The New To-Do

I like making lists. But I get bored with the medium. Sometimes its scratch paper and sharpie, sometimes its the memo app on my phone, google's task list was no good, and when I'm at home I carry around a small whiteboard with a thin-tip marker that sticks to the board via a magnet and has an eraser on the cap (I love the efficiency and thoughtfulness of Japanese products).

Apparently I have an affinity for markers. (Sharpies are by far my favorite.)

I also like post-its but I won't allow myself to buy new colorful, fun-shaped ones until I finish my packs of boring yellow ones I got for free from Staples.

This American Life featured post-it note illustrations with Starlee's story during a live episode (the ones in the movie theatres). SHARPIE + POST-ITS?!? Way to blow my mind. He combined two of my favorite things (I know I'm simple. Now if only white cheddar popcorn was involved...) He has a book out now. It's pretty amazing. Those illustrations. Check it out.

I am not nearly so gifted but I was inspired. Now I carry around a pad of post-its with simple doodles of my daily to-do's. It's like a picture book of my daily life. What do I need to do today? Schedule a dentist appointment? Oh boy!  Boring tasks I never get around to doing are much more inviting in the doodle world.

[Note: Last night I drove through Narnia to pick up my housemate. Thank you post-it reminder.
No thanks to you SFO- could you make your cell phone lot any harder to find? After 3 circles I ended up back in Millbrae to use the restroom. Dependable Millbrae. I am thankful for you and the gas station across the street from BART. Not the first time you saved the day!]

Kinect Games Review

Did you get anything good during the Black Friday or Cyber Monday sales? So much for one day, many websites are having a cyber week. This year was my first year waiting at midnight at Best Buy. Hurrah for price matching (and not having to get trampled at Walmart).

We picked up some new kinect games because $15 sure beats paying $50 (and my gym membership expired).  Let the games begin!

First impressions:



Kinect Sports Season 2

They did a good job differentiating between the first version. The sports are completely different, last time was bowling, boxing, volleyball, soccer and track and field. Boxing was my favorite. This time around, the games are darts, skiing, baseball, football, golf and tennis. See what they did? No cross-over. Say you purchased Season 2, it might get you to pay $50 for the first one. No price drop needed. This new version does not take away from the awesomeness that was the first version.

Darts was very frustrating in the beginning, mostly because I never knew the rules. What those numbers and extra circles mean something? You don't just aim for the bulls-eye every time? After a game or two, I was able to finish a game in three or four rounds. Once you figure out how to play, point-based games go much quicker. Skiing was very frustrating for me because either the sensor was not picking me up or there was a bad lag.

The one sore spot is the menu set up. There are too many layers. It takes awhile to get to the activity you want and you have to go back a few times to change players if you want to use your own xbox account.

Kinect sports is a good line of games with a mix of team and solo sports. Just like real sports, even though you are playing the same game, each time is a different experience that never ceases to entertain.


Dance Central 2

The original game was the reason I originally purchased an XBox.  So far I've only dance battled in this version and it's pretty different. You no longer take turns dancing but really battle at the same time. A new element of different solo moves, opportunities to earn bonus points and a flash competition to takeover a variety of dance moves are all new additions. I do not like the flash battle because once my competitor understood how to play this portion he stole all the bonus points and completely slaughtered my score. Performing your own dance moves flawlessly no longer cuts it. Characters are in crews of two.

Same great graphics, song selection is a bit more varied this time.

Just Dance 3

I never played the original games, but the wii version was featured in a Katie Perry video. Success to hidden marketing. The basic neon graphics do not compare to dance central and make following moves a bit more difficult. What is great about this game is you can play four players at one time. I'm not sure how this would work because I imagine people would be bumping and hitting each other especially if you have a small play area. Song selection is more of the dance and pop variety, less hip hop. Songs are very upbeat and quick requiring lots of jumping, aka a great workout. Despite liking hip hop, I liked the song selection on this game a bit more than dance central.

