The Great Wall

Despite having to get up at 6 o'clock on a Saturday morning, today was the most incredible day yet. After figuring out a small issue with the Chinese taxis (ours being that we had two show up when we called for one, both fighting to take us as passengers) we left Beijing and headed up to Simatai, one of the less touristy parts of the Great Wall. Thanks to a thunder storm last night the weather was a little cooler today and a little clearer.

When we arrived at the wall we bought our tickets and began our climb to the top of the hill. We then spent three hours walking along the wall between the different towers. It was absolutely incredible. The views of the wall snaking over the mountains was breathtaking and I can now proudly check off "visiting the great wall" from my list of things to do before I die.




The highlight of the afternoon was our discovery of the flying fox on the way back to the parking lot. The flying fox is a zipline that takes you from the edge of the mountain over the river and down to the riverbank below. Once you reach the riverbank it is a short boat ride back to the parking lot. Although I was a little apprehensive about the ride, I have to say it was more than worth the $5 dollars it cost. It definitely felt like an "Amazing Race" moment.


Tomorrow we pack up and head off to Shanghai. It will be great to see a new city in China and get to see some new sights. Unfortunately it also means we'll be leaving the laptop and internet connection behind, so I can't say when the next post will be. But do know that I will be thoroughly enjoying myself until I am able to write again!

Beijing

Today was our first full day exploring Beijing. Ex-roommate had to spend the day at work so Amnesty, Ma-My, and I headed out to Tian'anmen Square and the Forbidden City. Tian'anmen Square is basically a large square, not much to see. But we made the most of it by reading about the history provided in our rough guide. We thought about climbing Zhengyangmen, the south gate, which once was the boundary between the imperial city and the commoners. However, due to the haze we decided the view probably wouldn't be very rewarding. So after taking the obligatory photos of Mao on the front of Tian'anmen (the gate of heavenly peace) we headed into the forbidden city.

Two hours later we had explored the ceremonial halls, the imperial living quarters, and the imperial garden. It was really interesting to read about the history of all the different buildings; learning how they were renamed by the different dynasties and learning what the buildings were used for. The forbidden city is so spectacular even the bathrooms have garnered a four star rating.


Plaque outside the toilets in the forbidden city

But what exactly does the four star rating get you? Well, it gets you a squat toilet that flushes automatically and the option of purchasing tissue. If you don't purchase the tissue before you use the toilet you WILL be kicking yourself for not spending the extra Yuan.


Example of a squat toilet. Note this is not an automatically flushing toilet as shown by the foot pedal at the top.

A highlight of today was ordering lunch. Without ex-roommate as a translator we decided we would brave the language barrier and find a restaurant on our own. The first restaurant we walked into was serving food that looked delicious, unfortunately we couldn't figure out a way to communicate what we wanted to eat. So instead we found a restaurant with pictures posted on the wall of the available dishes. We then relied on our abilities to point and smile to order what we wanted. I am still not 100% sure what exactly I ordered but it sure was delicious.

Hong Kong Airport

Currently I am standing at the connect zone in the Hong Kong International Airport. It's a stand of about six computers with free internet access, how come American airports don't do this?!

 

My flight from LA to Hong Kong was pretty uneventful. I shared my row of three seats with a gentleman named Mitch who was travelling to Vietnam. Lucky for me, he was super nice and allowed me to stretch over two seats. This meant that besides watching two movies, Reign Over Me with Don Cheadle and Adam Sandler and Premonition with Sandra Bullock, I was able to get lots of sleep on my 14 hour plane flight. I estimate probably about 7 hours. That means that for the first time in my life I am not feeling completely exhausted after a long flight.

 

The food on the plane was also really good. I had some chicken thai pan with rice and steamed vegetables for dinner and then chicken and mushroom congee (rice porridge) for breakfast. I had completely forgotten about my recently found favorite chinese comfort food until they passed out the menu, Mmmmmm. The other interesting food item was the in-flight snack. Which consisted of a cup o'noodle. I've NEVER seen that before.

 

Unfortunately my next flight which will take me to Beijing is currently on a half hour delay. Who knows how long it will actually be but for now I have an hour and a half to wander the airport. Luckily there are quite a few stores to peruse and funny signs to take pictures of.

Los Angeles

So once again I find myself at the Monterey Park library, with only a few minutes to use the internet. Strange how the limit here is 30 minutes and in Virginia it's one hour. Plus in Virginia you can relog on about two times and here you can only log on once. Heh. Anyway, the last three days in LA have been great.

I got here on Friday and was able to squeeze myself in for a haircut with the best stylist in the world. If you have curly hair and are in LA, you should definitely visit Margeaux at Ohm in Venice. She is amazing. This now means that my hair should look real purty for my travel pics! The rest of the weekend was a whirlwind of meeting up with as many friends as possible and getting all my last minute errands done for my upcoming trip. With the purchase of a travel journal and some immodium (for traveler's diarrhea) this afternoon I think I am ready to go.

Unfortuantely one weekend is too short to see everyone, but I was able to spend time with trouble and double trouble as well as my future travel partners. Tonight I am spending some time with little girl big car before I head off to the airport for my 1am flight. Ugh. Hopefully I'll be able to make the most of my window seat and get some sleep or at the very least let's hope Cathay Pacific has a good selection of movies.

Rumor has it there is free internet available at the Hong Kong airport so hopefully I'll be able to post a little during my two hour layover. Fingers crossed!

China

Okay dear readers, once again it is time for me to hit the road. This time I am off to China and Hong Kong for just about a month! I'll be heading back to Los Angeles for the weekend and then off to Beijing on Tuesday. That being said, I wanted to warn you that postings will be a bit sparse until my return in August. But don't worry, if I have a chance to blog while I'm there I'll do it and if not, you can expect some major posts upon my return.

Summer Evenings

This past weekend I had my first visitor to Washington DC. Thanks to a summer friday at work, soul-friend was able to come down from New York for a long weekend. I have to say it was really nice to have someone to explore with. On Friday we wandered around old town all the way to the waterfront. Then friday evening we met up with high school sweethearts for Jazz at the Sculpture Garden. Clear, warm evening temperatures made it the perfect setting for a picnic dinner outside in the garden as the sounds of modern jazz floated through the air. The picture below shows where the band was (underneath the green tent) and the number of people that were out with us.


