Simple Pleasures Sundays and Day 5: Nature Amidst Industry

It has been much cooler the past couple of days in Boston, but the sun has been shining and the days have been beautiful.  I've been having the urge to just sit outside, anywhere outside, to enjoy the sunshine.

In Boston, it's great to be able to walk around and then stumble upon a "bit of Earth", as though I've stumbled upon a secret garden.  Obviously, it's generally not a secret garden in the middle of the city.  But it's still quite impressive that the city has done a fairly decent job of maintaining a green space.

Today, I was going down to Dorchester for the Dorchester Day Parade.  As we were looking for the start of the parade, we passed by the old Baker Chocolate Factory-turned-Apartment.  Running through it was a little brook.

It honestly reminded me of the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (the O.G. one, people) with the chocolate river.  Even more honestly, it kind of looked like it, though I couldn't really say it was from the chocolate.

So, for my Day 5, I present to you this little bit of Earth and Water.

Day 5
Dorchester, MA

Simple Pleasures Sundays - Sunshine

After what seemed to be an extremely dreary Spring, the sun has finally returned.  And so has the humidity.

I had a feeling that this was going to be the trend as this past winter was so long and so intense, summer is not one to be out shined.  But all of us here in the Northeast couldn't be happier.

Prior to the "unofficial start of summer" (a.k.a. Memorial Day Weekend),  I've already had the pleasure of riding topless in top-down cars (meaning the cars were topless...hahahaha!), sitting in the grass, and putting my face to the sun. 

This is the season that makes me love living in Boston.  All the free and upcoming events, all the trips to the beach, all the being outdoors.  It's fabulous.

taken with Camera360 app

I am extremely simply happy and content about this weather, and I hope it seeps into other aspects of my life.

taken with Retro Camera app

Simple Pleasures Sunday - Innocence

So, I'm still a bit traumatized from watching Yoni and Mencken play with the dead mouse.

I'd have to say that there was this beautiful innocence about them prior to the mouse debacle.  They were my babies.  My vicious babies.

It's been difficult for me to want to pick them up.  There's a part of me that wants to bathe them, though I'm sure they've cleaned themselves thoroughly by now.  Of course, I haven't actually stopped touching them.

I just happen to get flashes of the burned images of them playing with the dead mouse as I'm looking at them.

I know it sounds like I'm overreacting.  But it was definitely a stomach-turning sort of experience.

There's something to be said about "ignorance is bliss."  I'm sure I'll get over it eventually. 

They're still my babies.   They're just not as innocent as they were when it was just a jingly ball.

Simple Pleasures Sundays - Temperature On Either Side

If you live in an area that has seasons, you will understand the pleasure of 50-60 degree weather.  Preferably, it's the higher 50's side of things.

Let's say it's been a hot and humid summer.  A fun summer, but hot and humid nonetheless.  You've basically worn out your favorite shorts or skirt, or even your skort.  But when the temperature starts to dip, the coolness of 50-something degree weather just feels refreshing.

Now, on the other side, it's been a long and very snowy winter.  So much snow that you want to take a blowtorch to any snow mounds that might still exists.  But when the temperature starts to rise and the sun is out reminding us of better times ahead, the 50-something degree weather is a warm blessing.

Interesting that the same temperature can feel so different depending on the time of the year.  Either way, it's lovely even if it sounds crazy to those who aren't in the know.

Simple Pleasures Sundays - Knowing I'm Where I'm Meant To Be At This Time

On Friday, April 1st, I woke up and thought, "Darn, I didn't think of a clever enough April Fool's joke."

I love April Fool's.  I think that many people take it way too far, either taking a joke too far or taking a joke too personally.  But, in it's perfectly childish way, it's a great reminder of your own humanity, humility, and humbleness.

At some point during the day, I came up with the perfect April Fool's Facebook post:

After some consideration, [the boyfriend] and I will be moving to Portland, OR. Yoni and Mencken need new homes :*(

Friday at 1:39pm via Android

Now, as with every joke, there is some truth in it.  The boyfriend and I have talked about what cities we would be willing to move to.  Portland, ME, while a beautiful coastal town is far too north (which means much colder then Boston) for me.  Portland, OR, while not California, is at least on the West Coast.

So, a couple of people definitely fell for it, while others were absolutely certain that it was a prank.  Obviously, the timing of the statement was all wrong, though not completely unfathomable.  The boyfriend had just started school, and there's no possible way that we would ever consider abandoning our two crazy kitties.