My only issue with this game is that I never heard the Barbara Streisand song before and after playing this game I can't get it out of my head. Doodoodoodoodoo... And you can't not sound strange when singing it.

This game would be great for a large, rowdy party or workout.

Maybe it's just consumer loyalty, but I still prefer Dance Central 2 over Just Dance 3.

Alone

Turk sighed a deep gobbling sigh. Everyone had disappeared without him again. He was used to being picked last for baseball and being picked on for never being able to gain weight. While everyone puffed up and strutted around displaying their weighty stature he tended to linger in the back of the crowd.

Every year Farmer Joe rounds up all the turkeys and he gets left behind. His mom would tell him "Gobble gobble cluck cluck." It made him feel better to know his mom loved him and thought he was special even though, well he WAS special. He wished she was here to cluck those words to him again but even she had been picked and left the farm what felt like a long time ago.

Turk walked alone in the dark, cold autumn night. He kicked a pebble and a chill breeze gave him turkeybumps and made his feathers stiff. The weather was as uninviting as the desolate shed he returned too. Once a bustling metropolis of turkey brethren had been diminished to population one. Him. Him alone.
As he huddled in the corner and drifted to sleep, one thought repeated in his mind as a broken record.

That must be some baseball game.

Happy Thanksgiving!

(With this reminder: Even if you're feeling glum this holiday, at least you aren't a turkey. A delicious, delicious turkey.)

Just a bottle

I'm not sure which looks more like a water bottle. Unfortunately, the one with ridges one took way too long to fingerpaint. I hope you do know these doodles are made with my stubby fingers on my phone and not any painstakingly brainstormed or time intensive endetvour. Just a picture to add to my thoughts. I think in pictures somtimes. Do you?
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I'm alive and well and actually made it out of the house to church today which is a cause for a few hallelujahs not only because my first official meal was a delicious thanksgiving feast and I am so happy to be a part of my church's first thanksgiving meal, but also because I have no idea what I would have done with 8 pounds of salad that expires tomorrow. It was wonderful even though I was lightheaded and had to rush home before I passed out.
I am so thankful for my housemates and all the well-wishers the last few days. One housemate brought me gatorade and
Saltines which I subsisted on for two days. Then the other housemate caught me trying to eat a can of spaghettios (Am I the only one who really likes spaghettios? They must be selling to someone.), scolded me on food poisoning do's and don'ts (from experience) and made me rice porridge. I had attempted to make a batch in the rice cooker at 4am but fell asleep until 8am and the rice had cooked to a slightly mushy, but no longer porridge, consistency. Now I know how simple stove top porridge is to make. Why did I pay for congee all these years?
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About the bottles.
One of the couples at church collects empty water bottles to recycle for laundry money and were exasperated to discover someone had discarded a nearly full bottle. It's funny how sometimes you have more than you need and disregard what you have and other times just desire a sip of water to quench a nagging thirst.
Someone else at church had his bike stolen. He doesn't have a home at the moment so he had everything he owns attached to that bike. He came with whatever he was wearing, which was all that he had. I wanted to give him Jbears xmas vest, but I had moved my xmas stash to my bedroom. Sometimes I don't realize how big it is just to have a bedroom. I don't know if he would have accepted it anyways. He said not having to lug his stuff everywhere was a freeing experience. I looked at my ski jacket and his thin cotton sweater while standing in the afternoon drizzle. I asked well surely you must need some things, it sure is cold outside. He shook his head.
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I started sorting things to sell or give away a week ago but got very hung up on a bag of items I still really enjoy, haven't used recently because they've been stored away, but would be willing to use still. A pretty clear sign of too much. Like seeing an old toy as shiny and new again I didn't want to them give away in fear someone wouldn't appreciate it or it'd sit in a store unused until eventually tossed. We cling to things while speaking of freedom from our lips.
Be appreciative of everything. But don't just stop there. Share some of the things you're appreciative of and someone else may do the same. They won't be there forever anyways.
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Bsf finished up the book of Acts. I wish I was there from the beginning, I can't shake Acts 4:32-37.
All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possesions was his own, but they shared everything they had. ... There were no needy persons among them. ...
Can you imagine a world with no needy people? It sounds really beautiful.

