Maybe it's not my favvvorite movie, but it just came out and I really really liked it!

My first attempt.




The top, the spaceship is made out of cucumber, the background is like 4 different kinds of furikake on jasmine rice, and the character, I will say, is made of curry tofu with olive eyes and seaweed leg/roller things. 



The bottom, I tried to make the gross polluted background by using flaxseed and soy sauce on Jasmine rice again, with an egg with some seaweed and a little bit of parsely for one character and again, curry tofu with olive eyes (which I should have made in a cuter position in both pictures) and seaweed feet/wheel things.  The bench is carrots

Hopefully this is considered on time!

http://postsecret.blogspot.com/2008/07/sunday-secrets_12.html

PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people
mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard.






































-----Email Message-----
Subject: Hope

A few months ago I saw a postcard saying "If you're waiting for a sign, this is it. Do it. It will be amazing."

Well I did it...and while I am the most vulnerable I've ever been in my life, I'm also the happiest.

For anyone else: This is your sign.

Subscribe to receive the PostSecret Event tour schedule,
and see more secrets.

Enter Your Email

Hey, I could not resist making a bento for this movie which rocks and the bento will be tasty too! I am currently experiencing "Berry-Feast 2008". This is my third annual jam making berry love experience and I picked the berries myself! I’m making milkshakes next! This one is totally  vegan (except blue food coloring?)  and simple ingredients. The Flowers where grown in my urban rooftop garden.

 

This bento consists of a layer of chilly with greenish blue polenta cut out surrounded by roasted potatoes left over from breakfast, with a side of berries, pretzels and two tiny monkey containers with peanut butter inside. Thanks for looking!

For my movie choice, there actually was no choice, for me. Hands down, but... The movie is not out yet, so does it count? I hope so!

I actually eat my entire bento, so I don't use a lot of fancy fillers, so this one (like all of mine) is pretty simple. And vegetarian.

All on a bed of baby spinach, there are all kinds of things tucked here and there. Some julienned carrots and cucumbers. Some roasted pistachios. A few pistachio crisps and heart-shaped provolone. A pink heart full of applesauce. Miniature cherry tomatoes are skewered by the lions and a few are scattered at the bottom. A cashew butter and Nutella sandwich in the shape of a lamb is in the center. Probably not-so-subtle nori cutouts in the shapes of an apple and a howling wolf are on the lamb's mind. The apple is filled with oil and the lion is filled with balsamic vinegar.



And I just had to include the fork, because, you know, it's theme-related. Too bad I didn't need more than one. >_~

I will be leaving in about 40 minutes and will be there all day...



Simple Bento with a ham sandwich on soft potato roll, I found these Hello Kitty zip locs at Target the other day, potato salad and pickled okra & sweet pickles...
Some cherries and peanut butter filled pretzels plus a few treats round it all out.

I found a Yahoo! Group about internet addiction a few weeks ago and have been following along with their discussions. Most of them have it far worse than I do; there was a guy who had to be hospitalized because of it, people who it broke up the marriages of, etc. None of them are ever cured, it seems (or if they are cured, they never announce it in that group).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuK2A1ZqoWs

Embedding is disabled, otherwise I would embed it; it's a pretty good music video (animated).

EDIT: Found an embeddable version of it:

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=21671191&blogID=416184275

3 things today - the first is something I wrote for City Weekend in an attempt to win some tickets to see the Team USA basketball team. So half inside China, half inside basketball. Here's the Questio...

Just a quick reminder to get your entries in by July 20 to be included in the chance to win the awesome prize!

Dark Knight = 12:01am = Good. Very Godfather even. Lots of themes to analyze.
Mamma Mia = 9:00pm = Awful. Worst movie I've seen in a while. Blame the direction.

Lots to pack still. Looks like I'm leaving Sunday and headed for Amarillo, then Flagstaff. Or something like that. I'm pretty go-with-the-flow on this trip.

Godfrey

Ah, what a weird mood I'm in! I'm excited about moving to D.C. in a matter of weeks, angry that my Bio averages have sunk from A's to D's due to extenuating circumstances, sad that my sister and brother are leaving again in a couple days, and overwhelmed with the mess of things I have to do in less than a week.

