the game, and then we prepared for bed and I watched the second to last episode of Nodame before falling asleep around 1AM to what I think is Schubert's piano sonata no.16, but who knows what I play in my head. Lots of "tun tun tuns" and "tah rah rahs."

Remember when blogs used to be about sharing what you did today? haha.

More posts to come!

The Good Life

2010-09-17T15:14:00.007-05:00

Looking back on this post featuring my first makeup brushes, I notice that it's once again the end of summer, football has started, and Jack was with us for some time again. Now we're in a different place; I'm more familiar with football players; and I know just slightly a bit more about makeup.

I still follow many fashion blogs and pay attention to what I wear, especially for teaching. But ultimately, I tend not to wear anything all that exciting, save for maybe a few dresses here and there. With the new house, the finances have been redirected from H&M et. al. to Home Depot et. al. (The exception was buying some stuff in Japan, "for teaching," or because it was 80% off the original price!) However, something that keeps falling from the sky are Japanese beauty products. I am so grateful for this that I built (ordered from Target, then assembled according to instructions) a shrine for these products.

When I say they fall from the sky, I'm talking about the friends and family discount which can be interpreted as "Here, take this, I don't use it" at best, or the "Five Finger Discount" at worst. My cousins' father is a cosmetics wholesale distributor and gets sample products from various companies, and they have a small storage room of unused, unopened, in some cases not-even-on-shelves-yet beauty stash. I cannot even begin to describe the feeling of euphoria I experience when I go into this stuffy, neglected, moldy room. Basically, it's like going into a small convenience store of beauty and household products. Except there is no cash register, and you're handed empty boxes and bags and told to fill them up with stuff to take back home.

Heaven's doors: beauty on the left, cleaning on the right.

And you think that's a great story, right? BUT THERE'S MORE!

One Saturday while I was in Japan, I went shopping with my cousins' mother. I had no idea what I was getting into that day, but I knew we'd start with shopping for a yukata (light, summer kimono) that she wanted to give to me as a gift. I got a lavender one with some floral decorations towards the bottom, like a light, summer version of my wedding kimono. I feel securely more Japanese, even if the kimono and yukata spend most of their lives in storage. On the way back to their house, we picked up Fauchon eclairs, one with a Hokusai print on them (?!) and KFC. High + low=delicious.

The Hokusai print was on white chocolate, and the ladybugs were also made of chocolate, so they were all edible. The pale pink eclair on top had earl gray filling and the yellow eclair on the bottom had a curry-ish filling.

I cleaned up their storage space of cosmetics, selected many products to place in my box and bags, and then we went to dinner at an okonomiyaki restaurant and a magic bar in Kannai. A MAGIC BAR. "Kinjiro," was perhaps more a comedian than a magician, but it was worth whatever it may or may not have cost to someone or no one.

He claimed he would post the photo on the right on Mixi. LOL.

As we walked back to their car (white 2-door BMW 3 Series!) I thought I couldn't have had a more festive day. But then the family decided to make one last pit stop, at a drugstore across the street from the bar. It was kind of like CVS but infinitely better because it's huge, Japanese, and doesn't smell strange. My cousins' father has many good business relations with these drugstores, and apparently loves them so much that the occasional drugstore spree is a kind of family ritual. I followed them into the store, where they handed me an empty shopping basket, and told me to fill it with products that I couldn't find in their storage of sampled goods. Specifically, they pointed to the higher-end (or lower end of high-end brands of) makeup that was indeed not available in their closet of cosmetics. WTF?! I was totally dazed, not to mention tipsy from a few cocktails (who can pass up a fizzy blue drink called "Yokohama Wonder Boy"?), and the store was closing in ten minutes. They put magazines in my basket, and I picked up blush, a sheer pink lipstick, and shower cloths for myself and Mordecai. There was definitely a part of me that was trying to be polite, not taking my arm down an aisle to swipe and dump everything into my basket like a straight up THIEF. But even if I hadn't held back, I would've had no idea what else to get. In these kinds of situations, I like to say something Mariah Carey says, which is, "I can't even know what to say." I worry about how I have nothing with which to repay them, but luckily, Japanese people still admire The American Life. In other words, when they visit again, I can treat them to CHEESE FRIES.

So now, I have many beauty products that will no doubt last me until next summer. I am eyeing Elfa shelves to help me keep these things organized. I've been keeping a mental catalog of which products I like more than others, and trying to figure out where one can find them in the States (many of these products are available at Mitsuwa, but tragically and obviously not for the friends-and-family-five-finger-discount). I've also been reading Teen Vogue's Beauty Director Eva Chen's tweets quite religiously, and I realized that we are similar in that we take home products for free and test them out. The glaring difference is that she is a professional reviewer, and I am a bum, but that's beside the point. With some inspiration from Ms. Chen and other beauty gurus, I'm going to try to update here with some products that I use, even if no one cares or no one has skin/hair/eyes/taste like mine and therefore has no reason to read my reviews.

