8. See the hotdog eating contest at Coney Island, but since I won't be in NY for the 4th of July, I guess making Vicki eat as many hotdogs as he can while we're there will suffice. I too will have a hotdog.
9. Eat Peking duck at China Town.
If you have any suggestions, please feel free to comment.
Monday, May 22, 2006
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Things I want to do in NYC:
1) Frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity 3
2) eat a big ass pastrami sandwich at Carnegie Deli
3) go to a Conan O'Brian taping
4) have a picnic at Central Park
5) eat at a fancy restaurant, but for half the price because it'll be Restaurant Week while I'm there! Yipee!
6) go to Time Square and meet the naked cowboy (or at least I think he's there...)
7) go to a concert at Lincoln Center...hey, maybe I'll get to see Riza's boyfriend play
Hmm...so my list so far has a lot to do with eating. Oh well, that's what I like to do.
1) Frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity 3
2) eat a big ass pastrami sandwich at Carnegie Deli
3) go to a Conan O'Brian taping
4) have a picnic at Central Park
5) eat at a fancy restaurant, but for half the price because it'll be Restaurant Week while I'm there! Yipee!
6) go to Time Square and meet the naked cowboy (or at least I think he's there...)
7) go to a concert at Lincoln Center...hey, maybe I'll get to see Riza's boyfriend play
Hmm...so my list so far has a lot to do with eating. Oh well, that's what I like to do.
Saturday, May 13, 2006
Yesterday, we went out for Dorothy's birthday. She wanted to go to the Vortex, so that's where we went. We all had burgers (well, not all of us...Tiff substituted with chicken), and they were good. It was nice to go downtown. I forget how much I like being down there sometimes. I wish I lived closer to the city. Anyways, after dinner, we went to Apres Diem for dessert and coffee. I forgot how much I like that place, too. Sigh...there's nothing to do around here. But it's gonna get super bad next year when I have to move to Lawrenceville. Booo...
It was good getting together with everyone. We always have a good time together. It's just too bad that we don't get to do it often. Life gets in the way of things.
Andrew and I had an interesting conversation about "growing up" on the drive home last night. Basically, we're grateful that we're teachers and we get summer breaks, spring breaks, winter breaks and holidays. All of our friends have to work right through all those things. I think it really hit us when we were talking to everyone about maybe doing a beach trip or something like that, and Tiff said, "We're taking all of our vacation days on our trip to Germany, so we don't have any days left." Apparently in the "real world," you only get 2 weeks of vacation time or something like that. That's crazy compared to what we have. And we get paid through the breaks. Man...I'm really glad that I decided to become a teacher. And for those of you who have "real jobs," I don't know how you can do it. I just hope you really, really like your jobs.
It was good getting together with everyone. We always have a good time together. It's just too bad that we don't get to do it often. Life gets in the way of things.
Andrew and I had an interesting conversation about "growing up" on the drive home last night. Basically, we're grateful that we're teachers and we get summer breaks, spring breaks, winter breaks and holidays. All of our friends have to work right through all those things. I think it really hit us when we were talking to everyone about maybe doing a beach trip or something like that, and Tiff said, "We're taking all of our vacation days on our trip to Germany, so we don't have any days left." Apparently in the "real world," you only get 2 weeks of vacation time or something like that. That's crazy compared to what we have. And we get paid through the breaks. Man...I'm really glad that I decided to become a teacher. And for those of you who have "real jobs," I don't know how you can do it. I just hope you really, really like your jobs.
Thursday, May 11, 2006
When we were in Minnesota, I made a big deal about experiencing true Minnesotan foods. That's when Bob told us this story about lutefisk. He said that one of his friend's family was talking about getting together for something and making lutefisk at the grandmother's house. When the grandmother was told about this, she said something like this: "I don't want you to cook lutefisk at my house! I don't want my house to smell like p---y!" (you can guess what that last word is) Well, after that story, I was intrigued to find out more about this lutefisk, so I looked it up in my friendly neighborhood Minnesota cookbook. It didn't have a recipe for it, but here's what it said:
"Two weeks before Christmas, tranditional Scandinavian households begin the preparatioin of the codfish for 'lutefisk.' Washtubs become lutefisk tubs in which to soak the dried stacks of cod for a week. In the 'luting' process, a lye solution of citical strength is used: too weak and the fish is tough; too strong and it disappears during cooking. It takes another week of soaking to get the lye out, and then the product is simmered gently over heat until flaky and tender. *pay attention, this is the important part* Often the men stay away from home during this prearation process because of the PUNGEN AROMA. But the final presentataion of the lutefisk with its complementary dishes of fruit soup and lefse (what the hell is that?) always brings them back."
