Munchos

These are my all time favorite chips. Yes, siree bob! Unfortunately, my usual local distributor (Walgreens) has stopped stocking it so I have to find another way to take care of my fix. I even checked out 7-11 but they have stopped carrying it, too!

Oh, my dear little Munchos, where have you gone?? I miss your salty, oily, crunchity goodness...

*cries to the heavens*

Anywho, in searching for a pic of Munchos, I discovered that I am not alone, and that Munchos has quite a fan following! It even has its own Wikipedia entry. Look at those Yahoo! hits! Apparently, they are from the 70's. I knew I loved that decade!! Too bad most of my life during the 70s was spent in Vietnam and a refugee camp in Malaysia where they didn't have Munchos. And, the part that was spent in the US was during a time when chips were a luxury. I remember 3-fish picking me up from school when I was small and walking home with me. She'd buy me a small bag of chips (not Munchos--I didn't discover Munchos until 1995) and I'd have to suck on the chips instead of bite on them (to make them last longer). Oh! Wah Toh used to drive me to school when I was younger in the morning and she'd buy me a single McDonalds hashbrown and I'd nibble on it slowly. Fun times!!

Okay, back to Munchos. So, I didn't have the pleasure of personally meeting Munchos until 1995. I remember the day. I was driving from Cal-Poly, Pomona to North Hollywood to see Mr. Nonny Nu (this was before we got married). It was quite a long drive, nearly 40 miles, so I decided to stop at an Arco AmPm foodmart to get something to chomp on while I drove. I had seen that shiny, orange bag before, but I never bought it because, well, it looked not appetizing. But, I thought I'd just give it a try. So, I bought a bag of Munchos and a bag of BBQ Ruffles as back up. When I wrapped around my lips around that first Muncho, OMG, it was pure food ecstasy. I could feel the salt and oil seeping into my blood stream. Yes, it's that salty and oily. I've been hooked ever since. Did I also eat the Ruffles? Yes, I did, but that's beside the point.

OMG, those bastards at Frito-Lay... I just looked up Munchos on their site and the nearest place that carries them is 42 miles away. Grrrrrrrr...


Hang on. I have to mourn for a moment.

...Hold, please...

Okay. It's okay. I might be able to get them on Amazon!! And, yes, I'm getting the box of 64.

OMG, VH1, really? REALLY??

If you haven't noticed already, I think that Charm School is a pretty neat program. It combines the trashiness of reality TV with self-improvement. The premise is: take a group of trashy girls from previous TV dating shows and try to teach them some manners. The thing that is different about this show compared to most other reality shows is that the winner should have improved themselves more than the other contestants. It's a show about improvement. (So is Celebrity Fit Club, which I also love.)

This season, the headmaster is Sharon Osbourne, who I LOVE LOVE LOVE!! She is the daughter of Ozzy Osbourne's ex-manager, and she actually got into quite an argument with her dad when she fell in love with Ozzy and married him. Her dad naturally stopped managing Ozzy, and Sharon took the reigns. Well, the rest is history. I think of her as a very astute woman who is able to see through "women's wiles." (You know that she has handled a few groupies in her time.) So, when they announced that Sharon Osbourne would be the headmaster, I was head over heels because I thought that these girls wouldn't be able to pull anything over her eyes.

But, the most recent episode has started me wondering. There is a troublemaker on the show by the name of Lacey. She gets into others' personal space, and when they react by pushing her off of them, she accuses them of hitting her. She does this to various people, but her main target is a girl named Dallas. On Rock of Love, Dallas was kicked off the show because she pushed Lacey very hard, causing Lacey to bump her head on a kitchen counter. But, this was only because Lacey was on her like white on rice (see, e.g., photo above). Well, on the most recent episode of Charm School, Lacey pulled the same thing, except she actually splashed a drink on Dallas. Through it all, Dallas kept her cool and did not initiate any physical contact with Lacey.

Unfortunately, Lacey and Dallas were shortly after paired as a team to create a PSA. Dallas was understandably upset, after being recently assaulted and battered by Lacey. It was no wonder that she gave less than 100% to their project. At elimination, Sharon Osbourne completely disregarded all testimony (not just from Dallas) of Lacey's behavior, and instead kicked off Dallas based solely upon her failure to give 100%.

Now, the rules do not require the headmaster to eliminate a contestant based solely upon the contestant's performance on the weekly project, which seems to be what Sharon did. So, I'm now really disappointed that Sharon bought in to Lacey's BS. But, did she? Or, was Lacey kept on for ratings?

(OMG, I can't believe I just blogged about this. But, it's too late now. I wrote the whole thing already and I'm going to post it.)

So, what do you guys think?? I think I'm going to be crushed if Sharon Osbourne gets duped by this chick.

Happy Belated Birthday to Green Thumb McGillicutty!!!!

