Go Fly a Kite

The weather has been brutally warm and humid. Quite unfortunately, we only have one (very old) window unit A/C, which we have designated for use in the bedroom. Everywhere else in the house is utterly unbearable.

Like nomads seeking new pastures, hubs and I wander our neighborhood, laptops in tow, for a cozy spot with free wifi and cool respite from the muggy heat. For now, we've settled down at Te Cafe.

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Last weekend was the first comfortable weekend after a long string of rainy days - not too warm, either. Pete decided to hold a kite-making party, inspired by Daniel Beard's 'The American Boy's Handy Book', a book that was originally published in 1882 featuring fun boy-scouty activities for youth in pre-consumerist times. (Some of the other chapters include: how to make July 4th balloons, kaleidoscopes, fishing poles...)

We gathered around on a blue tarp in the living room, with spools of string, sheets of paper, cutting tools and wire strewn around us. There were some interesting ideas and shapes - in the spirit of experimentation, E and I agreed on a butterfly kite. The kite's structure consisted of arcing wooden dowels, which was a bit of a challenge; hubs soaked a few dowels in the bathtub and still broke some, but he finally got a good frame together. My job was to make everyone pizza for dinner. :)

The next day, we met up at Frick Park with our kites and picnic gear. (Whose kite will fly, whose kite will reign supreme?!) It was a beautiful sunny day with strong winds. A few of the other kites broke from the wind, in fact, before they got any height. It took our butterfly kite a while before it balanced itself and took flight. In the end, it did fly, and it flew pretty high - because of the way the frame was built, it even flapped like a butterfly. People came up to us to comment on the kite and give ideas (use lighter wood like rattan, attach a longer tail).


E's carefully engineered butterfly kite, with pretty streamers


It flies! See curved wooden frame

I was tickled by how serious hubs was about this kite. After the kite-making party, he did a bunch of research on kite-building, how to rig up the "Y" (string), how butterfly kites should look and fly, etc. All that effort paid off.

When we weren't playing around with our kites, we sat in the shade of a tree and just hung out. Bubbles, sandwiches, ice-cream truck, making whistles with blades of grass... Perfect Sunday afternoon in the park.

Dinner was going to be with a new friend, EB, whom I got to know at the movie shoot a few weeks ago (see previous post). They had gone kayaking that afternoon; in the end, the kayaking group and kiting group decided to join up for dinner at Abay for hearty Ethiopian fare.


Straw mesob for a dinner table, and we sat on little wooden stools


Tikil gomen, kay sir dinich, doro tibs, gomen besiga, and generous rolls of injera. Community platter - dig in with your hands!

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Still at Te Cafe sipping on a tall icy glass of ginger lemonade. Air-conditioning is bliss. After all this time, turns out that EB is sitting right behind me in the cafe! Uncanny...

Wedding and Birds

Back from my 2-month blogging hiatus, and I don't have much to report. Life goes on in its non-blog-relevant ways. Carnival, RI Gala, obscene amounts of retail therapy, seeing old friends, discovering simple pleasures... We hosted 2 big dinners: one Indonesian theme with R and 6 of the guys, one major fondue party with the Grey's Anatomy crowd. Hubs went from being ambiguously in his mid-20s to definitively in his late-20s, though he denies that he's any older than 21.

Ben got hitched this weekend. The bride is from Taiwan, and she had an entourage of 30 or so family members that are here just for their American wedding. They already had a big affair in Taiwan, maybe even two. Hubs was a groomsman, just as Ben was a groomsman at our wedding. Between them flipping roles, the relatives from afar, little things lost in translation, and the multiple ceremonies, it was like I was at my own wedding again. It's the cliche of two people from opposite ends of the globe falling in love, much like the Mastercard 'priceless' commercial, but it's such a complicated brew of emotions and it's weird to be able to say I've been there.

Anyway, it was beautiful. The ceremony was at the famous Heinz Chapel, and the reception was at the Pittsburgh Athletic Association. When I wasn't ushering, I toted my little Drebel around.


Heinz Chapel and the magnificent stained glass


E's tux and bout, and the bridal party's flowers







I was miffed at my (cheap) zoom lens because I missed a number of good shots. If I had glass with IS, I could've rocked da hizouse. Of course, I'd rather not pay the price... you get what you pay for.

