Thursday, January 31, 2008

Eating in Restaurants Alone.

I am pretty cheap. Maybe frugal, thrifty, or economical, are a bit more positive sounding, but either way you have it, I'm cheap. I got a buy one get one free coupon in the mail for Costa Vida. How could I pass up a free meal? Buy one get one half off doesn't really appeal to me, but free does. I couldn't waste this coupon, and because I had no one to come with me, I decided that I would enjoy half of two entrees and save the other halves for another time. Well, I also like to enjoy fresh food. I didn't want to buy the food and risk it getting cold or soggy during the commute to my house. So, I sat in that restaurant alone, by myself. I could have eaten it in the car, but there's no enjoyment in that. I am ok with eating by myself. I've done it before. But, whenever I do, I feel like I am violating some social law that says you should always eat out with a friend.

My sister went to Costa Vida the other week and took her meal all the way home (and she walked) just because she didn't want to eat alone in the restaurant. Back east I am sure you would find that more people do eat alone. At least it is portrayed that way in many movies. I've never been east of Chicago, so I don't really know what it is really like. But I do know that it's a different lifestyle than out west. Whenever I go out to eat, I hardly see someone alone. There are usually at least two people together. And when someone does eat alone, the person usually has work to do. Or, maybe the person brings work so that he or she doesn't appear too pathetic.

Why is it that way? Why does it seem like such a faux pas to eat by yourself? Is it insecurity on the part of the lone eater, a fear that people will think that she doesn't have any friends, that she is an outcast or a loser? Is it jealousy that other people are having great conversations and he is not? It just seems like society has created a norm and you aren't following it. Conformity. Is that it? Lone eaters are nonconformists? Well, maybe I will just have to get some more coupons so I can do a little experiment, maybe take a survey or something. Whatever the case may be, my frugality overpowers any inhibition to eat alone.

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

The Book of Revelation and Figurativeness.

I usually take things too literally. It is easier that way; you don't have to think as much. Maybe that is why I didn't do very well in my literature classes. I just had a hard time playing the guess-what-the-author-meant game.

Thankfully for me there are others who can think figuratively and can pass that information along to me so that I don't have to come up with it myself. Ok, I should try to learn some figurative thinking skills of my own, but for now, I quite enjoy learning from others.

Isaiah is way too figurative for me. I always thought that the mention of the wolf and the lamb was literal. "The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them" (Isa. 11: 6). I used to think that animals would all of a sudden become herbivores. But, plants are living things, too. So, I guess animals would just stop eating. But that is not what Isaiah is talking about. These animals represent nations, meaning that there will be peace among us.

I always liked math. I tried accounting, but it just didn't go over very well. The business part of it messed me up. But I like the logic of basic math. So, to make this figurativeness more logical, let me explain the transitive property of equality.
It states that if a = b and b = c, then a = c.


Therefore, if A, B, and C in the chart are all equal, then the statement in Isaiah does refer to nations and world peace. As great as that would be, I think we are still a ways away from that day.

Monday, January 28, 2008

Death of a Prophet.

About 8:00 Sunday night, I heard a rumor that President Gordon B. Hinckley had passed away. A few minutes later the rumor ceased to be a rumor and was verified as fact. I am not really the emotional sort (somewhat of a weakness, I've come to recognize). I don't see how getting all weepy really helps the situation. Crying doesn't bring people back. I just accept things and move on. This is not to say that I never feel emotions. I do. But I feel and demonstrate them differently than most people. My logical side keeps them under control. (There could be a whole psychoanalysis for this. I read the book Emotional Intelligence last year, and I learned that my lack of emotional expressiveness was a good indication that I was quite emotionally stupid.) I hope that in a more personal situation things would be different, but as for last night, while most people were teary-eyed and sniffing, I just sat there in a stupor. I felt a loss, but I didn't know what to do with it. Maybe part of me didn't want to accept that it was true. Part of me was contemplating the effect it would have on the church and the world. It is very interesting to me how different people react to a situation.

In place of emotional gushing and to prevent any concern that my lack of emotion is any indication of disregard, I would like to give a tribute to President Hinckley.


He has build many bridges and diminished many chasms among different religions. He said, "I say this to other people: you develop all the good you can. We have no animosity toward any other church. We do not oppose other churches. We never speak negatively of other churches. We say to people: you bring all the good that you have, and let us see if we can add to it."

President Hinckely will always be known as a temple builder. He participated many temple dedications before his calling as prophet, but just during the 13 years as prophet, the number of temples increased from 52 to 124, with 14 others announced or under construction. His vision for vicarious work and his concept of smaller and standardized temple construction has provided for many the blessings of a temple near by.

