January 05, 2006, 10:39 am
I'm sick. Flu or cold, I've never been able to tell the difference. And whenever I'm sick, all I want to eat is chao (rice porridge). The great thing about living only a few blocks from Clement St. is that there's a huge selection of cheap dim sum takeout places where I can instantly satisfy my craving. When I lived in the East Bay and Peninsula, I always had to make it myself--a trip to the store for chicken and then a few hours simmering on my stove.
Now, let's play Jeopardy. Here's your clue: a box of ramen, a stuffed hedgehog, a RonCo rotisserie (set it and forget it!), new in box Scott goggles, and a wine rack.
Question: What are things that J has found on the streets of SF during his runs?
We always tease him for bringing things home, but last night, he hit the jackpot. We've been looking for a wine rack that fits in our pantry for a while now. Prior to this, we'd been storing bottles in the cardboard cases. This rack holds 36 bottles (the Chardonnays have a separate rack since the bottoms are too big to fit on this one) and perfectly matches our pantry. Nice work, J!
And finally, thanks to a tip from Kristin, we had duk bo sam (grilled meat with rice wrappers dipped in an oil/salt mix) down in Santa Clara at Blue Stones. Although not as good as Shik Do Rak in LA, it settled my craving. The oil/salt dip has a different flavor at Blue Stones that I don't like as much, but since this is the only place in the Bay Area for duk bo sam, I'll take it. I need to do a more thorough exploration of the Korean restaurants in Santa Clara. With the exception of Brothers (but the wait is too long), I haven't found any awesome Korean spots in SF (Oakland is pretty good though).
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December 28, 2005, 10:14 am
We've been watching Blanche, my old coworker's dog, again. For some reason, it always seems to rain when we have her. It has been about two years since the last time we saw her and she's aged significantly--much slower with two new artificial knees. She'll only walk for a block or two before she decides its time to head home and lay back in bed.
Jeopardy
Two weeks ago, I drove down to Sony Studios in Culver City with my parents and cousins to watch my brother tape an episode of Jeopardy! We saw 6 episodes get filmed prior to my brother's (the contestants are selected to appear in a randomly chosen order)--and his episode was definitely had the hardest clues. It'll be fun to see him on TV--his episode airs on Tuesday, February 21. Unfortunately, no pictures since they confiscated everything before we walked onto the set.
Eats
While down south, I took my parents and cousins to Shik do Rak in K-town for the duk bokki (rice wrapper with grilled meats you dip in oil, salt, and pepper). Vietnamese people also use a similar wrapper, so my mom has promised to replicate the meal if I bring down the marinated meats. Yay! I've been fiending for this place since I first tried it a few years ago, but I rarely head down to LA these days. Can't wait to go back!
And after a few years of wanting to go, we finally caught a performance by Thai Elvis at Palms Thai in Hollywood. It may have been because we were starving from the long drive, but the food was pretty good. Our Elvis looked a lot more like Roy Orbison than the King.
Went to Chaya with my department for a year-end celebration. I'd been there before and liked it. Good, albeit very expensive, sushi. This is one of my favorite spots to take out-of-towners for business dinners--great view, atmosphere, food, and wine.
Also hit up Coco500 for some dinner and wine. Service was uneven, food was hit and miss, but the hits were major hits as well as major values. I recommend the $14 plate of duck confit and the generous serving of duck liver pate for $4. Skip dessert.
Storyville
Not long ago, my old roommates bought the Social Club (aka Storyville) on Fulton/Masonic. Back when it was Storyville, we used to go there for good hip-hop. Then, it turned into the Social Club, and I only went there once for a not-so-good dinner surrounded by a USF frat's kickball team. Fast forward to today: they are renovating the interior (no more greasy food smell when you first walk in!), bringing back the good beats, and changing the menu...everything with a Balinese theme. Stopped in last Tuesday and though they are still operating as the Social Club until sometime next year, I'm excited for them. It is also a plus that I live within walking distance.
Christmas
After five years of boycotting, my mom's relentless guilt trips prompted me to promise that I'd go to church with her this year. So after dinner (and lots of wine to fortify myself) on Christmas Eve, I told my mom I was too drunk to drive, so she'd have to drive me to church (along with my cousin, cousin-in-law, and brother). My mom pulled into a red zone in front of the church, and I asked aloud why she wasn't parking in the lot? She smiled at me, and said, "Oh! I already went to church at 5pm." WHAT A TRICKSTER?!! I heard that after she'd dropped us off, she went home and bragged to the rest of the family that she'd gotten FOUR heathens to church.
So, I'm not falling for that again next year and my boycott will resume (I make exceptions for baptisms, funerals, and weddings). And in case you're wondering, going tipsy doesn't make church any better. It may make actually make it worse.
Christmas Loot
I got a lot of good wine/food stuff--most notably the Windows on the World Complete Wine Course (2006). I'm almost done reading and have learned a lot about the significant varietals, vintages, and regions of the world.
2005/2006
My main accomplishment this year was running. I started with short distances (5ks) and slowly built it up to a half marathon. It had been a while (perhaps since college) since I'd set a goal, worked diligently towards it, and achieved what I'd set out to do. In 2006, I will probably do 1-2 more half marathons before training for a full marathon in the Fall. There are a few outstanding issues, though:
- I need to buy running tights and get over my disdain for running in the dark, cold, and rain. I haven't been outside for a long run in at least a month. The longest I've run is 8 miles since the half marathon, and only 6 of those consecutively.
- Will I train for the marathon on my own or via TNT or the Aids Marathon group? Raising money is a pain but it is nice to run with other people. Or will Nike sponsor the free training program again?
- What will I run? I'm thinking about signing up for the Avenue of the Giants half in May. Maybe the US Half or SF Half in the summer? Where will my full be? Nike? Chicago? That has all yet to be figured out.
- Need to sign up for swimming lessons
Oh, and I did start learning about wine, but that is a lifetime of learning. And unfortunately, my memory (which is an asset in the wine world) was smoked away in college. Next year, I hope to visit even more wineries. No more wine clubs, though.
Partly due to my physical achievements this year and the fact that time slips by so quickly, but mostly due to my own sloth, I neglected my education this year. I was supposed to sign up for some CE classes (this will also affect my review, which is due next week) and start studying for the GMATs but never did . I got wrapped up in training for my half and didn't make time for it in my schedule. This year, I need to take some classes (sign up this week!!) and start studying for those GMATs.
Still, a year to be proud of. Life is good.
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