Catching Up

We finally made it to the Pride Parade after 6 years here in the Bay! We always seem to be out of town for Pride weekend, but this year's celebration at the Civic Center was so much fun, and made the sardine-like BART ride into the city worth every squished minute. We sat close to center stage, listening to the speeches and performances while we people watched and got some sun. The celebration was a rainbow of costumes, outfits and naked bodies of every color. The best part of the afternoon was when the guy next to us came back from getting some food and excitedly screamed to his friends: "We just saw furries!"

Later that evening, we walked to Cellspace with Blair & Sascha to watch MUCH ADO ABOUT LEBOWSKI, The Big Lebowski as writ by William Shakespeare: "an adaptation of an adaptation of a parody of a farce." The cast, the crew and the crowd all drank caucasians throughout the evening and a good time was had by all. The cast spoke a cross between Elizabethan English and The Dude's uniquely stylized L.A. English with ease, and the chorus of three men singing 70s music to accompany the action was classic. Highly recommended.

Our friend Jim recently returned to the Bay Area after a nation-wide tour with his band, The Love Dimension (http://www.thelovedimension.com/), and we were able to catch two of his shows last month. We were excited to finally check out both venues (Cafe Du Nord and The Starry Plough, must-see venues in SF and Berkeley, respectively), and to get to see Jim perform again.

Leah's close friends, Rain and Bebe, were in SF touring with their group The Paper Doll Militia (www.thepaperdollmilitia.com/The_Paper_Doll_Militia.html), as they presented their latest show THE TWISTED TALE. The show incorporates aerial apparatus, live music, shadow puppetry, slide projection, and narrative poetry, and was super impressive with dazzling flying sequences and creative costumes and characters. They are currently in Edinburgh at the Fringe Festival - check them out if you're nearby!

We celebrated the 4th of July with a grand barbeque in our backyard that included lots of white sangria, hula-hooping, juggling while hula-hooping, laughing while falling while juggling while hula-hooping, and lots of food, fun and general silliness...all capped off with a few rounds of Celebrity (of course)!

As we've noted previously, this summer we joined the East Bay Park Trails Challenge, which means that we have 26.2 miles to hike by the end of the year. To put some miles on our log, we went on a 4.1-mile hike in Pinole with Blair and Kristin. It was a beautiful hike right by the bay. The trailhead is across the water from the Richmond shooting range, so we set off to the sound of discs flying and guns popping. The best part of the hike was the flora (blackberries!), and fauna: we saw a number of beautiful egrets and cool lizards running about, and and even got to see the cutest baby fox with its momma while picnicking by a lake reserve.











Out first round of pickles was mostly a success, with some recipes working better than others (the one with dry mustard, turmeric and celery seed, with a 3-to-1 water/vinegar ratio has been our favorite so far). The cucumbers in our garden are looking amazing, and we can't wait to start pickling the home-grown cukes. First, though, we have to get through the 5 jars of pickles we have left in the fridge.

And our kombucha has been going really well, too! We split the last batch in two and infused half with lavender (from our CSA), and half with mint. Both turned out amazing, especially the lavender which had a really strong flavor.

All in all, it's been a fun month. And August, with it's scheduled trips to Oregon, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Florida, should prove to have more than a few blogable moments. Until then...

A Pickle-in-Waiting

Our first mature cucumber!

Further Experiments Involving Jars

Earlier today we did our test pickling experiment using store-bought cucumbers. We tried five different recipes, using ingredients such as: dill, mustard powder, mustard seeds, garlic, peppercorns, whole chili peppers, celery seeds, turmeric, and coriander.

These pickles should be ready in a few weeks, at which point the six varieties of cucumber plants in the garden should start producing fruit, and we can start all over again.

We'll let you know which recipes we like best next month.

Sushi night ala Cha-ya

Along with Sascha and Leah, we decided to recreate some signature Cha-ya vegan sushi last weekend to great success! We even attempted their tempura rolls (whole rolls dipped in tempura batter and fried to a crisp).