"Dearest" Green Thumb,

We at Nu, Nu, & Nu, LLP were engulfed in charting work this weekend and I just completely forgot to flip the calendar and missed your birthday. Please accept my "most heart-felt" "apologies!" I am also "very sorry" that you cannot partake in the charting "festivities" since you are on "maternity leave." But, oh, well, maybe next time, right? To make up for my lateness, I have used four exclamation points instead of the usual two in the title of this blog post. Plus, please help yourself to the TWO chart cakes below!

"Love,"
nn

New Commenting Procedures

Whoa! I just noticed that the commenting process has changed since a week ago. They have the textbox right there for you to write in your comment! I've updated the instructions up top accordingly.

Chinese Swan Lake

Wow! You guys have to watch this (courtesy of Mr. and Mrs. 3-Fish! It's the Chinese Circus doing their rendition of Swan Lake. They should have used this chick in the Olympics instead of the infants. I bet it really hurt when she stood on that one guy's skull. I know this because whenever Skillet or Kash stand on me with their little pointy feet, all of their weight is supported on four points and it's like having someone stab you with a dowel. Can you imagine how much pressure she's putting on that guy's head?? Ouch. Of course, only the Chinese would come up with something so artful, incredible, and ridiculous at the same time. Hey, I wonder how it will look if I stand on one toe on the top of your head? Let's try it!

The Joy of Eating Porridge

When you are sick, do you eat chicken noodle soup? If you do, you are most likely not Chinese. Chinese people eat porridge when they are sick. This is our "comfort food." I'm not sure what Western porridge is made of, but Chinese porridge is just rice and water. You simmer one part rice to about five parts water and end up with this:

Tsohk = Porridge = Yum!

It's bland, sure, but that's the beauty of it. Now, porridge can be prepared with all sorts of stuff in it, like beef, seafood (teng tsai, which means "little boat"), roast duck with thousand year old egg*, anything you want! But, when little Chinese children (hereinafter, "Chinettes") are sick, their parents cook "white porridge" (bak tsohk) for them. That's just plain porridge with nothing in it. Okay, they'll add a little salt to give it some flavor. Okay, okay, you beat it out of me. They might add a little bit of ground beef and chopped onions, too. If the Chinettes are good.

Anyhow, that's what I like to eat when I'm sick. But, I like to eat tsohk even when I'm not sick! Surprised? Well, I like to eat bak tsohk when there are good accompaniments to be had. Now, look at what I packed for my lunch tomorrow to go with the bak tsohk that I bought for only $1 today:

Bamboo shoots with chili oil
Gluten with peanuts
咖哩齋鮑魚 trans: Curry Cha'i Pow Yu, a.k.a. Braised Gluten (Seitan Tidbits)**
四川辣腐乳 trans: Szechuan Brand Fermented Bean Curd (chunk) in Dressing with Chili***

But, here's the piece de resistance: Wah Toh's Homemade Fried Silver Fish. I received this in the mail last week, along with two Ding Dong towels. I wanted to open that thing up and eat the whole jar. But, no, I showed some self restraint and made preparations. I visited the newly opened Chinese market**** and bought all that stuff listed above just so that I could have some accompaniments for this little slice of heaven. So, add a humungous apple from 3-fish, and I am all set for tomorrow!


*Okay, if you want the skinny on the thousand year old egg, then read this. Look at how beautiful it is! Yeah, the whites (that have now turned a transparent coffee color) has the texture of Jell-o, and the yolk has a creamy texture and tastes like fermented salt. Don't knock it till you try it.

**Good grief. Isn't that the most useless translation you've ever seen? Here's the real poop: It's fake abalone in curry sauce.

***HAHHAHAHAHAA!!! OMG, okay, whenever I buy this stuff, I only look at the Chinese. I never really looked at the English translation until now, and you know what? I never thought of the liquid inside the jar as a "dressing!" Not sure why, but that is just hilarious to me! I actually had some trouble trying to open that jar (I had to heat the lid and tap it and really add some elbow grease). But, I didn't ask Mr. Nonny Nu to help me open it because he would completely freak out if he saw what it was. Yeah, that's why I thought I'd just keep it to myself. *crinkles nose* *nods*

****Look what you can do with some instant noodles, romaine lettuce, Chinese beef balls, and a microwave at work. I got so many of my childhood favorites!

One Year Later

I love you so much, Sushi. It just breaks my heart to remember all of the wonderful times we had together, and all the times you comforted me when I couldn't rely on anybody. But you were there, and you were always there for me. You are a special kitty, and I don't think I'll ever find a kitty like you.

Oh, noes!

Well, it finally happened, folks. Dolly got a small ding on the driver's door. It wasn't me! Someone did it to her. It's not too bad, though. It's really a very small dent that you can only see if the light strikes her just right and your line of vision has to be almost parallel with the surface of the door to see it. But, still...

