Barley Tea

It is called "Mugicha" in Japan, "Boricha" in Korea, it is simply roasted barley tea and it's one of the most wonderful things to have on cold dreary days like today.

It is caffeine-free. My google search also tells me that it is a very nutritious cooling drink that helps bring down fever; useful for those suffering from bronchitis and asthma; may help improve blood sugar level; help in reducing bad cholesterol levels; help facilitate proper digestion; may help in cleansing the body of toxins and is believed to be good in relieving early symptoms of colds.

A scoop of roasted barley in a 2-liter pitcher of hot water. Let it steep for about an hour (I like to make it before I go to bed and let it steep overnight), reheat (although it is also wonderful cold in the summers), add a bit of honey or sugar to sweeten it and ... ahhh -- all is right in the world.

Say what?

I got a baked potato bag for Christmas with the following instructions:

Wash and dry potatoes [about the potato].

Wrap potatoes in a paper towel [about the potato].

DO NOT PIERCE SKIN! [about the potato]

Place potatoes in bag and the microwave [about the potato], as usual, according to manufacturer's directions until done. [According to manufacturer of what? The potato? "God, please direct me as to this potato."]

They laughed at me when I asked aloud, but I think something was lost in the instructions ...

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Christmas Fun 2010

Gingerbread houses at the Grand America Hotel:

(This one made me smile -- cookie kids making snow angels ... too cute!)


Lights at Temple Square:





Merry Christmas!
Mele Kalikimaka!
Selamat Hari Natal!

Childhood Cartoon Characters

Making the rounds on facebook this past week was a request to change profile pictures to a cartoon character from your childhood, with the goal of increasing awareness in the fight against child abuse. I changed mine to the earliest cartoon character I can recall, Bobo, the blue bunny with green hair from a children's magazine I grew up reading in Indonesia.

Imagine my surprise yesterday when I saw a facebook friend's posting saying that she had heard that the people who had started this campaign are actually a group of pedophiles (which claim isn't supported in any way -- even by the article she posted on her page). Another friend, Dave, posted a comment in response to this that hit the nail right on the head, "If your kids are accepting friend requests from strangers just because they have cartoon profile pics, then you've got some teaching to do." AMEN! Some people are just total buzz killers.

In the mean time, I am really enjoying the stroll down memory lane and seeing the different cartoon characters from the 70's and 80's.

Lost in Transcription

What I said:

"Hi, this is Inge. I can't come to the phone right now. Please leave me a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Thank you!

What Google Voice transcribed:

Hi. This is a man can't come to the phone right now. Please give me a message and I'll get back to you since I can. Thank you.

 Well, it's good for a laugh and the service is overall great ... so far ...

I'm gonna eat you!

Went to Myung Ga with a few friends tonight for dinner.Had some yellow croakers with my seafood tofu pot and all the kimchi and Korean sides. Yum!

You're next!

Chilies

 

Chillies in a flower arrangement ... How cool is that?  I love Roots!

Incredible

Yes, I caved ... I got a smart phone.  It all started with my boss, Steve, who was perfectly happy with his non-smart phone, but was very unhappy with AT&T and their refusal to give him a corporate discount.  Long story short, Verizon offered him an awesome deal on a Droid II and 18% off his monthly bill.  He had so much fun showing off how smart his phone is that half the firm downtown switched over and upgraded their phones and bailed on their previous providers ... including me.

Although, I had to pay an early termination fee to AT&T of about $100, it was worth it.  Aside from being my phone, my Droid Incredible will be replacing my PDA that died a couple of years ago, my GPS that I've not updated maps since 2007, my digital camera that is really bulky, and the mp3 player that I was planning on buying for Christmas/birthday. Have I sufficiently talked myself into the upgrade? I must say, my Droid Incredible is pretty incredible.

Oh yeah, I'll also be paying about $20 less a month with Verizon than what I was paying for AT&T for the same service with a better phone (and portable internet -- MiFi) and a few extra perks ...

Who is awesome?

