Sunday, April 27, 2008

I've always wanted to…



I have a mental list of things I planned on doing before I left columbia. Swim in brady fountain. Party at tonic. Attend soco drag show. And I've had quite some time to get around to doing those things, but never have. But this weekend, I Did cross off a couple of things on my list. Two in one day! Wine tasting at Les Bourgeois and food tasting at Jina Yoo's

Item 1. Wining tasting, free. Nice. Then we moseyed down to the bistro where we purchased a couple bottles. Aside from the mediocre wine, I recommend. With wine in hand, we enjoyed tidbits of conversation from MOM'S WEEKEND! and saw a couple get married. The atmosphere was nice.

Item 2. Everyone's talking about Jina Yoo's. As The Boyfriend doesn't like "weird" food, it's unlikely I would ever make it on a date there. Turns out, it was a better meal with six girls: peer pressure to eat sushi (but fish? ew. It tastes like… fish) and a good number for ordering different varities. The pros picked eight types of sushi, and yum yum yum, was it all good. Each dish had a pleasant presentation, and enough for everyone. I was officially steered away from my total disgust of fish (now I only hate all fish except for sushi). And eight dishes plus three desserts was affordable split six ways.

Friday, April 25, 2008

dear spring,


You have made me happy today. You are the reason my sister sent me a CD, because its creation was inspired by your being. You are the reason it breezed just a tad and sprinkled a bit during my run. I don't know if you are the reason I recevied a free Red Bull from a Red Bull Mini Cooper, but I'll give that to you. You are the perfect amount of season peeking through my windows. Today, because of you, I decide, I am not worried about the future. I decide I never was. Because be I here or there, I can linger and contemplate non-contemplative things, such as the existance of seasons.

Sunday, April 13, 2008

good for digestive health


I had a problem in the yogurt aisle today. While problem solving, I realized I have it every time I go to the grocery store.

I cannot decide what flavors of yogurt to buy.

For the week, I am going to buy between four and six containers. But I cannot buy all the same flavor. I do love strawberry, I don't love it enough to eat six straight. Simply solved, I could just buy equal amounts of two flavors. But as I reach for the third vanilla to accompany the three strawberries already in my cart, I see french vanilla. Hmm… that could be good. But better than vanilla? I'll just get one. But strawberry kiwi is looking good, too. I only need six though, more would be yogurt overload, so I must swap one strawberry kiwi for one original strawberry, and… I think you see the problem.

There are so many flavors tempting me, and I don't know what to do. Yes, I do love key lime pie. But in yogurt form? Would that even be enjoyable? And what is lemon burst really? The yogurt-sized picture on the container looks so delicious. As I examine the container, I think, lemon tastes great in a tall glass of water, but I'm not sure the flavor translates well into, you know, yogurt.

After about seven, maybe eight minutes, I finally decide on this week's six. I'm done. I don't have to worry about this ever again. At least, until I need to buy more yogurt.

en nageant

At the pool the other night, I was met with a list of pleasentries.
1. I saw one of the kids from preschool, who looked adorable in goggles, and who was swimming by himself in the deep end! I can't explain why I felt proud.
2. I felt strangely motivated even though I was really tired, and so I had a good swim.
3. As I was fixing my goggles so water would stop pouring in, a woman told me, "When you swim, it's beautiful."

Saturday, April 12, 2008

A worthwhile Friday night


Jake and I watched King of Kong last night, which I have wanted to see for sometime. It's a documentary about a guy who tries to win the highest score of Donkey Kong in the world. The problem is this other dude has held the high score since forever, and is not happy to see someone take it away. Yes, it's a movie about old video games, a surface level plot which is hysterical in itself (the guys — and they are all guys except for one random old lady — are as nerdy as you imagined, to the point where they wear weight-lifting gloves while playing). But it's also a story about good vs. evil, something which we all can understand, even if we don't know what a Kill Screen is. And as I just answered a Magazine Design test question about visual objectivity, I was really impressed by the editing. In real life, is bad guy really as bas as he is in the movie? And the same question can be asked about good guy. My question in response is, who cares? The movie makes you feel something, which increasing seems like a lot to ask from contemporary films.

Tuesday, April 01, 2008

Tuesday Night is Party Night


Tonight, instead of swimming laps (exercising my body), I accepted a free ticket to the Moiseev Russian Classical Ballet Theatre & Orchestra's performance of Swan Lake (exercising my mind). In case you're not familiar, it's one of those typical love-conquers-all stories, despite Prince Siegfried's eating of the deceptive and evil black tutued poison apple ballerina. In the end, he and the swan queen ballerina end up together. It's all beautiful, and not as boring as you would imagine.

In taking in the glory that was Swan Lake, I did notice a few things ballerinas have that I will never possess. Such gracefully sculpted leg muscles that they can be seen from the balcony, for one. Tutus so elaborate that they must cost more than my out-of-state college education, to name another. The ability to look elegant while standing on one foot of tippy toes and sticking the other behind their heads is also very impressive. And, these ballerinas speak Russian.

I was impressed by all these things, but mostly by the dancing. Being a ballerina must be very hard, and I cannot even appreciate completely all the work they do to entertain people like me. But I did think it was pretty, and I was able to cross off one of the things I've always wanted to do, so maybe that is satisfaction enough for them.