I have Korean Students living with me for the last few months. We share our food and culture.
For Christmas, Jace made Tteokbokki, a delightfully spicy Korean dish featuring sticky rice cakes.
Here's a terrific video showing how to make Tteokbokki with a recipe similar to what he prepared:
Monday, January 9, 2012
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Google Search Terms:Female
I just accidentally discovered something about google search that gives me pause for thought.
If you use a search term that includes the word "female" without the quotation marks, it will also give you results with the word "girl" in it.
I guess it could be helpful at times, but would it also be helpful to creepy perverts? They could say they were looking for adult material and Google is responsible for the underage material that appeared on their screen.
I think that's a bit off...
If you use a search term that includes the word "female" without the quotation marks, it will also give you results with the word "girl" in it.
I guess it could be helpful at times, but would it also be helpful to creepy perverts? They could say they were looking for adult material and Google is responsible for the underage material that appeared on their screen.
I think that's a bit off...
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Returning to the Scene of the Crime
A few friends and I spent New Years Eve of 2012 at the great house where we had the infamous Kentucky Derby Party of 2009 which yielded this recipe. Okay, it isn't even remotely infamous outside of our little circle and the events of that trip were never even cataloged in writing, so far at least. But it should be. It could probably be a movie, actually.
The 2009 trip was intended to be a small fête including a group of 8 fun-seekers looking forward to a nice afternoon, evening and next day brunch filled with traditional Kentucky fare, hosted by two women from Kentucky and a brilliant drink mixologist, in a home that doesn't belong to us. It evolved to includes some added fabulous characters, invited at the last minute because the food was ample and they were nearby. Writers, Artists, Builders, Bankers and other fascinating and fun people, hardly a pretentious one in the bunch.
It was all just too much for my ostensibly straight boyfriend of the moment, who proclaimed at one point, "They are talking about mortgages down there," gesturing to the bank of the river where a fire was encircled by several people deep in conversation. "I live in my parents' basement! I don't even understand what they are saying. I'm just going to get drunk and have fun, if that's okay with you." Who could tell him no? After all, he was, at least according to his own assessment which he shared with me later, very good looking, and very good in bed.
The fun that weekend began in earnest when two of the single gay men at the party, along with the rest of us, became convinced that not only did he most certainly share their proclivities, he was hitting on both of them almost simultanesously. There's much more to the story, but that really isn't the intended topic of this post. Suffice it to say, our relationship didn't last a fortnight after that.
This latest trip to that same wonderful house was so incredibly entertaining and filled with silliness that we found ourselves talking extensively about the events of the weekend before said weekend had even concluded. That will be soon documented, but I've worn myself and any accidental readers of this blog out already, to be sure so let me just share one bit of the great fun.
One of our friends, Andy, doesn't dance. Actually, he claims he only dances to 4 songs. The actual songs are vague and I now suspect he tells each of us that asks different titles because it seems that when one of those songs is played, he simply cannot help himself. He recently added a new song and a few of us got to see the delightful dancing; it was his imitation of Mark Foster, of Foster the People performing "Pumped up Kicks" on SNL.
The only problem is that M, who always knows when to go home had missed this performance because she also knows when to stay home and hadn't joined us on our recent ill-fated trip to Charlotte NC, where the only really good thing to happen (besides my side trip to see family) was that Andy danced. And it was such a great delight that I'd been bothered since then that she missed it.
So when M, who also always knows when to go to bed, retired for the evening I told her I was going to text and wake her up if Andy started dancing. We've been friends nearly 5 years and the phenomenon had only occurred once in my presence so when she said "Well if he starts, you may as well bring him up to my room so I can see it, because I'm not getting up," I took it as more of a reflection on the improbability of a repeat performance than a lack of interest.
But happen it did and I had a great deal of concern about how I could get her downstairs in time to see the elusive dancing, for fear that any sudden moves on my part would scare it away. So, I told our foursome that M had requested we bring the dancing upstairs, to the master bedroom, where she was sleeping and wake her up. And to my great surprise they agreed, and followed me, all the while mildly protesting: "Are you sure she said we should do this?" to which I replied, "Come on you all, I'm more scared than you are!" (A really strange thing to say because although M is "stable, but not boring", she most certainly isn't scary. I attributed the comment later to the oddly delightful mixture of bourbon and champagne that I was drinking, along with my great concern that these 3 gentlemen were going to realize exactly what we were doing and turn tale to head back downstairs before we pulled it off.)