I hate doing nothing

I had my first bout of food poisoning two years ago. A dreadful experience I wouldn't wish on anyone. Your body attempts to purge every ounce of liquid through any means necessary. Two nights ago around around 1 am I had my second bout. Boy was I frustrated. I was tired, was planning on getting to work early because I finally scheduled an optometry appointment, and wanted to sleep but had to rush to the bathroom every 10 minutes. I ended up sleeping downstairs on the couch because I think I was waking my housemate. This lasted around 9 hours.

Everytime I was in the restroom I had the new Karmin song stuck in my head. Who do you think you are a super s-t-a-r? Maybe it was my immune system trying to crash my party.

I was so weak in the morning it took me 3 hours to finally make it back upstairs to my room to sleep in my bed. I looked like a baby who hasn't developed enough strength or coordination to walk. I would look longingly at the stairs, roll over on my blanket with my head stuck to the ground and stay there for 10 minutes before I attempted my next move. Babies have it tough.

I stayed in bed all day. Feasted on gatorade and saltines whenever I had the energy. Secretly hoped my body would use this opportunity to go into starvation mode and I'd wake up with a flat tummy. Nope. Still squishy.

My back was aching all morning. No matter which way I turned or positioned myself I couldn't sleep. I called the 24 hour nurse hotline at my local hospital (they're really nice!) and she said I probably strained it while I was busy puking my guts out. Figures. She suggested an ice pack and a painkiller. I've never been so appreciative of ibuprofen before.

So now I'm stuck at home another day. Too weak and sore to do anything useful. Still restless. One of these days I will learn to relax and just enjoy doing nothing.

Daily Bread

What have you been asking for lately?

A very wise man once wrote...

Two things I ask of you, O LORD;

do not refuse me before I die:

Keep falsehood and lies far from me;

give me neither poverty nor riches,

but give me only my daily bread.

Otherwise, I may have too much

and disown you and say,

'Who is the LORD?'

Or, I may become poor and steal,

and so dishonor the name of my God.

~Proverbs 30:7-9

Sometimes things are not too hot or cold, 

big or small, hard or soft, 

but just right.

Mistletoe

It's the most beautiful time of year
Lights fill the street spreading so much cheer

What's up with mistletoe and chestnuts? I think I've only had chestnuts in Asia.

I'm definitely going through a rollercoaster of a season but I can't deny it's the most wonderful time of year. One of my love languages is gifts so I spend a lot of time thinking of the perfect thing to give people. If I don't figure out something I think they would use and hopefully appreciate I'd rather not give anything and just keep thinking about it. I'd rather save resources for something special or give a stranger something they need rather than a friend something they didn't really want. Am I the only one?

Earlier this week I went through my dresser and closet (not eve storage under my bed) to find things to donate or sell. I cling to things too much. Thank goodness I looked! I've been eyeing some yellow gloves at target but I found 4.5 sets of gloves in my drawer. It's so good to look at what I have before my eye starts wandering to shiny, new things.

If we have two coats and we see someone in need we should share one of ours. What if I don't know anyone in need? Do I donate blindly and pat myself on the back for a good deed or do I try to seek out and meet people in need?

Special soap

"I've been to a play... Even though I never wanted to act mysef, taking a girl to a play was a good move. My date sat so close to me I could hear her nose breaths. She felt like sunlight and soft like she used special soap."
~Blue Like Jazz

Ramen snack

Remember eating uncooked ramen noodles during snack time? My 5th grade teacher didn't allow snacks with sugar in is first 5 ingredients so we mostly brought salty snacks. My grandma tended to pack me goldfish or austin crackers. One kid would bring a pack of dry ramen noodles and a ziploc bag everyday. He would mash and crunch it up then shake up the ramen bits with the seaoning packet in a large ziploc bag. Talk about sodium and msg overload. It was everyone's favorite! (I wonder what this blogger would say about our snack preferences.)