Oh, gross!!

Remember when we last talked about restroom stalls? Freelance Midget recently sent me an article about them. It's SOOOOO GROSS!!! Here it is. Apparently, my favorite "near last" stall at the office isn't so great since it's used more often than the first stall. But, that first stall is just too "exposed" for my tastes. I mean, nobody can see me in there, but still. It's the first one! I just can't do it. I just can't!

Is it so wrong?

Okay, folks, I have a confession to make. I have very little experience dancing. In fact, I would categorize myself in the "don't know how to dance" category. Sure, I have my little "moves" that I do around the house, but it's not really something that people should be exposed to. But, ever since I got the Richard Simmons DVDs, I think I've really improved! I am now proficient at the Cha Cha. I can do the stir and the rumble. I am okay at doing the X's. So, here's the question I have for you: Is it so wrong to learn to dance from Richard Simmons?? I think I look pretty good.

So long, Paul.

Sad news, everyone. Paul Newman passed away yesterday. This makes me a very, very sad rabbit. Here is a nice article about his life and career. Here is my favorite photo of him:

Holy Moly!!

When you get in bed and turn out the lights, do your eyes glow red like the numbers on your alarm clock? Do yellow puffs of sulfur seep out of your pores every few seconds like a Glade plug-in? For the women, during the day, do you find that you have to adjust your headband because your horns make headband placement difficult? If you answered yes to any of these questions, boy, do I have the answer for you!

Take a look at what I saw this Sunday when I was getting breakfast! Yes, it is an exorcism van, my friends, cruising the San Francisco Bay Area. I was ready to see The Church Lady unloading her synthesizer from out of the sliding side door. I have kept the photos at 100% their size so that you can see all the messages written in the style of those pastel candy Valentine hearts:

Was ist das?

Over the weekend, I have been doing the Rosetta Stone German lessons. So fun!! But, was ist das?
Why, it's a before and after photo of the teriyaki dove that Cl. Panic gave to me to sample last week. Yum! You know that it's a rare treat when someone gives you something to eat and says, "Watch out for the bb's." When asked how the dove was de-feathered, Cl. Panic drew a diagram of a dove on my whiteboard:
(emphasis added in red). He explained that doves are not so much de-feathered as they are just skinned. There's a "soft spot" on the dove right below the breast. All you have to do is grab it and pull its skin right over its shoulders (like when humans take off a t-shirt--except someone is doing this for you and it's a skin t-shirt). Once the "t-shirt" is removed, everything else seems to go along with it except the wings and the breast. So, what you do is chop one wing off so that you can identify it as a dove when you transport it. These birds are so accommodating! Their bodies are so easily converted into a carry-out version!

Second Careers?

This weekend, I happened upon some surreptitious second careering. What I mean is, I think that some people might be engaged in careers outside of their known ones. For example, as I was shopping for groceries, I came across this:
It appears that our dear old Midge is not only a financial analyst, but also has a second career making and selling "crunchy corn sticks." Not to be outdone, Green Thumbs McGillicutty seems to be capitalizing on her horticulture skills by opening the below establishment:
Should Midge's employer be made aware of this competing area of interest that is taking up so much of Midge's time? ("New studmuffin," my ass...) And, is this the real reason that GTM will be "taking some time off, starting next week??"

9/11

Not sure how to greet everyone on this day. "Happy 9/11" isn't quite appropriate. Anyhow, I am wearing a red, white, and blue outfit today, as is customary for me on 9/11. But, here is an interesting and special thing I found for this occasion. As some of you may have already discovered, there is a project called "Post Secret" in which anonymous people send in postcards with their secrets written upon them. Here is the weekly updated site and here are the archives. I was surfing the archives when I found this:

Richard Simmons

I really love this guy. Richard Simmons is so genuine and so caring. He has a show on Sirius on Sundays and I love to drive around town on errands and listen to him call up people and cheer them up. I just ordered "SuperSweatin': Party Off the Pounds" and "SuperTonin': Totally Tonin'" (with the rings, of course). The only thing that is bumming me out is that it will take 2-4 weeks for delivery! I will be sticking with Yoga for Beginners until then.

Here is Richard testifying in front of Congress (can you believe he is 60 years old?). I know that this may come across as a bit over the top to some, but I think it is coming from the heart. And, I think his idea is great.



Here is the link for Richard's Fit Kids Bill. And, here is Richard talking about the bill on David Letterman:

Happy Birthday to My Favorite >o:3 !!

Oh, Mr. Nonny Nu!! You are such a good little bear. You maul and you growl and you flay without disregard, and all because you love the little rabbit. Yes, it's true. You make me laugh 23/6, and who can ask for more? You are the biggest cartoon I ever met. Here's to another 39 years! I hope you like the cake. You mentioned that that was a beautiful cake some time ago.

