mysticonnie's blog

This is Halloween

2008-10-21T23:38:00.000-07:00

I live in Alameda. Halloween is taken very, very seriously here. Everyone decorates, and if you don't pass out candy to trick or treaters, your house is liable for getting egged. The first year we lived here, Zack and I opened up our front door to discover pandemonium on our lawn. There were so many kids running amok, it was like recess in grade school when the bell rings. It's okay though - we love Halloween. We usually end up with a couple of invites to Halloween parties every year as well. In the past, I had some sort of vague plan, based on picking up something from Goodwill and building around it with stuff I made, stuff I had at home and maybe a few accessories from the Spirit Halloween store. This year, I got lazy and decided to just buy the whole costume from Spirit. Boy was I surprised at what was available. Or actually, what wasn't available. What do I mean? Well, let me give you an example.

We all remember Snow White, right?

Whistle while you work, innocent, naive Snow White from Disney. (FYI: I'm wasn't planning on Snow White as my Halloween costume) Here's an excellent recreation of the Snow White outfit.

Of course, it looks great because it's Oscar winner Rachel Weisz photographed by Annie Lebovitz, complete with woodland creatures and everything. Not very many people can achieve this level of detail, obviously. Here's what we think we can settle for.

Not bad, right? Just about what you might expect for a standard Snow White Halloween costume. But notice I said: "what we THINK we can settle for." I went to the Halloween store on Sunday, that costume in my size was nowhere to be found. The closest version to this was in the children's section. Instead, I found this one in the Teen Section.

Uh, did a rabies-infested deer chew off Snow White's skirt? Where's the rest of her outfit? Scary thing is, that this is what I found in the "TEEN" section. The section with the less revealing costumes. Here's what I found in the women's section.

and this

Which is sluttier? I don't know. The first one is lower cut, but the second one has a shorter skirt. Don't worry about it though; something will come along to trump it. At this point, I had wandered up and down the aisles of stripper wear, trying to figure out what to do. There was the standard sexy nurse, french maid, schoolgirl, bunny, cat... no surprise, right? Then there was a sexy mutant ninja turtle, sexy guitar, sexy Harry Potter, sexy Sponge Bob. It was disturbing. I felt like shouting "Slutty, slutty, slutty!" ala Michael Kors on Project Runway.

Dismayed, I went home and got online, hoping to order something not slutty online. Morbidly curious, I looked at more Snow White costumes. I couldn't believe my eyes, but here's the something coming along to trump it.

Are those arm ruffle garter things supposed to make the outfit look less revealing? Cause it's not working. I guess Miranda and Cady Heron were right. Sigh. In the meantime, I'll go find an old sheet and dress up as a ghost. Maybe if I cut it up right and bind it really tight I can make it... oh, never mind.

Saturday 4 or 6 or whatever...

2008-10-11T19:40:00.000-07:00

cause Jen said I would do it...

> A) Four places that I go to over and over:
the gym, the farmer's market, the pool and yoga
geez, am I really that much of a fitness nut? well, since I eat the way I do, I guess I have to be!

> B) Four people who e-mail me (regularly):
christine, justin, marina and kristy
not counting the one campaign, shopbop.com, daily candy, etc.

> C) Four of my favorite places to eat (this changes frequently) :
burma superstar, yummy (secret) sushi place, mi grullense taco truck, vien huong "go away baby" noodle joint

> D) Four places I would rather be right now
eating macarons and drinking wine with Justin in Paris, surfing in Hawaii, ummm, I dunno. other than that, I like where I am!

> E) Four people I think will respond (/comment):
I don't think anyone reads this anymore. Facebook has taken over!

> F) Four TV shows I watch over and over:
Buffy, Battlestar Galactica, Arrested Development, Freaks and Geeks

And you?

Can't. Frakkin'. Wait.

2008-04-03T20:05:00.000-07:00

BSG season 4 in 24 hours!

what i'm up to...

2008-04-01T23:13:00.000-07:00

watching... as you wish!

listening to...

TiVoing... It's not the best thing ever, but I like to support the Buffy alums. Besides, just wait till the Sparkles mall tour comes to town! I'm so there.

surfing... Does anyone else remember the Babysitters' Club books? I think I liked Stacy or Dawn the most but damn, Claudia's ensembles would fit right in with Dolores Park nowadays. I was way into them in like, 5th grade, along with Sweet Valley High. It was disillusioning to learn firsthand that high school was not like that (or Grease, for that matter) and more like Buffy.

wanting... friday to be here already, so I can FINALLY watch BSG season 4.

what i'm up to...

2008-03-19T00:02:00.000-07:00

reading... a painfully accurate account of academia and family

listening to... still as fresh today as it was 20 years ago. Bono looks so young!

watching ... the book, especially its ending, was better, but I still enjoyed it. It's a frothy little fairy tale, much in the vein of The Princess Bride, and I have to say, I enjoyed the addition of Robert De Niro's character. Much better than the BBC adaptation of Neverwhere.

tivoing... Go Sun! You smack that Juliet bitch around some more!

wanting... my preordered Battlestar Galactica Season 3 DVDs to arrive already! And for April 4 to come so I can watch season 4. I'm on a bit of a BSG kick here. Then again, when am I not?

fangirl dreams quashed

2008-03-18T23:54:00.000-07:00

so my fantasy of Joss Whedon directing a BSG episode will never probably nevercome to fruition. :( Studios, you'd better give Dollhouse a much better chance than you did Firefly, or I swear, you'll have a riot on you hands! Well, it's nice to know that they at least tried. But in other (better) news, Caprica's been greenlit and Fray will pop up in the Buffy Season 8 comic.

Words are flying out like endless rain into a paper cup

2008-02-26T23:59:00.000-08:00

Zack and I just watched Across the Universe, and I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected. Zack did too, though maybe not as much as me. It's a musical love story set to Beatles songs during the Vietnam war movement. Lots of Beatles songs, and not much actual dialogue. Yes, it sounds cheesy, but it actually works. I would say that I would have liked to see this in the theater, as the visuals are stunning, but Zack and I kept singing along to the movie... it's pretty hard to resist doing so, and while our fellow movie patrons might appreciate the sentiment, they might not appreciate it being actualized. Purists may object to the films adulteration of the songs, but I found myself developing a new appreciation (if that's at all possible) for the construction of the songs. Paul's songs dominate, which is fitting since it's a love story and mostly balads are used, but the title and the ending belong to John. They threw George a couple bones, and well, there were a few more songs I can think of that could be used before they got to Ringo. I challenge anyone who ever liked a Beatles song to watch this without at least humming along.

Backlash is inevitable

2008-01-30T21:56:00.000-08:00

I caved into the hype, and the bloggers are right: the new Vampire Weekend is pretty boss.

iPhone test

2008-01-16T00:17:00.001-08:00

Sent from my iPhone

in da club

2007-12-30T14:48:00.000-08:00

I gotta say, sometimes a highly touted status product lives up to its hype. Creme de la Mer, white truffles, Manolo Blahniks, Wolford tights... Some products surpass the hype and actually change your life. The iPod, TiVO, and now, the iPhone. Yep, that's right! It is soooo ginourmously awesome. Matter of fact, this post is being punched on MY iPhone. That's right bitches, MY iPhone.

Okay, sorry about the obnoxiousness. Just had to gloat.

I HATE COMCAST

2007-12-02T22:16:00.000-08:00

those motherfrakking JACKHOLES!!! ARRRRGGGGHHH.

Hmmm, I know what'll make me feel better.

What is it about wickedly impractical footwear that makes 'em so goddamn HAWT? These babies are seriously threatening my scheme to obtain an iphone! I swear, shoes must be my kryptonite. Zac Posen, you do not disappoint.

New guilty pleasure.

2007-11-16T20:00:00.000-08:00

Gossip Girl. Not a particularly huge surprise, given all the comparisons to the OC. I'll admit that although this show is right down my alley, I resisted the OC, after all, is loosely based on my old 'hood, and I presumed that a show about Manhattan teen bluebloods wouldn't be all that. However, the pilot was free on iTunes, so I downloaded it and enjoyed it. I still was undecided whether the show was TiVO queue worthy, so I missed the subsequent episodes until last week, when the writers' strike started. Now I'm catching up, and I'm Team Blair all the way! Nate, the douchiest teen soap character to grace the tube since Marissa Cooper, doesn't deserve her. Serena's got the best closet, but beneath that golden girl exterior is a skank with a superiority complex who'll bang her best friend's boyfriend. Dan is a more manly and less geeky Seth Cohen, but Vanessa is the Oliver of the show. And Chuck well, he was pretty vile in the pilot, but with last week's episode, the writers have managed to make the sometime date rapist appear somewhat redeemable. What a mindfuck. What is it about those bad boys? Spike on Buffy, Logan on Veronica Mars, Sawyer on Lost, hell, Volchok (until he got wussy) on the OC.

happyhappyjoyjoy!

2007-10-31T20:11:00.000-07:00

aaaaaah!

sometimes, insomnia pays off

2007-10-10T01:24:00.000-07:00

Can you imagine the schwag possiblities?

2007-10-07T23:25:00.000-07:00

Zack and I just saw The Darjeeling Limited, and even he admits that that the plot central luggage set specially designed by Marc Jacobs/Louis Vuitton for the film is an object of desire.

I'm a big Wes Anderson fan, but I felt underwhelmed by his last endeavor, The Life Aquatic, especially as a follow up to one of my favorite movies, The Royal Tenenbaums. Style without substance, we said, as we left the theater. The Darjeeling Limited is a return to form, a study on fractured familial relationships, especially between siblings (brothers), with an undercurrent of grief (their father died one year earlier). Like Rushmore, it's a boys' movie, but it's also a quest (like the Life Aquatic). The latest addition to Anderson's cast of characters, Adrien Brody, injects a certain melancholy vulnerability that was missing from The Life Aquatic. I hope he pops up in Anderson's movies again. And one can't help be feel a weirdly prescient (imagined or not) vibe in Owen Wilson's performance as the oldest brother who has recently survived a motorcycle accident that may have been on purpose. As usual, the mise en scene (including that luggage) and the soundtrack is impeccable.

So....

2007-09-05T00:31:00.000-07:00

we received the DVD for season 1 of Heroes last week. Zack and I had been religiously avoiding watching or reading anything about the show, since it appeared to be the kind of serialized show that ought to be watched from episode 1 on, so we decided early on to pre order the DVD whenever it became available. All I really knew was that the premise was about ordinary people discovering that they had extraodinary powers and that there was a cuddly looking time traveling Japanese dude that all the fans were going bananas over. Oh, and of course, "save the cheerleader, save the world." Over Labor Day weekend, I managed to log in serious time mowing through the show (I'm up to episode 20); the new season starts in three weeks. So yes, it's very addictive. And worth watching.

Now, let me just say that I had a few reservations before I started watching. It's a show I should like - I've read comic books since I was a teenager, I go for the sci-fi/fantasy genre stuff and I'm anti-reality TV (okay, maybe except for Project Runway). But with few exceptions (Lost, Sex and the City) I'm pretty wary of a highly popular show; shows I like are usually not (Buffy, Battlestar Galactica, Veronica Mars). Then they're cancelled (Arrested Development, Carnivale, Freaks and Geeks). And I dunno, the show seemed like a blatant X-Men ripoff. Plus, petite blond indestructible cheerleader? Blatant Buffy ripoff. But actually, it's done pretty well. By emphasizing the relationships between the characters, the show fleshes out the humanity of the characters - Matt the cop, and his wife, Mohinder and his departed father, Hiro and his friend Ando, Claire and her father, and (I think) most compellingly, the Petrelli brothers Nathan and Peter. Don't get me wrong - someone once tried to throw down and tried to say that Battlestar Galactica had nothing on Heroes (this person had never seen BSG before). I realize that they're two different shows... but BSG is more relevant to current events. More real, believe it or not. The storylines are a bit more Shakespearean, (though Mrs. Petrelli could give Gertrude a run for her money. Then again, the fans don't call Ellen Tigh Lady MacTigh for nothing. And Edward James Olmos and Mary MacDonnell carry just a little bit more gravitas on the acting front. Heroes is fantasy, a fairy tale. But I think I can find a place for both in my fangirl world.

Yay!!!!

2007-09-04T19:49:00.004-07:00

We have just acquired our first Apple computer (since the Macintosh Color Classic from my college days, that is). It rules!

Synchronicity

2007-08-29T16:23:00.001-07:00

I love it when my iPod suddenly plays a song that is
perfect for the moment. Like the time I was driving
through the grapevine, and suddenly, "Wake Up" by
Arcade Fire came on just as the fireworks started to
explode over Magic Mountain. And this weekend,
"Somebody Told Me" started to play as I looked out the
airplane window and saw that beam of light shooting
out the Luxor over the Strip. (What? It's the
Killers' hometown.)

Speaking of which, there are definite advantages
clubbing in Vegas with a pack of eight girls. No
problems getting in, no lines, no cover charges and
free drink tickets.

How can I resist?

2007-08-16T22:08:00.000-07:00

Cribbed from Jen, ten songs from the early 90's. I had to expand the allowance... this is pretty hard for me, because I consider this period of time to be my "formative years" in terms of musical tastes. I spent an awful lot of time driving around in Orange County and L.A., listening to KROQ and scouring record shops for rare vinyl singles, imports and bootlegs. I swear, I almost killed my parents when they dumped my vinyl collection while I was in college. To tighten the category, I'm just going to exclude grunge and the Seattle sound, and everything has to have been released between 1990 and mid 1993. And I'm not exactly going to call them "top" 'cause I'm sure this list will change completely next week, they're just ten that I loved and listened to a lot, and ten that I still love. So, in no particular order (to quote Jane's Addiction) "here we go!"