After the jazz, soul-friend and I decided to wander the Mall and ended up at the capitol. For now I am amazed every time I walk by such iconic structures, but soul-friend remarked to me that after a while you just don't notice them anymore.

Things I love about evenings in DC

• Watching the fireflies at dusk.
• The warm evening air.
• Being able to stroll around historic places.

The rest of the weekend was spent exploring restaurants, grocery stores, and the like.

East Coast Weather

Today was my first experience of "east coast" weather. I had been warned by almost everyone that east coast weather is hot and sticky, nothing like the dry heat I am used to from California. It was as though they were saying, "You're going to hate it." But a few weeks ago when I was here apartment hunting I really had nothing bad to say about the weather (check back on the blogs if you don't believe me). Yeah it was warm, a little humid, but to me it felt tropical. As it would for someone whose only recent experience of humidity was in Veracruz, Mexico.

Since I officially moved in, the weather has actually been pretty mild, hot but not humid. Dad and I definitely had pink faces when we moved all my stuff into my apartment but it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Then last night on the news, the weather person mentioned that humidity and more heat was coming. I probably could have figured that out myself considering it was still 80 degrees outside when the 11 o'clock news was on. So this morning when I walked out my door it was no surprise to me when the air felt sticky. What was surprising was when I looked at my car thermometer and it read 100 degrees. And even more surprising was when the weather switched in the blink of an eye. One minute it was 100 degrees and sunny; The next minute it was torrential downpour complete with lightning and suddenly a cool 78 degrees (not that it felt that way, this thing they call the heat index).

Once I got home I did what any crazy Californian girl would do, I stood at my window smiling at the downpour, counting the seconds between the lightning and the thunder and marvelling at nature and it's thunderstorms. By the looks on everyone else's faces, thunderstorms aren't something a native Virginian would smile about but that won't stop me from enjoying them. At least for now.

My List of Things to Do Today

This morning I woke up to find out that the garbage trucks arrive at 7:30am during the week. Bummer. But on the other hand at least I can get an early start on the day. Which means that I have been able to accomplish loads.

• I went to home depot, bought some wood and put shelves up in my closet for additional storage space.
• I've been to the local library and got a new library card.
• I've talked to the manager of my apartment complex and both the locks on the windows and my angry dishwasher have been fixed.
• I've talked with Verizon and now know that the problem with my phone isn't that the painters painted over the phone jack, but it's a problem on Verizon's side. They're coming out on Thursday so hopefully after that I'll have a phone and internet.
• I've booked my ticket to China and Hong Kong. Two weeks from now I will be beginning my 26 day trip . . . I can't wait!

And I still have half the afternoon and the evening to spare! What else can I get done?

It's a learning experience!

It was quite the exciting day today here in Virginia. I got up this morning to the sound of the garbage trucks emptying the dumpsters in the alley behind my apartment. Seeing as this is the second day in a row that they have been out there at 8:30am, I fear that this is going to be a daily occurrence. I guess we'll comfirm that tomorrow morning.

The overall plan for today was to finish unpacking. Yesterday I had pretty much finished unpacking everything for my room, the kitchen and the bathroom, but the living room remained a complete and utter disaster. So the morning was spent unpacking boxes and then repacking** other boxes.

Here's what I learned today:

• Virginia has bugs. I didn't really think about bugs and spiders because in LA I didn't have any of them. I think we had a cricket in our kitchen a couple of times but that was pretty much the extent of it. So when I walked into the kitchen this morning and saw a small roach run across the linoleum, I couldn't help but scream. Then I realized that the scream which would normally make a roommate appear is completely ineffective at arousing assistance when you live alone. So I sucked it up, got some paper towel, and then proceeded to smash the bug with my own two hands. Pat on the back for me. I then promptly went to Target to buy roach bait and spray roach/ant killer. Take that suckers!
• Dishwashers are not always efficient.When I packed my dishes for the move I wrapped them in newspaper for protection. So before using them in my new apartment, I figured I would just run them through the dishwasher. Being a girl that has never had a dishwasher in her apartment before, I was really excited about being able to do other things while this machine was cleaning my dishes for me. Little did I know the excitement would be cut short when the dishwasher started to drain. Instead of draining directly into the pipes of the kitchen sink, when the dishwasher began to drain the water started pouring out of the overflow spout next to the faucet. Not a big deal, I just twisted the spout of the overflow so that the water poured into the sink instead of over the counter. Or so I thought. As the dishwasher started to drain for the second time the water began to shoot into the sink, around the sink, over the counters, and on the floor. After exclaiming some not so very nice words and trying my best to channel the water into the sink with my hands, the dishwasher switched back to cleaning. Not a big deal, I used my sponge and more paper towels to clean up the water. But do you know how many times a dishwasher drains during one wash cycle? Four. I learned that today.

Luckily tonight I have finished unpacking and now my living room is actually a nice space to spend time in. Tomorrow I am figuring out the telephone and internet so I don't have to keep bothering my friends for their internet.



**Before I left LA I had to sell all of my living room furniture because the expense of shipping it across the country just wasn't worth it. Unfortunately this means that I don't have furniture to unpack everything into, hence the repacking of boxes. Furthermore, this means that these repacked boxes will now be a permanent fixture in my living room. Well at least until I purchase some living room furniture.

On the Road Day 6 - Virginia

Today was the final day in the car together. It was a short drive from Troutville, VA to my new home and we couldn't have timed it any better. As we pulled up in front of my apartment, the ABF Freight Truck with my relocube also pulled up. After I signed the shipping papers and the cube was placed in a parking spot, it hit me that I had finally reached home.

I'm really lucky that my dad agreed to embark on this journey with me. Had I done it alone, I wouldn't have stopped at half the places that we stopped at and I wouldn't have had the opportunity to make great memories with my father. I know I'll never forget Bucksnort, Tennessee or watching my dad eat a Hardee's Thickburger. I'll never forget the subtle drifts or the hike to jumpinoff rock. I'll also never forget the excitement in my dad's eyes at finally seeing the places he heard of as a boy. Thank you Dad.