We will all remember he valiant efforts to spread word of the Church and shed good light upon it with his appearances on national television. He not only clarified misconceptions, but also supported the truths so that others who may otherwise never have had an opportunity to know of the Church, could have a better and more accurate idea of the Mormon religion. His personality was a perfect fit for such a venture as he showed enthusiastic dedication and sincerity to his calling.

What many might not know, is that along with television appearances, Pres. Hinckley was also extremely influential in the development of the Church broadcast infrastructure. He was involved with Bonneville communications and the development and spread of satellites, which allowed the broadcast of General Conference and other programs throughout the world on radio and television.

Most importantly, Pres. Hinckley will be know for he warm and welcoming personality. Sprinkled with wit and humor, he made his way into the hearts and homes of people in every country. Even those not of the Church hold him in high regard and have only wonderful things to say about him.

What a man to have lead the Church and the world in such a time when all things seem to be negative, chaotic, and dark. He certainly magnified his calling with perfect understanding of what was needed and expected.

Friday, January 25, 2008

Raw Sauce, Fresh Sauce...My Sauce.

From Wikipedia: "In Italian or Spanish, salsa can refer to any type of sauce, but in American English it usually refers to the spicy, often tomato-based hot sauces typical of Mexican cuisine, particularly those used as dips, whereas in British English it more typically refers to Salsa Cruda which is common in Spanish or Italian cuisine."

I have been making salsa for a few years now. I don't really know how it started. Part of it must have come from my mission in southern Chile. (The other part I think came from my mom's college roommate's husband's version of homemade salsa.) The funny thing is, though, that there is no such thing as "chips and salsa." It wasn't at all part of the cuisine down there. I think some people tend to attribute Mexican food to all Hispanic cultures. That is not the case in the slightest. The food in Chile was actually fairly cross cultural. There were typical staples like rice and potatoes and chicken. You can find those meals pretty much anywhere. What made it country specific was the condiments and other supplemental ingredients. Chileans put mayonnaise on everything. I never picked up on that, thank goodness.

But there was a salsa of sorts called chancho en piedra. Translated directly, it means pig in stone, or stone pig. I have no clue where the name comes from, but it most closely resembles what the trendy Fresh-Mex restaurants call pico de gallo (again, I don't know the relevance of the name).

Also from Wikipedia: "Well-known salsas include

  • Salsa roja, "red sauce": used as a condiment in Mexican and southwestern U.S. cuisine, and usually made with cooked tomatoes, chili peppers, onion, garlic, and fresh cilantro.

  • Salsa cruda ("raw sauce"), also known as pico de gallo ("rooster's beak"), salsa picada ("chopped sauce"), salsa mexicana ("Mexican sauce"), or salsa fresca ("fresh sauce"): made with raw tomatoes, lime juice, chilli peppers, onions, cilantro leaves, and other coarsely chopped raw ingredients.

  • Salsa verde, "green sauce": Mexican version made with tomatillos. Sauces made with tomatillos are usually cooked. Italian version made with herbs." (emphasis added)

  • As I said, there were no chips. They did have, taking from American culture, potato chips, but I can't ever remember having a tortilla chip, let alone a tortilla chip with "salsa." Instead they would eat this chancho en piedra with sopaipillas (fried bread). They made quite a good combination, and I made note of the ingredients. I have adapted it quite a bit from the traditional Chilean salsa to resemble the salsa to which we Americans are more accustomed.

    I have no real recipe. I use the basics (tomatoes, onion, and cilantro) and then add other ingredients as I have them on hand. The tomato/onion ratio is about 8:1. The rest is to taste. Most of the time I use medium yellow onions, but I have used sweet onion for part of it too. Roma tomatoes, I have found, offer the most flavor. Lemon juice, or lime juice, is important too. And if you put in too much salt, just add more lemon and it will cancel it out. In the beginning I would put in a touch of sugar (that part came from the one man's version), but to avoid the extra calories, I forgo the sugar now.



    The mango version:

    Thursday, January 24, 2008

    To Be or Not to Be Exclusive.

    I learned at dinner last night that guys think that girls think that after one date they are exclusive. I've never heard such a thing. After one date?! No wonder guys are so hesitant to ask a girl out. What are you girls thinking? You are ruining it for those of us who think dating is a means of getting to know someone and finding out more of what you want. And to the guys: not all of us think like that, so give us a chance. I still maintain that the status of a relationship cannot be assumed; it has to be determined, mutually agreed upon by both individuals, as cheesy as that may be.

    Wednesday, January 23, 2008

    When It Rains, It Pours...

    and then there is a drought.

