KJ

Today was the first of two Thanksgiving dinners, with family -- tomorrow will be with friends -- and it went well. One thing I am thankful for is that my family tends to be fairly low drama, on the family drama scale, so I rarely have to worry about arguments or family politics or walking away from a gathering carrying more frustration than I brought.

A couple of people have asked about the "wrong chocolate" that I mentioned in my last post. T was making chocolate friands, which are small fudge-like chocolate cakes, very dense, very rich, and frosted with ganache. The recipe calls for bittersweet chocolate, but we accidentally bought semisweet, which has a lower cocoa content. As a result, the cakes didn't bake up quite right -- the consistency was more like a slightly overcooked brownie, and we lost several because they stuck to the pan -- and the ganache didn't set at room temperature. They were still tasty, and my family was happy to eat them, but they weren't up to T's high standards. So tomorrow we will get the appropriate chocolate and see if the second batch comes together better. Pictures, perhaps, if we succeed. :)

When the scent of roasted brussels sprouts causes an instant and unstoppable craving. I could smell them in the hallway yesterday, and it smelled so good that we bought some at the store last night and cooked them up tonight (along with a roast chicken). Just cut them in half, toss them in salt, olive oil, and a little water, put them on a cookie sheet, and bake -- first covered to steam them, then uncovered for browning. Voila: delicious little bits of roasted vegetable heaven. I have a recipe to roast them with bacon and pecans, which is super yummy, but the simple way is good, too.

Brussels sprouts are a recent discovery for me, only within the last few years -- there's a restaurant in San Francisco that makes them when they're in season, and the first time I was there with friends and we ordered them, we ended up having to get a second bath, they were so good. But it was only last winter that I decided to take a hand at cooking them myself, and so far it's been a resounding success. I only wish we could get good ones all year; I don't like very many vegetables, so finding a new one I can happily eat is always a victory.

Because I worked the Saturday before last, and my school was closed for Good Friday, I was blessed with a four-day weekend, and it was glorious!

Thursday: I started the day with a writing morning, for the first time in ages, during which I nearly finished a draft of my ff_exchange story. Then I came home and worked on my Dragon Age replay all afternoon, followed by a lovely dinner with lovely friends and lovely wine in Alameda.

Oh, Dragon Age. I am so into this game, it's kind of ridiculous. To the point where, after a bit of agonizing, I broke down and bought the Ultimate Edition. To be fair, that cost about as much as buying Awakenings (the primary expansion pack) and one of the smaller downloads, so it'll probably be more cost effective in the end. Still, I have to face the fact that I have now purchased another copy of a game I already own. Does this make me a bigger geek than I already am?

Friday: Culinary adventures on the Peninsula with SE! We started with lunch and cupcakes at Vanilla Moon, then wandered down the street to an olive oil shop, where I was unable to resist walking out with a bottle of balsamic vinegar flavored with tangerine. It was really neat to taste dozens of oils and vinegars, play with blending the flavors, seeking out the perfect vinaigrette or dipping sauce combinations. The shopkeeper was really knowledgable and helpful, too.

Other stops included a taiyaki shop in San Mateo (little fish-shaped pastries filled with custard, bean paste, and other delectables including Nutella -- yum!); three attempts at finding a bakery in Redwood City that culminated in tea and pastries at Pamplemousse, which is our go-to place for such things; a spice store with a huge and fascinating stock; and a wander through Kepler's. Then we met up with T and SF for a tasty Japanese dinner of yakitori and other small plates, followed by a trip to Beard Papa for a cream puff dessert. Great food, great fun. I consider it rather a miracle that I didn't end up bringing home anything more than the vinegar, three jars of spices, one book, and half a dozen macarons from Pamplemousse.

Then we came home and played some Portal 2. This is a theme that will recur.

Saturday: The day of errands and lounging. Washed the car, got groceries, played Portal, made dinner, played more Portal, got some writing done, probably would have played more Portal but my wrists said "No." Fortunately, the writing went okay, on that front. I wrote the last little bit of my FFEX draft -- it needs a lot of work still, but at least that first runthrough is finished -- and then I started the Dragon Age fic that has been nagging at me ever since we finished the game. Well, one of them, anyway. Where all this will end up... we'll see.

Sunday: Easter Brunch! R and S hosted, we made hash browns, more yummy food was eaten, more good company was had, and then we dyed eggs. I don't think I've dyed eggs since the SKERG* Easter Brunch of 1997. There were some real beauties, too. Then we came home and played some Portal 2.

Oh, Portal. We started with multi-player cooperative, which is interesting and challenging. I would say, so far, that it's every bit as good as the first one. But I'll hold more complete thoughts for another day.

