Snowy funny

For the past two days, on my way from the train to the office, I've crossed paths with a man in a fedora playing the ukelele. Very Somewhere Over the Rainbow. Today, I didn't see him. Maybe because there was a car being towed and traffic was all backed up and the honking cars made him choose another route. I have to say I missed him. The first day I smiled. The second day I said, "Every day?" And of course today I didn't say anything because I didn't see him. Maybe our relationship will be like the one I have with Clyde--the long-haired retiree who bikes all over Richlandia. I'll see him once in a while. Or maybe only on snowy days. I wear a big red puffy coat on especially cold days: read below 40. If I pass [whoa, the carbon monoxide alarm just went off--smart that the noise is so piercing as to wake one from artificial slumber] Mr. Ukulele on a warmer day, chances are he won't recognize me outside of my large tomato sleeping bag.

Tonight I'm eating rice porridge Chinese style, ie savory with chicken, ginger, and I threw in some daikon radish for good measure. It is a sort of Dad meets Mom method as she's the chicken rice maker and dad swears by daikon during the colder months to stave off sickness. Again, no pictures, it's yummy but not pretty.

Ok. I'm still awake. Hopefully the CO monitor will keep me from any real danger but I've opened both windows for cross ventilation in my room even though it's below freezing tonight.

Shout out to Windy!

Bed time

I'm driving to Seattle tomorrow to help Delphine out. The hamstring tear is complete, so surgery will be scheduled in the next few days.

Just hung out with Kristie who deserves a big shout out for reading. We watched Remember the Titans for research recommended to me by Jessica S. (Note for Jessica: my dad said he'd watch it once I have watched it and can tell him for sure that it's good.) Research for the play I have started writing that I mentioned in my last post. Finished the general structure and drafted the first three scenes. AND, I got 100% on my census worker test. They should be calling next week but maybe I'll still be in Seattle at that time?

My dad wishes I would get a job. My mom wishes I would get a job. Sometimes, I wish I would get a job too. In Tucson. A fun one with happy-level wages. Wishing is one thing that I'm almost sure is just the Disney word for 'worry' but that's debatable.

Ok, truly I need to go to bed. But I was just excited to post knowing that I do have readers of my non-photo posts! :)

Exit wounds

Not that I've been shot. It's just the pin prick-sized scabs on my hand just healed from helping arrange roses at the TSC volunteer banquet--and that was about two weeks ago. And there's a fading bruise on my shin from when I ran into Juanita's granny cart containing her Christmas tree. And, well, the gap in my heart whenever I leave NYC. And, well, well, it's time. I'm done. Time to shut down the blog because there are no more travels.

Nancy (of Richland) asked me today if I plan to be temporary for much longer. And it's like: yes, I not only plan to be temporary, I AM temporary. And eternal. Confusing right? It's the dot, not the line--according to Randy Alcorn. But no, I want to be Somewhere. I don't like being elsewhere. I like location, I just don't like fixed location. (A big thank you to Nancy for the lovely lunch and chat!!)

My dad said I need to own things to teach me responsibility. Like a computer. Or a car. Using things that don't belong to me, I don't learn to take care of them. I didn't get mad, visibly. Certainly my internal resume ticker was flashing: I just took care of my sister's FOUR kids for a week! My Linkedin recommendations rock! I bought and installed RAM for your computer...Oh hollow justification.

Anyway. Here's some pictures to lighten the mood of this post.

Some of my ex-colleagues at the Deutsch department party I crashed.

Kristin and Linsey prepping lemon tart.

Closeup of tart.

Juanita and the tree. :)

Day in the Life

I don't have the energy to write something deep or reflective, and it occurred to me that I could just to a day's details like I used to when I was in, say, Krakow. This thought invigorated me.

