Joanna Swan

new post on This Recordin'

2012-02-11T18:53:00.000-08:00

My hands are too cold to type right now. Where did the inordinately balmy February go, Berkeley?

Pastorals

2012-01-09T18:39:00.000-08:00

Not sure if I've posted this already, but I was really interested in the way Chinese construction was set up to mask any unappetizing area of the city (demolitions, new subway lines, et c). I worked up a series of photos examining this phenomenon, called "Pastorals." Here are a few images:

More photos? Click below.

Goings-on

2011-10-25T19:58:00.000-07:00

"To Do Mon 10/24," the note reads, "finish photo editing; elucidate paintings series; draft Davis Life entry; brainstorm a new post; yoga." Interspersed with pencil doodles and attempts to record my thoughts in a dark car on southbound Highway 101, these myriad engagements appear and reappear throughout what is currently my working journal. Rebuffed for being too bulky, its predecessor sits always in my bag, adding weight and not much else. I'm very busy currently, though it's hard to see why as I'm--for all intents and purposes--unemployed, homeless save for my childhood bedroom, and--it seems--perennially in transit. Nonetheless, I find myself on the Net once more, seeking more busyness.

Here's what I've crossed of my lists so far:

-find an apartment in the East Bay for under $900/month (!)

-finish an article on Kenny G's popularity in China

-devise a recipe for cardamom-walnut lassis (a traditional Indian drink)

-turn my mom's garage into a semi-working studio space

-explore the aesthetic oddities of my aged vetements and also of Dia de los Muertos

make some normal hummus and some BERRY hummus (still savory, just purple)

wine taste with my sweetie at Napa wineries with neoclassical pretensions and excellent limestone-y caves!

An Arcadian Adventure

2011-10-12T17:03:00.000-07:00

Any image search of northern California landscapes, earth, nature, or outdoors-y scenes will yield a myriad of colors and locales but an overarching palette of warm, earthy, sun-weathered expansiveness--a welcome change from Beijing's astronomical assemblages or the monotonal sheen of airports galore.

Now it's October, and the light has changed from sizzling to sun-crisped, the leaves submitting to autumnal breezes and the colors of aging: crimson, mustard-yellow, ochre.

Whenever the clime takes its seasonal turn, I start feeling convivial. Consequently, a few weekends ago I found myself at the Silveyville Pumpkin and Tree Farm, located in Dixon, California--on a quest for pumpkins and Halloween cheer.

While 4 acres of almonds and walnut trees were unfortunately removed to accomodate said pumpkin patch, groups of nut-bearing trees remain, providing shade, dramatic disruption to an otherwise unimpeded horizon, and delicious food, too!

On display are dozens if not hundreds (ok, definitely hundreds) of pumpkins in all shapes and sizes.
The Contenders

While mega-squash rest on their laurels, myriad heirloom varieties also show off their strengths.

A strange and motley cast of scarecrows populates the farm--sartorial choices always successful.

More info on Silveyville Farm can be found on their website, and on Davis Wiki.

Bridges Over Untroubled Water

2011-09-12T17:22:00.000-07:00

Chinese Banquets: fun, filling, completely exhausting.

I've been marinating some photos on my computer for a while now, and thought I'd share. After two weeks in Hangzhou this July (replete with Chinese banquet after banquet, interspersed with bike trips around Hangzhou, Galen and I decided it was time for a change.

We took that Wenzhou train, then hopped on a bus to Taishun, and proceeded to backpack our way around Chinese villages. Galen had done some digging and pulled up fascinating information about old bridges, some of which date back to the late Ming dynasty (17th century). Armed with arduously-copied characters, scribbled maps, and a borrowed tent, we ventured into uncharted territory.

Known as langqiao (廊桥, "corridor bridges") and also fengyuqiao (风雨桥 "wind and rain bridges"), these amazing structures are cared for by locals and remain relatively well-preserved.

We seemed to be the only foreigners in the area, and felt this otherness acutely when village kids followed us and gossipy neighbors gaped at us as we passed--to be fair, though, they may have been gaping at our improvised-trashbag-rain-ponchos, my unorthodox wet-weather shoes (clear plastic jellies) or Galen's mountain-man beard.

It rained a lot at first.

Instead of finding hotels (because there weren't really any), we simply found discreet places and set up camp. One time it was a hill overlooking the road and a bevy of stunning graves embedded in verdant hills; another night we tucked into a small farm's nook.

Galen woke up at 4 am to take this amazing photograph. What a trooper.

In the morning, we began our search for food. The villages had little need for hospitality services, so restaurants were scant. Some grannies were cooking up breakfast for their friends in a makeshift outdoor eating area though, and offered us a hearty serving of rice-y breakfast...blocks...

I don't know how else to describe them, but they were yummy. Hot and spicy sauces were added. Toothless grannies admired our chopstick skills as we scarfed down their culinary creations.

camp set-up

a shrine in Sankui--for some reason I'm reminded of Ingmar Bergman's "Fanny and Alexander"--Uncle Isak's House of Creepy Treasures and all...

We hiked in our own sweat to Santiao Bridge (built in 1843, so a bit younger) and then rewarded ourselves with a swim, where I promptly lost my jelly sandals in the water. Oops.

These two dudes saw us waiting for the unpredictable bus and offered a ride. When we reached "civilization" they absolutely refused compensation for their troubles--then they invited us to come party in the "big city" of Taishun that evening! We respectfully declined, as we had yet to find a camp spot.

This bridge was in Sankui.

If you weren't interested in crossing covered-style, you could traverse these stones instead.

I'm guessing, due to the paucity of fellow travelers, that this region is still rather unknown, but as with many sites in China, it may soon become overrun with tourist busses and bored Beijingers. A lounge on the langqiaos was quite the picturesque way to finish up our voyage in China.

More info on the bridges here.

Life in Taishun County

2011-09-12T17:07:00.000-07:00

Memory Reel in Reverse

2011-09-08T17:35:00.000-07:00

I've been back in les Etats now for 35 days--I think I still have some acclimating to do. Perhaps it's because I've traversed my Golden home state more extensively than I have in quite some time. Perhaps it's because one year feels all sorts of fluid when thinking about the passage of time--suddenly marijuana is virtually legal in California, there are compostable spork sightings outside of the Davis Food Co-Op, Denny's Offers a dubious healthful breakfast alternative dubbed the "Fit Slam"...

Hanger 1, NASA Ames Campus

Perhaps it's because I'm suddenly able to speak my native tongue with strangers on the street and business proprietors alike. I can order a hamburger wrapped in lettuce or non-clandestine-secret-menu "Animal Fries."

I can access Facebook, Youtube, This Blog, and more--without so much as a glance as to whether my VPN was directing my IP address to a locale outside the Great Firewall. I can even get a ticket for not wearing my seatbelt, or driving drunk! (I didn't)

Three cheers for Neoclassical columns!

Mexican food in the Mission

I can also meet awesome people doing awesome things like building websites to combat corruption.
Ch eck it out.

I've never been happier to be back in California, and as I scoot from Mountain View to Napa and Oakland and Davis and then back to SF, I'm reminded of how lucky we are in this here country; shure it's got problems that we should probably be critiquing more thoroughly, and yeah, there are more obese people here still, but--in lieu of trite ending, here's a quote from David Foster Wallace that perhaps transcends my binary banter on arbitrary national boundaries:

"[true freedom] means being conscious and aware enough to choose what you pay attention to and to choose how you construct meaning from experience. Because if you cannot exercise this kind of choice in adult life, you will be totally hosed."

Wenzhou

2011-08-22T20:28:00.000-07:00

This is the Wenzhou Train Station. There's been a lot of buzz around this little city in Zhejiang province recently because of the tragic train accident that happened there last month. 40 died and 192 were injured in China's first high-speed rail crash ever.

It's basically been hushed up by the government, but many netizens insist on continuing a discourse about how the rescue efforts were carried out (not to mention how poorly tested and ill-prepared the bullet train system was).

We zipped past the bridge where the two trains had collided a week before, breaking apart and plunging to the ground below. There was still a lot of wreckage. The bullet trains go about 120 mph, or at least ours did the day we took it--a week after the accident (safest time to travel!). It wasn't full by any account, and ticket sales have definitely declined post-tragedy.

Al Jazeera has a fabulous and comprehensive piece revealing how much the government controlled media coverage of the accident. I remember watching the news as the accident leaked to television; notwithstanding the complete terror and total panic obviously rippling through the scene, I was so impressed by the organized and compassionate local villagers who rushed to the scene and did whatever they could.

Bevies of Banquets

2011-08-12T15:03:00.000-07:00

Chinese hospitality is premier in the world. Seriously. I've never wanted for anything but a second stomach when entertained by our Chinese friends.

Here are some shots from various banquets and luncheons in Hangzhou and surrounds.

spicy fish soup with sprouts and sichuan peppercorns

this was snake

futuresnaxxx

typical

barnacles n' octopus

just a lot of crayfish

not a banquet, just good vegetarian recovery food

Hangzhou Hangin'

2011-08-10T15:33:00.000-07:00

"The lovely Spring breeze has come

Back to the Lake of the West.

The Spring waters are so clear and

Green they might be freshly painted.

The clouds of perfume are sweeter

Than can be imagined. In the

Gentle East wind the petals

Fall like grains of rice."

—Ouyang Xiu (1007–1072), excerpts from Spring Day on West Lake

"In Heaven There is Paradise . On Earth, Suzhou and Hangzhou"

--Marco Polo

Galen and I stayed for three weeks in Hangzhou, using it as our last jumping-off point for seeing other cities in Zhejiang province. All in all, we visited Ningbo, Chenghua, Fuyang, Taizhou (Huangyan), Wenzhou, and Taishun county. We also found ourselves invited to Dachen Island for two lovely days of seafood luxury. A friend of a friend who happens to be not only a Party official, but also a manufacturer of Jesus figurines and other tchotchkes, hosted us in his Taizhou neighborhood and then boated us all off to Dachen, a beautiful island with secluded fishing villages and vestigial KMT bunkers.

new friends

fishy business

KTV--a sufficiently loud, smoky, and giddy entertainment option

There are too many experiences to recount in one blog post alone--suffice to say that the end of our trip was perhaps the best time we could have asked for.

cicadas fill the air with their scrapey sounds

Yes We Can

Looking Across the Pacific

2011-08-06T00:46:00.000-07:00

Back on Terra Firma, as of August 3, resting on the fabulously refreshing beach of Playa del Ray with my cousins and their beautiful new daughter.

