putting the knit in shizknitz

I am a Bachelor(ette) show fanatic. I missed only one season, and since the beginning of this show, I’ve been hooked. Watching the series unfold has the same appeal as reading a blog of someone’s continual journey through a slice of life. There’s something so personal (though on ABC its edited) and so real with raw emotions expressed openly to an unlimited audience - as we do here. Before the Bachelor has always been “Wedding Story” on TLC - I remember how ecstatic I was having cable TV in the dorms and how I would come back between classes to catch episodes, even reruns. Trust me, all those lunch hours back at the house wasn’t because of the food! One of my fondest memories was a Valentines day where TLC televised an 8-hour marathon run of Wedding Story episodes. Forget the tissues, I had myself a towel.

This hopeless romantic side hasn’t changed much since I was little. I remember moving all of our living room furniture and covering it with sheets to imagine I was living in a castle, and sometimes I would pretend I was sleeping beauty waiting for my prince (and most of the time ended up falling asleep!). I get goosebumps watching proposals on TV, get emotional attending weddings, cry when hearing pure, untouched emotion and wonder…. wonder if I’m a pessimist or an optimist. So did Meredith make the right decision? I hope so - she had me sobbing by the time she declared “I am so madly in love with you”!

PS For Geeks, Meredith was the face on the cover of Microsoft Digital Image Pro 9!

What is more suiting than a nice warm bath on a cloudy, rainy Sunday afternoon after an indulgent breakfast down at Maxwell’s in Marina? These are one of those lazy days of winter when us spoiled SoCal people don’t know what to do with ourselves when its anything less than sunny. For those of you familiar with a traditional Japanese ofuro living in a place with a typical american bathtub you find in typical living arrangements, you understand that there is something to be coveted when it comes to a nice, relaxing bath.

My maternal grandparents back in Japan used to be owners of an ofuro-ya. I don’t know how far back it had gone, but as I know it, my great-grandparents were well off in the pre-WWII era and owned lots of land in the Yokohama area. It was passed on to my baachan (grandmother) as being the eldest daughter, and my giichan (grandfather) married into the family. They ran it until about 15 years ago when they decided to close because most modern housing came pre-built with bathtub/shower areas.

As a kid, I remember all the open space we had to run around in, and all the people we would meet by virtue of hanging out with my baachan. The men’s and women’s side was split up, but the top part was wide open - which allowed us to play badminton using the wall as a make-shift net. When the customers started to come, they were typically regulars from the neighborhood - I loved the smells of shampoo and the aroma of the scented bath (there was one scented, one regular one that was shallow, and one regular one that was deeper for adults for each gender side). Afterwards I would gulp down an indulgent cold drink - usually a strawberry milk out of a small, square-shaped carton (I tried to search for a photo, but apparently ichigo milk is a J porn star!) or an ice cold ramune complete with glass marble.

Alas, as nostalgic as it may sound, being limited to the small american tub, I do the best I can.

My first year at UCLA, one of my 3 roommates was an exchange student from the University of Birmingham who grew up in London. The first thing I remember about her was telling me that she was going “outside to have a fag” (a cigarette). The first thing I remember her puchasing was an electric water pot. Her obsession with tea was perplexing to me at the time, as this was before my devirginization by Starbucks and other caffeinated corners. Throughout my year with her, I would experience fine English Breakfast tea as well as stories of crumpets and whatnots. My friend N had told me about a British Teahouse awhile back during our typical food talks but I had never ventured out to one before. But finally, FINALLY, I have experienced what she described, and more! The boyfriend took me for my surprise Valentines lunch, to the Tudor House in Santa Monica.
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It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve gotten them, there’s just something so wonderful about how roses smell. It’s like a decadent truffle, or a sweet chocolate that is so delicious but lasts for only a short while. I got to be the lucky girl in the office again, this year.

I have to mention that last week I started going through my not-so new book Weekend Knitting, and wanted to dive right into it! However, as a newbie, there are some issues associated with finding the right type of yarn to do these projects. The actual needles seem much more straight forward - kind of like a man - length of needle, needle size, is it round, crooked, to the left…….?
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What is it with food obsessions? There are somethings that taste so unbelievable good, that it should be illegal. To top it off, why is it that I get to taste these sinfully yummy foods? If I didn’t know about them, then I wouldn’t want/need them. What is it about food that is so powerful that it can make people happy, relieve stress and completely change everything?

If you don’t know what it means, take a look!