Let them eat bread

I am not a baker. It's too much pressure. Cooking is forgiving. You can skip an ingredient or make some minor substitution and it may not end up being what you started to make, but it will still taste good. When you are baking, almost every ingredient has their specific roles. So if you use the wrong item, or even in the wrong amount, your cookies might taste like cake, your cake might looks like a scone, and your scones just may looks like a cookie....dropped on the ground and stepped on.

"But Alan," you say, "you claimed that you like to cook for the geeky science of it. Baking is where all the science happens!" You're right. If I really am trying to bring out the Alton Brown in me, I must venture into the world of baking... Laziness still comes first, however, so when I caught wind of the No-Knead Bread phenomenon, I knew this was my chance to further my cooking repertoire.

Bread also works for me because so much of the baking world takes place in the land of desserts. I don't have that much of a sweet tooth (heh, try telling that to my dentist) and who wants to make food that you won't really enjoy? Bread-making, however, involves playing with yeast, which seems like entering the baking game at 'Advance'. I can't even keep the whole baking soda/baking powder thing straight, and now I have to grow some gas emitting little spores?? This better be as easy as they claim...




The first great thing going for it: Minimal ingredients! Flour, salt, yeast, and water. So far so good....



Mix all together and you end up with this gloppy mess. I believe the original recipe called it "hairy." Not much work far....



Then it sits....for a long time...this is the key, let the yeast slowly rise and develop the complexity of good bread. I was a little worry since it really should sit somewhere reasonable warm. But it's February at 10pm. Where would it be warm short of taking it to bed with me? The oven seemed like the only way to go. I just have to remember to tell Britt that it's in there in case she decides to preheat the oven for something while I am at work....yikes! ....Off to bed...

The timing of the whole thing is really the trickiest part. You should give it 12, preferably 18 hours to rise. It's pretty much impossible to do this on a weekday and still have it ready for that night's dinner. After much false starts (thanks to some untimely road construction outside my house), I decided to go ahead and just make it whenever I can. I may not eat it that day, but I'll still have fresh bread at home the next day. As luck would have it, we were being treated to Zachary's pizza the next day, so I didn't even need to worry about dinner when I got home. Just open up the oven to be greeted by my growing glop.

I was a little anxious and didn't get a picture of it after the long rise. I took it out and folded the glop once or twice, which turned out to be incredibly sticky. I think I lost a quarter of the bread by leaving it stuck to my hands. But I did the best I could and ended up with this...



After 15 minutes or so, I had to handle the glue dough again and try to form it into a ball before placing it onto a towel that has been floured or in my case, cornmealed. I don't really remember why I have cornmeal at home, so I figured this was a good time to use it. Then covered with another towel (more flour or cornmeal!) and let it rise again for 2 hours. This is where I went to have pizza. Mmmm pizza....



So this was the product that was going into the oven. Mostly round, but the best I could do without just baking my hands with the bread. I then came to my favorite part of the recipe because the baking takes place inside a dutch oven or other oven safe pot (like the one I used. I do not have a dutch oven. It is currently the other thing that I am coveting in my life, along with that camera that I begged you for last time). Baking is 30 minutes with the lid on, follow by 30 minutes or so without the lid, or until golden, brown, and delicious.



With all of the sloppy mess that I was handling, I was pleasantly surprised that what I ended up actually looked like bread. In fact, it looked like damn good bread. One problem though, by that point, I was all doughed out from the pizza I binged on, so as good as the bread looked coming out of the oven (and smelled even better), I just could not sample any that night without committing a deadly sin (gluttony, for those of you scoring at home). It tasted great the next day though, and the people that I shared the bread with seemed to agree.

It is somewhat time intensive, but the effort is minimal and the results well worth it all. It is such a cheap way to always have fresh bread around the house, that I am preparing another hairy glop as we speak. Let the baking begin!

Birthday Party

Sara & MK
Originally uploaded by Alanmine

Saturday was Sara's 5th Birthday party, and as strange as it sounds, the weather cooperated and it rained for most of the afternoon. You see, being an election year, my street is scheduled to be repaved. The original plan was for the construction to take place right through the weekend of the party, which means no parking for anyone on the street. Luckily, it did rain (not as much as on Jan 4th though, the weatherman on TV said) and construction was delayed and party guests were free to take park wherever they want.

Of course, that meant 30 some odd people were crammed into my smallish house with no place to hide. It was festive and cozy, but I think it went pretty well. Thank you all who came and ate and partied. We readily admit that we are terrible at thank you cards so we didn't keep very good track of the many, many presents Sara receive. Just know that they were all very appreciated (even the messy and loud ones).

Of note:

- Who knew a plastic afro would be such a hit? I think I will start a Photo Set on Flickr of people in the 'fro. Stay tune, but here are some quick samples....

- Occasions like this allow me to play with my sister's fancy photography equipment. It's fun and I like how it makes me look like I am good at photography (which I most certainly am not). At the same time, it makes me want one SOOOOO bad. If anyone knows where I can get a cheap Nikon D70/40/60, please let me know. I don't know how much longer I can hold out and there really are more responsible things I can do with my tax refund.

- The first picture at top is currently my favorite picture anywhere. I told you that camera makes me look good....the beautiful subjects doesn't hurt either.

- I still can't believe we never took advantage of the Valentine's Clearance sales to decorate Sara's party before. A Love party every year! wait...that doesn't sound right....especially when she becomes a teenager....ack!

I Eat Your Brussels Sprouts! I Eat It Up!

Oh, a quick word about the brussels sprouts. I love roasted vegetables. It is my preferred way of cooking almost any vegetables. The dry heat intensifies the flavor rather boiling it away in a big pot of water. It started with asparagus, and then broccoli, and now I even eat brussels sprouts!

(Ok, a clarification here. I don't actually remember ever having brussels sprouts before. I may have as a young kid, but I don't recall, so I was going along with their poor reputation along with everyone else. Britt claims to love it and always ask me to make it for her, so I figured if I was going to start, I would at least apply the best method possible)

Thanks to my new Food hero, Mark Bittman of the NYT for the inspiration. I liked it with a little balsamic vinegar, Brittany liked it the way it was. It didn't quite pass the Hannah test, but that might be shooting a little high....