And this whole story does not even include the "friends" part of the discount where this past Labor Day, Carla hooked me up with some of her unused makeup and brushes. What?!?!

Labor Day in Lexington

2010-09-09T22:13:00.001-05:00

We went to Lexington, Kentucky with Emily & Jack for Labor Day weekend. Here are some highlights of our trip. I'm sorry that the potato burrito was not documented, but I swear that burrito came straight from the Land of Awesome Food Dreams.

CHICK-FIL-A! THEIR WAFFLE FRIES ARE DELICIOUS

CHRISTIAN CHICKEN SANDWICH

GRAETER'S (OPRAH'S FAVORITE) RASPBERRY CHOCOLATE CHIP ICE CREAM (MY FAVORITE)

SKYLIFT TO NATURAL BRIDGE

THE FERN BELOW

CRACKER BARREL'S "EGGS IN A BASKET"

Dusty sage

2010-08-31T20:40:00.002-05:00

On the one hand, certain small but important accomplishments are occurring in my life, signifying responsibility. Most of my wanty-ness is directed towards the house (read: expensive!), so I am striving to eat in more, meaning I have to prepare food more often. Tonight's menu: "cream stew."

On the other hand, the old wanty in me still lives.

I saw a woman at the Fullerton train stop wearing a sparkling gold version of these. I initially wanted those until I came across them in "dusty sage" at J. Crew. What a name. This is a variation of the color I've been obsessed with for the past year, so they were a must. Thankfully, they don't make my legs look like daikon, like Keds did. Wow, that was horrific!

Stolen images

2010-08-27T08:46:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure what the law exactly states in Japan, but I believe that I was somewhat unlawful by taking these pictures above, and I continue to be so as I post these onto a public blog. In Japan, all cell phones, including iPhones, are rigged so that you can't turn the shutter sound off when you take a picture. The phones always makes a distinct sound, like a photo is being taken with an SLR. So everyone was surprised that I could turn the camera sound off on my phone when I put it on silent. I took advantage of this discrepancy and snapped away, though not up girls' skirts' or whatever the male equivalent would be, which is what the law and the pre-rigging of phones are meant to prevent. (At one point I refrained from taking a picture of a cute but very young girl holding a stuffed angry Pokemon about a third of her size. It was a great image, so it was hard to resist but I did.)

We have here a female eki-in, or station master, at Yokohama station for the Keikyu line. Maybe she's not exactly the master, but that's a cool title to aim for. Then there's a surgeon, who operated on a close family friend's father. Though he looked oompa loompa-ish, he was totally on top of things. And then it turned out that "elevator girls" still exist! The department store Sogo apparently cannot afford them, but eternal rival Takashimaya can. They should look into recruiting "elevator boys."

Things, places

2010-08-27T08:24:00.000-05:00

Food displays

2010-08-27T08:20:00.000-05:00

Japan

2010-08-24T11:12:00.002-05:00

After settling down in our new home and inaugurating it with Joe's drunken antics, I left for Japan again. I got back on Sunday and it is only through miracles that my schedule is not a hot mess. For the past two nights, I've become unfunctionally sleepy around 8PM, make it to about 10PM, and then fall asleep until my phone alarm goes off around 7:15 the next morning. To be jetlagged for me is to live on a normal schedule. Who knew mornings could be so useful?

I love Japan so much. Sometimes I think that I can live without going to Japan for a while, especially with my own home here in Chicago. But then I talk to my grandma until the sun is about to come up (this is an easy accomplishment when your grandmother is mine), I blend in with everyone else everywhere, I take the JR and subway trains, I buy Japanese clothes, I use Japanese cosmetics, and I nearly cry tears of joy when I eat Toraya sweets or Katsuretsuan's katsu bento, and I realize that I can't live without going to Japan at least once a year. I used to try to think of ways to find some way to partially work in Japan so I can come up with a legitimate excuse to be there frequently, but I've given up on trying to create a reason because I already have them. Just as much as Chicago is my life, Yokohama is my life too!

I brought my Rebel and G9 with me to Japan, but I made very little use of them. Instead, I used my iPhone to take pictures. Since Apple updated the camera, the pictures are not as shameful as they used to be. I'm going to try to update with some of those photos, and maybe I'll throw in some May photos as well.

House

2010-06-30T16:29:00.000-05:00

Mordecai and I moved into our house this past weekend. I'm wary of my enthusiasm; I'm afraid that it'll dissipate once I realize how much actual work is required of owning a single family home (rather than for instance a condo). But I'm hopeful. As part of my excitement (and general envy of tumblr-ers), I started a tumblr that features unedited iPhone photos and minimal text about the house: keipophouse.tumblr.com

I'll be back here though with non-house related posts, and better pictures that are sized just the way I want them. Werd.

I guess I didn't get the memo

2010-06-24T01:35:00.007-05:00

There is so much I want to post: Japan, nails, shopping, iPhone 4, moving...and more Japan. There's never enough about Japan. But all I can offer to the Internet right now are some photos from my recent quick trip to Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas.