I saw this when I got on the garage elevator this morning. It's very empowering. I feel awesome!

Too Good

A couple of nights ago a male acquaintance came up to me to ask my opinion of a common female acquaintance he had dated a couple of years ago and had started dating again for about a month now. To protect the innocent, I will refer to them as the characters in "Beauty and the Beast", Gaston and Belle. Unfortunately, much like the movie/musical, this story is very much life imitating art. I knew we were off to a bad start when he couldn't remember her last name, but once we figured it out, I told Gaston what I know of Belle and told Gaston that I thought Belle is a beautiful, smart woman with a good head on her shoulders. I asked Gaston how things are going between them and he said, "You know, I'm not sure if it's going to go anywhere ... I've dated prettier girls and with better personality. She just doesn't say much."  OMG! He did not just say that! I don't know why I'm so surprised. Much like Gaston, this man is pretty much in love with himself. He may be handsome, but shallowness and superficiality is the reason why he is still single. I am surprised that Belle is dating him, she  is simply too good for him!

No Cell Phones ... PLEASE!

Yesterday was a special day for our ward. We had three very distinguished visitors at our sacrament meeting: Elder L. Tom Perry (an apostle of the LDS Church), Elder Ringwood (Quorum of the Seventy) and Sister Beck (General Relief Society President). The chapel was just packed!

Normally, whoever is conducting sacrament meeting, would remind the congregation to turn off our cell phones during the meeting, but it wasn't announced yesterday. Go figure!

As the sacrament bread was being passed around, a voice (at normal volume, but sounding so much louder because he's the only one speaking) suddenly arose from the overflow area, "Hello? ... Yeah, I'm in a meeting ... just a second ... let me take this call ..." Annoyed and aghast, I turned around (along with just about the whole congregation) to see a man in jeans climbing over people in his row towards an exit. "Okay, Inge," I thought to myself, "let's not be hasty in judging him. Maybe he's a visitor and doesn't understand that we are to be quiet during sacrament." 

Then a few minutes later AS the water was being blessed ... "Yeah, I'm here ... what's going on?" REALLY??? He came back in AND did not figure out that it was NOT the appropriate place or time to be answering a call? I kept thinking that it must be a gag ... maybe one of the distinguished guests will be addressing the topic of reverence or kindness or judging others ... no such thing ...

I vented on facebook when I got home, "I hope the man who just HAD to answer his phone during sacrament TWICE (on the week we had Elders Perry, Ringwood and Sister Beck visit our ward) is someone who is really important and that he took the calls because someone is bleeding to death if he doesn't answer ..."  I found a comment later on that evening from a male friend who was in church that day, "He's mentally challenged. The ironic thing was in Priesthood, he started to cry and asked if we would say a special blessing for his phone because it was broken. I guess it worked."

OI! Like being 40 and single doesn't have enough negative connotation, do we have to add mental illness to the mix?

DDD: Spin City Green Tour

An impromptu trip to Heber in my rental car, a Prius, inspired this DDD outing with Janeen, Chunhee and Tracie. "Spin" because of the name of the cafe a few friends recommended we check out for linner, "City" because Chunhee kept adding the word when she tried to google it for an address, and "Green" because we were in a hybrid.

The lasagna our friends recommended was not available on the lunch menu, so I went with the next recommendation of the pulled pork sandwich with a side of onion rings ($2.99 extra). While it wasn't bad, I think I'd be happier with the pulled pork sandwich from Pat's BBQ in SLC and onion rings from Crown Burger.

Much like the contraption in the restaurant ... everything at this place is spin.

Not a quaint "hole in the wall" we typically like and the food was okay. Been there, done that, we went to Granny's for their thick milkshake instead of the gelatos they offered at Spin Cafe. Next time, we'll stick to the Hub Cafe at the other end of town ... more of the small town cafe we like with a lot more character and good home cooking at the right price.

We didn't see much color in the mountains on our way to Heber, so we decided to head over to Midway. We passed by a covered bridge and it provided a great place for a photo op.