On the Road Day 5 - NC, VA

Sadly, we had to leave Nashville this morning. I have to say, out of all the states I have visited on this trip, Tennessee is definitely the one to beat. Today's travels took us out of Tennessee and into North Carolina where we picked up the Blue Ridge Parkway. This scenic road, an American road, travels along the crest of the blue ridge mountains from North Carolina all the way to Virginia. It is quite the scenic drive, all though it is a lot more scenery of forests and trees then it is of the mountains. Below are some pictures from the drive:




The Blue Ridge Parkway


The Blue Ridge Mountains as seen from Jumpinoff Rock

When we left the Blue Ridge Mountains we passed through a small town called Galax. Here are three reasons why I loved this town:

1. The sign outside the church read Happy 50th Birthday Ronald and Donald!
2. Off to the side of the previous sign was the advertisement for Bingo every Wednesday. However, underneath Ronald and Donald's birthday announcement was the note "No bingo this Wednesday" due to the fourth of July Holiday.
3. But don't fret! Instead of playing bingo on Wednesday you can go down to the Fourth of July fair at the high school where they have . . . lawnmower racing!!

I told you Galax, VA was awesome.

Tennessee Rocks!

Here are some pictures from Memphis and Nashville. While we were in Memphis we enjoyed some southern cooking, listened to a live blues band, and visited Elvis. In Nashville we spent the evening at the Grand Ole Opry House, visited the Country Music Hall of Fame, and took part in the one of the nation's largets fourth of July celebrations.


Memphis. Home of the Blues. Birthplace of Rock and Roll.


Beale Street


Graceland. Home of the King.


A few of Elvis' records.


The American Eagle Cape. Elvis tossed this cape into the audience at the end of the 1973 "Aloha from Hawaii" concert.


The Grand Ole Opry House where we saw and listened to the music of Porter Wagoner, Mandy Barnett, Connie Smith, Jason Michael Carroll, Jack Greene, Restless Heart, Mel McDaniel, and Neal McCoy.


One of the nation's largest Fourth of July Celebrations. You can see the main stage where Taylor Swift, Rodney Atkins and Van Zant performed, as well as the masses of people in front of the downtown Nashville skyline.

On the Road Day Four - AK, TN

So far we're loving Tennessee and loving the fact that it's all about music in this state. Last night we hung out on Beale Street in downtown Memphis and listened to some blues, this morning we experienced rock at Elvis' Graceland and then this afternoon we spent the evening at the church of country, also known as the Grand Ole Opry House, in Nashville. We even drove on the Music Highway (Interstate 40) between Memphis and Nashville.

Tomorrow we are off to the Country Music Hall of Fame and in the evening we'll join the rest of the city for the fireworks show down by the river. But right now I must get off the computer and climb into bed for some much needed rest. Pictures and more stories to come tomorrow!

On the Road Day Three - TX, AK

I'm happy to say that we have finally made it out of Texas and here in Arkansas the weather is much nicer. Well, for the most part. Dad and I left this morning at 5:30 am and headed off on Interstate 35 through Austin and Dallas before heading East towards Arkansas. On the whole, the drive was pretty un-eventful. Just a lot of flat land and open highway in front of us. We hit a few storms along the way, but nothing too drastic, although it was a little bit disconcerting when this conversation occurred:

Dad (looking down at gear shift)
Me: What are you looking for?
Dad: Oh I was just checking what gears I have with your car.
Me: Why?
Dad: Just in case I begin to hydroplane off of the highway.


Texas in the rain

Luckily it was only a conversation. This is the first time either of us have been in Arkansas and so far we're unimpressed. I'm sure once you get off of the main interstate there are some really lovely parts of the state, but off of Interstate 40 it's not that interesting. I also think that Arkansas has a weird obsession with naming things. Take for example the following:


This is the city that straddles the border of Texas and Arkansas, as you may be able to tell by the name. Texarkana.

This city must be Arkansas' version of Philadelphia.

Dad and I also noticed how clean the interstate was. We came up with two reasons why.

1. Because the fine for littering is $1000
2. Because of these fabulous billboards

Texas is Big!

Here are some photos from my drive into Texas.


Picaho Peak, somewhere in Texas


The long drive through Texas


As you can see from the pictures, there isn't much to see on the scenic Texas Mountain drive. Unfortunately for me Texas is big and there's a lot more of it to drive through tomorrow. Fortunately I'll have my dad with me.

Yesterday we took the dogs to the dog park. When we got back to the car they were hot, happy and most importantly, tired.


Riley and Jager


Kahlua

On the Road Day Two - TX

Here are some interesting things about driving through Texas:

• Texas has a speed limit and a speed minimum. I guess this is what keeps those tractors that don't do more than 45mph off of the freeway.


• Texas also has a speed limit for daytime and one for the night. Cars can do 80 mph during the day, trucks 70 mph, but at night everyone is limited to 65 mph.


• Funniest sign: "LITTERING IS unlAWFUL" Texans are so clever!

The only other adventure from being on the road in Texas was being pulled over. Yup, it happened. Apparently I missed the sign where the speed limit changed from 80mph to 70mph and the friendly police officer pulled me over doing 79 mph. Luckily, when he was writing up my ticket he received another call and decided to return my driver's licence to me with a verbal warning and no ticket. Phew!

So now I am staying with my brother and his girlfriend and getting to see the cool sites of San Antonio.

On the Road Day One - CA, AZ, NM, TX

In case you are wondering I am posting from the hotel computere heree at the America Inn located in the delightful Van Horn, TX. In case you're not sure where that is, it's about 430 miles west of San Antonio and 120 miles east of El Paso, off of Interstate 10. I must admit, one of the perks of staying at this hotel is the free internet. I guess I can officially admit that my blogging has reached addiction levels.

So now let's get back to the subject of the blog, day one on the road trip to Virginia. This morning I set off at 6 am from North Hollywood, hopped on Interstate 10 and kept heading east until now. In case you didn't know, Interstate 10 goes all the way from Santa Monica, CA to Florida. I also learned today that Interstate 10 is also called the Pearl Harbor Memorial Freeway.


101 in Hollywood minus the traffic

Here are some of the highlights from today's trip:

• Vital Stats: 906 miles driven, four states visited (see title of blog), 245 songs listened to on ipod, 2 conversations with my copilot plant.