1. Kool Thing, Sonic Youth. I found the cassette tape for Goo on a really hot day (they were handing out Fruitopias - remember those?) at the Fairfax and Melrose flea market for 99 cents. Score! I think I still have it.

2. World in My Eyes. Depeche Mode. Remember when albums had like, at least 5 or 6 good songs?

3. P.J. Harvey - Sheela-Na-Gig. Peej could totally kick the ass of any Lilith Fair performer.

4. Right Here, Right Now - Jesus Jones. This song, along with Unbelievable (EMF) dominated the summer of 1990.

5. Rush - Big Audio Dynamite. Is it just me, or do PB&J sample the drum loop from this song for Young Folks?

6. Getting Away With It - Electronic. Like a Britpop wet dream. All that's needed is Damon Albarn.

7. Pixies - Head On. For a long time, I thought Jesus and Mary Chain were covering them. And I've actually seen Jesus and Mary Chain live.

8. Trapped in a Box - No Doubt. Back when they were still ska. Hey, I gotta give props - they're from the County of Orange. I actually owned this album at one time. On vinyl.

9. Stop Whispering - Radiohead. I actually saw these guys play at a downtown LA club while they were promoting Pablo Honey, and they were the opening act! For Belly. Yeesh. I'm old.

10. Even Better Than the Real Thing - U2. Saving the best for last. You've had to have seen these guys coming. I picked this song cause I don't hear it on the radio as much, but the guitar hook is such a radical departure from the Joshua Tree. Plus the video's cool. It's amazing that Achtung Baby was released over 15 years ago, and it still sounds fresh. Remember when albums had like, 12 great songs?

can I just say...

2007-08-09T00:23:00.000-07:00

that I REALLY HATE that "Hey There Delilah" song that always seems to be playing whenever I flip the dial past Alice on the radio? It's right up there with that James Blunt "Beautiful" or Hoobastink "The Reason" song. Not only is it a lameass acoustic emo wannabe, but who the hell names their child "Delilah" anyways? It's like naming her Jezebel or Salome. Not that I'm all into the Bible beating, but really. Especially the stupid D.J. who's all "hey, I'd like to be Delilah!" What a tool.

The not yet Friday Five

2007-08-02T00:13:00.000-07:00

Current obsessions:

1. Street fashion
2. Flight of the Conchords. It's business time!
3. Kimchi
4. Vegas, baby!
5. The June 16 podcast of This American Life, "Big Wide World" (No. 335) aka "I was a teenage Saddam propogandist." It just combines so many elements of prototypical TAL shows really well - teenage coming of age, the realization of family ties and parental love and duty, and of course, gritty accounts of the war in Iraq.

Confession!

2007-07-20T12:58:00.001-07:00

I generally eschew reality television, but last night,
out of morbid curiousity, I broke down and watched
Victoria Beckham's (aka "Posh Spice") "Coming to
America" special. And you know what? I must admit, it
was moderately entertaining. She obtains a driver's
license, lunches with the ladies, sees an earthquake
specialist, finds a house, tracks down and confronts
Perez Hilton, buys an expensive watch and throws the
opening pitch for the Dodgers. Zack tried to avoid it
as much as possible, but in the bits he managed to
catch, he admitted, "she's funny". Now, this is not
the kind of stuff that makes an entire series, but for
a two hour fluff special, it's not bad.

Geek rant

2007-07-18T23:48:00.000-07:00

Ugh. I hate that I have to wait til NEXT YEAR for the new season of Battlestar Galactica.

And I hate that I have to wait till November for the "Razor" movie.

And I really hate that NOBODY SEEMS TO KNOW WHEN THE SEASON DVDs come out!!!

Call it the Joss effect

2007-06-28T01:20:00.000-07:00

Watched Children of Men, a tight, gritty view of the not too distant future. Zack and I liked it quite a bit; hoever, I have to admit that the Orson Wells purist in me was a little disappointed to learn that some of those single takes were actual cobbled together with CGI. But given all the stunts and effects involved, I'm willing to give Cuaron some leeway. The tracking shots are exquistely choreographed (not exactly "beautifully" - people's heads are getting blown off) and the mise en scene is visually stunning. The plot was provocative and Clive Owen, as usual, was mesmerizing to watch. But call me jaded... sometimes I can just smell what's going to happen to each character. Like if a major actor is cast in a movie, yet the trailers don't really feature said actor. Yep, that character's dead. Sometimes, the way a character is fleshed out telegraphs his or her fate. Oh yeah, he's going to make it, she's not, she is, he's not, etc., etc. Maybe I've been spoiled with too much Joss Whedon over the years, but I like a movie to surprise me with the the fate that's dealt to the characters. I totally did not see the deaths of (spoiler alert!): Doyle (Angel), Joyce (Buffy), Wash (Serenity), Fred (Angel) and the one that broke my heart the most, Tara (Buffy). Or maybe it was Joyce. Or Angel's... but he came back. Or Oz's (non dying) departure. Um, I digress. Anyways. Pan's Labyrinth surprised me. Not exactly in a good way, though. Don't get me wrong, it was good, but definitely not a kid's movie.

I'm not crying. It's been raining... on my face!

2007-06-24T23:32:00.000-07:00

Right now, Zack and I are totally enamored of Flight of the Conchords. It's like the Kiwi answer to Mr. Show and Tenacious D meets Wes Anderson. Their goofy antics, dry banter and most especially, their quirky songs have us laughing our asses off.

Sigh. It's totally doomed to cancellation.

Le rat qui cuit!

2007-06-23T23:47:00.000-07:00

Folks, if you've got TiVO, fire up the 9 minute Ratatouille preview. I have decided that I totally can't wait for this one! How you you resist a haute cuisine restaurant in Paris getting the Pixar/Brad Bird treatment? And I love how the shot of the one of the kitchen staff's legs displays those ubiquitous checkered black and white pants and Dansko clogs.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

2007-06-23T23:20:00.000-07:00

Went to Charles Chocolates on Thursday to preview their new cafe, and gorged myself on as many chocolates I could stuff in my mouth. I had to stop at some point, but as soon as I drove out of the parking lot, I regretted not sampling more! But I blogged about it on Muffin Top.

Vaguely spoilerly re: Lost

2007-05-16T23:52:00.000-07:00

Am I a total sap for sniffling through tonight's episode of Lost? It was utterly manipulative, and I realized it as I was watching, but still. I even thought, hmph, the way this episode is playing out, what everyone's predicting will happen probably won't. Although he can be grating and annoying, I do like Charlie. Even before tonight's episode. Maybe it's a hobbit thing. This is probably a really unpopular opinion, but I actually like him more than Locke.

Oh, Kate

2007-04-30T22:43:00.000-07:00

Okay, so they brought H&M, Mango and Zara here... why the hell can't they bring Topshop? Pout, pout, pout.

oh, crap!

2007-04-29T14:05:00.000-07:00

They were talking about it in yoga this morning, and I thought maybe a lane collapsed, or the guardrail or something... not the whole thing! I guess it's a good thing I decided not to stop by Acme this morning.

ugh

2007-04-27T00:11:00.000-07:00

The hubby is out of town, so I've been trying to occupy myself with social outings and various events. I think all the activity is catching up to me. I feel a trace of a cold coming (it's allergies! it's allergies!). Tonight, I had to cancel dinner (for like, the 4th time) with a friend and I didn't get to go to swimming because Comcast came to install a new phone line, which took four hours, as opposed to the twenty minutes predicted when I made the appointment. And I think I lost sunglasses last night. This is the second pair of sunglasses I've lost in a month. Plus I might have lost the shoes I use for my dance class, right after I got them topy'd. And I lost a BART ticket. This sucks. Maybe I'll buy another pair of sunglasses. And another pair of shoes. I'm going to bed.

La dee dah dee dah dee dah dee daaaaaah....

2007-04-26T00:51:00.000-07:00

Just came back from the Decemberists show, and it rocked. I highly recommend checking them out live.

Reasons why:

1. There's a whale
2. There's stage diving and crowd surfing
3. You get to scream and tear your hair out and gnash your teeth
4. There was an opera singer tonight!
5. The drummer dances a hoedown-style jig
6. Imagine that you're a 16th century mason in Portugal, squatting in a dusty cul-de-sac, snacking on a jug of olives...

Audience participation is somewhat mandated. That is all.

Serendipity

2007-04-23T23:30:00.000-07:00

I ran into a fellow student from my regular Berkeley Yoga Mandala class at Rusty Wells' class at the Castro Yoga Tree this evening. After an especially vigorous (and pore cleansingly sweaty) class, we decided to cool down by walking the long route back to BART together. As we walked past Delfina, we happened upon our Berkeley instructor leaving from dinner. We had just been talking about him less than a block beforehand. Talk about coincidence! Sometimes, San Francisco really is a small town.

At the Rack

2007-04-14T15:13:00.001-07:00

I f'ing love this jacket! When I first spotted it, I thought it was a simple double breasted jacket, but I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it had asymmetrical lapels. Isn't that collar amazing? And the tailoring at the waist has that nipped Savile Row fit. Look at how the notched bottom (the correct term escapes) falls perfectly in the midline, despite the asymmetry. I should know McQueen better than to think he would do something as pedestrian as a double breasted jacket. Sigh. To bad it was two sizes too big!

Drishti Goals

2007-04-10T21:50:00.000-07:00

I'll come clean. In order to support my ridiculous eating habits, I have to work out an insane amount. ISince I stopped seeing a trainer, I don't do much ab work (other than in yoga class) or lift weights anymore, and I don't run or spin. I go to a lot of yoga, and I swim on a masters team. In the past couple of months, I started taking a crazy-ass dance class at my gym. Now, I'm not much of a dancer. I took maybe one tap/ballet class when I was like, 5 at the local rec center, and yes, I took bellydancing on and off for a few years, but we won't go there (when the bellydance class started to involve performances and recitals I bailed). I'm terribly uncoordinated and ultraklutzy. All those wacky dance steps and combos really make my brain go dizzy. And a dizzy cross-eyed chick trying to get her bearings is NOT graceful. Despite that, the class is a great deal of fun (mostly because I spend a great deal of time laughing my ass off at myself) so I'll probably keep taking it, but I think it's done something weird to my right shoulder (long story). Like, there's a big knot or tightness in it. I wouldn't exactly call it an injury, but I definitely notice it in yoga, when certain poses are noticeably more difficult to get into, and in swimming - the reach on my right arm when I extend it feels shorter. I think I might be rounding my shoulders too - my yoga instructor (yay! David's back) kept telling me to stop "nosediving" in the transition from Urdhva Hastasana (standing upright with arms raised over the head) to Uttanasana (standing forward bend) in my sun salutation. Last week, he had told us to find a drishti (focused eye gaze) in order to prevent collapsing the shoulders. Guess I need to work on that. And get a massage.

Cognitive Dissonance?

2007-04-09T21:51:00.000-07:00

So during a very long drive on the I-5 back from SoCal, I finally caught up on all TAL podcast shows that I'd been missing since my iPod crapped out on me. As usual, some of the stories were a little slow, some were gut-bustingly hilarious ("Do it for the LOTTO!!!") and some were absolutely heartrending. I swear, I'll be listening, put-putting along, and towards the end of the act, the storyteller will say something, Jon Brion soundtrack music will cue in and the next thing I know my chest gets that achy feeling and my eyes are a watery and my nose is all sniffly. But the most surprising moment for me was when Ira Glass (squeee!) revealed his enthusiasm for "The O.C." Apparently, he and his wife would sit on the couch and sing along to the Phantom Planet "California" themesong every week. "They could have killed off Marissa in the first season, as far as I was concerned," said Ira. Spoken like a true fan. He went on to play the segment in which Seth namechecks TAL, and Summer responds with derision. Ira nearly goes apoplectic with fanboy delight. It was all very endearing but...

HEY IRA MAKE YER DAMN NEW TV SHOW AVAILABLE ON ITUNES CAUSE I SURE AS HELL DON'T NEED TO SUBSCRIBE TO SHOWTIME !!!

Oh, and speaking of podcasts, Ron Moore (producer of BSG) revealed that he liked to watch Cheaters. "It's the worst show ever on TV. Just awful." I understand, Ron. And yet when it's on, you just have to keep watching.

Ten years

2007-04-03T23:25:00.000-07:00

since Buffy the Vampire Slayer aired on T.V. Lord I feel old. You know, I just can't let a few months slide by without mentioning Buffy, that's how much this show has sunk its fangs into my heart. It is my personal opinion (probably expressed several times in this very blog) that the musical episode, "Once More, With Feeling" might be the most perfect hour of television ever. Whenever I've had a horrible day, or when I'm feeling down in the dumps, nothing cheers me up quite like BTVS. The episodes where Buffy loses her virginity, Angel's soul is restored, and Buffy and Angel break up (for real)... sigh. Makes my life seem a hell of a lot less tragic.

The hour is getting late

2007-03-29T00:02:00.000-07:00

The most recent season of Battlestar Galactica has just ended, and I'm completely blown away. Yeah, I know there have been a couple of missteps in the second half of the season, but really, a weak episode of BSG is still stronger than most other hourlong T.V. dramas. There's just so much to talk about (what happened? what does it all mean? what's going to happen next?), and I don't want to spoil too much for those who have not caught up or those who have yet to be converted, so I'll address this in bits and pieces.

The effects. Before I started watching the show, I just assumed the effects would be bad. Like Next Gen bad. Firefly's got a little better, but there's some really obvious CGI. Some of the best effects I've ever seen on television is on the fourth episode of this season (Exodus II, which may be my favorite episode).