Much to my amusement, E was actually hung over at the wedding. He had a little too much with the guys the night before, and unbeknownst to the bride and groom, he was sick as a dog all throughout the wedding. (Thank goodness he didn't make a scene at the altar.) Of course, the guys sniggered and hi-fived when they saw E and his 32oz. bottle of Gatorade. Nice job, boys.

The wedding was in the afternoon; we took a short break after the reception and headed to Harris Grill with the gang for supper. By this time, E's liver was ready for more, so we went down to Soba Lounge for martinis, then back to PHI. Went to Pamela's for brunch the next morning, before everyone parted ways. Now we're just waiting for another wedding to have our next reunion!

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Went to the National Aviary this afternoon. It was my first time, and unfortunately it was a let-down despite all the hype I've heard. Still sore about my telephoto lens, I decided to get some practice. Got some good shots:





And my favorite:

The penguin was taking a stroll among giants - it was being escorted by staff and curious visitors to its exhibit, I think. Odd but cute.

Now that the sun's out for good, the bike trainer takes a back seat to the open road. Brought the bike out for a ride today - 12 miles through Schenley onto the Eliza Furnace Trail and back again. One of the guys at work has been nagging me to bike to work with him, and the office is just a bridge more from the end of the trail. I felt good today, and I think I may be ready to beat the morning traffic with my silver stead soon. We rounded the evening with Greek food and a hearty smoothie.

Long weekends make the first day back at work suck. Bedtime!

Toga!

Went to our first toga party evvver. Definitely too old for this, but it was somewhere on our list of Things to Do Before We Die, so we had to make an appearance... don't tell. :)

6 yards of silk + 4 safety pins + 2 yards of rope from the drapery section at JoAnn Fabrics = a decent toga!



Pas mal, n'est-ce pas? There are an amazing number of ways to wrap oneself with a large piece of fabric, especially for a picky boy who's modest about his bod - kid in a blanket, Superman cape, beach towel, Buddhist monk, Indian sari, strapless and halter sarong... Looking like Caesar ain't easy. When we finally figured it out, he insisted on rummaging the closet for his plastic Roman sword. And voila, an emperor was made.

Most of the guys were in traditional bedsheets, but there were a few creative ones. No pics of our other toga-clad comrades, out of decency and the kindness of my heart, just this one of the resident pimp:

Sushi, Sugar 'n Skin

Sick. Ick.

Went to see the new musical in town last Thursday, The Light in the Piazza; it was out of obligation but I was glad I went. Good seats, and the music was fantastic. By Friday I was already feeling pretty crummy; still, E and I went to a Grey's Anatomy mini-marathon at Ling's, who TiVO'ed the last two riveting episodes of the latest 3-part story. We joked about wearing scrubs, masks, and tags like on the show - a red one for me (highly contagious) and yellow one for E. Even though I'm not an avid follower of the series, it's hard not to catch the buzz. Everybody there was a die-hard fan. Okay, so it's not bad.

Saturday was mostly spent recuperating on the futon. I promised E it was time to install Ubuntu in proper, so we dug around my baby's guts, partitioned the hard drive, and had a little installation party. I've officially initiated into the world of Linux and open source. *tiny cheer*

Spending a Saturday afternoon wrapped in a blanket, drinking hot tea and tinkering on computers became vaguely unsatisfying after a while. Bummed about not being able to spend the day in town, we brought the town to us - sushi takeout, Dozen cupcakes, and a tub of Coldstone ice-cream.


Ta-da! Dinner on the town

That evening I felt a ton better, good enough to accept Jennie's invitation to a late night pseudo stitch 'n bitch. Had to dust the cobwebs off my amateur scarf-knitting project I started last summer.

The hosts treated us to Mexican Ibarra hot chocolate with a splash of liquor (I went with Bailey's). The gals huddled around with their knitting needles, the guys with their laptops, and we decided to watch the 1968 classic, Barbarella. It was.. psychedelic. I tried picturing our parents watching this flick in their 20s, making peace signs and eating brownies. Kinda hard to take an erotic sci-fi film seriously, especially when the antagonist is named 'Durand Durand'. Jane Fonda was hot. I know we're grown-ups and all, but all that skin was more than we expected (for something made almost 40 years ago, anyway). Here's a clip of the opening sequence - the unveiling of the heroine, so to speak... the guys really enjoyed it. :)

We stayed up till 4am listening to David Bowie, talking, and knitting. Felt fine on Sunday, but crashed again on Monday.