- From Minnesota...More than a Cookbook
More than a cookbook, indeed. Thanks, Laurie and Debra Gluesing, for educating us with this enlightening information about the lutefisk.
"Two weeks before Christmas, tranditional Scandinavian households begin the preparatioin of the codfish for 'lutefisk.' Washtubs become lutefisk tubs in which to soak the dried stacks of cod for a week. In the 'luting' process, a lye solution of citical strength is used: too weak and the fish is tough; too strong and it disappears during cooking. It takes another week of soaking to get the lye out, and then the product is simmered gently over heat until flaky and tender. *pay attention, this is the important part* Often the men stay away from home during this prearation process because of the PUNGEN AROMA. But the final presentataion of the lutefisk with its complementary dishes of fruit soup and lefse (what the hell is that?) always brings them back."
- From Minnesota...More than a Cookbook
More than a cookbook, indeed. Thanks, Laurie and Debra Gluesing, for educating us with this enlightening information about the lutefisk.
Monday, May 08, 2006
With Mother's Day approaching, I thought I'd write about the last 24 hours with my mother.
Yesterday morning:
Our church was supposed to go on a picnic at this park in Suwanee. It started raining, and it didn't look like it was going to stop, so my dad called all the families to tell them that we couldn't go to the park, we'd have the service at the church. Of course, people asked what we're going to do with the food that they've prepared. My dad didn't have an answer to that yet, but he said that they'd discuss it after service. Well, after a few minutes of calling everyone, he headed downstairs to the kitchen and started cleaning stuff. He was going to tell everyone to come over to our house for the "picnic." My mother had a FIT. She started bitching and whining about how she didn't want people to come over because the house wasn't clean enough, they'll say stuff about how the house is always dirty and she didn't want to hear it, blah, blah, blah. If this was the first time for her to say this kinda thing, I don't think I would've thought anything of it, but it's EVERY TIME that we have people come over that she bitches about the SAME THINGS. Is she EVER gonna get over it? And as the preacher's wife, she's gonna have to at some point get used to the fact that people are going to come over. ARGH.
This morning:
On the way out to take my mom to work, my dad asked me if I could pick up my mom from work because he wants to go to a revival tonight. My mom heard this and started saying things like, "No, then I'm going to take the car! I don't like having those people see how I don't have a car anyway! I'm taking the car!" This meant two things: 1) The car would be parked all day in a parking lot on BUFORD HWY...not exactly the safest place on earth. 2) My dad would not be able to leave the house at all.
After we finally convinced her of letting my dad take her to work, she proceeded to get on my case about how she asked me to write out a couple recipes for her co-worker's daughter, that I was in the process of doing, but was not going to finish doing by the time she had to leave. She just kept going on and on and on about how she asked me to do it DAYS ago, and I was waiting till the last minute, all I had to do was type them up really fast, blah, blah, blah. It really isn't even that important. ARGH.
I feel like all she does is bitch and complain about things. It worries me because I can barely handle it now...it's just gonna get worse once she's older. And I'm afraid that I'm going down that path. Victor likes to joke that I complain and bitch a lot, but I know he's not joking. It's for real...and it'll probably get worse in the future. Is it inevitable? Will I become my mother when I "grow up?" Will someone please just give me a pill that'll stop this madness?
Yesterday morning:
Our church was supposed to go on a picnic at this park in Suwanee. It started raining, and it didn't look like it was going to stop, so my dad called all the families to tell them that we couldn't go to the park, we'd have the service at the church. Of course, people asked what we're going to do with the food that they've prepared. My dad didn't have an answer to that yet, but he said that they'd discuss it after service. Well, after a few minutes of calling everyone, he headed downstairs to the kitchen and started cleaning stuff. He was going to tell everyone to come over to our house for the "picnic." My mother had a FIT. She started bitching and whining about how she didn't want people to come over because the house wasn't clean enough, they'll say stuff about how the house is always dirty and she didn't want to hear it, blah, blah, blah. If this was the first time for her to say this kinda thing, I don't think I would've thought anything of it, but it's EVERY TIME that we have people come over that she bitches about the SAME THINGS. Is she EVER gonna get over it? And as the preacher's wife, she's gonna have to at some point get used to the fact that people are going to come over. ARGH.