What a place this America is! I've missed it quite a bit, and yet I find I have so many more stories and adventures from my trip!

my hiking kung-fu shoes are all worn out now

I Want to Be a Young Pioneer

2011-07-11T20:11:00.000-07:00

Overachieving Chinese Boy Looks Like Party Boss, Ridiculed

Bye-Bye Beijing

2011-07-10T18:30:00.000-07:00

We had a good time bedizening our apartment (and ourselves) with the many arabesques of the Orient.

A Festive Anniversary

2011-07-09T19:28:00.000-07:00

Tiananmen Square on June 30th (courtesy of The Atlantic)

July 1st was CPC Founding Day.

For the past two months or so, television shows and ads, billboards, and banners have been rejoicing the NINETY years of the Communist Party of China. Many TV shows and movies have been banned or temporarily postponed to make room for lofty nationalist themes that showcase the Party's formation, solidarity, and history.

a TV Mao Zedong in the popular series Hong Se Lao Yan, "The Red Cradle"

Over 100 famous Chinese/Hong Kong actors "volunteered," for example, to star in 建党伟业 (jian dang wei ye) or "The Beginning of the Great Revival" (trailer here). We saw it in our local Beijing cinema (for, I should note, a MUCH cheaper ticket price than any other movie I've seen here) and most reactions from the audience were those of amusement and surprise at the celebrities appearing in roles as Chiang Kai-Shek, (a very alluring) Mao Ze Dong, Zhou Enlai and the Empress Cixi.

As the New York Times notes in a particularly astute article, "Great Revival" is sort of necessarily popular (my friend Zhang, who teaches at a film school, says his students all received free passes); I think Transformers and maybe Kung Fu Panda were even put on the back burner so theaters could show the film instead (it's mandatory to screen in all cinema).

The East is Red! (thanks Atlantic)

In conclusion, here is a nice 3D animated video celebrating some historic moments of Communist China's history. The song is entitled "Without the Communist Party, There Would Be No New China" (没有共产党就没有新中国). It's pretty great.

A Discerning Eye

2011-07-09T19:26:00.000-07:00

This pup was hanging out in the Caochangdi neighborhood of Beijing, an area teeming with galleries and artist studios.

This pup was 40 kuai at Nanhu Market (she's not mine).

2011-06-21T04:47:00.000-07:00

In 1985, 1.4 million tourists came to the Middle Kingdom, perhaps curious to see how Deng Xiaoping's Beijing Spring was moving forward, or how red the East actually was.

Deng Xiaoping in ten gallon hat:

In 2007, there were 54.7 million tourists here, buying Mao's little book as a gag gift, queueing as at Disneyland to see the Last Emperor's throne room and conjugal bed, and also to see if there really was a Starbucks in the Forbidden City (there isn't, anymore). 54.7 million people isn't negligible by any means, but certainly does stand dwarfed by the incredible vastness of this country. As I planned my year-long stay in Beijing, I'd look at maps on Google and imagine bicycle routes--"i'll get to the middle of the city down this street" and "oh good, the galleries are only a few blocks away!"--the naivete of "a few blocks" in Beijing sounds painfully quaint now. A Swedish friend who studies trends in China lamented the Sisyphean task of ever producing some semblance of a "big idea", as exhorted by English teachers past, from the innumerable voices on micro-blogs and comment forums. Our wits softened from sips of warm 3-kuai Yanjing, we'd have long-winded and tangential conversations about the colossal country, unfathomable like a headcount of all the stars in the universe or all the digits of Pi.

Many of Mom's piano students' parents are Chinese intellectuals, inventors, and teachers who escaped during the Cultural Revolution. I remember eating at the No. 1 Buffet in Sacramento with the Yeung family, inhaling shrimp and plucking up courage to try a chicken foot as Ms. Yeung recounted the public shaming and subsequent internment of her grandmother as punishment for a bourgeois life and factory ownership in Shanghai. I think a lot of people left during that time. Now, families take wholly Chinese tours of "Big Plazas, Big Windmills, Big Gorges," they "Visit the New and Yearn for the Past in Eastern Europe," "or, like New Yorker columnist Evan Osnos, they opt for the "Classical European" experience. For those wishing to visit this country of superlatives, every year has a different domestic tourism theme. This year it's "Traveling in China and Appreciating Its Culture."

I arrived in China on a day when the country forgot to put on its meteorological makeup when answering the door. The Beijing Capital International Airport is engineered in such a way that, upon leaving customs, one remains "inside" but is suddenly confronted with the atmospheric conditions of the Great Outdoors. With a spring of apprehension and anticipation in my step, I tripped into the humid oppressiveness that characterizes Beijing in August. Bleak, crazy-bad smog (or fog) blanketed the landscape, though thoroughly manicured bushes and well-watered flowers remained visible through wide pane windows. Huddled in the back of a Jeep sans seatbelts, we raced towards town.

Beijing's air on any given day

Frameworks, impressions, and, by extension, appearances are everything; so said some wise man, PR whiz, or perhaps Donald Trump (though a recent Pizzagate may leave some doubt as to the Donald's all-American sanctimonies). Beijing does its damnedest to keep every stitch in place and even when the exclamations of rock drills, paving breakers, and air compressors fill the air incessantly and inescapably, the city succeeds with surprising frequency.

someday, it will look like this behind here

I went to see The Beginning of the Great Revival, or 建党伟业(Jiàn dǎng wěiyè), a blockbuster financed by the state and released in conjunction with the Communist Party of China's 90th anniversary. I entered the theatre as I have the Duomo, Taj Mahal, or Yonhegong Lama Temple: moving lithely and solemnly, painfully aware of my Otherness, making absurd attempts to seem smaller and quieter so as not to upset the balance of the hallowed ground. Behave Yourself being the theme of the night, I reminded myself that many Chinese revere Mao and his party's accomplishments; laughing, revealing my debaucherous imbibed state, or making myself obvious as the sore-thumb foreigner would be ugly at best. Happily, the distractions came not from my murmurs of confusion or the rustling of my wasabi cracker bag, but from the dozens and dozens of cameos in the film. Handfuls of famous actors worked gratis on the film, drawing media attention and large crowds. Each time "Zhou Enlai" or "Yuan Shikai" (aka Chow Yun-Fat) appeared onscreen, excitement and amused chortling could be heard throughout the solely Chinese audience. Though perhaps failing to draw revolutionary fervor from its Generation X, China's handlers manage to further the image of a country united, put together, and in line with historical roots.

Mao: poet, student, stud

now state-mandated in a Chinese theatre near you!

Morning calisthenics--sometimes there is dancing

Not that there isn't a steady seepage of well sought-after Western goods. In fact, if homesickness found remedy in popular culture's libations, my experience in China may have differed dramatically from the one I currently live. With an upbringing in strictly classical music (that's pre-Stockhausen) rivaling that of David Helfgott, I arrived late to the MTV party and, first (clandestinely obtained) Daft Punk cassette aside, I held piddling emotional attachment to the Let's-Dance-Baby-Baby-Baby-Ooh-Poker-Face-Beat-It radio compendium. Still, when I first heard my small Chinese pupil exclaim "Oh, my Lady Gaga!" I was pretty impressed--mainly because his ability express himself in complete English sentences was, as we sanguinely told expectant parents, "making great progress."

Wang Yuping's incisive paintings at the Central Academy of Fine Art

I am also surrounded by a shiny skeletal framework of vaguely-familiar pop culture. Teaching the Vegetables and Fruits unit to my ESL kids was nearly always made facile by their prior acquaintance with the game Plants vs. Zombies (usually played via iPad, a toy most kids in the upper echelons of Chinese social class seem to have these days). Is this iPhone 4? was a question repeated asked of me by nearly all of my students, as well as a few parents; what could I do but nod ashamedly and admit that in fact, 'twas but a lowly iPod touch...from last year. I don't even know the difference between iPhones 3, 4 and 5. Am I simply démodée when it comes to technology? Is my knowledge of pop culture frumpy and unsexy, like the look my mother gets on her face when I try to watch America's Next Top Model in her living room? From their excellent mimes and quotes (albeit in Chinese), I'd assume that my old Beijing friends, whilst blind-drunk on baijiu, even know more of Ānuòdé shī wǎ xīn gé, maid-diddling ex-governor of my home state, than I.

experts in the art of chuan'r and Arnold impressions

Hearing "Telephone" thrice daily at the local gym, Burger King and MANGO does little for homesickness, though the usually worst bouts are merely manifest as a desire for vegetarian food without clandestine pork bits, or the ability to see more than a few blocks through the smog. China is often portrayed as Iron Curtain 2.0 by foreign press--and it surely is a challenge to enter this country as anything but hapless tourist (I find myself here under most fallacious title of Food and Beverage Consultant due to visa hindrances). There are many things I miss: being understood sans wild gesticulation; potable water; being able to jog outside; a vista revealing more than skyscrapers, construction, and tawny dull skies. But as Seven of Nine in Star Trek: Voyager said in nearly every episode of Season 4, "I will adapt." I did so far faster than I think I expected, transforming from blubbering dupe with weird hair into something resembling a Chinese citizen. I can down baijiu with a "ganbei," I can take public transportation with my nifty bus card, I can navigate sweet, sweet deals on the Chinese eBay; I've even gone the TCM route.

fitting in is hard work

Reasons for Gua Sha: my internal heat was way too high and my yin was in deficiency

Of course, no matter how many propaganda movies I attend, foot massages I receive, or Chinese cabbages I eat, I will always be the selfsame Westerner--at once conspicuous and external and not-really-super-relevant in the scheme of all things Progress. Which is fine for me, really On occasion I am perturbed by the water waste, destruction of historic homes, and Beijing's treatment of migrant workers; I am, however, conveniently situated on the 16th floor of my apartment building. I can't vote or stroll. I am also a wai guo. The last thing I'd want to do is upset my hosts.