On the bright side, spring is near! Can't wait for color to come back.

Artsy fartsy

Went to the art museum today - lately I've had this strange urge to walk around aimlessly and watch people and things... no reason at all, just feel like it. It's too cold for the park, so I headed to the galleries.

E was a good sport and tagged along. We got in free; he as a student, I as a former docent. As soon as we walked through the double glass doors, I felt a sense of calm wash over me. The polished hardwood floors, tall sterile white walls, bright lights, and space... the art therapy begins.

The first few galleries we walked through showcased stuffy Victorian and Renaissance paintings and elaborate furniture. I learned a new word: garniture. Dictionary.com says it means something that garnishes (heh, duh), but an art buff will say it refers to a display of Chinese porcelain, in odd numbers, atop a cabinet or mantle. It's a European thing. Strange, no? A series of tilting helmets led us to a hallway filled with ancient relics from Asia and Africa. Ancient art is sometimes cool, but mostly creepy.

As we progressed on through the eras, back to the Renaissance and onwards to Expressionism and Surrealism, I became convinced that I will never understand art. Torn muslin, a wrangled piece of aluminium, paint splashed arbitrarily, and my favorite - an utterly blank, white, piece of canvas - these all have some abstract message behind them, from the atrocities of the Holocaust to the profoundness of life, the artwork being the physical expression of that epiphany. My 4-year old nephew could easily be the next Jackson Pollock, but his spaghetti scrawls won't be selling for millions of dollars.

Anyway... despite not being able to grasp some of the art (we are but common folk), we had a good time.


Giant dandelion: An exercise in futility


Great Love: My eyes hurt if I stare for too long

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Tried to make something fancy for dinner - rabbits with prunes. It's a popular dish among small restaurants in the French countryside, I was told. Except, since I was too lazy to pick up rabbit meat at Wholey's, I spared the bunnies for chicken and substituted the prunes with apricots (both swaps are totally acceptable, according to the recipe). So it's more like chicken with apricots... doesn't quite sound the same, but one can use some imagination. I didn't have enough of a pyromaniacal streak to do the flaming cognac bit, but nobody can tell anyway after it's soaked in red wine. Turned out well! I made sauteed potatoes and a simple romaine salad to go with it. This one's a keeper.

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I've jumped on the 'Heroes' bandwagon, and I'm officially a fan. The plot is riveting and the characters are well-cast; Hiro Nakamura is definitely my favorite. House and BSG currently take a back-seat - am I fickle or what?

Appetite for the World

It all started with our cotton anniversary.

E and I celebrated 2 years of not killing each other yet by going out to dinner. Last year we went to Casbah, a Mediterranean place with a stocked wine bar, which was pretty good. This year we decided to split one fancy dinner into 2 nice meals, for the heck of it.

First, we went to Abay, Ethiopian cuisine on S. Highland Ave. Very neat. There was regular seating, as well as tables that looked like oversized rattan tagines. We got a platter with kay wat, doro tibs, kay sir dinich, and tikil gomen, along with a steaming pot of yekemem shai (very much like chai tea). I was so proud of E, Mr. I-hate-eating-with-my-fingers, who dove in enthusiastically with the injera, Ethiopian flatbread. The stews were arranged neatly on the injera like paint on a palette. It was amazing; we're definitely going again.

The next evening, we went to our favorite sushi joint for the usual chirashi. Best sushi in town!

Then things got a little crazy. Two of E's associates from work flew in from Atlanta; we had to take them out to dinner every night they were here. First, we took them to Joe Mama's for hearty American-Italian - I had to get the giant tiramisu-in-a-mug. Then we had South/Southeast Asian fare at Spice Island Tea House, where I had to get the Belgian raspberry wheat beer. We took a break the next evening (phew), then picked up again with Greek/Lebanese/Middle Eastern food at Aladdin's (the grape leaves are to-die-for!).

From injera to nan to pita, from Africa to Japan to Italy to Burma to Lebanon, our tastebuds toured the world in 5 days. (We now have leftovers in the fridge to last us a week, and I can't bear the thought of walking into another restaurant for quite some time.)

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Last night, after eating Rice Krispies for dinner (see above for why), I headed to Lauren's for my first book club meeting. It was a meeting of a dozen or so impeccably dressed young women, all from the glamorous world of marketing and publishing, to talk about this month's read, The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, a movie in making and virgin novel by local writer Michael Chabon when he was 21.