The Food Section

So apparently I've been kicked out of sharing my food exploits from my "food band" because everyone wants to have their own solo projects. I am certainly not the Paul McCartney of the group, (or even the Justin Timberlake...maybe I can be the Joey Fatone of the group. "Fat One" I love that....) but I have been a little more inspired to try some new things lately, courtesy of all the food blogs that I am suddenly subscribed to (thank you Google Reader, you have pretty much monopolized the last remnants of my free time), so I need to share things somewhere. (wow, I just looked back and realized that last sentence was like 89 words. my old English teachers all probably hate my right now) So the 'mine has a food section as well...

There is a general theme to the cooking renaissance . First, it must be relatively cheap. No running out to the store and buying exotic things like saffron , Italian ham, or fancy French goat cheese (or red meat, with the way food prices are going....har har). All of those things are delicious, but just too costly to buy, for possible one time use only. The family is in the midst of trying to be better about finances, so along with living without cable for a while (and Tivo! Nooooo!), we are sacrificing as much eating out as possible. So I am cooking to save money, not for extravagance.

Secondly, it must be relatively fast. The second thing I usually hear when I get home from work is how my kids are starving and about to pass out (they should get honorary Oscars. just take one from the Coen brothers. Do they really need two?). I have probably an hour or so before they walk into the kitchen with forks and look like they are ready to pick out my meaty parts (too many of those parts, if you ask me) for dinner. So I have to be creative sometimes. If I am extra good I can make some preparation the night before, but honestly, when have you known me to be so prepared and un-lazy? (Yes my wife is home and can totally handle dinner, or at least help. But cooking has sneaked its way up to being a genuine hobby with me and I like to try new things, along with the challenge of making things my picky kids will eat. You will just have to live with my wife's baking after you get through my dinners...)

So with that in mind, I decided to go with a classic and made Tilapia with broccoli in parchment paper packets. Not only is it easy, but a cinch to clean up, and the kids truly feel extra special getting their own little packet to open up. It was a last minute decision so I just threw a bunch of stuff together. There is some inspiration from here, but what I ended up with bares little resemblance.

First I cut the broccoli into small florets and place them in a bowl. I tossed with olive oil, soy sauce, and a little salt and pepper. I also wanted lemon juice and realized that I was all out, so I went out to my yard and picked two blood oranges off my tree. We have some decent size fruit this year for the first time, but they are WAY sour, so I thought that would be perfect as a lemon substitute. Besides, the color is cool....



I place some broccoli on each of the parchment paper sheets, and then placed the tilapia in the bowl and rolled it around in the remaining sauce. I placed it on top of the broccoli, and crimped closed the packets, making sure that there is enough room for the steam that will be doing the cooking.



The packets were placed in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Let the packets rest for about 10 minutes before opening, being careful of the hot steam escaping. Made some cous cous while the fish is cooking as a side. Roasted some brussel sprouts while the fish was cooling, and a meal was completed....

Snow Day

As promised, I took a day off during the kid's ski week vacation and took them to the snow. We realized that it was Sara's first time in the snow and that is really a shame. We tagged along with a friend's family and ended up at a snow park that is barely two hours away. Why didn't we do this sooner? The kids had a ball, getting braver as the afternoon went on and going higher. Unfortunately, our seldom visits to the white flaky stuff also meant that we don't really have the cloths for it. The rain boots you see on the kids are cute, but they are far too loose and snow got into them easily. Sara went through 4 pairs of socks and is now the proud owner of $8 wool socks, courtesy of the snow park store. If it were up to me, she will be wearing those on all future trips to the snow....until she's 16.



As a bonus, I also learned something that probably everyone who lives in the snow already knows: Never park your car next to a slanted roof full of snow. I had never seen snow smash a windshield before, and if I wasn't feeling so bad for the guy, I would have taken a picture to show you. Alas, you will have to just watch my kid in action:

Get it while it's hot!

Overexposed events like the Super Bowl makes it hard for me to be motivated enough to say too much about it (and from the scarcity of post here, one would think not many things motivate me to say anything here). I didn't have too much rooting interest in the game, so I was glad it was entertaining. For once, I think the game was better than the commercials...

...I did come across this for sale at Amazon though, which I thought was pretty funny. I wonder if they also sell those Dewey Defeat Truman posters too....

Watching MORE TV?

Out of habit, while I flip through my daily newspaper (who still reads newspapers? like on paper? apparently I still enjoy scrubbing the newsprint off my fingers everyday), I scan the back page of the entertainment section where the tv listings are to see if anything of interest is on. Lately, of course, I always end up with the conclusion that, well, nothing is on! I have as fond of memories of American Gladiators as the next guy (Larry Csonka! Nitro!), but on one of the networks? in primetime? what's next? update of Knight Rider? (oh wait) Reinvent Bionic Woman? (what? damn it!) Cast Dakota Fanning in the new Small Wonders? (Yes!)

The way I see it, there are two things preventing a resolution to this writer's strike business. First, the writers have not done a very good job of getting the average American to give a crap. Ask any Joe Schmoes in Middle America if they know that the writer's strike was still going on and at best, you'll get an answer to the effect of, "The writer strike? Is that still going on?" How would picketing a Hollywood studio lot bring your cause to the public? Last time I checked, I don't happen by the set of CSI:Walnut Creek on my way to work, and I certainly don't see anyone telling me that they are getting robbed of their online content royalty on my way to Safeway. Worse, while the writers are whining in their little corner of the world, the networks are getting away with sprinkling just enough new programming into the schedule that people don't even notice something it changed. There has been a steady increase in the hour of reality programming anyway, so what's 3 or 4 more opportunities to see what people would do if they were tied up to an alligator while trying to travel across the country trying to hook up with their high school prom date for a chance to win a hundred bucks and a bottle of ketchup? and I suffered through all sorts of interruptions during Heroes last season, isn't it coming back on in a few weeks just like last time? Television executives have effectively trained your average viewer to have basically no expectations when it comes to their programming, so really, no one gives a crap. How are the writers going to drum up any kind of support? (I know movies are technically affected too, but we are still a couple of months away from the well running dry on those...wait, Rambo opens this week? ah geez....)