And so that was my four-day weekend. Which I really, really needed. And now, with luck, I'll be ready to go back and face the daily grind, rejuvenated and ready for more.

*SKERG, for the uninitiated, was the nickname for the apartment where I lived with four other people for a couple of years after college, so named because it was the most pronounceable combination of our first initials. I forget who coined it, but it stuck, to the point where we still refer to it by name, even though the household broke up almost 13 years ago.

Top 5...

From mako_lies: ...favorite Final Fantasy characters
5. Fang
4. Lulu
3. Baralai
2. Balthier
1. Auron and Paine (tie)

Narrowing this down was hard, and so was getting a decent spread of games. I would probably have a hard time narrowing it down to ten. Also highly mood-dependent; except for the tie at #1, the list might look different tomorrow. Strong runners-up: Nooj, Lightning, Fran, Ashe, Penelo, Larsa, Tidus, Braska, Yuna, Quistis, Freya, Garnet....

From ukefied: ...video games
5. Final Fantasy XII
4. Final Fantasy X-2
3. PuzzleQuest (original flavor)
2. Portal
1. Final Fantasy X

The order is, again, mood-dependent, except for the top two. Other favorites: Final Fantasy 9, Ratchet & Clank (the first two), Super Mario Kart (I never do racing games, but I had a lot of fun with that one), the Phoenix Wright series.

From dagas_isa ...dishes on Top Chef you'd want to try
Ooh, nice one. My memory is a bit hazy on these, but...
5. Blanking on a fifth. I'll come back to this later if I think of one.
4. That fruit crisp that Robin made last season; that whole Restaurant Wars menu, really.
3. Rick Bayless's mole. (Is this cheating?)
2. Stephanie's duck breast with cherries (Season 3, Episode 1)
1. Almost everything Kevin ever made, especially if it featured pork.

From imadra_blue ...DS9 episodes.
Argh, this is hard. Except, again, for #1. Best hour of television ever.
5. Our Man Bashir (4x10)
4. Improbable Cause/The Die Is Cast (3x20/3x21)
3. The Visitor (4x03)
2. Far Beyond the Stars (6x13)
1. In the Pale Moonlight (6x19)

Try me on another day, I'd probably come up with a different list.

Also, Top 5 Meals
5. The Ritz-Carlton Dining Room in SF, for our fifth wedding anniversary, which had the feature of containing a fois gras dish I actually enjoyed.
4. Pain purdue and cafe au lait at The Butler & The Chef, a little French cafe around the corner from us.
3. A little yakitori joint in Kyoto, Japan. I forget the name, unfortunately. Grilled skewers of joy, and they just kept coming.
2. Dinner at R&S's house, a few years back, with a cheese fondue first course, prime rib and crab for the main course, and chocolate fondue for dessert. Possibly the most decedent home-cooked meal it has ever been my pleasure to experience. Described here
1. The French Laundry. Because, really, how could I pick anything else for this? Documented in great detail, with photos.

One more came in while I was writing this up, and it deserves its own post, so look for that soon.

Just back from a really nice family Thanksgiving dinner, up at my Grandma's house. Food, yum. Turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, beans, rolls... it was all there, except for the sad omission of pumpkin pie. No pumpkin pie! I am scandalized! T did make tasty brownies and some excellent soft gingerbread cookies, though, so I am pleasantly stuffed with dessert. But I think we may have to rectify this situation and make some pie for ourselves this weekend.

Even more important, of course, was the company, with the special addition this year of oswulf, who was in town with his wife for the holiday. Most of the local family were there, too, and it was good to see them all, but D isn't just my cousin -- he was my best friend for many, many years. So the opportunity to hang out with him for even a few hours is precious. I am lucky to have a family I enjoy spending time with.

I'm lucky in so many ways, really, and it's good to have a day to reflect on that. It's been a tough year for me and mine, but that doesn't negate the many things I have to be thankful for: solid marriage, financial stability, steady job that I mostly like, good relationships with co-workers and family, and so many good friends, including those of you reading this entry right now. You've probably all noticed by now that I don't tend to get emotional on people, but that doesn't mean that I don't love you all. And so here's a round of Happy Thanksgiving, all around. I'm grateful to be a part of this community.

Another night of good company and yummy foods. This time, we went to an Asian fusion place in Union Square.

Also I bought yet more shoes today. What is it with me and shoe purchasing over the last year or so? There was once I time that I hated buying shoes and only did it when I absolutely had to. The Clark's store in San Francisco Centre has a lot to answer for... Sadly, they didn't have the shoes in the right size and color, so they're being shipped to me from Walnut Creek. Free shipping, no less. That's service.