Adama Sr. and Roslin. I was watching a scene from the finale, in which Adama tells Roslin that she needs to move on, in a nutshell. And I realized that these two have reversed roles somewhat since the Cylon invasion. At some point during the miniseries, Roslin tells Adama that "The war is over. We lost. If we are even going to survive as a species, we need to get the hell out of here and start having babies." As Adama has gotten less militant, Roslin has gotten more so. Interesting, eh?

Apollo. Oh, Lee. So cute. So dumb. So whiny. So easily riled by Starbuck. And yet such a goody-goody, which is why I liked your character in the first place. But you surprised me with your rather accurate analysis of what's happened to the fleet since the Cylons invaded, and the acknowledgment of personal accountability. Will you stay this observant and self-aware next season? I hope so. Because I missed Captain Apollo and his faux-hawk this season. Just don't get fat, 'cause nobody wants to see that.

Starbuck. The fan favorite who's gone to a really dark place in the last season and a half. Hmm, what can I say about her? Don't get me wrong, I adore her, but I don't want to give too much away. Why don't I just say that she's very complicated, and she brings a certain necessary energy to the show and it seems noticeably empty when she's not around. Given the finale, I'm not sure what her role will encompass in the next season, but I'm *really* looking forward to finding out.

Colonel Tigh. Can I just say that Tigh is my favorite character? Who doesn't love a one-eyed drunk? They could make a show just about Adama Sr. and Colonel Tigh and call it Grizzled and Grizzlier (or Doc Cottle and Tigh, for that matter), and I would totally watch it. Gruff yet ultimately loyal to Adama Sr. and the fleet, it makes his displays of pathos all the more affecting. But with this season's finale, his is another role that is completely up in the air.

Oh, and I loved the very last shot of the season, in which the camera pulls away from the fleet and goes all Google Earth. Gotta love Google Earth. Who doesn't?

Soooooo... bring on the fourth season! January 2008 is way too long to wait. I could (literally) conceive and carry a pregnancy to full term by then!

Pet Peeves

2007-03-28T23:35:00.000-07:00

or stuff I'm beginning to, if not already, hate (in no particular order):

Banker's boxes full of documents that need to be audited/reviewed/indexed.

Automated voicemail system trees.

Hold music. Office Depot's is especially atrocious. "Whoa-oh Office Depot, Whoa-oh Office Depot, Stayin' ahead of the game, Can I lend you a hand?" Over and over again. This is coming from people who apparently don't know the difference between a laptop car charger and a laptop battery.

Agencies that request personal information (like social security numbers) but cannot send a written letter. I'm not targeting a paperless office, because this one does not use email either.

lame, lame, LAME!!!

2007-03-28T23:20:00.000-07:00

Okay, now that we've learned their story, are we supposed to sympathize with Nicki and Paolo? What-ever. 'Cause they killed that perfectly nice old guy in cold blood. Unapologetically. For diamonds. Yeah, I know they're not the only murderers on the island, but the only character that has done worse things is Eko. And it would be pretty difficult to top him. Plus there was the failure to move the storyarc forward, the retconning and the giant plot holes.

Last week's episode notwithstanding (in which we learn how Locke got into the wheelchair), I'm beginning to accept that Lost has jumped the shark.

Nothing but the rain.

2007-03-05T10:59:00.001-08:00

So say we all.

Sniff.

I was going to buy a frying pan but...

2007-02-22T23:08:00.000-08:00

I've been due for an upgrade on my cell phone for quite some time, but had been holding out with some kind of vague notion of seeing what kind of package cingular might offer for the iphone. My ipod mini's battery died a while back, so I've been using Zack's old 4th gen ipod since he bought his nano. Yesterday, both handheld electronic devices crapped out on me. At the same time. I've already ordered a new phone, so the next step is this: do I buy an 8 gig nano or just go for a video ipod? I've got a hefty Amazon gift certificate burning a hole in my hard drive...

Confession!

2007-02-15T15:19:00.001-08:00

after months and months of denial and deliberation, i
downloaded j.t.'s latest album. i think this might be
the cheesiest music i've ever purchased! (in one
entire block, that is). almost immediately, i
purchased the new apples in stereo album, as if that
renewed my cred. yeah, right. i have no cred.

Were you aware...?

2007-01-26T20:53:00.000-08:00

cribbed from Jen, with a bit of tweaking, 'cause sometimes four ain't enough

Six jobs I have had in my life:

1. Counter service at a dry cleaners
2. Cashier at Owl Rexall
3. Petitioner
4. Gap sales associate
5. Data entry clerk
6. Paralegal

Six movies I have watched over and over:

1. Monty Python and the Search for the Holy Grail
2. Lord of the Rings Trilogy
3. Original Star Wars Trilogy
4. Best in Show
5. Breakfast at Tiffany's
6. Spirited Away

Six places I have lived

1. Michigan
2. Hong Kong
3. Garden Grove
4. Fountain Valley
5. Berkeley
6. Alameda

Six (current) TV shows I like to watch:

1. Battlestar Galactica (reimagined)
2. Lost
3. Veronica Mars
4. The Daily Show
5. The Office
6. Meerkat Manor

Six (permanent hiatus) TV shows I like to watch:

1. Buffy
2. Arrested Development
3. Freaks and Geeks
4. Undeclared
5. Firefly
6. Da Ali G Show

Six places I have been on vacation:

1. Hawaii
2. Grand Canyon
3. Paris
4. Seattle
5. New York
6. Washington D.C.

Six of my favorite foods:

1. chocolate
2. sushi
3. pastries
4. noodle soup
5. offal (just not tripe)
6. cheese

Six places I would rather be right now:

1. not sick
2. not sick
3. not sick
4. not sick
5. not sick
6. not sick

Acquiescence

2007-01-10T00:26:00.000-08:00

After many viewings and acquisition of the DVDs (thanks justin and brian!) I must finally concede that (new) Battlestar Galactica is indeed better than... Firefly! (Not better than Buffy, though. No show will ever be... and I even watched a couple episodes of season 4 the other day.) The characters on Firefly are more likeable and the dialogue is wittier, but the generally, BSG is more resonant and the storylines are stronger. Plus, there's no space hooker. Okay, maybe there's one space hooker. But she's only in one episode, and she's not a member of the cast. I don't feel too bad for betraying Joss, though, as he has said that the new BSG may be his favorite TV show ever - "it's so passionate, textured, complex, subversive and challenging that it dwarfs everything on TV. Or in theaters. Or boho perfomances spaces. Stuff hanging in the Tate? Not as cool". BTW folks, did you know that Joss is pennning a "season 8" Buffy comic? I can't wait!

bhakti yoga flow

2007-01-05T00:07:00.000-08:00

gotta love a yoga teacher who plays a mix of beck, beyonce, air, beyonce, clap our hands say yeah, prince and marvin gaye and salt n pepa during class.

Lash extensions

2006-12-15T12:45:00.000-08:00

My husband, Zack, is lucky enough to be blessed with
beautifully long, thick and curly eyelashes. My
lashes, like many Asians, are short, sparse and
straight. Though I rarely wear mascara (can't stand
the stuff), an eyelash curler is an essential part of
my daily beauty regimen. Zack claims that long, thick
and curled eyelashes are a bit of pain. I say, how
would he know? Last weekend, I got my chance to find
out.

By now, everyone's heard about the newest beauty
craze, eyelash extensions. My friend, K., decided she
wanted to get them for her wedding. When L. told us
of a place in her neighborhood in SF that did them, we
decided to try it out.

The process takes one and a half to two hours. You
lie down and close your eyes. Medical tape is
carefully applied to your bottom lashes as the
technician uses a pair of pointy tweezers to glue
individual false lashes to the roots of your own
eyelashes. The glue does sting and burn, and there is
a bit of poking and prodding, so it's really best to
remove contact lenses. My eyes were watering
something awful, but my technician told me it was
normal. Also, if you crack your eyes open even a
little during the process, it makes the glue run even
more, so don't do it! After she was done with the
application, she held a fan to my eyes to help dry the
glue and relieve the sting. After a few minutes, I
was able to wear my contacts again, but if I'd brought
my glasses and lens case, I would have waited a little
longer.

How did it look? K. had been the first to go. She
chose the medium length. When I saw her across the
room, the lashes were pretty dramatic - like she was
wearing winged eyeliner and mascara, except natural.
I can't really explain it better than that. Up close,
they're very long, velvety and thick. I opted to go
with the short length. They're easily twice as long
as my natural lashes. When I went downstairs,
L. walked right past me "I didn't recognize you!"
she gasped (I also chopped my hair off). Zack says
that they look pretty and kinda sexy, but would take
some getting used to. "Even more than the haircut,"
he says. I didn't tell him until the next morning, so
he had thought I was wearing lots of mascara all that
time.

Once the lashes are applied, you're not supposed to
use waterproof mascara, lash curlers or oil based
makeup remover. When you wash the eye area, you
should dab, not rub. During the first 48 hours,
you're not supposed to wet your lashes with warm
water, swim or go in the sauna. When we first left
the salon, the weather was really drizzly and windy,
so all three of us felt irritation, down to the roots
of our eyelashes. I wore a pair of sunglasses, even
though no sun was out. We had our makeup
professionally applied at the Laura Mercier counter
afterwards, and the makeup artist used a budgeproof
liquid liner that was a real bitch to remove. It's
been a few days, and I can still feel the extra
"weight" of the eyelashes at my roots. I'm not going
to use eyeliner for a while, because it's just too
difficult to remove without pulling at my eyelashes.
Surprisingly, I was perfectly fine with swimming two
days later - I just have to be careful not to rub my
eyes when I remove my goggles. In the morning, I need
to "rearrange" the lashes, because sometimes they turn
the wrong way, and they clump a little, but an eyelash
comb usually fixes it. A few have already
fallen out (they fall out as your natural lashes grow)
but it's hardly noticeable on me. A larger clump had
fallen out on K. (who had chosen the medium length)
and it was more noticeable.

I must admit, it looks GREAT. I'm not entirely sure
if the entire process is worth it on a regular basis -
after about two weeks, a refill is necessary to
maintain the look. I think that for a special event,
sure, go ahead.

lashin' out!

2006-12-11T12:26:00.000-08:00

managed to break away from the bsg dvds long enough
this weekend to indulge in a "spa day" that included a
mani-pedi, haircut, professional make-up application
and (drum roll please) eyelash extensions! all the
primpring followed was by a bachelorette party. details (on the lash extensions) to be blogged later.

Arrrggh!!

2006-11-19T21:52:00.000-08:00

I totally understand, Anne.

Today, we went to the new public library here in Alameda and signed up for library cards. We didn't check anything out, but went to the bookstore afterwards. Although I'm currently reading a book, and I picked up A Prayer for Owen Meany not long ago, I purchased Infinite Jest ($10 for the tenth anniversary edition!). I nearly purchased The Kite Runner, and remembered that I keep meaning to read Lolita. Once I got home, I also remembered that I've been wanting to read Middlesex. Oh yeah, and Kavalier and Clay, and On Beauty, and Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell, and Perfume: the Story of a Murderer, and The Omnivore's Dilemma... did I mention that I started Pride and Prejudice, but have yet to finish it? The same goes for Vanilla. At some point, I'd like to read a Haruki Murakami book. And whenever George R.R. Martin finishes writing his Fire and Ice series, I plan to read it.

This is bad. It's really bad. If I had stuck around the bookstore or the library any longer, I'm sure I would have remembered more books I need to read. Or "discovered". more. I began to panic a little, at the thought of all the books out there. But on the plus side, I guess I'm giving fiction another chance.

Microwave Meme

2006-11-08T23:04:00.000-08:00

"Quik" blog cribbed from C(h)ristine

Read/Reading:

Reread Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris. I devour everything Sedaris touches

Currently reading What is the What, by Dave Eggers. Whatever you think of AHWOSG (which I happened to love) this "novelized autobiography" or "fictionalized memoir" or whatever you want to call it is a departure for Eggers. Eschewing his self-referential cleverness, Eggers just simply tells the story of Valentino Achak Deng, a Sudanese refugee. Although I've only gotten half, one of the paragraphs is already haunting me. "We have forgotten the friends we have known from the north, the interdependent and peaceful lives we once lived with them. This war has made racists of too many of them and too many of us, and it is the leadership in Khartoum that has stoked this fire, that has brought to the surface, and in some cases created from whole cloth, new hatreds that have bred unprecedented acts of brutality."

Soon will read Infinite Jest, by David Foster Wallace

What is up with all the Davids? Okay, on the coffee are this month's Allure Magazine, U2 by U2, Sunday Suppers at Lucques, Pastries from the La Brea Bakery and American Boulangerie

Viewed:

Borat - it *looks* like the kind of movie that you could easily wait to watch on DVD. But trust me, there is a particular sequence that um... really, really has a certain je ne sais quoi on the big screen.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer musical episode, "Once More With Feeling" at the Parkway.

Lost. Bam bam bam chicka. 'Nuff said.

Veronica Mars

Battlestar Galactica (SciFi Network). Just started watching the miniseries, and it's even better than everyone says. Yeah, I'm a geek. So what?

Memorable eats:

Dinner at Pappo

The New Zealander

Korean BBQ and Dduk Gjim at Oh Gah Nee

Soon: Hideki's and Oliveto

Cooked:

Potato Leek Soup

Dark chocolate truffles

Salt roasted branzino

asparagus with hollandaise

Plum tarte tatin

Happenings:

Work.

Brought Hideki, our Zen sushi master, some fresh wasabi. It wasn't the right night to eat there, but we'll be back soon.

