tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45873496397663926242024-02-19T09:57:00.690-08:00Epic TreatsFun things I've baked/cooked or discovered in my travels. :)Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06483735679491896935noreply@blogger.comBlogger100125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587349639766392624.post-32400651650943202962015-09-10T11:27:00.003-07:002015-09-10T11:28:35.889-07:00Cooking and Dining in the Bay Area Lately<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Oops, I forgot to update my blog for more than a year. Between then and now I have certainly cooked some note-worthy things, I guess I was just busy. So I'll try to play catch-up a bit. I moved back to San Jose, but I spend the weekends with my boyfriend in Sunnyvale. We try to cook at least once every weekend, although sometimes "cooking" ends up meaning grabbing a rotisserie chicken from the store and tossing together a little salad. It has just been way too hot this summer to do much cooking. I'm really looking forward to fall so I can get in the mood to start using my slow cooker again!<br />
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In July, we made a delightful ratatouille. I don't remember which recipe we used. Basically we just chopped up some eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, garlic, onion, and bell peppers, and cooked them together. It was very tasty and filling.<br />
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Also we have been to some great restaurants in the area that have become our go-to for different kinds of food. One of my favorites is <a href="http://shahrestaurant.net/" target="_blank">Shah Restaurant</a> in Sunnyvale. This Indo-Pakistani food is just the right amount of spicy, and bursting with flavor. We always get the raita, a cucumber yogurt dip, with naan, as well as the lamb curry and chicken tikka curry. I love their complimentary chai, too.<br />
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Our favorite brunch/lunch place is <a href="http://rogersdeli.net/" target="_blank">Roger's Deli and Donuts</a> in Mountain View. They serve delicious deli sandwiches, donuts, bagels, bagel sandwiches, soups, and all kinds of breakfast items all day, like pancakes, omelettes, french toast, and all kinds of breakfast sandwiches. The food is simple and delicious, the ambiance is also relaxed and down to earth, you just order your food and grab it when it's ready, no one bugging you or checking up on you afterwards, which is perfect for a leisurely Sunday morning. I always get the blueberry pancakes and Irish creme coffee.<br />
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I occasionally work in downtown San Carlos, and when I do, I love going to <a href="http://bianchinismarket.com/" target="_blank">Bianchini's Market</a> for lunch. They offer soups, a salad bar, as well as pre-made sandwiches or sandwiches you can order from the deli counter. My favorite is their chili, which is satisfyingly spicy and filling at just one small cup. Just being in the store makes me feel so classy, because I am surrounded by gourmet products that I am sure add an exquisitely sophisticated touch to anyone's kitchen.<br />
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Well, that's about all for now.... getting ready to celebrate Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, during which I am sure to enjoy some excellent food and wine and enjoy the company of several like-minded individuals. Till next time!<br />
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Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06483735679491896935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587349639766392624.post-71444439650117868352014-07-02T19:40:00.000-07:002014-07-02T19:41:06.240-07:00New Home, New Garden!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It's been forever since I updated this blog, but I thought now would be a good time. A couple months ago I moved to a quaint, quiet house in Santa Clara, and it has been a refreshing change. Lucky for me, the two girls I live with love gardening and vegetables, so we've got a fantastic garden where we've been growing all kinds of things.. two kinds of cucumber, zucchini, cauliflower, green beans, kale, spinach, chard, cilantro, arugula, mint, tomatoes, and we've even got a tangerine tree and an apple tree.<br />
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This is from maybe a month ago.</div>
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Just look at that beautiful kale.</div>
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These little tomatoes are so great, we have orange ones and red ones.</div>
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And we've been getting more zucchini than we know what to do with!</div>
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There's nothing like eating fresh vegetables right from your backyard. Happy summer!</div>
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Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06483735679491896935noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587349639766392624.post-25142015238376270652013-12-22T01:52:00.001-08:002013-12-22T01:52:54.788-08:00The Most Delicious Foods of December<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Not to make you guys hungry or anything, but I just wanted to share about some of the most delicious foods I have enjoyed this month....<br />
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These <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bbq-with-bobby-flay/potato-pancakes-latkes-recipe/index.html" target="_blank">latkes</a> are from Hanukkah last month but I also made more when I got back home in December. I made a big batch and they only lasted like two days, they're that delicious. I'll probably make some more when I get back after Christmas.<br />
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Might look a little grody? I don't know? But these chicken tacos from the little market down the street from me are delicious and about as authentic as you can get, taco-wise. Perfect enjoyed with a classic Mexican coke, made with real cane sugar.<br />
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Chicken and waffles! I just couldn't get that chicken and waffle dish from LA out of my mind, and I was pleased to find that San Francisco has some of their own chicken and waffle places, like <a href="http://gussieschickenandwaffles.org/" target="_blank">Gussie's Chicken and Waffles</a>. Next time I go I'm going to have to try their Georgia peach skillet cobbler for dessert, if I'm not too full after my chicken and waffles.<br />
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Good food is definitely one of the greatest pleasures of my life. It's so fun to be able to write about food every week for my writing job, and share those articles with my friends and family.</div>
Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06483735679491896935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587349639766392624.post-54535191290573128432013-11-12T02:52:00.000-08:002013-11-12T02:55:09.125-08:00A holiday weekend in Los Angeles :)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I spent this past weekend in Los Angeles visiting a friend. I had a really nice time. We ate delicious food, saw the sights around downtown and East LA, Hollywood, San Pedro and Long Beach, went to Amoeba Music, went to the Griffith Observatory, and went to Angel's Gate Park in San Pedro and enjoyed the sunset and ocean view. <br />
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The first thing I did when I got into town was to go to <a href="http://www.roundsburgers.com/" target="_blank">Rounds</a> in West Hollywood for a Western burger and fries. Awesome lunch. The fries were so crispy, too.<br />
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Later on that night I stopped by <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/original-snow-cone-and-funnel-cakes-los-angeles" target="_blank">Original Snow Cone and Funnel Cakes</a> and got some fried Oreos, a fried banana and a Churro. If I can give a piece of advice, it's this: scarfing down fried foods is liable to lead to heartburn. Still: it was worth it.<br />
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Next night: <a href="http://roscoeschickenandwaffles.com/" target="_blank">Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles</a> in Hollywood. A friend of mine recommended this place to me and it did not disappoint. I got the fried chicken breast and waffle combo, with a side of gravy and some macaroni and cheese. Kinda jealous we don't have one of these in the Bay Area.<br />