A photo from a few days ago, but it closely resembles this morning's breakfast except that instead of Banilla Stonyfield yogurt, I had Maple Brown Cow. Had to hurry because I slept in til 8:30AM. No time for a shower, and since my roommate Pamela commented on how she didn't know how long my hair was until last night when she caught me re-doing the double loop, I wore it in a ponytail. Semi-down.

Got off the A train and rounded the corner to the office at 9:58AM. Not bad at all. As long as my boss doesn't catch me wandering in after 10AM, I figure I'm safe. There is another freelance producer working, who doesn't have much work. So I'm glad to be in operation, so to say. There's a lot of jargon/mouth-fill tossed around liberally at work, especially on conference calls, and--since I've been away from the East coast--a lot of cussing. I know I sound very adolescent and shielded but I am shocked. Well, I was shocked. I think it's worn off by now, business day ten for me.

What did I do all day? Updated a copydeck, reviewed some Relationship Management emails for a pharma company, attended a meeting with a 3rd party site who's going to build a microsite for another client, made two cups of tea in the I Am Not A Paper Cup that Kristina has loaned me, ate leftover spinach from last night and then went out to pick up some rice and beans from a favorite Puerto Rican place of mine--they let me go even though I was short 75 cents.

Juanita cancelled on me for dinner--not feeling well. :( So then the day was over and I had Nothing To Do. Smiled at the tourists who were taking pictures of the subway art, road the train back uptown, kind of squished and thought this little kid was getting fresh, then thought "he's just short", went to my apartment so I could pee in private. Nothing like a 4-stall women's room for 300+ employees to induce shy bladder.

It didn't rain all day. Which kind of makes me mad because (and this so reminds me of my dad) the forecast keeps saying thunderstorms and so I don't plan to go lap swimming and then the day is perfectly decent and nearly cloudless. So I went to Lincoln Center and reserved tickets to Mostly Mozart concert that I'm going to with my friend Kara. I've done this one other time and it's fabulous because she has a doctorate in Music Theory and I know I will get to ask her all sorts of silly questions like: 'how is it that we can hear the solo violinist so clearly above the rest of the symphony' and 'who do you like better: Beethoven or Bach?...why?'

After I got tickets, I came back to the apartment and texted Tiffany and emailed and stuff. Then I got hungry and made this:
It's a three-egg patty with spinach and ricotta. (If I seem a little spinach obsessed, know it's mere coincidence that I had spinach last night for dinner and then had this chopped spinach in the freezer. Or maybe not.) Dressed with some sea salt and crushed red pepper. It was edible. Nothing spectacular, but it's what I had.

Then I poured some Maple Brown Cow yogurt (you're going to suspect me of product placement...not so! I just like these brands, really...) over some more blueberries and put the bowl in the freezer. Read three chapters of 1 Kings and then, voila! This inspired dessert is actually the impetus of my post. Wanted to share what turned out to be a very yummy, refreshing, and healthy-ish sweet alternative. Has anyone seen Julie & Julia yet? Well, I plan to, once I get my paycheck. :)

[Postscript: re-read my blog on Alabama and that's where I got the idea to put yogurt and berries in the freezer...from Miss Kim! I'm no genius. Just forgetful.]

Family: the great time warp

Seriously. When I hang out with my family, I kind of forget about the rest of my life. I am only a daughter, a sister, or an auntie. There is no "Irene", only "Xiao A Yi" (pinyin for 'mother's younger sister'). So now I face the biggest blog lapse since I began, I think.

The rest of my time in Richland was packed to the gills with good visits with more friends interspersed with FB Texas Hold Em'. Had a cathartic discussion of sorts with my parents and the fruit of that emotional expression/honesty is still reverberating. If fruit reverberates, that is. Ripening, might be a more contiguous verb. So, again, yay emotional maturation! Yay, counseling! One friend of mine whom I saw a few times during my 10 days in Richland quipped (I paraphrase): you have a lot of patience to engage with a variety of people and really listen to them and remember details about their lives. It blesses me to watch you interact with people. Her words were very affirming as I find her an incredibly upbeat and engaging person.