We tiptoed, as M later described, like "loud little mousies" into the room, Davis carrying the sound system and setting it up. It was hard to tell from her lack of movement, but she was already wide awake and in great anticipation and wonder of what bizarre thing her friends were planning. So we turned on the music and danced, each in our own way - Andy doing his awesome Foster impression, J doing his classically trained swooping about, Davis and I doing some kind of attempt at backup dancing, probably sharing an invisible microphone. All while M laid in the bed in a room as large as 4 in most houses, surrounded by antiques, framed ephemera and objets d'art and giggled so hard she was shook. She also got video of the whole thing.
That's just one brief memory from NYE 2012, but it is my favorite. Much as I might consider other ways my life could be unfolding today, I would not trade a moment of the time spent with these delightful people. Their friendship makes all the hard times in life worthwhile.
The 2009 trip was intended to be a small fête including a group of 8 fun-seekers looking forward to a nice afternoon, evening and next day brunch filled with traditional Kentucky fare, hosted by two women from Kentucky and a brilliant drink mixologist, in a home that doesn't belong to us. It evolved to includes some added fabulous characters, invited at the last minute because the food was ample and they were nearby. Writers, Artists, Builders, Bankers and other fascinating and fun people, hardly a pretentious one in the bunch.
It was all just too much for my ostensibly straight boyfriend of the moment, who proclaimed at one point, "They are talking about mortgages down there," gesturing to the bank of the river where a fire was encircled by several people deep in conversation. "I live in my parents' basement! I don't even understand what they are saying. I'm just going to get drunk and have fun, if that's okay with you." Who could tell him no? After all, he was, at least according to his own assessment which he shared with me later, very good looking, and very good in bed.
The fun that weekend began in earnest when two of the single gay men at the party, along with the rest of us, became convinced that not only did he most certainly share their proclivities, he was hitting on both of them almost simultanesously. There's much more to the story, but that really isn't the intended topic of this post. Suffice it to say, our relationship didn't last a fortnight after that.
This latest trip to that same wonderful house was so incredibly entertaining and filled with silliness that we found ourselves talking extensively about the events of the weekend before said weekend had even concluded. That will be soon documented, but I've worn myself and any accidental readers of this blog out already, to be sure so let me just share one bit of the great fun.
One of our friends, Andy, doesn't dance. Actually, he claims he only dances to 4 songs. The actual songs are vague and I now suspect he tells each of us that asks different titles because it seems that when one of those songs is played, he simply cannot help himself. He recently added a new song and a few of us got to see the delightful dancing; it was his imitation of Mark Foster, of Foster the People performing "Pumped up Kicks" on SNL.
The only problem is that M, who always knows when to go home had missed this performance because she also knows when to stay home and hadn't joined us on our recent ill-fated trip to Charlotte NC, where the only really good thing to happen (besides my side trip to see family) was that Andy danced. And it was such a great delight that I'd been bothered since then that she missed it.
So when M, who also always knows when to go to bed, retired for the evening I told her I was going to text and wake her up if Andy started dancing. We've been friends nearly 5 years and the phenomenon had only occurred once in my presence so when she said "Well if he starts, you may as well bring him up to my room so I can see it, because I'm not getting up," I took it as more of a reflection on the improbability of a repeat performance than a lack of interest.
But happen it did and I had a great deal of concern about how I could get her downstairs in time to see the elusive dancing, for fear that any sudden moves on my part would scare it away. So, I told our foursome that M had requested we bring the dancing upstairs, to the master bedroom, where she was sleeping and wake her up. And to my great surprise they agreed, and followed me, all the while mildly protesting: "Are you sure she said we should do this?" to which I replied, "Come on you all, I'm more scared than you are!" (A really strange thing to say because although M is "stable, but not boring", she most certainly isn't scary. I attributed the comment later to the oddly delightful mixture of bourbon and champagne that I was drinking, along with my great concern that these 3 gentlemen were going to realize exactly what we were doing and turn tale to head back downstairs before we pulled it off.)
We tiptoed, as M later described, like "loud little mousies" into the room, Davis carrying the sound system and setting it up. It was hard to tell from her lack of movement, but she was already wide awake and in great anticipation and wonder of what bizarre thing her friends were planning. So we turned on the music and danced, each in our own way - Andy doing his awesome Foster impression, J doing his classically trained swooping about, Davis and I doing some kind of attempt at backup dancing, probably sharing an invisible microphone. All while M laid in the bed in a room as large as 4 in most houses, surrounded by antiques, framed ephemera and objets d'art and giggled so hard she was shook. She also got video of the whole thing.
That's just one brief memory from NYE 2012, but it is my favorite. Much as I might consider other ways my life could be unfolding today, I would not trade a moment of the time spent with these delightful people. Their friendship makes all the hard times in life worthwhile.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Unreality
The experiences of the last half year have me really thinking about my life. The good parts, the great parts and the parts that are just unbelievable. Now that I'm finally home for a stretch I'm regaining, in fits and spurts, my motivation, my creativity, my zest and appreciation for life.