I know one way that the writers can rally the public and put more pressure on the movie execs (which, incidentally, was my second point from earlier, but I am way past an organized rant by now), keep count of the length of the strike! Nothing revs up the urgency in a situation (and that is exactly what the writers need at this point) like some big number highlighting how long it has been going on? Does anyone know how long the strike have been going on? No! If you got into writing because numbers aren't your strong point, count weeks or something! Wouldn't you be more concerned if you turned on the TV and were told that we are entering week 13 of the strike, with no end in sight!?!? Come on! You guys create drama for a living! This has not occurred to any of you? Did all of you at one time wrote for the WB??

(Stepping off the frothy soap box)

For me, I think the strike has done me a lot of good. Mostly a financial decision, but made simpler because of the current situation, I have canceled my satellite TV subscription. For getting 200 channels there wasn't really ever anything on anyway. I will probably breakdown and resubscribe sometime after baseball season start (hear that, Comcast? DirectTV? I am declaring my free agency), but for now, I don't feel like I am missing anything at all.

And thanks to the magic of technology, there is more content online than ever. Through the magic of services of Joost, Hulu, Fancast, and even Netflix, I can actually watch more TV than ever, in bed on my laptop. So really, thanks you writers for taking a break so that I can catch up. I am trying to watch some recent shows that I never got around to the first time. I started watching, from the beginning, Arrested Development, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and that 800lbs gorilla known as Lost. So I'm going to stop looking at that depressing TV grid everyday (I switched to a weekend only newspaper subscription) and start figuring out how to best watch my TVs on my iPhone....

I Don't Think We Are In Kansas Anymore....

And you thought the storm last week was a hassle for you...

Of course, the kids now have the roomiest yard to play in....

End of another year?

I thought as we draw close to 2007, I will acknowledge the year that was by finally taking part in one of its technologically hip trends. Yes, this was the year that the social networking phenomenon took off and I finally succumb and joined one. It's not really the whole networking with friends that I really care about (although it does seem to do some of the keeping in touch with others that I am otherwise so poor at). I just want to play with all of the web apps that are developed for such sites. So if you ever visit my page, don't be distracted by the endless random social applications (or not, it's experimental that way). As I am shocked and surprised that anyone reads this blog, I will be pretty impressed that you leave me a message as well.

Oh, I never mentioned which site I finally joined, huh? I have been telling everyone that since I am such a Google whore that I want to join Orkut, with the tag line of, "It's the number 1 social networking site in Brazil!" In the end, I will just have to play with OpenSocial apps elsewhere....

Parental Quiz

So when I open the fridge and see this:

Should I think:

a) Man, if there is room for individual pieces of candy in the fridge (it's on the bottom shelf too), I obviously need to do some grocery shopping.

b) Well, at least they want to take care of the candy they have and not let it melt in my couch.

c) Why haven't I eaten their Mr. Goodbar yet??

The crazy things kids do....

New! Bigger! Improved!

As much as some are seeing me develop into an Apple whore, my heart (or flower, if you want to keep the dirty metaphor going) already belongs to another. If you are talking about me willing to at least try to use every product that they spit out, just put the word Google in front of it and I'm there. I admit I did stray for a while there during the getting-to-know-you honeymoon phase with my iPhone, but with Gmail now supporting IMAP, the Google Reader coming out of beta, and my continual quest to better organize myself with the help of Google calendar (sharable so my wife/secretary can do the actual tracking of dates), I am back to being a faithful follower of all things G. (incidentally, if you are one of the lucky people with a few shares of their stock, I am waiting for my residual in the mail)

All of which leads me to introduce the newest feature of this humble blog. To the right you will see all my shared items from my Google Reader.....Who gives a crap what I am reading while at work everyday, you may ask? ... Well I don't know, what are you doing here now reading about my technically promiscuous ways? As you will probably notice, the items are heavy in tech and food items. Because if there is one thing that I like to do, it's eating good food and playing with gadgets...preferably both. (I'll be awaiting my invite)

Save Your Allowance....

Caught up on some TV today and watched the 100th episode of Family Guy. Stewie finally kills Lois, and it leads to an entertaining cliffhanger...then I see this blurb on the 'ol Internet...

Boy hires hitman to kill parents ground denies Playstation, TV

I think there is a social message that I can be ranting about, but my soapbox is in the shop, and I'm sleepy...

On a related note, I am almost ashamed to say that new Hitman movie looks good, and I never played the video game.

Public Service Annoucement

IMG_8355
Originally uploaded by Alanmine

Now, I understand people not giving out the best candy on Halloween. I would buy candy and keep the good stuff for myself too. I also understand you getting rid of candy that you don't want. I have also sorted through my kid's bounty, pulled out the crappy stuff, and gave them out to the 15 year old kids who come by at 9:30 at night with no costumes and a pillow case. But please, use a little common sense. Please do not give out those old chocolate laying around thinking, "Gee, we should get rid of those cute little chocolate that looks like little bottles of wine." Because kids biting into razor blades are no fun, but making my kids drunk before bed is not acceptable either. Thank you. *cue cheesy music*

Losing it all...

As if the Cal football season isn't being flushed down the toilet fast enough, now our most famous moment in the sun is being surpassed. Life as a Golden Bear is not good right now.....

(Got to admit though, this is a pretty awesome play in a totally ridiculous way)

Who needs the Kwik-E-Mart?...I Doooo!!

As a tie-in to their long awaited movie, the Simpson has a promotional deal with 7-11 to give the Kwik-E-Mart experience at their stores. As an even deeper tie-in, a few selected stores were.... er.....selected to be completely transformed to look like an authentic Kwik-E-Mart. Now if that isn't worth a little trek down the peninsula, I don't know what is. So down in Mountain View, nestled between the Computer History Museum and Google headquarters, one can live like any citizen of Springfield and get themselves a donut with pink icing and sprinkles, and wash it down with a Squishee or perhaps a Buzz cola. If all of that isn't enough of a surreal experience, how about...

- We waited in line to basically shop in a 7-11. How crazy is that????



- At the Computer History museum, there was a wedding taking place....I don't even know what to say to that.

- At said museum, at said wedding, we heard a mariachi band playing....I need to be invited to weddings like that more often.



- While in line at 7-11 (let us digest that last statement again......), the person regulating the line at the door was heard soliciting a job from the guy in front of us (who was wearing a Google t-shirt) I should have known that Apu probably has a Computer Science degree and probably worked at a call center for Adobe in Bangalore before becoming an entrepreneur in Springfield.