Starting to master eka pada bakasana in yoga. I can do most of the arm balances, but this one used to confound me. I've discovered it's really a matter of straightening the arms, tipping the head forward and spreading the shoulderblades. Oh yeah, and massive ab work. Next up: Mayurasana.

Voted. (Who's house? Dems' House! And the Senate. Woo! Oh, and Rumsfeld, don't let the door hit you in the ass on your way out. Sing with me now - Na na na na, Na na na na, hey hey hey, Goodbye!)

Crazy, Crazy, everbody laugh!

2006-11-05T23:22:00.000-08:00

Watched Borat this afternoon, and yes, it's as outrageously funny as everyone says. Having seen Borat in action before on Da Ali G show, I thought I would be prepared. And I was, for the most part. But for the parts in which I wasn't... dude, Sacha Baron Cohen is one uncompromising performer. Not only does he remain in character throughout some pretty hilarious scenes, but he put himself in situations that no one in his right mind would. There is one particular sequence that is simultaneously one of the most grotesque and hilarious incidents ever recorded on film. I keep wanting to scratch out my eyes, yet at the same time, I'm cackling manically about it. Mostly in disbelief.

pssst! don't tell anyone!

2006-11-02T00:11:00.000-08:00

... but i just downloaded j.t.'s new single, "my love."

Hey, the beat is phat.

But I also just downloaded The Crane Wife. And it is lovely.

Life's a show, and we all play a part

2006-10-23T19:34:00.000-07:00

It is my firm opinion that the best hour (okay, one hour and six minutes) of television, ever, is the musical episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, "Once More With Feeling." And in ten days, I will be joining like-minded fanatics at the Parkway to sing about how we feel.

It must be bunnies!

Someone's going to have a great weekend...

2006-10-11T00:16:00.000-07:00

...there's nothing quite like signing for seven cases of veuve cliquot in your office. varietals ranged from the standard n.v. yellow label to la grande dame (!). i tried to convince the delivery man that i only counted six cases. ;) unfortunately, he didn't go for it. :(

I try to discover

2006-10-09T00:02:00.000-07:00

A little something to make me sweeter
Oh baby refrain from breaking my heart
I'm so in love with you
I'll be forever blue
That you give me no reason why you're making me work so hard

That you give me no
That you give me no
That you give me no
That you give me no

So I hear you calling
Oh baby please give a little respect to me

Sometimes you've just gotta let the Erasure come out.

Ira Glass killed the snooze button

2006-09-21T00:38:00.000-07:00

Did I dream it? Our alarm clock is set to NPR. There's nothing that will jolt you awake like hearing that Israel has invaded Lebanon, or that there's been a military coup in Thailand. Currently, a pledge drive just ended today at the local NPR affiliate, KQED, and I could have sworn that Ira Glass was on this morning, offering a DVD set of This American Life's new television show set to debut in January on Showtime in exchange for a donation. Did anyone else hear this or did I dream it? Because it's not listed on the site, and the auction has closed. Is this possible?

Book meme

2006-09-13T22:46:00.000-07:00

From C(h)ristine...

1. One book that changed your life:

Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad. Read it as a teenager, and really made me ponder what kind of cruelty dwelled beneath the "civilized" around me.

2. One book you have read more than once:

Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson. Oh, and The Secret History, by Donna Tartt. But let me be completely honest, and admit Interview With the Vampire.

3. One book you would want on a desert island:

If I were clever, I'd say The Worst Case Scenario Handbook. Otherwise, Ulysses.

4. One book that made you laugh:

To avoid repeating authors (see number 8), I'm going to say Consider the Lobster, by David Foster Wallace.

5. One book that made you cry:

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, by Dave Eggers. The part towards the end, where he locates his mother's ashes.... Man, I was bawling.

6. One book you wish had been written:

A fully edited and complete version of the Simarilion.

7. One book you wish had never been written:

The Da Vinci Code. Everyone talks about how it's so provocative, and controversial, and blah, blah, blahbitycakes. But does anyone notice how horribly it's written?

8. One book you are currently reading:

I just finished Naked, by David Sedaris. Hilarious stuff - "Strap electrodes to the skulls of rhesus monkeys and shock them into a stupor, but it is inhumane to place a nudist on horseback the day after a chili cookoff. ('Was he always an Appaloosa?')"

9. One book you have been meaning to read:

Dude, I have a very long list. Mrs. Dalloway, Vanilla, Lolita, The Brothers Karamazov, the Omnivore's Dilemma, the last couple Harry Potters, Kavalier and Clay...

10. Five people tagged: I don't really meme-tag, cause I'm not sure I could come up with five people who read this. But if you feel inspired, jump in by all means.

Does this mean I'm a loser?

2006-08-29T11:36:00.000-07:00

What does it mean when...

immediately upon my arrival in West Hollywood at
Justin and Brian's this weekend (before hugs, before
setting my bag in my room, etc.), I sit down to read
Brian's copy of the latest Astonishing X-Men (No. 16)

upon my arrival back home, I rush to download the
latest podcast of This American Life that I missed
this weekend.

I did hug my Zack first, though.

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Vivre les pharmacies!

2006-08-16T23:10:00.000-07:00

Upon my return from Paris, everyone (my family, my friends, my coworkers, even my boss) asked me, "So, did you buy any clothes/shoes/accessories?" As big of a fashion junkie as I am, I had to answer, "Not much." Yes, the shopping is fabulous, and I *had* to visit Colette and Louis Vuitton on the Champs Elysee and Yves Saint Laurent on the Left Bank (Rive Gauche). I even visited the Foundation Yves Saint Laurent/Pierre Berge museum. But really, clothes in Paris are very expensive. Clothes go on sale in France only twice a year, during the soldes in January and July. Chain stores like Zadig and Voltaire which are about the equivalent of Club Monaco or J. Crew, are twice their price. Yes, Zara and H&M are great chains, but they had just arrived in San Francisco, so I wasn't so keen on checking them out. I only wish I'd checked out Kookai and Mango. I did stock up on Petit Bateau, plus I picked up some truly adorable baby clothes for some friends. Who could resist a tiny red tweed peacoat with a matching beret, jumper and knee socks? There is a bit of markdown on European luxury labels, but I was saving my money for Pierre Gagnaire. But besides food (I brought a lot of foodstuffs back), what else did I spend my money on?

The pharmacies. Oh, the pharmacies. You all are probably reading this and thinking WTF??? Why is she so excited about over-the-counter drugs? Well, it only started off that way. The French make these great effervescent soluble analgesic tablets that are also loaded with vitamin C called aspirine UPSA. If I feel a cold coming on (or more likely, a hangover when I wake up) I take one of these and the world doesn't hurt as much. I swear, they lace these with cocaine or something. They also make an effervescent Vitamin C tablet that tastes better than Emergen-C. Whenever anyone asks me what they can bring me back from Europe, I always ask for this stuff (and cheese). As a result, one of the first establishments I walked into in Paris was a pharmacie (the very first was a fromagerie). Little did I know what lay in store. There were all kinds of French beauty lines. Phytologie, Rene Futurer, Caudalie, L'Occitane, Nuxe, T. Leclerc, Decloer, Leoner Greyl, Klorane... the list goes on (Kerastase is still only carried by licensed hair salons). Best of all, many of them were significantly marked down from prices in the States. The more obscure the brand, the less it cost. The pharmacie closest to Justin's house had a weekly specials, and that week, it happened to be selling Caudalie shower gels 2 for 7 Euros, and lip balms were 2 for 3 Euros. If you spent 20 Euros on Caudalie products, you got a free full sized bar of soap. Sephora here in San Francisco sells the shower gel for $20.00 the lip balm for $12.00 and the soap for $15.00. Since the pharmacies weren't exactly chain stores, prices would vary from store to store by a few Euros, even if they were right next to each other. So I drove Justin crazy by dragging him into every single pharmacie we came across. "I want to see if I can find Nuxe lipbalm for less than 5 euros!!!" (it's 21 bucks here) In St. Germain, on the Champs Elysee, in the Marais, on the Rue Faubourg, in Bastille... I insisted on checking every pharmacie, because I was sure they all offered some kind of weekly special. When I was pressed on what I *did* spend my money on, I admitted (weakly) "Besides food? Ummm, skin care and shampoo. And uh, lip balm and shower gel." I only wish I'd known about Mexoryl before I went.

Muffin-top!

2006-07-14T17:15:00.000-07:00

My friend Christine has invited me to participate in her new culinary blog, Muffin-Top. Food related posts (which I realize are the majority of the posts here) will go over there from now on. Cheese related posts will still go to the Cheese Diaries.

Actor's Studio Question Meme

2006-07-11T22:52:00.000-07:00

I used to think James Lipton was terribly pretentious , until I learned that he was attuned to what was actually going on during his interview on "Da Ali G Show"... he found it quite funny. And he rewrote Ali G's rap song! Anyways, I've been tagged by cristine...

What is your favorite word?
"Luminous"

What is your least favorite word?
"tumenescent"

What turns you on creatively, spiritually, or emotionally?
well written prose, excelling at something newly learned and finding joy and peace in the little things

What turns you off?
Stupidity

What is your favorite curse word?
I have to pick one?

What sound or noise do you love?
champagne popping

What sound or noise do you hate?
alarm clocks

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
buyer for a department store; fashion editor

What profession would you not like to do?
proctologist

If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates?
I would just be glad to be there - he can say anything!

My readership isn't too high, but if anyone would like to continue this meme, go right ahead.

La Roche Posay Anthelios XL Creme Fondante SPF 50

2006-07-10T17:37:00.000-07:00

Active Ingredients - Parsol 1789, Titanium Dioxide, Octocrylene, Mexoryl

This is the "facial moisturizer" formula of the La Roche Posay Anthelios line of sunscreens. The formula is a bit creamier than I'm accustumed to for daytime, but it's unscented and it offers the most complete UVA protection available. There is a bit of the pasty white sheen at first, but it fades after ten minutes or so. It does feel a bit heavier than I'm accustomed to. On the first day, I wore it by itself to my morning yoga class, which gets pretty sweaty, and it seemed to stay on. Just in case though, I started using the children's water resistant formula whenever I work out on the weekends (and when I swim in the afternoon) because I usually run errands afterwards. At first during the work week, I used Bobbi Brown's stick foundation (no SPF) on top, blending with my fingers allover and concentrating on the scars to even things out a little and set it with some loose powder. It felt a bit heavy for the first couple of hours, but by lunchtime, it felt okay. I'm pretty picky about my skincare products though, and I couldn't help but feel like this combination was pore clogging and may have caused a zit or two, but didn't moisturize much, if that makes sense at all. So I started using Creme de la Mer lotion underneath. By now, I've lightened up on using foundation allover, and only use the stick to conceal the scars, then follow up with a dusting of loose powder. It feels a lot lighter. When I was in Vegas last weekend, I managed to snag a bottle of the oil-free version of the facial sunscreen, so we'll see how that one works out.

Symbolic symbiote...

2006-07-06T10:57:00.000-07:00

Looks like Spidey's gonna take a walk on the dark side. Spoiler alert:

The new baddie is gonna be... Venom!

Time to cancel all the credit cards.

2006-06-29T23:31:00.000-07:00

The moment I've been waiting for is about to arrive. Guess what department store's coming to Union Square? No, not just Bloomingdales, but the one I've adored since I first set foot in Manhattan when I was 16. Barneys New York. I think we're going to have to relocate.

ahead of the pack

2006-06-16T15:57:00.000-07:00

I'm a day ahead of the Associated Press!

One (okay, a few) more caveats:

Sunscreen (or sunblock) degrades. The FDA requires that it maintain a shelf life of 3 years, but most doctors say to replace it every year.

"Two tablespoons" is the same size as a shot glass. You need about 2/5 of a teaspoon for your face.

Chemical sunscreens (sunscreens where the main active ingredients are chemical absorbers like octinoxate or Parsol 1789) need to be applied 15-30 minutes before exposure in order for the chemicals to react with the skin. Physical blocker sunblocks (main active ingredients are zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide) can be applied just before going in the sun.

Chemical sunscreens tend to be more irritating. Also, the chemicals are often oils. Since physical "blockers" are inert molecules that just sit on the skin, they are more suitable for oily or senstive skins. Keep in mind that products with a high percentage of "blockers" like zinc or titanium dioxide do not photograph well. Since they work by "reflecting" rays of light, they often reflect the light from flashbulbs, giving the wearer a whitish cast.

Most UVA absorbers (meradimate, Parsol 1789) are not photostable. That is, they degrade under light. Octocrylene (UVA and UVB absorber) has a stabilizing effect on Parsol 1789). Mexoryl and Tinosorb are photostable, and in addition, they can also stabilize other ingredients. Titanium and zinc oxide, which block both UVA and UVB light, are photostable. However, many formulas nowadays are getting more micronized in order to avoid that whitish cast. The downside is that they provide less UVA protection. If you're picking a sunscreen from the US market, make sure it has Parsol 1789 with octocrylene, or non-micronized titanium or zinc oxide.

Moisturizer goes on before sunscreen, then makeup. It's a good idea to wait for a few minutes (ideally ten) between application of products in order to let them absorb.

Finally, skin damage due to sun exposure is cumulative. That is, it's not just because you used to sunbathe unprotected in Maui for eight hours at a time and would get a killer sunburn. Walking outside for a few minutes here or there to go to class, work, the supermarket, etc. - all of THAT unprotected sun exposure is cumulative, too. Yeah, I know. After I learned that, I started getting extra vigilant about sunscreen. Quadrupuling my paranoia is the fact that I spent my childhood and teenage years surfing, swimming and sunbathing unprotected through all the seasons of the year.