Of course, I can always make up all the work I've missed this past week. It won't be easy, but I don't have much of a choice, seeing as how anything less than an A is out of the question. I'm going to dedicate all of Sunday to studying for a test Monday, and all Monday to catching up on work and make-up tests. After I'm "okay" academically, I'll shift my focus to preparing for the Archer Fellowship and Lupe's 21st birthday next month.

Today I received an e-mail from Nyleva, the woman from public affairs who plays a big role in selecting each year of Longhorn Confidential bloggers - a group of eight UT-Austin students who are selected to chronicle their year as a Longhorn. It's prestigious and very competitive. I was a finalist last year, but blew the interview. It was my first "serious" interview and obviously, very intimidating.

Anywho, Nyleva e-mailed me, saying she wanted me to be the first to know the 08-09 application opened up. I told her about the fellowship and asked if I'd still be eligible since I'd be out-of-state, to which she congratulated me and assured me that I should still apply because they've never had a blogger actively participating in the fellowship and that it would give interested students a unique perspective on UT life. In a nutshell, I think I stand a pretty good chance of getting it this year. Blogging for UT and having thousands of people read my work would be great resume material, not to mention an amazing experience. Wish me luck!

The rest of the summer should be fun. We're planning a couple trips to Rio to celebrate my grandma's birthday and my uncle's graduation, then another trip to Phoenix, Arizona to visit Isis and Dave's new home. Isis has talked about buying plane tickets and a hotel suite for Dad, Iris, Lupe, and possibly even herself to visit me in D.C. at some point during the semester.. so all of that should be fun. Definitely a lot of traveling in the coming months!

All of us are going to Killeen tomorrow to see my brother off, then stop for dinner in Austin with Lupe. Come to think of it, my family has been going out to dinner a lot. I think today was my third trip to Chili's in a week.

Backtracking a bit, my mother's funeral was short, simple, and beautiful, just as my mom would like it. The room we held it in was so packed we didn't have enough seats for the 350-400 people who came. And that's because someone told me people who wanted to come ended up leaving because of the space issue. We received so many plants and flowers, our home looks like a jungle! We kept receiving gifts as late as two days after the funeral! I guess that just goes to show how popular and loved my mom was.

I was particularly touched to see Sue Ann Kimotsu, my mom's longtime friend of 50 years or so, in attendance. They hadn't kept in touch for maybe 5 years, but they were still as close as ever. So many relatives, coworkers, former students and family friends gathering together to remember my mom.. it was pretty incredible. The slide shows I created turned out great, my dad's eulogy was unbelievable, and our family felt a sense of closure. I'm sure my mom was pleased with how things went. <3

hello!!! i haven't posted anything in a while, (doofus brother broke my digital camera!!!), anywho, i have been packing bento for latelunch/dinner for when i work and i was wondering if anybody had a good, tortilla rolls recipe... mine always fall apart... i'll try to get hold of a camera so i can post a picture... thanks!!

Higher quality: http://www.firstshowing.net/2008/07/17/must-watch-zack-snyders-watchmen-trailer-absolutely-stunning/

Trailer for the Watchmen movie.

Unfortunately I'm not very impressed by the team making it -- directed by the guy who directed "300" and screenplay by the guy who did the screen plays of the X-men movies. Those aren't very serious movies, so I suspect this will lose some of what made the graphic novel good.

I had a few bento-less days but today my work spanned normal lunch hours so I made one to munch on :D

I had bought a pack of frozen squid balls some time back (no, I didn't know they had balls either ;) ) and discovered it in my freezer today while I was looking for something to use in my bento. They were good. Spicy and tasty. A little rubbery, but isn't squid always?

Bento # 364 Somen noodles with soba dipping sauce in the strawberry. Deep fried squid balls on skewers, mix of peas, sweetcorn and pepper (from a can) garnished with a little spring onion. Sweet chili sauce in the banana.

Tofurkey "turkey" deli slice "flower", edamame, Laughing Cow cheese, vegetarian meatballs, arugula salad with carrot and artichoke hearts, mini ravioli with diced tomatoes, and apple slices.

