Thanksgiving 2009

I give thanks for all that I have. I can't say that more elegantly.

This was my big meal on Thanksgiving Day.

I had made a couple of reservations at fancier locales in Manhattan but was somehow steered to a Korean bbq of beef (and chicken) in Koreatown instead. Koreatown is about a 10-minute walk from the hotel. It might have been a longer walk as I did not gauge any of my travels on foot. However long it takes to walk 8 blocks. Good opportunity (though not an entirely effective way) to air ourselves out from the cooking smells clinging to our persons.

A few of the sights I took in on Thanksgiving Thursday:



Part of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Or as close to it as I could get. That's Ronald there reminding us to skate on concrete to one of his many establishments. And to be sure to prepare for cold temps on that outing.



I was by Hello Kitty's side the day before to witness her being inflated with helium. She's sort of a handful because it took aheckuva long time to get her different parts big and buoyant. I couldn't stick around to take time-lapse images cos I was cold and starving and needed to duck into a nearby cafe (World Cafe) to get some hot, barley beef soup.



Le Penseur (the Thinker) at Columbia University. Such a fine, fine campus that ivy-league university. Every hard-ass, Asian parent's wet dream is for their child/children to attend one of these (or similarly-prestigious) schools for their undergraduate or graduate studies. Me included.




It was a complete coincidence that we located that diner from the past's excellent and still-hilarious Seinfeld show. Tom's Restaurant on 112th Street was serving a Thanksgiving prix-fixe meal all day and a bargain at that. We had just chowed down on burgers, french toast and milkshakes at Deluxe so we didn't eat here. I suppose we could've just stopped in for a cup of joe. Oh well. It's not like the interior was ever used in the comedy. ;p



We stopped by here before we took a brisk walk through a part of Central Park South. The barricades erected for this morning's parade were just beginning to be disassembled. Strong smell of horse around this area. P-u.



We then hoofed it to Rockefeller Plaza and saw this large Swarovski crystal display. Kinda pretty in a grossly oversized way.



I'm glad we returned to the Plaza because, this time, the fountain and its lights were on, shining brightly on Prometheus. A couple of nights ago, it was dark and scaffolded and ugly. They had finished setting up the holiday tree whose lights are officially to be "lighted" on 4-Dec.



We strolled by the Radio City Music Hall on our way to a subway. There was a show going on and can be heard out in the streets. Not sure who or what was playing.



Macy's. A very big store. Many holiday window displays. Bizzy.

One block down from Macy's and we arrive at Korea Way or Koreatown. It's pretty small...compared to Chinatown... and seems to be comprised of only 2 or 3 blocks. Lots of young, Korean-speaking people come here so the food must be good (?). I had no complaints. I did pass by a video store and I totally forgot to go in after dinner to check out the newer DVDs. Darn.

Tricky S

There was a recent mishap on the S.F. bay bridge. Not the one that unexpectedly shut down the bridge for nearly a week last month. The one where a semi went over the side of the bridge and plunged 200-feet to the earth.

The truck driver had been going about 50mph, 10mph too fast, while negotiating the new S-curve when his truck went over the concrete barrier. His load of cargo - Asian pears - also played a part in hurling the truck over the edge.

I've driven across the bay bridge since the S-curve was installed last Labor Day weekend. At our very first encounter, we were expecting to ride over "some new section of the bridge" but didn't know exactly where or when we'd be introduced.

For us, that tricky section seemed to come up pretty suddenly and unexpectedly. We were driving at night and on the lower-deck. For a split-second, I thought my SUV was going to tip over because of the sharp curve and the speed in which we were traveling.

I can see it's very easy to enter the S-curve at an excessive speed because the bridge is, after all, virtually straight save for a slight bend coming off of Yerba Buena Island. From what I recall from our bridge crossing, there were no blinking caution signals (that scream "look at me! read me! obey me!") on the approach. There may have been a sign or 2 but probably not as prominent as it should've been.

Seems this new stretch of bridge has flummoxed at least 43 other drivers as that's the number of accidents that have occurred since its installation. It's short, it's curve-y and we drivers can't be too careful.

My heart goes out to the family of the trucker. What a way to go.

Face massage

I like getting facials every so often. The cleansing, hydrating and massaging feel real good. The steaming and extractions - not so pleasant. But these are exactly why I do facials, post-treatment scars included.

I went to a new place recently. Kinda "in the neighborhood" and run by Chinese ladies in a chic little shop that has the day-spa environment. Not one of those places where there are sinks and cots behind curtains. Attractive prices and noon specials.