Product reviews will follow shortly.

Ultraviolet (Light My Way)

2006-06-14T21:32:00.000-07:00

Silver nitrate is great for burns, but I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to use it as an allover moisturizer. Since the wounds healed, I've been rubbing La Mer Concentrate into the scars and topping them with La Mer creme in the morning (under the bandages). The La Mer skincare line is touted as a "miracle cream" created by some astronaut that was involved in some kind of accident that left him with chemical facial burns. Supposedly, use of the cream made his scars dissipate. I'm not entirely sure about the validity of that scenario, but all I know is that in the past, this stuff has made my dry skin stop flaking. The concentrate is supposed to "[improve] the appearance of scarring resulting from surgery and burns". It's too early to tell whether or not it really works, but it does help relieve the itching. On the rest of my face during the day, I use Peter Thomas Roth's SPF 30 moisturizer (that's going to change soon). At night, I also use the Concentrate over the scars, but per my usual routine, I also stroke the serum allover, dab the eye cream under my eyes and pat the creme allover. Since I have a multitude of samples, I've been using the cream cleanser as well.

Now for the fun... My plastic surgeon (I don't think I'll get tired of saying that!) says to avoid sun. I've reversed my workout schedule and started going to 5:30 a.m. swim practice again and I've been wearing the bandages to protect the new skin from the sun (per the plastic surgeon's orders). Today was the last day. I stopped wearing the bandages over my temple and eyelid earlier this week. Although those scars are worse than the other two, they are more easily protected with a hat and sunglasses. I've gotten used to the stares, but I think that the combination of the of an office outfit (McQueen jacket, Malandrino blouse, pencil skirt and Manolos), with an baseball cap and sunglasses definitely attracted the most. I'm probably going to get a new haircut - I've been pondering bangs anyways. Because I do not have Isabella Blow's budget to retain Phillip Treacy as my personal milliner, I'm going to be using mega doses of sunscreen, at least SPF 30, again, per my plastic surgeon's orders. The moisturizer I was using before the accident already has an SPF 30 (Peter Thomas Roth Max Sheer All Day Defense Lotion), and my foundation (Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer) is only SPF 18. Saddest of all, my La Mer sunscreen is only SPF 18. As you might know, in order for sunscreen to be effective, it must be reapplied throughout the day. So I've looking into different products and researching sunscreen for the last two weeks. Besides, I'm almost out of all three. I even made an excel chart! Here's what I've learned:

SPF stands for sun protection factor. It's a multiplier of how long you can stay in the sun before burning. Let's say an individual can stay in the sun for 10 minutes before burning. If she generously uses a product with an SPF 8, it'll take 80 minutes for her to burn. Stingy application will reduce the SPF.

There are two types of UV rays: UVA and UVB. UVA rays are long-wave rays that cause wrinkles and directly cause some skin cancers, including melanomas. They are 20 times more abundant than UVB rays. They are present every day, all day, no matter the weather or time of year. They can even penetrate glass windows.

UVB rays are short-wave rays that are the cause of sunburn and of basal and squamous cell carcinomas, cataracts as well as another significant cause of melanoma. They vary with the seasons, weather, latitute, altitude and times of day.

Sunscreen vs. sunblock: Sunscreens chemically absorb (Parsol 1789, Mexoryl Rx) UV rays. Sunblocks physically block (Titanium dioxide, Zinc oxide) them.

Water resistant vs. Waterproof/Very water resistant: Water resistant means you can stay in the water for 40 minutes before you need to reapply. Waterpoof/Very water resistant means you can stay for 80 minutes before reapplying. Bullfrong Sunblock claims it stays waterproof for eight hours. I'm not entirely sure how that works.

UVA absorbers: Parsol 1789 (avobenzone or butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane), meradimate, Mexoryl RX (terephthalylidene dicamphor sulfonic acid), Tinosorb (bis ethylhexyloxyphenol methoxyphenyl triazine)

UVB absorbers: octinoxate (octyl methoxycinnamate), octisalate (octyl salicylate or OCM), homosalate, Padimate O (Octyl dimethyl PABA)

UVA and UVB blockers: zinc oxide, titanium dioxide

UVA and UVB absorbers: octylcrylene, oxybenzone (benzophenone-3)

When you select a product with an SPF, make sure it has both UVA AND UVB "broad spectrum" protection.

The best sunscreen on the market is made by La Roche Posay and contains an active ingredient called Mexoryl RX. It absorbs nearly all UVA rays and it has been used in Europe and Canada since 1993. However, the FDA has yet to approve it. Other non-FDA approved active ingredients in European sunscreens are Tinonsorb (another highly effective UVA absorber) and Eusolex 6300 (a UVB absorber) Very few (and believe me, I've tried) places in the States carry La Roche Posay sunscreens. Zitomer Pharmacy in New York has it and locally, I happened upon it at Herringbone apothecary in Berkeley. Of course, they both charged an arm and a leg for it. You're better off asking friends who are outside the country to pick it up for you. Generally, in France, lesser known French beauty products are a fraction of the price they are here. Case in point: I scored some Caudalie lip balms for about $2.50 US in Paris. They're $12 at Sephora here. Well known brands like Kerastase and L'Occitane are a little cheaper, but not by much.

Here are some of the products I've been researching (I require the products to be SPF 30 or higher but I'll make an exception for makeup that's SPF 25 if the product seems extraordinary):

La Roche Posay Anthelios XL Lait SPF 50, Kiehl's moisturizing eye stick SPF 30, Clarins Sun Wrinkle Control Eye Contour Care SPF 30, Stila Skin Visor SPF 50; Bullfrog Superblock SPF 45; Kiehl's Vital Sun Protection SPF 40

Bobbi Brown Tinted Moisturizing Balm SPF 25, Remede Translucent UV Coat SPF 30, Chantecaille Real Skin SPF 30, Becca Stick Foundation SPF 30, Shiseido Sun Protection Liquid Foundation SPF 42

Paul and Joe Protective Dual Powder foundation SPF 25, Shiseido Sun Protection Powder Foundation SPF 34

MAC Studio Finish concealer SPF 35

I will report back soon!

New Threads

2006-06-14T20:03:00.000-07:00

Since the burn, I've needed a brow wax badly. I don't think hot wax next to my eyeballs and over newly healed skin would be a great idea, so I got them threaded for the first time last weekend. Threading is a form of hair removal common in India and the Middle East. A practictioner takes a loop of twisted thread and draws it over the area where hair removal is desired, catching the hair and pulling it out at the root. I don't think it hurts more or less than waxing, but I've been waxing for 12 years now, so waxing doesn't bother me. I think I might prefer waxing though - it's more precise, but threading is a nice alternative. Also, the place I went to offers free brow threading with a manicure and pedicure! I'll have to take them up on that next time.

After the burn

2006-06-13T11:22:00.000-07:00

After the Burn...

The wounds have healed for the most part, with new pink skin revealing itself underneath. I've stopped using the antibiotic silver nitrate cream that was prescribed, but I have another days or two with the bandages during the day . My plastic surgeon (hee!) tells me that in all likelihood, I won't need any procedures done, but I must protect the new skin from the sun (hence, the bandages). The scar over my temple and eyelid is probably the worst, but it the most easily protected with a hat and sunglasses when I go outdoors. Otherwise, no bandage for that one (I'm still wearing bandages over the one next to my nose and the long one on my other cheek.

Last night, I started using Neosporin's adhesive Silicon Scar sheets which is supposed to help prevent the formation of scars. These things are not cheap - I wound up ordering them from drugstore.com. They don't charge tax, and for now, there's free shipping, so I wound up saving something like 10 bucks total per box (compared with Walgreens). The online reviews were not great, but they're what the doctor ordered so that's what I got.

The sheets are about 1.5 by 2.5 inches. They can be trimmed to fit and they are to be reused 3-4 times. Half a sheet takes care of the scars on my face. (I haven't been as fastidious about the scars on my arms and wrists). The silicon adhesive is clear and a little gummy, and are backed by a nylon tricot-like beige fabric. I'm supposed to wear them for at least 12 hours a day for the next six months. Logistics only allowed me to wear them for 6 hours last night while I slept. I'll probably start putting them on earlier, and wearing them during the day when I'm at home on the weekends or days off. They don't exactly stay in place - the long thin one did, but I wound up resticking the one over my temple. I woke up with the one that was on my lid on my finger, and the one next to my nose on my chest (!). The directions suggest using medical tape, but I don't know if I can handle any more adhesives. We shall see.

Post-burn activity

2006-05-30T23:01:00.000-07:00

Try new coiffures/looks involving scarves, hoods, hats and sunglasses. Current coiffure: pull back hair, wrap scarf/bandana around head to keep stray hairs out of face, don gigantic Oliver Peoples sunglasses, flip hoodie up and apply lip gloss.

Road said new "looks" while doing basic things such picking up bandages from the drugstore, taking out the trash, coffee runs, etc. Shoot for "Olson twin avoiding paparazzi" attitude. (Note to self: get ahold of a giant Starbucks cup)

Try to decide between Johnson's sheer or flexible fabric bandages. The the adhesive on sheer bandages are a little less rough on the skin, but the color of the flexible fabric blends in better with the skin.

Arrange bandages on skin in as decorative a manner as possible. Whorls, spirals and fans seem to suit me.

Ponder getting a set of full platinum grills to go with the bandages on the face.

Ask for and receive a shampoo in the sink from hubby.

Make up stories, i.e., "I got in a knife fight in Tijuana over some illicit pharmaceutics this weekend" and see how long people will believe me.

Tell people with relish, "I'm seeing the plastic surgeon on Friday!", words I never thought would come out of my mouth.

Wonder if the plastic surgeon will give me a side of Botox.

I do not love the smell of napalm in the morning.

2006-05-28T12:39:00.000-07:00

Or in the evening, for that matter.

Yes folks, another kitchen incident. This time, it involved molten sugar. Yay! I now have a few first and second degree burns on my arms and on my face. It's great. No, not really. It pretty much sucks. I actually skipped yoga this morning - I really didn't feel up to it. Plus, I look like a freak show with blisters and various ointments slathered all over myself. Now I have to figure out how to get to the drugstore (again) as inobstrusively as possible (Zack's not home). Well, at least it didn't get my eye.

marc-y marc

2006-05-08T22:59:00.000-07:00

Can I just say that it was really tempting to head down to Fillmore and Sacramento last weekend to check out the new Marc by Marc Jacobs store? Oh yeah, and Bay Bread Boulangerie. Honestly though, I think it's quite possible for me to spend more at the bakery than at Marc Jacobs!

cookbook meme (also cribbed from cristine)

2006-05-06T22:00:00.000-07:00

How many cookbooks do you own?

45. Yikes! And there's probably more out there that I couldn't find, either. I though I had about 20. And that's not counting a bunch of food writing (McGee, Brillat Savarin, MFK Fisher, Steingarten, etc.), cocktail guides, periodicals and cheese books (The Cheese Board Collective Works counts, though). I have to stop going to Moe's!

Which cookbook did you buy most recently?

Pierre Herme's Chocolate Desserts, though I did receive a hardbound issue of Art Culinaire in the mail more recently.

Which is the cookbook that you read most recently?

Thomas Keller's Bouchon. I'm thinking of making quiche tomorrow.

Name 5 cookbooks that mean a lot to you.

1. Bouchon by Thomas Keller. Contains basic bistro favorites, down to a science. I use it all the time. Plus, the photography is gorgeous.

2. The Zuni Cafe Cookbook by Judy Rodgers. Again, lots of detailed explanations of great recipes. I don't get the sense that she's leaving a step out, as many cookbook authors are wont to do.

3. Chez Panisse Vegetables. I have all the Chez Panisse books, but this is the one I come back to the most. It's pretty easy for me to work with fruit, but a lot of times, I'll see a vegetable on sale at the market and I won't be sure what to do with it - stinging nettles? sorrel? However, this book sticks to veggies available locally, which is okay for the most part, but today, I found fiddleheads at Monterey Market, and I'll probably wind up just sauteeing them. And there isn't much information about Chinese vegetables, like gai lan, ong choy or duong gwah. That's okay though - that's what my mom's for!

4. Pierre Herme's Desserts. When I returned from Paris, I looked EVERYWHERE for this. It wasn't even on Amazon anymore - it was out of print. Finally, I found it at Diptyque on Maiden Lane, of all places. Pierre Herme, by the way, is Bono in terms of pastry chefs.

5. French Laundry by Thomas Keller. It's the best restaurant I've ever eaten at, and probably ever will eat at. I'm very proud to say that Anne and I and Justin and I have been able to actually make some of the recipes! I consider it a true bonding experience.

ipod meme (cribbed from cristine)

2006-05-06T19:02:00.000-07:00

Instructions: Go to your music player of choice and put it on shuffle. Say the following questions aloud, and press play. Use the song title as the answer to the question. NO CHEATING.

But cristine threw in a twist - use the lyrics, too, if you can!

How does the world see you?

"Through Yves St. Laurent glasses," if it "feels the vibe", Kanye says, like the way diamonds are "forever forever forever"

Will I have a happy life?

If I "listen to The Wind, to The Wind of my Soul," Cat Stevens

What do my friends really think of me?

Soft and only, Lost and lonely, Just like heaven - The Cure

What do people secretly think of me?

I'm "Lucky" - I don't have time for the Head of State (Radiohead)

How can I be happy?

I should meet Billy Corgan "on a live wire right up off the" street in "1979" (Smashing Pumpkins)

Will I ever have children?

Hawkmoon 269 by U2... ummm, I'm not sure how to turn those lyrics into an answer. Does this mean I'm gonna have 269 kids? Because I don't see how that's gonna happen unless I go all Angelina and start adopting like crazy!