    I am not entirely sure what the phrase means in relation to salt, but it has quite an application when it comes to dating. In the course of 5 months, I had one date. It wasn't even a very good one at that. Then in one week I had 4 dates. How does that happen? So, according to past experience, I should be on my dry spell. I guess I shouldn't expect another date for about 3 months.

    Then there is the phrase "When the well's dry, we know the worth of water" (Ben Franklin), or "Absense makes the heart grow fonder," or "you have to know the bitter to know the sweet," or in this case, a drought makes you appreciate the flood. However, I would disagree. I think I would prefer to have a steady stream. The benefit to dating a whole bunch of guys at once is that you can compare and find out what you like most. The problem is that it doesn't leave you much personal time, and it's sometimes hard to remember what you told to whom, and worst of all, you risk hurting one, or two, or three of them.

    Tuesday, January 22, 2008

    Bargains Make Good Days.

    On my way home I decided to stop by Wal-Mart to buy some picture frames for some things that have been lying around my room...for years. I had the time, so I took advantage. I happened to park on the opposite side of where the picture frames were located. So as I made my way over, I passed the winter accessories and happened upon a newsboy hat. I have kind of wanted one like it but wasn't really sure that I could pull off the style. What made it even better was that it was on clearance! I love finding good deals on things. Being somewhat frugal, I hardly ever pay full price for anything.

    Monday, January 21, 2008

    Isn't It Ironic?

    I had the day off from work in observance of Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday. I had a whole list of things that I wanted to get done. I don't like to use up time paid time off because I am afriad that I will need it in an emergency, so I like to use company holidays to the fullest. Today I got up at a decent time, went to the gym and then to the grocery store and to Costco, and then came back home with the intent to start checking things off my list.

    The first thing I decided to do was to shovel the snow off the driveway and sidewalk. Well, I got into a rhythm and decided I would continue along down my neighbors' sidewalks. At this time it was about 2:30, so I thought surely people would all be at work (because I heard that most people don't get this day off). I cleared the sidewalk down two houses on both sides of mine. I had a nice chat with an older gentleman down the way as I helped him with his driveway.

    I, by no means, am writing all this to boast of my service. Typically my good neighbors clear my driveway, for which I am very grateful. I tell this to highlight the irony of the situation, because as soon as I decided that I had done enough and that my back had had enough exercise, my neighbor across the street arrived home and immediately got out his snow blower. I thought, had I waited just another hour before I started, I wouldn't have had to do anything. And it would have taken him half (if not less) the time to do what I had accomplished.

    It reminds me of the chorus of the song sung by Alanis Morissette:
    "It's like rain on your wedding day
    It's a free ride when you've already paid
    It's the good advice that you just didn't take
    Who would've thought... it figures."

    An additional verse could read:
    "It's finishing shoveling your neighbors' sidewalk when
    Someone comes over with a snow blower."

    Yes, there is benefit in what I did: I got exercise, I got the warm fuzzies of service, I got some fresh air. I wish I could say that I got some sun, but there wasn't any of that. I don't regret doing it; I just can't help but chuckle at the timing. I also got a great snap shot of the dichotomy of the old school and new school technique of snow removal:

    Friday, January 18, 2008

    Skill Development.

    I've always know that I like to do stuff on the computer, but I've never really had a project to do so that I could develop my skills. My dad recently decided to go technical and start a webpage for his artwork. I thought it would be good to have some sort of logo. So that has become my project. I have never had any Illustrator instruction. I am just learning as I go along. It's not nearly perfect, but this is what I have so far:

    Wednesday, January 16, 2008

    "See that Ye Do Not Judge Wrongfully."

    I have been told (and rightfully so, I'll admit) that I am too judgmental of people. Most of it comes from assuming that I know what they are thinking. I can't read minds, so I really have no clue what they are actually thinking; but sometimes my insecurity makes me think they are judging me, so I judge them back for judging me. For example, I would think that a skinny person would think less of me because I am not so skinny. I get defensive in response and create them into a bad person so I can feel better about myself. So, I realize that I project certain characteristics on other people that they may not possess, as is the case in a recent experience.

    I don't consider myself very "cool" by any means. I guess that all depends on what your definition of cool is. In this case it would imply someone who is popular, who attracts people, who is the life of the party. I am more reserved and introverted, and I hate attention. Now, I tend to think that cool people would never consider me for a friend simply because similar personalities tend to attract. Well, I met a couple of guys that would fit this definition of cool. To some people, maybe they aren't so cool, but they definitely display an I'm-cool-attitude. They were polite and didn't do anything that would send a message of rejection, yet I felt that I wasn't cool enough to be their friend.