Tracie, adamant to show her tree hugging side, hugged this dead piece of lumber that is now part of the Legacy Bridge.

 

Looking cool, being green ...

Glaceau Smartwater

The rental car I've got for the week has really small cupholders that doesn't hold my water bottle very well.  So I ran into a store and bought the first slim bottle of water I saw on sale which was the Glaceau brand of Smartwater:

1. I am apparently too dumb to open the bottle as it took me a few minutes;
2. According to the website, it is "water just the way ma nature created it." What in the world did I pay for? Rain water?

In Memoriam: Mary Elen Belnap

One of my mission moms passed away over the weekend. Mary Elen Bennett Belnap was truly a saint! The first time I met her was in Jakarta, Indonesia on the night I arrived from Malaysia sick as a dog. She had me stay at the mission home for a night until my stomach settled a bit. Throughout my mission, she was there to let me vent frustrations in dealing with bossy companions, family issues back home, distracting letters from boyfriends, etc. I am forever grateful for the little treats she would set aside just for me that would alleviate my homesickness for home and all things American.

According to the obituary, she "fought cancer courageously for 25 years. She lived as an amazing example of optimistic resilience. To the very end, she embraced life and loved her association with family and friends who returned that pure love in kind. ... Mary Elen and Dean served three missions, in London, England from 1969-72; Jakarta, Indonesia from 1992-93; and Frankfurt, Germany from 2003-04. ... Kind and childlike - a person without guile, Mary Elen never felt anyone was beneath her. Like Father in Heaven, she was no respecter of persons and treated a beggar on the street with the same dignity she showed Prince Phillip when she met him in London at Buckingham Palace."

Truly, my life is blessed from my association with her. She will be missed and will occupy a place in the many hearts she had touched in her life.

Fender Bender

You know that sick feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when you hear the crunch of metal hitting metal? I got it this afternoon as I was leaving a parking lot and backed into another vehicle. I pulled into my spot again and got out of the car to see a couple coming out out of the car I just hit and checking out the damage. I was so focused on steering away from a child running around at the next parking stall, waiting for his mom to put him in the car, that I didn't pay attention to the vehicle behind me. My car is scratched and I dinged the other car, but no one was hurt.

As we exchanged information and I once again apologized for the incident, a small voice came from the back seat and a little boy said, "It's okay." It took me by surprise, I didn't realize that there was a child in the vehicle since their windows had a dark tint. It made me feel a little better ... until his mom quickly snapped, "No, it's not! It's not okay!" Thanks, anyway, darling boy for making me feel better even if it was just for a second.

I'm reassessing my financial priorities and seeing lots of top ramen, rice and beans and mac n' cheese in my immediate future.  It's not that I don't have the money or insurance to cover this "incident', but I sure hate dipping too much into my savings to make things right ...

Caramel Apples

A few weeks ago, Julie emailed to see if the person listed as the teacher of a caramel apples class at Orson Gygi is my friend, Ludy. It turns out that my dear friend is the teacher of said class. So, when Julie asked if I'd be interested in taking the class with her, I had three great reasons to do it: -- Julie, Ludy and caramel apples! WIN!

Ludy was well prepared with a tray of six beautiful green apples, sticks and written instructions for the dozen students in her class.

I got some aggression out whacking the sticks into the apples ... with some, I had to pound it in.

After showing us how the pros do it, it was our turn ...

Behold, my creations:

Caramel apples with: 1) roasted almonds, 2) crushed Butter Fingers, and 3) Apple pie -- white chocolate, cinnamon and sugar and then a drizzle of white chocolate.

Caramel apples with: 1) dark chocolate and Halloween sprinkles, 2) dark, milk and white chocolate drizzle, and 3) dark chocolate and nuts.

We had a great time creating these delicious treats. Thanks for being such a great teacher, Ludy. Thanks Jules, for suggesting that we take the class.

The best part of making these caramel apples was giving a few away to friends. With about half a dozen birthdays this weekend alone, they make perfect gifts to celebrate some special people.  Their smiles made it all worth getting up early on a Saturday morning and the efforts to make the treats.

