Journal : OpenRoadWorks

Goodbye, Ruby

2015-07-30T08:53:00.000-04:00

It took awhile to write this post because it’s the hardest thing I’ve yet to do. Ruby found her peace passing with her family at a pet hospital on July 17, 2015.

From the beginning, Ruby was a sassy fighter; trouble was that we didn’t know her beginning. This fact always surprised people who met her because they could not fathom how a dog like Ruby could be abandoned. But abandoned she was, walking along the side of a highway almost 5 years back. Through divine grace, Ruby was rescued by a good Samaritan named Linda who plucked her from the high-risk shelter in which she was deposited; we met Ruby at Linda’s house on Thanksgiving weekend 2010.

Strangely, it was not love at first sight. Ruby growled at my wife, who was smitten with her spunk and size. Ruby’s hair was shorn after braving difficult conditions through rescue and shelter that severely matted her hair. Ruby was slightly malnourished and had tapeworm - frankly, a bit of a sorry sight. But Ruby would not let you believe that fact with her alertness, energy, and personality. Sassy fighter, remember?

What made Ruby ours was the fact that she took to me that first afternoon, seemed comfortable somehow in my arms and relaxed as we walked her, grew less anxious as she sat in my lap on the drive back to her new home. We could help Ruby and maybe she sensed that. Of course, it was a tough transition for her, being roughed up and alone for that period of her abandonment. You could tell she was loved by a former owner by the way that her left eye was treated and removed - a permanent wink we came to describe. We’ll never know how she ended up on the side of a highway, but we were lucky she did.

It took 6 months for Ruby’s anxiety to lessen and then she became the center of attention that she always was. By that time, I couldn’t tell if friends wanted to visit us or hang out with her. Of course, Ruby favored us unfailingly and made that clear to almost everyone that approached her. Sometimes, I thought it was clever license to get what she wanted, like meandering walks that would go for miles (literally - hard to believe, right?) or choice chicken bits in her food or her favorite: watermelon bits & juice after dinner.

That’s why it was hard to believe that her health would falter so soon. True, It got a little harder for Ruby to breathe, her stair climber routine started to wane, and the walks meandered a little closer to home. One day earlier this year, her zest for running back and forth across the driveway caused her to yelp and faint, and we had a sense for where this story might end.

Too cruel that Ruby’s heart, so bursting with love, could give out on her, but that’s what happened. On that fateful evening a couple of weeks back, her breathing became increasingly difficult, and we rushed her to the hospital; that’s where she remained for her last day, in an oxygen tank to relieve the difficulty of fighting through heart and lung failure. We were forced to make the decision nobody ever wants to make, made even harder by the hope that Ruby created for ourselves and the doctors with her valiant battle. Sassy fighter, remember?

In the end, we can only hope that those who love us most will be there with us and for us. In the end, that’s all Ruby ever wanted from us. We were able to grant her this last wish.

My wife and I tell ourselves this to make it through the adjustment period that has followed. I still go through the motions of taking Ruby outside and checking on her under the desk, my lazy office supervisor who made the day brighter. I know there are so many wonderful memories that vanquish this sad moment, but it will take more time for those memories to dissipate the sadness. 4 years, 7 months, and 19 days with Ruby was just too short.

Although Ruby is no longer here, she will always be with us. In the end, her heart was just too big.

Keeping an Eye on Things

2015-04-14T10:53:00.002-04:00

Road work supervisor

This blog goes in fits and starts. Just ended a fit, ready for another start.

Since it's Ruby Tuesday, I jump back in with a little pom time. Ruby is enjoying the springtime as much as anyone, with the long, uninterrupted winter finally behind us. That means pothole clean-up around here, something that she keeps an eye on as the paver trucks come rumbling past the house.

Her size matters - she knows the perils of potholes all too well from our winter-battered roads.

Journey

2015-03-21T01:00:00.000-04:00

Life's a journey and not a destination. Or something like that said by someone around 1920.

Once upon a time, I traveled weekly on a regional train back and forth to New York City. It was usually early morning or later evening, sometimes alone and sometimes accompanied for part of the trip by a friend through serendipitous timing (regional train travel has a regular crowd).

The trip consisted of a series of intervals spent in front of computer screens, alternating between laptop and smartphone, punctuated by window gazing - at least when the sun provided visibility. General restlessness pervaded the trip because the time sitting on a train was a coda, a moving way station before important business meetings or a drive home.