It seems I'm standing on the edge of the cliff, deciding if I will dive off into the beautiful blue waters below and live, really live the life I want. Or if I will retreat back down the path into boring safety, boring safety.
This quote, from Thucydides, sums up all my aspirations and concern in one sentence:
"Be convinced that to be happy means to be free and that to be free means to be brave."
I crave a freedom that is hardly unique- basically, the freedom to do what I like: to travel, to live in one place yet frequently spend time in another, to work creatively with a team without feeling overly bound; ie, working because I love it instead for the salary. It's a freedom that requires funding and will also require a great deal of bravery.
We'll see.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Holidays & Rumors
Is there something about the Holidays that makes gossip more prevalent? Within the last few weeks RumorsAboutMe is getting more hits than usual from people searching for advice on handling rumors about themselves.
It's a certainty that Holidays are tough for many. If someone is already having a hard time, often the pressure of the Holiday rush and the stress of dealing with family relationships only causes more unhappiness. It stands to reason that unhappy people engage in unhealthy behaviors at a greater frequency and that could account for an increase in the spreading of rumors.
People also tend to catch up with folks they haven't seen in a while around Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. That creates more opportunity for gossip, especially among people that maybe don't have much to say to one another in the first place.
If you are one of those people searching answers about why you are being subjected to gossip, take comfort in knowing - it's not about you. It's about the person whose mouth is moving and the one whose ears are open to it.
As long as the nonsense (or even truths) they are crowing about won't harm your marriage, your livelihood or your children, bear it with dignity by pretending you don't have a clue it's even happening. This too shall pass.
More on Rumors: Rumors About You
It's a certainty that Holidays are tough for many. If someone is already having a hard time, often the pressure of the Holiday rush and the stress of dealing with family relationships only causes more unhappiness. It stands to reason that unhappy people engage in unhealthy behaviors at a greater frequency and that could account for an increase in the spreading of rumors.
People also tend to catch up with folks they haven't seen in a while around Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. That creates more opportunity for gossip, especially among people that maybe don't have much to say to one another in the first place.
If you are one of those people searching answers about why you are being subjected to gossip, take comfort in knowing - it's not about you. It's about the person whose mouth is moving and the one whose ears are open to it.
As long as the nonsense (or even truths) they are crowing about won't harm your marriage, your livelihood or your children, bear it with dignity by pretending you don't have a clue it's even happening. This too shall pass.
More on Rumors: Rumors About You
One Small Space
When struggling with chaos I've found that creating one small place of sanity, tranquility and perfection brings hope.
That small space might be physical - a place in my messy home that is always kept clean and perfectly organized.
It could be mental - an area of my minds that knows peace, some thought to think of that only brings calmness
and positive feelings.
It may be emotional - the friendship of one person in the world that I know for certain loves and appreciates me without conditions and of whom I only have positive feelings. For someone else that might even be a pet.
Once that small space is established I derive nourishment and clarity just from tending to it, looking at it, or just thinking about it. It brings comfort to realize that if one small space in my world can be sane, that space be made to grow.
Being home again after months away is overwhelming. There is so much to do that I feel frozen and keep searching for ways to distract myself from what needs to be done, probably out of fear that I can't or won't do it. Everywhere I look there is a daunting task; a mess to be cleaned up, a broken thing that needs to be fixed, months worth of mail to open.
My goal for today was to create that one small space to start the ball rolling toward regaining a sense of peace. My small space was an area in my house near a bay window. Usually one of the best features of my home, that space had been cluttered for several months with things for a yard sale that never happened. With help from a friend, we cleared it out within 20 minutes, vacuumed and decorated it for Christmas. Gazing at it now I know that the seemingly monumental tasks on my list can be broken into smaller ones that I know can be accomplished.
If you are struggling or overwhelmed with life, consider creating a small space for yourself- physical, mental or emotional, as a place you can turn to regain tranquility when other areas of your existence feel like to much to handle.
That small space might be physical - a place in my messy home that is always kept clean and perfectly organized.
It could be mental - an area of my minds that knows peace, some thought to think of that only brings calmness
and positive feelings.
It may be emotional - the friendship of one person in the world that I know for certain loves and appreciates me without conditions and of whom I only have positive feelings. For someone else that might even be a pet.
Once that small space is established I derive nourishment and clarity just from tending to it, looking at it, or just thinking about it. It brings comfort to realize that if one small space in my world can be sane, that space be made to grow.