Anyway, they ran out of Buzz Cola, I didn't feel like buying overpriced Krusty-O's, and none of us were brave enough to eat donuts with bright pink frosting (well, Hannah wanted one, but this was one of those rare instances where my good parenting sense kicked in).


(Thanks Sis for the help with the pictures)

Item #463...

...things you would not see in your house if you did not have children.


Courtesy of my iPhone!

Karaoke Sara

Sara singing Seasons of Love from Rent. I don't have anything to add. It speaks for itself.

Temptation

I want to give a sincere thanks to all of you.

Really, I appreciate your efforts.

You have used very good reason and common sense to try and talk me out of it You tell me it's just not my time yet. If I can just wait, it will only get better.

Well, I couldn't do it. It sucked me in like nothing ever before and I found that I can resist it no longer...

Purely a Business Decision...

Enjoy the scene now, the tickets will be sold soon. I have to get that iPhone fund going somehow...

Bad Luck

Losing your driver's license mere weeks after your renewal. (My last license lasted a good 5 years) - Bad

Having to spend my lunch break sitting at the DMV, surrounded by the weirdest looking bunch of people ever. (Doesn't normal people need to go to the DMV anymore?) - Worse

Coming home to a letter from the Coliseum letting you know that they have a "property" of yours. - Priceless!

Where's Webster? (not the short kid)

I had a discussion with a co-worker today where she told me that she doesn't think she is "nerdy", but that she was more "dorky". I didn't know what the difference was except that she claims that dorky is just basically a little un-cool where as you are nerdy if you are a math major or play a lot of WoW. (I only hit .500 on that one). Well I looked it up and came up with these definitions:

1. Slang A stupid, inept, or foolish person
2. Vulgar Slang The penis.

I don't think either of those about my co-worker. Maybe she should find a new term to describe herself, like ghee, or even, chipmonkey! Suggestions welcomed.

I Really Am Not That Geeky...

Breakthrough brings 'Star Trek' teleport a step closer

Disclaimer:

- I am not a Star Trek fan at all. I've seen a few, mostly Next Generation ones, but that's it.
- I do not claim to completely understand what the article is talking about. For some reason, quantum physics fascinates me. I like how I, at best, barely wrap my mind around the ideas. Somehow, having something just beyond my mental reach is stimulating.

Of course, I can say the same about woman. (Probably not the only time women has been compared to quantum physics)

Yattai!

Serial dramas are so much better when watched all together. How many of you have had '24' marathons? Who is still planning to finally rent 'Lost' season 1 and start getting into the mythology? (Is it just me?) Heroes lost a significant number of viewers this year because it kept going on extended leaves where people was held in suspense for weeks at a time. I think I might have quit caring if I was put in that position as well. But I got to the party late, and sure watching it online leaves some things to be desired (No more Orville Redenbaucher commercials!!!!), I took two and half weeks and watch 23 pretty engrossing chapters of ordinary people discovering extraordinary chapters. Like any good fantasies, your level of suspense must be...er..suspended quite a bit to fully get into the story (my favorite moment of the finale: Sylar stopping bullets before they hit him, only to be skewered by Hiro running at him with a sword. Was he distracted by Ali Larter's hot body too?), but I had a good run, cuddling up to Britt in bed with the laptop.... Now if anyone wants to check out some resourceful folks wandering around an island in the same outfit for 3 years, I am ready to go....

A Good Run

3 more chapters online, one finale on the Tivo.

So I was about a week off. I figured NBC would at least keep them online that long. With the announcement of the DVD release (with HD-DVD version too. Another reason to get my Xbox 360 fixed), and the launch of summer contents like graphic novels to keep people interested, maybe I had more time than I thought. There's a lot on how TV viewership is down this season and this should really get those Nielson folks and revamp the way they measure TV viewing. Does anyone have on record that I have just spent the past 2 weeks revolving my life around their show? Does it make it into any widely published totals how many people have shows on their Season Passes on their DVR? All these datas are more available than we think (Tivo knew how many people hit the rewind button to see Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction). It's time it all gets factored into the equation. Despite the amount of crap reality shows that clogs our airwaves out there, we are still watching TV. We are watching TV differently than our parents, so please stop counting us like them. Perfectly good TV shows will only suffer because of it.

A Stroll in the Park

You should be glad to hear that my couch-potato fest was interrupted by exercise. I carefully say exercise, rather than a race, because the Bay to Breaker is really about 1000 people who likes to run and 59,000 who likes to wake up early and be drunk by 9am. It's good to know so many people are versatile enough to stagger down the street first thing in the morning as well as they do last thing at night....Anyway, people always ask the same two questions when they hear that I was there, so to be efficient, I'll answer them here and just hand people a card with this blog's address. Remember, there are no stupid questions, just stupid people. (I am tired of the questions getting the blame. Another tactic by the liberal left, I think)



1) How was it? - Honestly, that is exactly what most people ask me. Aside from just generally being a stupid question (except for when I ask my wife that in bed, which is a different, NC-17 blog), being at a Bay to Breaker is pretty much what you would think it would be. For me, it's like attending a convention of live-action bad jokes. Everywhere you turn...

- A priest, a bear, and Darth Vader are crossing the street....

- Nacho Libre was pushing a stroller at the park...

and my personal favorite...

- Malificent asked the nun to hold her bag before using the port-a-potty...

...I wish I had a punchline for even of those these jokes. Maybe that's a different race....



2) Did you see any naked people? - Really, you all know that the quality of any possible nude runners would not exactly be aesthetically pleasing. Why must all of you torture me by reminding me of the traumatizing images? In short, yes, mostly male, and it is certainly bigger than yours. Now please never speak of this again...

Still in Pursuit...

Ok, so I didn't quite make it. Monday is here and I am just finished with chapter 14. The quest is still on though, like Hiro on his mission, I am still determined to catch up before NBC pulls them off of their website and force me to buy their DVD (of course, if I am obsessing like this now, I think the chances of me owning the DVD is good). I thought I would get through more of them yesterday after the Bay to Breakers, but I was too tired after dinner (and stiff. There should be a Frankenstein impersonation contest after next year's race) to watch more than a few. So two more down today, the finale is on the Tivo (right next to the Departed. You get the feeling that I save my TV watching just like me saving up my blog entries. Every six months, it's all I can do...), and I am going to be TIRED at work tomorrow (more than usual, of course).