Last but not least, AO3 Open Beta starts tomorrow! Looking forward to playing around with it. Will this be the killer app that finally gets me off FF.net once and for all? Stay tuned to find out.

So far, a quite enjoyable trip. Flight was delayed by over an hour and a half but was otherwise uneventful -- I think I even slept a little. I got in around 9am, and then we left for our road trip to Vermont, where we had much yummy ice cream and cheese and maple sugar candy. The sun eluded us for the morning, but around lunchtime the clouds cleared and we found ourselves experiencing a lovely summer day -- we even got to take down the top of the convertible while we tooled around Waterbury. Then we got home late and crashed.

Today was a lazily-exploring-Boston day: pancakes for breakfast, pedicures, walking around downtown, having tea at the public library -- they have a really nice cafe where they serve afternoon tea; it was tasty, if a little heavy on the sweets as opposed to the savories. This evening, we met up with concertinette and her husband for dinner, and then they came back to amybang's for some excellent hanging out and chatting and playing with the kittens. Did I mention the kittens? There are two, they are nine months old and totally adorable. A moth came in, and watching them chase it was both hilarious and adorable. They didn't catch it, but they're still half looking for it to come back. I can tell.

Tomorrow we head off to Cape Cod, another place I've never been. We're taking the ferry to Provincetown (yay boats!) and spending the night at an inn. I won't be bringing the laptop, so I'll bid you all adieu for the next couple of days. Adieu!

Stupid recession, messing with everything I love. First it was books. Now, it's chocolate:

The Hershey Co. said Tuesday it plans to close Scharffen Berger's West Berkeley manufacturing plant as well as the San Francisco factory that makes Joseph Schmidt chocolates and consolidate production at other facilities.

They say they won't stop making it, and they're still committed to high quality, and blah blah blah, but I don't buy it. And I loved the little Scharffen Berger factory. The tour was fascinating, one of my must-visit recommendations for people coming to the Bay Area. I wonder if they'll close the little store in the Ferry Building, and if the chocolate will still be any good.

Of course, we all knew that Hershey's would be the downfall of Scharffen Berger and Schmidt eventually. But it seems particularly bastardly for them to take advantage of the recession as cover. Boo.

And so another November draws to a close. I did manage to blog every day, but I didn't feel terribly inspired by it most of the time. Probably because I got so mired down in the election during the first half of the month and work stress in the second half. I'm a little disappointed that I didn't get more fic written, although there are three WIPs that should appear sooner rather than later. I hope.

I have managed a nice lazy holiday weekend, which was good. Grocery shopping, the Ferry Building for lunch yesterday, and we've cooked every night -- although tonight we're just heating up some pre-made ribs, but I did make cornbread from scratch, and it smells yummy. Lots of reading, some good spacing out on TV; we caught Star Wars on TV on Friday (you are never going to get me to call it A New Hope), and The Empire Strikes Back is buffering up now. I always forget just how much I love those movies. I always meant to snap up the non-special edition trilogy when it came out on DVD, but I never got around to it. I should check and see if they're still available.

So that was my four-day weekend. I hope you all had a great one as well -- safe travel to all who have not yet returned home!

Back in January, SE and I placed a bet on the outcome of the presidential election. Not because we wanted different outcomes -- far from it! -- but because she felt that the American people were not yet ready to elect a president who wasn't a white man. I accepted her wager: if McCain was elected, I would owe her a bottle of wine (to share, because we would be needing it!); if not, she would take me to tea.

So today, I collected: we had a very posh tea at the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose. I've had high tea at the Fairmont in San Francisco, but never San Jose, so it was a new venue for all of us. Good quality tea, tasty scones with lots of Devon cream, very very fancy tea sandwiches (the ham with fig was my favorite), and a selection of little French pastries, all while seated in cozy couches in the lobby of the hotel. Very nice, although the atmosphere would have been better if football hadn't been playing on a huge TV screen over the bar. Overall a nice little escape and celebration, followed by a trip to the used bookstore and its semi-annual 25% off sale and then some Chinese food for dinner.

My to-read pile is really out of control. I thought I was being nice and moderate by getting only 6 books, but then I also borrowed a volume of manga from SE ("Black Jack" by Tezuka), and then I got home and saw how many books I still have to read from my big Amazon haul a couple months ago, and once again I am despairing of ever catching up. I also really need to get some of my older books sold -- I have an overflowing box in the bedroom, and another bag hiding in a cupboard (it used to be in the bedroom, by the box, until Lexi decided one day that 5:30 AM would be an excellent time to start pouncing on it). Of course, once I get rid of those books, what will happen? That's right, I'm going to turn them into more books. And so the cycle continues.