magic number

Isn't it just sweet serendipity when you land on certain numbers?

Not nearly enough steps, but better than zero.  By, oh, about 10,000!

Wednesday, the new Thursday?

I have not had a night at home (or anywhere) fully all to myself in ages.  AGES.  And I like it.  Actually, I miss Conrad and Van and Olive.  But it is nice to do my own thing for one night.

So then, since Conrad and Van are already in the desert, and since I will join them there after work on Thursday (I'm writing this after dinner on Wednesday), it was sushi for me tonight.  As good as ever - the shrimp heads were nicely warm still.  But ah, the baby yellowtail with the slice of jalapeno, the slice of garlic, and the cilantro.  Yum!  Thank you, Mama M.

poolside cocktails

When it's about 90 degrees at 6PM, and you are splashing in the pool, a refreshing drink with a big rock of ice is just the thing.  Van had a hankering for Last Words Sunday night, so Last Words it was.  Delightful!

palo verde

The desert, as I have previously noted, is in bloom this spring.  This has not abated with the recent upward jolt in temperatures.  Instead, more desert flowers have bloomed.  We saw a number of ocotillo sporting orange-red spikes of flowers this past weekend.  Even more welcome, perhaps, is the cheery yellow of flowers on the palo verde trees.  Sorry, I know:  palo verde means green tree (a reference to the trunk colour), so I just wrote green tree tree.  We'll all survive.  In the meantime, what joy to be found in their blooms this season!

date shake

I mean, jeepers, look at the temperatures we arrived to in the desert. 

Spoiler alert - it will climb into the low 100s next week.  After a long, cool (even cold), and wet winter, the heat has been turned on.

So it was with utter delight that I capitulated to a suggestion from Conrad on the drive out, and we stopped for date shakes at Hadley Fruit Orchards.  Ahhhhhhhh....

weekend starting right

Saturday morning is Amara Cafe morning.  It's been a few weeks - so much time in the desert lately, and I had that weekend in Chicago.  But this morning, before we took off for the desert (again, yes, I know - but only a few more weekends until the house sale closes), we made our way there for a welcome, big breakfast.  Yep, the usual for me, the arepa filled with egg and cheese plus a decaf latte.  Van ordered their morning sticky bun for the table as well - tasty, not super sweet (but sweet), almost curiously savoury.

Saturday morning with my happy and handsome guys and a good breakfast at a local restaurant we love.  Yay!  Just the way I like to start the weekend.

Free People Read Freely

Look, it's simple:  book bans strip us of our rights.  They bar us from access to all kinds of information, to all sorts of expressions of creativity.  They are an obstacle to the intellectual freedom we are entitled to.

And they are happening in frightening, escalating numbers all over the United States.

I keep this blog pretty darn non-political in part because I cannot vote in the United States and in part because I like to keep it to the happier side of my life.  That's my prerogative.  But I'll step aside from that to say that the burden for fighting for intellectual freedom cannot fall only on library workers (especially in school and public libraries - my academic library colleagues, step up!), authors, and publishers.  The fight needs you.

No, not many people read this blog.  That's fine.  I have no aspirations of becoming an influencer.  Still, if you do read this blog, and if you at all care, do something.

Support the Freedom to Read Foundation.  Anyone can be a member.

Join in the Unite Against Book Bans campaign.  We need you.

Otherwise?  Call your elected officials, show up at school and library board meetings to voice support for intellectual freedom, vote.

Last night I was proud to see my friend Peter

accept the Innovators Award on behalf of the Foundation from the LA Times Book Prizes.  A fine moment.  Just the same, it was instructive to hear winning authors exhort the audience to fight for the First Amendment.

So go on.  Join in.  Please.

Thursday night? Sushi night!

For quite some time now, Thursday night has been sushi night for me and Conrad.  In more recent times, we've brought Van into that tradition with allowances for him not liking raw fish at all.  And, on occasion, we get Natasha to join us.