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We got a dazzling view of the city from up high on a hill at the <a href="http://www.griffithobservatory.org/" target="_blank">Griffith Observatory</a>. Pretty popular place, apparently. This photo doesn't do the view justice, but it's as close as I could get with my phone camera.<br />
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At <a href="http://www.amoeba.com/" target="_blank">Amoeba Music</a>, I found one of my favorite movies, North by Northwest, for only $2.99! Great deal. <br />
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So now I'm back, refreshed, and ready to take on the rest of the week. Looking forward to the next holiday!<br />
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Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06483735679491896935noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587349639766392624.post-53759039591863078932013-10-22T01:51:00.000-07:002013-10-22T01:52:37.017-07:00Fall times<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So, what have I been up to lately? Oh, not much.. just continuing my regular visits to San Francisco, occasional outings with friends, and enjoying this warm weather before the chill of Fall/Winter finally gets around to descending upon us. I kind of miss the rain, so sometimes while I'm on my computer I'll put on <a href="http://www.rainymood.com/" target="_blank">Rainy Mood</a> in the background so I can pretend it's raining. The best part about a rainy afternoon is staying inside with some tea and a good book. Hoping for some real rain soon!<br />
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I recently went to a beach bonfire with some friends near Santa Cruz, which was fun. We enjoyed some roasted corn, hot dogs, and bananas wrapped in foil, sprinkled with chocolate chips, which were tossed into the fire to get all warm and melty.<br />
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Did I ever share about my apple picking adventure? I must have forgotten... well, a few weeks ago I went to <a href="http://www.gizdich-ranch.com/" target="_blank">Gizdich Ranch</a> in Watsonville with a friend and we picked apples. I have wanted to go to an orchard and pick apples for a while, it is so quintessentially Fall. They had about four varieties of apples available and I picked a whole bunch. I made some applesauce with some of them, most of them I just ate, and some I left with my parents when I visited them. <br />
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These green ones were delicious!</div>
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Overall I've been having a pretty nice Fall so far. I have a sugar pumpkin I bought a while ago that I need to get around to using. I might roast it in the oven, or maybe puree it and make a soup. Pumpkin is delicious, and the seeds are great roasted as well.</div>
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Almost forgot to introduce my parents' adorable new(ish) kittten, Milo....</div>
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He is so fun. When I first met him he was very energetic and excitable, curious about everything, getting into everything. He's mellowed a bit since then, but still likes to get into things, such as laundry. <br />
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So, that's what's new with me... looking forward to seeing what the rest of Fall and the Winter holidays will bring!<br />
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Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06483735679491896935noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587349639766392624.post-60635297771008710912013-09-21T20:19:00.005-07:002013-09-21T20:20:55.303-07:00Hawaii<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
After I went to Canada, I went to Oahu for another vacation! That was a pretty nice time.<br />
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This is the inside of a cave in Waianae, where my friend lives! We went in there. It was dark, and rocky. Hard to walk. But, I didn't fall or anything.<br />
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Cool mural I passed by walking around in Honolulu. People are so creative!<br />
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This is a picture of the ancestral lands of Waianae. I think this place is called something, I forgot. But, my friend's ancestors lived here. It's like one of those hidden local places that no one really knows about.<br />
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A beach in Waianae at sunset. This is my friends' parents' view outside their cabana. So pretty!<br />
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Another view out the window in Waianae. I was staying next to Waikiki Beach but it was just a lot prettier and non touristy over in Waianae, on the other side of the island.<br />
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While I was in Hawaii, my friend and I went to the Honolulu Art Museum, some little shops, a mall, a barbecue, Waikiki Beach, some other beaches, that cave, and that's pretty much it. So, it was a pretty nice time.</div>
Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06483735679491896935noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587349639766392624.post-68061072857125162762013-08-31T23:33:00.001-07:002013-08-31T23:39:02.620-07:00I'm Back<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
At long last.. I am updating my blog. I'm fairly settled in to what I suppose is my routine for the time being, so it's about time to say goodbye to summer.. although I expect the weather to remain somewhat warm for at least another month or so.<br />
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I really enjoyed Vancouver. I stayed with some friends and met a bunch of their friends, so there was always something to do... go to the beach or a park, check out one of their favorite restaurants, walk around downtown, go to a party, or just hang out.<br />
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Charlson Park is my friends' favorite dog park. My friend I enjoyed this view while we played "bocce badminton" since I am not good at badminton and we could not successfully hit the birdie back and forth... so we just made up a contest of who could hit their birdie with the racket the farthest.<br />
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English Bay is another great spot I enjoyed. There were these logs set up throughout the beach where people could sit or lean up against them while sitting in the sand.<br />
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My Vancouver friends have the cutest apartment. It is so cozy with these flowers in little bottle vases on all the tables, posters on the wall, and books everywhere. <br /><br />
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We passed by these beautiful flowers while walking around downtown on my birthday and my friend's girlfriend bought me some carnations :)<br />
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We enjoyed these little cakes for my birthday.. the three of us each chose the one we liked best, and each of them was delicious!<br />
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This is one of the libraries in Vancouver. It was modeled after the Colosseum.They've got books in several languages, and even a big touch screen patrons can use to browse the collection or learn about the history of various cultures.<br />
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Vancouver is certainly a vibrant and unique place that I hope to visit again one day.</div>
Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06483735679491896935noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587349639766392624.post-16358518027106462552013-08-13T11:04:00.003-07:002013-08-13T11:07:47.826-07:00Birthday thoughts<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Well, I'm 28 today.. which leads me to ponder upon how I am going to approach this next year of my life. It's kind of funny how feelings about birthdays can change over time. When you're a kid, you're excited to have a birthday, because you get a party with all your friends, and presents, and cake, and everyone sings and you're the center of attention, and it's pretty much the best day ever. Then gradually.. all you really want is quality time with your closest friends and family, and to think with each year that's passed, you're working towards a more successful, fulfilling life.<br />