What is it about the face massage that is so soothing and comforting? It doesn't feel nearly as nice when I administer it on my own face. The sensation from the light pressure of the esthetician's fingers below my temples is some kind of pleasantness. The whole massage thing never lasts long enough.

There's this one move she did that befuddled me though. After she had wrapped a warm, moist towel around my face after the final mask, I was a little startled when my head received some hearty whacks, 4 or 5 times. It was her fingers....for waking me up? I dunno. haha. I'll ask next time. I'm sure it's got something to do with calling my spirit back to my body or my facial nerves or...whatever. :)

Friction block product

Flipping through a foodie magazine, I discovered this interesting product:



While cushion liners help ease the pain from wearing high heels or uncomfy shoes, Band-Aid Friction Block Stick is supposed to address the rubbing and irritation that can lead to blisters on your sensitive foot spots. Could be especially helpful with those new, stiff shoes. Apply Friction Block on your feet... or any other part of your body. It becomes an invisible band-aid. The product claims it will prevent excessive friction and won't stain or make your feet (or other body part) feel slippery. I'm sure this is only for external use. ;)


Blister Block must be the other product name it goes by.

Hm, gotta wonder how the "invisible" friction guard stays adhered to the skin when being not-so-softly rubbed against a shoe or what-have-you. With all the pretty women's shoe styles that are murder on the feet (and calves and spines and...), this friction/blister block product might help to, at the very least, ease some of the superficial pains and abrasions.

Dozen

A couple dozen donut holes.

Don't know when was the last time I had a fresh donut. I only ate 6 out of the bag. Saved the rest for the wee ones to fight over. I like to occasionally surprise them - treat them - with a little junk food. They don't think about what foods they put into their bodies and that's the way it should be.

So sweet (ugh!) and yet so tasty.

More than a dozen Kisses.

It's a tough time with Halloween around the corner. This month I've shown amazing self-control around the candy brought into my home in preparation for the witches, princesses, ghouls and superheroes who will come knockin' on my door. It could be because I've stocked stuff (Tootsie Rolls and Reese's) that are hardly faves. The packages haven't even been opened (pilfered) by anyone (er, only I know where they are ;p). In years past, I did not have the will power to keep from dipping into the stash of individual-sized Snickers bars or Hershey's chocolates (bars and Kisses).

I'll just help myself to the chocolates the kiddies bring home from Halloween because they're bad for their little teeth. ;) After Halloween, I may find myself swooping in to pick up some clearance Kisses.

Half a dozen apples.

The other day I had put together the first apple pie for autumn 2009.

I don't like waste which is why there's often a bunch of cutouts made with the left-over dough on the face of my pies. This guy weighed about 10 pounds and would be gone in one day, which caused much complainin'.

On the subject of tissue

These days, I'm getting used to this new development:

They've updated the tissue SIZE.

Quilted Northern Bath Tissue has gone through some changes. Besides the change in the sheet size, I wonder what other updates they slipped in there unnoticed by the consumer, e.g. sheet density, total yards, etc.

For years I used to stock the house with Charmin. They did something with the product which made me to turn to one of their other selections. That other product had a problem with our low-flows. I sought Quilted Northern.

Times are leaner. Consumers must be flocking to lower-cost alternatives like the warehouse or generic tissues. Do we really need such large tissues - ~4.3" squares, 2-ply - to get the job done? Georgie-Pacific must not think so. It's economics. Calling it sustainability sounds better.

"Sustainability is about doing more with less..."

- From GP's Social Responsibility Report

Hm. "More?"

Not a completely bad thing. Just getting used to the change - such big gaps on the tissue holder. Is this less-is-more going to be a trend? I've checked other brands and they all seem to still have 4+" sheet sizes. Will review them again when I need to re-stock.

Can you imagine someday tissues going under 4" ? That's a scary prospect. They probably already do this in other parts of the world. Cos the US is filled with waste and wasters...and people with larger behinds. haha.

Offbeat stuff

Good gracious. Now you can own your own plush toys that look like tiny microbes — only a million times actual size. Fun and educational, yes!

They're between 5 - 7 inches high. Acquire them individually or in sets. Check out the site and collect your favorites.

l-r: Chlamydia trachomatis, Syphilis, Gonorrhea, Herpes Simplex 2

Chicken Pox varicella-zoster virus

Salmonella

Swine flu (H1N1 virus)

There's a whole bunch more at giantmicrobes. I've read that the Centers for Disease Control offer some of these plushies for sale at their gift shop. ;)