The four of us went to Mama M last night, which is always a delight.  We love Chef Jack and Joy and the team there, and it's always good to get to see them.  I didn't photograph the whole meal last night because there was a lot to catch up on:  recent travels, the sale of the Rancho Mirage home (yes, sorry), and more.  I did get a couple of shots when the salmon roe (ikura) and the black snapper (kurodai) came out.  Both of them tasty, of course, though I let Conrad and Natasha have the roe since I knew I would get both of the sweet shrimp when they came!

Traditions can be tasty, yes?

April cocktails

Last night we had our monthly online happy hour with the gang.  As usual, I was late joining, coming home from work.  I did beat Conrad, though - alas, he is not drinking much at this time, so no cocktail for him.  Van was most of the way through his first drink, a concoction called Alexander's Brother:  cream, white creme de menthe, and gin.

Oh, right:  the theme!  This month we did cocktails that somehow relate to brothers!

By the time I got settled in and ready to make a drink, Van was himself ready for a second, so I made us both The Friar. 

A simple cocktail of equal portions gin, dry vermouth, and pineapple juice - it tasted a little odd to me at first, but it proved to be a nice, light start to things.  And Friar, right?  Get it?

Drink 2 of 2, and I did some quick online searching.  I did find a recipe for something called The Nigel, but I didn't have all the ingredients.  I did have the ingredients for a Monte Carlos, though:  tequila (it called for anejo, but I had only a reposado to use) and Benedictine. 

Served with a large ice cube and a lemon twist.  Van hated it, but I kind of enjoyed it, and I think I may make myself that again as a slow sipper some time.

We had a great conversation, talked of some shared travel plans, and made a date for May.  The theme then?  Mothers, of course.  That should be interesting to research.

peacocks by Parson's!

If you've spent much time in Pasadena, you surely know of at least one of the types of feral birds that the city seems to be known for - the loud, green parakeets (parrots?) that travel in flocks and make a ruckus.  I'm glad we don't hear them from our place.

The other type, though, are the peacocks.  Yes, peacocks.  We've seen them in some of the residential neighbourhoods from time to time, but seldom so far out of them as they were today.  On our walk, we were heading west on Walnut, past the Parson's parking lot, a block north of what we can really considerable Old Pasadena (one of the commercial hearts of the city).  And there they were, two of them, on the sidewalk ahead of us.  We got a little closer so as to get a better photo, then turned around and let them be.  Mostly, I didn't want them rushing into the street so close to the on and off ramps for the 210, especially not so close to morning rush hour.  

May they wander on blithely and safely!

I love this city

The multi-year gap in this blog left out a lot, I know.  One of the biggies was the move west.

Nothing bad precipitated the move west, happily.  Conrad's company transferred him.  I found my position shortly after we agreed to the transfer.  It's been ten years now.

I have been back to Chicago a lot.  I'm on my second term on the executive board of my professional association, which is based in Chicago.  I have had some conferences there.  We have gone to visit friends and hold a few major celebrations.  We pass through on our way to and from Conrad's family.  Lots of opportunities to be in the city, I am very happy to say.

I miss Chicago.  I love Chicago.  I will not live there again.  It doesn't make sense to go back professionally, so far as I can tell.  And while it could mean buying a condo there that is pretty darn good and at a gentler price than what we have in Pasadena (and Vancouver!), it wouldn't be the same Chicago (socially speaking, at least) that we left.  Van is not interested in living there either, so there is that important consideration.

So I visit when I can.  I remember things fondly.  I feel confusion over what has changed since we left.

And I appreciate the beauty of the place.  Like Friday morning when I got myself out the door

and heading to the lake shortly after sunrise,

a nice walk before a long day of meetings on what proved to be a gorgeous day for spring weather.  And again yesterday morning, a little later than sunrise, but quieter on a Sunday and in weather that was turning toward cool and damp.

I have trips to Chicago in May, June, October, and November still to come.  And I will welcome them all.

Thursday night in Chicago

Friday through Sunday are full of meetings for me before I head home from Chicago, but Thursday evening was a welcome chance to spend time with colleagues I enjoy.