Happy Birthday, little bear!

Happy Birthday to Wah Toh!

Please join me in wishing Wah Toh a very happy 25th birthday!

I have so many fond memories growing up with Sister #2. She used to pick me up from kindergarten, and then take me to eat fish ball noodle soup:
^^That photo doesn't even do it justice because the FBNS that we got at Uncle Ball's (trust me on this) had fish balls that were sliced and fried before they were added to the soup. SO GOOOOD... I am drooling as I am writing this. Anyhow, Wah Toh took me to eat when our family was at our poorest. But, if you know Wah Toh, you will know that there is always a "food budget," so we would go about once a week. Then, after we ate this, we would go home to eat dinner! HAHAHAHHAHA!!! Isn't that wild?? I was not to say a word about it, but the secret comes out when I don't eat my actual dinner. Teehee...

Wah Toh, I hope you will like the FBNS that I cooked for you (above) as well as the butterfly cookies below.
Happy Birthday!

Is it just me?

You may all already know about the age controversy brewing over in Beijing about the possibility that the Chinese female gymnasts are not quite 16 years old (the age requirement for this year's Olympics). So far, there have only been allegations based upon documents that were not created by the Chinese government. Now, Stryde Hax has found what appear to be official Chinese documents indicating that He Kexin is not 16 years old. The IOC has finally ordered an official investigation into this issue.

But, my beef is not with her age. My beef is with her last name--"He." In reading these articles about He, I find myself re-reading sentences because my first reading misleads me into believing that "He" is used as a pronoun. Halfway through the sentence, I realize that they are talking about "her," so I have to retrace my steps and re-read the sentence again. Is it just me?

Stryde Hax's investigation is definitely quite juicy. He may be stripped of her medals.

SEE??

Should I be concerned?

I received an interesting email this afternoon from Mr. Nonny Nu. Apparently, he has been keeping something from me and finally wanted to come clean. So, I opened the attachment and, after a few moments of surprise and contemplation, I still didn't know what to do. Does anyone have any thoughts or suggestions? How should I respond to his email? Should I be concerned?

Oh, this might help--here's the attachment.

Oh, My Rabbit Eyes...!

I went to the optometrist last Friday, and you know what they told me? I have UV damage on the whites of my rabbit eyes. So, now, I have to wear sunglasses when I'm outside. True to my refugee self, I have purchased a $9.99 UV blocking pair of sunglasses from Target. It's pretty cool. I don't usually wear sunglasses, but I like these rose colored ones. Also, I tested them out on Mr. Nonny Nu and he has approved, which is a rare reaction to a refugee purchase.

Rowing? ROWING???

Geez, Louise. Hours of rowing coverage and yet they only show the last half of the last set of the gold medal match of Badminton?? Cripes. What elitist jackass planned the weekend coverage? We are bored out of our minds on the Olympics right now, but can't turn the channel because track is coming on "any minute now." What a crock.

Nastia Liukin: "Take that, underage bitches!"

Okay, maybe she didn't really say that, but you know she was thinking it. Congratulations to Nastia Liukin, my new go to girl (after Svetlana retired), for winning the All-Around gold medal! I know that Shawn Johnson was the favorite, but I have been cheering for Liukin since the qualifications. The team competition the night before had left a bad taste in my mouth, but I was really glad to see Nastia stick her vault and then kick ass on the uneven bars. Her balance beam and floor exercise routines were the most graceful of all the competitors.

Here is the video of all of her routines.

Yay, Nastia!


P.S. OMG, the Nus are watching track right now and there's a Chinese guy, with glasses on, getting ready to run the race. The conversation is as follows:

NN: "So, is he going to run with glasses on??"
Mr. NN: "Well, he's going to run with Blacks on. That's his real problem."

Sure enough, dude comes in last.

Happy Birthday to sluggy!

Please join me in wishing a very happy birthday to our favorite home improvement-er, sluggy! Never underestimate this limbless, eyeless entity, because she has been known to show up to work with an acid mark on her forehead from acid cleaning her deck. Here's to another 87 years, sluggy!

Crime Wave at the Nu Residence

The economy's downturn has created uncertainty and unrest in the citizenry. The Nu residence has not been immune to this, as we experienced a crime wave in our neighborhood recently. For example, we have noticed suspicious people (one man on a bicycle and another fat lady in a Lexus SUV) sneaking a peek at our neighbor's flowers across the street. Flower thieves? We think so.

Most troubling is the bad influence these degenerates have on the local children. One morning, I discovered that our happy home was burglarized and the criminal later returned to the scene of the crime. In an attempt to curtail further burglaries, the Nus now store their non-can items of interest on top of the fridge, out of the reach of certain individuals.