This morning:
On the way out to take my mom to work, my dad asked me if I could pick up my mom from work because he wants to go to a revival tonight. My mom heard this and started saying things like, "No, then I'm going to take the car! I don't like having those people see how I don't have a car anyway! I'm taking the car!" This meant two things: 1) The car would be parked all day in a parking lot on BUFORD HWY...not exactly the safest place on earth. 2) My dad would not be able to leave the house at all.
After we finally convinced her of letting my dad take her to work, she proceeded to get on my case about how she asked me to write out a couple recipes for her co-worker's daughter, that I was in the process of doing, but was not going to finish doing by the time she had to leave. She just kept going on and on and on about how she asked me to do it DAYS ago, and I was waiting till the last minute, all I had to do was type them up really fast, blah, blah, blah. It really isn't even that important. ARGH.
I feel like all she does is bitch and complain about things. It worries me because I can barely handle it now...it's just gonna get worse once she's older. And I'm afraid that I'm going down that path. Victor likes to joke that I complain and bitch a lot, but I know he's not joking. It's for real...and it'll probably get worse in the future. Is it inevitable? Will I become my mother when I "grow up?" Will someone please just give me a pill that'll stop this madness?
Sunday, May 07, 2006
Recently, Andrew and I made a trip up to Minneapolis, Minnesota for John Samuel's recital. Here's what happened:
Day 1:
We arrived at the airport around 9pm. It was COLD and WET. Unfortunately, I was not prepared for this at all. For the entire weekend, I brought a pair of loafers and two sandal-like things. NO SOCKS, and damnit, my toes were about to fall off. Anyways, we had a very warm welcoming party waiting for us (Bob, Bob Sr., Bobbett and Aunt Nancy). We had a lovely tour of the Minneapolis airport parking lot, then we got in the car and went to Bob's house where we met his roommate, Paul, and went to Chicago's for dinner, which we walked to and from....in the rain and cold...with no socks on. Anyways, after that we pretty much crashed for the evening because we're old. Paul was nice enough to let us stay in his room during our time there.
Day 2:
We went out for lunch, pretty much as soon as we woke up. Bob's peeps met us at the apartment, and we drove to a mall and ate hippie pizza at California Pizza Kitchen. We walked around for awhile, then we had to head back because Bob had to get ready for the recital. The recital was awesome, of course. I wanted to take some pictures of Bob playing, and being a musician myself, I turned the flash off the camera before taking the picture. Unfortunately, he was moving around a little too much, so I had to change the setting on the camera. Being the idiot that I am, I didn't turn the flash off that setting, and I took a damn picture...and it flashed. I was SOOOOOOO embarrassed. I wanted to shot myself in the foot so I could draw the attention away from the fact that I took a picture and it flashed. Apparently, it really messed up the pianist and Bob. I'm a terrible person and I should have my eyes taken out for that. ARGH.
Even after that fiasco, he did a fantastic job. Afterwards, we went to Chino Latino. I was excited because Rachel Ray went there when she was in Minneapolis for Tasty Travels. It was neat. The atmosphere was very chic and the food was good. The drinks were a little expensive, but they were gooood. Andrew and I got this one drink that comes in a pineapple. I wanted to take the pineapple home, but I decided against it.
After the after-party, Bob's friends came over and we played Cranium. Andrew and I won.
Day 3:
Bob's parents and aunt came over, and we all went to The Mall of America. It's freakin' HUGE. Every single store every created on Earth was in that mall, plus a dinosaur museum, water park, amusement park and an enormous Legos thingie. But the most exciting part of it was H&M...no, actually, we went to an oxygen bar. It was pretty funny because they make you lay in these massage chairs with earphones on your head and tubes stuck up your nose. Apparently, it's like 98% pure oxygen, and it's really super good for you. After about 15-20 minutes of the chair, you sit up at the actual "bar" and breath in some more pure oxygen, take a shot of really nasty energy drink, and have the nice lady rub your shoulders and back with this nifty massage thing. After the whole thing, you pay the lady $20 and walk out with a slight buzz and grinning like an idiot. It was very interesting.
After that, we had to say goodbye to Aunt Nancy because she had a flight that evening. They (Bob's family) headed out, and we just kinda walked around the mall. I wish we could've had more time, but there was waaaaay too much to see in the short amount of time that we had. We're just gonna have to go back sometime.
That night, people (Bob's friends and parents) came over and we played cards for a long time. We ate lots of junkfood that we bought from Lund's (I think that's what it's called). It kinda reminded me of the Freshmarket and Harry's...and I guess Whole Foods. Anyways, it was a nice grocery store.