But, this doesn't mean that moving elsewhere hasn't been a real honest-to-goodness consideration.  Being that my unemployment situation has been less than pleasant, there have been many times when I've had to really consider whether it was worth it to stay in Boston.

I figure, however, that this is part of my growing up experience - the lowest of lows, the most depressing cry-my-eyes-out moments, the most desperate of situations, all of it and then some.

I made a pact with myself when I was a mere teenager - I will never regret my actions and my choices.

Each action, each choice has a consequence and a lesson.  While I might not be happy with the consequences, the lessons are what I have to take with me.

And as the first blossoms are peaking out of the ground, I'm reminded that the lows have a bottom, and better times are ahead.

Pretty Purple

And then I'm reminded that I'm where I'm meant to be at this time in my life.  Nothing has yet called me to relocate, and I'm not planning to budge too much. 

But when the time comes for me to leave and try out a new stomping ground, then it will be what I'm meant to be doing at that point.

Simple Pleasures Sundays - $15 Bus Rides

I'm heading off to New York City to see my best friend today!  We're going to attend the final gala event for the New York International Children's Film Festival, an event we try to attend every year.

Though we both managed to make it to the East Coast and we're only about 4 hours drive away from each other, we unfortunately don't see each other as often as we'd like.

But, it is almost comforting to know that we could easily see each other for a mere $15 one-way bus ride on the Fung Wah Bus.

When I first moved to Boston, that bus used to be only $10!!! But, I guess prices had to increase just a bit.

Also, the Fung Wah Bus has some notoriety for having crazy drivers, lots of break-downs, and other general problems.  Believe me, my friends and I have had a variety of crazy experiences on the bus!  From one girl being bitchy to her seat mate leading to us stopping just to have the police interview folks on the bus about the incident, to a friend of mine experiencing a side-view mirror swiping with a big-rig truck.

But I don't care.  I figure that statistically, accidents can't happen all the time, and you just have to plan a trip either right after an incident or after a long time without an incident.  It's definitely better to go early in the morning so that the buses are "fresh."

Either way, it's pretty awesome to travel to another state to see my best friend just for $15!  The second $15, however, is not as satisfying because of the eventual separation from her.

Simple Pleasures Sundays - Hoodies

Happy Vernal Equinox!

Today, Sunday, March 20th, is a day of equal length to the night.  It's a day many of us in the Northeastern United States has been waiting for.

Unfortunately, today is a bit more brisk that most of us would like, though it's still a gorgeous day full of sunshine.

Because of the chill in the air, I'd have to say that there is a particular pleasure in putting on a hoodie while I sit in my chair by the window.

I might just take a nap in my chair at some point during the Harry Potter movie marathon on ABCFamily.

In fact...I'll see you all on the other side of my nap.

Simple Pleasures Sundays - Automated Time

So, it seems that we have come full circle.  Back in November, I was happy about the extra time we got.  Now, I am happy that my most important clocks set themselves automatically.

I have several watches that will need to be changed, and I've already changed the clock on the microwave.  The boyfriend has his own clock on his bedside to change.

But my clock and my phone are both satellite synchronized.  So, when I woke up this morning, (at 10am, not 9am), still feeling pretty tired from a late (but fun) night last night, I knew my clocks had done their jobs.

Today is definitely a day for some nap action.

Simple Pleasures Sundays - Open-Toed

It was warm enough to be outside with open-toed shoes!  Open-toed shoes!

I mean, it's still pretty gross outside and dirty.  It's also supposed to be quite rainy.

But there's no way I'm going to miss a chance to take advantage of open-toed temperature.

So, I did wear some open toes shoes earlier today.

I also managed to put together a pretty funky Sunday outfit based on wanting to wear open-toed shoes.

In related news, I'm really liking this retro filter on my phone. 

Simple Pleasures Sundays - Soup

Well, it's really been an interesting week of me forcing myself to keep going even though I've been sickly and sounding like death.

I want to post about my experiences at the day program with the little 1st graders, because I have some serious gems and moments of insanity to share.

But this post is about all the soups I've had this week.  Though, I probably could have had more soup.

On Tuesday and Friday, I got to feast on some delicious phở action.  Have you had phở?  It's Vietnamese brothy noodley deliciousness. 

I usually get the chicken soup, and I love throwing in the basil leaves, bean sprouts, and squeeze of lime.

When the boyfriend and I go out for phở, we sometimes argue about who gets the bigger lime wedge - because we both love limes.  Then we realize that we could just ask for more lime wedges.