Finally, the Nus are also taking a proactive approach by profiling--individuals who are known to have a propensity for committing assault and battery are being detained indefinitely (67 at last count).

Happy Birthday, Man from U.N.C.L.E.!!

For the man who bares his soul through a microphone and a karaoke machine, happy birthday to my dear friend, Man from U.N.C.L.E. (I'm going to call you "Chris" for this post, though, because "Man from U.N.C.L.E." couldn't fit on the cake so I had to write "Chris" instead).

Long, long ago, on a message board far, far away, I met Chris and we have pretty much been friends ever since. No, like with ogunsgirl, Chris and I have never actually met, but we are thick as thieves. From what I understand, Chris lets it all out when he walks onto the stage. He simply embodies the music. Don't believe me? Check out the following pics I found of Chris on the Internet... (It was really tough finding these actual photos of Chris since he is from U.N.C.L.E. and we don't really even know his true name.)

Here is Chris doing his rendition of Aretha Franklin's "Natural Woman."

Here is Chris singing the vocals and backup for "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'."

In this photo, Chris (right) sings the harmony for the theme song to 射雕英雄傳 (Legend of the Condor Heroes).

Finally, here's Chris doing Eminem's "Lose Yourself" (I *think* that might be Chris' little brother next to him).

Happy birthday, Man from U.N.C.L.E.!!

Happy Birthday, Skillet Girl!!

Please join me in wishing our favorite grey cloud a very very happy first birthday! I remember that fateful day when I went to the local kitty jail to bail *someone* out. She was a cutie pie from the start--look at that face! She and Kash became quick friends and are now inseparable.

Skillet still feels like she is made of cast iron, but I think that's just the way she is built. She's all muscle! She has always been an active kitty, so it has been difficult to get her to sit still for a good portrait:



Sometimes, though, she has graciously posed for the camera. Lately, her favorite activities have been the removal of the carpeting from the top of her play tube (where she likes to perch and people-watch), and to harrass her "birdie" (the green toy). Skillet likes to play fetch with her birdie. She will "bring back the birdie" if we throw it away from her! When we are busy, however, she will throw the birdie with her little paws and play fetch by herself, too. Either way works for her. Oh, I forgot. Skillet has a third favorite activity--catching bugs and eating them. So, here's a dream cake for our birthday girl:

Happy birthday, little Skillet girl!

Operation Red Paintby Sushi Cat (guest blogger)

Hello, everyone!

This week welcomed another victory for the Feline Revolution. Auntie MonkeyPig was visiting so I took her and Momma to the big bridge in the city that has been painted red in honor of the Feline Revolution. The humans (poor idiots) call this the "Golden Gate Bridge," but of course their eyesight isn't as sharp as the eyesight that felines are blessed with (we kitties are able to distinguish red from gold, for example). As a feline operative, I arrived with the crowning glory for the bridge...Chairman Meow's stamp of approval:


Long live Chairman Meow!

Your comrade,
Sushi Cat

Happy Birthday to Cl. Panic and Kashy Boy!!

Please join in me in wishing Cl. Panic and Kashy Boy a very happy birthday!

July 13 is the happy day, but I am actually posting this on Monday so as not to spoil the surprise of a Beard Papa breakfast feast for Cl. Panic. Unfortunately, the slacker is "out of the office" today (read: too hung over from the previous 48 hours of partying to work). Willy Wonka has also baked cupcakes that will be partook by all sans Cl. Panic. Anyhow, happy second 29th birthday, and here is a photo of some Beard Papa cream puffs that will be joining the banana in my stomach:



On the home front, Kashy Boy enjoyed a quiet first birthday. Can you believe it?? Our little boy is one year old. I can't believe how time has flown. The morning was spent cozying up with Skillet and watching the comings and goings in the backyard. The afternoon was spent stretched out on the foyer rug. But, nighttime was spent frolicking in the new tube toy.

Happy birthday little boy!!

Happy Birthday to Ca Loc!!

I hope you have a wonderful birthday. May your eyes emit laser beams forever! Here is a birthday banana for you (inside joke--Ca Loc once ate an entire bunch of bananas from the family altar back in Vietnam).

Music of the Week: Father and Son (Cat Stevens)

Do you know that song by Cat Stevens called "Father and Son?" I love that song. Of course, I love the lyrics and the melody and the arrangement. But, I LOVE the way Cat Stevens sings the father parts different from the way he sings the son parts. It reminds me so much of the differences between adults and children. The children are always in a rush to get into things, but the adults try to step back, gauge the situation, and mull it over before diving in. What a constant struggle it is between parents and children! The risk averse and the risk takers--both wanting the same thing, just with different approaches. It's too bad that each side feels alone, even though they are probably working toward the same goal. This song just verbalizes this situation for me.



