ladylexy's Xanga

Quote About Fear: "Americans are the most fearful people in history..."

Thu, 05 Feb 2009 16:58:15 GMT

This isn't an original answer, but I stumbled upon this quote by Michael Michalko (author of Thinkertoys) and it resonated with me. How many of these things am I afraid of? How many times do I sense people's fear of these things? What should we do about it?

"Americans are also the most fearful people in the history of the world. Never before in history have a people who have so much been so much afraid. We are afraid of eating the wrong foods, drinking the wrong liquids, being on the wrong diet, being overweight, being ugly, being old, being friendless, being poor, not having the right house or car, losing our jobs, having a wrong job, being polluted to death, reading the wrong publications, becoming homeless, being attacked by the homeless, being hit by drunk drivers, being hijacked on an airplane, being mugged, being car jacked, being killed in a random act of violence, being beheaded by a religious zealot, of someone smoking a cigarette near us, and even afraid that we are not physically endowed enough to be in a physical relationship.

We are afraid we won't have enough money for a decent burial or that we don't have adequate insurances for our survivors. We are afraid our children will hate or embarrass us. We are afraid we will have to take care of our parents. We are afraid no one will take care of us in our old age. We are afraid other countries will hate us. We're afraid of terrorists killing us. We're afraid to act in our best interest for national security because of what the world will think and we're afraid not to act because of what the world will think. We're afraid of being sued. We’re afraid to get too close to our neighbors. We’re afraid to greet and talk to strangers. We’re afraid not to vote even when there is no one that we feel is worth a vote. We're afraid of ruining the environment, we are afraid of causing global warming, of being responsible for all the miseries in the Third World, of being responsible for all the criminals and murderers among us, and for all the sins of the world’s history. We are afraid of nuclear power. We are afraid to drill for oil and we are afraid not to drill for oil. We are afraid to speak freely and openly about how we really feel. We are afraid to be proud to be an American. We are afraid of being politically incorrect. We are afraid of being called racist, anti-Semitic, homophobic, anti-feminist, religious, fascist, radical, ignorant, or prejudiced.

We are even afraid to wish each other a Merry Christmas."

Williams-Sonoma = I'm growing up...

Sun, 25 Jan 2009 01:09:17 GMT

I realized I was a grown-up when I started feeling the urge to walk around places like Williams-Sonoma.

In the past year, my love for creating great experiences through food has really taken off. It feels weird for me to say I'm into "cooking" -- which to me suggests homey and domestic -- so I tend to describe what I enjoy as "recreating favorite foods." It's not about preparing meals as much as creating interesting eating experiences, to me. The best foods are the ones that evoke experiences -- the ones that taste like a Autumn day (pumpkin pie bread!) or the foods that made me smile in Korea and Japan (like the delightfully spherical takoyaki).

On that note, here's a list I've been keeping of interesting foods I attempted to recreate in the past year, from foreign to familiar, in approximately reverse-seasonal order.

-Homemade Pasta
-Mango Sticky Rice
-Ebelskivers (Danish Filled Panckes)
-Dense, Chewy Gingerbread Cookies
-Spaghetti & Meatballs (Decorated) Cupcakes
-Waffles and Waffle-Yaki
-Takoyaki
-Oknomiyaki
-Omurice
-Orange Pumpkin Cranberry Bread
-Apple Pie Mochi
-Pumpkin Pie Loaf
-Pumpkin Daifuku
-Pumpkin Pie Bars (aka Ice Cream Mixer)
-Pumpkin Pie Mochi
-Pumpkin Tteok
-Pumpkin Waffles
-Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream
-Roasted Butternut Squash Ravioli with Sage Brown Butter
-Sweet Potato Fries
-Kabocha Yellow Curry
-Pumpkin and Banana Tempura
-Funnel Cake
-Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwiches
-Zucchini "Carrot" Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
-Blueberry Loaf
-Mexican Rice Pudding
-Homemade Tortillas
-Jap Che
-Smoked Salmon Pizza
-Rice Krispy Treats
-Avocado Shakes

Anything you'd like to try? Come on over!

My first job: Sales

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 21:54:23 GMT

When I was maybe 5, I sold brown eggs laid by my 20 Rhode Island Red chickens for $1.00 a dozen.

Then when I was 8, I sold miniature American Girl doll-sized food that I handcrafted out of Sculpey for $20.00 a set.

In junior high, I sold small businesses custom designed websites for up to $3000.00 a site.

And then I decided to be a designer.

My Road Trip Mix Tape

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 21:42:56 GMT

So Long Astoria by Ataris

A farewell song... "So long, Astoria... I found a map to buried treasure... and even if we come home empty-handed... we'll still have our stories, of battle scars, pirate ships and wounded hearts, broken bones, and all the best of friendships"

Would You Go With Me by Josh Turner

A journey song (for two)... "Would you go with me? If we rolled down streets of fire... Would you hold on to me tighter... as the summer sun got higher... And would it be okay, if I didn't know the way."