So I wound up driving the standard-shift, no power steering, cassette tape deck truck to Seattle as my parents went up the day before so my dad could attend my niece's "Special Guy" kindergarten lunch. It wasn't so bad. Dance recital was fun(ny). And I was The Face Painter at her 6th birthday party. All the moms recognize me as such now. One kid asked if it was my job. Maybe I should consider it? Speaking of, my current idea list of jobs come 2010 are: teach, nanny, freelance project management, and nursing school (I realize this is not a job). So kind of broad spectrum. And of course I could become another empty-pocketed writer. Which sounds kind of appealing as well.

So the party was fun and the clown was totally not scary and very funny ("Nothing better than an iced-mustard.") but the memorable thing was that during the party my other sister called to say that my dad was going to take me sick mother to the ER because she couldn't stop puking. And this was on my mom's actual 73rd birthday! So they hydrated her and gave her some medication IV and sent her home. But we were all worried. My mom is a workhorse and kept apologizing for not being able to help out. This was the least of our concern. Anyway, some drama ensued about whether she should go home or stay but eventually she and my dad went home to Richland for a few days before coming back so my dad could present the gospel at an area Chinese church event. I have many thoughts and feelings about the Whole Thing but most importantly, I created a Therapeutic Event (so calls my counselor) in that I am separating from my parents' marriage. It's not mine, I've got no business in it, and boy is that freeing. (Thanks to Kristie who shared some good stuff with me and confirmed that it's the right thing for me to do, emotionally--even if it sounds crazy.)

The rest of the week has been a mix of Play Dough with my 2nd youngest niece, Jackpot (some ball toss game) with my eldest niece and her neighbor friends, wiping up spills, changing diapers, playing Settlers of Catan with my brother-in-law and sister, grocery shopping, researching washing machines, driving the minivan around, and tickling my nephew. I am the 3rd parent.

I did see my high school friend Jason yesterday for coffee. He works at T-Mobile and I hung out with him before he caught the bus back across Lake Washington (well, missed and caught the next one). So that's some peer-level interaction.

My next stops are Victoria and Vancouver, British Columbia in Canadia and Banff with Juanita; Bellevue/Seattle for Independence Day; Richland for another week; TBD; camping in Mt Rainier Park; the Olympic Peninsula with Nancy from Richland; and NYC on August 1st.

I'll post some pictures later today if I get a chance.

Love to you, my lovely readers. A quote via my friend Amy: Being heard is so close to being loved that for the average person they are almost indistinguishable. (And reading my blog = being heard. So there.)

Opening move

Just bought a one-way ticket to New Orleans departing Feb 22. Smile. Had a lovely new year's eve into new year. Met with one friend who encouraged me to fully learn: the greatest of these is love. And another friend today who was just plain excited for me.

Dad asked me to do the weekly Asian market shopping tomorrow saying I did a good job the last time. I am celebrating this small but meaningful assignment.

Needs? Wants?

Reading over Dogged John's blog, I had to question my newest obsession of finding a smart phone for the year. Prayer.

And tonight after dinner, I helped my dad cut onions for stuffing some bitter melon. It was a sweet moment. Over Christmas, I told my friend Juanita that my dad had been "encouraging" me to read the Bible more consistently. She responded, "Does he think you're backsliding?" He asked me again tonight, and somehow, mediated by the onion-induced tears, I was able to not immediately get angry. And then he reminded me about doing laundry. So, now I'm waiting for the first load to dry, my room is vacuumed and picked up, the trash emptied. I am a kid. Who wants a smart phone.

And health insurance. I applied to my current provider for catastrophic coverage. My friend Tiffany has already declared God to be my health insurance. But I promised my mom, my sister, and my friend Nancy that I'd get some coverage. :) I'm glad to have so many worriers in my life so I don't have to.