Mesmerizing school of fish, Monterey Bay Aquarium
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Friday, August 22, 2008
at last some quiet romantic couple time. . .
Kicking back in monterey - this was taken at Mission Ranch Inn & Restaurant (aka "Clint's place) - highly recommended!! Peter and I had dinner here last year, just a couple of days before we got married. Beautiful and romantic.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Hijinks @ Namu
Peter, Todd & Andre were striking a pose for the camera-phone. The highlight of my birthday was finding my long-lost camera phone under the backseat of our car - it's a good thing that I have willing subjects (even if they're a little goofy) who indulge me.
Namu is a fabulous little place in the Richmond - I think it's owned by a team of young Japanese & Koreans. Very tasty, expertly prepared fusion bar cuisine - the place reminds me of some nouveau-style izakaya I've been to in Japan. We're going back!
Namu is a fabulous little place in the Richmond - I think it's owned by a team of young Japanese & Koreans. Very tasty, expertly prepared fusion bar cuisine - the place reminds me of some nouveau-style izakaya I've been to in Japan. We're going back!
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Sailing on the bay
It was my dad's and my birthday this past weekend (clockwise: me, Pat, Dad, Peter, Pat's girlfriend Colley, Mom) - as one of our mutual birthday presents, Dad treated us to a 4-hour sail on the San Francisco Bay. We had not done it in years, and Peter had never sailed on the bay before, despite having grown up in Tiburon! Our rent-a-skipper took this picture. He did the heavy lifting, and we all pitched in with tacking and steering. Stopped on Angel Island for lunch - after a couple hours of being on the water, a burger never tasted so good! The "4-hour tour" ended up being more like 7 hours, due to high winds on our return trip - still, it was great fun.
Sunday, August 03, 2008
Peter's first bento
I bought this bento box in Japan town recently - it's fabulous, you can use it for sandwiches, salads or anything else. The little divider that comes with it is super convenient when you're packing a meal like this. It might look like stir fry, but actually it's curry that Peter made the other night.
Having prepared it entirely from memory (an Indian roommate in college taught him the recipe), Peter did a fantastic job - but the flavor & aroma was too intense for me. My pregnancy cravings are steering me towards all things mild, white and creamy - I'm all about mashed potatoes and alfredo sauce...I even put sweetened condensed milk in my iced tea and made a version of the "Royal Milk Tea" that you can buy in vending machines in Japan!
In summary, Peter's curry is unfortunately the polar opposite of what I'm eating these days. He made enough to feed an army, and has dutifully promised to help finish off the leftovers. Hence, the bento! I'm tempted to play around with the leftovers to see if I can mellow the flavor & make it into a creamy Tikka Masala! Stay tuned...
Having prepared it entirely from memory (an Indian roommate in college taught him the recipe), Peter did a fantastic job - but the flavor & aroma was too intense for me. My pregnancy cravings are steering me towards all things mild, white and creamy - I'm all about mashed potatoes and alfredo sauce...I even put sweetened condensed milk in my iced tea and made a version of the "Royal Milk Tea" that you can buy in vending machines in Japan!
In summary, Peter's curry is unfortunately the polar opposite of what I'm eating these days. He made enough to feed an army, and has dutifully promised to help finish off the leftovers. Hence, the bento! I'm tempted to play around with the leftovers to see if I can mellow the flavor & make it into a creamy Tikka Masala! Stay tuned...
Friday, August 01, 2008
Bar Antics
We got some of the crew together for Happy Hour at Harry's to offically celebrate my being "preggers." In this shot, Peter and I were trying to 'crush each other's heads.'
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Giant pacifier
One of Teddy's most adorable habits is to "nurse" on his stuffed bone. It's a complete lapse into early puppyhood - and he only does it with toys that look like bones! Peter and I wonder if he was weaned too early. . . whatever the reason, we don't question it -as you can see, this normally high-energy pooch is CALM and docile!
Friday, July 25, 2008
12 weeks!