San Francisco by Vanessa

A homecoming song... "And now... I feel the ever after... Over red wine on the eve of summer... The buzz... The buzz of the city... As we settle in it's majesty."

Perfect Pumpkin Curry

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 03:44:36 GMT

From the moment it turned Autumn, I have been craving PUMPKIN. Visions of pumpkin milkshakes, roll cakes, ravioli, souffle and more have been dancing in my head non-stop. So I picked up a pile of winter squashes at Berkeley Bowl on Sunday, and had Seth chop up the Kabocha pumpkin for me. With half, we attempted tempura (FAIL! but the batter made a great funnel cake) and with the other, I set out to make a mouth-watering curry.

While Thai Curry isn't a particularly traditional autumn treat, this curry came out SO creamy and delicious that I just had to share! With reference to lots of yellow curry recipes found online, I finally created a delicious pumpkin curry that is as good or better than what I've tried at Thai restaurants! Here's my recipe...

PUMPKIN YELLOW CURRY

Makes about 6 half-cup servings, less than 250 calories per serving (not counting rice)!

BUY:

Rice:
3/4 cup jasmine rice (makes 6 quarter-cup servings)

Winter Veggies:
1 cup of sliced zucchini
1 cup of baby carrots
2 cups of diced kabocha pumpkin (Japanese pumpkin)

Curry:
1 can Chaokoh Coconut Milk
2T Mae Ploy Yellow Curry Paste
2 cups Chicken Stock (buy or prepare from chicken boullion)

Extras:
1/4 cup orange juice
2T brown sugar

PREPARE:

3/4 cup jasmine rice (1/4 cup dry = 1/2 cup)
Chop vegetables
Prepare 2 cups stock from boullion if needed

STIR FRY IN LARGE POT TIL DRY AND PASTY:

2T coconut milk (skim the cream from the top of the can)
2T yellow curry paste

ADD AND REDUCE UNTIL DROPS OF RED OIL BEGIN TO SURFACE:

2T chicken stock

ONCE OIL SEPARATES, ADD:

Rest of coconut milk
1 cup of broth

REDUCE UNTIL OIL SEPARATES AGAIN, THEN ADD:

Chopped winter vegetables
Additional broth as needed to achieve desired consistency

BOIL TIL VEGGIES ARE SOFT AND ADD, IF DESIRED:

1/4 cup orange juice (to taste)
2T brown sugar (to taste)

SERVE OVER RICE AND ENJOY!

P.S. This is a Kabocha pumpkin... Thanks Jirat for pointing me to the right pumpkin!

An Open Letter to my Birthmother

Sat, 02 Aug 2008 05:13:41 GMT

I recently initiated a search for my birthmother through my adoption agency, motivated by our upcoming trip to Korea. Although only 7% of these searches are successful, they encourage you to prepare a "letter of introduction." This is my letter. I wanted to share it, because I read other adoptees' letters online, and they were inspiring and encouraging.

Dear Birthmother,

Although I've never met you, I've been grateful to you all my life. I hope this letter finds you, for I want more than anything for you to know that I'm ok -- more than ok, incredibly blessed -- and to thank you for the gracious gift of life you so selflessly gave me on November 20, 1983.

I was adopted by wonderful, loving parents and grew up in Pennsylvania with my brother, also adopted, and sister, my parents' "surprise" child. We're all very close and still talk just about every day. As a child, I loved to play outside in our big backyard -- planting vegetables with my mom, hiking with my Dad, riding bikes with my siblings and climbing trees with my cats. I was constantly busy with creative pursuits, from drawing to origami to creating illustrated books and magazines for my friends. These childhood interests flourished into a Visual Communication degree from Ohio State University and a career in Design, which has been an amazing opportunity to use my abilities to improve people's lives in practical ways.

I work in San Francisco, where I live in a tiny, but cozy, studio apartment with my wonderful husband. Seth and I have been married for 4 years now and I'm confident we'll be deeply devoted to each other for life. Oh, I wish you could have seen the wedding! We had a true "fairy tale" wedding, complete with costumes and folk dancing, where we celebrated the wonderful "story" that we're all a part of.

Our wedding reflected the faith in God that is a big part of my life. Despite all the ways I've been blessed, I realize it could all disappear in an instant. I faced this reality when I recently lost my close brother. My only comfort was knowing that it was not a senseless accident, because I'm confident that everything happens for a reason and is part of a wonderful story authored by a loving God. I know my own life was not an accident, either, and I am so thankful that you were part of my story.

When I recently learned you went to art college -- the only thing I know about you -- I wondered what else we might have in common. Are you around 5 feet tall, and proud of it? Do you tend to analyze (or over-analyze) everything -- memories, money, the meaning of life? Do you come across as shy but light up about topics you're passionate about? Is it hard for you to throw anything away because everything has some significance to you? Do you love cats?

I hope someday these questions may be answered, but even if that can't happen, I hope that you somehow know you are deeply appreciated and loved by me. Thank you for loving me enough to give me life.

Your Birthdaughter,

Alexa

the video version, submitted to a contest about what you're saving for

When my tortured mind tries to Twitter...

