Greens. Everyone loves their greens! Spinach, kale, chard, lettuce, arugula (does that go with lettuces? don’t know), mache, mustard greens, turnip greens, greeeeeeeeens!

I have not been a fan of greens myself. I drench them in dressings, hide them in soups and [...]]]> Had some miscellaneous pix I wanted to post so you’re now getting the unrelated results.

Greens. Everyone loves their greens! Spinach, kale, chard, lettuce, arugula (does that go with lettuces? don’t know), mache, mustard greens, turnip greens, greeeeeeeeens!

I have not been a fan of greens myself. I drench them in dressings, hide them in soups and now pulverize them in smoothies. Actually the smoothies are acceptable to my taste buds. As long as I add sweet fruit and obliterate the heck out of the greens.

Green smoothie trying to fit in

So green smoothies are now a regular part of my diet. At least a couple times a week.

I’m proud of myself.

A little.

Next item:

What the heck are these?

We are friendly!

BUDDHA’S HAND CITRONS! That’s what. Like a cross between a lemon and a squid. Very high cool factor. Mr. PR and I were watching that cooking contest show, Chopped, one night. And a Buddha’s Hand Citron was one of the surprise basket ingredients. And Mr. PR’s eyes almost bugged out.

“What’s that?!!!” “That’s so cool!” “Can I get that?” “I want that!”

Meaning, he wanted to plant one of those in the fruit orchard. Even though it was already too over-planted because he wants one of everything at the exotic fruit trees nurseries all over Southern California. But he hadn’t seen THAT. So we had to find and buy and plant THAT. I have to admit I liked it too. Cute little strange-fruit bush.

I like citrus trees a lot. Evergreen, ever-bearing, fragrant flowers, grows nicely in our area. What’s not to like? And unlike the other pesky fruits, you can store the fruit on the tree and harvest them when YOU want. Not all at once when they are ripe, like stone fruits. And the critters don’t care for them, so you don’t have to mess with bird nets and so on. Very polite, these citrus.

Aaaaaaaaand…

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What’s a miscellaneous post without pictures of the weiner dog?

Here you go:

Look at that Punim

And look at that punim some more:

Nice profile

I could really look at that punim all day long.

But at some point I have to shower and stuff.

Ciao for now!

I chose grilled [...]]]> Chimichurri sauce. I was first introduced to it during a South American-themed cook-along. Participants posted recipes they were interested in, or thought others might be interested in. We could choose among the posted recipes or not. But we had to cook a South American dinner on a chosen night, then post about it.

I chose grilled beef skewers with Chimichurri sauce, some kind of rice dish, and mojito cocktails. I knew right away that I would like the Chimichurri. It had fresh, strong flavors. I have to have strong flavors, I’m half Korean! My husband just rolls his eyes when I bring out the kochu-jang – Korean red pepper paste.

Anyway, while Chimichurri isn’t a hot sauce per se, when I make it I do make it on the spicy side by adding extra onion or some jalapeno pepper. To me, Chimichurri has become a foodie word that encompasses just about any sauce that contains fresh herbs pureed with other stuff to make a vibrant, fragrant condiment. You can make it whatever you want. You can use it to accompany any food you want. Do your thing. You can’t mess it up. You can use the fresh herbs of your choice. Parsley, cilantro, oregano, thyme, mint, basil, etc.

Take your fresh herbs, singly or in combination, and then add the secondary ingredients: onion or garlic or shallots or peppers or any combination of those you like – are you getting the picture yet? Do. What. You. Like. After those aromatic ingredients, you add oil and vinegar. But you don’t want to make an oil emulsion, so just add them both before blending in a blender or food processor. Salt and pepper are the final common ingredients.

My first Chimichurri recipe:

Argentinian Chimichurri Sauce

• 1 cup lightly packed chopped parsley (ideally, flat leaf “Italian” parsley)
• 3 to 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 tsp chili pepper flakes
• 2 T fresh oregano leaves
• 2 T shallot or onion, minced
• 3/4 cup vegetable or olive oil
• 3 T sherry wine vinegar, or red wine vinegar
• 3 T lemon juice

Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree.