Needless to say, it was hot. After nearly dying in the heat from walking around their garden for like, five minutes, here I am inside the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas with a Jeff Koons piece. The guard could tell I wanted a picture of it, so he kindly offered to take one of me with it. Thank you, kind guard!

My grandmother invited me to go to Dallas with her for the weekend. One of the things she wanted to do was to see Idina Menzel, who was set to perform with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. My aunt is the assistant conductor there (her left arm is in the picture below behind Idina Menzel), so she hooked it up with 6th row tickets. And by Idina Menzel, I mean, RACHEL BERRY'S BIRTH MOTHER. Here are some Dallasian (?) ladies, all dressed up to go to the symphony! This was quite a different crowd from my previous night at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Idina Menzel is so lovely, so humble, so beautiful in person. I didn't recognize some of her earlier Broadway songs, but she sang Glee songs--"Funny," "Poker Face," and "Defying Gravity." She also sang a lovely lullaby she made up for her son, Walker. My aunt continued the stellar hook-up with a backstage greeting and photo! I will keep the photo to myself because I look way too giddy in it. I mean, this is Rachel Berry's mother, everyone. I met Rachel Berry's mother. She made out with Mr. Shuester. She sang "Poker Face" with Rachel. WTF? My life is too sweet.

The first night, we stayed at the Ritz Carlton (a.k.a. Ritz Carleton Popperstein). That was the good life; I was most impressed by their bathroom and breakfast. The second night, a family friend, Teddy, generously let us stay at his house in Fort Worth. It was basically an upgrade from the Ritz (surround sound in every room, including bathrooms?), and I made breakfast with his fresh ingredients and top-of-the-line cookware. There was even a Totoro coffee cup!

Teddy lives down the street from Fort Worth's Museum of Modern Art and the Kimbell Art Museum. I like to think that he's neighbors with Ando Tadao and Louis Kahn. I love Ando's buildings. Here is a famous Anselm Kiefer piece in its own Ando enclave.

After cycling 63 miles (!!!) in Italy, Texas (last week he rode in Dublin, Texas, lol) Teddy took us to Fort Worth's stockyard district. Our trip would have been so dull without him. He took us to a delicious burger joint, and one store that had amazing cowboy boots. Like, the Chanel of cowboy boots. You can custom pick your leather; I liked the purple ridgeback alligator and turquoise stingray leathers (above; blurry closeup of the bubble-y side here).

Though I absolutely enjoy and appreciate visiting other parts of the country, it just makes me love Chicago more. I'm so glad to be back, and not in insane heat all the time. The one place that will probably never have that kind of effect on me though is Yokohama. There are so many Japan photos to sift through; I haven't even finished uploading them onto Flickr. But hopefully some more of those are coming up next! See you all here in like, three weeks, unless I run into Miguel Cabrera again. lol.

My Miggy Moment

2010-06-10T21:15:00.000-05:00

On Tuesday night, Mordecai and I attended the White Sox game. The promotion was a "Hawkisms" t-shirt to honor White Sox announcer Ken "Hawk" Harrelson. If you've never heard Hawk call a game, I suggest you tune in. His overt bias towards the White Sox is amusing, if not entirely endearing. This anti-Hawk site is actually really informative; it even has audio clips of the Hawkisms that are on the back of my new t-shirt. The Sox were also scheduled to play the Tigers, so Mordecai and I got tickets kind of spontaneously. Little did I know, not only would I get my awesome t-shirt, but I'd experience one of the greatest moments of my life. Read on!

I was anxious to get to U.S. Cellular Field early to secure our Hawkisms t-shirt (only 10,000 of them!). It had been raining all day, too, so I was afraid that the game would be postponed as well as the t-shirt giveaway. We were like, 20 boxes of Hawkism t-shirts away from not getting one. I saw Tigers fans using it to wipe their wet seats. Anyway, we got to the park around 5:30PM for a 7:10PM game. We were wandering around the 500 sections, upper deck, looking for food, when we remembered hearing about a new Wow Bao concession stand. Mordecai decided to ask Guest Relations since our memory kicked in right in front of their booth. They knew about Wow Bao and recommended Burger Barn as well, and they gave us an elevator pass to the field-level area.

When we got down there, I noticed that no one was checking tickets for people who wanted to linger near the White Sox or Tigers dugouts. I remember Mordecai asking me if I wanted to go, and I said, "...nah, it's OK." But there weren't a lot of people, so I was like why not, and we trotted down to the front row seats. There were about ten other young boys dressed in navy and orange, waiting for Tigers players with baseballs, autograph books, and Sharpies in hand. No one was out in the field except for crew members pulling the tarp off of the field. But then I noticed a Jose Valverde-like person at the opposite end of the dugout, listening to music on earphones, all "in the zone."

Then I saw catcher Alex Avila look out on the field briefly before going back into the dungeon.