The time passed methodically, as long as the train was not delayed or slowed by deer. Sometimes, other passengers started conversations, but I was more content to sit alone and pass the time without talking, hearkening thoughts.

This routine offered insight into an inner world of hopes and anxieties, the kind of thoughts that a typical busy day crowd out of the mind. The moments of window gazing somehow awakened this inner world, unlocked from the subconscious where these thoughts typically hide in the shadows. Interesting to note that the inner world thrived most readily in the times of soft light, window gazing at dawn and at dusk when the day is most pregnant with possibility.

My mind returns to this state as I embark on another sort of journey this year, reminding myself to dream and to grow, reclaiming the inner world and harnessing its ability to unveil insights out of reach from the everyday.

I end this reflection with words from Alain de Botton whose delightful book, Art of Travel, shares a similar take on power of a trip to evoke thinking.

“Journeys are the midwives of thought. Few places are more conducive to internal conversations than a moving plane, ship or train. There is an almost quaint correlation between what is in front of our eyes and the thoughts we are able to have in our heads: large thoughts at times requiring large views, new thoughts new places. Introspective reflections which are liable to stall are helped along by the flow of the landscape. The mind may be reluctant to think properly when thinking is all it is supposed to do.

At the end of hours of train-dreaming, we may feel we have been returned to ourselves - that is, brought back into contact with emotions and ideas of importance to us. It is not necessarily at home that we best encounter our true selves. The furniture insists that we cannot change because it does not; the domestic setting keeps us tethered to the person we are in ordinary life, but who may not be who we essentially are.

If we find poetry in the service station and motel, if we are drawn to the airport or train carriage, it is perhaps because, in spite of their architectural compromises and discomforts, in spite of their garish colours and harsh lighting, we implicitly feel that these isolated places offer us a material setting for an alternative to the selfish ease, the habits and confinement of the ordinary, rooted world.” ― Alain de Botton, The Art of Travel

Time for Flowers

2015-03-20T01:00:00.000-04:00

Today is the last snow of the season (hopefully). Then, it's time for flowers.

What else to say? It's snowing again. It's always snowing again this winter. Which is now technically Spring, astronomically speaking. To which I say, bring it on - I'm ready to rake some more leaves left over from Fall so the grass can grow again for the Summer.

The Manhattan

2015-03-19T01:00:00.000-04:00

Famous drinks often have disputed or mysterious origins (a few colorful histories of other drinks here, here, and here). The Manhattan cocktail fits this bill and is a classic cocktail any bartender should master.

Whoever claims invention of the Manhattan, its core is a good whiskey stirred with vermouth and some bitters - and the proportions and exact ingredients matter. Throw in a fruit garnish - maraschino cherry or lemon twist - and you have the most classic of cocktails, right up there with the Martini and the Old Fashioned.

Luckily, it's very easy to make with very few ingredients so make sure to keep these staples around for impressing your next guest with some classic mixology skills.

Ingredients

1 1/2 oz. of whiskey - I prefer rye, but bourbon is suitable (Rittenhouse and Bulleit are good rye brands)
3/4 oz. of vermouth - I prefer red Italian vermouth for a sweeter taste but some like the white dry vermouth for a boozier taste
2-3 dashes of bitters - Angostura all the way
Garnish - I prefer a thin lemon twist rubbed around the rim of the coupe glass but a maraschino cherry is perfectly acceptable to throw in at the end

Instructions

Put a coupe glass in the freezer; you can use a lowball or martini glass in a pinch
Let the coupe glass cool while you prepare the ingredients
Pour the whiskey and vermouth over a little ice in a mixing glass
Add in the 2-3 dashes of bitters
Fill in the mixing glass with ice
Stir around the perimeter of the mixing glass with a bar spoon to thoroughly cool and mix the ingredients
Strain the mixture into the coupe glass with a cocktail strainer - I double strain with a julep strainer over a fine mesh strainer, but one strainer can be sufficient
Garnish and serve - I take a thin lemon twist and rub it around the rim of the glass before putting into the drink, but you can also just drop in a maraschino cherry and call it a day

Of course, let your taste buds guide you - try increasing your whiskey to 2 oz., adding equal amounts of whiskey and vermouth, and changing the whiskeys and vermouths between rye, bourbon and Canadian whisky as well as sweet, dry, and specialty vermouths. But whatever you do, make it your own so that you can add to the ongoing mystery of the Manhattan.

It Started With A Mouse...