( Another bento and some new bento accessories under here )

The temptation at any writing workshop is to write well. Which means, generally, that you're leaning on your strengths - whether that's your beautiful prose, your snappy dialogue, or your fine-toothed plotting.

My advice? Fail. Fail miserably.

Take something you're not good at and write a whole piece around that. If you're a prose person, write something actiony with explosions. If you're great at characterization, write a mood piece. Take your weakest elements and write a story that wraps them all up into one bundle, doing that terrifying high-wire act of I know this isn't working, but dammit I'm going to try.

There's no better place to fail. Yeah, you'll have a critique round where you miss out on the kudos, the feeling of accomplishment as people go, "Wow, I like that about your stuff." But good workshops will tell you where you fell short, explaining what tools you were lacking to make this work... Which in turn will tell you how to turn that weakness into - well, not necessarily a strength, but something you can lean on a little heavier in future writings. Another arrow in your quiver.

Let go of your schtick. Reach for the new. Experience the growth pains as you build new muscle.

Be free.

My roommates--Jayna and CP--went out last night to Jimisan's for our going-away dinner. It's a nice little sushi place owned by Jimisan and his wife Kimi, who's also the hostess/server there. The roomies had gone about 2 weeks ago and were raving about it, and I can't think of a time when I'd been to a really good sushi restaurant, so I agreed excitedly to go to Jimisan's.

It was a great time. Jayna is a regular customer there, so when we came through the door, Kimi greeted her by name as though she were an old friend. We were seated at the bar and spent quite a bit of time talking to Jimi and Todd (the other sushi chef). I loosened up a few sake shots later. :P

Needless to say, I was not disappointed with the fish. Everything was so delicious, but the most memorable bite for me was the very first bite of the stuffed tomatoes (somehow cut sushi style so that the tomato looked like it was a piece of sushi fish wrapped around the rice and scallops). The only other thing we ordered was the tamago (egg) nigiri, then we asked Jimisan to make us whatever's good that night. He obliged happily. The fish were so fresh, higher-quality than what I'm used to in cheaper sushi restaurants, and the pieces were melt-in-your-mouth kind of good. I loved the ocean trout and the toro.

Towards the end of our dinner, Todd started talking about uni (sea urchin) and encouraged us to try it, that it was something one needed to try at least once in their lives. I took him up on this (maybe liquid courage from the sake). CP has a video clip of the moment--I'll post a link if/when she sends it to me. It turned out to be really good, and I could see why some customers would love the stuff so much. It wasn't until I got home later and looked it up that I realized that uni is sea urchin gonads. Still good, though! I'm sure some people may have had bad experiences with uni, but it was fresh at Jimisan's, and Todd warned us that we were coming towards the end of the peak season for fresh uni.

We got to talking about Jimisan's hat when we got to our red bean ice cream. He had this black hat that said "MANILOW" in big red letters and was hanging in the corner. Jayna told us this story about how a customer had given this hat to Jimisan and said that the hat was to be passed on to other people. "He was from Colorado," Jimisan mused. Someone suggested that CP take the hat since she was moving to Denver, so Jimisan gave her the Manilow hat and showed us a photo of the guy who gave him the hat so that if she ever bumped into him, she'd recognize him. Very cute little adventure for her. :)

Anyway, it was good times. I came home quite tipsy. Will post photos when I get them.

http://everyoneneedstherapy.blogspot.com/2008/07/why-its-good-to-enmesh-your-children.html

Okay, so it's never good. But it's not so bad to keep one of them around for awhile either, if it's good for him and if it's good for you.*

Not that I don't like the empty nest, the clean counters, less laundry, spontaneous nights out with FD. Who wouldn't?

The Story

I teach one night every other week on-line for a couple of hours. I monopolize the computer room upstairs during that time, sequester myself from interruptions. Teaching kills the night and exhausts me, only because it's the first time I'm teaching this particular class. I have to prepare, reread, relearn material that has passed me by, research concepts lost to the archives of long-term memory. For the most part it's readily accessible, a pleasant surprise.

But I get nervous about presenting the material. And you know, when you get nervous you get a little physically unglued, a little careless. I'm not the best coordinated individual, so for me, being unglued, isn't going to be a good thing.