Ingredients included: avocado, mushrooms, broccolini, squash, cucumber, green beans, lettuce, spinach, spicy tofu. Everything turned out so well. Yay for inventive cooking at home!

Further Experiment with Fermentation: Sauerkraut

We started our sauerkraut project today!



For anyone interested in making these in your own kitchen, all you need are vegetables (we used cabbage, onion & carrots), mason jars, and a tool to push down the veggies.

Just cut the veggies in bite-size pieces, salt on the heavy side (the fermentation process needs salt), mix and start putting into the jar, pausing every once in a while to push down on the veggies to create brine. And that's about it! Just make sure that by the end of your process, all the veggies will be covered in brine juice (otherwise, mold will start to develop).

We'll keep you posted on how ours turn out!

Fire Dragons

Last night, we drove to the Goddess Temple in Chico, CA to participate in a firewalk. Under the guidance of Claudia Weber, we watched a huge pyre of cedar wood burn down to coals, and then walked across the coals to the sound of two assisting drummers and the natural sounds of the surrounding forest (the frogs from the nearby pond were competing with the crickets and the drummers for audial supremacy).



The night was clear -- with the moon and stars giving the whole experience a most perfect atmosphere - and the setting at the temple was beautiful. We can't wait to go back to the temple to camp in their tee-pees or participate in other events there.

The coals were certainly hot but we survived (albeit with slightly tender soles).







It's definitely a fun experience so we recommend giving it a try if you get the chance.

Kombucha, sauerkraut and pickled vegetables

Last week, our friend-slash-gardener-slash-garden/health mentor Lisa brought us a kombucha daughter and we've started brewing in our kitchen. For those of you who aren't familiar with the drink, kombucha is a fermented tea made from sugar, tea (usually green or black tea) and a SCOBY (symbiotic colony/culture of bacteria and yeast). It tastes a bit like sparkling apple cider, and has supposed benefits like improved digestion, better skin, stronger immunity, anti-aging effects, increased energy and weight loss. Some even say that it may have anti-microbial effects against harmful bacteria like E. coli, a range of vitamins and minerals, and possibly anti-fungal properties as well.


2 Gallon jar and "the new summer project"


Day 2 in the jar

Now that our kombucha project is well under way, we're excited to try other fermenting processes. The next time we get cabbage from our CSA, we're making sauerkraut! And Christopher just planted 4 more cucumber plants in our garden and we hope to start pickling cucumbers this summer. And we can't wait to start pickling other veggies, too...perhaps starting with garlic (our first garlic harvest was a success).



Stop by our place next week if you want to try our very first brew.

May Days and Birthdays and Sunny Days

As the summer months approach, it's time to reflect on the doings and goings-on of another season passed.







When we left off in March, Pearl was just about to head to Ohio to give her first conference paper at the British Women Writers Conference. Though it was a little daunting at first, she had a great experience delivering her first paper. Everyone was very supportive, and she answered the questions asked of her with articulate ease. More importantly, the conference gave her the confidence boost she needed in preparation for her Orals exam, more about which anon.

Upon her return, we joined Stu and Mags on a hike around the Albany Bulb, a former landfill that juts into the Bay and which is now covered in volunteer art and graffiti.













The next evening we joined a group of friends to celebrate Sascha's birthday at Cafe Tibet, where we had tasty vegetarian food in the company of great friends. We had been hearing raves about the restaurant since we first moved to Berkeley and we were glad to finally have an excuse to go.

That weekend found us at the Green Festival which, due to reasons of economy, was noticeably toned down from prior years. Highlights from the festival included the Nada Chair (http://www.nadachair.com/), Pearl's Global Exchange hippie pants (not only are the pants environmentally-sustainably made, they were a steal for $15!), and, of course, the amazing food which was the best part of the festival: vegan corn dogs, knishes, and felafels!

The next week and a half were quiet (Chris marked his 6-year anniversary at work), until mid-April when Pearl took her oral exam...and passed with flying colors!!! After the test she said she felt as if 8 years of weight (marked from the start of her Masters program), was lifted from her shoulders. That night, to celebrate, we went down to Oakland to watch the Red Sox take on the A's. The Red Sox lost, leaving them 1-4 in the five years we've seen them here. While it was a bummer, the actual experience was still fun, especially as The Coliseum has the best vegan hot dogs we've ever tasted.