2015-03-18T15:31:00.004-04:00

Walt with his mouse friend, from his tribute museum at Hollywood Studios

Walt Disney's quotes have followed him through the decades, even if he never said some of them. One of the most famous: "It started with a mouse..."

In fact, Walt Disney did say that it all started with a mouse. The full extent of his quote was:

"During the last few years, we have ventured into a lot of different fields [movies, TV shows, theme parks, etc.] and had the opportunity to meet and work with a lot of wonderful people. I only hope that we don't lose track of one thing, that it was all started by a mouse."

Visit any of the parks today, and the lore of this quote lives in the memory of a whole host of Disney employees, from interns to senior executives. What's curious is that the meaning of the quote is taken in two different directions:

The first direction is making progress - big things are accomplished from small things.

The second direction is preserving greatness - past memories guide the future, cherishing the heart of what makes something great.

The debate of progress vs. preservation rages constantly within the Disney theme park fan base, making decisions like updating the Country Bear Jamboree to keep up with modern times a painstaking process. But if you look back on how Walt Disney approached things, the meaning becomes a little clearer.

It turns out that Mr. Disney was perhaps more focused on making progress and striving for the next huge milestone by using the past literally as a guide. Disney's Hollywood Studios showcases this fact in a little-known exhibit called Walt Disney: One Man's Dream, chronicling Walt's shabby upbringing, his modest start as a cartoonist, his early business failures with an animation studio, stumbling into the wonderful character of Mickey Mouse, and then the pursuit of one audacious goal after another - from animated shorts with sound to animated features, to live action features to television, to theme parks, which led into theme park worlds and EPCOT, an entire city emanating from the creativity and invention bubbling out of Disneyland, the 1964 World's Fair in New York City, and then Disney World in Florida.

During his latter days at the hospital in 1966, Mr. Disney had plans for the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow plastered on the ceiling so he could look up and continue his planning while battling the cancer that would eventually take him. This wide-reaching ambition led Disney World to build and maintain the largest monorail system in the world until the creation of the Chongqing rail system in the 2000's.

The progress for Disney served a singular purpose, however - bringing families together. That was the heart of the idea for Disneyland. And in the heart of that idea was the concept that a youngster who visits a Disneyland theme park should have fun with her parents and relate to her grandparents through the storytelling of the place. Which is why the past lives in Main Street U.S.A. and Frontierland, just like the grandparents of children in the 1950's would have known those bygone eras in their time. A simpler time that Walt himself knew growing up in Missouri.

Indeed, it started with a mouse. It started with a tiny animated mouse, nudged into the name of Mickey by his wife, that gave Mr. Disney that first big success (after a series of missteps and failures) that he built upon for bigger and bigger things. It started with a mouse that brought families together in a novel, unique way unlike anything else in the world.

That's the meaning of the mouse.

Shake It

2015-03-17T01:00:00.000-04:00

It's that time again - it's Ruby Tuesday.

So what has the sassy pup been doing these days? Well, to start she is sunning herself outside, now that the longer and warmer days allow it.

This consists of a well-honed ritual:

Exit the front door.
Pause to survey the driveway - pinpoint where the sun shines brightest.
Slowly descend the two steps to the pavement.
Scratch up the back right leg to get that spot around the hip just so.
Now shake yourself side to side to fluff out that red mane.
Amble to the spot where the sun shines brightest.
Lay down like a lioness and stay still for maximum effect.

And that, my friends, is how a well-honed ritual works. Repeat twice a day and enjoy the meditative benefits that result.

March Madness

2015-03-16T23:15:00.002-04:00

It's that time of year again, when office productivity diminishes and bracket techniques are perfected. It's March Madness.

For those outside of the US, March Madness is the nickname of the month-long college basketball tournament pitting the best teams against each other across the land in a series of single-elimination contests. From 347 eligible university teams, 68 teams are selected to participate based upon a season of games and achievements. Those teams are seeded in four regions from 1 to 16, with the #1 seed playing the #16 seed and so on. Each round cuts the field in half, from 64 to 32 over the first weekend, then the Sweet Sixteen to the Elite Eight over the second weekend, to the Final Four and the National Championship game over the third weekend. Then a champion who wins the six games required to win all the games from tournament start to finish.

This year's favorite to win the tournament is University of Kentucky, the only college basketball team this year to win every game in its season. Kentucky is hoping to become the first team since 1976 to win every one of its games, a significant achievement. But there are several more college teams with odds to win, helped by the anything-can-happen single-elimination format of the tournament.