Before I could start thinking about how long I'd have to stand around until someone from the Tigers hitting well below .200 or with an embarrassing ERA equivalent to my perceived or actual age would come around, my peripheral vision sensed movement from the White Sox dugout. It was none other than MIGUEL CABRERA. My most favorite baseball player was walking towards me (or his dugout) and he was smiling (or laughing at Valverde).

Once he saw us asking for autographs, he stopped smiling. But he diligently signed baseballs, autograph books, and my card. When I was in Japan recently, I carried his and Felix Hernandez's card with me in my purse every day for two weeks. I almost brought my 2010 Finest red refractor of Miggy to the game, which I recently got in the mail, but I made a last minute switch and brought one of my favorites, Miggy's 2008 Stadium Club base card. I have many Miggy relic cards (jersey swatches and morsels of bats), but I don't have any autographed cards. This is my first one!

Mordecai kept egging me on to say something. What does a mere commoner like myself say to THE LORD MIGGY? Especially an idiot commoner decked out in White Sox gear? (I had briefly contemplated stacking my White Sox and Tigers hats to the game. For Mordecai's sake, I decided against it.) I had nothing to say except that I was totally starstruck, shaking, and fearful. When you're in the presence of someone you admire so much that you don't even think to soil their presence with your own pathetic existence, you tremble. Tremble I did, but mixed with a kind of rare, pure elation.

I believe it was Ryan Raburn who had also emerged from somewhere by the time Miggy signed my card, and then they started walking to their dugout. Mordecai said Miggy didn't sign very much after my card. On the way down the stairs, they stopped and started pointing at Valverde, laughing and making jokes (above). Then they disappeared. We went to Burger Barn, decided against Wow Bao, and returned the elevator pass to Guest Relations.

I AM SO BLESSED.

Japanese Food: Sweets

2010-06-03T20:16:00.000-05:00

Haagen-Dazs's crispy ice cream sandwiches are now a little smaller and a little cheaper. I didn't buy any this time, but I liked the sign at Seven-Eleven.

Melon pan from Seven Eleven.

We went to "Sweets Paradise," an all-you-can-eat-in-80-minutes restaurant in the new Sakuragicho shopping center, Colette Maré. They mostly serve desserts, but they also had Japanese curry rice and various kinds of pasta. This green tea cheesecake was the best.

These are donuts from Cafe Andoland, the fancier cousin to Mister Donut. That's a cassis-orange donut in front and a lemon tea n the back. Even the ice tea tastes better here.

I hear you call my name and it feels like home

2010-05-13T01:35:00.000-05:00

I'm in Japan right now, also known as Heaven or The Future.

My mom and I are determined to find out who those two sumo wrestlers are; right now the only thing we know is that they train at Kasugayama-beya in Kawasaki. They're probably of meager ranks now, but FUTURE BEASTS. All of the sumo wrestlers remind me of Totoro. I want to take one home and let it live under a tree or down a path of bushes and grow plants with them at night.

In all seriousness though, sumo wrestling was so much fun and wonderful. Hakuho is holy. Kotooshu is handsome. Baruto...looks like someone you'd run into on Milwaukee north of Diversey. It's a beautiful, old sport, and I want to see them all again and again.

Happy Friday

2010-04-17T00:12:00.008-05:00

Today I had one of my sections observed by faculty. Each semester, observation day causes me great anxiety despite the fact that things usually go fine, if not quite well. I was so happy when everything was over. My afternoon nap was very pleasant.

I picked up Mordecai after work and we went to the Grandstand. I wanted a Marlins hat, and since they have a wall of all sorts of hats, we thought there might be some selection, but I guess the one I want is only available on the New Era site. I noticed a nice seafoam green-ish White Sox hat that I'm eyeing now, too. Wanty, wanty.

The Grandstand is just west of U.S. Cellular Field on 35th Street.

Giant White Sox Lubie!

We were heading to Taqueria El Milagro in Pilsen but then we saw a bright green roof and red and yellow parasols. This could only mean: White Sox-approved Vienna beef hot dogs!

Morrie O'Malley's.

My mom made my Domo-kun bag.

There's a little hot dog stand a couple blocks west of U.S. Cellular Field that Mordecai and I frequent before games. It's super fast and cheap. But Morrie O'Malleys is infinitely superior. They appear to have locally made tamales, too.

Next Friday, we're going to our first Sox game of the season. They'll be hosting the Mariners, and I'm still not sure whether I want to see King Felix pitching. I love him and want to see him in action, but that means the White Sox will likely suffer. Anyway, barring inclement weather, that would be two fine Fridays in a row.

Tu me manques

2010-04-11T15:35:00.007-05:00

Walking towards the Seminary Co-op to get a book by Foucault that is difficult to find elsewhere in the city, I overheard a young man talk excitedly to his friend about an "altered reality." I thought to myself, Yes, I'm back in Hyde Park. As they walked past me, I wanted to smile and cringe at once.