It's official - I am PREGNANT! Baby Ockner is looking healthy so far - we think it's a 'he,' but we won't know for another 6 weeks. Judging from this picture, I think he got his daddy's long legs. Imagine the fun that he (and I) will have in my 3rd trimester. Due date is Feb. 5th. More pictures to come - stay tuned! :D
Friday, July 18, 2008
FLORIDA
Aww yeah. . . . flip flops, fried shrimp and lots of lounging. Unfortunately, I had to go solo this time, the hubby is working this week. Weather is "nice," which is to say that it's not 95 with blazing sun and 100% humidity, like it usually is this time of year. Cloudy, 85 and 100% humidity, which is a nice change from 100+ degrees (with no A/C), dry and smoky from nearby forest fires. That said, we in the Bay Area are absolutely spoiled by picture-perfect weather for most of the year - I mean to point out that the variety is nice. So far we've hit Gypsy Cab Co., my favorite restaurant of all time, and a relatively new one at the beach called La Cocina - this place is phenomenal - it's uncommon for any hotel restaurant to be this good. Outside of checking email occasionally and writing for the 2 or 3 people who read my blog (THANK YOU!), I am indulging in minimal responsibility and maximum free time for as long as I can. I forgot my camera, so there are no visuals (yet) but Dad just got an iPhone so I'll borrow his camera.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Back patio is FINI!
Peter finished the back patio today!!! We would ordinarily pop open a bottle of champagne, but if you read my earlier blog, I'm not exactly craving anything alcoholic these days - fortunately. :) Peter cut all of the flagstone himself (hugely arduous process), tediously leveled each piece with sand and planted little moss plugs in the crevices. I am truly in awe, and at the same time, a little tempted to grab some chalk and play a marathon game of hopscotch!
Compostable utensils!
There is a crazy-good organic ice cream place close to our house that has compostable cups and utensils. I've been curious about who makes them - so today at the farmers' market, I found them again! This time, I saw them at the Cafe Gratitude food stand. When I asked about them, I was given this label. The guy there told me that Whole Foods has started carrying compostable utensils, too - not sure if it's the same manufacturer, but check it out and feel free to let me know. FINALLY, an alternative to plastic! So for your next barbecue, please go to the store or go online and stock up on compostable fake plastic ware! :)
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Fashion Show!
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Bodega Bay
I'm way behind on my blogging...on Father's Day, Peter, Teddy & I headed up to Bodega Bay and met up with Dennis, my longtime friend and college advisor. Poocher had to stay on leash the entire time, but fortunately there were plenty of beaches where he was allowed.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Not-so-common sense
This article demonstrates how dangerously clueless the US general public is about water conservation: http://discovermagazine.com/2008/jun/28-everything-you-know-about-water-conservation-is-wrong/article_view?b_start:int=0&-C=
It's typical for the average American not to think beyond the bottom of his coffee cup about how much waste he produces. What kills me is how often people will throw away extra food or in this case, coffee, instead of, let's say, refrigerating it to make some iced coffee later! There's a better chance that this same person will go & buy an iced coffee at Starbucks later that afternoon.
It's scary to think of how many people actually leave the water running while they brush their teeth! And god forbid they should go so far as to resist washing their cars - 'cause a clean car is a necessity, after all. If we in this country still retain an ounce of what passed as "common sense" in the 1st half of the 20th century, we'd do wonders to slow the destruction of the planet. Turn off the lights when you leave a room. Fill a glass with water & use that to brush your teeth. Hang-dry at least SOME of your clothes (it's summertime for god sakes!). Buy, cook and eat what's in season. DARE to take public transportation once in a while, or better yet, ride a bike. If you must, wash your car and use a bucket - you could probably use the exercise! Limit use of the A/C by closing window blinds during the day. Eat less meat and more vegetables. What about this is so difficult to understand??
Admittedly, living in Japan has influenced me greatly - most households hang-dry ALL of their clothes and use fluorescent lighting in their houses - chances are that the reason for this is largely due to expensive gas & electricity - good habits created by necessity. You think about all the silly travel shows on TV - not one of them focuses on how people in other (first-world) countries LIVE. I think that most people here would find it fascinating.
I saw an interesting article which argues that people should not do eco-tours. Fair enough. I am happy NOT to go to the Galapagos and thereby do my part to preserve those ecosystems. But the articles later advises against travel in general for environmental reasons. However, traveling to Japan, or even better, Sweden, would be a mind-blowing, eye-opening experience, through which Americans could learn how to use their own resources wisely. I'm curious to know whether there might be a market for that kind of tourism.
It's typical for the average American not to think beyond the bottom of his coffee cup about how much waste he produces. What kills me is how often people will throw away extra food or in this case, coffee, instead of, let's say, refrigerating it to make some iced coffee later! There's a better chance that this same person will go & buy an iced coffee at Starbucks later that afternoon.
