It’s Almond Butter Jelly Time
As a kid, I never really cared for Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches. My parents never did prepare it much for me and my sister, and my mother would have this running joke that we were sometimes so broke that we’d have to eat Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches for dinner. As much as she had said that, she never prepared it for us because despite my parents struggling with money in the early years of my youth, food was one of the few luxuries our parents let us have as kids. (Not speaking for my sister, it definitely showed in my appearance as a kid…heheh.) So anyway, I grew up with this connotation that PB&J would be the precursor to some destitute life and I therefore never really wanted to eat it as a kid.
Having no fondness for the popular meal in my youth, I never prepared nor ate a Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich up until about 8 years ago, when I tried one prepared by the late night eatery Miki’s in Pearl City. I have to say, that first bite really changed my perception of Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches. Even with all its “poor man’s food” connotation, it turned out to be a tasty treat. It didn’t get me hooked on PB&J sandwiches, but it certainly switched my aversion to it.
Over time, I would partake in the occasional Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich, most recently when we had our big Tsunami warning ordeal this past month. In grabbing my emergency rations that very morning, I wanted to get something that wasn’t too quickly perishable. I ended up buying some strawberry jelly, peanut butter and bread. I had to watch the sugar and carb content because of my diabetes, but in moderation it turned out to be fairly gentle to my blood sugar levels. Though we had no tsunami (thankfully) I was stuck with the goods and had Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches for days.
That was a little while ago, and the craving for Peanut Butter and Jelly has set in once again. When I was perusing `Umeke Market in Kahala, I came across Almond Butter and wondered if this would be a somewhat healthier alternative to Peanut Butter (since it supposedly has more fiber and slightly less carbs.) First thing I noticed was that it was a whole lot more expensive. I’m talking 4x more expensive than PB. Granted this was your “organic” fare, which I really don’t pay THAT much attention to, but still I was intrigued. Without even trying it, I bought it and am probably going to be eating Almond Butter Jelly Sandwiches for the next few days. I definitely am going to be watching my blood sugar like a hawk as I try this new food. I definitely love almonds more than I do peanuts, so I’m expecting that this should be fairly good. If not, I’m out 15 bucks but at least I can say I tried it.
What’s ‘Right’ About This Picture?
Let’s start with what is wrong with the photo: my engagement ring is on the wrong hand. Yeah, yeah…but I want to elaborate about is what is awesome about this picture. What’s remarkable is that after having the ring for over 6 months and having it loose around my left ring finger, it has not fit my right ring finger until today. This is truly a sign that the arthritis pain that normally swells my fingers in my right hand is subsiding with treatment. I know I have been mentioning how much better I have been feeling, but this really gives me reason to celebrate.
Incidentally, I have to get the ring resized. It was fairly loose on my non-arthritic finger since I got it but my fingers have gotten a little more slender since then. Now I am afraid that it is going to fall off my hand one of these days. I know ideally I should send it to where Hunny got it, but I couldn’t dare have it leave the island through some delivery service. If anyone can suggest someone on the island I can entrust such a big task to, that would be greatly appreciated.
Again…what a happy day!
Something New Everyday
Since rekindling my interest in handwriting notes, I have decided to create a “Knowledge Notebook” after being highly inspired by the one offered by Action Day. I got the idea when I was perusing through the Franklin Covey Store in Ward (now closed) and saw these notebooks on sale for $15. I thought it was a bit extravagant, so I didn’t dare buy them. I do have some Moleskine journals that I’ve been trying to find some purpose for, and I figure I can easily convert them into these “Knowledge Journals.” So in them, I’m writing down things I want to research more about or things I find out information on and then verbalize what I want to do or stop doing based on that knowledge.
Information is everywhere, and I want to make that information seem meaningful to me. If itemizing what I know and analyzing it to the ground gets me to learn something new everyday, that would be awesome!
Cowbell Bebop
This evening I went through my iTunes trying to figure out my running playlist for the month. For me to actually enjoy running, I have to have a fairly well thought out playlist of songs. I have found that it has been one of the keys to my Nike+ success. After a while, songs that once got me pumped up end up having a less potent effect on me. I am constantly perusing the web and iTunes Essentials for ideas on what to download and use. It’s getting more and more challenging to find something, because as I mentioned, I’m not so much into new music anymore.
I recently discovered one track that I had in my iTunes for about 3 years. It was quite a pleasant surprise, because it was something that I had put together in GarageBand back when I was learning how to use it. I have absolutely no sense or understanding of how to compose music, and so this result is just a testament to how awesome GarageBand is. I call the track “Cowbell Bebop” because of the use of the one Cowbell loop in GarageBand (and yes, they are ALL loops in this 1 minute “song.”)
Just thought I’d share. I’ve never made another one since. I’d say it’s a pretty good fluke, considering it makes for one effective Nike+ power song…for now.
Between the Lines
With my hand not flaring as much anymore since being on my recent drug regimen of Enbrel and Methotrexate, I’ve resumed my interest in hand writing again. I am quite particular about what I write on and what I write with. In the 2 years I lived in Japan, my fondest memories come from perusing Japanese department stores for pens and pencils. Sadly, nothing here on the island provides me the same joy. There’s Shirokiya and Hakubundo, but their selections are highly limited at best.