I put my contribution of a Louis Jadot Chardonnay on the table, together with 16 other bottles already there. I wondered how much we would be drinking... (book club? wine club?) I was the only one who didn't know anyone else besides the hostess, and NOT being from either marketing or publishing, I felt pretty out of it. I wished there were "Hello, My Name Is" tags for everyone. I bonded with a writer at Whirl, whose office was a few blocks away from mine. It was a fun estrogen fest where we spent 10 minutes actually talking about the book, and the rest drinking and picking at hors d'oeuvres and gossiping.

The fiances and husbands started streaming in around 10pm, E included, to make fun of all the drunks and drive them home - not before a rowdy video game on the big screen in the basement. At the end of the night (12.30am), we kicked eleven bottles of wine (not counting the 4 or so bottles that went into the mulled wine) - damn. The next meeting will be in March, reviewing Shoot the Moon, a murder mystery by Billie Letts.

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Congratulations to my best friend, my mentor and tormentor since we were 13, who recently got engaged to his gal of 8 years. It's about damn time! :) I wish the two of you nothing but the best for the future. Come visit us when you get the chance!!

Pilots

Paper mosaic of an airline cabin

I have a little thing for men in uniform - it's largely why I enjoy my layovers in Frankfurt, because the boys in green are such a pleasant pick-me-up. Spotting one is good; seeing them in droves is better. (It actually wasn't until those German boys that I realized I even had a thing for uniforms at all.) Still, as uniform-fetish neophytes are, I'm picky about what kind of men in what type of uniform. Pilots and bookish doctors in lab coats, hot. Donut-munchin' power-tripping rent-a-cops, not so much. Men in camo, studs and duds alike, don't really do it for me. There are a myriad of reasons for loving those dress blues on a guy, and most don't require explanation. *wink*

So anyway - a few days ago, through the wondrous magic of a popular social networking site, I reconnected with my first crush (let's call him K), and found out he's a pilot. Saw a picture of him, in his uniform, standing proudly next to a Learjet. 10 years ago, I would've melted into a puddle of mush. I waited to become smitten all over again, but nothing happened. If it was possible, he became less attractive. (Oh, the follies of youth...)

Yesterday, we went to a party themed "Snakes on a Plane". (Woot!) Leis for guests, costumes encouraged. I was an air stewardess, complete with black stockings and scarf, and - funny coincidence - E was a pilot. I told E about K and his flying career, and didn't get much of a reaction, as he taped black paper epaulets on his white dress shirt. Who knew... E made a really hot pilot. If I had to choose between E and K, purely on looks, I'd pick E a million times over (though I won't trust him in a cockpit).


With the cap'n, and with Jim

The party was kickin'; I got groped and licked, though what really took the cake was getting hit on by a 20 yr old. (Poor fella!) Girls were eyeing my pilot, and he got his butt grabbed a couple of times. I threw in the towel at 2.30am, and E didn't come home till 5am. (We spent most of today recovering.)

So, I guess the clothes do make a man. Or not? One's just a costume, one's worn everyday to work, but they transform the man who dons it to different degrees, in opposite ways from what I'd imagine. Does that even make sense? I don't know.

Captain's back to being a dorky student again as he scrambles to prepare for his semesterly evaluation on Monday for his doctorate. No more parties to look forward to for a little while...

STG20

You know you're old when you feel icky and broken after 3 straight days of light social drinking. Bleah. But I got my fill of midori sours, Belgian beer, and a good g&t or two! It's fun when the old geezers come back for a visit - yay for spontaneous reunions.

Pics from White Rose Formal. Happy 20th anniversary guys!

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Surrounded by good men


Hubs got his share of pimpin'. He had fun with the girls, methinks.


With Dean, who is cute and unavailable


Hey hey, we match!

That's all of my non-fuzzy pics. Sigh, yet another manic Monday, and then it's time for tryptophan overload! :)

Little Asian Girls Dumpling Sweatshop debut

Spent the day at J's making dumplings with IC. We had been planning this for a long time, and even went shopping at the Strip yesterday to pick out the best ingredients. We finally got together, after all the excitement. (Although between the dumplings and Asian chickiness, I think the boys were more excited than we were. E was, anyway.)