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I know I can do better. I can adopt a healthier diet. I can exercise more. I can give back more to the community. I can keep in touch with my friends and family more. I'd like to think I'm doing ok so far, though. I'll have earned my master's degree in early December. I've got some good work experience behind me, to pave the way to a good career. I'm just facing that crossroads right now, where I'm waiting to see what happens next. I can only hope that with enough good fortune, in addition to having the opportunity to demonstrate my abilities, I'll measure up to achieving my goals. It might not happen right away, but I guess I'll just need to have patience and keep trying, and learn from every experience as much as I can.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">View from Jericho Beach at sunset in Vancouver, BC... more about Vancouver soon :)</span></div>
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Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06483735679491896935noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587349639766392624.post-23083993804010127542013-07-10T17:19:00.003-07:002013-07-19T12:30:57.497-07:00Chicago!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I just got back from a few days in The Windy City of Chicago (actually wasn't windy at all... occasionally a little breezy but mostly just really humid and hot, with a tiny bit of rain). My travel buddy and I went to some museums, ate at interesting restaurants, went and saw some live jazz, went to a movie, and just walked around a whole bunch and enjoyed the sights.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">A little glimpse of downtown from our hotel room on the 12th floor.</span></div>
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<b>Food-</b><br />
<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/exchequer-restaurant-and-pub-chicago" target="_blank">Exchequer Restaurant and Pub</a>- our first meal when we arrived that night. We just had to try some Chicago style pizza, and it was delicious. So innovative to have sauce, toppings, then more cheese, or however it is they did it. There was lots of cheese.<br />
<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/lou-malnatis-pizzeria-chicago-9" target="_blank">Lou Malnati's Pizzeria</a>- More pizza, we ordered a pizza here one of the other nights. It was slightly better than Exchequer's pizza, in my opinion at least. Pizza at this place was like, toppings, cheese cheese cheese, sauce on top. Maybe some sauce snuck in with the "toppings" too (which were not really "topping" the pizza per se since they were bundled in with the other layers). Every time we passed by this place the line was out the door so we just ordered, picked it up and took it back to our room because we knew it had to be good but didn't want to stand in line for half an hour and then be crammed into a restaurant stuffed with people.<br />
<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/grahamwich-chicago" target="_blank">Grahamwich</a>- A cute little sandwich shop, very reminiscent of San Francisco. Really sunny, seating was "family style" with comfy leather ottomans pulled up to a simple wooden table, with chalkboard drawings of vegetables on the wall. They had super healthy fruit juices, and a variety of tasty sandwiches and salads. I got the pastrami sandwich, very fresh tasting and filling.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtFosvaTgfTg7TxovGixuGEZVRcm2u4ioBetBW7Fth6IWT7UxFk49yc6kP4LRYE7YGrHcDndvgdOMSau4Krm92C8MjirRa8fFmhJfp6au_nNaOhHXUtCPtCbF_Ytl0oXrV6LwzwGrZWMU/s1600/grahamwich.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtFosvaTgfTg7TxovGixuGEZVRcm2u4ioBetBW7Fth6IWT7UxFk49yc6kP4LRYE7YGrHcDndvgdOMSau4Krm92C8MjirRa8fFmhJfp6au_nNaOhHXUtCPtCbF_Ytl0oXrV6LwzwGrZWMU/s320/grahamwich.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/russian-tea-time-chicago" target="_blank">Russian Tea Time</a>- We had a light dinner here on our last night of some beef and potato dumplings and a lamb samsa, all served with leafy green salad, carrot salad, and rye bread.<br />
<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/berghoff-caf%C3%A9-chicago-2" target="_blank">Berghoff Cafe</a>- got a tasty lunch here, a pulled pork sandwich and a bottle of their own house brewed root beer. Very classy little cafe below ground level, with stained glass windows.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdZkQDM6HuU29zO-UxJDj-yzlBLTVf_2r6IXSKazv66O_-ZQpN6P6iUsdENDLnIVeGO_hd1jhmOjtvIgqSQrfW3uOKzSsbI56Q29e3ogsnUM8HSIX8_0kqoOgUzPQlQ_sy7Sli_6OptPs/s1600/berghoff+cafe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdZkQDM6HuU29zO-UxJDj-yzlBLTVf_2r6IXSKazv66O_-ZQpN6P6iUsdENDLnIVeGO_hd1jhmOjtvIgqSQrfW3uOKzSsbI56Q29e3ogsnUM8HSIX8_0kqoOgUzPQlQ_sy7Sli_6OptPs/s320/berghoff+cafe.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/toni-patisserie-and-cafe-chicago" target="_blank">Toni Patisserie and Cafe</a>- a delightful little French cafe where we got brunch one morning. I got a slice of quiche lorraine, an iced mocha, and some macarons.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTTRj3mtKkzOu5lslbSHWS6EbooFd_Zo8Bpzogjm9C4qWazm5NQb9Zmcs_7MteY9b2ke-dSUep0jdWSU2TdiIly6K8w1r800CUbrgDFjZzOrtgjGwXNApn2ZHu1NOWRdOXXyxbrTSDE_8/s1600/flowers+tonis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTTRj3mtKkzOu5lslbSHWS6EbooFd_Zo8Bpzogjm9C4qWazm5NQb9Zmcs_7MteY9b2ke-dSUep0jdWSU2TdiIly6K8w1r800CUbrgDFjZzOrtgjGwXNApn2ZHu1NOWRdOXXyxbrTSDE_8/s320/flowers+tonis.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Each table had pretty flower arrangements, like this one.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/sugar-bliss-cake-boutique-chicago#query:cupcakes" target="_blank">Sugar Bliss Cake Boutique</a>- Here we got a dozen mini cupcakes, with fun flavors like banana, strawberry, pumpkin, chocolate, vanilla, mocha.. all with just a few decorative dollops of frosting on the top so they weren't too sweet.<br />
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<b>Museums-</b><br />
<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/smith-museum-of-stained-glass-chicago#query:stained%20glass" target="_blank">Smith Museum of Stained Glass</a>- a pretty little museum at the Navy Pier, where you could walk down hallways and little rooms to see different scenes depicted in stained glass windows. <br />
<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-field-museum-chicago-2" target="_blank">The Field Museum</a>- A pretty neat museum of various aspects of natural history. We saw exhibits on creatures that glow in the dark on land and under the sea, the original Native American tribes, ancient wall paintings discovered in France, and mammal and bird exhibits too.<br />
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<b>Etc. </b><br />
<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/jazz-showcase-chicago" target="_blank">Jazz Showcase</a>- We caught the last hour of a show here at half price, and it was more than worth the money. Excellent musicians on the trumpet, piano, bass, an instrument kind of like a xylophone, and a full set of drums. Each of them were really into their instrument, given solos that were met with a wave of applause each time.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzSTEB2cF5ujHgEt8_WSvDhTxzxy13wezdnu1Uk_SYQxLM7IVmQsO8jPs7T0IRcBvOcWM9HnQPLOrJrQwu3MU4jU3oi2SQ5Dy8ERDTJ9-NRJ7oyI51Kd9SFzaavhyphenhyphenTg70pUwnyWWbg3AE/s1600/jazz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzSTEB2cF5ujHgEt8_WSvDhTxzxy13wezdnu1Uk_SYQxLM7IVmQsO8jPs7T0IRcBvOcWM9HnQPLOrJrQwu3MU4jU3oi2SQ5Dy8ERDTJ9-NRJ7oyI51Kd9SFzaavhyphenhyphenTg70pUwnyWWbg3AE/s320/jazz.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/chicago-park-district-millenium-park-chicago" target="_blank">Millenium Park</a>- A vibrant community park, home to The Bean, some lovely plantlife, and a big fountain where kids love to cool off on humid summer days.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqG49tqhVj-PqgDb9JNO4hvouwSZIZ8B1aQmrL_4gcNj9-afMhrcN-EtjT-uTM8Y7mlWwB8FZaJDZcnfAgnLDsOn2tudKMesJ2Y9eTbYwLs4s-kCy-bI7nhaPyhYxvtUHmehmkG2UXwwI/s1600/the+bean.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqG49tqhVj-PqgDb9JNO4hvouwSZIZ8B1aQmrL_4gcNj9-afMhrcN-EtjT-uTM8Y7mlWwB8FZaJDZcnfAgnLDsOn2tudKMesJ2Y9eTbYwLs4s-kCy-bI7nhaPyhYxvtUHmehmkG2UXwwI/s320/the+bean.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">The Bean, a truly awe-inspiring work of art.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdvCKAWPpT7H8g9Hvwi-F-g0VwBehV7WvZuoU2QGMIoEmobkkM-l5EVReQh0KHg32DZivnZeka8MWkHLEYfq75a-5c2ffw0PKuQwbAt3gjUbKCf2LL0dn0Zx5uAqjl9tXbz2xTpbjcgl0/s1600/fountain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdvCKAWPpT7H8g9Hvwi-F-g0VwBehV7WvZuoU2QGMIoEmobkkM-l5EVReQh0KHg32DZivnZeka8MWkHLEYfq75a-5c2ffw0PKuQwbAt3gjUbKCf2LL0dn0Zx5uAqjl9tXbz2xTpbjcgl0/s320/fountain.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This fountain was really interesting, different faces would show on these LCD screens on these brick structures on each side, while water sprayed down the sides and onto the street to make a little pool that kids could walk on. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1690953/?ref_=sr_1" target="_blank">Despicable Me 2</a>- Went and saw this movie at an AMC theater near us, very funny and cute. I actually hadn't seen the first of the series but the movie stood well on its own. </span> </span></div>