    Well, I happened to run into them a few days later at the local gym. I thought I would get the typical I-know-you-and-you-know-me type of acknowledgment. Not only did we have a pleasant, brief conversation, but also I felt some genuine inclusion. I saw them in a different light. I saw that they didn't judge me for being uncool (or out of shape) and treated me like they would any other friend. They even invited me to work out with them. So, to them, I apologize for thinking they were snobby because I thought I wasn't cool enough.

    All of this was supplemented with a conversation I had with my brother the other day, about lecture on how we tend to shy away from diversity and group people into categories. I will have to make a separate post for that. It was somewhat lengthy, and I will have to remember what all was said. But, suffice it to say, from this experience I have learned that I need to be more conscious of what I think of people, give them the benefit of the doubt, and treat them as if they were the coolest person on earth.

    Tuesday, January 15, 2008

    Commercial Bakeries—How do they do it?

    Costco used to carry this very yummy cranberry spice bread. My family and I would eat slice after slice. It was especially good toasted with some butter. I haven't seen it at Costco for years. Well, my mom came up to visit for Christmas. She flew in (from Arizona to Utah) Christmas Eve. I picked her up at the airport, and then we some last minute Christmas shopping while we were in Salt Lake. One of those stops was at Sam's Club. My mom has a membership there. There are a few items that Sam's carries that she think is worth having a memebership there and also at Costco. For me, however, I don't go there enough to make it worth it. While there, she asked what we would be having to eat, and I mentioned that I had some chicken salad that we could use for sandwiches. She suggested that we get some croissants. I agreed and we walked over to the bread area. As I looked for the croissants I happened to notice a misplaced loaf of, you guessed it, the cranberry spice bread. I looked around for where the others might be placed and could not find them anywhere. So, we asked. It so happened that they were doing a special demonstration on the complete opposite end of the store. So, thank you to whoever was too lazy to go all the way back to return the loaf to its proper location. If it weren't for that one lone loaf, I would not have had the pleasure of tasting that delicious bread.

    My mom, of course, is back in Arizona, and I am left without access to Sam's Club. But, I didn't just give up on having some more of that cranberry spice bread. I am sure specialty bakeries like Great Harvest Bread Co. would have some, but I decided that I would attempt to make my own. I looked online for recipies but didn't find anything that would have resembled this other bread. There were lots of recipies for quick bread with cranberries but not the yeast kind. Desperate, I thought that I would just have to make it up myself using a regular white bread recipe. Continuing to look online, I realized that it would be quite easy to take a cinnamon raisin bread recipe and adapt it just a bit, which is what I did. And this is the result:


    I have made homemade bread before (I guess that is a little redundant) and I have gotten pretty good at making my mom's dinner rolls, but it never turns out like the bread you buy in the store. Why is that? Is it the preservatives they use? Maybe stores could market a bottle of preservatives—like a magic dust that makes things turn out like commercially prepared stuff. The recipe, however, has turned out the best by far. Maybe it is because I let it rise for twice as long as the recipe called for. Either way, it turned out pretty tasty. It lasted a day. My roommates and one's boyfriend contributed to the devouring of the bread. So, it had to be good. Well, I guess boys will eat anything, though, right?

    I will make this recipe again. But I will have to do it on a day that I have patience enough to let it rise completely. If you are interested in the original, you can find it here:
    http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1108258">

    Monday, January 14, 2008

    New Beginnings.

    Last year I made a resolution to record events in a journal. I didn't make a single entry the whole year. I have made the same resolution for this year, except with renewed motivation. I was excited about it at first, but then I realized that I don't really have a computer at the moment. I have a laptop but it isn't working, and I am afraid that I will need to get a new one. Now, you may be thinking that a computer is not necessary for journal writing, but I feel that ideas flow better when I use a computer because I can revise and change words, phrasing, ideas much more effeciently (which is not to say that any post will be free of typos and errors).

    Thinking proactively, I thought I would need something that I could access anywhere, and I became ambitions; I decided to start a blog. I don't think anyone is going to be interested in what I have to say. I don't even think most people will happen upon my blog. I am not much of a writer. I don't have great wit or composition skills, but that is ok. Because this is really just for me.

    So, after about three or four days, I am ready to go. It took me a while to come up with a theme that I thought would be a good representation of my goals and personal mission. A lot of the names I thought of were already taken—my fault for not jumping on the band wagon of technology trends (i.e., blogging) sooner. And then I messed around on Illustrator to come up with a header, which turned out ok, I think, considering I have had no training in the program. The blog will be under construction for a little while until I get things the way I want them (my sister says the picture is blurry).

    So this is it: one attempt at exposing my thoughts and feelings and making them more concrete for not only readers, but also myself.