Ikea: massively massive and massively popular

after the party: Chinese New Year detritus

wise words from the mountain

Beijing Spring

2011-06-21T04:43:00.000-07:00

Deng Xiaoping in ten gallon hat:

Chuan'r You Full Yet?

2011-06-12T02:41:00.000-07:00

Excuse the poor pun. I've been replete with them lately.
We were invited to the hutong home of Yang Jie and Sun Wei, the hard-working and oft-underappreciated drivers for our ESL school. Sun quit recently because they hadn't increased his pay in his 4-year tenure; Yang Jie picks us up every day, usually with a big smile. She knows some words in English: "See You Tomorrow!", "Cigarette", "Teacher", and "Thank You."

We brought some special liquor-y stuff that's popular here: Moutai baijiu. We also brought empty stomachs and providently so, as the two assiduous cooks (and Yangjie's brother, wife, and baby) had prepared a feast of epic proportions. I am consistently amazed at the generosity and hospitality of Chinese households. In a two-room living space with a pit toilet and essentially open-air kitchen the size of Dilbert's cubicle, kilos of meat, piles of sesame cucumber, bowls of edamame and fresh cherry tomatoes, and fresh garden greens were procured in a seemingly endless stream of deliciousness. Then there was Chuan'r. It's set up in the same fashion as American BBQ kebobs or Thai satay, tender meats impaled upon a stick and roasted over coals 'til smokey, savory, and succulent. If you find yourself awake and driving through Beijing at 2 am, you'll see rollicking impromptu chuan'r parties on otherwise empty corners and sidewalks--usually consisting of taxi drivers in it for the long haul, late-night amorous couples, and old neighbors. The Muslim minority groups living in Beijing make it best, I think.

Beef, Lamb, and Chicken: my herbivoric undoing (I came for the cucumber and instead took a liking to chicken hearts--traditional Chinese thought says they make you smarter!!)

The seasonings for chuan'r: cumin, pepper, garlic, soy paste

Driver Sun mixin' it up

Driver Sun fanning the flames

he's most definitely got the plumpest baby-jowels in Peking

Yang Jie's nephew: now featured on Lucky Baby of the Month

The skewers kept coming. And coming. "No more," we groaned, and took another round. This principle also applies to beer, and cigarettes, of which there seemed to be an endless supply. Our hosts were most compelling.

Thailand IV

2011-06-10T02:30:00.000-07:00

Chinese Temple
Phuket Town, Thailand

cantankerous cat
Bangkok

bungalow maintenance
Koh Yao Noi, Thailand

Gawker

2011-06-10T00:00:00.000-07:00

Mini-mart
Phuket Town, Thailand

Thaime to Eat

2011-05-22T21:08:00.000-07:00

Som Tam (spicy papaya salad)
Green papaya is used and combined with such savory delights as shredded carrot and shrimp and peanuts.

Backpacker b-fast

Catfish-on-a-stick (pla duk dam)

Rice noodles with chicken, egg, and garlic oil (and chili peppers)

Thai coffee--it's a spectacle

So many beers, so little APV

This banana dessert shop in Phuket Town, Thailand sells dozens upon dozens of desserts...all with your favorite potassium-rich treat in the lead role. These are chocolate banana donuts. They were ooeey gooeey decadence.

Rainy Day Beach

2011-05-22T21:03:00.000-07:00

Koh Yao Noi, Thailand

A Thomas Keller Meal

2011-05-21T18:40:00.000-07:00

Galen and I made some Pan-Roasted Scallops with Morel Mushrooms and Asparagus Purée, Beurre Monté, and fresh salad from Thomas Keller's French Laundry cookbook. So many 'spensive ingredients, and so delicious!

The Post's Up

2011-04-29T04:56:00.000-07:00

You can read my newest post on Printeresting.org here. It's fun! It's exciting! It's "street art" in China!

Getting Back

2011-04-27T03:44:00.000-07:00

Friends,
I do apologize for the lag. Not only has work been most arduous, but the internet has been mighty unreliable. I feel like I've missed a lot back home: Easter's passed with nary a dyed egg in sight, a BFF curated an art show (of her grandfather's work), a bunch of my friends are all about to get those lovely pieces of paper with calligraphied names and seals of approval, other friends are playing shows in San Francisco and singing senior recitals...and the fucking irises are blooming in my garden without me! Quelle dommage.

Anyway. It's been whirlwind-y at best here, sandstorm-y at worst. Work has really become an energy drain, and although I love my students (for the most part...), the job itself isn't always so pleasant.

Luckily for us, Thailand still glimmers sweetly in the memory.

Bodhi Tree

the spires of the Grand Palace in Bangkok--a most splendid sight to see.

inside: a bone of Siddartha Gautama, at Wat Phra Kaew

EYE CANDY MOSAIC

The height of delicious Bangkok street food--"hoy tort" or "hoi tod," a scramble of scallions, egg, batter, and fresh succulent oysters or mussels. Do I sound like Gollum? Tasty fishhh.

bridge over the river Kwai (pronounced like "whey"), Kanchanaburi.

We stayed at Bamboo House on the river in Kanchanaburi. Like, our bedroom was a boat. Our neighbor was an inconspicuous German who seemed to be watching vintage war dramas on a portable TV, and fishing. We suspected a ne'er-do-well. I didn't snap any good pictures of our nap-raft, unfortunately.

Bangkok monastary

Galen and I returned from Thailand with wind in our sails and a (slight) tan to boot--minimal due to the excessive downpours on the coastal South that resulted in flooding and evacuation. O

n Koh Yao Noi (a tiny island) at the time of the storms, we were able to catch the one boat still running back to higher ground, Phuket Town.

harbor near Phuket Town

We managed to have quite a nice time there!

Monsoon'd merrymaking on the porch

Blocked

2011-03-15T23:45:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,
I want to write about all the awesome things that have been happening in life recently, but apparently the Chinese government is holding a big conference of Communists at the moment and have effectively blocked or slowed down much of the internet. Gmail rarely loads, and when it does, it's often hard to reply to or send messages. My apologies for any tardiness, then, in responding to you.
more info here.

In other news, Japan is proving to be not so much of a concern here; it's just really, really sad. Some people felt a bit of an aftershock in Beijing, but I didn't. We'll see if any of that fallout comes west. I think most of it's being blown out to sea for the time being.
Anyway, thoughts to you all. Galen and I are flying to Bangkok this Saturday--hopefully when I return, the internet will have been reinstated to some degree.
xo,
Joanna

Don't be Alarmed...

2011-03-09T22:13:00.000-08:00

...it's just Gua Sha

During Galen's parents' visit, we took his mom, Adrienne, to get foot massages post-Great Wall trekkin'. Well, the master of the house informed me that I had wayyy too much heat, or yin, in my body. I needed gua sha. And the good gentleman just happened to know where I could get it. The same darn place!

So, curious as I am, I ventured back next weekend (with Galen in role of supporter/bemused onlooker/back-massage receiver).
The gua sha felt quite nice. Someone rubbed my back with a piece of bone or wood, and afterwards I felt quite relaxed, loose, and balanced. I don't know much about Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), but I do know I had a great time getting gua sha!

Homemade granola...been getting fat on delicious DIY treats!

Also, I'm working on another post for Printeresting on the pasted, stenciled walls of China. Coming soon!

Chillin' with the Hat Krew atop the Great Wall, prior to foot-massage mania.

Hou Hai's Melting

2011-03-08T19:50:00.000-08:00

...and someone's ready for a dip.

Chun Jie Kuai Le - Chinese New Year in Full Force

2011-02-15T02:50:00.000-08:00

We're still in the throes of Chinese New Year--it's 15 days long which is simultaneously wonderful and tiring. Wonderful, because of the fireworks. Tiring, because of the fireworks. New Year's Eve, the 2nd of February, was a raucous affair. Galen's mom and dad were visiting, and everywhere we walked, there were pops and booms and cracks and sometimes-too-much-like-gunshots. I can sufficiently say that day-in and day-out of mortar fire would be quite the tension-builder. People light fireworks off during the day too (the traditional myth holds that the man-eating Nian monster, which comes out of its lair once a year (guess when!) to eat humans of all ages and sects, is frightened of loud noise--he also is partial to jiao zi ).

I'm the nian y'all

Here is a video taken from our 16th-floor apartment. These are set off by kidz n' dads, not The Municipal Fire Department/Bomb Squad of Wherever.

Like, seriously. You can buy crates of explosives (worth up to 1,000 kuai!) and annoy your jittery neighbors for hours.

We descended to the streets shortly before midnight, and havoc reigned. Like, happy holiday havoc, though.

Let's get some more

It was absolutely ridiculous--businessmen lighting fireworks with their cigarettes and getting their hair singed, red shreds of firework wrappers and empty cartridges everywhere. Some kids lit off this long string of exceedingly loud explosives which, as best I can explain it, crawl across the ground emitting brilliant white light and ear-splitting bangs. Then a bush caught on fire. Calmly enough, the nearby apartment gate-guard swooped in with a fire extinguisher while others stampled on the flames with sneakers. No problem folks!

All trash "mysteriously" disappears by 8 am

morning after

Did I mention that this all occurs all over the city, on boulevards and in front of shops? Everyone is relatively down with the bombardments!

It's exciting!!! New Year's Eve at the Olympic grounds

The Eve was one of the best experiences I've had here, and simply bolsters my belief that the Chinese people are, by and large, some of the kindest, warmest, and welcoming folks around.

(a belief further bolstered by a Valentine's Day snafu involving a trip to the hypermarché Auchan, an invaluable journal slipping between the cracks of a shopping cart, and tearful treading of the store for an hour in a fruitless search. I never thought a knock-off Moleskine from Border's would hold so much sentimental value, but its place in my life as a record of the banal and extraordinary, a place to register last night's dreams, and an all-around brain dump/mood board rendered me rather shaky after its loss.

Luckily, today, Galen insisted that we make a trip back to check up on any news. At the checkout counter, the one employee who spoke rather good English told us, after seeking answers out of his way, "it's there!" Reunited with my beloved ratty black diary, I am uber grateful and appreciative of the attitude everyone at that huge, Wal-Mart-y store possessed when I asked for help in shitty Mandarin. I was led by employees, given phone numbers, and looked upon with concern as I bit my lip to stop the tears of a child who's lost her favorite My Little Pony or whatever.