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<b>Random observations-</b></div>
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Gambling is totally not ok on the trains. They mentioned this several times over the intercom on the train. No soliciting, either. </div>
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Kids everywhere, but hey, I guess that's how it is in a touristy place.</div>
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The Shedd Aquarium has the longest line all the time.</div>
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Humidity is kind of exhausting, important to drink water all the time and take breaks every few hours to relax in an air conditioned hotel room.</div>
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So it was a really fun few days, always something to do and see. The
city is a bit noisy, trains constantly passing by overhead, lots of people... but, it was cool to see what Chicago was like! </div>
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Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06483735679491896935noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587349639766392624.post-2183161993171372202013-05-25T22:52:00.000-07:002013-05-28T20:11:53.952-07:00Fanime 2013!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyKySvSu53eXMLYa81tgwaJ_Cy-L8kIU7KBvGzLm1fvE1q3yVbmg78qfN1nKaDhdq0GFfb69NK0xCAVUBvjN4gjsejKOsWdyWGZabL5klqZoVqD6Uukf57qGhPp2g6HlrPpa78q_X0UzI/s1600/totoro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyKySvSu53eXMLYa81tgwaJ_Cy-L8kIU7KBvGzLm1fvE1q3yVbmg78qfN1nKaDhdq0GFfb69NK0xCAVUBvjN4gjsejKOsWdyWGZabL5klqZoVqD6Uukf57qGhPp2g6HlrPpa78q_X0UzI/s320/totoro.jpg" width="233" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">The "Totoronut" from Psycho Donuts-- a chocolate donut with chocolate frosting and white powdered sugar in the image of Totoro, a favorite character of Hayao Miyazaki's Japanese film, "My Neighbor Totoro"-- and filled with raspberry jelly. </span><br />
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Just a little update to let my reader(s) know I am alive and doing well... just been really busy with work/ school, and getting ready for Fanime, which is this weekend! I actually decided to cosplay this time (dress up as a character). <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9fDgQF_bwsmD1cFROeoblOndvfNhBB-NE3AN2OwSPw0kav0oiMiJY6k4hmiu29r8bsupHhapd9ynY8cJiDEKd35Zc7fasMIpBmW62OpioDu9YhpLW7xDWXPxzq9ZpKBX4hEvLA3bjYK4/s1600/minty_zaki_fanime_2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9fDgQF_bwsmD1cFROeoblOndvfNhBB-NE3AN2OwSPw0kav0oiMiJY6k4hmiu29r8bsupHhapd9ynY8cJiDEKd35Zc7fasMIpBmW62OpioDu9YhpLW7xDWXPxzq9ZpKBX4hEvLA3bjYK4/s320/minty_zaki_fanime_2013.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> My character is Minty Zaki from the Pixar movie <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1772341/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2" target="_blank">Wreck it Ralph</a>. </span></div>
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Thursday night after work I met up with my friends, had dinner at our favorite place-- Pizz'a Chicago-- then went to a little bit of a panel on Pokemon, then went and hung out in the game hall for a little bit and played a couple rounds of this fun Pictionary-meets-Telephone type board game, where you draw a picture, and the person next to you has to try and write in their answer of what they think it is, and then that person draws that guess, and you see how or if it changes along the way-- this can continue with as many as eight people. Very funny game.<br />
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Then Saturday I got up super early to turn in my pre-registration materials and pick up my badge. Finally got my badge after about an hour and a half of waiting in lines... not that bad, actually... went to Starbucks, met some random people who were also cosplaying as the same group of characters as my character, walked around with them for a little while, posed for a bunch of pictures, then met up with my other friends, we hung out at the hotel for a bit, went to lunch at a great little sushi place near San Jose State campus, <a href="http://tengusushi.sjsufood.com/company/tengusushi/?session=b852c5e94c1654db12084e9618312b7c" target="_blank">Tengu Sushi</a>; walked around some more, went and played more of that game from earlier, various hanging out at the hotel and walking around the Convention Center, went to the park and took some pictures of our group, then I met up with a different friend at <a href="http://www.quicklyusa.com/" target="_blank">Quickly</a> and we got some milk teas, walked around so he could see peoples' neat outfits, then came back to my house and watched Casablanca. Long but fun day!<br />
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Then Sunday I met up with a couple of my friends, walked around Artist's Alley for a little while, then went and got a hot dog from a hot dog stand nearby, hung out with some different friends at Artist's Alley some more, bought a cute ring....<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjicKtv_YXTMxGL7wg5iiNFKz-1hnqTB-bWdOFk3VOtz69mC32ZRYZvFvAR2ZEOsPrWwphF32THZMa0kV6bPD8lezsHxawnEO9UREC1uJ0-nWmKteLJWZjMsaAmlrd_NybNRcHw2JvjlWQ/s1600/macaron_ring.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjicKtv_YXTMxGL7wg5iiNFKz-1hnqTB-bWdOFk3VOtz69mC32ZRYZvFvAR2ZEOsPrWwphF32THZMa0kV6bPD8lezsHxawnEO9UREC1uJ0-nWmKteLJWZjMsaAmlrd_NybNRcHw2JvjlWQ/s1600/macaron_ring.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> It's a French macaron cookie! :)</span></div>
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Then came home because I was really tired, and took a nap.</div>
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I took some other fun pictures at the convention...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwL4VqA5hcF3NtG_vM_X87YACKQjKnGRzYoiXGsENIr0r6YD_QJOVLMngIzEE0e7Y_Lq9mCfoBrG9nwwb2pHuxzddMyP3y8ZeLO0V_hejLG4Ovo-SkTOjsp42ZtaH8It3pYnY6fOPTcnI/s1600/storm+trooper_godzilla.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwL4VqA5hcF3NtG_vM_X87YACKQjKnGRzYoiXGsENIr0r6YD_QJOVLMngIzEE0e7Y_Lq9mCfoBrG9nwwb2pHuxzddMyP3y8ZeLO0V_hejLG4Ovo-SkTOjsp42ZtaH8It3pYnY6fOPTcnI/s320/storm+trooper_godzilla.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Caught this mock battle between a storm trooper and Godzilla from the second floor of the Marriott..</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqhBjLNK42sRjy1WjebR9QHZAq5x87ld3Z9DkuS_uzEi1G_x1fc9ApJCjZeNonT_enCUzqmMwl0b6OUdF80RyEKvvNtXy6yo4QlYdy7fKtmQ5xMR9lU83CWiI7DGFcF6kCXafAOHBm_bk/s1600/jack+sparrow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqhBjLNK42sRjy1WjebR9QHZAq5x87ld3Z9DkuS_uzEi1G_x1fc9ApJCjZeNonT_enCUzqmMwl0b6OUdF80RyEKvvNtXy6yo4QlYdy7fKtmQ5xMR9lU83CWiI7DGFcF6kCXafAOHBm_bk/s320/jack+sparrow.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Ran into Jack Sparrow in the front of the convention center...</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilFUWZdE0Akt4KvczBcnV0a623hTdwvWFAvaLYK-lq2xEWpcVYudpNdxRS9BBaY03KcluH-GhWWDpKjbk5fZl-ojEvJL8wK_x8XckiJet-8xe0ZnlCDL8eieGUpIzJrU2-IOWxrAuFZWI/s1600/candy+people.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilFUWZdE0Akt4KvczBcnV0a623hTdwvWFAvaLYK-lq2xEWpcVYudpNdxRS9BBaY03KcluH-GhWWDpKjbk5fZl-ojEvJL8wK_x8XckiJet-8xe0ZnlCDL8eieGUpIzJrU2-IOWxrAuFZWI/s320/candy+people.jpg" width="250" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">And these interesting characters, also from Wreck it Ralph.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span>Might go back tomorrow for the last day depending on what is going on. So nice to have a 3 day weekend. :)<span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></div>