After buying my book, I voluntarily entered the Regenstein, claimed a study space in the bookstacks, and got some much-needed work done. That I can get work done better at the Regenstein than anywhere else in the world also makes me want to smile and cringe at once.

Weekend Recap

2010-04-05T17:57:00.007-05:00

This past weekend, I painted my nails a robin egg, turquoise-ish color. It matches my blog!

I picked up my macarons from Provenance. They're expensive! Four for $6.99. But they were good, and they were hearty, well-filled macarons.

The cassis did not disappoint.

And even though it was Easter, Mordecai made latkes at my mother's request. We didn't have them during the holidays. Real talk: latkes should be year-round foods, anyway.

OPENING DAY! BASEBALL IS HERE! We had to go to the gym to watch some of the Yankees vs. Red Sox game last night on ESPN2. Today I have been following and listening to games with the MLB At Bat app on the iPhone. This means that fantasy has also started. I'm still getting used to the rhythm of daily leagues; I have a feeling I'm going to be a little busy this season. I haven't even started on my team collages!!! The White Sox had a good outing, and some of my Rockies were busy with their bats, so here is a shot of my new Rockies hat on top of my White Sox hat. I should've been wearing my Tigers hat, to represent their imminent victory. All I need is a Marlins hat to represent my undying devotion to JORGE CANTU. I'm probably the only Cantu fan in the country outside of Florida. YEAH JORGIE!

Gratuitous Photo Friday

2010-04-03T02:42:00.002-05:00

There isn't a whole lot of Beni-ness to my hair anymore, but as long as my head doesn't get all mushroom-like, that's OK.

It's been really warm the past couple of days in Chicago. Mordecai had the day off today and I finished teaching at noon. We walked to Provenance for macarons, but they were sold out. The guy promised me a box of four for tomorrow. Many people have been sending me articles about macarons--Jade, Naomi, my dad--and I'm pleased to read about more options in Chicago. Last year around this time, the only place I knew that provided macarons was Vanille. Hopefully I'll make my own oddly-shaped ones again soon!

It's late, I should go to bed. Most nights though, I have a hard time falling asleep because I'm so excited about baseball starting again.

Some highlights

2010-03-25T15:08:00.003-05:00

Edible Arrangements

Jade's No6 clogboots

PURPLE!

Tracking our order of Domino's NEW pizza

FOR THE LOVE OF THE (SPILT) GOOSE

Accident

BACKHAND SLAP!

lol

Beni Hair // ベニ・ヘア

2010-03-20T01:49:00.002-05:00

Today, I marched into my beloved Salon Moka and handed Masa-san a printout of this jpg I made of various views of Beni Arashiro's bob. I was getting tired of my long hair, just hanging there, heavy on my head. I am very satisfied and pleased with the results. I've forgotten how refreshing a new and different hairstyle can be.

Classic Combos

2010-03-18T13:55:00.000-05:00

Birthday Bashers

Legendary Leaders

Lawrence's Fisheries

2010-03-11T23:25:00.003-06:00

I swear Proposition Joe was eating something like clam strips when he meets up with Butchie in Season Three.

The Wire

2010-03-08T18:33:00.004-06:00

So I'm going through one of those obsession phases of mine, except this time, it's an obsession I can only take so far. Since about the beginning of the year, Mordecai and I started watching "The Wire," first through Netflix. Around the second season, it became apparent that we/I needed the series on DVD, and Amazon was selling it for half the listed price. So now, we've got the whole series, have watched the whole series, and I'm watching it all over again right now. I'm back on season three.

I say I can only take my obsession so far because usually, when I become obsessed, there is something I can actively do to express my infatuation. For instance, with Nodame, I started piano, cut my hair like her's, and dressed like her. With baseball, I poured my soul into Photoshop collages, baseball cards, and fantasy. But "The Wire"? I don't want to sell drugs, chase after drug dealers or ring-leaders, legalize drugs, obey a chain of command, reform a wretched city, teach in a public elementary school, go after or be apart of a failing union, snitch, be murdered, be a lying journalist, and so on. I admit that there is something morbidly alluring about being a "deductive motherfucker" in a busy homicide unit, but I really am grateful for the naive and relatively carefree lifestyle I lead.

But Mordecai pointed out to me that 47th and Halsted, near where the stockyards used to be (I just refer to the area as "the jungle," like the book), there are a bunch of shipping cans, JUST LIKE THE ONES IN SEASON TWO! These are the shipping containers that were used to smuggle Eastern European women/prostitutes and Proposition Joe's heroin and cocaine. No one seems to care about this season of "The Wire" because the target is no longer on the street, and the street is more interesting than the docks, but I loved this season. Anyway, Mordecai told me about these cans when we went through season two the first time, but like with many his stories about Chicago's industrial tidbits, the information went in one ear and out the other. We just finished season two the second time around, and Mordecai mentioned the containers on 47th again, except this time, I made him take me there.

All of these containers looked like they were originally from the Barbados. There weren't any custom seals from what I could tell, but there's a reference to one, which Beadie would see if is broken!