What is some good advice for me?

Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah! (I got "Blue Turning Grey"... which is an instrumental)

How will I be remembered?

with "Potholes in my Lawn"! (De La Soul)

What is my signature dancing song?

"Go Go Gadget Gospel" by Gnarls Barkley

What do I think my current theme song is?

Neighborhood #2 - Arcade Fire

What does everyone else think my current theme song is?

Knock 'Em Out - Lily Allen

What song will play at my funeral?

Standing, from Once More With Feeling, Buffy the Musical

What is my day going to be like?

"Too low to find my way, and Too high to wonder why"

Lebanese Blond - Thievery Corporation

Cojones

2006-05-01T21:27:00.000-07:00

Though I don't think the Colbert Report is as strong as the Daily Show, Jon Stewart may now have some serious competition for my affections.

Sigh.

2006-04-28T15:09:00.000-07:00

Too soon.

Oh No!

2006-04-14T09:58:00.000-07:00

A new wormhole for workplace productivity has launched, listography. It's pretty easy to figure out. Here's mine.

Rain, rain, go away.

2006-04-07T23:26:00.000-07:00

Will it ever end? I'm tired of turtlenecks and mittens and layers. I want to wear flippy skirts and tank tops with dangly earrings, or filmy blouses with narrow cropped pants and chunky necklaces. I want to show off my NARS Chinatown pedicure with open toed pumps and strappy stiletto sandals. I want to stop lugging my umbrella around and wear my sunglasses because the sun's out, not just to hide my dark circles and the need for a brow was. I want to wear flip flops instead of Uggs when I take out the trash. I want to hang out on my porch, sipping a mimosa. I want to sit on the median in front of Cheese Board and eat a slice of pizza with a side of roasted garlic and a glass of cotes du rhone. I want gelato... wait a sec, I eat gelato rain or shine, hot or cold. Nevermind. You get the idea.

Caterpillars

2006-04-07T00:10:00.000-07:00

Or, I need a brow wax, stat!

Why oh why isn't Yelena available at my beck and call? I get an eyebrow wax, and for the next ten days to two weeks, my brows look fantastic. A few errant hairs appear, and I clean them up ith my trusty Tweezman tweezers and forget about them. The next thing I know, I'm washing my face a couple weeks later and look up into the mirror and shazam! My brows have exploded into two fuzzy black caterpillars. Not the kind of sight you like to see late at night or first thing in the morning. Only years of plucking and waxing has saved them from becoming a unibrow. And of course, Yelena's not available for another week. Grrr.

Hee!

2006-04-07T00:02:00.000-07:00

For those of you who tire of my rambling about yoga, I give you this.

Chuck Taylors are the devil.

2006-04-06T10:23:00.000-07:00

A few weeks I went to a 3-hour inversions workshop taught by my yoga teacher, David. I'd been looking forward to it with a mixture of anticipation and trepidation. Although I have a fairly solid yoga practice, inversions are my weak point. I can kick up into handstand and forearm balance (pincha mayurasana) as long as there's a wall behind me, and I can lift both of my legs at the same time into a freestanding headstand or tripod headstand. But once I get up there, and there's no wall to lean on, so to speak, fear takes over and I lose it (I'm okay with shoulderstands). I could swear that David's watching me during class, and that he'd been addressing me, specifically, when he would announce the workshop during class. So as soon as I heard about it, I marked my calendar and registered.

Earlier that day, I decided to forgo my regular class and take a "beginners" class at the same studio with Thomas. I wanted to warm up before the workshop, but not get totally exhausted. Also, I would have a break between the class and the workshop so I could have a snack. As it turned out, the class was was a small group of regulars, so after assessing our fitness level, Thomas ramped it up. The next thing I knew, we were jumping into handstands, balancing in bound ardha chandrasana, dropping from standing into backbends, and practicing full pigeon. He even instructed us to flip from backbend into handstand (not me - I've only done it once, reluctantly, with a wall, spotted by a teacher) and try one handed handstands (No. Just No.) Definitely not a "beginners" kind of class.

I was relieved, then, when the workshop turned out to be very basic, no fancy variations, focusing on proper alignment and foundation fundamentals. We also spent a lot of time talking about the importance of inversions, our limitations and aversions, and when not to practice them. We spend a decent chunk of our yoga practice standing and channeling energy from the earth. Inversions reverse that flow so that our energies are in balance. (Feel free to ignore the new agey chakra stuff. I understand if you might be skeptical - I used to be.) The number one reason for aversion was fear of falling. David assured us that it was okay to fear inversions - it's natural. After all, you're upside down and your perspective of the world reverses (or inverts). And the best way to overcome falling is to let go learn how to fall. The proper to fall out of headstand is to tuck your chin, release your hands and roll into a somersault. Make sure there's nothing behind you to block your exit path, like walls, props, water bottles or other people.

I had meant to ask David to show me how to fall out, but I was too busy thinking about my alignment and lost track of time. The next day, I found an empty room and decided to just simply practice falling. Well, I got up into headstand and.... chickened out. I chickened out so much that I wound up holding headstand much longer than I normally do. I did practice somersaults, though. First time since I was like, ten! It wasn't so bad. I will practice somersaulting out of headstand soon.

What exactly does all of this this have to do with Chuck Taylors? Admittedly, not much. Last week, I was rushing across the street during my lunch break to a yoga class, of all things. It was drizzling (when is it not, nowadays?) and I stepped on one of those slippery metal grates in front of BART. I lost traction in my Chuck Taylors and fell. It was one of those kinds of embarassingly graceless spectacular falls where my legs cartwheeled into the splits midair and my arms flailed about before I landed flat on my back. Literally. I was lying on the ground, staring up at the sky, raindrops pelting the entire length of my body. Everyone crowded around and tried to pick me up. Luckily, my ass absorbed most of the shock of that fall. Amazingly, I didn't land on my knees, or elbows or ankles or wrists. Just my ass. It probably has nothing to do with that workshop, but I did fall properly. There are no sprains or breaks or scrapes or even bruises, except to my ego.

Arrrggh!

2006-04-05T23:45:00.000-07:00

These canneles are kicking my ass! Though I did find some at Boulette's Larder today. I am going to have to try again. I may resort to ordering the silicon molds.

Adventures in baking.

2006-04-04T23:17:00.000-07:00

I had a cupcake the other day. Cupcake bakeries are all the rage now, with Citizen Cupcake (Citizen Cake's "diffusion" line) in the city, Love at First Bite in Berkeley, and Emeryville's Teacake Bakeshop, where I sampled the aforementioned cupcake. Even carb-fearing Beverly Hills has Sprinkles. The cupcake I tried was okay. The best I've tried are from Miette, in the Ferry Building. I like Citizen Cupcake's wacky flavors, but they don't always taste as fresh as they're charging for them. But quite frankly, I sort of got over cupcakes two years ago, though I did go on a cupcake eating spree last year. (Zack kept threatening to report me to the cupcake police - "your words will haunt you!" though truthfully, I cannot turn down a *good* cupcake) Now I'm all about the macaron. I'm working on perfecting it, (the whole molten sugar thing is still problematic for me - I think I'll try again this weekend), but I'm also working on the cannele.

What is a cannele? Hailing from Bordeaux, canneles are individual vanilla custard cakes with a crispy caramelized shell. They are dark brown, nearly black, and they look like extra skinny mini bundt cakes. Paula Wolfert calls them "portable creme brulees". I've only seen them in three bakeries in the States: Bay Bread Boulangerie in San Francisco, (the original) La Brea Bakery in LA, and Bouchon Bakery in Yountville. In Paris, they are fairly commonplace, though not as popular as the macaron. I started researching them after my French coworker gave some to me a few years ago, but decided they weren't worth the effort. The recipe is a 4 day long process, and "requires" copper molds that cost $18 per (vaguely egg-sized, not shaped) mold.

My trip to Paris reignited my love of canneles (and macarons, and cheese, and chocolate, and wine, and cassoulet, and...) and as luck would have it, I found Bay Bread Boulangerie's cookbook containing a cannele recipe on sale at Sur La Table. I also found tin cannele molds for a fraction of the cost of the copper molds, so I set to work.

The secret to the crispy caramelized shell is to coat each mold with a layer of "white oil," a mixture of melted beeswax and oil/butter. I found the beeswax at the farmer's market, chopped it up and melted it over the stove in a glass jar set inside a pot of simmering water, then added safflower oil, as instructed. (I wound up going with Paula Wolfert's recipe from the Slow Mediterranean Kitchen) It really wasn't so hard, but I learned that I did have to be extra careful, and extra vigilant about monitoring the heat. I was constantly paranoid that the glass would expode or shatter or that the beeswax would light on fire. Once it was melted, I let my guard down and allowed my curiosity to get the better of me and wound up spraying hot beeswax and oil all over the kitchen. It was a real mess.

Once I cleaned up, I was pleased to discover that I had made enough "white oil" for several batches of canneles, though next time I make it, I'm going to use butter instead of oil. I seasoned the molds with regular vegetable oil in the oven (like a cast iron pan), and once they cooled, I brushed them with the "white oil" and put them in the freezer. (Paula says the molds and the batter must be very cold.)

The batter was actually very simple - Pulse some butter, sugar and flour in a food processor, add egg yolks, pulse again, add hot milk, pulse again, stir in rum and vanilla extract, then let the batter rest for 24-48 hours. I didn't use vanilla extract - I steeped vanilla bean in the hot milk instead.

Tomorrow: the baking! (Note: this is my third attempt. More on the first two later)

Ispahan!

2006-03-21T12:22:00.000-08:00

My macaron obsession has culminated in an attempt to recreate the Ispahan, Pierre Herme's confection that catapulted him into pastry chef superstardom. Though "gerbet" style macarons have been popping up in a few select french-style bakeries/patissseries in the Bay Area, I have yet to see any exotic flavors or the larger macarons with additional components in the filling that you can find at any patisserie in Paris. The Ispahan is made with a rose flavored buttercream, with lychees and raspberries, sandwiched between two pink almond meringue cookies. After some extensive research, I managed to procure Herme's recipe for the Ispahan that was revealed in an older issue of Art Culinaire magazine. I spent several weekend procuring some of the more obscure ingredients... rose syrup, egg white powder (not to be confused with meringue powder), glucose syrup. I couldn't find rose paste, except online, so I substituted rose extract.

Both the cookies and the buttercream were actually Italian meringues, which called for stirring molten sugar into stiffly beaten egg whites. For whatever reason, I failed miserably. At one point, the sugar started to caramelize before I turned the heat down, and I also allowed too much of it to hit the sides of the bowl, so shards of caramlized sugar were incorporated throughout the meringue. Actually, it tasted pretty good, but there was no way it would make a smooth meringue or cookie. I wound up straining the meringue for the buttercream, and I ditched the meringue for the cookie and went with plain old stiffly beaten eggwhites. The buttercream, once I flavored it, turned out okay, though there wasn't much of left... just enough for the macaron's I'd be making, and it didn't look silky smooth, like the buttercream I'd made before. Next time, I think I'll the make a traditional recipe and flavor it the way I did before. I'll just cross my fingers when it comes to the molten sugar. The cookies... well, they tasted all right. I was already suspicious, because the recipes I've used in the past called for whipping the whites and folding in (dry) almond flour and powdered sugar. This recipe called for mixing two whites with the almond flour/powdered sugar, than folding it into the aforementioned italian meringue. The almond flour/egg white mixture was EXTREMELY heavy, like pate sucre. I wasn't entirely sure how the final incorporation of ingredients wasn't going to collapse, but I forged ahead. This macaron batter was looser than the batters I've made in the past, and wound up spreading a bit more. I didn't allow them to "dry" before baking as I had in past, and popped them in the oven immediately. The cookies didn't rise, nor did they develop "feet", or a smooth surface. Also, the edges of a few began to brown, and some even burned on the bottom.

When I first tasted the rose buttercream, I thought to myself that it tasted good, but it need some acid to balance it out. As it turned out, the lychees and raspberries did it nicely. The floral notes of the lychees were highlighted by the rose flavoring, and their acidity, along with the raspberries kept it from being cloying. It wasn't perfect, but it tasted damn good. I'll try again, but with the recipe I used before.

Don't know about the music, but that's a fantastic show!

2006-03-10T23:28:00.000-08:00

Meant to mention this in the Oscars fashion post, now that I've seen the video, I'm reminded again. I just love McQueen. (watch for it at 5:45 mark)

We do chicken right

2006-03-09T16:35:00.000-08:00

A new Safeway opened near my house shortly after Thanksgiving last year. Up until recently, I hadn't stepped inside a Safeway for quite some time. I usually do my grocery shopping on Saturdays, when I go to the farmers' market, the butcher, the fishmonger, the bakery, Monterey Market/Berkeley Bowl/Whole Foods, etc. If I need anything during the week, I'm lucky enough to have a Thursday farmers' market across the street from my office, and sometimes, I go to the Trader Joe's that opened a few years ago in the same shopping center as the Safeway, or the natural grocery store down the street. I guess you could say I have pretty discriminating requirements when it comes to my groceries. Once in a great while, there's a late night TP or paper towel run to Safeway, but buying such sundries in as huge of a bulk mass as possible from Target has saved me from these nocturnal sojourns recently. The new Safeway, however, is hard to resist, especially since we received a thick book of coupons that promised over 50 dollars in savings. Roughly modeled in a craftman style, with high, high ceilings, exposed beams and a faux hardwood floor, it's huge - probably twice the square footage of the old one - and it unabashedly caters to a more upscale customer. They sell le Creuset cookware, Williams-Sonoma cookbooks and those (quite frankly, silly) stemless Riedel wineglasses (no Scharffenberger chocolate, though!). In addition to the pharmacy, florist, bakery, butcher, deli, bank and Starbucks, there's also a panini grill, a sushi counter, a carving station, an olive bar and a selection of about 4 - 6 hot soups. With the opening of this new Safeway, a new line of organic Safeway Select products debuted - the "O" line. In addition, the produce department boasted of carrying an expanded selection of organics.