It's also recommended to squeeze in a generous amount of Sriracha and hoisin sauce.  I like my sauces to change the color of my broth.  But then it gets nice and spicy - so much so that it help drain my sinuses and I have to get gross and blow my nose at the table.

So frakin' good.

On Thursday night, the boyfriend concocted this delicious soup made with chicken broth, potatoes, and kielbasa.  Seriously, if there's any reason to keep this guy around, it's because he can cook and he can cook well and creatively.  Thank goodness for years of being a bachelor.

Then just tonight, we spent time with some good friends and some new folks sharing in some hot pot action.

Hot pot for 9

I know hot pot isn't exactly soup, but there is the broth that is the important component of the meal.

We had tons of veggies, fish, shrimp, beef, pork, and chicken.  Our friend's dad made some delicious dipping sauces, and at the end we got to soak up some more of the broth with some glass noodles.  There was enough on the table that our friend and his dad will have left overs for at least another couple of meals.

It was delicious, and we are properly stuffed.

There's just something wonderful about the warm brothy goodness of soup that I think is wonderful no matter what season it is.

Though, there's something about having soup in the winter and especially when suffering from an illness that makes it the most pleasurable.

Simple Pleasures Sundays - Recognition

One of the neat things that the boyfriend is into is old movies.  On this lovely but cold Sunday, he saw that How the West was Won was just starting on the Encore westerns channel.

It features quite a lot of awesome movie stars, like James Stewart, Debbie Reynolds, Gregory Peck, and of course, John Wayne.  There are definitely parts of the movie that make me glad to be a woman in today's day and age.  But, it is quite an adventure-filled movie.

Now, the fun thing about watching the older movies is to recognize some faces and voices.  There were two characters in this movie whose voices were so absolutely familiar to me, but it took me a bit of time to place them. 

After a while, I realized that the two voices were voices from Disney movies!  Both were in Robin Hood, one was the voice of one of the Vulture guards keeper and the other was the voice of Friar Tuck.

Sometimes I really enjoy playing this game with myself.  I'm usually pretty good about recognizing faces and voices.  But if I get stumped, I refuse to head right to IMDB.com.  I will try to figure it out for the rest of the movie, if need be!  I'm just that stubborn.

There is just some simple satisfaction from recognizing people on my own.  Absolutely satisfying.

Simple Pleasures Sundays - Mango

During my last job interview, the group of Case Managers asked me what kind of fruit I would be.  I outright said Mango.

Why mango?  I've been craving mangoes for a long time.  We've gotten mango juice, dried mango, I've ordered foods in restaurants that would have mango in it.  But, I've just wanted to bite into the mango meat.

At our last trip to Costco, we finally got some mangoes.  While I don't think they're as scrumptious as say fresh mangoes in the Philippines, it definitely satisfied my craving.

I remember feasting on so many mangoes the last time I was in the Philippines, and when I returned to L.A. and had a mango, I remember feeling extremely disappointed.  The Philippine mango is the BEST, in my opinion.

These aren't as sweet as I'm used to, but they're still so juicy.  We have to be careful with the mangoes in our apartment since our tiny galley kitchen gets very warm, so there's a small window of optimum ripeness before they start to go bad.

I've been trying to have fruits for breakfast before I ingest coffee or any other food category.  I am extremely excited to finally have some mango deliciousness in my home.

I think for my next mango adventure, I'm going to mix it with some Greek yogurt and granola.

Simple Pleasures Sundays - The Super Bowl Edition

I'll be straight up.  I'm not naturally a football fan.  In fact, I can still find different reasons why I dislike football.

But in 2007, when I first started dating the boyfriend, I learned that he was not only a big nerd, but also a huge football fan.  His duality was so strange to me.

I told him that I was very content that both my high school and my undergrad didn't have football teams.  I feel like it creates too macho an atmosphere for me to be comfortable.  Otherwise, I didn't really care too much for it.

He decided that he was going to get me interested in football.  He proposed that every time the Patriots scored a point, I would get a kiss.  Well, I quickly learned that each scoring was actually 7 points, which meant I got 7 kisses for every touchdown!

Genius.

Well, suffice it to say that that season was a heart breaker.  But today, I now enjoy watching football with the boyfriend.

Being that today is the day of the Super Bowl, which I've always enjoyed watching because of the social aspect (much like why I enjoy the World Cup so much), I thought it would be fun to list all the terms in football that make me say, "Excuse me, what?"

