nonstick weblog

A friend and colleague just moved to the SF Bay Area from Spain. He told me that he studied South Park and Californication so he could fit in. Um. Probably not what I would have chosen. Any recommendations?

Skiing is an expensive sport. We plan to introduce our 3 year old to skiing this Sunday. They don’t do group lessons for under 4′s so we are doing a parent/child private lesson.

Private ski lessons – $75
Ski Gear Rentals for me and kid – $55
Ski lift ticket for me – $30
Crying from constant falling and being cold – Priceless

BTW – that last bit will be me.

I started my workout regimen last week to meet one of of my New Year’s resolutions. It consists of cardio for 30min, treadmill or elliptical, and about 40min of a strength training using Fluidity.

My husband and I do cardio together after our kid has gone to bed. We catch up on what we Tivo’d or watch movies. The next movie queued is Super Bad.

Then I do my Fluidity workout. I have graduated to the Intermediate workout from Beginner. The Intermediate workout has more challenging arm work. Unfortunately for me, it also has more challenging leg work. But I want that Biel butt and dancer’s body, so I will keep at it.

I think my routine is working, even after only a week. My jeans fit better and my muscles are sore.

On Sunday, we tried brunch at the Porcupine Pub and Grille at the foot of the Cottonwood Canyons.

The Food

Huevos Rancheros – My husband always tries this dish at any new breakfast place we go. It’s his barometer on whether the food is good. Like when we always try the Pad Thai at new Thai restaurants. He liked this version. The black beans were a little blah, but everything was topped with this really good medium spicy Chile Verde.

Pancake Combo – The pancakes needed to be a little crispier, cooked on a hotter grill. I asked for really soft, scrambled eggs. There’s not a lot of places that get this right. This place was no exception. The combo doesn’t come with hash browns, unusual. So I had to order a side. Likely will not try this dish next time.

Hashbrowns – Need to be crispier. My kid was not enthralled and she usually inhales hash browns.

The Atmosphere

It is noisy. The wood floors and panels walls do nothing to absorb any noise. Between that and the Black Sabbath they had playing, don’t go there if you have a headache. But the combination does make you feel a few more years removed from middle age.

The servers all seem to be ski bums. The kind of folks who work the lifts during ski season. The clientele is young and trendy, either on their way up to or back down from the slopes.

Bottom Line

Breakfast was a little disappointing. We have been there for dinner and have always been impressed. The beer is always good, especially whatever is on special. I thought 10:30am was too early for beer, but regretted my decision when the next table ordered a pitcher half way through our meal.

My husband, kid and I tried out a new restaurant on Saturday night. Cedars or Lebanon in downtown Salt Lake City.

The Food

Appetizer – Falafel – The flavor was pretty good, but a little dry.

Soup – Lentil – A nice hearty soup with a little spice. But too salty.

Main Course 1 – Moussaka – Best of amongst all the food we ate. The eggplant and peppers were cooked just right, mlting in your mouth. My kid even had some.

Main Course 2 – Lamb Shank – Meat was cooked just right, falling off the bone. But way too salty.

Drink 1 – Mint tea – Not that impressive or unique. Tasted like any other mint tea.

Drink 2 – Turkish coffee – I had it out of order, at the beginning of the meal. Loved it. It was nutty and mild.

The Atmosphere

There were hookas and rugs everywhere. Instead of artwork for sale like in some cafes, the rugs on the walls were for sale. I think it is some arrangement with the rug store that is adjacent to the restaurant.

The service was great. Really friendly and helpful. Although when we asked the waitress for advice on what to eat, she basically read the menu to us.

My husband lured me and my daughter there with promises of belly dancing. There were no belly dancers at 6:30pm on a Friday. Don’t know that there ever is. But our kid started busting a move toward the end of dinner. That was pretty entertaining.

Bottom Line

The food was good enough that we would try it again. Although, we will likely ask for a low-salt version for everything.

I am addicted to Twitter. Working from home and being an extrovert do not mix. When I first heard about Twitter over 6 months ago (or whenever it was launched and talked about on NPR), I thought hell no do I want to know all the mundane details of my life, much less anyone else’s. So I passed.

Thanks to Skrocki, I have come to the light. Although you can tweet about what you are doing, most people tweet about what they are thinking. I get a glimpse into these people’s neuroses, and they get a glimpse into mine.

It’s like working in an office again. But here you get to choose your cube mates. Don’t like John Doe 13 because he keeps talking about bacon? Don’t follow him. Really like Earwig 57′s sense of humor? Set it up so that his tweets come to your mobile.

When I tell my husband about my day, I always talk about how @ThinGuy said this and @lskrocki said that and how @kevinchu told me I don’t want a Biel butt. And although I have never met these people, I call then friends. Because they make my days pass quicker and I feel like part of a community even though I WFH.

One word of caution. Do not read your tweets when you are on a concall, no matter how boring or little you have to contribute. Reason being that you will sometimes forget you are not on mute when you guffaw over the latest irreverent tweet.

I was at Barnes and Noble this weekend. As I walked through the door, I was greeted by a display of books on diet and health with You on a Diet, front and center. As I waited in line to pay for my purchases, a Chinese cookbook for my neighbor who helped get the 300lb treadmill into our basement, another display for diet books. Hmmm. It must be resolution time.

Here it goes:

1) Be a better listener. One my challenges highlighted when I read this book.

2) Get 2-pack abs and a Jessica Biel butt. ThinGuy tells me it’s all in the hamstring.

That’s it.

We were coming home from dinner the other night. My husband was driving. I was sitting next to my kid in the back seat. “Mom, turn on the light for me.” “No, it will distract Daddy and he needs to concentrate.” “Ok.” “Mom.” “Hmm?” “What’s that? (Point out the window.)” “I don’t know, Mui, I don’t know what you are pointing at.” “That!” “I still don’t know what you are pointing at.” “If you turn on the light, then you can see what I point at.”

Was I this big a pain at 3?

I have decided to bring my kid back to the La Petite day care. It’s not that the Chinese day care was no good, just that there were no kids her age. There are 1 17mon and 2 15mon old’s. And since there are no peers for her, she is not willing to sit down for lessons.

So I called La Petite to check if they had space. And I discussed with my 3 year old her going back to La Petite. She is amenable as long as she gets to call her current teacher every once in a while. We’ll start back up next week.