These containers look like they are just stacked at 47th and Racine for storage purposes. They aren't guarded and they're no doubt empty, some of them with their doors hanging open. So we wandered around, wondering if there were going to be any German Shepherds or police coming after us out of nowhere. Nothing happened, except that my camera battery died earlier than I would've liked. And yes, those are Uggs, and yes, they are awesome.

Little League Lotto

2010-02-23T12:46:00.001-06:00

For the first time in...ever? at Target, I grabbed Archer's Farm milk instead of Horizon, and Target-brand apricot scrub instead of St. Ives. Ordinarily, this would be a sign that you should keep a helmet nearby you at all times (is another Chicago earthquake on its way?), but there isn't much to fear. Not only do I still want things...I want expensive things! And so, I welcome a little bit of Illinois Lotto into my life.

Canon Rebel XSi

Givenchy platform clogs

Various haircare & makeup goods
Moroccan hair oil, Nars nailpolish in Orgasm, Givenchy Le Prisme eyeshadow in Modish Brown, Moroccan hydrating hair mask, Nars Orgasm Illuminator, Nars duo eyeshadow in Cordura (is it better to have two or four gradating eyeshadow shades?)

Economicus Stimulus Cipangu

I'm pretty much clueless when it comes to lotto, so I'm going to need some help from Joe. If I win, depending on the amount, I'll thank him for his help in the form of baseball card packs/boxes/cases. All I know is that there will be many more days of going to school with coffee instead of getting it at school. Even though he is unemployed, Conan O'Brien will be getting more action this semester in the form of my "Late Night with Conan" coffee container that I got from the NBC store in Manhattan when I first visited.

Angels Advocate Tour @ Chicago Theater

2010-02-16T21:02:00.014-06:00

Chicago Theater marquis; celestial rays emanating from the Aura of Mariah

This past weekend, Mariah Carey blessed Chicago with her regal presence and whistle notes. I've been to her other concerts but they were at larger venues, so I was curious to see what her show at the smaller Chicago Theater would be like. My original theory was that she can't sell like she used to, so they chose a more "intimate" venue over the United Center or the Allstate Arena and of course, jacked up the prices. But then they added a second show "due to popular demand," so maybe there were other incentives or explanations for the venue change. Anyway, I loved the theater; I've never been so close to her before. I think her personality is crystallizing into something like youthful (obviously) and playful, and she's not taking herself too seriously, so it's nice to see her seemingly comfortable and happy.

There were some awkward audience moments that I could've done without, though. The security was tight on cameras, so while Mimi was belting out "Touch My Body" or "Shake It Off," I also had to listen to a young woman behind us getting berated and asked to step outside (I think she was able to return). Another awkward moment was when a coconut-smelling, lonesome cougar was standing and dancing in the aisle, obstructing our view when we were seated. She was eventually asked to go back to her seat, but instead of doing that, she just stepped back a few feet and crowded up next to Mordecai, which is how we came to know that she reeked of coconuts. I couldn't tell if she deserved pity or praise for being such a hardcore lamb, so into everything but so alone also. I just know that I don't want to be like that when I'm 40 or so! I'm running out of people to go with, so...I feel sorry for my future child(ren)!

The crowd was pretty much the same as those of previous tours: groups of jubilant gay men, a variety of women, bored boyfriends and husbands, and some small children. But like the population of Japan, the audience is not getting any younger. Perhaps for this reason, she did a mashup of her own "Heartbreaker" and Diana Ross' "Love Hangover," a stone groove which seemed to please Mordecai. Her overall set included a lot of the classics, including "Emotions," "Always Be My Baby," "Honey," and "My All." She added a number of more recent singles: "Shake It Off," "We Belong Together," and "Fly Like a Bird." She only sang a few songs from the "Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel" album, so I was a little disappointed that I didn't get to hear "H.A.T.E.U." which I finally warmed up to, or "Candy Bling," though I know no one else in the world cares about that song except for me. I'm still puzzled over the encore choice, "Hero," because she's confessed that she finds the song a little cheesy, but sings it anyway because so many people have told her that the song has changed their lives for the better.

GQ Ryda!!!

I'm going to have to take a minute here to talk about the opening act, "RydazNrtist," a 3-man group signed to Nick Canon's record label. (I grant you permission to smirk here, but read on.) I thought they were artists who "ride," as in "ball" or "hustle" or something of that nature, but apparently, the name is supposed to sound like the phrase, "writers and artists." Their performance was professional, and I have to admit that their song "Sorry Ass Apology" is appealing. I mean, they confess to being "fornicating fools" and admit to the pathetic nature of their pointless apology. It was almost a little too real, but I appreciate and value honesty. When the concert got out, at the exit, I noticed three men handing out glossy flyers for something, and I realized that "GQ Ryda," the Left-Eye of the trio, was one of them, standing next to me. I asked him to take a picture with me, and he was more than happy to, so Mordecai snapped a photo with my iPhone. Mr. GQ Ryda noticed the New Era hat sticker on the back of my iPhone, which Mordecai was still holding, and said, "Oh, hat man! Let me take a picture with him!" Little does Mr. GQ Ryda know that I'm the "hat man," that I have the sticker on my phone to help me remember my hat size for my big skull for when I buy hats for the opposing team at Cubs games. Anyway, not that he's not worth taking a picture with, but it's a rare moment when a stranger asks to take a picture with Mordecai. I love RydazNrtist.