I’ve recently discovered a website called jetpens.com based in the US that has a selection of Japanese pens, pencils and other stationery for fairly reasonable prices. I have not ordered anything…yet. If you order over $25, the shipping is free. I think once I accumulate a wish list of items totaling $25, I’ll place an order.
One of the most interesting items I encountered on the website were these series of notebooks by Kokuyo that had evenly spaced dots on the lines. I thought it was just pure arfing genius. It’s stuff like this that would soooo motivate me to get back to school and just learn something, you know? For now, I can only hope that something like this would be available in journals as opposed to just school notebooks.
Look at it!! Pure genius!! ほしい〜！
Bloo Hits 30K
My car, a 2007 Nissan Versa SL whom I affectionately call “Bloo,” just hit 30,000 miles this evening. It was my very first new car that I bought in early July 2007. It only took 32 months for me to get that many miles onto my car because of my daily 30+ mile commute from my home in Pearl City to my workplace in town. I also end up driving into the Windward side a lot because that’s where Hunny’s family lives. She has been a great car, though I have to say I’ve been neglecting her exterior more than I should. First things first; I’m going to send Bloo to the dealer for a HUGE checkup.
Need to Please
It’s been a rough week and all I can really say about it is that the worst of it is over and life is moving onward. One little bummer about this week was that I wasn’t able to go running on Tuesday due to illness. By Wednesday, I felt quite better and so I thought I could try to go then. I couldn’t even manage one lap around Kapiolani Park before my stomach started to bother me and so I had to end the run quite abruptly. I was bummed but still happy to get something in for the week.
After syncing my run to Nike+, I spotted my “live” Nike+ Avatar on my website and saw that she was not all impressed with a 1.4 mile run. Remembering that today marks the end of one year with Nike+, I was thinking that my Avatar SHOULD be impressed! I’ve come a long way baby! To do 1.4 miles and to jog most of it is something I could not do a year ago!
So despite this last blah run, Nike+ this past year has been a win for me. My only regret was that I was not able to reach level BLUE (1000km), but being 96k (or 60 miles) short isn’t too bad either. I hope to get there before summer starts…hopefully. I have an avatar to make happy, and it seems she demands results!
Thirty and a Half.
Another St. Patrick’s Day has passed, which means another reminder that I’m about halfway to my next birthday. Last year I was rather apprehensive about turning 30, but also hopeful for the future and the opportunities that my situation at the time presented me with. A year later, I’ve reached what I had resolved for myself as I am entirely off of diabetes meds and am so far maintaining a fairly healthy lifestyle. ( Yeah, you’re probably sick of hearing about it by now.) It’s feeling more and more like March 17th is my day to make resolutions, as opposed to doing it on New Year’s Day. My following through on my resolution could very well have been a fluke, but I guess it couldn’t hurt to try it again.
A Good Cry in the Morning
Back in January I caught a showing of Departures (aka「おくりびと」) at Kahala Theatres, curious as to why it was playing for so long and why it had been so popular. I’m not a big movie buff, as most movies I watch turn out to be disappointing. My friend just mentioned that he wanted to see it and I just tagged along for the ride, going in with little expectation. I had no idea that I would encounter a movie with such a beautiful and moving story that would bring me to tears like no other movie had before.
The DVD came out and though it was a bit pricey, I bought it. I watched it several times and loaded it on my iPhone, with my face flowing with tears every time I watched it. As soon as I heard that music, my eyes started to well up as I thought of the sadness and closure that the protagonist faced at the end of the movie — something that personally moved me. I knew I had to get the soundtrack just because that music was so beautiful and so moving. Because I had an Amazon gift card, I ordered it from there and finally got it a month afterward. I don’t usually collect instrumental music, but this was such a great CD to add to my collection.
This morning, the title theme “おくりびと” started to play in my car’s stereo during my commute to work, and I just started crying uncontrollably. Even after watching the movie so many times and listening to the song so often, I still had been so affected by this beautiful song and movie. Coming into work this morning, I looked like a wreck. I felt exhausted from all the crying, but somehow it felt good to let it all out.
Ode To Green Tea
Green Tea is the best thing there is as far as the simple pleasures go. As a drink, it doesn’t have any calories nor sugar in it but it still provides an adequate amount of caffeine to get me through my day. Its taste is amazing in its subtlety as it is not loaded with overwhelming sweetness or bitterness. I would very well call it the perfect drink.
Several weeks ago, I saw a Tokidoki shirt with Adios and his pink counterpart gf (Ciao Ciao?) enjoying Green Tea and Sushi. I am not a big Tokidoki fan, but I got the shirt anyway because it was a cute way to celebrate one of my most favorite things. Whenever I wear it, I have the urge to enjoy some green tea or a green tea flavored treat. Today: Green Tea Gelato (alongside Macadamia Nut Gelato, Hunny’s choice) from Nordstrom’s Gelato Bar.