• Best billboard: It was one of those black billboards with the white type written message from God which read, "Life is short, eternity is forever. ~God"


• Hottest temperature: 109F according to the thermometer in my car.


• Funniest street name: Sore Finger Road

My Copilot


Interstate 10 California

Interstate 10 Arizona

Interstate 10 New Mexico

Interstate 10 Texas

As you can see, all the states look pretty much the same off of Interstate 10. In total I spent 12 and a half hours on the road today but in all honesty it felt like three. The only traffic I hit was just outside of Phoenix due to a small fender bender. I also haven't had any thunderstorms yet, although I did some some lightning in the distance and also saw the rain falling behind me. Tomorrow is going to be a much lighter day of travel, only about 5 or 6 hours of driving, and I get to see my brother in the evening. It will be nice to see where he calls "home".

Now that I have my blogging fix it's time to return to my room for the night, watch a little tv, and get a good night's sleep. I have continental breakfast to look forward to in the morning and then back on the road!

T minus 12 hours (give or take)

As I drove away from the Hawaiian Villa, my oasis for the past three and a half years, it finally hit me ... I'm leaving LA. Hard to believe that this much anticipated "moving date" is finally here and as it was when I arrived, my apartment is now empty. Besides a little snafu with the couches I can happily say that the entire packing process ran pretty smoothly and efficiently.

Since there is absolutely nothing left in my apartment, I have decided to spend my last night in LA at a friend's house. It will be nice to have a night in with the ladies as we plan our upcoming adventure to China. It will also be nice to have one more meal of Numero Uno pizza, one of my favorite pizzas in the world second only to Bravo's cheeseless vegetable pizza.

The next post will be 1350 miles into the 2670 mile drive when I arrive in San Antonio, TX. There I'll be spending the weekend with my brother and his better half. Then on Sunday, my dad will be arriving and together we'll be embarking on a road trip as we drive across the other half of the United States. Until then it's just me, my plant, and the Wreckers

T minus 40 hours

• The ReloCube arrived this morning, was loaded this afternoon and is scheduled to be picked up tomorrow morning.


• The electricity is scheduled to be shut off on Thursday, the internet has been gone for a month now.


• The landlord has done a preliminary walk through, the final walk through is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon.


• The ex-roommate's parents are stopping by tomorrow to pick up her remaining items; the couches are being picked up tonight (fingers crossed!).

I guess you could say I am ready to go!

Last Weekend in LA

Yesterday I arrived back in LA and was greeted by my friend Trouble at the airport. I have to say I am definitely not going to miss LAX once I leave. Although from what I experienced of Dulles, it's not that exciting either.

Trouble and I had decided to spend my last Saturday night in LA like we always do, out on the town. The evening's excitement began when we walked outside to climb into our cab to find that it had been pulled over by the police for "crazy driving". After reassuring us that he was a safe driver and that the police officer was crazy and not even a real police officer but one from the local community college, we jumped into the cab and headed out. Everyone in LA is a crazy driver.

First stop was one of our local faves, Beechwood, where we sat by the outside fire pit in the warm Venice beach air and sipped our blood orange martinis. After decompressing from my plane ride, Trouble suggested "you need some adventure for your last night in LA" and off we headed towards another destination.

En route to Fin McCools, site of the graduation celebration two weeks ago, we decided to change locales and ended up at the mojito bar at World Cafe. We batted our eyelashes at the cute bar tender working the mojito bar and somehow found ourselves taking part in another group's birthday celebration. As the birthday celebration migrated to our third bar for the evening, Trouble and I found ourselves making friends with some of my old classmates from UCSB. After tonight's outing I don't think I'm going to have a problem making new friends in Virginia.

The evening ended when we returned to Trouble's apartment at 3 am ready to rehash the evening over pizza and climb into bed. Now I am faced with organizing myself and preparing for the impending move. I can't believe I have four days left in LA, but I am really looking forward to returning to Virginia.


***FYI I used to refer to my friends with italicized letters but have decided to switch to italicized nicknames. Enjoy!***

Doing some Research

I was just doing a little bit of research about my new neighborhood and according to MapQuest I am only 6 minutes from Trader Joes, 3 minutes from Target, 5 minutes from Safeway, and 6 minutes from Harris Teeter (grocery store). So far so good!

***6/24 Addendum***
My apartment is 15 minutes from downtown DC and 5 minutes from Old Town Alexandria. I am told Costco and Ikea are about 20 minutes away as are my friends High School Sweethearts. I can't wait to get back and do some exploring!

I've got one!

Who would have known that the absolute last place I look at, and the very first one I emailed to my Virginia family months ago, would be the place I decided to live in? Definitely not me!




This morning I signed the lease on my brand new apartment and this afternoon I was driving away with the keys in hand. It's a cute little one bedroom one bathroom bachelorette pad. This apartment is the only one we looked at that had a kitchen I felt I could actually cook in, which you all know is very important to me. It's about $300 less per month then I was expecting to pay and it has a small balcony off of my room; Perfect for those tropical summer evenings or cheery spring afternoons. The location makes it easy to get to the metro, hop on the freeway to head up to Maryland, or to head south to Old Town Alexandria. Which means it is perfect for guests, and if you fly into Reagan airport you are literally at my doorstep.

Now that the living situation has been figured out, Michelle and I can actually enjoy a little time off for vacation. Tonight we are heading into Georgetown for drinks with friends and then tomorrow we are heading into the city to visit a museum and get a tour of the Pentagon. Tomorrow night we are taking over the kitchen to cook dinner for our favorite Virginia family. I just can't wait to get back and get fully settled in to my new place. It's going to be a great city to explore!

Apartments, Apartments, Apartments

After a restfull 11 and a half hours of sleep, Michelle and I decided it was time to seize the day. After a nutritious breakfast we had a strategic planning meeting where we identified the location of the ten apartments we wanted to see today. Then we created ourselves a little route, numbered the apartments in the order we wanted to see them and headed out into the neighborhoods of northern Virginia.

Let me start by saying 10 apartments is a little ambitious for two people to see in one day. We started off highly energetic but by the end I think our glazed expressions, lack of questions and generally exhausted demeanor led the leasing agent to comment, "I guess you've seen quite a few apartments today."