The Shephard has arrived!

When the concert got out, we walked by the alley right next to the theater and noticed a gathering crowd of lambs. A Queen Lamb was yelling about some Mimi promotion and singing (he was good!). It seemed to be the theater exit for performers, and indeed, after about half an hour, we saw band members, dancers, and backup singers (Trey Lorenz!) walk out towards SUVs and the tour bus. I was more or less willing to freeze my toes off, and Mordecai was supportive (was he even personally interested in seeing a fellow Long Island-expat in the flesh?), so we waited about an hour. Then we realized that Mordecai's car was in a parking structure next to right next to the alley, so we warmed up in the car and drove down a few floors to get a good view of the exit area, and then we waited for the screams of lambs.

When Mariah came out, the lambs indeed screamed, lunged on her car, jumped up and down, and I saw the Queen Lamb run away hysterically after getting what he wanted--maybe an autograph or a photo or a handshake. Security opened Mariah's car door immediately, but she stepped away from the door to sign photos, shake hands even though the bodyguards seemed very reluctant about this, and waved. I've heard that she is relatively generous when it comes to greeting her fans, so I was glad to see evidence of this in person. I'm not sure I could've handled the crowd of crazy lambs, so I was fine to be at a distance. If I ever get to meet her, I'd prefer a more manageable environment, though I'm not sure I could keep myself composed enough to do anything besides stare, cry, laugh, and possibly faint. Mariah Carey is my Michael Jackson.

Stylish Ladies

2010-02-12T22:00:00.003-06:00

Blue Line

56 Milwaukee

Wrigley Field

My grandmother, in Ungaro

City Folk

2010-01-30T00:44:00.002-06:00

CTA

Lincoln Park Whole Foods/NYC

Preview

2010-01-29T23:47:00.005-06:00

When I'm in transit, I often take spy photos of people with my iPhone. At least, I assume they don't know I'm taking pictures of them. Here's one man on the Blue Line downtown, whose beautiful shoes I could not capture in one shot.

Spread the word

2010-01-20T22:11:00.001-06:00

My dad's website is up.

Green Tea & Red Bean Paste Macarons // 抹茶とあんこのマカロン

2010-01-19T23:05:00.016-06:00

I'm very pleased to share my macaron-making process! Thanks for the comments on the previous posts. My macarons are all gone! Anyway, as promised, here are some more photos and some commentary.

As previously mentioned, I used the book, "I ♥ Macarons" by Hisako Ogita. There are a couple of confusing moments, but what pastrybook doesn't have such moments? You just deal with them when you get to them. Ogita recommends starting off by drawing circles on the parchment paper. I found that tracing the inner circle of a roll of Scotch tape works well. I drew the circles with a pencil on one side of the paper, and then flipped it later so that I didn't directly poison myself and others with traces of baked pencil lead. Not sure how scientific that thought was.

I found this almond flour at Whole Foods, but it was $12.99. At my local non-overpriced grocery (Strak & Van Til, formerly and fondly known to me and my family as Cub Foods), there was a label for it priced around $9, but the product itself was nowhere to be found. Ogita notes that the powdered sugar shouldn't have cornstarch in it, so I went with the Whole Foods' organic powdered sugar that contains tapioca starch. Not sure what the difference is, but I just went with it. This is also the stage at which you add dried flavoring ingredients like green tea (matcha), roasted soy bean (kinako), powdered flavors (caramel, instant coffee grinds, tea, cinnamon, sesame, cocoa, sesame), or ground dried fruits. I damn near forgot to add my matcha, as you can see.

You use a strainer to sift the flour and sugar twice! to get a very fine blend of flour, powdered sugar, and if you remember, dried flavoring. As you can see, I have still forgotten about the matcha at this point.

After sifting twice, I turned around and saw the tiny canister of matcha powder my mom gave me and frantically mixed it in my flour and powder mixture. Matcha powder is already really fine, but apparently it can be finer. I tapped the teaspoon I used and shook the powder onto the flour, and somehow this pleased the Baking Gods and I was able to mix it in pretty well, albeit a little late.

I've never made meringue before, so this is where I stressed a little and forgot to take pictures of the fluffy awesomeness of fresh meringue. I also almost forgot to add food coloring (the matcha powder isn't enough to get that nice deep green color). I had bought neon food coloring (presumably good for Easter eggs?), and diluted the green with a little water and added it to the meringue. Then I slowly added the flour/sugar/matcha.