Around this time, Pearl participated in her second conference and gave a paper with Jasmine on essay writing and sequencing - Jasmine and Pearl co-created a syllabus on which the conference paper was based. The support from Davis professors & graduate students were overwhelmingly kind, and it was nice to partake in a composition conference, which differs greatly from English conferences.

On May Day, we took a walking tour/class called Wildflowers Of Skyline Serpentine Prairie, up in the Oakland hills, where we learned about the different native wildflowers in the Bay Area. We also learned that bees like the colors pink, purple, blue and white and cannot see red - good thing we planted lots of purple and white flowers in our yard! It was a great class (and free!), and we can't wait to take more free classes with the East Bay Parks.

A few days later we were in Massachusetts, visiting Chris' family for Mother's Day. It was great to see everyone and to have four generations together to celebrate.

On our return, we got to see one of the final performances of The Cripple of Inishmaan by Martin McDonagh at UC Berkeley, which was funny and shocking and very well acted.

The following week brought us two of the greatest days of the year: our birthdays! For Chris' birthday (which coincided with World Naked Gardening Day), we spent all day in the garden...clothed, it was cold :(. With Lisa's help we got a bunch of the bolted veggies out of the ground and a lot of new ones in. We planted cucumbers, melons, beans, hot peppers, carrots, beets, kale, and lots more tomatoes to go with the celery, chard, spinach and lettuce we planted earlier. We're not sure what will survive (our peppers didn't last year), and what won't get eaten by the neighborhood critters (as our cukes did last year), but we'll post pictures to show the progress.













In between the birthdays, our friend Diana paid another visit and we got to meet some of her lovely friends over salads and beers at Jupiter Cafe.

For Pearl's birthday, her sisters came out west and the three of them, with family friend Jose, went to Sacramento to watch Glee perform live. The sisters' visit was so much fun. We tried a number of different restaurants in San Francisco (Thirsty Bear for Spanish tapas, and Hogs and Rocks for jamon and oysters) and took the group to Martuni's, a piano bar where participants can sing along with the piano player. We also checked out the Vacaville Outlets -- it wouldn't be a Filipino reunion without outlets shopping, and we even found time to work out together (walks, pilates, yoga).





On Sunday night, we threw a party to introduce them to some of our friends, and thanks to performances from Jose (pilates class, singing), Mags (hula hooping, crumping), Stu (hula hooping), and Pearl (wind flute), it can safely be said that a good time was had by all.

A few days later, Pearl gave another conference paper at UCD where she was able to share the start of her dissertation project to an audience. This was her third conference - she's becoming a pro!

And that just about brings us up to date. Oh, wait! I left out the part about Pearl being one of the models in Sascha's video for his acupuncture practice (appointments still available, operators are standing by). And training for the 5K. And signing up for the EB Parks Trail Challenge. And how Chris grew his first beard (he's so grown up now)...then shaved it down to a mustache in a tribute to Steve Prefontaine (it helps with the running). And how we've started sprouting beans for salads again. And the komboucha. And...

Early Spring, 2011

It’s been a quiet four months since our last post but we wanted to keep you updated on our latest…

We celebrated the completion of Pearl's Fall Semester by hosting our annual gingerbread house party. We baked the bread, prepped the icing, and gathered a bunch of friends over to regress momentarily to childhood by creating houses that would make Hansel and Gretel drool. Some pics:







Soon after, we flew to the East Coast area to spend Christmas with our families. Pablo, Karen and their kids flew in to spend Christmas in America. The last time Pearl's whole family was together was seven years ago, so we had a wonderful time reconnecting.



We also got to spend time with Chris' family, and it was fun getting up in the wee hours to open up presents with Diana. We got to participate in the family's tradition of ordering Chinese Food on Christmas Day, and it was a fun day of celebration with the whole family.

We returned to California after Christmas and spent New Year's Eve at Jesse and Jasmine’s, ringing in the new year with our friends.