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Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06483735679491896935noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587349639766392624.post-89701985432783858962013-04-21T22:33:00.000-07:002013-12-24T11:58:04.343-08:00Baseball on a Sunday Afternoon<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Today was my first baseball game. The San Francisco Giants were playing the San Diego Padres at AT&T Park, and tons of fans came out to watch the game. My housemate and I took the train, and every stop, a bunch of Giants fans were waiting to join us in their orange and white/gray/black fan paraphernalia. <br />
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At&T Park is about a block away from the Caltrain station. I grabbed a big deli sandwich and some waters from Safeway and just followed the crowd to get there.<br />
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We found our seats... and settled in for a great game.<br />
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We had a great view from section B140, row 25, seats 17 and 18. We were seated right in front of a little wall between us and the section above us, so we could lean back if we wanted and stretch a little. We also had the foresight to bring a big soft blanket to sit on, to avoid the hard bleacher seats.<br />
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About half way through the game, I wanted to walk around a little bit so I got up and got a hot fudge sundae from the Ghiradelli stand. It was very refreshing on such a hot day.<br />
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Even though things looked kind of small from where we were sitting, it was really easy to keep up with the game because they had this huge screen right behind us where they'd show each player's picture/stats as they were up at bat, and the score at the bottom of the screen. They would also replay the especially good hits or catches made by the Giants.<br />
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In between the teams switching off after each inning, there would be fun features like sing-alongs, or recaps of some of the best plays the Giants had experienced that week. At the end, the kids in the stands got to go down to the field and run the bases, which must have been so fun for them, a great memory to cherish all their lives.<br />
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The Giants ended up winning the game, 5-0, and I'm glad we stayed till the end, even though we knew they would win, because it was just so nice seeing everyone so happy and hugging each other in the stands at the end of the game, as Frank Sinatra played over the speakers.<br />
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In that moment, I couldn't help reflecting: this is what it feels like to be part of the Bay Area community-- to go to the ball game and root for your team, to sing along with the songs, to feel like a part of something so much larger than yourself, something with so much history and grandeur, and to just feel so united with those around you through this team of talented men, playing for their fans. <br />
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Sports: finally starting to get it. What's next? Hockey, maybe! After all, San Jose is home to the famous Sharks....</div>
Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06483735679491896935noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587349639766392624.post-40331368462156992672013-04-14T21:43:00.003-07:002013-04-14T21:47:52.451-07:00Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Today was one day of the two-weekend <a href="http://sfcherryblossom.org/" target="_blank">Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival</a> in San Francisco! A friend and I met up to go and check it out. <br />
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There were sponsor booths, art/jewelry/things for sale, food booths, and
a stage in the main plaza where they had a beauty pageant and some
Taiko drum performers.<br />
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The American and Japanese flags flying side by side.. I thought this made a pretty picture :)<br />
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In Japantown (where the festival was held) they have street signs in English and Japanese!<br />
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The Taiko drum performers were amazing-- they had all these different drums that made different sounds, and they were literally dancing while drumming.. and they just looked so happy and into what they were doing, you could tell they really loved it.<br />
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We also went and had lunch at a Japanese restaurant in the little mall nearby. I have not had sushi in quite a while, so that was a real treat.<br />
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There was also this neat mural at the entrance to the mall. </div>
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So, fun weekend :). Can't wait to go back to San Francisco next weekend to see the Giants!<br />
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P.S. I changed my blog settings so you don't have to have an account to comment. Didn't realize I could do that but that should make things easier for my commenters :).<br />
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Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06483735679491896935noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587349639766392624.post-20877100403843741002013-03-24T14:24:00.000-07:002013-12-24T11:57:09.632-08:00First Farmer's Market of Spring!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It is officially Spring, and what better way to welcome the season than a trip to Farmer's Market? My housemate and I went to Campbell Farmer's Market and I got some lovely things. We also saw lots of cute friendly dogs and there were some musicians playing musical instruments/singing-- some blues, and even some music from Zimbabwe. <br />
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I got... an onion to make quinoa patties later, some flowers, a butternut squash, pumpkin paratha (Indian bread with pumpkin filling) and fire-roasted eggplant spread from <a href="http://sukhis.com/" target="_blank">Sukhi's gourmet Indian foods</a>, and some dino kale to make kale chips later.<br />
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Not sure what I'll do with the rest of my day, I'm on semi-spring break now (got the week off from just my internship, still have to work at my normal job) and I have about a week and a half until I need to have some work done for my other class. So I'll just enjoy the beautiful weather, maybe sit and read a book on the sofa by the sliding door where the sun is shining into the room. </div>
Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06483735679491896935noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587349639766392624.post-17440042152355410682013-02-28T21:16:00.001-08:002013-12-27T15:39:33.249-08:00Epic Sandwich<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Last weekend a friend and I went to <a href="http://ilikeikesplace.com/" target="_blank">Ike's Place</a>, a sandwich place in the Castro district of San Francisco, near the Mission District. I'd heard this place had amazing sandwiches, and if you just check out their menu, you can see why. My friend and I both thought the Heath Ledger or The Joker sounded like the best choice-- the Heath Ledger (which my friend got) has <span class="field-content">"Beer Battered Zucchini, Ike's red pesto, Ranch, Vegan Meatballs," (and lettuce and tomato) whereas The Joker (which I got, with the addition of banana peppers) has the same ingredients but all beef meatballs. Want to see a picture?</span><br />
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<span class="field-content">This is pretty much the best sandwich I've ever had... aside from the Croque Monsieur I got from Tartine Cafe a few weeks ago, which was also amazing. </span><br />