I did the macaronnage step as best as I could (spread out the batter on one side of the bow, then scoop the batter from the bottom and turn it upside down, repeat 15 times), but my batter came out really thin. This did not look right to me at all, so at this point, I was expecting to pull some hilarity out of my oven later. Somehow I did not panic--I tried to see if the batter would get thicker with more macaronnage, tried to estimate how many times I macaronnaged, and in the end nothing new was happening, so I told myself to march on.

I got this basic pastry bag kit at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. Macy's failed me.

This part was indeed funny. Because the batter was thin, it was very drippy, and as you can see on the top right, I had some trouble moving from one circle to the next, let alone creating circles. Most of my macarons came out as ovals. Part of the problem is that I didn't hold the pastry bag straight above the paper, and poured at an angle.

Then you let the batter sit for about 5-10 minutes, and the circles should form a thin, taut layer on top so that when you touch it, no batter sticks to your finger. See the depression in the middle macaroon that let me know the drying process was complete. Also take note of the macaron next to it, with the tail.

Halfway through the actual baking process, I turned the tray around as instructed in Ogita's book. When I saw the pieds (the little feetsies on the bottom of the cookies!), I gasped! According to the book, a macaron is not a macaron without these little footsies. Apparently, sometimes the pieds don't form. That's so sad! My macarons were not sad! They grew little pieds! I feel like I'm thinking of them as tadpoles or something. Maybe it's that one macaron with a tail.

This might have been my most favorite part of the process: pairing up macaron cookies to make a little sandwich with the red bean paste. It was like Aristophane's myth in Plato's "Symposium" of how humans were once spherical creatures that were cut in half at the wrath of Zeus, and that's why we now say we feel whole when we fall in love with our significant others, or our "other half." For every odd-shaped and -sized oval, there was another one just like it waiting somewhere on the parchment paper. Except for the tadpole, but it didn't seem to care.

And then I got these little sugary beauties!

For Phoebe: I tried to make pancake macarons. I've seen larger-sized macarons before with cream and fruit fillings. Since I had a lot more batter than I expected, I decided to try to make giant macarons. (Those are just tiny little jars of jam to hold the paper down.)

Unfortunately, this mini-project failed. They were totally deflated when they came out of the oven, and I could only salvage 2 of the 4 big cookies I made when I tried to remove them from the parchment paper. I just ate the other two, which tasted fine; they just fell apart at the touch of the cheese cutting knife I used as a spatula to peel/pry the cookies from the sheet.

Generally, I think I need to be more generous and less nervous with baking time, and I need to get the batter at the right consistency/viscosity, whatever that may be. You can see oil stains clearly on the failed giant macaron above, but they were present on most of my macarons. The stains are a result of something having gone wrong, but overall, they appeared fine and tasted delightful.

***

While giving away and eating the macarons over the course of the weekend, I was trying to figure out why I became obsessed with them in the first place. There is the Tadaaki Wakamatsu necklace, there is the sudden proliferation of them in Japan a couple of summers ago, there is the French connection. But I'm beginning to think that the reason why I became interested in them at all was their dainty and delicate presence in the movie, "Marie Antoinette." I think that movie has affected me more than I imagined, initially. My guess is that I let Sofia Coppola permeate my subconscious like that partially because I learned to appreciate "Lost in Translation," and partially because she used New Order's song, "Ceremony" in "Marie Antoinette," a song that has a dear place in my heart. I don't see much reason to deny the movie's power over me, so I expect to see its influence to pop up now and then as I go along in life. (Like...in furniture.)

I also like the fact that these little charming bastards are so ephemeral in various ways. They are quite pricey when you buy them individually at bakeries, and in Japan, many of them were disappointing. The best ones I had there were from Starbucks, Fauchon, and Yokku Mokku. They are harder to find in Chicago. Furthermore, though I'll keep trying, I doubt I'll make near-perfect macarons in the near future. I have no idea how John Moorehouse was able to make them in the summer for my wedding, but I also know that he's got the Culinary Midas Touch. And surprisingly, making macarons didn't make me want to eat them all at once. They are, as Richard somehow was able to tell or possibly remembered from August, so sweet. Rather than eating them I just wanted to continue making them all weekend, so that I could have various kinds at once, and so that I can continue sharing them with family and friends (and on my blog!) to pass on the macaron love.

My First Macarons

2010-01-15T13:32:00.004-06:00

More on how the non-disastrous and non-stressful the process was! Full photographic report to come.

Friday afternoon

2010-01-15T00:11:00.002-06:00

Tomorrow afternoon I will make green tea & red bean paste macarons using this book, which I received for Hanukkah from Mordecai's parents. Hopefully things will go right!

Weekend

2010-01-09T22:27:00.001-06:00

Wednesday Snapshots

2010-01-09T22:19:00.003-06:00

randomness in the neighborhood

takashi yagihashi ramen at macy's

block 37

cousin to my 'xtra arm'

beard papa's strawberry cream puff