Day...whatever it is...

.....Counting was never my strong point....

Scrubs is probably my favorite show on TV. I was glad that it's coming back for one more season. I'm even content that the next season will be it's last....so I wasn't able to stiff-arm the season finale in my quest to catch up on Heroes. I did catch chapter 6 afterwards, so I won't have to stay up all weekend...calling in sick Monday, now that's a different possibility...

...Friday was a day of higher determination. I was doing a few random things on World of Warcraft (I am just easily obsessible, aren't I?...if that is a real word, anyway) and it lead me to a later start. I talked myself into the fact that it's Saturday tomorrow that I watched chapter 8 right after 7. So 15 episodes to go, and I better get started. But first....

- In case you forgot, in chapter 6, future Hiro's message to Peter was the fame "Save the cheerleader, save the world" line. I can be in on it now! (I know, those of you who watched it 5 months ago think I am just so cute right now...)

- My sister just alerted me to the fact that they are also showing Heroes on Sci-Fi channel. I might have invested the time to watch it on a real tv, but the online version is so much more flexible. I would enlist my Tivo to help, but I have some stuff saved on there so I don't have room to be recording a whole marathon. (Including The Departed that I rented from Amazon Unbox. Rentals straight to your Tivo! I'll let you know how the quality is...uh...Tuesday.)

Day 4 of Heroes Catch Up

Due to the premiere of Zach playing in the pit band in Damn Yankees in Stockton, and an inconvenient (albeit brief) interruption of my DSL service, there was no Heroes last night. I'll have to wait another day to hear what Hiro had to tell Peter from the future.

4 days for 19 episodes...the marathon is definitely on for this weekend...around my Bay to Breaker commitments Sunday morning. It should be fun....

The Race is On...

(Don't you hate it when someone disappears for months and just comes back like nothing happened? No explanations for where they have been for the past four months? I know I do)

Recently, I have been wanting to get on the Heroes train. At first I figured, "I already missed the beginning, I'll just wait until the season 1 DVD comes out." Then I remember that the episodes are available online, so I've been meaning to check if it was just recent episodes or the whole season. After overcoming the procrastinations and laziness I finally found out that the whole season is online. Upon hearing that the season finale is Monday, I have an need to get caught up and watch the finale with everyone else on tv (watching shows on the computer, while, convenient, still isn't the most comfortable). So with 6 days until the end, the race is on to watch the last 19 episodes. This will probably mean a mini marathon this weekend, so if anyone want to join me for a few hours of comic book fun, give me a call.

- So far the story is pretty engaging and they balance the different characters pretty well. It's hard not to like the (mis) adventures of Hiro and Ando the best. I've always been a fan of Ali Larter and her Niki character is pretty hot. I hear her story gets kind of dumb later on, but as long as I get to watch her, I'm ok with it.
- Seeing the various handiwork of Sylar is pretty cool too. It's not everyday that you see a guy frozen solid with the top of his head sawed off (unless you watch CSI, I suppose, which I don't). My favorite so far though is seeing Claire on the autopsy table with her chest opened. Neat!
- I'm trying to watch the whole season in a week also because I am afraid that after the finale on Monday, NBC will soon pull it off their website and I will really have to wait for the DVD in August. So I better hurry and get back to it...I'll let you all know my progress as the week goes on....

A Million Little Pieces....

There is a very simple rule when it comes to getting presents for my kids. It must not be noisy, or we will keep it at your house. Over time, some amendments have had to be made (playdohs are not really recommended either. Sara was pounding it into the carpet the other day with her Whack-a-Mole hammer), and I think it is time for yet another friendly reminder. My daughters are older now and can handle smaller toys without worrying about them being choking hazards. But this rite of passage does not simply mean that they are moving from the toddler-friendly Duplo to real Legos, with smaller toys some smaller parts. Smaller parts have a ways of being everywhere, from couch cushions to pockets to (too often) the bottom of my foot (ouch!). My kids are not (like I imagine many other kids their age) exactly the neat types so five minutes of playing Battleship turns into 2 hours of getting them to take the pegs out of my shoe (ouch again!). So please, it may seem like a good idea to get the girls the Totally Real Barbie playhouse (with real toilet flushing sounds!), but 50 little pieces later, that do NOT have some storage place to return to, just will not last very long in my house. I'm as glad as anyone that Barbie has a dining room set complete with flowers in a vase, but take a good look now. I doubt that all of these pieces will remain for very long.



BTW, thanks Jason for the present! The girls love it!

mERry christmas

Merry Christmas, all! I hope that all seven of you that reads this blog had a good Christmas. Personally, I have decided this year that I am finally over getting too much stuff. Sure I enjoyed getting a new game to play with on my Wii (no Wii jokes today, but I foresee a Wii-ful 2007), or a good book to read (both of which I got. Thanks everyone). But I also noticed I get a lot of "stuff" that I just don't need nor particularly want cluttering my house. Probably due to the fact that my house is now smaller with new tenants squeezing in, but I am so not about random boxes of winter peppermints or cute little penguins in santa hats singing Jingle Bell all over my house. Thoughtfulness is still the most important thing to me. A little something that you actually set aside 2 minutes to think about what I would like is all I need. That even applies to gift cards. I used to think that gift cards were the height of apathy in gift giving. Today, however, I think it would be great if someone knows that I would occasionally enjoy a Coldbuster from Jamba Juice or would like to download the latest Norah Jones cd from iTunes. Now if you give me a Petsmart gift card, then please, allow me to share some snowmen marshmallow chews with you....

Incidentally, I am happy to report that Santa does indeed know where you are in case you were not home with those sugar plums dancing in head (or pink elephants, depending on how much "help" you need to get through being with your family). Britt started having some lower abdominal pains while we were at her cousin's house on Christmas Eve. She tried to tough it out but it got worse while we were back at our house for a gift exchange with just her immediate family. So we rushed through some of the present openings (no problem for my kids) and were off to the emergency room at Kaiser at around 10pm Christmas Eve. In keeping with the industry average, after an IV with some morphine, a pelvic exam, a CT scan with a delicious barium beverage, and a lot of waiting, we were out of there in six hours. There is nothing like driving around at 4am Christmas morning. A peace that is hard to find at any other time of year...especially on 23rd St. in Richmond...So that was Christmas...well, after a few hours of sleep, we retrieved the kids from my parents and the orgy of presents continued. Britt is slowly recovering. They believed it was a cyst that had ruptured. She sends her greeting...