Being home again after months away is overwhelming. There is so much to do that I feel frozen and keep searching for ways to distract myself from what needs to be done, probably out of fear that I can't or won't do it. Everywhere I look there is a daunting task; a mess to be cleaned up, a broken thing that needs to be fixed, months worth of mail to open.
My goal for today was to create that one small space to start the ball rolling toward regaining a sense of peace. My small space was an area in my house near a bay window. Usually one of the best features of my home, that space had been cluttered for several months with things for a yard sale that never happened. With help from a friend, we cleared it out within 20 minutes, vacuumed and decorated it for Christmas. Gazing at it now I know that the seemingly monumental tasks on my list can be broken into smaller ones that I know can be accomplished.
If you are struggling or overwhelmed with life, consider creating a small space for yourself- physical, mental or emotional, as a place you can turn to regain tranquility when other areas of your existence feel like to much to handle.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Not Happy with my Blog!
I am not happy with my blog!
Right now my blog is suffering from the same "too many ideas, not enough action" syndrome that characterizes my current life situation. I love to write but I haven't been doing that lately and when I begin it seems some other distraction comes along. Nothing is finished, therefore nothing new is getting published here.
The blog also looks like the rest of my life - a confusing mixture of things. Much of the last year was spent neglecting my own immediate needs to help others that truly needed me more than I needed myself. That's good. But now my life is in disarray. It's all fixable but somewhat overwhelming to look around and see the great deal of work that must be done in order to get me back on my rails. Breathe, I tell myself regularly, then I remember: I'm not really the one taking care of me, anyway. This is obvious because fate, God, the Universe, my higher power (choose your preference) has pulled me and my loved ones out of so many jams recently that there's no way to believe I'm really in charge.
Found a quote today that said something like "If you're struggling that means you've just leveled up." That is a heartwarming thought and just what this trouper needed. It screams the words "You've got a challenge!" and a challenge is something I relish.
Here's a little of what I'm facing:
I have to get a job! After spending the last year in various business ventures, then totally suspended while taking care of family matters, then on a project assisting with a family business emergency, it's time for me to get back on track and find a position. That means making major decisions about what will make me happy. It also means facing fears about interviewing after having been fired. I can do this.
I also have to straighten out my finances. Funny, the two things that have always been the easiest control and maintain are the two that are currently in disarray. It's been a humbling experience and one that I'm grateful to have had.
Career & Finances - those are the major things - I also need to get back to the gym, get my house in order and create a new routine. A big challenge will be figuring out how to spend adequate time with my family while still taking care of my own needs once I start a new position. They are 500 miles away and the past year has taught me that I need to be there for me as much as I do for them, but I have no desire to move.
When I start feeling happier with my blog, I will know things are getting back on track in my real life. It will probably always be a random mixture of things but I'm hoping to find a way to make that work.
Right now my blog is suffering from the same "too many ideas, not enough action" syndrome that characterizes my current life situation. I love to write but I haven't been doing that lately and when I begin it seems some other distraction comes along. Nothing is finished, therefore nothing new is getting published here.
The blog also looks like the rest of my life - a confusing mixture of things. Much of the last year was spent neglecting my own immediate needs to help others that truly needed me more than I needed myself. That's good. But now my life is in disarray. It's all fixable but somewhat overwhelming to look around and see the great deal of work that must be done in order to get me back on my rails. Breathe, I tell myself regularly, then I remember: I'm not really the one taking care of me, anyway. This is obvious because fate, God, the Universe, my higher power (choose your preference) has pulled me and my loved ones out of so many jams recently that there's no way to believe I'm really in charge.
Found a quote today that said something like "If you're struggling that means you've just leveled up." That is a heartwarming thought and just what this trouper needed. It screams the words "You've got a challenge!" and a challenge is something I relish.
Here's a little of what I'm facing:
I have to get a job! After spending the last year in various business ventures, then totally suspended while taking care of family matters, then on a project assisting with a family business emergency, it's time for me to get back on track and find a position. That means making major decisions about what will make me happy. It also means facing fears about interviewing after having been fired. I can do this.
I also have to straighten out my finances. Funny, the two things that have always been the easiest control and maintain are the two that are currently in disarray. It's been a humbling experience and one that I'm grateful to have had.
Career & Finances - those are the major things - I also need to get back to the gym, get my house in order and create a new routine. A big challenge will be figuring out how to spend adequate time with my family while still taking care of my own needs once I start a new position. They are 500 miles away and the past year has taught me that I need to be there for me as much as I do for them, but I have no desire to move.
When I start feeling happier with my blog, I will know things are getting back on track in my real life. It will probably always be a random mixture of things but I'm hoping to find a way to make that work.
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