All the while, millions will watch with hopes of winning their own championship, the office pool for selecting the most winning teams from the 63 tournament games played to crown a champion. That combination of betting fever and unpredictable game results from the competing college teams is what defines March Madness.

Ok, Then... #2

2015-03-15T02:00:00.000-04:00

Waiting makes me uncomfortable. Those dead minutes before the start of something make me fidgety in a funny sort of way.

Case in point - we were at the theater on Friday afternoond waiting for the start of a movie. 8 minutes until lights dim. My first impulse? Pull out my mobile phone and look for an email. There was nothing that grabbed my attention, so I plowed through a level on Candy Crush. Four minutes left - what do I do next?

The discomfort around waiting comes from a feeling of anxiety that precious minutes will be lost forever due due to the lag between arrival and next event. Ironically, tapping on a mobile phone without purpose went about wasting the time anyway. It might be better to turn that 8 minutes into more meaningful time. Like meditation. Or talking to my wife. Or capturing the essence of the moment in a poem (a potential utility of the mobile phone vs. a time-waster).

So there you go. Dead minutes don't need anxiety - they need appreciation for the respite they offer from a packed schedule. And mobile phones are the new kind of smoking, the addictive but maybe not-so-healthy way to steal a few minutes away from whatever you are doing.

Cinderella Story

2015-03-14T02:00:00.000-04:00

Cinderella released on Friday so we had to see the film in theaters.

The telling was true to the 1950 animated version with very minor story alterations. As prelude, we watched the 1950 version the night before. Most fascinating was the special feature for the animated film that documented some of the storytelling decisions that pulled the original picture together. Walt Disney was more involved than I had realized, revealing his impeccable skill and judgment at elevating stories to a higher level.

Which meant that the live-action version carried forward the spirit of Walt Disney in its telling. That meant that the 2015 live action version of Cinderella was pure joy to watch from beginning to end, through cinematography, acting, effects, and editing. Throw in a Frozen Fever warm-up, and you could not ask for more in a Cinderella story - well worth watching.

Late Bloomers Ahead

2015-03-13T02:00:00.000-04:00

It's almost Cherry Blossom season again in DC. Too bad it's going to be late.

To be expected after a long, unrelenting winter (January into February into March!), the blossoms are coming later than usual, projected in the middle of April. That's when the hordes of out-of-towners will descend upon the tidal basin and elbow for a prime photo opportunity that will never come (pro tip: go at sunrise for optimal light and light tourist traffic).

Of course, we will be celebrating because by then, the winter doldrums will have disappeared into glorious spring. Better late than never.

500 Posts

2015-03-12T14:56:00.001-04:00

A Fiat 500, befitting of this occasion

810 days ago, I posted the 400th entry on this blog. Today marks the next century milestone - 500 posts.

I've been writing this blog since 2003, on and off again over the years. I've treated this blog more like a journal, chronicling snippets of life as they pass by (fancy some reflections on time?). It's been a fun journey, and I look forward to the adventures ahead. Any bets on the number of days until I reach 600 posts?

Walt Wednesdays

2015-03-11T12:25:00.000-04:00

Walt Disney statue at the center of the Magic Kingdom

I'm starting a new weekly series on Walt Disney, as I progress on my current writing project.

I'm calling it Walt Wednesdays. A fascinating personality, Walt Disney's dreams-turned-reality are "rite of passage" theme parks for over 100 million annual visitors, with parks now spanning the globe from California to Florida to Tokyo to Paris to Hong Kong (and soon mainland China).

Walt Disney is also current. The worship of tech superstars like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Larry Page, and Mark Zuckerberg is something not unlike the jeers and adulation that Disney received in his day. What's surprising to some is how much of an innovator that Walt Disney was with his theme parks. Interactive storytelling. Audio-animatronics. Monorails. The wealth of new discoveries applied in his parks are hidden behind a facade of old-time America that has its own innovations if visitors look close enough at the facades.

Walt once said, "Get a good idea and stay with it. Dog it, and work at it until it's done, and done right." I'll take his words as inspiration and get on with some more writing.

Here Comes the Sun

2015-03-10T12:14:00.000-04:00

The weather has turned, for the better. Snow is melting, and Spring is coming (did time have anything to do with it?)

This means that Ruby can resume her favorite pastime - sun worshiping. To which I say, it's a happy day when she can get some fresh air again and not run in, fearful of the icy cold!