(She will probably be none too pleased if she knows that I posted that picture....but since it's technically a festive occasion, I might use it as our Christmas card next year....)

Too sick to play with my Wii

A trip to Stockton, some big football games to watch, a Wii to wait in line for....and I did almost none of it. I've had what was later termed, a "viral respiratory infection compounded by dehydration". I can tell you what it was to me: bad ouchies. So I watched some football in two hour increments, missed enough work to put in a day and a half work week for Thanksgiving, and have now drank enough liquids to knock down a levee or two. Missing out on that Wii though...well...

...so the day of the Wii launch comes and I was getting all caught up in the hype. I heard that a Toy's R Us in San Mateo was having a special midnight opening for the occasion so I thought that would be a good place to try and get one because:

a) the special event (only 18 Toys'R'Us in the country were doing it) maybe meant that they would have more instock then your typical Gamestop.
b) a midnight opening means not having to sit outside in the middle of the night.


The the whole "too sick to get out of bed" thing came and I was bummed. I was glad that Britt was around to take care of me, but she decided to do one better. She offered to go out and wait in line anyway so I would maybe still get one. Now I suppose having someone around to get stuff for you is nice, but really, how many of you have a significant other that is willing to wait in line out in the cold for hours so you can wave a remote around and potentially ignore her as a thank you? Well she took her brother out at around 7 or so and found a long line already there. They figured they made the trip so they would wait around. Time came to pass out the tickets and she ended up with ticket numer 111 of 150.



I'm sure there were all sorts of fascinating stories of her being in line, meeting people, etc. But I wasn't there so I can't tell you any of them. In short, she got me Wii and the Zelda game to boot.



I still haven't been able to play it a whole lot with Thanksgiving weekend keeping me busy, but what I have played is pretty cool. My wife have been called the coolest, and others want to know if she has a sister (she doesn't). I just know that I am lucky. And you are all welcome to come play with my Wii anytime -- when my wife isn't playing with it.

Tricking and Treating

I've came down from my sugar high to give a quick round up of Halloween at the Kwong household. Fortunately my kids are still at that age where really, I don't let them eat most of the candy they beg out of strangers on Halloween...before I shake your head at my exploitations of my flesh and blood, remember that I walked the neighborhood too! I can't help it if I am not as cute as the little lion or the sparkly Tinkerbell. Consider my cut the service fees....

I always like the houses that give something different. Besides the razor blade apples and Bibles, the girls got some pretty neat stuff. There is almost always one house that gives a matchbox car, which I am beginning to suspect is from the collector who buys cases of cars and once a year gives out the crappy ones he doesn't want. Then there was the house that gave this big fancy German chocolate bar (see? my kids would never be able to appreciate that one)....my favorite was when we were almost home and a police car pulled over and offered us candy from a bowl they had in the car (wonder if they had confiscated the candy earlier from some bad kids). My least favorite was when we were three blocks from home and the kids from one house told my kids to come in and pick some candy from their bounty strewn out on the living room floor. Who taught these kids to re-gift already? Not to mention the whole luring of young kids into their house....crazy....

I really wanted to bring the girls over to Jason's for the festive movie, but we walked around way more than I had originally planned and Hannah fell into a sugar induced coma quickly after returning home.....oh, a picture. I guess you all would rather see that...

Maybe I should be a scalper...

Thanks to the fine folks of Oregon St., I decided to take an early look at what it would cost me for tickets to the Rose Bowl this year. It would be pretty swell to see the Blue and Gold on New Year's Day in person. The few outlets that I found where someone was selling tickets, the lowest price I saw was $498.....for one ticket. I'll let that sink in for a moment.....

So I guess I'll have to make plans for a Rose Bowl party at my house. Or know someone who knows someone who can sneak me into the halftime show or something....egads.


On a not really related ticket note, I also see that the latest Canadian children import, the Doodlebops, will be in the Bay area in February. If you don't know who they are, you probably don't have kids nor have babysat recently. I am also taking donations to pay for those tickets for my kids. If you are having trouble deciding which fund to contribute to......please, send me to LA.

City Pride

Psh, and people shudder and make jokes when they hear that I live in Richmond. According to the latest research, we aren't even in the top 10 of the worst! Number 11, baby! Woot!

Stuff It

It was bound to happen.

Really, how can you say you have raised kids unless one (or both) of them has stuffed something they shouldn't up their nose/ear? Sara has been sticking things out of her nose lately (usually her finger, which then goes in her mouth. Mmmmm...). She was playing with the pussy willow plant at my parents house when she started to complaint about her nose hurting. I thought she might have scratched her nose on the inside so I told her to stop and left it at that. The next day it occurred to Britt that whatever she was messing with might STILL be up her nose. So she took a flashlight and there it was. A quick trip to the doctor, a sturdy pair of tweezers, and out came...that thing. Sara didn't complaint. Apparently it was all lube up so it was easy to pop out.
We now return you to whatever meal that you were thinking about having. Good luck with that.

Fall Seasoning

I think I have found my new favorite tv show.

Since this is looking like the last season of Scrubs, I started to check out some new shows this season to see if my Tivo is going to get much of a workout this fall. I fell for the hype and watched Studio 60 on Sunset Strip and was really impressed. I have always been meaning to check out an Aaron Sorkin creation. I had one of the "always meant to watch it but never did" things with Sports Night and The West Wing, so if I wasn't going to get in now I won't watch this either. For those of you who have experience the Sorkin style of writing, this is like comfort food. For a novice like me, I was blown away from the quality of dialogue and just the smart wit. Now, people don't really talk like that in real life, but at the same time I like to think it encourages people to talk more intelligently. It's the witty dialogue that gets me to watch Gilmour Girls with Brittany every week. (there, I've admitted it. I watch Gilmour Girls)

Day Time TV

I am battling an illness and spent the afternoon at home flipping through daytime television when I happened upon a show on TLC called Take Home Chef. Basically, this good looking young British chef picks someone (almost always a woman) at a grocery store, tells her that he will go home with her and cook a dinner for her and surprise her husband/boyfriend/friends.... Just what I need, some pretty boy bloak to pick up on my wife while she's trying to get some shopping done and impress her with some good cooking... I only saw two of these shows but both woman he picked were pretty much blabbering idiots around this guy even though one of them was married.... My wife has strict orders that if she is approached by a guy with an accent and a camera crew, she is to use the pepper spray....liberally.