It's scary to think of how many people actually leave the water running while they brush their teeth! And god forbid they should go so far as to resist washing their cars - 'cause a clean car is a necessity, after all. If we in this country still retain an ounce of what passed as "common sense" in the 1st half of the 20th century, we'd do wonders to slow the destruction of the planet. Turn off the lights when you leave a room. Fill a glass with water & use that to brush your teeth. Hang-dry at least SOME of your clothes (it's summertime for god sakes!). Buy, cook and eat what's in season. DARE to take public transportation once in a while, or better yet, ride a bike. If you must, wash your car and use a bucket - you could probably use the exercise! Limit use of the A/C by closing window blinds during the day. Eat less meat and more vegetables. What about this is so difficult to understand??
Admittedly, living in Japan has influenced me greatly - most households hang-dry ALL of their clothes and use fluorescent lighting in their houses - chances are that the reason for this is largely due to expensive gas & electricity - good habits created by necessity. You think about all the silly travel shows on TV - not one of them focuses on how people in other (first-world) countries LIVE. I think that most people here would find it fascinating.
I saw an interesting article which argues that people should not do eco-tours. Fair enough. I am happy NOT to go to the Galapagos and thereby do my part to preserve those ecosystems. But the articles later advises against travel in general for environmental reasons. However, traveling to Japan, or even better, Sweden, would be a mind-blowing, eye-opening experience, through which Americans could learn how to use their own resources wisely. I'm curious to know whether there might be a market for that kind of tourism.
Monday, June 02, 2008
100% Fun!
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Backyard project
Hardware stores are not my favorite places, but seeing Peter get so excited makes it worth it. We went to Marin to check out flagstone and picked out some samples for the back patio, then went to the hardware store for...I don't know - more stuff. ; ) Peter's hard at work in the backyard today, cutting the sprinkler pipe that was there to make room for it. I'm a little tired, so I'm making myself useful sorting pictures & blogging.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Post-Covelo Exhaustion
Poocher was wiped out after we got back from Covelo. I took him for a marathon walk yesterday, yielding the same result. Walked down to the Farmers Market, played at the dog park, back to the Farmers Market and then home. He didn't move for a few hours and I...burned a few extra calories, I guess!
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Happy Birthday
We were up in Covelo for Mem. Day weekend, and Peter got a surprise birthday present that the whole family can enjoy.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Kauai
This was taken on an "easy" hike in Kauai - I think what was meant by "easy" is that it's relatively "easy" to stay on the trail, and in case you take a wrong step, there are plenty of trees to run into before tumbling hundreds of feet off steep cliffs into the ocean. However, we were rewarded with THE most incredible views I've ever experienced on a hike. It was at times steamy-muggy, very muddy and rocky, but no bugs!! Hawaii is great like that. Sand fleas are the only annoyance, and with all the tradewinds, that's hardly an issue. I would have loved to stay on this island for many more days & done some camping. Next time...
Friday, May 09, 2008
NEW CHAIRS
Patty brought down these gorgeous chairs - as luck would have it, they are too big for her dining room, so we are fortunate to be able to use them, instead!
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Peter, Poocher & the Pacific
Jen & Poocher are enjoying daily treks on the hiking trails of Marin. He's with his daddy in this picture. The spring blossoms are disappearing & giving way to early summer. I'm loving the long days, too. We're off to Hawaii soon for our honeymoon - cannot WAIT.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Rite of passage
The Pooch got 'fixed' this past week and had to wear this oh-so-stylin' plastic cone for a week. You can see from the tears and cracks that he's had some trouble with spacial relationships, but we've tried to ease his pain by administering frequent ear scratches, which he loves.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Huge improvement
I wish I'd done a 'before-and-after' shot - even though the patio is not yet finished, this is a massive improvement over what it looked like before. Peter was hard at work all day today while I piddled around in the house. Next step is to lay flagstone and ground cover, then go obtain some outdoor furniture - maybe a hammock?? It stays pretty shady, which will be nice when the weather warms up.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Sunday drive
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Sweden's biofuel initiatives
Yesterday, I saw on the news that a chunk of Antarctica's shelf (7 times the size of Manhattan) has broken off, and I cried. I could not stop the tears from rolling down my cheeks as I looked at the satellite picture. What will it take for us to implement meaningful change??
I went to Scottsdale, Arizona for Easter weekend. Inside of 4 days, I saw at least 10 Hummers on the road, in an area of the country where natural resources like water are not exactly abundant. One of these monster trucks actually had a license plate that said, "GBLWRMR." ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? And we wonder why is it that we're not loved and admired by all throughout the world??