Double Entendre Football Terms
Bump and Run
Crackback Block
Down and In
Down and Out
Down Box
End Zone
False Start
Going Deep
Going Long
Handoff
Holding
Illegal Touching
Loose Ball
Muffed Kick
Open Up Holes
Pooch Kick
Pump Fake
Sacked
Third-and-Long
Tight End
Too Many Men on the Field
Wide Receiver
(http://football.about.com/od/football101/a/Football-Glossary.htm)

Happy Super Bowl to those of you who care!

Simple Pleasures Sundays - Awareness

After witnessing all that I witnessed on the public transportation (note that I said witnessed and not experienced), I'd have to say that I'm extremely glad that I am extremely aware of my surroundings.

While I am definitely of the opinion that I'd rather have my headphones on whenever I'm on the T, it's mainly because I'm actually extremely aware of whatever is happening.  I would also like to admit right here and right now that I'm really quite nosey.  Remember my "Rear Window" post?

But I really don't want to hear other people's conversations.  Especially when they're talking on the phone about something extremely private and personal.  Especially when they're talking about some medical condition.

Yet, I know how valuable it is to keep your wits about you at all times.  So, if I know I'm going to be in a high traffic area, I make sure I'm aware of my belongings and my person.  If I'm walking around by myself in the evening, I don't pull out my earphones until I'm on the T.

I don't think it's about not trusting others.  It's about me misplacing things or accidentally dropping something of mine - which has happened way too often.

But it's also about knowing if others are unaware of their surroundings and belongings.  I feel like I'm often the only person on the T who let's other riders know that their bag is wide open or something is hanging from their backpack or they dropped their glove.

Maybe it's not worth it to be so aware of what's happening around me, since I think it can lead to being overly vigilant.  But I'll take my sense of awareness over having my fly open any day.

Simple Pleasures Sundays - Delivery

In this crazy coldness, I have to say that I really appreciate that so many food vendors and restaurants deliver.

Once in a while, the boyfriend and I like to be extremely lazy and just order pizza for dinner (and it usually serves as a fairly decent lunch the following day).

We usually order from Presto Pizzaria in Cleveland Circle, where they have thick slices that are extremely filling.  The pizzaria was actually the location of our 3rd date, and he discovered that I usually eat the crust before the rest of the pizza.

I had to think about all the pizza I've ordered in my life.  In Los Angeles, I don't know of any pizzaria's that deliver that aren't Domino's, Pizza Hut, or Papa John's.  There might be some small pizza place in our neighborhood, but I couldn't even tell you.

I do feel like I usually get food delivered in L.A.  Perhaps because it's never too big a deal to go out to get your food, seeing that the weather doesn't go below zero.

But here in the Northeast, I love that I can get pizza, or Chinese, or Thai, or subs delivered right to my apartment's entrance.  Especially on a cold cold night like this.

Simple Pleasures Sundays - Being Sure (Astrologically)

I know it's been a while.  I don't really know where my mind has been.  Well, I do know that my body has been particularly busy.  So busy that I haven't had time to sit and write a blog post on Sundays!

I'm not really complaining, though.  But onto this Sunday's post!

***************************

In the past week, people have been flipping out about their horoscopes.  At first, I thought it was another silly quiz on Facebook, but apparently it's because the news was blowing a story about astrology all out of proportion (No! The news never does that!).

I'm not really going to go into why people are so wrong.

Except to say that I don't know why the Earth's wobble is new.  Hasn't this been happening for, well, ever?

If you really want to understand what's happening, I really honestly suggest going to About.com's Astrology page.  She has interesting blog posts about what's happening in the world and in the stars, and breaks down the idea that there is a tropical zodiac (which follows the seasons) and the sidereal zodiac (which follows the star charts).

Again, why is this such a new idea?  There's the Gregorian calendar, the Chinese calendar, the Jewish calendar, the Muslim calendar, the Mayan calendar...I could go on, really.  All these ideas somehow are "understandable" to most people, and yet it would be ridiculous to think of there being variations on the zodiac.

Can you spot Ophiuchus?

Honestly, my favorite part about people who are freaking out is the fact that they barely believe in astrology in the first place, and yet they are extremely adamant that their sign isn't changing (for some silly made up reason, such as "it only affects people born after a certain year," or "I've been a [insert sign here] all my life! I'm not anything else!"

Sure, one can't claim that astrology is necessarily a science.  But then, I would feel wrong about discounting Traditional Chinese Medicine (which I've seen work better for some folks with strange ailments).