Anyone know what Bob Saget is up to nowadays?

Has it already been six weeks since I have returned from Minnesota? I still have quality content to mine from that...but I'll save that for another time...Let's try some advanced technology and try a video clip...Now I think I can probably win $10,000 from one of those, "Country's Most Hilarious Home Video" shows, but I will share it with you for free. (Maybe if you get a chuckle out of it you can send me a dollar. It might add up)

My friends Jason and Mel got married last weekend and it went off great. A beautiful wedding followed by a big traditional Chinese banquet. Dancing followed dinner and that's where my daughters decided to show off their moves. There, clip is set up. As they say on those late night talk shows: "Roll Clip!"



Congratulations, Jason and Mel!

Take me out...to lots of baseball games

The second most important thing about coming to Minnesota was to be able to catch a lot of baseball games. For my brother in laws, this was their chance to see their beloved Twins as much as they can. But more importantly, as baseball fans in general, we are up for spending as much time as possible at the park as possible. So I included this special post for all the baseball that went on this week....



It started simply on Tuesday night with a game with the local amateur baseball team in Prior Lake. Amateur baseball is big around here and they take it seriously. The park was beautiful for a local baseball field and the play was pretty good. It definitely gave me that "For the Love of the Game" feeling. To top it off, our presence inspired the team to their first win of the year!



On Wednesday we decided that we could wait no more and attended the Twins-Indians matinee at the Metrodome. We were totally excited to be there and even splurged on some good seats about 20 rows behind home plate.



The place definitely had a cavernous feeling, but I thought it was pretty cool. The air conditioning was especially welcomed on a humid day and I saw a sight I have never seen at a baseball game (having never seen a game outside of California)....a beer man! Guys walking up and down the aisles carrying heavy trays of beer and ice so you don't have to get up? It was amazing! I wanted to shake their hand, but wanted to buy what they were offering more....



We had such a good time (a relative concept, of course. The Twins were thumped 11-0 by Vallejo native C.C. "Cheeseburger" Sabathia and the Indians) that we went back on Friday with the whole family, as well as the family with whom we have been staying with. This turned out to be even more special as they picked that night to celebrate the recent passing of Legislature to build a new ball park for the Twins. The governor was there to sign the bill, past Twins legends were on hand (my favorites - Jack Morris, Dan Gladden, Rod Carew, and in my favorite Twin of all time (no disrespect to Kirby), Harmon Killebrew), and every fan received a free hot dog and soda. Plus it was a match up of the future of baseball as Francisco Liriano of the Twins faced Felix Hernandez of the Mariners...the night pretty much went according to script, leading to a 3-1 victory for the Twinkies. Our crowd went wild with the victory....



Perhaps the best experience of all, however, came Saturday night, as we visited the greatest spectacle of Minor League baseball -- The St. Paul Saints. The independent league with really no one to answer to carried the wacky minor league promotions torch with pride with the logo "Fun is Good."



Where to begin the craziness? The pig mascot "Mudonna" roaming the field? The real live pig that brings the umpire new baseballs between inning named Bud Squealig? The fan harness onto a billboard in left field and told that if he caught a ball while stuck up there all game, he would win $10,000? ... No, I think it has to be the fact that we attended the game where they celebrated the 30th anniversary of The Love Boat. Pictures of the B-actors that made guest appearances on the show were plastered all over the stadium. Games in between innings (included one involving Mrs. Brittany Kwong herself) had a Love Boat flavor to it....and did I mention the giveaway? A rubber toy boat colored purple and gold, reminding us of a certain local football team and their experiences on a "Love Boat". The giveaway was worth the 4 dollars general admission itself. A whole night of entertainment as well made it one of the best time I have had at a baseball park. Go Saints!

Hitting the Road Again....

After passing the half way point of our trip, it was on the road again for us. We started back in Albert Lea where we met with Britt's mom's uncle (help me out again...great uncle? am I close?) who has a farm outside of town. Being way out in the country was nice, especially the railroad tracks that ran directly next to their house. We had to have a quick Stand by Me moment....



We then went back into town and meet with an old friend of Britt's dad. They were a great family and we spent the whole evening sharing stories over pizza. Even with some passing showers earlier in the day, the kids could not resist playing on the trampoline in the backyard (also extremely common in people's yards here, along with that swing set)



After a quick stop at Dairy Queen, it was time to head back to Prior Lake. We got in pretty late, but we had another full day ahead of us, so we got up reasonably early and was at it again. Friday was a visit to where Britt spent the most time before moving out to California. We drove around to see their old house, as well as the houses of people they knew. Then a stop with some more old friend of her dad's and then it was onto Wisconsin, where some dear friends of Britt's family has a farm. Britt has been wanting me to meet them ever since I've known her and now I can see why. They are great people with the best sense of humor and just fun to hang around. They raise these Scottish Highland cattle that has long hair and looks pretty weird....



They also raised sheep (who really needed some shearing since it was another hot day out) and some chickens, so the kids had a blast seeing all of the animals.



Ah heck, some of us big people thought it was cool too....



We had a bbq lunch (hamburgers from the above cattle, I might add) and it was too soon time to go. This was one stop that I was sad to leave so soon. It would have been fun to hang around a bit longer. We had to rush back to the Minneapolis to make the baseball game though, which brings me to the next post....

Towns visited: Albert Lea, MN (again), Hastings, MN, Elmwood, WI

Mid-week bonanza

The past two days has slowed down a bit and we have had a chance to relax and catch up on some rest. We even made a second trip to the MOA to make sure we saw all of the Twins and Gophers memorabilia. Tuesday mornings are slow there, as all the employees were just standing around socializing....



Anyways, we were only there for about an hour and ended up meeting up Britt's cousin for lunch at Clearly Lake Park. It was a nice place with a playground and (what else?) a lake. The kids couldn't resist and decided to get their feet wet at the "beach" (if there is sand, it's a beach....I guess)



As you can see, we weren't getting into trouble at all.....



