Peter's first bento

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Originally uploaded by js_hale

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...

Bar Antics

Bar Antics
Originally uploaded by js_hale

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.'

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!

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

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. 

Back patio is FINI!

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Originally uploaded by js_hale

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! :)

Fashion Show!

My good friend Yugala enlisted me to model in a fashion show/block party this past weekend. The runway was set up on a side street, and the pre-show festivities drew a good crowd. There was a troupe of girls doing double-dutch jump rope to hip-hop music, and a guy reciting poetry about the absence of Asian men in American media, circumcision, etc. A great sampling of left-wing San Francisco culture. That kept everyone entertained while we scurried around behind the black curtain, getting ready. Apparently, there was a woman who fell in love with Yugala's dresses & she ended up buying at least 3 of them before the end of the show. This was likely my 'last hurrah' for modeling for a while - if you're wondering why, the style of my dress gives a big hint!

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.

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.

100% Fun!

I'm borrowing the title of this picture from one of my favorite albums (Matthew Sweet). Peter, Teddy and I went hiked the Cataract Trail on Mount Tamalpais. The trail was amazing - it starts at a reservoir, then goes up, up, up, following a stream with rocky pools and waterfalls, shaded by redwoods the whole way. Teddy was the most sure-footed of all of us - he's balancing here on a slimy fallen tree covered with algae.

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.

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!

Happy Birthday

We were up in Covelo for Mem. Day weekend, and Peter got a surprise birthday present that the whole family can enjoy.

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...

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!

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.

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.

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.

Sunday drive

Peter and I took our good friends, Kevin and Zareen, sightseeing through Marin last weekend. We stopped on the side of the road for a photo.