China so far has been great. As the ultimate groovy gurus Lennon and McCartney once put it--"it's getting better all the time."

blam

Animal Kingdom

2011-02-09T19:24:00.000-08:00

Jain Bird Hospital; Chandni Chowk, Delhi

Ghandi Chowk, Jaisalmer

sleepin' pup; Pahar Ganj, New Delhi

beggin' pup; Gadi Sagar Lake, Jaisalmer

THIS IS NOT OK; Mr. Hog eating out of a shrine, Gadi Sagar Lake

eatin' trash, Jodhpur

Piglet and goat; somewhere between Jodhpur and Udaipur

Taj Mahal Mutt

Taj Mahal Monkey

Xin Nian Kuai Le - Happy New Year

2011-02-09T19:20:00.000-08:00

I've never seen anything like this.

On Delhi, and beyond

2011-01-25T01:51:00.000-08:00

"You could not see the new city from the old one. In the new city, a race of pink conquerors had built palaces in pink stone; but the houses in the narrow lanes of the old city leaned over, jostled, shuffled, blocked each other's view of the roseate edifices of power."
Salman Rushdie; Midnight's Children

The pollution in Delhi was impressive, albeit diluted with that notorious fog. As Rushdie notes, the city is divided into its many manifestations: Old Delhi, New Delhi, Chandni Chowk, Connaught Place...each area is so unique and unto itself.

From my journal:

Paharganj was also full of Western backpackers in Ali Baba pants and North Face fleeces, seeking essential oils and enlightenment and stuff.

Indian food makes me feel like royalty. The melange of sweet and savory, creamy and piquant, crunchy and velvety--and the colors!

We spent a shifty freezing-cold Sleeper Class 18 hour rickety sleep aboard Indian Rail. I met Pragya, a ten-year-old from Jodhpur who charmed me so that I let her draw all over my sketchbook. We also were placed in a berth with a rotating cast of about 12 men who spent a good 2 hours or so singing Hindu devotional songs (we were thrilled, although less so as the itinerant tambourinist, clappers, and bell-ringers continued tirelessly for the greater part of the evening). I'll try and post an audio clip when I'm able to upload it.

This blog entry is a bit like Robert Towers' comparison of the "World-Mountain" in Hinduism to the afore-mentioned author's attempts to squeeze all of India and three-plus generations of character development into Midnight's Children.

"What came to me is the image of one of those astonishing Indian temples—at Khajuraho, say—that symbolize the “World-Mountain” of Hindu mythology. Whether shaped like an upended cucumber or a pyramid with excrescences, the form of such a temple is often obscured (for Western eyes) by the extravagance of its sculptured surface. The riot of gods and goddesses, hooded cobras, flying nymphs, multi-headed demons, garlanded bulls, elephants, monkeys, and copulating couples point to an aesthetic that, like the religion underlying it, is based upon a principle of maximum inclusion. Beside such a teeming world-mountain, even the most intricately arabesqued mosque appears nearly as chaste and symmetrical as the Parthenon."

So, apologies for squeezing in as much as possible into this first proper post on India. As mentioned, a birds n' beasts entry is soon to follow.

Ganesh guards many a-door.

We saw many incredible Mughal forts, palaces of Maharajas, sparkling lakes, and tranquil green gardened areas that it became difficult to discern the precise trajectory of our trip after the fact. Everything's glommed together in a curry of reminiscence. The Curry of Reminiscence. Sounds vaguely epic.

exploring havelis and temples inside the Jaisalmer Fort...a living majesty rising from rock and slowly eroding from its many residents and water over-usage.

Our final stop before our Delhi-Beijing return--Agra:

Stunning inlaid flowers covered the Taj Mahal.

Encore En Chine

2011-01-14T22:15:00.000-08:00

First of all,

to everyone who wished me a Happy Birthday or a New Years Greeting or a Merry Holiday Time,

MERCI! XIE XIE!

I feel ancient at 22, but rejuvenated by a new year and a new way to go about life.

That being said, both Christmas, and my birth date were celebrated in most unorthodox ways.

Christmas Galen and I spent aboard Air China flight 947, bound for Delhi but diverted to Ahmedabad thanks to some nasty thick fog (which apparently caused quite the impediment for all of Delhi flights, trains, and even cars). We sat, patiently, in our seats, rising intermittently for the excellent beverage service offered by our hospitable stewards (free wine! and tea!)--from 10 pm 'til 12 noon the next day. We couldn't leave the plane due to security issues, so we made do as best we could. We got into Delhi at 3 pm, December 26th!

A BK Christmas Feast chez Beijing International

New Years Eve was spent in a wholly different manner. Finding ourselves in Jodhpur after an overnight train (if you can call it that--11 pm to 5 am!) from Jaisalmer, we were hospitably hastened into a cozy room by the staff of Durag Niwas Guest House--and dozed the day away. After waking, we sojourned into the clogged and noisy alleys of Jodhpur's main market, Sadar--near an old clock tower. There we bargained for intricate wall hangings, sipped on saffron lassis, and perused a lovely selection of used books. But the Eve of New Years found us entirely exhausted, and I, recovering from a bout of upset belly, was laboring to finish my naan. Around 9:30 pm we were already in bed, suffering the bass-tastic sounds of a nearby club. Apparently the youth of Jodhpur had a bangin' time! So did we, in our own way--enjoying chunks of Galen's mom's delicious homemade fudge and reveling in our newly purchased, extremely goofy/comfortable ali baba pants.

India is an animal kingdom

Sadly, both of us (Galen especially) are still reeling from a stomach bug contracted on the tail end of our trip, so I'll write a more reasonable/informational post as soon as possible.

India: December 25th - January 8th

2010-12-24T04:08:00.000-08:00

Dear China,

C u January.

Love,

Off the Air

2010-11-21T01:27:00.000-08:00

Hey friends,
Sorry for the long hiatus! Work has been chillingly busy, interspersed with two weeks or so of a strange cold-like illness that may have been exacerbated by such weather as...

This.

7:15 am, Beijing. Mornin', sunshine!

The myriad coal plants around Beijing lie dormant until November 15th, when China's official central heating system fires up. On that date, we not only felt warm floors and sizzling radiators for the first time this ~~fall~~ winter, but also a strange burning in our throat and a multitude of mucous articulated with what is known as a "Beijing cough"--ubiquitous and enthusiastic hawking of snot-matter that is generously spit upon nearly every floor or sidewalk.

According to the Global Times (a Chinese news source), Fall's "heavy fog" is causin' some traffic problems.

I guess the weird thing is that while London fog has an AQI of 15, this lovely Beijing fog has regularly constituted something above 450 since last Monday...

huh.

U.S. Embassy's Beijing Air Quality Twitter report recently:

the air is "crazy bad".

Luckily, today, the winds began after days of stalemate and have probably blown all those coal-particles seaward to Japan and the Pacific coastal states. Enjoy that fog!

Ghosts, Green Teacakes and Glass Noodles

2010-10-09T19:12:00.000-07:00

Dongzhimen Inner Street, or Dongzhimen Nei, is a wending web of foodie delights--it's known to tourists as "Food Street". While row upon row of "Beijing Restaurant" and "Peking Duck" is nonetheless enticing, I was especially taken by the decorative red lanterns.

Reminiscent of Spirited Away, the film by Hayao Miyazaki...

Befittingly, Dongzhimen Nei is often mis-translated as "Ghost Street" due to similar and confusing tones.

We stopped into a lavishly decorated corner restaurant and ordered strange, bean-paste-filled, sweet-sesame green tea cakes. Fantastic and fried.

Glassy noodles with bok choy and plenty of chopped green onion.

We'll return at night sometime and perchance meet a lingering phantom or two...

Cardamom and Comrades

2010-10-07T16:41:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, Galen and I hosted a teeny tiny soiree chez nous.

photo credit: Galen (also pictured, Galen in sketch form)

Initially, we'd thought one of our favorite homemade dishes, sushi, would be on the menu.

(Incidentally, I'm working on this little poster)

But after some consideration, we digressed. Indian food, though available at the more luxe of levels (at least to Frugals like myself), isn't exactly sprinkled among the street food vendors' Korean kebabs, Beijing breakfasts, and towering melon slices-on-a-stick. Galen and I determined to make up the steamiest, spiciest, yellowest Indian dishes possible.

The freshest, from our favorite Nanhu Market.

A highly enjoyable Fruit Tracking Shot.

We needed spiced goods for our veggie delights. We bussed down to the shiny capitalismecca of Sanlitun, renowned for its bar street(s), Apple Store, and surplus of tourists. Lesser known is its Qi Yuan Indian Grocery, a hole-in-the-wall run by Chinese but stocked to the brim with imported spices from India (also, fresh, thick, unsweetened yogurt--a most difficult treat to find in a city that likes its yogurt sugary and drinkable).

(upper left) Apple chutney, the bane of sweet tooth purists
(right) Apple Pear Tart-in-a-Skillet, browned and drizzled with cardamom-caramel syrup

A homecooked apple chutney benefits from cardamom, cinnamon, clove upon clove of garlic, tablespoons of fresh grated ginger, and a bit of black pepper.

The makings of a fabulous Chana Masala--the delectable vegetarian recipe from Galen's mom.

A small sampling of our sup

right-ahhhh

What Indian spice-a-thon is complete without the soothing side dollop of Cucumber Raita? Fresh yogurt, cumin and mustard seed, and a bit of grated carrot ensure a pristine palate, ready for upcoming turmeric treats.

Minimal tart remainder=a successful kitchen improvisation. Recipe in development.

Bye friends!

Entertaining

2010-10-03T20:53:00.000-07:00

"Shape" -- the Central Academy of Fine Arts Faculty Exhibition

2010-09-30T11:15:00.000-07:00

This entry is now published on Printeresting.org!

IKEA Beijing

2010-09-29T20:01:00.000-07:00

We went primarily for the meatballs.

The nearing-the-absurd work ethic in China never ceases to amaze me.

In Other News...

2010-09-29T03:16:00.000-07:00

a Mr. Frederic Chopin has quite the cache of filmography credits on IMDB...

Hollywood <3's le Romantisme!