Father
Its not time to make a change,
Just relax, take it easy.
Youre still young, thats your fault,
Theres so much you have to know.
Find a girl, settle down,
If you want you can marry.
Look at me, I am old, but Im happy.

I was once like you are now, and I know that its not easy,
To be calm when youve found something going on.
But take your time, think a lot,
Why, think of everything youve got.
For you will still be here tomorrow, but your dreams may not.

Son
How can I try to explain, when I do he turns away again.
Its always been the same, same old story.
From the moment I could talk I was ordered to listen.
Now theres a way and I know that I have to go away.
I know I have to go.

Father
Its not time to make a change,
Just sit down, take it slowly.
Youre still young, thats your fault,
Theres so much you have to go through.
Find a girl, settle down,
If you want you can marry.
Look at me, I am old, but Im happy.
(son-- away away away, I know I have to
Make this decision alone - no)
Son
All the times that I cried, keeping all the things I knew inside,
Its hard, but its harder to ignore it.
If they were right, Id agree, but its them you know not me.
Now theres a way and I know that I have to go away.
I know I have to go.
(father-- stay stay stay, why must you go and
Make this decision alone? )

The Feline Revolutionby Sushi Cat (guest blogger)

Hello, everyone!

My days of retirement have not been wasted. As you all probably know, we felines always have something cooking. Momma and Daddy have always understood that I have deeply rooted Catmunist ideals. Well, today, I have finally accomplished my first act for The Feline Revolution! Check it out, folks:




Long live Chairman Meow!

Best regards,
Sush

[edit] I have reported to Chairman Meow the following:

Most Benevolent Chairman Meow,

Your wisdom confirms what my inner kitty has been telling me all along. I am happy to report that I have accomplished my first act for the Feline Revolution. I have spread the Revolution to the human-run Netflix headquarters, located at 100 Winchester Cir., Los Gatos, California. I thought that would be the most appropriate location for my first contribution to the Revolution. The humans here are wonderfully enlightened to the superiority of the Feline. Everywhere, there are feline-friendly establishments. We are welcome here.

Yours sincerely,
Sushi Cat

Happy Birthday to ogunsgirl and Sushi!

Join me in wishing happy birthday to ogunsgirl and Sushi!

Did you know that ogunsgirl and Nonny Nu have a lot in common, other than their birthdays? A few common things are: we both previously drove green cars, we both recently had a cat who we LOVED but who became lost or passed away, and we both got two new cats when we really intended only get one! There are other common things that happen to us that would really blow your mind, but they're not really fit for public consumption. I hope that you will like this daisy-encrusted cake that I baked for you, ogunsgirl!



Next is Sushi cat! Honestly, we don't really know when the bestest kitty in the world was born, since she was a stray, but June 22 seems to be a good date. For Sushi, I have selected a lemon jelly donut. She's such a card! I had heard recently, however, that Sushi has been quite busy taking over the world. No joke, people. I believe she has started her own blog under the pen name "Chairman Meow." I have already purchased some CM stickers and will try to stick them on prominent SF landmarks. Mr. Nonny Nu and I have always known that Sushi is a pinko commie. But, she's our favorite pinko commie!! We love you Sush!

Boston (Day 2)

Rise and shine! It's only 5:00am and we are already getting ready to go out the door. Yep, 5:00am EST. Now, what would get us West Coast night owls up at this time of the morning? Only one thing other than food--live reenactment of the Battle of Lexington! The Battle of Lexington is reenacted each year on April 19 to commemorate the April 19, 1775, battle that started the American Revolutionary War. And, it starts on the dot at 6am. We called the Lexington City Hall beforehand and they advised us to arrive by at least 5:30am to find parking. So, we hit the road a little a bit after 5am.

We were a bit worried that we wouldn't know exactly where the reenactment would take place. But, we needn't have worried. We drove into town as the sun was coming up, and we saw herds of people making their way in the same direction to Lexington Green. We parked and joined the throng of people, many of whom were carrying ladders. We figured out what the ladders were for when we got to the green.

The area in which the reenactment would be performed was roped off. It was a path that ran from a street onto the green and through the houses that bordered the green. It was kinda hard to find a good spot to see (since we didn't bring a ladder) but we finally found a pretty good spot right in front of a house. Unbeknownst to us, this turned out to be the center of a key scene in the reenactment. Of course, I failed to video that part.

Several colonists were hanging out in front of the house. All of a sudden, a colonist rode up on horseback and asked for the lieutenant living in the house. The lieutenant was summoned from the house, and the colonist on horseback reported that the British were coming! (Okay, he didn't use those words but that was the gist of what he said.) The lieutenant instructed the surrounding colonists to assemble on the green. A drummer appeared from the side of the house, started drumming, and led the way to a spot farther away on the green and out of our line of vision:


Not long afterward, we heard the drumming of the British and we saw the redcoats come marching down the green. They were even pushing a couple of colonists who had been captured along their route:


The redcoats marched passed us and there wasn't anything we could see anymore, but we could hear gunshots, shouts, and sounds of scuffling. MP and I moved to another location and got a better view of the battle:


What community participation! There were so many people walking with us and who were already there before us. It was really neat to be a part of such a group and you could really feel the energy in the crowd. We had such a blast!