Now, I've been interested in astrology from a very early age (I'm going to blame that on my Aquarius Rising Sign).  So, I've done some reading and I've even know what my chart looks like (which, you should know what yours looks like as well! Click here to get it done for free!)

I've known that I'm on the Aries-Taurus Cusp, and I'm quite proud of that as is evident by my tattoo.

Tattoos are probably another reason why people freaked out!

I am not only proud, but I am not feeling any nervousness about being the "wrong" sign.  Sure, my chart my read differently if it were created through a sidereal perspective, and I would be a straight up Aries.  But, the sidereal perspective would probably interpret the signs in a different way as well.

And that doesn't change who I am and who I was as a person.

Our signs don't rule over us.  They can be for entertainment, and they can be some guidelines for understanding yourself a little bit more.

We all carry bits and pieces from the other signs, as we carry bits and pieces of our experiences with us.  There's more to it than just the Sun sign (which is what everyone is freaking out about).  There's a whole sky's worth of information about us that we've yet to discover.

But, it does help to have your feet on the ground and feel sure about your footing, especially while your mind is exploring the stars.

Simple Pleasures Sundays - Traditions

As the boyfriend and I drive up to Maine with a blizzard on our tail, I am looking forward to closing my first Christmas away from my family with his family.

In being on the East Coast on my own, I've had to really create my own little family and traditions here so that I wouldn't be so lonely.

While I have some summer traditions like the August party in Vermont and checking out free events, I haven't really had too many winter traditions.  I enjoy spending time with my family for the holidays, expecially for the massive amounts of food and guaranteed good times.

Well, I'd have to say that it's been a wonderful Christmas of building new traditions.

With my best friend visiting from New York City, she really helped me to feel the cheery spirit of the holidays.  She captured it perfectly when she said that she got to see family and then felt ready for the holidays.

Presents!

Then I got to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with my Boston Family.  There was Polish and Indian food cooked at home, and different types of cakes.  There was lots of laughter, lots of stories, and new faces.

Being the youngest of the group, I had the job of handing out presents.  When my family hands out the presents a little after midnight, we usually hand out all the presents and then everyone opens it all up at once.  It's like a really fun free-for-all.  But I had to learn a little bit of patience, since everyone got to open up their presents one at a time.  It was neat seeing what everyone got.

I also got to participate in a Yankee Swap/White Elephant, which I had always watched my older relatives participate in.  It was exciting to be included in the appropriate age group this year.

On the night of Christmas, I got to participate in some "Jewish Christmas" action in one of Boston's many Chinatown restaurants.

I'm still trying to figure out what traditions I would want for my own, but it was neat to participate in others traditions this holiday.  It gives me a bigger basket to choose from later on.

Simple Pleasures Sundays - Gloves

Apparently, I have strangely bionic thumbs.  I have these awesome pair of gloves that I've loved for 2 years, but my thumbs have managed to burrow a hole out of the thumb part.

Now, the gloves are woven wool, with a felt lining.  Super comfy, super cute, and matches with all my outfits.

I've asked several friends to fix them, but my thumbs still manage to burrow a new hole.

Sad thumbs...

I guess I could invest in more intense gloves.  But I love these gloves.  They keep me extremely warm and they're really cute.

I got them 2 years ago at the Cultural Survival Bazaar.  This weekend, I returned to the Cultural Survival Bazaar to seek a new pair.

Well, I am happy to say that I found myself a new and better pair!

Happy thumbs!

These gloves, while not necessarily all green like I'd like them, have thumb flaps!  So, if my thumbs were to attempt burrowing out of the gloves, they could just un-hood themselves.

Simple Pleasures Sundays - Microwaveable

When I was younger, I marveled at how my mom knew just how long food items needed to be microwaved.  It seemed like she just had this sixth sense about it.

For some reason, I assumed that it was just some magical power that one acquired when they became a mom. 

Now that I'm older, I obviously don't think it's any magical power anymore.  Instead, I've learned that it's a lot of trial and error.  And in our old apartment, it's a lot of waiting time since we can't microwave for more than 1 minute or 1:30 at a time.

However, I so appreciate when our dishware is microwavable.

Microwave safe!

We have a random assortment of plates, some more functional than others.  But, if we were in need of a quick reheating of our food, not being able to find a plate or bowl that we can heat up our food in can get a bit annoying.

One day, when we have less of a college/bachelor-assortment of plates, I look forward to owning an arsenal of practical, microwavable, and stylish dishware.