We started with a reception at the US Bank building.  The lobby alone was pretty gorgeous,

and the space up on the, hmmmm, 41st floor(?) for the event was awesome. 

A fine event as well, with one of our colleagues being honoured.  It was terrific to be there.

After the reception, we walked down LaSalle

to dinner at The Grill on 21.  They had Last Words, which was great.  The waiter was quite the character, too.  It was late, we were hungry, so we had everything come at once.  I shared the oysters with others,

but that delicious pork chop was all mine!

And then back to the hotel and no photos of the drinks at the bar that followed.  A later night than originally anticipated.  Ah well.  😉

traveling yet again

It's been quite a first quarter or more of the year.  Wow.  So yes, I am traveling again.  And also a little behind on the blogging because of my meetings.

Burt I have a few minutes this morning before making myself pretty, so....

Thursday morning found me at LAX,

soon after boarding a flight, and in a hotel room by around 3:30PM.  Central Time, that is.

Chicago until Sunday. 

More to come!

pride of Madeira

Ooooo...  pretty flowers.

It is spring in southern California.  The wildflowers from the Whitewater Preserve post from a handful of days back make that clear.  But much is blooming in gardens and such as well.  On the slope below Van's Pasadena house, there are thick plantings of pride of Madeira.  It's a handsome plant - bushy and green when not in bloom, spikes of purple flowers at this time of year, offering bees some nectar, or so I assume. 

It's a delight to see.

His euphorbia are also in bloom, lending a fresh green colour among the pride of Madeira, too!

yeah, this still feels like heck

It's an Easter Monday miracle, I tell you.  I made it to the pool this morning.  Not for a long swim, oh no.  I'm nowhere near capable of that at this time.  Alas.  I wish.  But I made it there.  I won't discuss speed or duration or technique.  Let's just leave at me getting in the water, splashing about in a manner that I hope did not embarrass me too greatly, and chalking this up to "It's better than no swim at all, right?"

Ugh.

shrimp heads

Years ago in Victoria, the night before I ran my tenth-anniversary marathon, I had sushi.  I have always liked sushi as a pre-race dinner - it's usually low fat, high carb and protein.  It works for me.  That evening, I recall having amaebi for the first time.

Often when sushi places in North America serve shrimp, it's cooked.  Amaebi is sweet shrimp served raw.  I fell in love with it, but didn't see it for so many years later.  Happily for me, our favourite local sushi place, Mama M, serves it.  Even better, they serve it with the shrimp heads fried.  Crisp and tasty.  Conrad has come to prefer the heads to the shrimp themselves, but I like them both.

It's funny to me how squeamish people get with eating parts like that.  Oh no, they gasp, the eyes?  Not the eyes!  Yes, I eat the head, eyes and all.  It's all crispy, people, come on!  Yum!

Sunday night, back home from the desert, some television to catch up on, Conrad under the weather - I didn't cook in, we just ordered takeaway.  And it was good.  Shrimp heads, but other treats on the plate assuredly.  Om nom nom nom nom nom.

Olive goes for a car ride

Just another little Olive adoration post.  I am sure you don't mind.

The first showing of Van's Rancho Mirage home happened late yesterday afternoon.  We'll hold out hope that there are quickly additional showings not to mention many offers.  Fingers crossed.  Goodness knows that we worked hard on buffing up the place for the showing.  Many steps back and forth through the house as we whipped it even further into shape.

And then the showing, which meant getting out of the house for a while.  We had no idea how long, and we needed to have Olive with us.  On a very warm Saturday, having her out on foot would not have been kind to her, so we hopped in the car and headed down to Palm Desert.  There's snow up there in the mountain, and we wondered if we might encounter it heading up the 74.  A twisting road, some fine vistas.  We stopped once to grab a photo,

and continued up past 4000 feet in elevation.  And then we got the all-clear call, so back home with us.

Olive enjoyed the ride, the window rolled down, the breeze ruffling her fur, catching the scents on the air.  I sat in back with her, snapping some shots, showing her some affection.  A nice, simple expedition with our girl on a Saturday afternoon.