And yes, the title is an homage to the Beatles, I suppose their penchant for catchy tunes are befitting for these improving days.

About Time #2

2015-03-09T11:45:00.000-04:00

Time is relative - witness daylight savings time.

Today is about time - where it comes from, how it's measured, what it does for you, what it doesn't. And a non sequitur - the letter "G" (for those Sesame Street enthusiasts). I've reflected on time in the past, it's a subject worth ongoing reflection (as time goes by...).

About Time - it's also the name of a movie that we watched on Sunday that provoked some further reflection. The premise is simple and interestingly explored - what and how would you go about living if you inherited the gift of time travel from your father? Bill Nighy, one of my favorite actors, is brilliant (as usual). Time, it seems, is all we have, and getting it back - "do-overs" as it were - holds an intriguing fancy. Except there is a limiting condition to this time travel - you cannot go back beyond a descendant because the conditions that produced that descendant change. So if you loved your child and went back before she was born (as happened in the film), you may end up back with a boy or some other offspring that occurred from that magical mix of time, place, circumstance, and genetics.

In the end, the premise is to enjoy the moment, seize it, and make it memorable in its own minute way. Because then you don't have to go back again and relive that time to fix an errant situation or harvest the moment for all that it's worth.

We lose time constantly, either through natural passing or contrived legislation (here and here). Strangely, it's not measured the same - by you, by me, by geography, by history. But it is always passing, always losing itself to the moments that continue without cease. Ultimately, we have a choice as to how we measure time and how we lose it, the manner in which it goes away. It's a powerful notion to think that we can choose what we do about time before it's gone.

Off the Wagon

2015-03-08T23:32:00.003-04:00

A few days without a blog post - I'm off the wagon again.

Other priorities distracted me from a daily writing rhythm over the last several days, hence no blog posts. But I'm back and ready for a productive week.

I return with an old expression - "off the wagon" - which is fascinating in that it lives on well past a time when contemporaries would know what it literally means. I didn't know the nature of its late 19th century origin until I looked it up for this post, and I doubt an abstaining drinker who reverts in today's society would think about water carts controlling the dust on city roads. But there are many expressions like this remaining in the English language, a colorful reminder that history is embedded in our daily expressions whether or not we realize this fact.

No worries, though - I'm back on the wagon and ready for more words.

Snow Day

2015-03-05T15:25:00.001-05:00

Well, it happened again. Another snow day.

By the afternoon, 5 inches covered the ground. By this evening, another 5 inches will fall.

I'm resting to prepare for another epic snow shoveling. In the moment, it's calm and strikingly beautiful. Snow stacking itself precisely and precariously on deck railings. Snow clinging thickly to pine branches, creating a marshmallow world if I've ever seen one. My wife is home, a welcome surprise. My dog is lounging with me comfortably on the couch - no change. A pork tenderloin is thawing to make a simplified feijoada, perfect for the blasting cold that will follow.

What else could you ask for on a snow day?

Catch Up

2015-03-04T01:00:00.000-05:00

Here's a catch-up post from a lag in blogging.

It rained on our last day in the Maldives last year. Although that dampened (pun!) some plans, the mix of crashing waves and rain drops on the water was soothing. I sat under a canopy and passed the time with a camera.

After a few minutes, I stowed the camera and slipped into a sort of meditation. A beautiful view with a strangely rhythmic soundscape, the moment was almost surreal. Not exactly the image of an idyllic sunny paradise, but the charm was apparent. And soon enough, the moment passed and a boat ride ensued to the airport island for our departure.

Funny, though, that I remember more clearly this moment than some others from that trip. Perhaps because it was a moment that caused me to pause, breath deeply, and be fully in the moment. A good reminder to harness the power of that meditative ability in less enchanting locations.

Ice Capades

2015-03-03T08:00:00.000-05:00

No surprise that the never-ending winter offered its next round of precipitation, rain then sleet then freezing. Which meant Ice Capades for Ruby.

A guilty pleasure watching the little one precariously traverse a driveway with no sure footing. There were a couple of sprawls, something akin to skiing's version of a yard sale, but no damage done. And the relief from being cooped up inside on this long winter was worth it.

Next time I'll remember the ice skates.

The Trees Are Weeping

2015-03-02T10:06:00.002-05:00

Funny, it sounded like rain outside - on a clear sky morning. How does that work?

Yesterday we had snow that turned into rain, then sleet. Then an overnight freezing that turned all the trees to crystal. This morning's sun turned those crystals into water droplets falling from the mature trees around our house. Exactly like the sound of raindrops.