Day 4:
Our last day. We packed up, drove around the city, a lake near Bob's, St. Paul, and finally stopped at this Thai place to lunch. I had red curry for the first time. It was really good, except I got a little worried about having curry before getting on an airplane. It was funny because when our food came out, Andrew's plate looked like someone just threw up on it, and I got worried because I knew he wouldn't eat it, and if he did, he wouldn't like it. Fortunately, they got the order mixed up, and wasn't his food. The stuff that he ordered looked much better, and he ate the whole thing.
Oh, the sun finally decided to come out the last day we were there.
And that's about it. There are pictures on my facebook page if you're interested. And if this summary of the trip seems boring, I just want to let you know that the actual trip was a lot more fun. The End.
Day 1:
We arrived at the airport around 9pm. It was COLD and WET. Unfortunately, I was not prepared for this at all. For the entire weekend, I brought a pair of loafers and two sandal-like things. NO SOCKS, and damnit, my toes were about to fall off. Anyways, we had a very warm welcoming party waiting for us (Bob, Bob Sr., Bobbett and Aunt Nancy). We had a lovely tour of the Minneapolis airport parking lot, then we got in the car and went to Bob's house where we met his roommate, Paul, and went to Chicago's for dinner, which we walked to and from....in the rain and cold...with no socks on. Anyways, after that we pretty much crashed for the evening because we're old. Paul was nice enough to let us stay in his room during our time there.
Day 2:
We went out for lunch, pretty much as soon as we woke up. Bob's peeps met us at the apartment, and we drove to a mall and ate hippie pizza at California Pizza Kitchen. We walked around for awhile, then we had to head back because Bob had to get ready for the recital. The recital was awesome, of course. I wanted to take some pictures of Bob playing, and being a musician myself, I turned the flash off the camera before taking the picture. Unfortunately, he was moving around a little too much, so I had to change the setting on the camera. Being the idiot that I am, I didn't turn the flash off that setting, and I took a damn picture...and it flashed. I was SOOOOOOO embarrassed. I wanted to shot myself in the foot so I could draw the attention away from the fact that I took a picture and it flashed. Apparently, it really messed up the pianist and Bob. I'm a terrible person and I should have my eyes taken out for that. ARGH.
Even after that fiasco, he did a fantastic job. Afterwards, we went to Chino Latino. I was excited because Rachel Ray went there when she was in Minneapolis for Tasty Travels. It was neat. The atmosphere was very chic and the food was good. The drinks were a little expensive, but they were gooood. Andrew and I got this one drink that comes in a pineapple. I wanted to take the pineapple home, but I decided against it.
After the after-party, Bob's friends came over and we played Cranium. Andrew and I won.
Day 3:
Bob's parents and aunt came over, and we all went to The Mall of America. It's freakin' HUGE. Every single store every created on Earth was in that mall, plus a dinosaur museum, water park, amusement park and an enormous Legos thingie. But the most exciting part of it was H&M...no, actually, we went to an oxygen bar. It was pretty funny because they make you lay in these massage chairs with earphones on your head and tubes stuck up your nose. Apparently, it's like 98% pure oxygen, and it's really super good for you. After about 15-20 minutes of the chair, you sit up at the actual "bar" and breath in some more pure oxygen, take a shot of really nasty energy drink, and have the nice lady rub your shoulders and back with this nifty massage thing. After the whole thing, you pay the lady $20 and walk out with a slight buzz and grinning like an idiot. It was very interesting.
After that, we had to say goodbye to Aunt Nancy because she had a flight that evening. They (Bob's family) headed out, and we just kinda walked around the mall. I wish we could've had more time, but there was waaaaay too much to see in the short amount of time that we had. We're just gonna have to go back sometime.
That night, people (Bob's friends and parents) came over and we played cards for a long time. We ate lots of junkfood that we bought from Lund's (I think that's what it's called). It kinda reminded me of the Freshmarket and Harry's...and I guess Whole Foods. Anyways, it was a nice grocery store.
Day 4:
Our last day. We packed up, drove around the city, a lake near Bob's, St. Paul, and finally stopped at this Thai place to lunch. I had red curry for the first time. It was really good, except I got a little worried about having curry before getting on an airplane. It was funny because when our food came out, Andrew's plate looked like someone just threw up on it, and I got worried because I knew he wouldn't eat it, and if he did, he wouldn't like it. Fortunately, they got the order mixed up, and wasn't his food. The stuff that he ordered looked much better, and he ate the whole thing.
Oh, the sun finally decided to come out the last day we were there.
And that's about it. There are pictures on my facebook page if you're interested. And if this summary of the trip seems boring, I just want to let you know that the actual trip was a lot more fun. The End.