They were playing fine when a funny thing happened: a photographer with the local picture came by and asked to take pictures of the kids for a story they were writing about people living happily in the suburbs. So sure enough, the next day, a picture not so different than the one above, appeared on the front page of the local section of the paper. I have several copies, and will have to scan in one to show you, as internet versions of newspapers never include the pictures. Incidentally, according to the paper, we are from Redmond, CA. Maybe the editors realized that an article about nice living in the suburbs shouldn't be associated with the Murder capital of the west....

Some other odds and ends:

- You remember in Dumb and Dumber that part where they pee in a bottle in the car? Well the Dumb and Dumber I'm riding with have took it to another level and started a booger bottle.... no pictures will be included.....ever.

- I didn't get to mention that when we were in Marshall, we also visited Britt's dad's granny (which would make her my daughters great great grandmother). She's 95 and has Alzheimer's but she is still energetic and bright. She lived in the "dementia ward" of a convalescent home, which was locked from the rest of the place and it was a little sad seeing all of the people living there. When all 12 of us who were visiting were being left out, one of the seniors living there tried to blend in and walk out with us. It was really funny...and sad....at the same time.

Shop 'til you Puke

While I came to Minnesota to meet family, it was also time to have some touristy fun. Really, you can't be any more touristy while in the Twin Cities than visiting the Mall of America. I, like many people back home, generally hate malls. The MOA (to use local vernacular) is really just a big, industrial mall. All of your mall staples are represented (some more than once. More on that later), there just happens to be this big amusement park in the middle that greets you as you walk in.



But back to the stores for a moment...If anyone ever wonders if there is such a thing a TOO big of a mall, the answer is most certainly, yes. When your mall is so big that you have to put the same store not once, note twice, but three times in different areas, you have too much room. I'm not talking about Starbucks either (I actually only saw one of those), there are 4 Lids stores in the mall. Why do you need the same hat store 4 times??? Then there are MOA gift stores all over the place too, also cheating. Throw in a few Cinnabons, I figure there are probably only about 12 stores in the whole place...give or take 50 or so.

We didn't really have time to do a lot of shopping. We hit a lot of sporting goods stores so that my brother-in-laws can stock up on Twins and Gopher merchandises. I got a few Gophers stuff too but will probably wait until I get to the Twins game to get me a hat or something. Plus riding the rides take up most of your time. The girls had a blast and wanted to go on everything. Now that Hannah is tall enough for more adult rides she went on her first roller coaster. Britt and I were nervous but it turned out that the roller coaster there was probably perfect for a first timer. Just intense enough for a good time. Sara played the younger sibling perfectly and cried a lot because she wasn't tall enough for many of the rides. The ones she did get on, she had a blast....



One last cool thing...the mall was built on the site of the old Metropolitan stadium where the Twins used to play before the beloved Metrodome was erected (heh heh, he said erect...). They left two pieces of the old stadium as part of the mall, including home plate....for Twins diehards like my in-laws, this was like a pilgrimage to Mecca. For Britt and I, we just get a chance for more goofy pictures.....



Cities visited: Mall of America, MN (it's big enough to be its own city...ok, technically it's in Bloomington, MN)

On the road again....and again...and again...

So I would have updated sooner, but the internet access that I am stealing is a little shaky, especially during the hours when I think the neighbors is using their connection (of course they can say the same..."Why is Internet so slow lately?"). That and the fact that I've basically spend the last two days permanently imprinting my ass on the backseat of the rental car. Two things that I have learned about life in Minnesota:

- If you don't like the weather, wait a 10 minutes and it will change.

- Anywhere you go is pretty much a 2 hour car ride.

The last rule, stems a bit from the fact that I am on the Friesen reality tour this week, they have just lived in so many parts of the state. Driving through Minnesota isn't so foreign compared to home. The flatness is smartly hidden behind unnecessary curves in the road (everything is flat, what are we meandering around?) and a LOT of trees. Combine with the farmlands, it isn't so different than driving through the Central Valley in California, or even going through Davis....for 4 hours. The sky seems bigger though, making the it seem more vast. Maybe it's like the Truman show and they just built me a new set in a bigger studio while I was on the fake "plane".

In any case, I ended up in some pretty small towns in the middle of nowhere. In fact, we attended a 50th wedding anniversary of Britt's grandmother's sister (what does that make her to us? I have no idea...) at the smallest, oldest church that I think I have ever attended. And as promised, visual aids.....



And the middle of nowhere part, as demonstrated by my lovely wife standing on the street right out front....



Small town charm, you gotta love it....

Towns visited: Marshall, MN; Clarkfield, MN

Welcome to Minnesota!

So after the reddest of eye flights this morning (still looking for the answer to the proverbial question, "Is it a red-eye flight if your eyes are red BEFORE you board?") We touched down at Herbery Humphrey Aiport at 5:45 am local time. So starts my trip with Britt's family back home to Minnesota. We come with somewhat somber hearts, as the biggest reason was to bring Britt's mom's ashes back to be buried with her family, but we are looking at the bright side and are thankful to her for her last gift to us and allowing us to all be back here. There are supposedly a lot of people that I am to meet over the next ten days (who am I kidding? it's the girls that are the star attraction with these people), so I really better take a nap straighten out my body clock. Some first impressions though....

- Flying in a dawn allowed for some wonderful views of the area....Land of 10,000 lakes indeed. I thought it was a bunch of puddles down there. And I think I've seen my last "hill" for a while. I'm exploring the rumor that early Minnesota settlers were spaniards who were looking for comfort after Columbus came back. (I know, it's a reach at humor. Just stick with it and you'll chuckle a week from now).

- For those of you at home. Gas price if $2.89 or so around here. I'll try and send some back for you guys.

- We are staying with Britt's cousin in Prior Lake just out side of Minneapolis. Britt and I are having a hard time adjusting to the suburban life in the midwest. Kids walk to the park without adult supervision. They walk in the middle of the street because cars actually watch out for people. Unless you have a dog, no one's house has a fence and you basically have one big comuunal backyard. It's like walking into the Twilight Zone Housing Association. We'll see if I can make Britt into a Stepford Wife....

-And finally, thanks to whoever neighbor here has the unsecure wireless access. I really appreciate you letting me "borrow" some bandwidth this week....

I'll try and keep this going throughout the week. I need a nap or something. Visual aids will be incorporated as well...