And here’s what I made last night for my salmon:

Small food processors suck - get a big one!

• A couple handfuls of cilantro
• Half a medium onion cut into quarters
• Red wine vinegar
• Olive oil
• S&P

Add everything to the food processor and puree. I need a bigger food processor – this little one is sooooo noisy. I have to pulse, pulse, pulse to get things pureed so my eardrums don’t fall out. (Is that possible?)

Pureed and Ready.

Notice the cute mini orchids in the background? I grew those!

I found that making small batches is best. I tend to make things in bulk – I figure I’m doing the work or turning on the grill so I might as well make that huge batch of whatever. And it does turn out okay to have a container of Chimichurri sauce in the fridge. But now I’m trying making small, fresh batches that get eaten in one or two meals. It doesn’t take much time, really.

Try some fresh herb puree with your steak, chicken, fish, eggs, in soups, as a salad dressing. Grok would have loved it. You’ll love it. Make some today!

Listen up, Grasshopper! This ain’t your basement ping pong. Oh, no, my dear. Far from it. You don’t even know what you don’t know. It’s like [...]]]> Ping Pong lessons. Lessons on how to play ping pong. What? Why would anyone need lessons? Can’t you just pick up a paddle and hit the ball? What’s the deal?

Listen up, Grasshopper! This ain’t your basement ping pong. Oh, no, my dear. Far from it. You don’t even know what you don’t know. It’s like that.

But I’m not a sporty girl. I don’t DO sports, never have. When a ball comes flying at me I duck and run for cover. What am I doing here?

Let’s see:

No previous sports experience. CHECK!
Lack of innate ability. CHECK!
Bad eye-hand coordination. CHECK!
Slow reactions. CHECK!
Middle-aged. CHECK!
All-around wimp and pansy. CHECK!

Just the right person to start a new sport!

After buying the ridiculously expensive paddle and rubbers, I embarked on my lessons with the first coach, Mr. Cha, at the Korean ping pong club nearby. Mr. Cha, like all the Korean players at the club, started playing in elementary school in Korea, where he was drilled, drilled, drilled mercilessly by some old-school coaches. And he was prepared to teach me the same way – with endless multiball drills. These are intense sessions where the coach hits balls to the player, one after the other seemingly endlessly. (There is typically a basket of balls next to the coach.)

Multiball is Fun!

The balls are fed to you rapidly until the coach runs out of balls. That’s the cue for you to grab a pick-up stick and fetch all the balls so you can start multiballing again. (I don’t know if multiballing is even a word – probably not.)

Watch this baby, Jamie, in a multiball drill.

Before drills, Mr. Cha had to show me how to hold the paddle properly, how to swing a basic forehand, how to position my feet and how to move my body during the swing. So many pieces of the puzzle just to hit a little celluloid ball.

After I was shown the basic forehand, I learned that I had good form. Good form. Remember that. Good form was the clincher, the drug, the motivator to keep me going with this craziness. “You have good form!” “You look good!” Everyone in the club agreed, “she has good form, wow!” “Looks good!”

Yeah, I think it was an evil conspiracy to lock me in to taking more lessons and getting deeper in the madness. I looked good! I had good form! I was a natural! How could I not continue? Bwa-ha-ha! Bwa-ha-ha-ha!!!

To be continued…

I came across the It Gets Better project last year and I think it’s wonderful. It was started to give hope to Gay and Lesbian youth who feel tormented and bullied by their classmates, so they can make it through that tough time.

Many folks grow up in not-so-great [...]]]>

Is This Your Inner Child?

I came across the It Gets Better project last year and I think it’s wonderful. It was started to give hope to Gay and Lesbian youth who feel tormented and bullied by their classmates, so they can make it through that tough time.