What's amazing is that a person can be so graceful on a bicycle (K"H)**, can zip around twelve-year olds, make those turns just right, eyeball the distance between the cracks in the sidewalk, and yet, if there's a tumbler, especially if it's full of water, juice, doesn't matter, I'll find it and knock it over. You really have to watch me if you invite me to dinner.

Just about to start the class, the students are chiming in on the computer, and I'm pumped. This material is difficult. I know they're clueless, and it's a huge challenge for me to try to make it all sound easy and accessible. One student is missing. I ask, "Does anyone know where . . is? She can't miss tonight's class and pass the final." The final is in two weeks.

My phone rings. The house phone, the type that has a telephone cord. You may not know what these are, telephone cords. I reach for the phone (we called these receivers), thinking maybe it's the student. The cord is tangled, so I yank at it a little and bam! Eight ounces of water, about an inch of pomegranate juice, if you must know, all over me, the floor, papers, computer cords.

But luckily my son has picked up the line downstairs. He hears the following:

OMG, I just spilled an entire glass of water all over the place. Hold on.

I look at the computer screen. The students are frozen in space, waiting for instructions, surely stifling their laughs. Nobody's saying anything. I'm hopelessly hooked up with a headset, my notes are on my lap. There are books everywhere and the water is creeping to its lowest level on the floor.

I tell the person on the phone I'll call him back. It's not the missing student. In an instant my son materializes, several towels in hand. He's bending down, taking care of the spill. We exchange looks. "You're so wonderful." I whisper. "Thank you so much." I hand him the empty plastic tumbler (you learn to use plastic). "Uh, can you bring me a refill? Water with ice?"

He's good. Moments later, another accident, ready to happen.

Let him go? Are you kidding?

Bottoms up.

therapydoc

*Remember that I try to be funny so don't take everything I say literally or seriously, okay?

**(K"H) stands for kineyin hara, (rhymes win-Mayan-tore-uh) a Hebrish, Yiddish, who knows what, really, expression that wards off the evil eye to prevent what you just talked about from ever happening or to protect you or someone else. Everyone should do this type of hocus-pocus. Very good for the anxiety.

http://everyoneneedstherapy.blogspot.com/2008/07/as-good-as-i-once-was.html

Not X-rated, but it's got a little content, so think twice if you don't like flirtation in the barroom.

Jack recommended this one for my father, a follow-up to that last post. Roll over Schubert.

Here are the lyrics, also a little dicey :)

As Good As I Once Was

She said, "I've seen you in here before."
I said, "I've been here a time or two."
She said, "Hello, my name is Bobby Jo
Meet my twin sister Betty Lou
And we're both feeling kinda wild tonight
and you're the only cowboy in this place
and if you're up for a rodeo
I'll put a big Texas smile on
your face"
I said, "Girls,"

[Chorus]
I ain't as good as I once was
I got a few years on me now
but there was a time, back in my prime
when I could really lay it down
and if you need some love tonight
then I might have just enough
I ain't as good as I once was
but I'm as good once as I ever was

I still hang out with my best friend Dave
I've known him since we were kids at school
last night he had a few shots
got in a tight spot, hustlin' a game of pool
with a couple of redneck boys
one great big bad biker man
I heard Dave yell across the room
"Hey buddy, how 'bout a helping hand."
I said, "Dave,"

[Chorus]
I ain't as good as I once was
my how the years have flown
but there was a time back in my prime
when I could really hold my own
But if you wanna fight tonight
guess those boys don't look all that tough
I ain't as good as i once was
but I'm as good once,as i ever was

I used to be hell on wheels
back when I was a younger man
Now my body says, "You can't do this boy"
but my pride says, "Oh, yes you can"

I ain't as good as I once was
that's just the cold hard truth
I still throw a few back, talk a little smack
when I'm feelin' bullet proof
so don't you double dog dare me now
'cause I'd have to call your bluff

I ain't as good as I once was
but I'm as good once,as I ever was
may not be good as I once was
but I'm as good once,as I ever was


Thanks Jack. I'll pass it along.

therapydoc