When I was in Japan, one of my good friends told me about a program that she watched on NHK one night (the "PBS" or "BBC" of Japan) on Sweden's initiative to combat global warming. I was stunned - cars that run on human waste - brilliant. Yes, the startup costs are high, and for a while it does cost more than regular gasoline, but eventually the investment pays for itself, and you're doing something small, but significant to help the environment.
WHY can't we flip on the tube and watch similar programming in the US??
I remember a few years ago when Uma Thurman was on Leno (or Letterman?), and said that cars could run on vegetable oil! Most of us were like, "huh??" The fact that she stunned so many people with this idea should have been enough to make us realize how ill-informed we were, thanks to our crappy, profit-driven media - whether it's outright lying, or lying by omission, they do this country a grave disservice. Now we know (years after Uma enlightens us on a late-night talk show!) that cars can run on corn, hydrogen and....HUMAN WASTE. ALCOHOL. Scrap from slaughterhouses, aka, TRASH. Thank god for National Geographic and the Guardian. More people should tune in: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/06/070625-swedish-biogas.html
Hopefully, I am wrong about the majority of people in the US - that we do CARE, and if we hear the truth about what's going on in the world, we will act quickly to make positive change, for our own future generations and for the rest of the world with whom we are connected.
I went to Scottsdale, Arizona for Easter weekend. Inside of 4 days, I saw at least 10 Hummers on the road, in an area of the country where natural resources like water are not exactly abundant. One of these monster trucks actually had a license plate that said, "GBLWRMR." ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? And we wonder why is it that we're not loved and admired by all throughout the world??
When I was in Japan, one of my good friends told me about a program that she watched on NHK one night (the "PBS" or "BBC" of Japan) on Sweden's initiative to combat global warming. I was stunned - cars that run on human waste - brilliant. Yes, the startup costs are high, and for a while it does cost more than regular gasoline, but eventually the investment pays for itself, and you're doing something small, but significant to help the environment.
WHY can't we flip on the tube and watch similar programming in the US??
I remember a few years ago when Uma Thurman was on Leno (or Letterman?), and said that cars could run on vegetable oil! Most of us were like, "huh??" The fact that she stunned so many people with this idea should have been enough to make us realize how ill-informed we were, thanks to our crappy, profit-driven media - whether it's outright lying, or lying by omission, they do this country a grave disservice. Now we know (years after Uma enlightens us on a late-night talk show!) that cars can run on corn, hydrogen and....HUMAN WASTE. ALCOHOL. Scrap from slaughterhouses, aka, TRASH. Thank god for National Geographic and the Guardian. More people should tune in: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/06/070625-swedish-biogas.html
Hopefully, I am wrong about the majority of people in the US - that we do CARE, and if we hear the truth about what's going on in the world, we will act quickly to make positive change, for our own future generations and for the rest of the world with whom we are connected.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Back to reality
After many weeks on the road, life returns to normal. I took Teddy to the trail for his morning walk, and we went for a romp on the beach yesterday. Caught up with friends & family in Arizona over Easter - so great to go back there. Weather is unbelievably beautiful now, both there and here - the spring blossoms are just now starting to give way to green leaves. Time to catch up with spring cleaning and general household maintenance - ugh... at least I have great surroundings to escape to, and my trusty partner in crime!
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Sunday, March 16, 2008
coco's kindergarten class
Coco (Madoka's daughter) is the one in the hat.We went to pick her up today and I became the gaijin ゛toy.゛
Saturday, March 15, 2008
whale meat
before you launch into a tirade, the answer is NO,I did not have any. but for those of you who are curious, this is whatwhalemeat sashimi looks like. the really dark meat is regular meat,then there is bacon,skin and tongue. one good thing is that none of the animal goes to waste but still, I cannot bring myself to eat it.
Sake competition
This was very cool. Line a bunch of sake up,six to a table and do a blind tasting. the object is to match them to the labeled ones on the other side of the room.
08-03-15_12-10.jpg
went to ｍａｓｕｍｉ brewery today and had shinshu soba for lunch,along with tasty sake,of course. masumi is a pretty well distributed sake in the US. really soft and drinkable.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Monday, March 10, 2008
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Buitoni pasta bar!
Originally uploaded by js_hale
I was in a rush to have lunch in Azabu Juban earlier this week - I happened upon a brilliant little "pasta bar" restaurant - it's counter seating only, and you come in & choose from 15 different types of spaghetti. Fantastic. I got the 和風 Japanese seafood pasta. Shrimp, squid, bits of fish, etc. and nori sprinkled on top. A little dashi and olive oil to mix up the flavors. It was perfect!
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