Instead of boring you with information about each apartment we saw, I am going to provide you the highlights. As of right now, there are three possible apartments I could see myself living in, and there's at least one I really want to see tomorrow and one showing in the evening. All four are not in the EXACT location I want, which I don't really understand my obsession with because I honestly don't know exactly what I want. One is cheap rent, in a fabulous neighborhood but on the downside it is a little small and not very light. The other front runner is a gorgeous apartment in a fabulous building, the downside to this one is that it is only just within my price range, or what I think my price range should be. The third one that I am considering is the same price range as the second front runner (only just in my range) has a better location but the building and apartment are definitely not as nice.

Overall, we had a very successful day looking at apartments. What I need to do tonight is think about the pros and cons and then figure out what exactly I want to do. I also know that I will not be making my decision tonight as there is definitely one more I have an appointment to see tomorrow morning at 10. But hopefully tomorrow I'll be able and ready to make my decision.

So Far So Good

This morning I arrived in Baltimore after having a red-eye flight from Los Angeles with a layover in Chicago. During the first leg of the flight I was sitting in between two high school boys who were returning from a baseball tournament in Hawaii. They were a little talkative, probably the lack of sleep combined with the red bull, which in turn meant I didn't get much sleep. Luckily I was able to sleep for two hours on the second leg of the flight and then for another hour at the airport as I waited for Michelle's flight to arrive. Then, attempting not to acknowledge just how tired I was, we headed off to Thrifty car rental. Being the high rollers that we are, we had booked ourselves an economy car for the week. Unfortunately there was a wait for the economy cars so instead we were upgraded to a sophisticated minivan for the weekend. Let me just say there's nothing like cruising in a minivan.

First on our agenda was making our way to Virginia, a very quick one hour drive, and checking in to our guest house for the weekend. It's in a remote area of Alexandria but it is very quaint and I had the opportunity to practice my Spanish with the caretaker of the house. After fueling up with lunch in old town Alexandria, Michelle and I hit the road to explore the area. We called into a couple of apartment complexes but all in all it was just a drive by. Luckily J & P were their standard welcoming hosts and had us over for dinner. My task for the evening was to look up apartments to visit tomorrow, thank god for internet access! So now, with a fully belly and a list of apartments to look at, I am back at our "home" for the week ready for a good nights sleep.

My impressions so far:

• Humidity: To me it feels tropical. It reminds me of the weekend I spent in Veracruz Mexico last summer and as long as you know you are going to be in air conditioning soon, it's not so bad.


• My hair: So far it's manageable. Luckily it is now at a length so that I can tie it up if it gets unruly. So at least I know I won't be looking like Monica in the episodes of Friends in the Caribbean. Today I had it straight and tied back. Tomorrow I'll test the curly hair style.


• Nature: The guest house we are staying at for the weekend, read hostel for non-rowdy travelers, is located outside the beltway in Alexandria. It's a cute little house with a very sweet caretaker. But the best part is watching the fireflies dance around the garden. This is only the second time in my life I have seen fireflies, and they still are able to make me squeal in excitement. The first time I saw them was with A at the field of dreams in Iowa.

Will I Miss Monterey Park?

When I first arrived in Monterey Park I wasn't only living in a brand new city but for the first time in my life I was living as a minority. Monterey Park is predominantly Chinese followed by Hispanic and then White. I know I can't claim I know what it's like to live as a minority but in all honesty, living here took a little getting used to. The easiest was getting used to the store signs in Chinese; the hardest was getting used to the feeling that everyone was staring at me as I entered the local library or went out to eat. The most surprising was getting used to the whistles and cat-calls my roommate and I used to receive during our evening walks. However, after three and a half years, I now realize that these are part of Monterey Park's character.

As I walked out of the American Automobile Association office today and didn't react when I received a whistle from a car driving by, nor did I think it was strange that grandpa was sitting outside the office on the grass under the shade of the tree while the rest of the family, and by family I mean THE ENTIRE FAMILY, went into the office, I smiled to myself in appreciation of the character of Monterey Park and I remarked to no one in particular, "I'm going to miss Monterey Park."

Happy 1st Birthday!

As I'm in the midst of packing, there isn't much cooking going on in my kitchen save for the concoctions I have been creating in an attempt to use up every last piece of food in my cupboards before June 28th. Regardless, I couldn't let a momentous day, such as the birthday of my blog, pass without commemorating it. So instead of a recipe and pictures of food I present a compilation of photos from around the kitchen.



I created this blog as an easy way to share my favorite recipes with my friends and family, encourage myself to cook more, and as an outlet for my photography hobby. My original goal was to post at least two new recipes a month and, if you look to the right, you'll see I was successful. This year I am aiming not only to improve my food photography skills but also to cook at least three new dishes a month.

Life of the Unemployed

With no internet access at home and only half an hour from the library each day, it's been a little difficult to keep up with everything and everyone lately. I guess the good news is that at least I have some internet access.

Graduation weekend was absolutely amazing. Fifteen of my closest friends and family piled into a hummer limo on Friday afternoon to attend the master's commencement ceremony before partying until the wee hours of the morning. You know, getting around LA in a car isn't so bad when you have someone else doing the driving. I also had someone else in charge of the photography, but I promise I'll post some pics as soon as I get my hands on them.

Reflecting on this weekend, I am so lucky to have such supportive friends and family. I'm even more lucky that they all get along with each other so I don't have to split my time amongst them. I think that was one of the best parts of the weekend. People were free to do what they wanted when they wanted but I had an opportunity to spend time with each and every one of them.

Now that everyone has left I am faced with an increasingly empty apartment and the task of getting myself organized for my move across the nation. When I said goodbye to my father this past sunday, he reminded me that we would be seeing each other again in three weeks in San Antonio, Texas. Hard to believe it's only three weeks until I leave California. But good to know it's only three weeks away because as of today everything in my apartment is packed and half of my furniture has been sold.

Coming up: Next week I'm in Virginia/DC to apartment hunt then I return for a mere four days before I leave California for good on the 28th. Hopefully four days will be just enough time for a going away party, packing up my relocube, and completing a final cleaning on my apartment.