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<span class="field-content">So, we picked up our sandwiches (and chips and drinks) and went and ate at Dolores Park. It was a pretty nice day out, not too cold or too warm. We sat in a sunny spot but also near trees so we would have access to, as my friend aptly phrased, "theoretical shade." Lots of other people were enjoying the nice weather too so it was neat to people-watch and see all the dogs wandering around. There was even a guy flying a kite! </span><br />
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So, that was really fun. This weekend I think a friend of mine from back home is visiting and we're going to some malls. Happy almost weekend, friends!<br />
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Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06483735679491896935noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587349639766392624.post-45035390565287748792013-02-07T20:33:00.002-08:002014-02-15T17:18:22.262-08:00More weekend fun<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hi friends! Well I finally got around to creating a Flickr account since that is one of the only ways I can get pictures off my phone. So, I wanted to share my recent visit to the <a href="http://www.egyptianmuseum.org/" target="_blank">Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum and Planetarium</a>, a very fascinating place in downtown San Jose.<br />
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This is the sign at the front...<br />
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And here are some statues at the front, too.<br />
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A statue of the venerable Julius Caesar...<br />
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Inside, it was just as nice...<br />
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Ancient Egyptians used to keep records on these cuneiform tablets. Usually it would be for things like taxes. It amazes me how they could write on these little tablets that could fit in the palm of your hand.<br />
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Of course, they also had other ways of keeping records...<br />
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Some samples of papyrus.<br />
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They even had the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosetta_Stone" target="_blank">Rosetta Stone</a> there. This is just a model, the original is in the British Museum in London.<br />
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One of my favorite features of the museum was this display of vases and vials for holding potions or perfumes. It's incredible that these have been preserved for so long, and it's really fascinating to get a glimpse into the personal lives of Egyptian people and their taste for glass craftsmanship.<br />
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I enjoyed seeing these ancient instruments, too.<br />
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The staff at the museum were very enthusiastic and helpful. There was a girl who gave a lesson (mostly for children, or "junior archaeologists" as they were termed) about the mummification process, and the museum actually had real live mummies. Don't worry, I didn't take any pictures of *them.* I was really mostly interested in seeing artifacts from their everyday lives, which were undoubtedly much more simple than our own, yet rich with experiences and memories all the same. <br />
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Well, until next time... take a moment out of your day or week to enjoy the simple things, like a live performance of someone playing a musical instrument, or a good book, or the beauty of a handmade vase. :)</div>
Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06483735679491896935noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587349639766392624.post-22368989186769387092013-01-27T19:20:00.002-08:002013-03-24T14:26:24.916-07:00An eventful Sunday<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
For a while I was so busy/tired I didn't go out and do much of anything on the weekends, but that seems to be changing. I visited the <a href="http://www.sjmusart.org/" target="_blank">San Jose Museum of Art</a> today with a friend, and afterwards we got gourmet french fries from the <a href="http://www.littlechefcounter.com/" target="_blank">Little Chef Counter</a>. I got poutine again... this time, with shredded braised short ribs. Delicious, as expected. I've gone to the farmer's market in Mountain View two weekends in a row, and they have just as much of an abundance of produce as they did in the summer. It's really remarkable. Last time I got kale, some kohlrabi, a butternut squash, a variety of apples, a pomegranate, some tangerines, some grapefruit and some daikon. Today, I got more grapefruit, some blood oranges, another pomegranate, a couple Asian pears, some more apples, some carrots, some yellow onions, some green grapes, and a head of cauliflower. It's so fun to just browse the aisles, try the samples, and decide what new and interesting thing to get each week. <br />
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I couldn't decide what to do with my butternut squash at first. Make a soup? Maybe. Make some fritters? Tempting. Fry it up in chunks and add it in with some kale and melted Monterey Jack cheese for <a href="http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2013/01/butternut-squash-kale-quesadillas/" target="_blank">quesadillas</a> a la The Pioneer Woman? I thought about that too. In the end, though, I turned to my <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/" target="_blank">Smitten Kitchen</a> cookbook by Deb Perelman, one of my very favorite bloggers, and made her butternut squash and caramelized onion galette.<br />
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I knew it would take a while to make-- from making the dough, to peeling and chopping the squash, to roasting the squash in the oven, to grating the cheese (Fontina cheese, which I actually kind of had to search around for to find, but it was worth the effort), to caramelizing the onions with butter, olive oil, and a little sugar and cayenne pepper, but it didn't take quite as long as I thought it would. It actually probably takes longer to make a nice, quality quiche. More vegetables to chop.<br />
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Anyway, this dish was fantastic. I was surprised how big it came out, but it'll be great to take to work for lunches, perhaps with some <a href="http://www.marinmamacooks.com/2012/03/lacinato-kale-salad/" target="_blank">kale salad</a>. Super healthy, to be sure.<br />
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Mine came out almost exactly like the one in the book. I just forgot to get some fresh thyme to sprinkle on top, but I used dried rosemary instead. I can see myself making more variations of the galette in the future, or other savory tarts. I used to be so intimidated by making crust from scratch but it's actually really easy, even without a pastry blender or a food processor.<br />
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It's great to feel inspired to actually bake/cook dishes that take some time and effort. At some point I'd really like to make <a href="http://dianeabroad.com/2012/10/24/boeuf-bourguignon/" target="_blank">Boeuf Bourguignon</a>.. also involving a lot of steps and preparation, but I know the amazing flavor would be worth it in the end. <br />
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Hope my readers had a nice weekend too! :)</div>
Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06483735679491896935noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587349639766392624.post-53869220832115962772012-12-26T23:41:00.001-08:002012-12-26T23:46:29.231-08:00Christmas Break in Orcutt<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I have been having a very nice little vacation at home in Orcutt. Sunday we had my aunts and uncle and cousins over for breakfast.. eggs, salami, my aunt's traditional pear french toast, latkes, bagels, fruit, and I think that's about it.. lots of food, haha. Then for Christmas dinner we had pork roast, scalloped potatoes, green bean casserole, rolls, cranberry stuffing, and jello. Some nice baked goodies in between, too, including vanilla candy bark in two varieties (peanut and peppermint), rum cake, Berliner Kranzers, and later we will probably still make some fudge.<br />
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My family and I make these Berliner Kranzers every Christmas.<br />
They are sweet and delicate, definitely my favorite Christmas cookie. <br />