A few weeks ago, after we ran out of paper towels, razor cartridges and needing to pick up some chicken for a curry dish, I decided to just buy everything from Safeway. It's been a while since I've purchased meat from Safeway (except for the whole cooked dungeness crabs that were $3.99 a pound - combined with the aforementioned $2.00 off coupon, that worked out to be 4-5 bucks per one and a half pound crab!). Since reading Fast Food Nation and with the whole BSE and bird flu scare, I've been very careful about where I purchase my meat - I want to know where and how the animal was raised, when it was slaughtered, and when it arrived at the place I'm purchasing it from. Also, driving down Highway 5 and seeing (and smelling) the conditions of Harris Ranch (which is marketed as a higher-quality product) really turns my stomach. I'm not averse seeing an animal alive before I eat it. I have yet to meet a crustacean that gives me pause before throwing in a boiling pot, and I still remember going to poultry sellers with my mother as I was growing up to pick out a chicken to be butchered for the night's dinner... I'm fairly certain it wasn't organic, nor was it free range, but that had to be the best tasting chicken we got. These local "boutique" meats I usually purchase (after giving the butcher the third degree about it) - Hoffman chickens, Liberty Farms duck, Meyer Ranch pork, Western Grasslands lamb, Prather Ranch beef, Niman Ranch anything, etc. - are considerably more expensive than going to Costco or an average supermarket, but I justify it to myself by buying very little of it (smaller servings), plus we only eat eat meat for four days of the week. (if we eat out, I'm not so stringent... and popeye's chicken is the shiznit!) It also tastes better. I was surprised though, to discover that Safeway did carry organic chicken. However, none of the organic chicken was available whole. Nor was it available as whole thighs, whole legs, whole or split breasts... in fact, it was all pre-skinned, pre-boned, wet little cryovac'd pink blobs on styrofoam trays. It was extremely unappetizing. "Who buys this stuff?" I wondered. But I guess I'm an unusual consumer. I know more than a few people who are grossed out by a whole uncooked chicken. And eating out with others at Chinese restaurants has shown me how disturbed people get when they are served a whole fish, chicken or duck with its head still on. ("I don't like it when my food is looking at me," I've heard more than once) One finicky eater I know refuses to touch any meat on his plate if there's any signs of bone, skin, fat or cartilage. I don't think that such habits are unusual. But how disassociated are we from the animals we consume if people are buying prepackaged organic boneless skinless chicken tenders (not the whole breast - just the tenders!)? It's as though people don't want to acknowledge that the meat they eat was once a living, breathing creature. It saddens me a little, because (I think) it seems displays a lack of respect for the life an animal gives up in order to feed and nourish us. I don't want to seem like I'm judging those who buy these products. After all, I (reluctantly) wound up purchasing some skinned and boned organic thighs (I think Foster Farms chicken is really gross... besides, what the hell am a gonna do with 6 pounds of chickens thighs that I dislike?), and there is the convenience factor to consider. But such processing winds up doubling or tripling the financial cost to the consumer, ($6.99 a pound for the tenders! Hoffman's organic free range whole chickens are $2.89 an pound). You may as well forgo the meat and have something vegetarian for dinner instead. Sigh. I guess I've turned into a real Alice Waters worshipping/farmer's market junkie/Bay Area food snob.

Fashion blogging the Oscars

2006-03-07T22:04:00.000-08:00

Like I said before, I haven't seen too many of the nominees this year, so I reserve my right to withold judgment on the films nominated (Crash? Really? It was good but it wasn't all that), but I *will* judge what people wore.

Reese Witherspoon. I think she went with makeup and hair that was very true to her personal style, and the dress was beautiful. I can't really say anything too bad about the dress, except to add that if I were going to go with vintage 50's Dior, you might as well try to find something New Look (1947-ish). In fact, I think something New Look is a little more Reese than what she chose.

Charlize Theron. Dude, that huge bow looked like a giant alien head. I was reminded of the episode of the Simpsons where Mr. Burns has his head transplanted next to Homer's.

Nicole Kidman. Yes, we get it. You're tall and thin. It only serves to enhance how botoxed your forehead is. That being said, I thought the dress itself was gorgeous. I loved the delicate embroidery and beading and the softly belled fishtail hemline, but it just made Nicole look like a skeletal ghost. The green Dior and the ruffled pink Chanel of Oscars past were much more flattering.

Jennifer Aniston. The dress was okay, nothing special, though. But seriously, if your ex was running around adopting kids with and impregnating Angelina Jolie, wouldn't you try to wear something more memorable? I'm thinking along the lines of Jennifer Lopez's green Versace Grammy dress... it doesn't have to be that naked, but should make a statement.

Michelle Williams. I actually really liked that dress. Yeah, it was mustard yellow, but it didn't wash her out, like Cate Blanchett last year. And with the red lipstick, it looked great contrasting against the red carpet.

Jessica Alba. That dress was great. Fit scarily well... she looked like a Barbie doll or something. Eat a sandwich, girl! But soften the hairdo a little.

Salma Hayek. I thought she looked great. Gorgeous color on her, flattering cut, nice hair. Very well put together.

Hilary Swank. I kept thinking her boobs were going to pop out of her dress. Even then, she still kinda looked mannish.

Felicity Huffman. I love that she's fortysomething and working a dress that's nearly cut to her navel. It doesn't look super vulgar... it probably helps that her boobs aren't exploding out of her chest. Okay, and I'm pretty biased towards Zac Posen.

Ziyi Zhang. Gorgeous girl, talented actress, no boobs at all. Not that there's anything wrong with that (I myself am a flat chested girl). Generally, us flat chested girls stray away from strapless. Also, dark colors on top and light colors below serve to minimize the upper body. Combined with the constricting nature of the dress, she looked two dimensional, like a cardboard cutout.

Dolly Parton. I have a soft spot for Dolly. I think everyone does. But how does she keep such a tiny waist? I though she was going to break in half!

Other remarks: That longish hair looks awful on Tom Hanks. And wearing jeans with a tuxedo jacket is just tacky. Dude must have though he wasn't going to win.

Okay! That's it for now.

Will there be a Colbert Report afterwards? Or are we stuck with Baba Wawa?

2006-03-05T16:19:00.000-08:00

I haven't seen many of the Academy Award nominees - Crash was okay, the Constant Gardener was good, and I really meant to watch Walk the Line, Capote, Brokeback Mountain, but just havent gotten around to it - but I will be watching the Oscars. Why? Well, like any blue-state and proud girl, two words: Jon Stewart. Need I say more? Oh yeah, and there's the fashion commentary. Bring it on.

suk ching lau. november 1915 - february 2006

2006-02-27T12:12:00.000-08:00

when my grandparents first arrived in the States from Hong Kong, i was 6 years old. my father was so proud to have been able to bring them here, and i remember eagerly anticipating their arrival, thinking that i would have the kind of grandmother who would cook chicken noodle soup and bake chocolate chip cookies. well, my grandmother didn't bake cookies, though she did make all kinds of soup (not chicken noodle), and my grandfather always kept a tin of cookies on hand to give me.

my grandmother was always a feisty, headstrong and stubborn woman. she truly lived life richly and to the fullest. Though the quality of it degenerated in the last two years, she never complained, and always kept trying. she never enabled herself to wallow in self-pity due to her condition, and she never succumbed to depression. my stubborn streak, my argumentative nature and my penchant for exploits in bizarre culinary experiments come from her. (though i don't think i'll be making any fish gut omelettes anytime soon) my earliest memory of her is this: early when they arrived here, my mother soon tired of having two children and my grandparents in the house all day. she directed my brother, then fourteen, to take me (I was six) and my grandparents to the mall. we took the bus, which was soon to become my grandmother's main mode of transportation. i don't recall what happened there, but i definitely remember the trip back. my grandmother always walked quickly, but my grandfather, who was a bit older, walked slowly with a cane. she grew impatient with his pace, and they began to argue. as we were making our way to the bus stop, she'd decided she'd had it, and sprinted ahead to catch the incoming bus. my brother was shocked, but thinking quickly, he grabbed me by the hand and hauled me onboard. unfortunately, my grandfather refused to quicken his steps and subsequently missed the bus. i still remember watching him slowly make his way to the bench, as he disappeared from sight. I burst into tears, inconsolable. how was grandpa going to find his way home? he didn't speak the language, this was is first time in the country, and he'd never taken the bus before. how were we going to find him? i was certain that we'd never see him again. my mother says that when we arrived home, my grandmother stomped in directly to her room and slammed the door closed. my brother arrived, pale and shaky, and i was bawling. she got me to my room, and when she turned to my brother to get an explanation, he burst into tears as well, fearing a spanking from my father. Fifteen minutes later, my grandfather strolled in as though nothing had happened.

"we argued all my life," my aunt whispered by her bedside. "telling me to save my pennies for a rainy day. when i was younger, i didn't understand. i resented it. now, i do. she just didn't want us to be poor and suffer." my mother sadly combed an errant strand from her face. "she was always a fighter. that's how she survived." my father said she loved life, but when he asked her if she feared death, she replied "no," belligerantly, "only the pain from the sting of a needle". it was difficult for my father to let go, but we all knew that she would never want to be confined to a bare brain-dead existence of tubes and machines. in his eulogy, my father recalled his earliest memory, which was of her. when he was a toddler, his father, my grandfather, fought the japanese occupation as an officer with the nationalists during the world war 2. my grandfather's squad was constantly on the move, and the family would follow behind and hide. somehow, my grandmother and father had gotten separated from the rest of the camp. they took refuge in a trench as an explosion went off. my grandmother, who was then pregnant with my aunt, threw her body over my father to shield him from the blast. frightened, my father looked up through the smoke to see her face, calm and serene, and comforting. as she faded into oblivion, i took her hand. he said she wore that same face again.

Random things

2006-02-12T22:13:00.000-08:00

Piped Macarons.

A few more photos here.

Just watched the finale of Arrested Development (again). Hilarious stuff, of course, but I'm a little sad over its demise. And I came to a realization - this show gets a lot of mileage out of incest jokes. How does a show manage to make incest funny? Brilliant stuff, I say. Hopefully, this last season will be released on DVD soon, and we'll be able to free up some TiVO space. Perhaps Showtime will pick it up. Why do I always champion doomed TV shows? With my luck, Veronica Mars will be the next to get the axe. Sigh.

Speaking of inappropriate humor, who knew Bob Saget could be so dirty? I'd heard he was dirty before, and his appearance on Entourage kinda cemented it, but Zack and I watched the Aristocrats this afternoon, and I'd heard the jokes get pretty extreme - I'd even heard that Saget's version was by far the dirtiest - but damn. You have to watch it to believe it.

Okay, I have a confession. I am official a Lost addict. It is totally engrossing, though I think that Matthew Fox's character ("Jack") is exactly the same kind of character he played on "Party of 5," so I keep calling him Charlie. But that creates confusion, since there *is* a character named Charlie played by Dominic Monaghan... I call him "Merry." Anyways, Zack and I fininished the first season last month, and we just started the second. I swear, it's like crack!

Of course, I have to say something about the Grammys. Yes, I watched it. I actually sat through all three and a half hours of it. I am such a loser. But I wanted to watch Gorillaz and Kanye and U2 and (okay) Kelly Clarkson perform. So what? Anyways, I liked Alicia and Beyonce's dresses the best. Madge looked great - I can't believe she's 47! And about U2 winning album of the year... of course, I was happy about that. But from my attempt at an unbiased opinion... I think it was more like a "sorry we didn't give it to you for Achtung Baby (Eric Clapton Unplugged won) or All that You Can't Leave Behind (Steely Dan won)" plus "Hey, this Bono guy does a shitload of humanitarian work" award. Because quite frankly, those two albums were stronger than "Atomic Bomb". Then again, I think that the only other album that really shone in that category was Late Registration, but I'm sure that Rolling Stone cover didn't help Kanye.

Hee!

2006-02-11T01:39:00.000-08:00

I don't care for Fallout Boy, so this shit is pretty hilarious.

Cardio Strip is so over

2006-02-09T23:35:00.000-08:00

I think I may have found the perfect cardio class...

Then again, I may alrady have all the training I need. Truthfully, you have to accept that stilettos are never gonna be comfortable as a pair of flip flops. That's why I always tell people who ask me how I can wear heels - "embrace the pain!" Also, genetics play a bit of a role... if you have naturally high arches, they're a little easier to bear. But there are a few dirty little secrets:

1. Manolo Blahnik really does make the best stiletto. Not only do they reveal the perfect amount of toe cleavage and carve your calves into gazelle-like limbs, the heel is centered just so that your weight is distributed over the ball of your foot as evenly as possible. He does have a background in architecture, and an understanding of tensile strength, torque, etc.

2. Topy, topy, topy. When you first buy a pair of shoes, ask the salesperson if they can topy ("Toe-pee") the soles. This means melding a thin layer of rubber on the bottom of the shoe. It usually takes about a day, so you won't be able to go home with your shoes, but it'll be worth it in the long run. It makes your shoes last longer, plus provides better cushioning and increases shock absorbtion. If your shoe store does not topy, take them to a cobbler as soon as you can. Topying your shoes when they're new is a lot cheaper than when trying to do it when they're old. Oh, and don't topy any Christian Louboutins. Those shiny candy red bottoms demand to be seen, not covered with rubber!