Architecture, and first burrito attempt

2010-09-20T19:08:00.000-07:00

"Everything can happen. Everything is possible and probable. Time and space do not exist. On a flimsy framework of reality, the imagination spins, weaving new patterns."
-August Strindberg, A Dream Play; quoted in Ingmar Bergman's "Fanny and Alexander"

The days have changed here in Beijing, from startlingly sunny smog to drippy, mysterious harbingers of fall. Rain does something to the atmosphere of a place, and its calming effect--coupled with the excited preparations for tomorrow's Mid-Autumn Festival--is highly enjoyable. For some reason, I am reminded of childhood Halloween excursions to Pud Wudgie's Pumpkin Patch; perhaps it's because every other person on the street clutches a colorful gift bag filled with moon cakes (the traditional food of the Mid-Autumn Fest, shared amongst family, friends or coworkers). Hooray for the full moon!

If the weather can create such richly differing "patterns of reality", so too can the architecture within Beijing alone accomplish just that.
Consider:

The cold, Moscowesque post-War stoicism of the Beijing Exhibition Center.

Constructed in 1954, glorified leaders stand tall as statues and each turret on the Exhibition Hall's fence holds a hammer and sickle.

The la-la-land luxury of Empress Dowager Cixi's Summer Palace, once simply known as the Garden of Clear Ripples (too modest)

If you can muster a climb up Longevity Hill, you'll stumble into the Sea of Wisdom temple, built entirely without beams or supports, and covered with these tile Buddhas--headless or not, they are quite beautiful.

Or, what about the perpetually day-lit streets, punctuated with "KTV" signs, yam vendors, and street sweepers?

Adventures and new patterns continue to pop up.

Finally, our first attempt at a burrito proved delicious and disorderly.

[Neater] Our first faux pas was confusing black beans with black-hulled soybeans--still delicious!

[Messier] For lack of guacamole, sour cream, or salsa, I whipped up a sesame-style dressing with chopped cilantro, lots of minced garlic, black pepper, and fresh onion.

Galen's thoughts? Somewhere on the geographical split between Gyros and Burritos. Not bad for a first try!

Good Things

2010-09-15T19:53:00.000-07:00

Fried rice (chǎo fàn), for 5 yuan (about 60 cents), is a good thing.

Cucumber (huáng guā) vines from telephone poles are also good.

While our days of defining Thursday as the weekend's pseudo-preamble are long gone, it's becoming clear that weekends that begin late are none the worse for it. Sunday afternoon saw a trip to a group of burgeoning art galleries one bus stop from home and a home-cooked Indian dinner with Galen's Norwegian friend Havard in south Chaoyang district. Monday took us on a sun-splashed adventure to the ever-popular Summer Palace, on the western edge of Beijing.

golden hour

The bus stop nearest to the Jiuchang International Art Zone is in the middle of the desert, or at least so it feels. Willows line the roads and the occasional motorbike sputters past. Cicadas trill exuberantly.

Also known as the "Liquor Factory", Jiuchang's spacious collection of galleries and studios was quiet when we arrived on Sunday afternoon, though small groups of conspicuously well-dressed individuals strolled past us (eyeing our tank-tops and dirty Keds a bit, methinks).

porcelain battleships among the lotus

Jiuchang was, for the most part, eerily quiet. Doors to galleries were closed, but the where we did pop our heads in, we were welcomed quite warmly. We even found a couple of students playing ping pong in a spacious old warehouse filled with Mac workstations and giant canvases.

The structure of the original liquor factory seems to have been mostly preserved, with rusty vats, winding alleys, and overgrown trees and vines twining around sculptures and smokestacks alike.

hostilitea abounds

On the way back to the ~~dust~~ bus stop we turned down an alley and managed to get about three kilos of pulverized dirt into our hair, clothes, and shoes.

Il Deserto Rosso

please do not disturb the dust

Morning Routine

2010-09-07T20:08:00.000-07:00

Now that things are settling down here in Beijing (if you can call a 6-day workweek punctuated with ridiculous and wonderful wending around the city via squeaky bus and speedy subway "settled") I thought I'd share some highlights of our morning.

1) le Thé vert et le Petit Déjeuner

notice the mondo-grapes

For a taste of home, I snuck along a homemade pancake mix. We add an egg, some honey, banana slices, and enjoy a food both scarce and delicious. Sunflower seeds, flax, and ground oats lend a bit more complex flavor than good ol' Bisquick white flour! I remember enjoying these from-scratch delights on Saturday mornings with Mom. Morning cooking can be a great way to start the day out with a pop!

2) l'Ecole

There's a school no more than 50 meters from our apartment building. Every morning the kiddies assemble dutifully on their blacktop and recite various chants. Today we were lucky enough to witness a hair-raising tug of war contest as well.

calisthenics

3) Tuesday Treasures

Every Tuesday morning is Grocery Morning. Galen and I catch the 446 or the 657 bus near home and ride it down to Nanhu Nanlu, a street with one of the finest markets I've ever set eyes on. It's set outdoors and in, and if you can stomach several aisles of live fish, snails, turtles, and various crustaceans (~~pet store~~) and several aisles of meaty treats of all cut and creature, you're presented with the freshest vegetables (and fruits!) in all varieties and delights: greens, yams, lotus root, garlic, dill, peppers of myriad heat and color, 10 kinds of mushroom, and much more. We spend about 80 yuan a month on as much food as we can carry; that's about 10 or 15 USD!

Pre-lunch

Yesterday we ducked into one food stall that doubles as a lunch spot--I'll be profiling this lovely little business next week, so stay tuned!

the Working Day

2010-09-02T22:09:00.000-07:00

Hey folks,
So until I get a camera and a method of accessing Blogger.com, this little spot will lie neglected for a while more. Just a little "I'm still here" post.

Here's my weekly schedule:
Tues-Friday work 1:45-8:30 pm
Sat, Sun work 8:30-4:30 pm

Just happened upon a new set of galleries in Beijing about a half mile from our house--in an old liquor factory no less! Expeditions to follow.

Beijing Bonjour

2010-08-21T22:32:00.000-07:00

(Dusts off blog)
"Hello, crumpeted.blogspot.com! So sorry about the neglect! Want to take on blog responsibilities once more?"

This place has served in the past as a food blog, a silly blog, and a blog about my travels/adventures as a nanny in Italy. Now it's a China blog.

when you hear a statement about China's pollution being worse than anything in the United States (even LA during the 70s), or about its cities' great swarms of crowds, or about its often surprisingly cheap…everything, you may pass these off as hyperboles. You oughtn't to!

Galen and I arrived in Beijing a week and three days ago, after 30-something hours of transit--from a night spent in LAX to a few hours in Vancouver International to the final leg of our journey: the thirteen hours of movie-watching, napping, and pseudo-Chinese-food Air Canada meals.

Arrival day proved busy in itself. We got in at 3 pm, and were immediately struck with the brown humidity that is Beijing. We're lucky because the school we're working as tutors for has a sort of "take care of your teachers and they'll take care of you" ethic, thus they had a driver (his name is Sun, and he's quite awesome though very much not an English aficionado) and a helpful hand (Ruby, who's assistant to our boss and speaks English fluently) waiting at the gate for us! The drive is long from Beijing Airport to our neighborhood and was even longer because of insufferable traffic. Sun took some "shortcuts" which involved both driving in what looked suspiciously like a non-lane of the freeway, but also involved taking us through the backstreets, most of which are in complete overhaul: demolished shacks, workers sleeping under bridges, mysterious fenced-in buildings, rusty bikes chained to poles, and a lot of dirt.

We reached our apartment in Wangjing, which is on the outskirts of Beijing proper, near the 4th Ring Road. It's a primarily Korean neighborhood which accounts for the myriad Korean BBQ joints--there's one a block away we visited for our first Chinese dinner. Among other things (read: three bowls of kim chi and a little pile of tiny dried fish that Galen politely avoided) I had this, which was weird, but also surprisingly delicious! Acorn Jell-O!

We were glad for Ruby because apartment-finagling is apparently quite a process in China. Our landlord arrived with (presumably) his wife, and three or four young men who proceeded to write out pages upon pages of documents in impeccable Chinese characters. A few other girls showed up a few minutes later, at least one of whom we found out also works at the Learning Center, our school. After many a minute, our landlord promised he would be back to fix our non-functioning gas stovetop, and then everyone piled out.

the view from our 16th-floor apartment

Our apartment is…well, it was quite a project. It's a work in progress--we started with a pretty serious roach quotient (the little guys mostly, but still rather annoying), dusty dirt on the floors, and a shower that shares close quarters and the same floorspace with our toilet and sink. Several trips to the Carrefour (a looming Target-type store) for home/cleaning supplies later, and we commenced our Roach Final Solution (this involved at least 20 of those little roach motels that attract the buggers in to dine on delicious poison, then slowly kill them), Operation Mop the Floors, and If In Doubt Always Wear Your Shower Sandals (the cheap little plastic things everyone in China seems to own).

So far we have gotten a fair bit of travel in:
Tiananmen Square (though we're waiting for tourist season to subside before we hit up the Forbidden City/Palace…did you know that it's the largest public open space in the world?)
Wangfujing--a crazy street with shopping galore, a huge bookstore we browsed in for a while, and a tourist-focused market selling, among other things, live scorpions as snaxx.
Hou Hai Lake--a few stops north of the Forbidden City, this lake was full of swimmers, a wind surfer, and some beautiful wooden boats. There are a bunch of restaurants and bars lakeside, as well as a temple or two with beautiful architecture. We had a beer by the lake and watched the willows get tossed around by a cool wind.
Nanhu Market (thanks Adrienne for the suggestion!)--a mile or two south of our apartment, this market is HUMONGOUS. There are several winding alleys with shacks selling everything from live animals to fabric to plants to toys, and then there is an indoor food market. I would be remiss if I said this was anything less than overpowering to all the senses: live octopus, snails, turtles, fish, and squid; barrels full of red powders and spices; eggs of every shape, color and size; pickled things; and baskets overflowing with fresh vegetables and fruits of every kind.
Dongjiao Market (to get from the subway to this market, we took one of these little mini-taxi-bicycle-scooter contraptions, the shiny metal ones in which one sits backwards. So much fun! We got our kitchen supplies here, including a fatty butcher knife for under 40 RMB (which equals about five USD).
Sanlitun District--this is not exactly our scene, but it's where all the embassies are, hence all the foreigners, hence streets lined with bars and clubs, the Adidas, Esprit, Comme des Garcons, and Apple stores, and a billion other opportunities to spend money. Still, an interesting spot to visit on our Saturday night (which, due to Saturday work, is actually our "Friday night"). We went to Luga's Mexican Restaurant (Mexican!!!) and had our first taste of home in a while. It was heavenly.