In January, we returned our focus to our front yard, planting all sorts so wildflower seeds (poppies, sunflowers, daisies, etc) and three cala lilies. We are excited to see our front yard in full bloom this spring. Stay tuned for more pics.



In February, we welcomed Leah into our home, and it’s been so wonderful creating a new home with her. And, last week, we celebrated Sascha’s growing acupuncture practice by checking out Cancun, a taqueria that grows their own organic veggies. And with regard to our own organic veggies, we have been eating our peas (sugar and snap) and spinach for the first time. The peas taste sweet like corn, and the spinach is so rich, vibrant and crunchy. Y’all have to come and taste for yourself the difference between store-bought and home-grown.









That brings us up to today with lots of fun stuff ahead of us: Pearl defends her dissertation in April (okay, maybe not so fun, but definitely necessary); we’re planning to go on a firewalk for Chris’ birthday; Candice and Pia are coming into town to celebrate Pearl’s birthday weekend with a viewing of Glee on stage.

We'll write again when we have more to share! With Love, Chris and Pearl

Fall Fun

Oh my, oh my, how the end of the year flies by.

In October, with help from Ciana, we transitioned our garden from Spring/Summer to Autumn/Winter: pulling out the tomatoes, chard, beans and herbs and planting beets, peas, carrots, tatsoi, spinach, and Brussels sprouts.

On Hallow's Eve eve, we dined at the Tenz's, newly arrived from Germany. We had a lovely dinner cooked by Courtney & Melissa and carved pumpkins, Pearl's first ever jack-o-lantern!







The following night, we stayed home to greet the Trick-or-Treaters. As we've never had a single Trick-or-Treater knock on our door before (in SF, NY, PA or anywhere else we've lived together), we were excited to watch the bowl of chocolates disappear as the night progressed. Our favorite was a 3-year-old girl dressed in a Mickey Mouse outfit (a rare classic costume among all the new superheroes and unknown cartoon characters).

Two weeks later, we traveled to Mass. to visit the Bauers. It was great to see the family, and Pearl even got to test the new body scan at the airport.

In late November, we hosted Thanksgiving dinner (vegan style). It was a plentiful meal consisting of the usual holiday suspects minus the turkey. Kristin even treated us to a trio of pies: vegan apple, vegan pumpkin and vegan chocolate pecan. Delicious.

Pearl's mom came to visit and we threw her an Asian-themed potluck party (sushi by Sascha, eggrolls, miso soup, and more), which we capped off with a round of Celebrity. Everyone who came to the party had to write up a "Ten activities for 2011" list, goals they wish to accomplish in the coming year. Here are our lists ~ if you wish to join us for any of the activities on our lists, let us know!

PEARL'S LIST:
1. Go sky diving in Monterey
2. Go lawn-bowling in Berkeley
3. Go camping in Stewart Mineral Springs Retreat, Mount Shasta
4. Go to mud-baths in Calistoga
5. Go to Octoberfest in Marin
6. Attempt a blue ribbon win at the June CA State Fair
7. Pass my Qualifying Exams
8. Run Bay-to-Breakers
9. Attend Fire Arts Festival in Oakland
10. See Elvis Costello in concert

CHRISTOPHER'S LIST:
1. Continue to practice guitar
2. Finish draft of my screenplay
3. Get a tattoo
4. Get my motorcycle license
5. Go fire walking [Fire]
6. Go surfing [Water]
7. Ride in a Hot air balloon [Air]
8. Take a mudbath, preferably in a natural spring [Earth]
9. Run Bay-to-Breakers or a 5K Fun Run
10. Begin studying French
11. Read 3 new books from the Modern Library Top 100





(Thanks to Tony for taking photos of the food)

Thanksgiving weekend ended with a trip to Salt Point in Jenner where we went mushroom hunting. We didn't find many mushrooms worth eating, though we learned a lot about mushroom picking and identification.







That just about brings us up to the present. Stay tuned for further adventures involving gingerbread houses, ugly Christmas jumpers, family reunions and more.

Happy Holidays!