Graduation

I know I arrived at the bar and I know I woke up in my bed. Besides that, my friends tell me I had a good time.

Happy Birthday Blog!

Since this week is a week of celebrations, I thought it was only fair to acknowledge that my blog has officially turned one year old.



This blog started as I prepared for my two month learning vacation in Mexico. Now, on it's one year anniversary, I am preparing for a move across the country. I can only imagine where I'll be going this time next year.

It's All Happening Now

Well dear readers this is it . . . my 100th post. Hard to believe that a mere 6 months ago I was celebrating Blog Post Number 50. Even harder to believe how much news I have to share in this milestone post.

1. I am done with my dietetic internship!!
   As of today, I have finished the last day of my outpatient rotation. That means I am officially done with my dietetic internship and am now Registered Dietitian Eligible.


2. I am done with my graduate project!!
   I have gotten approval from all three of my committee members and the director of the department. All that's left is to print two copies of my project on cotton paper and turn them into the Cal State LA library.


3. I am moving to Virginia!!
   In case you missed it, during my rotations I finally found the area of dietetics that I really want to be involved in, Nutrition Research. After discussing my options with my preceptor from my research rotation it came to light that a lot of nutrition research is located in the Maryland, Washington DC, and Northern Virginia area. So I've decided to pack my bags and see what the east coast has to offer me. Plus by moving there I'll be closer to a lot of my pals I haven't seen much of in the past three years.


4. Next week is my last week of being a graduate student!!
   Monday I have my last final. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday I have a review course for the registered dietitian exam. Then, Friday is graduation day! Words can't express how excited I am to finally be a Registered-Dietitian-Eligible-Masters-Graduate and to have my friends and family here to celebrate with me for the weekend.

**NOTE: As of tomorrow, June 1st, I will no longer have internet available at my house. There is internet available down the street at the public library which I intend to make full use of until I leave CA on the 28th of June. So if I don't post as much or don't respond as quickly to your email, at least you know why.**

Santa Barbara

Every memorial day weekend Santa Barbara hosts the i madonnari Festival at the mission. The great thing about living in LA is that it's super simple to escape to Santa Barbara for the day; especially when you have a friend who is always up for a trip to SB.

On Saturday morning, E and I hopped into Gio- her Toyota 4Runner- and made our way up to Santa Barbara. After a brief stop at the Camarillo outlets for an obligatory shopping break, our first destination was UCSB. It's amazing how much has changed on campus since we graduated in 2003. There are now parking structures where there used to be flat lots, new buildings all over campus, and graduate student housing where there used to be an open field. But the more things change the more they stay the same. From our seats at our favorite restaurant SilverGreens in Isla Vista we watched as a group of students played a lunchtime game of Flip the Cup. The drinking game even included random dancing and running around with shirts swinging in the air after the win.

After purchasing a replacement alumni surround plate for my car, we stopped by the festival at the mission on our way downtown. The afternoon was spent shopping and enjoying the beautiful Santa Barbara day. Before heading home we had dinner at Pascucci's only the best Italian restaurant on State Street. It was here that we experienced the most memorable moment of the day . . .

After a short wait the host called our name and began to lead us through the restaurant to seat us for dinner. As we walked through the restaurant I noticed we were heading towards a curtain. "Cool," I thought, "we'll be in the back room away from the front door." Little did I know that behind the curtain, was a table. A secluded table for two. E lost it as we moved to sit behind the curtain and I sarcasticly exclaimed to her, "How romantic! Had I known you were taking me on a date I would have dressed up!"

The night got better when the man selling flowers stuck them through the opening in our curtain and peered in only to realize we weren't on a date, and quickly dissapeared before we had a chance to react to his presence. This was probably for the best because our reaction was a fit of giggles.

Then, later on in the evening, I was telling E how great it was to be seated behind a curtain so that I could secretly spy and eavesdrop on the couples having dinner around us when I heard a voice from above say, "Don't think that I can't see you." I turned to find a waiter standing behind my chair entering his orders into the computer. I guess we weren't as hidden away as I thought we were.

All in all it was a lovely day with E and out of LA. I purchased quite a few things for myself, most exciting of which was my dress for graduation. I wish I could tell you what it looks like but for now it will have to remain a surprise.

Bay To Breakers

Every year I participate in a San Francisco 12k known as the Bay to Breakers. For those of you who are not from the Bay Area, the Bay to Breakers starts on the bay side of San Francisco, snakes through the city, over the Hayes Street Hill, and ends on the breakers (Ocean) side of the city. It's the kind of race that would only occur in San Francisco. Adults, children, teenagers, and grandparents run it, walk it, or get pushed through it. They run it in costume, as a team, on floats, with kegs, and even naked.

This is a race that A and I have been doing since freshman year in college. It is our once-a-year-no-matter-where-you-are-or-what-you-are-doing-with-your-life tradition. The only year we both missed it was when we were studying abroad because we felt our time was better spent visiting each other in England or France. Every year is different and every year gets better.

This year it was only A, A's boyfriend, A's sister and I who participated, but there's nothing like getting up early on a Sunday morning for a 7 mile stroll through the city. Next year we are planning on costumes . . .



. . . not bad for walking all but the last mile.

One hour and $18 later . . .

. .  I have a new licence plate number and registration sticker. During this time Melissa, my car, decided that she would also like to change her name. She has now adopted her Chinese middle name as her one and only name. What can I say? The new licence plates did not inspire us and the DMV lady wasn't very nice about letting me pick a different set of plates. I guess it's what they give you is what you get. Next on the list, screws to hold the licence plate on to my car and a replacement UCSB alumni surround plate. Good thing I was planning to go up to Santa Barbara this weekend anyway.

What's Missing?

Today was a pretty good day until I returned to my car this afternoon to find my licence plate stolen. They took the back plate, my alumni surround plate, and of course the registration sticker on the plate. This left me spending half an hour trying to track down the phone number for the police department, another half an hour making a police report over the phone, followed by another half an hour retrieving said report from the station located in the heart of the ghetto. Let's just say this really made my day.

 

On the bright side, at least my car didn't get broken into, my tires didn't get slashed, and my car still works. On the down side I now have to spend time at the DMV getting issued new plates and getting new registration plus I am now at higher risk for getting pulled over. Although apparently my police report would get me out of a fix-it ticket or citation. What a way to start out the week.