When the Lexington portion of the reenactment was over (there was a similar reenactment in Concord), it was about 7am, a perfect time for Dunkin' Donuts. We got some kwawfee and donuts and drove to Concord. We went to Walden Pond State Reservation and made our way toward Walden Pond. What a wonderful idea, don't you think? Lexington battle, followed by an early breakfast walking along the trails surrounding Walden Pond. Here is the map, but it is unfortunate that *someone* lost the map while we were deep into the woods. Nevertheless, we charged on--we don't call ourselves "Thelma and Louise" for nothing.

Anyhow, let's just focus on what we saw before and after the map disappearance. We found Walden Pond. It was very tranquil and there was someone fishing. Apparently, the tide was still high. Even though it was mid-April, Spring was only just beginning to show up at Walden Pond. There was some vegetation that reminded me of my goal to have hot pot in our hotel room. There was also some moss that I had never seen before. We also saw some ducks who were building a huge nest. Then, MP commented that, only in America would the state run electricity into the middle of a forest so that a small shack could partake in the utility. We also found the site of Henry David Thoreau's cabin where the chimney foundation was marked. Here was the view that Thoreau would have seen from his cabin. When we got back to the parking lot, we saw a replica of Thoreau's cabin (inside), and we took a group photo.

What happened next in Salem can only be described as "uncomfortable." MP felt that all three spots that I had chosen to visit sucked (pirate museum, witch museum with reenactment, and witch museum 2). I will admit that the pirate museum was a dud. However, witch museum with reenactment was great. These people reenacted a portion of the Witch Trials directly from the transcripts, and they really got into it. However, because these two points of non-interest were so dull, according to MP, that we decided not to visit the third, even though we had already paid for it in a combo tour purchase. Now, this is a big deal ("this" = MP not consuming what she has paid for). So, instead, we went to visit Nathaniel Hawthorne's house and also the house upon which he had based his novel, The House of Seven Gables.

MP was unimpressed. We drove to visit a lighthouse of her choosing, but even though we didn't get to see the lighthouse, we saw some falcons for the movie, The Proposal, which was being filmed near the lighthouse at the time. (Those falcons were so cute--they looked like they were wearing pants!) We didn't see any stars, though. MP was so unimpressed with my planning that she made sure to set the agenda for Day 3 before going to bed that night (only she and Hermie talked it over and excluded me).

Vietnamese Chicken Salad

Did you know that Chinese people don't eat salads? Well, by that, I actually mean that salads are not authentic Chinese cuisine. Vietnamese people eat all sorts of salads though, and since my family is half Vietnamese and come from Vietnam, we grew up eating this salad (which I am having for lunch today).

Ingredients:
1 cup cabbage shredded
1/3 cup shredded chicken (just plain chicken, no spices)
1/8 cup onions sliced thinly
10 leaves mint coarsely cut

3 tablespoons water (warm)
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon fish sauce (to taste)
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoon Sambal Oelek ground fresh chili paste (the one with the green plastic cap and rooster)

The ingredients for the dressing are listed in the order in which they should be added. Combine the sugar and water first (the water should be warm so that the sugar will melt easily). Then add the lemon juice and vinegar. You should taste each step to see that it tastes right, but most of you will not know what it's supposed to taste like anyway so I'm really only talking to my sisters, who already know how to make this dish. *sigh*

But, the point is that when you get proficient at this, it's really a dressing that is to your taste, so the amounts won't really matter. In fact, I don't really know if those are the correct amounts or even the amounts I used. I only approximated what I used, so you will have to experiment on this yourself.

Please remember to TOSS THE SALAD, and then lit it sit for about 5-10 minutes before you eat it so that the veggies soak up the flavors.

I was invited to Green Thumb McGillicutty's house for dinner a couple weekends ago and this is what I brought! There was a lot of leftovers, though.

Boston (Day 1)

MonkeyPig and I are each others' favorite sister. It's true. We love to hang out with each other even more than we love to hang out with our other sisters, if that is even imaginable. It has been a while since we went on a road trip, so we went to Boston for a 6 day, 7 night, Thelma and Louise-style extravaganza. I even got a brand new camera. It worked out great!

MP arrived in Boston late Saturday night and I arrived early Sunday morning (around 5am). But, even though MP was only in Boston for a few hours, she had already located Chinatown. Our first stop, in fact, was at a Chinese bakery (since it was so early, that was the only thing that was open. We got a few "Big Baos" (they really were big), and we went on our way back to the hotel for a couple hours of sleep before the festivities began. That's MonkeyPig to the right, refreshed from her beauty sleep.