3. Make the cobbler your friend. (Sort of a continuation of the last one.) He can stretch shoes out, replace worn out heels, soften any rough edges that are cutting into the back of your heel....

4. Foot petals. Ingenious little things, sort of like bandaids for stiletto wearers

5. The dirtiest secret of all - avoid standing in them when at all possible. That means taking cabs (or cars) instead of walking, accepting a seat whenever offered, and generally not moving too much. Silly, but true.

6. If it becomes unbearable, just keep telling yourself you'll treat yourself to a pedicure the next day.

Hmmm, maybe cardio strip isn't quite over yet. It's all coming back to me.. I now recall seeing a dancer at AsiaSF who was seriously working a pair of 5 inch Dior motorcycle boots a few weeks ago. Methinks a hybrid (between stiletto strength and cardio strip) is in the works?

Meme tag....

2006-02-08T11:30:00.000-08:00

courtesy of cristine and zack...

THE MEME

1. Thank the person that tagged you.
2. List 5 random/strange/weird things about you.
3. Tag 5 other people.

1. Thanks cristine (and zack)!

2.

I am a huge fan of Marc Jacobs as well. Case in point: today, my outfit includes a skirt, shoes and coat, plus a bag. I even had a dream about him once! (I was to become his muse and shoe designer, a la Sofia Coppola)

Although I consider myself a fairly accomplished home chef, and I recently overcame my fear of molten sugar/caramel, deep frying still intimidates me.

Yesterday in yoga, I was finally able to maneuver myself into full eka pada rajakapotasana pose, without assistance or props.

If my fingernails get to be any longer than an eight of an inch, it drives me crazy. I must clip!

I haven’t listened to her music, but Mandy Moore seems very likable to me.

3. em, who to tag... my hubby already tagged everyone else (anne, ryan, jen...) I know:

tiff
ike
justin
brian
schmoo (carla)

I don't feel different, except for the extra 10 pounds...

2006-01-30T23:01:00.000-08:00

I celebrated my 30th birthday this weekend. Actually, my hubby began the celebration a week early, by sweetly giving me a pair of earrings in order to cheer me up, since I'd lost my favorite pair a few days before. The actual date was on Wednesday, when my husband and I enjoyed an intimate dinner at our favorite (and secret) sushi bar. Hideki, our chef, upon learning it was my birthday, pulled out his secret personal stash of distilled sake and made a special dish for me - halibut cured in kelp, with shiso and lemon. The official festivities didn't kick off until Friday, when I was given the day off. Since the lunar new year began this weekend, I decided to go for a double header. I went to yoga in the morning then treated myself to a mani-pedi. Justin flew up from LA to visit, so I picked him up and we went for facials and massages at the Sports Club LA Splash spa, then cocktails at the St. Regis and dinner at AME. The raw bar is there is spectacular, the entrees are pretty good, and the desserts are okay. I would recommend ordering mostly raw bar items, and sharing an entree and a dessert. Too full, we staggered into a cab home and watched Arrested Development before passing out. The next morning, I went to yoga (yes, again) then joined Justin and his Parisian friends at the Ferry Plaza farmer's market. We did the typical Justin-Connie thing, wandering from stall to stall, sampling the wares... a tamale here, a few oysters there, a chicken pot pie from one stall, some rabbit stew and pommes confit from another, a croissant from the bakery, a macaron, a cupcake and pot de creme from the patisserie (where we also got my birthday cake)... you get the idea. But really, it was okay - we walked it all off, wandering about the (empty) Financial District and chatting after we'd eaten our fill, before winding up at a wine bar. I'm amazed that we were able to eat any dinner, much less a Chinese New Year themed one at R and G Lounge. And because it's a Chinese New Year's theme, there has to be eight dishes - whole fish, whole poultry, buns, noodles, veggies, plus a few of my favorite dishes - salt and pepper crab!(While I love most of the traditional New Year's dishes, I find a few to be downright nasty - jai, a vegetarian stew, fried turnip pudding, and this bizarre seaweed dish that looks like a mat of tangled black hair.) Luckily, I had Zack, Justin, Ryan, Anne, Joey, Carla and Matt to help me out. I think we did pretty well. We went home and showed Justin Undeclared, which he deemed hilarious but painful to watch at the same time. The similarities between that show and our experiences at Griffiths Hall are a little too close for comfort. Anyways, we woke up to have a mexican brunch at La Pinata, then took a walk around my neighborhood before seeing Justin off.

It was a fantastic weekend, and thank you to everyone who took part in it. Honestly, I don't *feel* 30... yet.

Macarons de Paris

2006-01-22T16:01:00.000-08:00

I've been obsessed with Parisian macarons for about four years now. I tasted my first about four years ago at a crepe shop downtown in the Financial District. They were simple flavors - almond, chocolate and coffee. I found more at Bay Bread Boulangerie and their flavors expanded to include strawberry, praline, raspberry, hazelnut, lavender, rose, pistachio, pink grapefruit, lemon and most delicious of all, salted caramel. Now, these macarons are not to be confused with coconut macaroons, the dense nuggets of coconut dipped in chocolate that one can find at most bakeries and supermarkets in the States. Parisian macarons are made with finely ground almonds, sugar, egg whites, sometimes flavored, and are now popularly sandwiched together with some kind of filling - be it buttercream, ganache, citrus curd, jam, etc. In Paris, I sampled even more exotic flavors at Laduree, such as violet, mint, chestnut, blackcurrant, licorice and black pepper. And at two of the most avant garde patisseries of the city, Pierre Herme and Sadaharu Aoki, I sampled wild combinations, such as chocolate chestnut, black sesame, red been, rose lychee raspberry, white truffle hazelnut and olive oil matcha green tea.

After too many drinks at the Hotel Murano bar, Justin and I discussed the prospects of opening a macaron shop in the States. Note: Justin is slightly allergic to macarons, and past proposed projects of ours included a "go away baby" noodle shop that also served bacon stuffed pork chops smothered in gravy and salads, which was also adjoined to an optomotrist's shop and a shoe store, of course (don't ask).

When I got home, I managed to procure Pierre Herme's out of print dessert cookbook. Unfortunately, this cookbook was an older edition, from when he worked with Fauchon, and contained no macaron recipes. I found a recipe in my Bouchon cookbook, and cross-referenced it with various recipes I found on the internet, and decided to use Herme's buttercream recipe. I've been making macarons every weekend since. The first week's were a simple almond version, with vanilla buttercream. I'd never made buttercream until now - I always found the whole molten sugar thing to be intimidating, but Pierre Herme's buttercream recipe was pretty reassuring, not to mention delicious. If you've never had homemade buttercream before, oh. my. gawd. But now it kinda frightens me since I know exactly WHAT goes into buttercream... sort of like when I made puff pastry for the first time. Unfortunately, I was overzealous in piping, so they came out HUGE. My coworkers and hubby were pretty happy though. Last week, it was chocolate macarons with a chocolate buttercream filling. This week, it's gonna be chocolate macarons with a salted butter caramel filling... the caramel is cooling as I type. Pictures to be posted later!

Trente ans...

2006-01-18T21:27:00.000-08:00

I was chatting with Justin not long ago, recounting the holiday gifts I'd received. One of them was a certificate for an 80 minute massage/facial (oh joy!) along with a huge bag of skincare supplies. I'm pretty fastidious about skincare, perhaps overly so. I've been using La Mer and Fresh for years now, but my routine is to cleanse, apply eye cream and moisturize, and use sunscreen in the morning. If my skin is looking dull and patchy, I'll use Fresh's Brown Sugar or Remede's exfoliating scrub, and if it's the weekend and I feel like indulging myself, I'll use a mask. The bag o'supplies were the Epicuren facial kit, a brand I'd seen at my facialist's, but hadn't really heard much about. There were various tonics and serums, alpha hydroxy products (which quite frankly, frighten me) and stuff called "metadermabolic enzyme treatment" (which might just frighten me even more).

"What the hell am I gonna do with this??" I wondered "I'm sure it was pricey, but this is a little beyond me!"

Without missing a beat, Justin replied, "Well, girl, you *are* turning 30!"

My distressed cries of anguish were only drowned out by his hoots of laughter.

That's okay. Because he's turning 30 less than a month after I do.

Yay!

2006-01-15T02:00:00.000-08:00

New Shins song! Can't wait for the album and the tour. I would kill to see them again. Haha! Just kidding.

I have the feeling that about 60 percent of what you say is crap.

2006-01-05T00:01:00.000-08:00

I don't think that you represent an objective viewpoint.

I was a little disappointed last night when I checked my Tivo queue to find that there was no new Daily Show waiting. But wait! In the wake of Jon Stewart's hiatus (Stewart's going to be hosting the Oscars, BTW, yay!), apparently Letterman decided step up and rip Bill O'Reilly a new one.

Key nuggets:

on "the 'War' on Christmas", after telling some silly story about replacing lyrics to 'Silent Night' -

Letterman: I don't believe you.
O'Reilly: You think I'm making this up?
Letterman: I do. [Side note: he was - go to "News and Information"]

on Cindy Sheehan -

Letterman: ...you should be very careful with what you say also.
O'Reilly: Give me an example.
Letterman: How can you possibly take exception with the motivation and the position of someone like Cindy Sheehan?
O'Reilly: Because I think she's run by far-left elements in this country. I feel bad for the woman.
Letterman: Have you lost family members in armed conflict?
O'Reilly: No, I have not.
Letterman: Well, then you can hardly speak for her, can you?

The rumor mill...

2006-01-04T22:16:00.000-08:00

Following the footsteps of Isaac Mizrahi, word on the street (No Good for Me) is that Proenza Schouler is in talks for designing a line for Target! I missed the debut of Stella McCartney's H&M line (I was in Paris at the time, so oh well), so this more than makes up for it, as I have yet to get my hands on any of Prouenza Schouler's pieces.

Catorce comes after tres

2005-12-19T10:51:00.000-08:00

My hero is man (or one of the "persons") of the year!

Okay, so he has to share the cover with the Gates. But still... Slainte!

American girl in Paris

2005-12-14T22:44:00.000-08:00

There are times in the day when it gets really slow and I'm bored and I'll find myself daydreaming about Paris. How to get there again, when to go, what I'll do... I didn't do nearly the amount of things I'd planned. I didn't go to the Musee D'Orsay, Versailles, Centre Pompidou, Pere Lachaise, Sacre-Coeur or into Montmartre or the Quartier Latin - one week wasn't enough time to accomplish everything. Strangely, I don't feel *that* empty when I think about missing these sights, but I do get really wistful when I'm thinking of the narrow streets with the odd (and fast!) little Smart Cars, the cheerful specialty shops, the Metro ("Tuileries" is my new favorite french word), the cafes with colorful awnings, the bustling open-air markets, the patisseries and chocolate shops on every corner and even the pharmacies (long story). I'm not terribly worldly or well traveled, but if there's one thing I've learned about myself in my brief sojourn abroad, it's that I really enjoy immersing myself in the local culture. Being able to order food in a restaurant or complete a transaction with a proprietor without using any English tickled me to no end. Okay, so maybe I cheated a little... one of the transactions (cabbie) was in Cantonese. It even got to the point where we arrived at the Buddha Bar after drinks at the Hotel Costes, and I deemed the scene "too touristy... trop americain!" (The below picture was taken then... which may explain the blurriness.) But don't get me wrong - no first timer should miss the the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe is spectacular, the Eiffel Tower's light show is truly dazzling even for the most jaded heart.

mysticonnie's blog

This is Halloween

Saturday 4 or 6 or whatever...

Can't. Frakkin'. Wait.

what i'm up to...

what i'm up to...

fangirl dreams quashed

Words are flying out like endless rain into a paper cup

Backlash is inevitable

iPhone test

in da club

I HATE COMCAST

New guilty pleasure.

happyhappyjoyjoy!

sometimes, insomnia pays off

Can you imagine the schwag possiblities?

So....

Yay!!!!

Synchronicity

How can I resist?

can I just say...

The not yet Friday Five

Confession!

Geek rant

Call it the Joss effect

I'm not crying. It's been raining... on my face!

Le rat qui cuit!

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Vaguely spoilerly re: Lost

Oh, Kate

oh, crap!

ugh

La dee dah dee dah dee dah dee daaaaaah....

Serendipity

At the Rack

Drishti Goals

Cognitive Dissonance?

Ten years

The hour is getting late

Pet Peeves

lame, lame, LAME!!!

Nothing but the rain.

I was going to buy a frying pan but...

Confession!

Were you aware...?

Acquiescence

bhakti yoga flow

Lash extensions

lashin' out!

Arrrggh!!

Microwave Meme

Crazy, Crazy, everbody laugh!

pssst! don't tell anyone!

Life's a show, and we all play a part

Someone's going to have a great weekend...

I try to discover

Ira Glass killed the snooze button

Book meme

Does this mean I'm a loser?

Vivre les pharmacies!

Muffin-top!

Actor's Studio Question Meme

La Roche Posay Anthelios XL Creme Fondante SPF 50

Symbolic symbiote...

Time to cancel all the credit cards.

ahead of the pack

Ultraviolet (Light My Way)

New Threads

After the burn

Post-burn activity

I do *not* love the smell of napalm in the morning.

marc-y marc

cookbook meme (also cribbed from cristine)

ipod meme (cribbed from cristine)

Cojones

Sigh.

Oh No!

Rain, rain, go away.

Caterpillars

Hee!

I do not love the smell of napalm in the morning.