Someone said "5 Things Make a Post"
I usually can't think of anything worth posting about, but I'm paying for this LJ account, and since I haven't posted anything since JUNE, I figure it's about time. This "5 Things" idea seems like a useful contrivance...
1. The Bar: (No, not that kind!) In this case I mean the CA Bar Exam. Two good friends sat for the Bar last June and the results were finally released this Friday night. I got the honor of sitting with them as the results came in. One passed; one didn't. It was a heart-wrenching experience for both. Disappointment for one, and overwhelming, cathartic release of stress for the other. I have absolutely no experience in my life that compares to what both these men have been through for the past several years of school and tests (one of whom said the birth of his daughter was less stressful since you at least get some midway sanity checks in that process), and now, having witnessed it first hand, I hope I never do. Sheer madness.
2. Honey Harvest: Thanks to my friend Phillip for helping with the extraction, my Dad for helping with the processing, and several thousand bees for making the stuff in the first place, this year's harvest is all bottled up. Nothin' left to do but clean a thick layer of stickiness off almost every surface in my kitchen. :-b I didn't think I'd get as much as last year because I took fewer frames off the hives and left more stock for the bees, but I actually wound up with just as much, if not more! The frames I did take were filled more completely than last year. The final haul was approx. 6.5 gallons.
3. Mushrooms: Ah, irony. I am a life-long mushroom hater, but now find that I really like mushroom hunting. Maybe hunting isn't the right word--I mean it's not like they run away or fight back or anything. But "mushroom finding" sounds kinda lame. Phillip has been an avid mushroom hunter for over 16 years and he has been kind enough to drag me along on his latest expeditions. The first trip I loved purely for the beautiful walk through the Santa Cruz forests in the rain. We didn't find anything--it was too early in the season. Phillip was disappointed, but since I wasn't there for the fungus, I had fun anyway. This weekend's trip was better--we hiked further, got somewhat less wet and muddy, and Phillip took home some gorgeous chantrelles--which, as it turns out, are pretty tasty when cooked with enough butter and wine. I may have to rethink my anti-fungus policies.
4: Kiss The Fish: Went out with friends last night for an awesome Thai dinner followed by Harry Potter at the IMAX. Due to my assumption that the IMAX at the Tech Museum would have ridiculous long lines just like every other theater showing HP (it didn't), we wound up with an hour to kill between dinner and the movie. We wandered down to a bar called "Tanq", which I guess is easier to print on their cocktail napkins than "Pretentious Bar Failing In Attempt To Look Like a Fish Bowl". I ordered their signature drink (Kiss the Fish) which is designed to be shared by 2 people--Phillip agreed to kiss the fish with me. Sucker. I knew we were in trouble when the bartender brought out a huge fish shaped glass PUNCH BOWL and filled it with vodka, rum, curacao, and a variety of fruit juices. Dude. It was delicious, but way more liquid than any 2 people should consume in under an hour--Especially before heading into a 2.5 hour long movie! Thank god the ladies room was just outside the theater door and that I only had to crawl over one friend to get there. I will be thoroughly hydrated until at least June.
5. Thanksgiving: At the ripe old age of Never You Mind, I am finally being awarded the honor of cooking the family Thanksgiving feast. Nervous? You betcha. Less so about the actual cooking, more so about finding time to do the requisite shopping and cleaning my house to my mom's excruciating standards. I predict a lotta late nights this week. Hope my roomie digs the sound of vacuuming at 2am.
Well, that's all the news that's fit to digitize. I hope to get into the habit of posting more often. I kill a lot of time when I'm bored at work reading my friend's posts, so will be making more of an effort to repay the favor. :-)
1. The Bar: (No, not that kind!) In this case I mean the CA Bar Exam. Two good friends sat for the Bar last June and the results were finally released this Friday night. I got the honor of sitting with them as the results came in. One passed; one didn't. It was a heart-wrenching experience for both. Disappointment for one, and overwhelming, cathartic release of stress for the other. I have absolutely no experience in my life that compares to what both these men have been through for the past several years of school and tests (one of whom said the birth of his daughter was less stressful since you at least get some midway sanity checks in that process), and now, having witnessed it first hand, I hope I never do. Sheer madness.
2. Honey Harvest: Thanks to my friend Phillip for helping with the extraction, my Dad for helping with the processing, and several thousand bees for making the stuff in the first place, this year's harvest is all bottled up. Nothin' left to do but clean a thick layer of stickiness off almost every surface in my kitchen. :-b I didn't think I'd get as much as last year because I took fewer frames off the hives and left more stock for the bees, but I actually wound up with just as much, if not more! The frames I did take were filled more completely than last year. The final haul was approx. 6.5 gallons.
3. Mushrooms: Ah, irony. I am a life-long mushroom hater, but now find that I really like mushroom hunting. Maybe hunting isn't the right word--I mean it's not like they run away or fight back or anything. But "mushroom finding" sounds kinda lame. Phillip has been an avid mushroom hunter for over 16 years and he has been kind enough to drag me along on his latest expeditions. The first trip I loved purely for the beautiful walk through the Santa Cruz forests in the rain. We didn't find anything--it was too early in the season. Phillip was disappointed, but since I wasn't there for the fungus, I had fun anyway. This weekend's trip was better--we hiked further, got somewhat less wet and muddy, and Phillip took home some gorgeous chantrelles--which, as it turns out, are pretty tasty when cooked with enough butter and wine. I may have to rethink my anti-fungus policies.
4: Kiss The Fish: Went out with friends last night for an awesome Thai dinner followed by Harry Potter at the IMAX. Due to my assumption that the IMAX at the Tech Museum would have ridiculous long lines just like every other theater showing HP (it didn't), we wound up with an hour to kill between dinner and the movie. We wandered down to a bar called "Tanq", which I guess is easier to print on their cocktail napkins than "Pretentious Bar Failing In Attempt To Look Like a Fish Bowl". I ordered their signature drink (Kiss the Fish) which is designed to be shared by 2 people--Phillip agreed to kiss the fish with me. Sucker. I knew we were in trouble when the bartender brought out a huge fish shaped glass PUNCH BOWL and filled it with vodka, rum, curacao, and a variety of fruit juices. Dude. It was delicious, but way more liquid than any 2 people should consume in under an hour--Especially before heading into a 2.5 hour long movie! Thank god the ladies room was just outside the theater door and that I only had to crawl over one friend to get there. I will be thoroughly hydrated until at least June.
5. Thanksgiving: At the ripe old age of Never You Mind, I am finally being awarded the honor of cooking the family Thanksgiving feast. Nervous? You betcha. Less so about the actual cooking, more so about finding time to do the requisite shopping and cleaning my house to my mom's excruciating standards. I predict a lotta late nights this week. Hope my roomie digs the sound of vacuuming at 2am.
Well, that's all the news that's fit to digitize. I hope to get into the habit of posting more often. I kill a lot of time when I'm bored at work reading my friend's posts, so will be making more of an effort to repay the favor. :-)