Many folks grow up in not-so-great circumstances. But I had thought that my siblings and I were pretty well-adjusted. I thought everyone was okay – we made it out of the hellish parts unscathed. But now in our 40s and 50s, the proverbial shit is hitting the fan, and it turns out that no, everyone is not okay, and in fact some of us are letting the past get in the way of living right now.

I think I’d made peace with the miserable parts of the past many years ago. I’ve looked at the memories, analyzed them from time to time when necessary, and put them into their place in my mind – the Past. Done. Move on. I thought that everyone else did so too. I think that everyone should do that. I mean, I had a life to live. How do you dwell in the past and live a whole life? You can’t.

I am not saying that you deny the past. Of course not. But look at it – like some ugly object that you carry with you for the rest of your life – then set it aside in a place where you are not looking at it all the time.

I didn’t call my blog “Positively Radical” for no reason. I believe in looking at the bright side, being optimistic. To push forward. To do things. Carpe Diem and all that. You can’t really make progress in life and live a full life being negative.

Childhood and teen-age can be hell for many. There were many scary times for me, many tears, many nights not sleeping, when I thought there was no way out of all this muck. Feeling hopeless.

I had to transition out of all that and it was not easy. But it does get easier and easier until you feel quite normal and ordinary. What is essential is that you live positively. I don’t mean you have to consciously think “be positive,” “be positive” like a mantra or something. What I mean by positive is to move forward – look forward, get yourself out there and live your life energetically.

Do things. Stretch yourself. Cultivate hobbies. Talk to people. Talk to everyone – siblings, co-workers, teachers. Go places. Take care of your physical self too. Do sports. Wake up each day and get out there.

What NOT to do is cocoon yourself into yourself. Once you go down the path of turning inward, dwelling on bad things, not talking, not doing – it’s harder and harder to get out. Because if your mind has only been fed bitterness, anger, hatred, etc., it becomes stunted. Year after year of this bitter diet will kill your spirit. Give your sad or angry inner child a daily hug. You need to give your mind light and feed it for it to thrive. Be kind to your self and fertilize your memories with new experiences and positive behaviors. Then your mind will take care of you. As each year goes by and you’ve done more and more things and met lots of people and exposed yourself to life fully – the past becomes more and more distant and separate in your memory.

Just do it.

It gets better.

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.”

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.”

Shine On You Crazy Diamond

]]> http://positivelyradical.com/2011/10/rest-in-peace-steve-jobs/feed/ 0 http://positivelyradical.com/2011/10/rainy-days-and-california-dogs/ http://positivelyradical.com/2011/10/rainy-days-and-california-dogs/#comments Wed, 05 Oct 2011 23:07:03 +0000 Positively Radical http://positivelyradical.com/?p=231 Ahem. If any of you see the pix below sideways – it’s not you. My iPhone camera has a bug in it.

It’s just a little rainy. Our first rainy day of the season. Southern California rain – not too heavy, no typhoon or anything. But still. Rainy, gray skies, haze, dark house, etc.

Sun deck [...]]]> Ahem. If any of you see the pix below sideways – it’s not you. My iPhone camera has a bug in it.

It’s just a little rainy. Our first rainy day of the season. Southern California rain – not too heavy, no typhoon or anything. But still. Rainy, gray skies, haze, dark house, etc.

Sun deck - SUN deck. Not today though.

We’re very spoiled with our sunshine here. Sun shines most every day. This is why we pay the big bucks to live in this state. That’s why I bought all those deck and patio chairs and plants and stuff.

The outdoor life. Not today though.

The way rain works in California, at least in the twenty-five years I’ve lived here is this – no rainy season for several years. Drought conditions, water conservation warnings, reservoir water levels down 30 feet. Then a veritable deluge, by our standards – a big rainy season. Usually attributed to something like El Nino or La Nina conditions. Those busy scientists – always giving things cute names. Then another cycle of no rain for several years and so on. We had quite a bit of rain last winter after a long dry season as usual. So I don’t know what this year is going to bring.