Today we made pancakes with the mix I gave Galen for his birthday--"a taste of home" (part II)--and are taking it easy. The sky is blue for the first time since it poured all day yesterday, and then windy'd everything clear overnight. Yay wind, blow all the air pollution to Japan and America! Ha ha, ha…

More updates to follow. Blogger is blocked here (thx Great FireWall of China), so it may prove difficult, but we shall prevail. Right now I'm using this gadget that allows me to create posts in Gmail rather than having to go to blogger.com (an impossibility in China, as I mentioned). Galen has been taking some superb pictures as well but Google's photo hosting seems to be blocked too. We'll just have to be creative in finding ways around this strange and slightly surreal issue of censorship. In the mean time, we're off to enjoy the temporarily clean air! Hoorah!

-J

(PS: when I say "tourist", unless otherwise noted, I don't mean Westerner. In fact the majority of tourists we've seen have been Chinese, except perhaps in Sanlitun.)

Beijing Bonjour

2010-08-21T22:29:00.000-07:00

(Dusts off blog)
"Hello, crumpeted.blogspot.com! So sorry about the neglect! Want to take on blog responsibilities once more?"

This place has served in the past as a food blog, a silly blog, and a blog about my travels/adventures as a nanny in Italy. Now it's a China blog.

when you hear a statement about China's pollution being worse than anything in the United States (even LA during the 70s), or about its cities' great swarms of crowds, or about its often surprisingly cheap…everything, you may pass these off as hyperboles. You oughtn't to!

Galen and I arrived in Beijing a week and three days ago, after 30-something hours of transit--from a night spent in LAX to a few hours in Vancouver International to the final leg of our journey: the thirteen hours of movie-watching, napping, and pseudo-Chinese-food Air Canada meals.

Arrival day proved busy in itself. We got in at 3 pm, and were immediately struck with the brown humidity that is Beijing. We're lucky because the school we're working as tutors for has a sort of "take care of your teachers and they'll take care of you" ethic, thus they had a driver (his name is Sun, and he's quite awesome though very much not an English aficionado) and a helpful hand (Ruby, who's assistant to our boss and speaks English fluently) waiting at the gate for us! The drive is long from Beijing Airport to our neighborhood and was even longer because of insufferable traffic. Sun took some "shortcuts" which involved both driving in what looked suspiciously like a non-lane of the freeway, but also involved taking us through the backstreets, most of which are in complete overhaul: demolished shacks, workers sleeping under bridges, mysterious fenced-in buildings, rusty bikes chained to poles, and a lot of dirt.

We reached our apartment in Wangjing, which is on the outskirts of Beijing proper, near the 4th Ring Road. It's a primarily Korean neighborhood which accounts for the myriad Korean BBQ joints--there's one a block away we visited for our first Chinese dinner. Among other things (read: three bowls of kim chi and a little pile of tiny dried fish that Galen politely avoided) I had this, which was weird, but also surprisingly delicious! Acorn Jell-O!

We were glad for Ruby because apartment-finagling is apparently quite a process in China. Our landlord arrived with (presumably) his wife, and three or four young men who proceeded to write out pages upon pages of documents in impeccable Chinese characters. A few other girls showed up a few minutes later, at least one of whom we found out also works at the Learning Center, our school. After many a minute, our landlord promised he would be back to fix our non-functioning gas stovetop, and then everyone piled out.

the view from our 16th-floor apartment

Our apartment is…well, it was quite a project. It's a work in progress--we started with a pretty serious roach quotient (the little guys mostly, but still rather annoying), dusty dirt on the floors, and a shower that shares close quarters and the same floorspace with our toilet and sink. Several trips to the Carrefour (a looming Target-type store) for home/cleaning supplies later, and we commenced our Roach Final Solution (this involved at least 20 of those little roach motels that attract the buggers in to dine on delicious poison, then slowly kill them), Operation Mop the Floors, and If In Doubt Always Wear Your Shower Sandals (the cheap little plastic things everyone in China seems to own).

So far we have gotten a fair bit of travel in:
Tiananmen Square (though we're waiting for tourist season to subside before we hit up the Forbidden City/Palace…did you know that it's the largest public open space in the world?)
Wangfujing--a crazy street with shopping galore, a huge bookstore we browsed in for a while, and a tourist-focused market selling, among other things, live scorpions as snaxx.
Hou Hai Lake--a few stops north of the Forbidden City, this lake was full of swimmers, a wind surfer, and some beautiful wooden boats. There are a bunch of restaurants and bars lakeside, as well as a temple or two with beautiful architecture. We had a beer by the lake and watched the willows get tossed around by a cool wind.
Nanhu Market (thanks Adrienne for the suggestion!)--a mile or two south of our apartment, this market is HUMONGOUS. There are several winding alleys with shacks selling everything from live animals to fabric to plants to toys, and then there is an indoor food market. I would be remiss if I said this was anything less than overpowering to all the senses: live octopus, snails, turtles, fish, and squid; barrels full of red powders and spices; eggs of every shape, color and size; pickled things; and baskets overflowing with fresh vegetables and fruits of every kind.
Dongjiao Market (to get from the subway to this market, we took one of these little mini-taxi-bicycle-scooter contraptions, the shiny metal ones in which one sits backwards. So much fun! We got our kitchen supplies here, including a fatty butcher knife for under 40 RMB (which equals about five USD).
Sanlitun District--this is not exactly our scene, but it's where all the embassies are, hence all the foreigners, hence streets lined with bars and clubs, the Adidas, Esprit, Comme des Garcons, and Apple stores, and a billion other opportunities to spend money. Still, an interesting spot to visit on our Saturday night (which, due to Saturday work, is actually our "Friday night"). We went to Luga's Mexican Restaurant (Mexican!!!) and had our first taste of home in a while. It was heavenly.

Today we made pancakes with the mix I gave Galen for his birthday--"a taste of home" (part II)--and are taking it easy. The sky is blue for the first time since it poured all day yesterday, and then windy'd everything clear overnight. Yay wind, blow all the air pollution to Japan and America! Ha ha, ha…

More updates to follow. Blogger is blocked here (thx Great FireWall of China), so it may prove difficult, but we shall prevail. Galen has been taking some superb pictures as well but Google's photo hosting seems to be blocked too. We'll just have to be creative in finding ways around this strange and slightly surreal issue of censorship. In the mean time, we're off to enjoy the temporarily clean air! Hoorah!

-J

(PS: when I say "tourist", unless otherwise noted, I don't mean Westerner. In fact the majority of tourists we've seen have been Chinese, except perhaps in Sanlitun.)

Street Vices

2010-02-14T17:18:00.002-08:00

Smashed cans snatched off the streets of Walla Walla, WA.

Street Vices

2010-02-14T17:18:00.001-08:00

Smashed cans snatched off the streets of Walla Walla, WA.

Time Change

2009-09-26T22:09:00.002-07:00

Not so much in other places, but especially in Walla Walla, I feel the fall arrive with force. Light becomes slanted, the sun less glaring. Trees begin to change. As with spring, I feel an energy not present during the lazy (I should probably wrap that with quotes, in light of a very busy season indeed) summer months.

I am painting people again. They are figments of my imagination and figures from the past. I am thinking about companionship, and isolation and their place in the society we live in today, with all its contemporary complexities. These are works in progress.

Time Change

2009-09-26T22:09:00.001-07:00

Upside-down Skillet Plum Cake

2009-06-26T12:37:00.000-07:00

Plum Muffins

2009-06-21T14:41:00.000-07:00

Today I made plum bran muffins! They're absolutely delicious, and oh so easy. I even used a mini muffin tray so they fit into a tiny toaster oven, saving energy and keeping the house a bit cooler, too!

I used this Allrecipes.com recipe as a base (really great, thank you!)
Here is my recipe.

1 1/2 cups wheat bran
1 cup soy milk
1/2 cup cooked plum purée
1 egg
1/2 cup Splenda
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup diced plums

Basically, just reduced the sweetness (plums are tart when cooked but it's a great taste sensation! So much more exciting!), made the flour 100% whole wheat, and added a tad of almond extract for extra oomph.

The bottoms were pure mushy plum heaven!

Kombucha Successes

2009-06-18T13:56:00.000-07:00

Staying at a friend's house in Portland widened my culinary horizons when I tasted kombucha for the first time.

kombucha cultures drying outside

This strange, vinegar-y drink is actually fermented using a "mother" kombucha culture--a conglomerate mass of live little beings--and sweetened tea. I couldn't wait to start my own! Even if all those health claims are bollocks, this drink is super satisfying to make. And it tastes healthy, at least, if that makes any sense at all!

I purchased a bottle of the drink at my local co-op for a few dollars, and added it to some sweetened tea in a large jar. In about a week, a culture was already growing at the top of the liquid! Soon enough I had my very own "mushroom".

Ready to make your own? This website has a great introduction to the drink, and Food Renegade has a great post on growing your own culture from a store-bought drink. There is also a lovely website where you can post or contact people who have extra kombuchas to share!

Masked series

2009-06-11T21:21:00.001-07:00

This is a series of India ink drawings inspired by gestural Japanese calligraphy, tribal deities (especially those of Inuit mythology), and the dichotomy between secular society and mysticality/spiritualism.

They are done with India ink and watercolor on paper, mounted on Foamcore mats.

Masked series

2009-06-11T21:21:00.000-07:00

They are done with India ink and watercolor on paper, mounted on Foamcore mats.

Reppin' for the Sauciest Sriracha Around

2009-05-19T20:35:00.000-07:00

Thanks NYT

Blue (da ba dee) - [ Homemade Ice Cream ]

2009-05-13T16:16:00.000-07:00

oh geez. gotta have it:

for the discerning Street style houndz

this guy sure gets around

I think the Cookie Monster may have subliminally influenced my latest ice cream recipe.
Today, I whipped up a normal ol' batch of vanilla ice cream...half n half, sugar, vanilla...