Vanilla Almond Biscotti

I've adapted this recipe from Modern Classica Book 2 by Donna Hay. In my opinion this is the easiest and the tastiest biscotti recipe out there. I would even be tempted to call it a no-fail biscotti recipe.



Ingredients

• 2 cups plain flour


• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder


• 3/4 cup sugar


• 3/4 blanched almonds


• 3 eggs


• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract


• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Preheat the oven to 325F. Place the flour, baking powder, and sugar in a large bowl; stir to mix. Add the eggs and extract; mix well to form a dough, kneading if necessary.

Shape into a log and flatten slightly. Place on a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper and bake for 35 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely.

Preheat oven to 325F. Slice log into 1/4 inch thick slices. Place back on baking tray and bake for another 10-15 minutes, flipping once if biscotti starts browning. Store in an airtight container.

Announcing My Graduation

Click on invitation for full size image.
Invitations from CB Graduation Invitations.

A Taste of Yellow

While browsing through my favorite food blogs I came across Smitten Kitchen's contribution to A Taste of Yellow Event hosted by Barbara at Winos and Foodies. Even though I am too late to submit to her roundup, I wanted to make a contribution to this event with one of my favorite soups, Chinese Corn Soup, in my favorite thermos.


Recipe here

A Taste of Yellow Event asks food bloggers from all over the globe create a yellow food to show support for Lance Armstrong’s LIVESTRONG Day, May 16. The event is a grassroots advocacy initiative to unify people affected by cancer and to raise awareness about cancer survivorship issues on a national level and in local communities across the country. Click below to find out more about LIVESTRONG Day.

Griffith Park Brush-Fire

I was sitting in the breakroom with my coworkers today, enjoying a peaceful lunch, when one of my coworkers looked out the window and exclaimed, "I think that's a fire." I turned to look out the window and sure enough there was a small puff of smoke climbing from the hills. In a matter of seconds the fire had grown and there were clouds of smoke billowing into the air. I turned to my preceptor and said, "Do we call the fire station, the police, 911?"

As we watched the fire grow and the flames rise above the ridge of the hill, my preceptor got on the phone to the fire department. The rest of the afternoon we listened to the sound of the fire trucks heading up to the hills as we checked on the progress of the fire helicopters from the window of our break room.

It's amazing to me how quickly the fire spread. At one point it appeared close to some homes but then the winds must have shifted and the fire took off over the ridge and towards the zoo. Unreal. Below are a few pictures I pulled off of some of the news websites here.




***UPDATE***
So apparently in the last couple of hours, the fire has shifted and is now no longer threatening the zoo. Instead it is back on the southern side of the hollywood hils, the side of the houses. This means there are mandatory evacuations and the possibility that homes will go up in flames. The fire is also now progressively getting closer to the Griffith Park Observatory. Ironic that my roommate and I were planning a trip there this Friday for our last roommate outing in LA. My support goes out to all the displaced families and the firefighters and pilots working to battle this blaze. Let's hope there's good news in the morning.

Warm White Bean Salad

Today was a warm day in Southern California but with the Santa Ana winds blowing there was a little chill to the air, perfect for a warm salad. This recipe is from Everyday Food (May 2005) and it includes my favorite spring-time ingredient, lemon.


bean salad minus the onions

ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil


• 1/2 small red onion, diced


• 2 medium carrots, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced


• 1 medium red bell pepper, diced


• 1 garlic clove, slivered


• 2 cups cooked cannellini beans


• 1 tsp grated lemon zest


• 2 tsps fresh lemon juice


• salt and pepper to taste

In a small saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add onion and carrots, cook for 5 minutes or until onion is browned. Add bell pepper and garlic, cook until pepper is crisp-tender.

Stir in beans, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Cook until warm and serve.

It's Over . . . For Now

It's 10am on Sunday morning and I just finished revising my master's project. Finally. When I finished writing my two hundred word abstract and put my last period on the page, I was shocked to look at the clock and see that I had already been working for two and half hours. But that's pretty much how the whole week has gone. Hours upon hours have passed by like minutes as I have been working hard to improve my master's project. The next step is giving a new copy of my master's project to my project committee and waiting for the next round of corrections. It will be nice to have my life back for a little while.

 

So what am I going to do with my now free sunday afternoon? First off I am going to work on my cover letters for the new group of jobs I found last week. My pre-job search has now turned into an official job search and as such I need the best cover letters to get me those interviews! I also have to finish the last minute organization of the luncheon I am coordinating for my program. It's a luncheon for 90 registered dietitians as a thank you for being our preceptors during our rotations throughout the year. I have to come up with my welcome speech and double check the last minute arrangements so that everything runs smoothly tomorrow. If I have any time left after these two tasks, I'm going to do some cooking. I want to make some raisin bran buns for my roommate and I, but we'll see if I get around to that or not.

Pasta with Almond-Pea Pesto

If you are looking for something different and easy for spring-time this is your recipe. The hint of tartness from the lemon is perfectly balanced with the sweetness from the peas in this fresh and light pesto which you can make ahead and store up to a week in a sealed container in the fridge.



Ingredients

• 1 pound whole wheat pasta (penne, spaghetti, rotini, etc.)


• 2 packages (10 oz each) frozen peas, thawed


• 1/2 cup blanched almonds


• finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon


• 1/4 cup olive oil

1. In a large pot of boiling water, cook pasta until al dente adding 1 package of peas during the last minute of cooking time.

2. While your water is heating/pasta is cooking finely grind almonds in a food processor. Add lemon zest and juice, other package of peas, and process until combined. With motor running, gradually add oil and process until smooth.

3. Add almond-pea pesto to pasta and peas. Toss to coat. Serve.

Yields: Six servings

You Think You Are Well Traveled

And then your roommate tells you about a site like this:

Nine percent? Nine percent?! That's it?! Now if you include my travel plans through 2008 that gets me up to eleven percent.

I guess I'll have to live with that . . . for now.