In Southern California you have a weird wardrobe. People wear shorts and open shoes year round. Even in the rain. People seldom carry umbrellas. They are usually caught unaware, and dart from building to car when it’s rainy, sans umbrella. I have one. Somewhere. Always forget to carry it. Feel awkward with it. Unnatural. Don’t know where to put it. Today I went to Starbucks on the way to the office. No one had an umbrella. Seriously. I know these things.

You know why the rain sucks? My hair. No use drying it nicely now. As soon as I set foot outside it will curl and frizz up. Especially the bangs. I will drench it in Moroccan oil and stick it in a knit cap while I’m out and about. Note to self – Need. More. Cute. Knit. Hats. Stop procrastinating. Get online today and buy. Or hit JC Penney or Sports Chalet – somewhere.

Another note to self – put towel in car trunk for wet dog. And baby wipes. And umbrella!

You know what rain is good for? Washing the car. Yay, my car will get washed off today. See, I’m looking at the bright side.

The ten-day forecast according to my Weather Channel app is sunny. The weekend temps are in the mid-70s. But they didn’t have rain forecast for today as of last week. What’s the point of a forecast if it’s always, well, wrong? It’s that California-style forecast – they spot the rain, then forecast it for right now. Then flip a coin for tomorrow.

If we have a real rainy season I’ll take extra Vitamin D3 and grab sun whenever it comes out or maybe hit a tanning salon a few times. Maybe I’ll buy a decent umbrella, some waterproof boots and actually go outside in the rain and take walks in it. Stretch myself – get out of my comfort zone, yadda-yadda.

Don’t think I’ll be able to enlist the dog for that idea though.

I'm not going anywhere. Go away.

Dachshunds and water don’t mix.

He’s only an inch off the ground people.

And some things hang.

And there’s not much fur on the bottom side.

I can hold it all day long. Really. Leave me alone.

So no walks today.

Then what happens?

Of course…

Play with me I'm bored.

I thought I told you to

Go!

Out-Side!

I'm booooored! Come on!

I’m busy.

Gah!

Now you leave ME alone, jeez…

Grrrr... Grrrrrrrrowrrrrr!

Dangit.

Hobbit Dog always wins.

Stuff did happen.

33 Chilean Miners were rescued on television and the world was transfixed.

Oil spilled for 86 days in the [...]]]> Well, that was fun! I posted a few unrelated articles then dropped this blog for over a year. My, my, I didn’t take myself for a procrastinator! What was I doing? Where has the time gone?

Stuff did happen.

33 Chilean Miners were rescued on television and the world was transfixed.

Oil spilled for 86 days in the Gulf of Mexico and the world was transfixed.

North Korea provoked South Korea again and the world was transfixed.

Me and Mr. PR went Primal (more on that soon).

Oh, and I had visitors.

I like when people want to come to my house and tell me to make sure to bring the dog to the airport. Or they ask me to come over and get all, “where’s the dog?” Thanks guys. I get it.

Lunch Mates

We ate. A lot. I fell off the Primal wagon a few (cough) times. I had to buy rice for the house. I mean, my mom. My nephew. They need rice. They has to haz rice. And Korean food. And Korean sweets. And American pastries. And bread for sandwiches. And we went out to eat a bunch of times. I had a lot of doggy bags. Then there’s my mom. Her eyes are way bigger than her stomach. DoggyBag should be her middle name. Lots of boxes and bags in the fridge.

Buddies

We went here and there. We ate all kinds of food. I had to go up a jeans size. Dang. It’s expensive to buy all new jeans. Even at the outlet mall. I ate a burger at the San Diego Zoo that was called an Angus burger but tasted like sawdust. Can you make hamburgers out of sawdust and call it Angus burger? Evidently you can.

I ordered 40 minutes ago dangit - where's my crepe?!

After the visitors left I threw all the miscellaneous boxes and half-eaten Korean food into the trash. Ugh. Primal re-boot, and with a vengeance. I started boiling bone broth right away. Lifting heavy things. Getting sun. Reclaimed the guest room closet. (That part’s not necessarily Primal). Cleaned the house. Put on the country music.