So, first things first, right? Yes. We went back to Chinatown to get some breakfast. Of course, we wanted to go "yum tsa" (literally, "drink tea" meaning eat dim sum). So we walked around trying to figure out which restaurant to choose. Along the way, we found a Chinese McDonalds and a Dunkin' Donuts (left) and a fresh produce stand (bonus points to anyone who can identify this spiny fruit). Finally, we decided on Empire Garden. It was less than MMD--they couldn't even get the veggies right! Very disappointed.

OH, this might be a good time to introduce "Hermie." Hermie is a GPS device we call Hermie "Hermie" because Hermie is smart like Hermione in the Harry Potter series, but also because Hermie can be both female or male (Hermie has two voice options). MP just LOVES and TRUSTS Hermie. Here they are having a meeting to discuss plans before we head out from the Chinese restaurant.

We decided to take The Freedom Trail, which is a 5 mile long trail through the city of Boston where you can see a bunch of historical landmarks. It was very informative, but I believe a large part of it was due to our guide being awesome. Our guide played the role of James Otis. Yeah, that name didn't ring a bell with me either. Our guide told us all about him, though. Otis was the a lawyer in Boston in the 1700s and advocated that taxation without representation is tyranny.
He was a part of many of the discussions that formed the basis of the Declaration for Independence and Constitution. However, in an unsuccessful assassination attempt, Otis was bludgeoned on the head and he was never the same afterwards. Very unfortunate. But, his ideas and goals remain. So, off we went on the tour (you just follow the red line or the double bricks)...


Boston Commons We started at the Boston Commons, which is a plot of land set aside by Boston long ago for public use. Back in the day, anyone could just start making speeches here and lively debate would ensue.







Boston City Hall
Boston shows support for its home team. Of course, now that we are in the championships, Go Lakers!







Park Street Church
Built in 1809, this church is one of the oldest in the nation.











Historical Cemetary
This cemetary included the graves of many patriots and historical figures, including John Hancock, James Otis, Paul Revere, Mother Goose, Robert Paine, Sam Adams, and the "victims" of the Boston Massacre (more on that later).






North Church
This was the church where the lantern hung indicating that the British were attacking by land ("one of by land, two if by sea"). Also, there is a nice plaque in the sidewalk explaining the historical significance of the church (I was standing next to the plaque when I took the photo to the left). When we got there, there was another tour guide with his group. There was also a display for the current soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.




The Latin School
This was a very old school founded in the 1830s. Here's the front view and a close up of Benjamin Franklin's statue.










The Old Corner Bookstore
This is an old bookstore. The structure was built in 1711, and became a bookstore in 1829. Hawthorne, Longfellow, Stowe, Emerson, and Thoreau was published out of this bookstore.










Old South Meeting House
This is the meeting house where the Boston Tea Party idea was hatched.











Old City Hall
This is the old city hall building. Back in the mid-1900s, Queen Elizabeth came for a visit and stood in the balcony waving to people. At that time, she was presented a check for 33,000 pounds, the tax owed on all the tea that was dumped into the Boston Harbor (no interest). The check was never cashed.








Site of the Boston Massacre
Just across the street (not even, really, this is on a median in the middle of the street) from the old city hall is the site of the Boston Massacre. The Boston Massacre described by the American (or, Colonial) press of the day as being a massacre of 6 children by British soldiers. According to the press, the British soldiers came upon the children and just mowed them down. But, fact is even stranger than fiction. The 6 children were really teenagers who were throwing snowballs laced with rocks and glass at three British soldiers. Soon, a mob of over 300 colonists arrived and were taunting the soldiers with shouts of "shoot, shoot, shoot." The soldiers raised their rifles to defend themselves but did not shoot. Unfortunately, at the same time, a fire had broken out at a nearby homestead and some people in the mob yelled "fire." That's when the soldiers, mistaking the colonists' screams of "fire" for a command from their commanding officer opened fire. The soldiers were later acquitted of murder, but this, of course, was not widely reported.

Paul Revere's House
Just around the corner is Revere Mall (and then the Old North Church). Here's MP serving as a frame. What was neat was that the sun was going down at this time, and we noticed that this area had working gas street lamps.






Old Ironside










Bunker Hill













We ended the tour and said goodbye to our wonderful tour guide. But, we were tired so we rested for a bit in a small park. MP, being the slut that she is, started flirting with some dude there. However, when he mentioned something about being a Starbucks fan and a huge discussion ensued. Eventually, they kissed and made up.

By this time, I almost lost my appetite, but not quite (it takes a lot for me to lose my appetite). So we headed to a Malaysian food restaurant (Layang). This place was AWESOME!