=

wtf?

Secret ingredient, yes yes! I just so happen to be slightly obsessed by all brands of "Birthday Cake" ice cream...

nom...

so of course, I threw in a few slices of cake I took home with me after piano auditions in the music building today.

Ya!!!

The only problems I have been having with my ice cream is that they turn super-hard in the freezer. I am currently researching ways to make the ice cream have a higher freezing point, I guess, including guar gum and eggs, but this one is just good ol' fat and sugar.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I want to be able to make actual healthy ice cream someday, without it turning into a sweet but utterly inedible ice block in my freezer. Halp!

Also, here is a kittie:

I think I am going to do a feature about Maru, he might be the coolest cat on the web.

Dal, Spiced Chickpeas, and Curried Veggies = Indian Vegetarian Feast

2009-05-13T15:57:00.000-07:00

Thanks Monisha Bharadwaj, your cookbook rocks.

the face of a true gourmand

Cuisine Marocaine, Cuisine Algerienne

2009-05-10T17:20:00.000-07:00

Ooh la la! For our final project in Francophone Culture and Contemporary France, a segment involves proving ourselves--in the kichen!

Tonight, however, we are cookin' up Yellow Lentils in a chili-garlic paste with Stir-fried Garbanzoes, from this lovely cookbook.

Pictures to follow.

Here are my hopeful recipes for tomorrow's French cookoff:

Date Tart
Couscous de Tolga (Algerian region)
Moroccan Date Cake, another version
Baghrir (which are like Moroccan pancakes, or so I read...)

Wish me luck!

man and beast

2009-05-07T12:25:00.002-07:00

"JFK", 2008
Pastel and acrylic on Foamcore foldout board

Untitled, 2007
Graphite on paper

"Family I", 2008
Graphite and pastel on paper

"Untitled (Emigrant)", 2009
Acrylic and pastel on paper

"Foxxxie", 2009
Acrylic and graphite on paper

man and beast

2009-05-07T12:25:00.001-07:00

fairy tales do come tru

2009-05-07T12:24:00.002-07:00

fairy tales do come tru

2009-05-07T12:24:00.001-07:00

Salutations

2009-05-07T12:05:00.001-07:00

Hello there! In this blog I hope to share my most current projects, works in progress, and inspirations, as well as other nifty art finds, both online and in "real life".
As I write this, summer takes its last lap--that month known as August--and then I journey back to school in Walla Walla, Washington to finish my degree in Studio Art (drawing and painting).
I hope that you find these works stimulating in one way or another--be it "i love it!" or "that's rubbish!"

Salutations

2009-05-07T12:05:00.000-07:00

Proof that Karin Dreijer Andersson is Probably a Witch

2009-04-25T16:09:00.000-07:00

(the very good kind)

Vanilla Almond Black Tea Pancakes with Apple and Bran

2009-03-08T10:47:00.000-07:00

Long title, easy Sunday breakfast!

Note: during the course of writing this entry, these disappeared..."magically"...

Recently my boyfriend and I have both been experimenting with the limitations and possibilities of pancake mixes.
This morning, I grabbed my box of Fiber One pancake mix (one of the healthier varieties) and in my caffeine-less state, reverted back to my childhood cooking memories, ones which included adding grated apple to pancakes (those, however, were made from scratch. Today sees me a lazy college student!) for an instant taste explosion!

So, I definitely needed some caffeine. I brewed up a double (triple?) bag pot of Bigelow Vanilla Almond black tea. It smelled so very delicious that I had to experiment some!

Recipe:
3/4 cup pancake mix
1/4 cup wheat bran (this is of course optional, but is supa wholesome)
1/2 apple, grated
1/2 cup *cold* Vanilla Almond black tea
vanilla extract, salt, cinnamon, whatever else is yums.

=combine in a bowl. Add more liquid if necessary.
then cook your pancakes for ultimate breakfast goodness!

Imagine this plate is empty. My taste buds realize the horrible truth that PANCAKES ARE NO MORE

Super secret tip!: I added a little slice of Monterey Jack cheese in between the layers of my pancakes. OMG they were good! Try it, I dare you.

Apples + Pancakes = Apple Tart or Upside Down Cake?

2009-03-02T19:38:00.000-08:00

I made this galette in 10 minutes!
Too easy!
First, I lined some apples in a pretty ring in a lightly oiled pan, sprinkled brown sugar and cinnamon over them, then mixed up a double batch of pancake batter and poured it over the preheated skillet and apples. I covered the pan for about 10 minutes on medium heat, then flipped the fully cooked cake right-side up onto a plate!
Parfait!

Same as It Ever Was

2009-03-01T22:54:00.000-08:00

RIP Jim Henson

Best of: Billy Mays

2009-03-01T15:24:00.000-08:00

This man's home shopping network promos are genius in their original form.
Their dubs exceed all expectations.

Also:
Mighty Putty
Shitburgers

Yes, cats on the internet are by and large way overplayed, but something about this little pudger just can't be beat!

the "twenty five most valuable blogs": who cares?

street art goes wack, and the return of hipster runoff

2009-03-01T13:03:00.000-08:00

banksy-esque with a cosmopolitan twist

lolCapitalism

posterlolz

just hopin for sum peace, yall

thx
Hipster Runoff, tell me your mysteries.

Happy Sunday!

2009-03-01T12:31:00.000-08:00

I have been painting furniture recently. Remnants of bustling space, psychological landscapes I suppose. More to come!

Kronos Quartet--Dark Was the Night

Also interested in working on:
Mythologies
Portrait as Index
Abstract Expressionism (I still luv Rothko)
Magic Realism transposed to visual art--is there a name for this?

Made caremelized apples with oatmeal-apple-vanilla pancakes this morning with ma boy. Wish I had some pictures to procure!

One week til Spring Break.

Sourdough Bread + Pita = Luv

2009-02-26T17:22:00.000-08:00

This week I attempted my first sourdough sponge, à la Joy of Cooking. Except I wussed out and only let the yeast ferment for two days, rather than 4-7. This website also really helped me in my quest for good sourdough. The loaf turned out oh so nice, a little chewy on one end, but chewy bread + butter + split pea soup = so delish.

[photo by Mark Luinenberg for Artisan Breads in Five Minutes a Day]
So I whipped up a batch of these yesterday (used this recipe), mixing in a lil' bran, and they turned out so well! Stuffed with stir-fried eggplant and mushroom and topped with homemade garlic aioli.

I am growing basil and arugula way ahead of seasonal schedule (luv sunny windowsills!).

Next up: chocolate torte? grilled eggplant? crème brulée? I have the longest culinary to do list ever.

Jeux d'Eau

2009-02-15T16:23:00.000-08:00

Found this little robin on the sidewalk after a swim at the gym. The mist on its feathers was so beautiful.

On Beards

2009-02-15T15:37:00.000-08:00

This week, I not only celebrated Valentine's Day, but also Friday the 13th, Lincoln and Darwin shared b-day, and the nonexplicit President's Day, which for some reason merits a Monday without classes. Hence an entry on a pressing topic, beards.

Everyone's been mocking poor Joaquin Phoenix for a seemingly catatonic turn for the worse, but I see his embrace of a bearded beardo persona of few words simply representative of a recent sociological phenomenon. Love it or hate it, the spike in young gents with facial hair and intimations of rap / apologetic hermit-in-a-cabin rock stardom is nearly unavoidable. Blame the Pacific Northwest, blame these strapping lads, blame Bear Force One.

objects of note: satin apron, man with hand over eyes

"Who the fuk does letterman think he is?? like he has power.. that old man you only have what your FANS allow fuk that OLD MAN he should entertain the OLD group home!"
-GermanWetBack's comment on the infamous Late Show appearance

It's not funny!

Germans 4 Johnny:

searching for the ghost of Johnny Cash

2008-11-18T18:01:00.000-08:00

I don't care what anyone says about Microcastle being Adult Contemp, Bradford Cox's cultural references/jadedness is lovely and endearing. I hope he wears a dress when I see him in San Francisco next week.

Also luv this guy's attempt to subvert the capitalist rent system. Yaaaaaa.

before katie, charlie, and SNL...

2008-10-20T16:39:00.000-07:00

Sarah Palin was on Borat! She masqueraded as "Jenny", a dating agency secretary.

---

happy birthday, lil' wayne

---

"To put them in perspective, I think of being on an airplane. The flight attendant comes down the aisle with her food cart and, eventually, parks it beside my seat. 'Can I interest you in the chicken?” she asks. “Or would you prefer the platter of shit with bits of broken glass in it?'"
— Humorist David Sedaris on supposedly 'undecided' voters [via Gawker].

party people!

2008-10-18T20:05:00.000-07:00

via Grizzly Bear's blog, "one of the most disturbing videos I've seen in a long time"

PS: sorry for the politics

weather funderground

2008-10-16T20:38:00.000-07:00

I have stopped paying attention to the presidential race because every time McCain presents himself in public I get weird associations, and end up feeling guilty.

like the time when someone's grandfather begins a long-winded joke that ends up trailing off into a sad sort of silence

Similar in hand gestures and humor abilitiez:

ur laffs, give me them pls

a bear on wall street

2008-10-06T14:05:00.000-07:00

happiest family in fashion

2008-10-06T09:38:00.000-07:00

Anna Wintour and her daughter, Bee Shaffer

2008-10-03T12:15:00.000-07:00

Augustin Lesage, outsider artist

Richard Colman, contemporary artist

Also, comparing the intellect of Palin versus Biden is a bit like trying to sing along to Sigur Ros.

oh, mo' pls

2008-10-02T19:39:00.000-07:00

sryz

2008-10-01T11:47:00.000-07:00

artdump

2008-10-01T11:29:00.000-07:00

Banksy's most recent works stateside are disappearing fast but at least they're immortalized on the internets.

really beautiful.

His drawings are also rather nice:

aesthetic enjoyments currently:
Sannah Kvist, via Stockholm
flowerzz

Ryan Mcginley's nudie-roadtrip-extravaganza
Santiago Mostyn

BUTTONS
typography, always.

sucka MCs

2008-09-30T08:35:00.000-07:00

After a summer of Feeding the Animals, Swedish beats by way of the Caribbean, and Finlandic edits, finally some more lovely lovely tunez.