Last week someone brought a variety of these ramen snacks to work. They are actually on sale (99 cents!) at a lot of Asian grocery stores lately. Holy moly someone had a genius moment!

I think the brand is "everyone says GOOD GOOD EAT"

They taste like ramen noodles and seasoning packets, a little lighter on the salt, but still maintain its original msg goodness. The bags say no preservatives, no artificial flavors. (What is msg considered?) Some flavors come as long wavy, fat chips and others are pieces of thin noodles pressed together in bite-size circular mounds.

I can eat a whole bag in a sitting. They're pretty addicting.

Thus far, my favorites are seaweed and soy sauce. 

wandering harvest weekend

Why is it when there is a party holiday (New Years, Halloween, etc.) people inevitably ask you two things. 1) Did you do anything fun? 2) Did you go to the city? As if going to the city is synonymous with fun. Can't staying at home be just as fun?

We went to a party with a lot of pumpkins, pretty candle lights, cool stairs and a black cat! At first I thought she was a prop and then realized it was their pet. She stayed pretty still, until I tried to pet her and she nonchalantly stretched out her back, walked a few feet away and sat back down in the exact same position. Way to be subtle.

This party was actually the pre-party to the friend's actual Halloween party. Our party for the most part was a party of three. Jbear, his friend and me. He was a butterfly catcher and his wife was a butterfly. Cute idea! We went to the market and made kabobs and chicken apple sausages. They were delicious. Hanging out was nice and supposedly relaxing, too bad I don't relax. Ever.

After a nap we went to party number two.... in the city! We almost didn't go because Franz and I are old and just wanted to sleep. JBear was very determined despite being sick and on antibiotics. His batmobile had a flat tire so we had to take my car. His friend's apartment was crowded with people actually noticeably dressed up. Red cups. Music. A line for the bathroom. It felt like college.

 

I had the most delicious brownie. One layer fudge chocolate, another layer of crispies, a layer of peanut butter, and finally the layer of brownie we all know and love. It was the ultimate brownie and I could not find the person who created them for the recipe! Doh!

After standing around, waiting for the restroom, and eating brownies for an hour (I do recall a conversation of the merits of sustainable eating habits championed by SF locals. Why do I always have this conversation whenever I meet a local? It's like the go-to topic. I imagine something similar would happen if you walked around Wall Street. You know you would eventually end up in a discussion about the disparity in wealth distribution.) we moved on to wandering the Mission district for food. We found a small pizza shop manned by two guys, a line of crazily-dressed customers out the door and pizza slices bigger than my head. Pizza was okay. But a late night eating excursion in the Mission is not complete without a trip to Los Coyotes for some carne asada fries. This was the first time I learned of their avocado salsa. I wish I had a thermos to stock up and eat at home. 

 

Maybe going to the city isn't necessarily more fun, but there is a higher likelihood that you will see or experience something memorable.

Highlight of my night was getting rickrolled at Los Coyotes.
(It's hard to hear the music in my video so I didn't bother posting.)

The next day we caught the end of Harvest Festival at church. I dressed up at batgirl again and LilBear was the superman this time. We realized we had a few hours before dropping him off and I didn't bring extra clothes so I was running errands on Sunday as batgirl, well half a batgirl (no cape, mask, boot covers). This included venturing into the most judgmental of venues... the mall. Only one person commented so maybe most people didn't noticed and it would totally okay if I wore costumes all the time. 

I wonder if people would notice if I only wore my fleece footed pajama onesie everywhere. I wish I could wear it everyday all day. Babies have it too good.

This is linked to Youcapture.
Theme: Halloween + Harvest.