Hello, It's Me!

People had been asking:  what the heck is this paper dweller? Well, it is just me.  And my thoughts. And my life.  And things I love.  And hate.  Although, in general, I try to be positive.  But hey, no one is perfect.  That is what this is about really - imperfections.  Such is life, no?  Anyway, above is a photo of me at our family's Thanksgiving dinner.  There were quite a few "firsts" to celebrate this year.  Our first without Alaia - who managed to skype (that is a verb, yes?) from Hawaii.  And the first with our Junior and his brand new self.  Besides that, we had a lot to celebrate and be thankful for - and to all of that, we gratefully ate.

The Party at the House

The Morning After

The Tartine-inspired Banana Cream Pie

Aloha Thanksgiving by way of Hawaii

Ending Dinner with Maja Blanca

I was not a fan of maja blanca until I made it myself and found that my issue with it was purely visual - could not stand seeing the whole kernels stick out from the dessert.  I decided to go rogue by grinding the corn kernels and it had been nothing but love since then.  The latik (not sure what the English word for this is - coconut milk curd? maybe?) was truly a labor of love - a 30 minute constant stirring affair - but it completes the dish like nothing else.  Had been serving some friends with this dessert for a couple of weekend dinners now - and so far the empty dish at the end speaks of the yumminess of this Filipino blancmange.  Tonight, we downed our maja blanca with some good Moscato wine - and a sugary buzz was had by all.

Snow at the Lake.

Only in California.  It was at first a light sweater day at best, then a few winks later, a Rihanna song, and voila, Currier & Ives.  Then you come upon a lake as still as your yoga breath with a beach full of kayaks and pine cones.  It is enough to make you eat all the sushi you can - which we in fact did at Lake Tahoe last weekend.  It was all fun and games where I won a poker game - hands down - betting on the "river".  Optimism, I tell you, it was easy to come by, when there was no real money at stake!

For Her Eyes Only

The boys were not too crazy about it, but I thought Skyfall was a little different from all the Bond movies I'd seen - a little more drama, darker, and sadder.  Daniel Craig I think is the most glum of all the 007's - just a tad more mysterious and serious than the rest.  Because he is the shortest Bond of all - so little complex maybe?  But certainly his Bond has the best bod and the most piercing eyes.  

Whew, anyway, thought we'd start the weekend with some Bond.  The boys thought there were little action in it - and all I can say was, are you crazy?  It was enough action for me.  And when they set that house on fire, all I could think of was:  what a waste.  And that Daniel Craig has the best back view ever even fully dressed.

History Made this Week

Our Modern Family (note to self:  consider leather kid gloves) - post crazy elections :  Source:  MSNBC

What a week it had been so far.  Historical one night, yes, but seemingly ordinary the next day.  I felt the excitement full on although I watched the whole thing on CNN by myself at a hotel on a work-related trip (i.e., boringgggg).  Alternating between nail biting and nervous eating (thank goodness, there were not a lot of junk around), I could not believe how close the votes were throughout the night - until Ohio of course, and then it all went downhill from there - for the other side, that is.  It was a night to remember for anyone who cares enough for any cause, for anyone who values and believes in anything strong enough  to stand up it.  In my opinion, it was victory for the freedom to choose and the ability to stand up for that choice whatever that may be (they take this  - the standing up - literally in Florida where people were still waiting on lines to vote even after the winner had been projected by the media!  Travesty!). Yet with all that, it was so status quo the next day.  Unlike sports, people don't talk about whose sides they were on after the elections.  The discourse - frenzied and crazed at the height of the campaign - seemed to have died in its sleep the moment the winner was projected.

Nonetheless, the winning side was all sunny and smiling none too secretly.  The next day, on my commute home,  I heard this lovely segment about democracy on NPR.  It was an editorial written by E.B. White (the same guy who wrote Charlotte's Web?) in 1943 in response to the then War Board's question on "what democracy is."  The piece was inspired by Pres. Obama's victory speech.  It warmed my heart.  Listen.

Keeping Things Brown and Orange

Well, there goes the weekend.  Clocks turned back an hour today, and for some reason, the day went down just like as it was the Sunday before it - none the slower.  Anyway, I think I found the perfect recipe for bread pudding (although it was not exactly cold enough for bread pudding).  With the exception of a tad bit less sugar next time, this one came out very nicely.  Must be the bread from local Grateful Bread - the crust was extra crunchy.  We could not stop eating it all day.  My biggest dilemma this weekend was whether or not to jump headlong into Christmas merriment like some people I know already did and bust out the Christmas decorations.  After going back and forth over it in my mind, I decided that I haven't had enough of browns and oranges yet and will wait it out till at least Thanksgiving.  I guess things haven't rotted out to their full Fall-ness yet that all that Christmas kringle still seems too soon.  What I cannot hardly wait for though is some chilly weather worthy of my handmade eternity scarves to finally get here.  It is going to be 81 degrees in the Bay Area tomorrow - I mean, really?