I hope that yesterday was the last snow for this winter season, but I'm not so sure. The trees are weeping because they are done with winter, too.

OK, Then...

2015-03-01T01:00:00.000-05:00

This used to be our doorbell until...

It's Sunday, so I'm free to think random thoughts. The typical reaction is OK, then...

Now that we are in March, it's time for winter to stop doing its thing. Not snow again, as the forecast goes. It's not working for me - just like our doorbell. Meaning our doorbell is not working. You see, we replaced it in our remodel last year. The sailor went out to sea, replaced with a more conventional doorbell. But the sailor took the sound with him, so that we don't hear the doorbell when it's pressed. Another one of those fixes requiring attention that stack up on the to-do list.

To which I have given no attention. Oh well - just remember to knock when you come over, the doorbell will do you no good.

Art of the Party

2015-02-28T01:00:00.001-05:00

What makes a party? I'm answering this question as part of a product design challenge.

In my day job, I build products, the kind you use on your mobile phone and on the Internet. A central principle of this work is to solve a problem worth solving - that's value that causes people to use your product and even pay for it. Enough people with that problem, and you have a business on your hands.

As a thought exercise, I'm applying this discipline to the topic of party planning. And I realized from my experience, conversations with some folks, and research, that the art of the party hinges on sufficient prep time to be present and make stronger connections with the people gathered at the event. It's those connections that make parties worth having and attending, and it's what all the planning and activities are meant to serve.

So the art of the party is human connection on a bigger scale - what problems would you solve to amplify that connection?

Peposo

2015-02-27T01:00:00.000-05:00

Remember that proper Italian supper from last month? I had occasion to make peppered beef, or peposo again to finally share the recipe.

An esteemed traveler from our Tuscan adventure happened through the area, and we enjoyed a hearty meal and great conversation. It required this surprisingly simple dish to recall a fantastic trip. Hat tip to Chef Claudio for sharing this recipe with us.

Ingredients

1 lb of angus beef strips or cubes - better cuts & quality make the dish, can use stew meat like shoulder or stir fry sirloin cuts
7 cloves whole garlic, basically just peel the skins
Red wine - any table wine will do, recommended for one that was not aged in oak barrels
Olive oil
Peppercorns
Water
Salt

Instructions
Allora...

Get out a stew pan
Put it on the stove at medium heat
Pour in a generous amount of olive oil, so that it's easy to coat the bottom of the pan
Add in the whole garlic cloves
Once the pan is heated a little bit, add the meat
Let the meat cook a bit so that it releases juices and then the juices evaporate a little bit
Now, add red wine over top of the meat - make sure you add enough to cover the meat in the pan (probably something like a full glass of red wine)
Add in a little bit of water
Add in a generous amount of peppercorns, probably around 2 tablespoons
Let it cook for 30-60 minutes, for that red wine and water to reduce down so that you have essentially the meat left
Add salt to taste

You can eat this on its own or with some roasted potatoes and steamed veggies like we did - another savory Tuscan specialty good for these colder months.

Late in the Day

2015-02-26T21:35:00.000-05:00

Once upon a time, I lived in Santa Monica and listened to Britpop.

One particular day, as the sun set in the distance with a cool sea breeze coming in and "Late in the Day" by Supergrass spinning in the CD player, I experienced a moment. The kind of moment that feels infinite, as if you could replay over and over again the sensation of that cool breeze, soft scent of the bougainvillea out in the garden, soft light filtering through the windows, and harmonic music carrying the spirit of the moment.

As I look out this afternoon onto the fields of snow, I transport myself to that moment in Santa Monica many years ago, and I feel like I'm there, far away from this cold winter.

Hot Pot

2015-02-25T10:46:00.001-05:00

So many thoughts in my head, so few ideas stirring a blog post. So I thought about hot pot.

During our New Year celebration last weekend, my wife's parents prepared this communal, sumptuous feast common in many parts of China this time of the year. Prepare a couple of broths ("regular" and spicy options), gather the family around its boiling warmth, take turns ladling in the good stuff (meats, seafood, vegetables, noodles), then fill your bowl with the now-cooked good stuff. Repeat until your stomach is bursting and your bowl is filled with a special mix of broths left over from multiple ladles carrying your loads of goodness. (Serious Eats has a more extensive primer to have a hot pot of your own).

With this never-ending winter continuing its coldness, I could use some more hot pot right about now.