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This is our tree this year. :)</div>
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Also nice seeing some friends....</div>
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Fried ice cream with a friend in Old Town Orcutt.</div>
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I have about 2 and a half days left until I head back to San Jose so I will try to relax, see some more friends, and be all caught up with work by the time I get back.</div>
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Hope everyone else is having happy holidays too! :)</div>
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Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06483735679491896935noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587349639766392624.post-24066880561389305712012-12-08T23:19:00.002-08:002012-12-08T23:22:20.125-08:00Happy Hanukkah! Also, Christmas times...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Just wanted to shine my light for Hanukkah... tonight is the first night!<br />
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My dad sent me a Hanukkah gift set in the mail so I could celebrate it from over here. It came with a menorah, some candles, some dreidels, some gelt, and some little handouts explaining each thing, like the history of Hanukkah, some Hanukkah songs, and how to light the candles and play dreidel. My housemate and I are going to play dreidel one of these nights after he has had some practice spinning the top. So, it's going to be a simple but nice Hanukkah.<br />
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Meanwhile, everyone's getting into the Christmas spirit. Downtown, there are street musicians playing Christmas songs on flutes and french horns. There's this event that has been going on for the past few weeks called Christmas in the Park, and it's kind of like a carnival mixed with a Christmas display.<br />
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There are rides, and popcorn/hot dog stands, and stands selling all kinds of other food... churros, hot chocolate, burgers, Hispanic food, and more.. and also a bunch of Christmas trees, and little dioramas with dolls of various themes, the trees and dioramas designed by different community organizations. Also there were fake snow, lights, and Christmas music in the background.<br />
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Loved this gingerbread house!</div>
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Pretty trees...</div>
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The Nutcracker :)</div>
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A choir singing...</div>
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And a big tree of lights right at the front!</div>
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It's nice to know that San Jose gets into the spirit for Christmas. Whether you live in a big city or a small town, Christmas is all around.<br />
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P.S. My final project is finished... check out the finished product if you wish :)<br />
<a href="http://senna.sjsu.edu/aparsons/corobj/finalprojectmain.php" target="_blank">http://senna.sjsu.edu/aparsons/corobj/finalprojectmain.php </a></div>
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Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06483735679491896935noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587349639766392624.post-90890786341181137442012-12-02T11:26:00.000-08:002012-12-02T11:27:55.299-08:00So busy, but here's another video!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So, I'm still wading through finals... and trying to keep up with my second job.... but for my computer class I made another video so I thought I would share it.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/0Xht9eWXmkU" width="560"></iframe><br />
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I am building a website about medieval literature. I will post the link here when I finish it. It will be featuring all the authors in this video. I will enjoy revisiting all these classic greats.<br />
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Another sneak peek:<br />
<a href="http://senna.sjsu.edu/aparsons/corobj/france.php" target="_blank">http://senna.sjsu.edu/aparsons/corobj/france.php </a><br />
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I can't believe it's just 3 weeks until Christmas. Thank goodness my finals will be over after this week so I will have a little more time to start preparing and enjoying the season. </div>
Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06483735679491896935noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587349639766392624.post-8298166337250639802012-11-12T23:21:00.001-08:002012-12-02T11:28:18.233-08:00Video!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hi friends!<br />
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I thought this would be a good opportunity to share a video I made for my web design/programming class. It features fun stuff I've done in the bay area so you've probably seen all these pictures before but it's still a nice video and I chose pretty music for it from this jazz soloists cd I like :).<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/qZm_wNrfghk" width="560"></iframe><br />
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So, enjoy, until next time when I have time to write a review of the book I just finished! :)</div>
Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06483735679491896935noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587349639766392624.post-61168617946584003302012-11-04T22:43:00.001-08:002012-11-04T22:47:46.615-08:00Halloween & CLA<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So, fun week/weekend. At work we had our halloween party and people had fun costumes. I was a penguin.<br />
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We also got delicious catered Chinese food, and candy. There was a costume contest and the winner was the guy who dressed up as a revolutionary.<br />
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This weekend was the California Library Association General Conference, CLA for short, here in San Jose. I had a great time.<br />
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I went to a session on social media, a panel of mystery/crime authors, some lovely receptions where I met some new people, and a little evening amusement called CLA Battledecks which mixed slideshows and improv. I also saw lots of fascinating posters from different companies/libraries and enjoyed perusing the exhibit hall. Great weekend, and I still had time to meet with my study group and finish all my homework.<br />
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Here's a picture of a bunch of "swag" or fun exhibit hall freebies I got. Some flyers, bookmarks, pens, post-it notes, candy, a free picture of myself as a "Library Scientist"...<br />
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...and some books, including a free one I picked out about pirates. <br />
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I also bought a book by one of the authors at the panel I attended. She writes crime novels set in Paris, and she actually goes to Paris on a regular basis to do research for her novels. She signed my book for me, too :). I will be reviewing the book here when I finish it. At the suggestion of one of my new conference friends, I think I will occasionally start reviewing books here on my blog, because I really want to get back into reading more and that would give me the motivation to do so.<br />
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Happy November!</div>
Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06483735679491896935noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587349639766392624.post-38263672128691213522012-10-28T16:24:00.000-07:002013-09-28T02:45:17.737-07:00Fun times<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So, last weekend I went to the Ferry Building Farmer's Market in San Francisco with my cousin, and it was a really nice day. I got pomegranates, red potatoes, kale and some apples... and with some of my ingredients I made <a href="http://www.thecurvycarrot.com/2012/10/17/white-bean-and-kale-soup/" target="_blank">this lovely soup</a>.<br />
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It's got kale, potatoes, white cannellini beans, carrot, vegetable broth, a little garlic, onion and salt, zuchinni, and a little shredded cheddar ontop. Definitely a keeper!<br />