Vegetable and Chickpea Curry

Generally I am not drawn to recipes with too many ingredients. However, I found that I had the majority of the ingredients for this Indian spice inspired vegetarian dish already in my cupboard. Pretty much everything except for the coconut milk. So I decided to give it a try. Simple to put together it's meant to be cooked in a slow cooker but I did it on the stove top in a 6 qt. pot and the results were fabulous!

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil


• 1 medium onion, chopped


• 2 medium carrots, sliced 1/4 in thick


• 1 tbsp curry powder


• 1 tsp brown sugar


• 1 tsp grated peeld fresh ginger


• 1 tsp minced garlic


• 2 cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed


• 1 1/2 cups cubed peeled baking potato


• 1 green bell pepper, diced


• 1 cup cut green beans (fresh or frozen)


• black pepper


• 1 can diced tomatoes, undrained


• 2 cups vegetable broth


• 3 cups fresh spinach


• 1 cup coconut milk

1. Heat oil in 6 qt. pot over medium heat. Add onion and carrot, cover and cooke 5 minutes or until tender. Add curry powder, sugar, ginger, garlic; cooke 1 minute, stirring constantly.

2. Add garbanzo beans and next 6 ingredients (through broth). Cover and simmer over medium/medium-low heat until vegetables are tender. Add spinach and coconut milk; stir until spinach wilts. Serve over couscous or as is.

Yields: 6 (1 1/3 cup servings)

Professional Development

I figure since it's getting close to graduation I should probably start thinking about my career. Especially since I am beginning the job search. So here are a few of the more recent highlights in my professional development.

I have been asked to be one of the editors for the website SBA Nutrition. Although I am not listed on the editors page yet, I will be as soon as I get my bio sent in to the editor-in-chief. I would also like to point out that I now have four articles published on this site. Here they are in the order they were published:

• Controlling Portions for You and Your Family


• Fitness Tips for Your Family


• How Grocery Stores Speak to Our Children


• Snack Attack

I also found out today that should I ever need a part time job in nutrition research in LA, my most recent preceptor would be more than happy to have me back in a paid position.

Tomorrow I am volunteering for a kids fitness run, the second time I have helped out with this event. After the first run the director offered me a part time job. Which I had to decline due to my already overbooked schedule.

I have to say it's nice to know that I have some part time opportunities in the LA area should I need them. I just hope that the full time opportunities start rolling in.

Goodbye Nutrition Research

So today was a sad day. It was my last day of my nutrition research internship. Although I won't be sad to be leaving the quality control, data entry and other mundane tasks I will be sad to leave this field of nutrition and the amazing people that are working on these studies. Last days are always bittersweet for me. When I arrive at work I want to give my all knowing that it is my last day to actually do something productive but then I find myself watching the clock waiting for the minutes to tick by so I can walk out the door for the last time.

 

The interesting part of a last day is saying goodbye to people. You get the hugs, the thank yous for your hard work, the let's keep in touch and then THE QUESTION. You know the question I am talking about. It's phrased in many ways but it's the one everyone always asks. The one we usually dread. The one that either shows you know what you are doing with life or makes you question what you are doing with your life. . . 

 

So, where do you go from here? What's next? Where do you see youreslf working?

 

I realized today that, unlike my usual fear of this question, I was looking forward to being able to voice my direction. The rotation I just completed was the first time I actually found myself in a position that I could see myself making a career out of. Yeah I did a lot of the background work, the unglamorous work, but I actually appreciated every moment because it taught me more about the research process. So today, I looked my soon-to-be-ex coworkers in the eyes and said, "Actually, I want to get involved in clinical research."

Trying to Make the Turn

In an attempt to remain positive my motto for this week has been "A bend in the road is not the end of the road unless you fail to make the turn."

After not getting my master's project and corrections back on Monday I tried my best to track down my advisor. Turns out she is at a conference until the end of the week and apparently she isn't checking her email while she is there. That means I will not be getting corrections back this week. Instead, I will have to sit around and wait until next Monday (assuming she has actually looked at my project). Forget the fact that I set aside this weekend, my only free weekend before graduation, to get this thing done and out of the way so that I could enjoy the rest of the quarter.

Knowing that I woudln't be getting corrections back from my advisor, I decided to check in with the other two professors who make up my master's project committee. Two weeks ago when I gave my advisor my master's project, I also gave her a copy for each of my committee members. Apparently not. After emailing both of them and actually getting a response from both, I found out that they NEVER received a copy of my project. Where did these copies go? The copies I worked my behind off to get done in a week, printed (and paid for) two extra copies of, and gave to my advisor so that I could get corrections from three members of the faculty . . . apparently they have dissapeared along with my advisor.

So in my last feeble attempt to stay positive, I am still going to dedicate this weekend to my thesis. The only guidelines I have for making corrections are those provided by the library's thesis guideline handout (all the formatting stuff) and the thoughts in my head. Hopefully my standards of excellence are good enough to get this project approved by my committee, the library and the school.

I Am Not Normal

So today I was supposed to get my thesis back, torn apart with needed corrections from my advisor. Problem #1 My advisor was not at school today. Problem #2 She's at a conference until who knows when.

 

First I was angry. This is the second time she has blown off a deadline that she created. I worked my behind off to get it to her on time so I could get this whole process over and done with as soon as possible, and now I must sit and wait. I even kept this weekend completely clear knowing that my roommate would be away, I would have a chance to sit down and just crank it out.

 

After getting angry, my next move was to talk to my coach, well I guess you could call her my unofficial coach (if you're reading this you know who you are). With a few simple questions she got rid of the anger and helped me move into humor. And we all know what comes after humor . . .

 

Splurging! (Is that even a word? Apparently so, because spellcheck didn't find any errors.) This is where the "I'm not normal" part comes in. I went to the grocery store and splurged. But unlike most 25 year old women, I didn't buy ice cream, nor chocolate. No, I splurged on fruits and vegetables. I wanted to buy papaya but I didn't know what to look for so instead I settled for my favorite type of orange (tangelos, even though they weren't on sale), mushrooms, strawberries, gala apples, red bell peppers, broccoli, bananas, carrots and spinach. Had I felt like stopping by the frozen food aisle I probably would have gotten blueberries as well. The icing on the cake was that my total at the checkout was exactly $17, does that ever happen?! So now I must go cook myself a feast, a delicious feast.