Happy birthday, Julie B!

Julie B. was so excited, she cut her apple up right away and admired the colors before wolfing it down.

Happy birthday, Janene!

They say, "An apple a day ..." I hope this will keep the doctors away from Nicole ...

Happy Meal Lunch

Pinky, I just had to steal this from you ... 

I ordered a happy meal for lunch today and told the cashier that I didn't care what kind of toy I got since I planned on giving it away at the first chance I get.  I ended up strawberry shortcake toys for girls ... this sign explains a lot ...

I wonder how many women will start ordering happy meals if they can get boy toys to go with it ... ☺

BBQ with the girls ...

I got together with the girls from my former Enrichment Committee to belatedly celebrate Darcy's birthday at Q4U in West Valley.

A Hello Kitty toothbrush with bubble gum toothpaste. Happy birthday, Darcy!

Oink! Check out the roasted pig! I thought it was a plastic display, but it really was the day's special.

Yup, that's the day's special -- half a pound of pork and it comes with two sides (I opted for the mac and cheese and the baked beans) ... YUM!

As we were leaving the restaurant, the owner asked if we want to see what's left of the roasted pig. I didn't think it'd be hollow. She also let me taste some of the crispy skin ... very tough and cthewy. Apparently, a customer had come in earlier and asked for the head -- he's coming back after closing time to collect it.

Weekend Fun

Kicked off the weekend on Friday with pedicures with Julie and Janeen. I can't remember the last time a man had gave me a pedicure ... and he did a great job. The mint sugar leg and foot scrub/massage was pretty darn good too ... and all this for a reasonable price at the nail salon at the Centerville WalMart. Go figure!

On Saturday, I got together at the Dauds' for a make your own sushi party/potluck.  My camera phone didn't take very good pictures of the food, so I won't include them here, but we had a great time making and eating our creations. I brought stuff to make SPAM musubis and got to borrow this cute musubi lunch bag and SPAM slicer from a co-worker.  I'm so jealous ... I want one of this slicers for myself! I've found it online at an Asian market for $4.99, but shipping and handling was $14.99. Not happening! I'll have to make sure to look for them the next time I'm in California.

Ended the weekend with dinner at the Godfreys. Maja and her son, Ben are in town from Germany. Ben is such a happy boy and is just SO adorable. He chased the dogs around all night and would pat them and say, "hi, hi, hi." A few times, he even got on the floor and looked at them straight in their eyes to say hi. Such a happy boy ... and so friendly. I was getting hugs and kisses left and right from Ben. It was so cute to hear him talk in both English and German. Simply adorable!

Jim prepared dinner and as always it was delish. Grilled fresh zucchini from the garden, with homemade potato salad and grilled chicken ... and pumpkin pie for dessert. I brought some mango juice and it was a hit! A pleasant evening all around with tons of great food and great company. I'm glad I got to see Maja and meet Ben before they leave for Germany.

..The moon out tonight was a bit scary. Because of the fire out in the Herriman area, all the smoke made the moon a scary reddish-orange. I heard back from a friend who owns a home out there and they had evacuated and are okay. I hope their homes are also alright. A great weekend and hoping that the week will turn out just as well ... especially for my friends with homes in Herriman.

Ward Dinner Group

Don't freak out ... yes, I went to a church activity -- a ward dinner group ... or rather, Julie signed me up while I was absent one Sunday and I didn't resist. For tonight's activity, we brought food to the church building and groups were assigned different rooms. So, here are some of the highlights from the conversations in my dinner group tonight:

A: My favorite place is Prague Czech Republic.
B: Is that near Czechcoslovakia?

A: I studied composites in college?
B: Cool, deposits ...

A: I would love to go to Ireland someday ...
B: What do they speak there ... Irish?
A: I think it's English ... with an Irish accent.

A: Guess who else is a carpenter?
B: Ummm, Jesus?

Yeah, I've forgiven Julie, but only because I got a good laugh out of the whole thing and a good excuse to blog about it.