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 05:41:08 GMT

"INTPs exhibit the greatest precision in thought and language of all the types; they can detect distinctions and inconsistencies instantaneously."

Original Twitter idea:

"When Obama wins, design talks will never sound more interesting than they are."

Racing through my brain:

Will people unfamiliar with the "When Obama wins" meme infer that I'm an Obama-supporter?
Could the word "talks" confuse people? What if they read it as a verb -- like "design is talking?" "Talk" is kind of a weird noun anyway. Maybe I should say "presentation."
It's kind of unclear what I mean by "sound more interesting" since it's unclear where I heard it from. What if someone takes it to mean that the actual talk had interesting auditory qualities? Perhaps it sounded interesting from a distance, and when I got closer, it was boring!
The talk wasn't really about design, so that's kind of misleading. I want to convey an accurate portrait of my evening.

Final result:

"In a perfect world, written descriptions of interaction design-related presentations will never sound more interesting than the actual presentation turns out to be."

But after systematically assessing my brain's objections and ascertaining their ridiculousness, I went ahead and posted the original Twitter with confidence.

Sunday, July 06, 2008

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 00:55:55 GMT

This article in the NY Times today kind of baffled me:

Tablet Ignites Debate on Messiah and Resurrection
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/06/world/middleeast/06stone.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&hp

I think the find is very interesting, but I don't see how it "shakes up Christianity."

That the Jews had ideas about a suffering servant isn't news -- if you read Isaiah 53 and around there, there are lots of references to a suffering servant, which, although they may have been fulfilled earlier, also strongly allude to Christ. The Messiah was indeed a Jewish concept... so it wouldn't surprise me if a story of a 3-day resurrection was also a Jewish concept.

I guess what people are debating is: "Was the story of the resurrection invented before Jesus, or after?"

To Christians, that's a moot point: We don't believe the story was invented at all. It's a historical record of a real event, albeit one that was planned (by God) long before it happened.

Gay Marriage: Before you "Take Action"

Fri, 16 May 2008 15:25:34 GMT

If you're wondering "how to respond" to California's ruling on gay marriage, here are a few things to consider. I'm curious what your thoughts are on these ruminations.

Christian Thoughts...

1) Is this what Christians should be spending their energy on? I think it's unfortunate that part of celebrating this victory of tolerance in California has been intolerant, blanket bashing of all "Christians." HOWEVER, that Christians have drawn so much public attention to their opposition to this particular issue has polarized "us vs. them" in a cultural war. I'm afraid Christians are fighting this war at Christ's expense. What if we just surrender for the sake of what really counts?

2) So what really counts? Well for one thing, our message of hope has been twisted into one of condemnation. All people are hearing is, "If you don't shape up, you're going to hell." Christ did not come into the world to condemn the world, and it's certainly not specific sins that condemn us. In reality, we're ALL condemned already -- at least to die physically. That Christ offers a way out of what seems inevitable for us all is an alluring message of hope that makes the rest worth considering. I'm starting to think that reframing this message should be priority number one.

Political Thoughts...

3) The Government doesn't define what's "right" and "wrong" anyway. Making something permissible doesn't mean it's "right" or "optimal" (eating cheeseburgers every day is permissable). Would you even want the will of the majority to define what's "optimal?" Rather, the American government was set up to ensure liberty -- freedom to do what's right or wrong, optimal or inoptimal -- as long as you're not encroaching on someone else's right to do the same. This freedom to choose wasn't man's idea... it was God's idea. He created the option to reject his ways when he created man. Why would he do something so risky? Because if there was no option but choosing him, it wouldn't be a real choice at all. If God was willing to do something so "risky," maybe we should just trust him and let the legislation be.

4) Now I will suggest here that Government has gone beyond simply ALLOWING people to make free choices. Instead it incentivizes certain choices that the majority believes are "best for society." I'm not sure we really want government to be in the business of defining what personal behaviors are optimal for society. That's only great when you're in the majority. But instead of incentivising all choices (gay or married), wouldn't it be even more liberating if the government stopped incentivising any choices? But I digress, because "privatizing marriage" is probably one of those beautifully logical but sadly impractical libertarian ideas.

Your Thoughts?

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Sun, 10 Feb 2008 03:51:22 GMT

I emailed Skybus to ask why there were no new San Francisco flights open and got this sad sad reply:

Thank you for contacting Skybus!

Please note that Skybus is discontinuing service to Oakland, CA from 31st May, 2008.

Due to a very dramatic increase in the price of jet fuel over the past several months, like every other airline we are looking for ways to mitigate the problem. One way to do that is to carefully examine the route structure and determine ways we can gain even more efficiency from our fleet usage.

The decision to discontinue service to Oakland, CA was a difficult one for us, but it was brought on by a situation that was beyond our control and needed to be addressed.

We apologize for the inconvenience and we look forward to serving you in the future.

Tom

Skybus

Come ON! How can Kansas City be more profitable than San Francisco?? They hardly go above $100 for those flights.