The guys were gracious enough to vacate the first floor so we could have our estrogen parade in the kitchen. Once in a while, Marek checked in, brewed fancy tea for us, and put on fantastic jazz - Charlie Parker, Dizzy, Coltrane, Miles Davis, all on vinyl.

What do 3 Asian girls have in common? Let's see - demanding mothers, impossible mother-in-laws, Korean dramas, love of food, boy gossip, the cliche 'coming to America' experience, our Caucasian counterparts and the compromises we make, going home, comparisons of Japanese/Chinese/Korean stereotypes... The hours flew by. Everything about the whole afternoon was so cliche, it shouldn't be a shock if I said it helped me get in touch with my roots. (Cliche!) It was like chicken soup for the soul.

As dinnertime approached, the guys set up the table, chilled the sake, and decanted the wine; we must've made over 250 dumplings, they likened us to a dumpling factory. We dined with Peruvian music for some global well-roundedness.

It was a blast - nothing is more satisfying than a dinner with friends.

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And now, the story told in images:

Once upon a time, there were 3 Asian girls...



... who decided to have a dumpling party...

  

... and invited their beaux and friends for a jolly good time...

  
Tasty home brew, lovingly made right in their basement

All's well that ends sweetly:


Home-made apple pie, choc cake, and British bubble tea (made with Earl Grey)

Brit humor and wine

Spent the weekend observing two different strains of brit humor, a la Sacha Baron Cohen and Rowan Atkinson. On Friday night, we had dinner with L and W at a hibachi grill, then watched Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. What a show - we walked out of it speechless. Between the grossly inaccurate portrayal of Kazakhstan to the raucous scene at the hotel (oh! my eyes!), I wasn't sure if it was possible for me to cringe and sink any deeper in my seat. If I had to pick a 'favorite' scene, it would be the bear on the ice-cream truck. That man has a gift for pissing off large crowds of people without being fazed even a bit. What a transformation from Ali G... and he's engaged to Isla Fisher! Brave woman - the thought of seeing Borat in his underpants... *shudder*

Saturday night, I vegged out on the couch and watched the entire 2nd season of Blackadder. It was okay - I had to experience the show after hearing so much about it. Like everyone else, I thought the Queen was a riot, and I can't wait to see Hugh Laurie as Prince George in the 3rd season.

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Had a low-key celebration of our dating anniversary by stocking up on booze at Stone Villa Wine Cellars, our local winery of choice for years. It was a good day.


Hardy evergreen by the little lake on the winery grounds


A small pier by the vineyard


The lake at dusk

I'm a horrible baker, but I mustered all my efforts and made a little surprise for E. It was almost a disaster, but I'm glad it turned out edible. :)


Happy anniversary, honey!

Halloween weekend

There were some kick-ass costumes. South Park's Satan, Ninja Turtle, Captain Zissou, robots (with freaky likeness), Gir, Gilligan of Gilligan's Island (complete with coconut drink), the whole cast of Kill Bill... Steve was a leaf-blower - he fixed a leaf on a baseball cap and occasionally puffed at it. I'm impressed at the number of men who are secure in their manhood - Britney Spears and Catholic/Japanese "schoolgirls", Chippendale, masked masochist... M was Beatrix Kiddo in a body-hugging yellow jumpsuit. Ballsy! (no pun intended - ha!)

I met a few celebrities on my rounds.


Jesus armed with a gun (incidentally, he is Jewish)


Jennie gives a scary impersonation


Chuck Noland and Wilson make a guest appearance

Each party had its characters; a fun time was had by all.


Elle Driver, The Bride, and Pai Mei getting it on


With Jamie and her crew of pirates

Happy Halloween!

Les Pommes!

What's fall without admiring the foliage and... picking apples! Pictures from apple-picking last weekend at Simmons Farm.


Pumpkins galore! Adopt-a-Jack for Halloween?


Faces on display


Apple-picking time! A Jonagold apple tree brimming with fruit


E picks apples...


... I eat them. (I look worried here)


Bountiful harvest - half a bushel of apples for all the pies and crumbles our little hearts desire


First apple dish - honey-filled baked apples with crumble topping. 'Twas goooood.


Had an apple kick after watching an apple-centric episode on Food Network while on the bike. (Watching Food Network during a workout... am I sick?) We're down to less than half the apples we picked, and we're slowing down. There are only so many apples one can eat, y'know? Still, you gotta be crazy to deny fresh homemade apple pie. Mmmm!