SQUAREPUSHER
DEERHOOF
OF MONTREAL (find it urself)
TAKKA TAKKA
FUJIYA AND MIYAGI--old ok but what, i ask, could beat a finger snappin solo?

Following a dearth of good music in the past months, I look back in gratitude at Barack and the Hoff for keeping my faith.

Also:

I'm so sorry.

chez moi

2008-08-28T20:13:00.000-07:00

the interim between the previous post and this one involved me driving through Tuscany to Rome, Florence, the Apenini mountain range, and finally to Malpensa International/Philadelphia/San Francisco. Home!

In summary? A simultaneously new, unfamiliar, trying, inspiring, and intriguing experience. After learning new recipes, making some good friends, seeing sites of incomprehensible history, frescoes from seven hundred years plus, and famous fountains, I am glad to be home, in a city famous for its bicycles, hippies, and a University of California.

2008-08-24T21:46:00.000-07:00

alpining away

2008-07-23T06:01:00.000-07:00

From now until about August 20th, I will live in a lovely chalet embedded in the shadowy forested slopes of the Alps near the town of Scopello and also Monte Rosa, the second (?) highest peak in Europe. Downside = no internets. I write this from a town hall in one village of Varallo, some 12 km from home. Excuse any noncommunication, it is surely unintentional!

Maundy Thursday

2008-07-17T11:31:00.000-07:00

Last day in Milan, for a MONTH. I will miss this city, with its bustling ways, incredible history embedded in the midst of banks and boutiques, its stylish folk.

example 1

Also, the art. I've been trying to visually ingest (and regurgitate) as much as I can in the past few days. Here is some of what I've found and doodled.

Hayez--The Kiss

is this legal?

Boccioni's dynamic duo, aka futurism for the nihilistic win

sun through stained glass in the Duomo

unfavorable reactions to Rococo

doodlydoodlydoo

a wtf mural moment outside PAC, a modern art museum in Milan

what a Balla

"velocità d'automobile"

mosaics in development

fun with crayons

fun with markers

in other news

Here is what the Hubble Telescope found:

not

This is what Girl Talk (on the left) found in Walla Walla, Washington:

Red Bull! Sweaty college students! Nadim! (Thanks Nadim)

so fresh and so clean everyday

2008-07-17T07:40:00.000-07:00

This entry is about food. Put on your bibs, children.

Apparently many tourists from less culinarily distinguished countries travel to Italy to take cooking classes. Today Paola told me that by the end of the summer, I might be able to make this...

...Martino's masterpiece of octopus and potato and olive tapenade, among other things. A wonderful melange of tentacles and taters. Doesn't it sound horribly morbid? Started out like this:

which I boiled for half an hour. It was dead already, unlike lobsters and mussels.

I went to Victoria's Pizzeria and Bar with Michele and his girlfriend Elizabeth (from Idaho, as in she studied in Paris and is doing business-y stuff in Milan) the other night. Apparently, Michele takes all of his first dates to this pizzeria, and knows the management pretty well by now. We scanned the pizza menu, and there was "Pizza Michele"--named for the guy sitting next to me. I ordered it, of course.

michele + namesake=omgeee

italy + idaho = THEE COLORS

your name in print, fame and fortune

Ice cream is better here. Last night at a friend of a friend's birthday party, they had watermelon with candles stuck in it and a case of gelato: apricot, pistacchio, yoghurt, etc etc. Apricot goes well with ~~alcohol~~ white wine...who knew? Self-evident, I suppose. I drank Fragolino Bianco, a wine that is apparently banned due to some indiscernible and complex laws regarding wine cultivation/distribution.

Gelateria Umberto is the most famous gelateria in Milan. Their lemon and hazelnut flavors are so much more authentic than Vampire Weekend's Lacoste polos.

the free samples at Princi (which is, apparently, an avant-garde minimalist bakery in Milan's center) were phenomenal

ciao Milano

PS: last.fm got a makeover and it is suspiciously reminiscent of Facebook with its Mini-Feed etc etc. More images I guess which is nice for us visual people.

allons-y à vélo / allons faire les magasins

2008-07-17T00:58:00.000-07:00

(thanks Scott Schuman)

Paola's old bike is rusty and squeaky, but it has a front basket and is relatively speedy on the old cobblestone streets

I need this

Vespa rides are incredible, especially at night, zipping through traffic past crowded bars and brightly lit streets. My friend Michele refers to his as a feminine object, like a vessel. "She's a 1967 Vespa, not a scooter!"

oh HAI!!!

animals on parade at Ice Dream Gelateria

Pharmacy Industry is based in Milan and makes stuff that is reminiscent of haute-ish American Apparel

I don't really like Killah but their store deco was pretty "fly"

the prettiest rooftop balcony I've ever seen

munch crunch banunch

2008-07-15T14:25:00.000-07:00

SF-J: "Not new, but I cannot wear it out"

2008-07-14T03:36:00.000-07:00

sleevefaces

hungry ghosts

2008-07-13T16:51:00.000-07:00

all calves and Louis Vuitton

I think I often wax grateful for it, but internet is really a beautiful invention. Who knew how lovely the feeling to talk face to face with someone in Seattle while sitting on a futon in Milan, or crouched on a cobblestone patio in Sardinia? The world is a smaller place now. I think that can be a good thing sometimes.

Camera Obscura - Lunar Sea

Thunder has been shaking our little third-floor flat, and my view of the sky over the various tall buildings of Milan reveals blinding (and near) flashes and crooked forks of purple-white lightning.

Milan from my window, on a "nice" day

Here video of the strangest storm I've seen in summer. Excuse the blurted interjections and bad video capability of my camera.

Martino and Paola were both really surprised, maybe even worried by it--most whacky for Milan summer. I am worried more by the excitement and pleasure which I derive from this freak weather rather than the storms themselves.

Air France - Collapsing At Your Doorstep

Robert Indiana exhibition at the Palazzo Reale

moar colors pleez

2008-07-13T07:43:00.000-07:00

Of Montreal: returning with a bang and a Kevin Barnes sans birthday suit (good), happier (?) (better), and wearing blue suede boots (best!).

supah crazy

Colors really please me. I suppose my previous multitudes of colorful clothespins and blue skies kind of testifies to that. Paola makes fun of me when I stop to photograph gelato flavors on display in all their delicious splendor, but someday when I make a beautiful collage or something with them, she will repudiate her previous skepticism.

diabetes in a windowsill yummeeeeee

Given my penchant for colorful things, I found my dream location in Burano, a tiny island near Venice.

Burano welcomes you

Every home was a different flavor. An easter egg hunt for my eyes. I wondered why most homes in American suburbia today require muted, tired shades of mauve pink, peach, and beige. Subdivision designers, take note!

let's move to a lavender house

Someone told me that the houses are painted the same as the fishing boats their residents park in the canals outside the door, but I suspect it may actually be because Burano is inhabited solely by people with a good eye for color.

lacemaker in Burano, a woman of great patience

Color makes everything better, just ask Dov.

In other news:

Last.fm is updates negligently on a Sunday afternoon.

Play-Doh is old, likes color too. (thanks Cool Hunting)

Rupert Murdoch made an oopsie.

~~Mysterious~~ bugs roam the earth.

news of the world

2008-07-12T14:38:00.000-07:00

(via Black Eiffel)

More importantly, Banksy might be an accountant from Bristol? What?

(thanks Wooster Collective)

In which I drool on my keyboard

2008-07-09T14:40:00.000-07:00

So many beautiful sneakers, so few Euros...

The colors...my brain could eat them all day, and my feet would be happy too.

Feed the Animals, or a Day in Sardinia

2008-07-08T05:49:00.001-07:00

This past week has been a whirlwind of fun, hard work, and sandy swimsuits. Now that I'm back in Milan after a tipsy sail from Sardinia to Genova and two hours of a crying baby in the backseat, I realize how greatly I appreciate those souls devoting their resources to developing speedy and universal internet access.

Girl Talk - No Pause

notice: lampshade

The Mistral blew strong for three days or so, we watched sailboats cutting razor sharp sails through the gales and vessels of the Italian richesse plowing through the water as they returned to the marina. According to Paola it only blows for an odd # of days (1, 3, 5...)

unrelated, somewhat: "Anyone caught worshiping Poseidon, even at sea, will be thought insane" -- Sam Harris

On my free day, I went to the market in "town", where I bought various arbitrary items, including a terra cotta pot of figs that were, as you should believe, most excellent. Also the old man selling them was lovely.

magical ocean portalz

Tavolara Island is owned by NATO, so exploring more than a bit of beach and around the one restaurant/bar is a bit difficult.

not really lost in translation

I took a little ferry to Tavolara but ended up feeling a bit stranded so I ended up taking pictures of rocks and alternately lounging in the sea, on the beach, or at the restaurant. I considered finding a bush in which I could sleep without the beating sun, but then the boat came to take me back to Porto San Paolo.

fossilized, yo

weird geology

nature mosaic

Geez, I take pictures of rocks.

There was a 10'x10' cemetery right near the water, a large cross constructed with driftwood. I briefly paused at the entrance and considered my meager vestments and bare feet. Though really, when sand substitutes the luscious green grass of the tombs I know at home, I'm not going to worry too much about dress code.

Tavolara proper

No Age - Teen Creeps

flying machine

Paavoharju - Tuoksu Tarttuu Meihin

Two nights ago I went dancing in town with Aili, which was a nice change although the combination of salsa, shaking, and the not-so-chill climate alerted me to the discord between lamé and hot temperatures.

the church was boring and dry, a bit like the rest of the village but more boring. there were these little flags everywhere from a recent festival celebrating St. Paul though.

on my free days I remind myself to stop looking at my feet or at babies and check out the sky

Pietro's legs are getting stronger and he's almost able to stand up by himself, just in time for his 11-month mark.

Kudos to Gregg Gillis for a killer smooth segue from "Gronlandic Edit" by Of Montreal to "Kiss" by Prince on his new album, and for making me enjoy that song "Renegade" by Styx in an entirely different sense. Ha, and of course he puts that one Superman song on, too.

Avey Tare and Kria Brekken - Opis Helpus

ciao, Porto San Paolo