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We also went inside the ferry building where we made a visit to Miette, a cute little pastry shop where I got an amazing chocolate lavendar macaron...<br />
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...and also Blue Bottle for some coffee and cookies.<br />
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This weekend, I went to the San Jose Flea Market to search for inspiration for my Halloween costume. As I observed all the fun animal hats, I recalled that they sell a lot of those at anime conventions too... so I decided I'd buy one and be an anime convention attendee. I even have my old badge from 2011 with all the buttons I've been collecting ever since I started going to conventions. Next post I will post a picture.<br />
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They had a farmer's market at the flea market too, where I got some more pomegranates, tangerines, and avocados.<br />
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After the flea market, I visited Japantown and got some pocky to go with my costume.. and no visit to Japantown is complete without a Hawaiian shave ice.<br />
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This time I got blue raspberry and green tea. A little boy and his mom shared my table with me, they were from Campbell and super nice. We talked about legos and farmer's markets.<br />
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Pretty relaxing day so far, went to get some things at Whole Foods and just relaxing now. Hope everyone else is having a nice weekend too! :)</div>
Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06483735679491896935noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587349639766392624.post-17679375612890639112012-10-19T20:13:00.002-07:002012-10-19T20:53:06.893-07:00Friday night scene<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Tonight on my way home from work I remembered that there is a food truck night-- locally referred to as <a href="http://mvblfeast.com/" target="_blank">Moveable Feast</a>-- at the Curtner light rail station. A bunch of gourmet/street-food trucks get together and sell every kind of food you could want....<br />
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....from sushi, to shrimp, to burritos, to curry, to ice cream, to espresso drinks, to sandwiches of all kinds... and tater tots and french fries. Not just any fries, though. Sometimes there is also a poutine food truck.<br />
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I went to Moveable Feast last week looking for <a href="http://www.littlechefcounter.com/" target="_blank">Little Chef</a>, but it was not there. Luckily this time it was! My coworkers rave about poutine, so I thought it was about time I tried it, especially because I have two fantastic friends in Canada-- you, Meesh, and also my other friend Christian in Vancouver. :)<br />
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What is poutine, the uninitiated may ask? Well....<br />
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"A dish of french fries topped with cheese curds and gravy. Origin: 1980s, Canadian French, either from French pouding "pudding" or directly from PUDDING."<br />
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Now, I don't really get the "pudding" part, but a lot of different countries have <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pudding" target="_blank">different ways of defining pudding....</a><br />
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Anyway, this was what I got to enjoy: the classic poutine with gravy and cheese curds. They also had poutines with shredded short-ribs or duck confit.<br />
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It was quite delicious, with a delicately flavored gravy to enjoy with every bite and the perfectly melty cheese curds to enhance it even more. Add a gourmet banana white chocolate and snickerdoodle ice cream cookie sandwich and it was a lovely Friday night meal.<br />
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I think I'll start going to Moveable Feast more often! It's really a pretty nice little setup. They put out these red buckets for people to sit on as they eat, and they play music, and if it's cold out, they put out space heaters or bonfires.<br />
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Stay tuned to hear about my visit to San Francisco tomorrow :).<br />
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Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06483735679491896935noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587349639766392624.post-12579393463925180282012-10-06T19:23:00.002-07:002012-10-06T19:23:56.671-07:00A Fall Weekend<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This weekend I am celebrating fall. Today my housemate and I went to the <a href="http://www.pruschfarmpark.org/harvest-festival/" target="_blank">Emma Prusch Farm Park Harvest Fair & Exposition</a>. They had a bunch of neat booths, a pumpkin patch, music, and the occasional chicken wandering around. </div>
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This hen and her chicks in front of the pumpkin patch attracted much attention from the kids. We think she was teaching her chicks how to peck for bugs or seeds. :)<br />
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Here is a glimpse of the park. It would be really nice to come here some weekend and just enjoy nature with a book and some fruit as a snack.<br />
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Here's another chicken. It's fascinating to see the different patterns of feathers that chickens have. This one is almost like a zebra chicken.<br />
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I picked out a pumpkin at the fair, and my housemate helped me hollow out the pumpkin so I could make a <a href="http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1848,156172-253206,00.html" target="_blank">pumpkin stew</a> like the one I made last year with my family. This one came out just as tasty. Later on we will get 1-2 more pumpkins, so I can make a soup or we can just have one as a jack-o-lantern.<br />
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I also went to Walgreens and picked out some Halloween themed pencils for the kids I tutor. They always need pencils to do their homework, so if they are extra good, they get to keep the pencil at the end of the day. :)</div>
Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06483735679491896935noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587349639766392624.post-22080462019648133282012-09-28T00:09:00.000-07:002012-09-28T00:09:30.172-07:00Cookies<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Well, tonight I baked my favorite chocolate chip cookies for my co-worker's going-away potluck tomorrow. I have not baked anything in so long, it was nice to get back into it. I just didn't really do much baking over the summer because it was hot out/inside and I didn't really feel like using the oven much, but it is officially fall, so let the baking begin!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib_BmTvjK2kTwpMOX4LPS5WdgA99Y402tKZw_wg4Dkr5i7yv2mNcL7kTNcJ_93ZnxMnWK7R_HiGPRZJ5FmlGwX6FNB69elFxrxEdxdF5iP39u2ib6dzz7rGKw3_ZsmeEyrY3Ck4sca1Aw/s1600/cccookies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib_BmTvjK2kTwpMOX4LPS5WdgA99Y402tKZw_wg4Dkr5i7yv2mNcL7kTNcJ_93ZnxMnWK7R_HiGPRZJ5FmlGwX6FNB69elFxrxEdxdF5iP39u2ib6dzz7rGKw3_ZsmeEyrY3Ck4sca1Aw/s320/cccookies.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
I want to make some Halloween cookies too. Maybe I will pick up some fun Halloween shaped cookie cutters next time I go to Sur La Table in Santa Clara.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtI4CmIq5NWi3aXJM4h-YKBdoJJcbvjDe1qIj9AJPVVCtFY6l5O_Xa3x6p5a10jsLtkLUy6jzcyROlAIHz-ru8QEqz1QjB6DhyphenhyphenMK-p67CGJfqdRVdEpHMZYvGT7eOaGptAIZH2KasOZRU/s1600/SSPX0109.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtI4CmIq5NWi3aXJM4h-YKBdoJJcbvjDe1qIj9AJPVVCtFY6l5O_Xa3x6p5a10jsLtkLUy6jzcyROlAIHz-ru8QEqz1QjB6DhyphenhyphenMK-p67CGJfqdRVdEpHMZYvGT7eOaGptAIZH2KasOZRU/s320/SSPX0109.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Kinda forgot to share this picture before, but this is the result of sugar cookies in fun shapes + lots of frosting colors + lots of sprinkles. My Halloween cookies shall be just as festive!</div>
Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06483735679491896935noreply@blogger.com18