5/30/09

homemade yogurt


i made my own yogurt! i am never going back to store bought yogurt. it's much cheaper to make your own. and it tastes reeaaallly good. and it is very easy (although i messed up the first time). and i'm happy that i no longer have to feel guilty about accumulating those plastic containers.

i got the recipe from larissa (surprise, surprise). if it seems like i get all my recipes from her, it's because i do! try it and see for yourself.

5/24/09

pinky promise

i pinky promised with a homeless man on friday.

there's a homeless man i pass nearly every day during the lunch hour on my way to barnes and noble.  he has his cup out and shakes it as people pass by.  after 3 months of avoidance, denial and emotional paralysis, i finally did something on friday.  i decided to give him some money.  

i made him pinky promise that he wouldn't use it on drugs or alcohol.  

then i found out his name is william.  the same name as my husband.  


5/20/09

cool artist

my good friend allison launched her new artist website recently.  she lived in turkey for two years so you will see some turkish influence her her work.  so cool!  see for yourself...

5/18/09

spring in chicago

temperature-wise, spring in chicago feels like winter in LA. it is sunny, but in the 50s or 60s. i am so LA and still sporting my long wool peacoat lined with thinsulate while people are in shorts and tank tops.

visually, however, it is an altogether different story. everything comes to life. from the first tiny green leaves on trees that grow into full green trees, to tulips and daffodils, to flowering trees. who ever heard of flowering trees in LA?

well, it seems like all of the trees here flower for a few weeks before the blossoms fall off. it's freakin' awesome.

5/17/09

taking coats

i have not learned the art of offering to take people's coats.  or rather, i find it hard to get into the habit of doing it.  let me educate you, you warm climate peoples.

during the winter in a cold weather climate, people are usually bundled up in big, long, thick and heavy coats.  so when a guest arrives, the host takes the cumbersome coat off the hands of the guest and either hangs it in a closet or puts it in a room as a courtesy to the guest.  

i, however, have been a very bad hostess and never did this once the entire winter.  shame on me!

family photos

i just posted some family portraits i shot yesterday on my other blog. yay!

5/12/09

i'm sick

...homesick. i'm experiencing a bit of homesickness this week. i miss LA weather, LA food, my family, my LA friends and my old job. i don't know what it is. i haven't talked about it much on the blog, but i have experienced a bit of a culture shock out here in the midwest. it's probably that and also that the weather cooled down again this week.

at any rate, my LA readers and friends ~ i miss you!

5/7/09

hot

remember i said i'm starting to talk like a midwesterner? here's one example:

when i say the word "hot", it's starting to sound like a cross between "hot" and "hat".

by the way, the weather is absolutely wonderful today! yay!