Month: March 2013

The world looks strange through new glasses

Confession:  I had been using the same pair of glasses for over five years.

Of all the equipment I use it seems the one I use the most I paid the least amount of attention to.  I’ve been wearing glasses for several years and I’m ok with that.  I grew up knowing I would wear glasses because I figured that since both of my parents had glasses it was expected and natural that I would inherit their myopia.

At the same time I may be afraid of going blind.  Neither parent is blind — at least they have not informed me in conversation — so it may just be a personal fear of mine.  And every time I go to the optometrist my prescription gets stronger and stronger and I figure it’s only a matter of time before the inevitable.  Note:  I found out today that it’s not necessarily true as my maternal grandfather’s eyes actually got better.

Anyhow I ordered a pair of glasses from Warby Parker and today they were delivered.  I believe I ordered last Monday so it took a week for them to arrive.  Not too long, but not amazingly quick.  (Newegg spoiled me by getting me equipment next day with no additional charge).  I like the frames but I’m adjusting to the lenses.  Looking straight ahead is fine but if I look through the sides, it’s not clear and I don’t exactly know why that is.  I’ll be moving my head around more I suppose.

Driving was an odd experience.  Being able to see the texture of asphalt is something I haven’t noticed from behind the wheel in … who knows how long.  Tonight I could see individual blades of grass as if somebody applied a drop shadow to make each blade stand out.  So odd.

The world has so much more detail and texture.  Sadly that seems to be dirt, scratches, cracks and pores.  I really want to go to Disneyland to see what that actually looks like.  I would have seen a movie today but I didn’t see any listings for something I would go see.  I guess I could try Oz in 3D … I think the 3D effect on my Nintendo 3DS has been improved with these glasses too.

YABC the Young Adult Book Council

I am a member of a book club.  The Young Adult Book Council or YABC meets monthly and we’ve been meeting for over five years.  I think that’s pretty impressive.  I will admit that I haven’t been the best member … back in 2008 I didn’t read five of the selections.  In 2009 I didn’t finish two of the books and in 2011 I missed one of those as well.  I’m getting better but then again I also think the book selections are getting better.

One of the five books I didn’t read in 2008 was Breaking Dawn.  I haven’t read any of the twilight books and I didn’t want to read them out of order and I didn’t want to read all of them.  There’s always that one chance that I might actually enjoy them and then I would just feel awful about having been so harsh on my prejudgements.  This is one of those circumstances where I have a comfortable ignorance about Twilight and so forth.  However next week I just might get the opportunity to meet Stephanie Meyer and I’m going to try and read The Host before then.  Fingers crossed I don’t regret that plan.

On my iPad I keep a document in Pages containing the previous book selections in month and who picked it.  I have not always been especially proud of my selections.  At one point I selected Ned Vizinni’s Be More Chill and I finished it early realized that it was awful so I went to a challenged classic I had never read: The Giver.

Next weekend we’re doing a book swap.  I’ve been trying to find appropriate titles to use for the book swap.  It’s kind of hard because most of the books in my library I haven’t read so I don’t know if I want to get rid of them.  Also, I figured I should stay in an age appropriate realm.  You know, teenagers nervous about sex, not sex hounds dripping with fluids.  (And so forth)  Through the various boxes of books I have I did come across some of the old selections from those early years in the group and I don’t know if I should get rid of them…some of them I think I should read first 🙂

Young Adult Book Council (on the web)

Tower? Oh.

So this is like a review I posted on Goodreads and I’m reposting here, but with spoilers.

Tower? Oh.

Once upon a time…a few years ago I came across a book called the James Deans and I read this book that was not about a boy band with a 1950s theme.  This was my first introduction to Reed Farrel Coleman and he’s on my list of “mystery genre authors I will read.”  Sadly, that’s a small list but what you can do with a finite amount of life to read with.  I think the only other authors on the list are Don Winslow and Charlie Huston.

Tower is a book that was written by Ken Bruen and Reed Farrel Coleman about Nicky and Todd, two young men from Brooklyn and their lives and stuff.  Nicky is a violent sort filled with rage.  Todd loves Nicky but isn’t in love with Nicky, it’s not that kind of a book where two boys have their hearts broken by each other.  Nah, there’s women for that. Continue reading “Tower? Oh.”

Free Bag! Food Trucks! Big ‘Cap Day at Santa Anita

I received a text from my friend Jason that the Lobsta Truck was at Santa Anita and he was coming out so I ended up going as well.  The weather today was unbelievably lovely and it would have been a terrible shame to stay indoors.  Doing what I had thought I’d do.  Laundry and internet.  Some general reading.

Here we have a lovely sunny day in the mid 80s and people are walking about in shorts and whatnot.  And Chicago? I believe your high was 30.  New York’s high was 45.  Baltimore 43.  But enough about you, let’s talk about ladies in hats and white people who are dressed like … white people.

I was standing in line for Kogi behind these lovely white people dressed in pastels.  I had to share with everyone the way this guy was dressed because ordinarily I would have assumed it was done ironically in costume but he didn’t seem to be putting on an affectation of any sort.  Apparently it’s perfectly normal for him to wear pastels.  There were the docksiders on his feet.  A blue polo shirt, ray bans and what amused me to no end….yellow shorts with tiny sailboats on them.  Sir, if by some random fortune you manage to read this I don’t mean this post as a critique, it’s just been so long since I’ve seen anyone dress like you.

Perhaps this gentlemen attended a prep school and summered on the cape and belongs in one of my favorite Edward Hopper paintings (Ground Swell)

Back to food trucks.

I did not go to the Grilled Cheese Truck but I always like the Grilled Cheese Truck.  I’m trying to eat better and fatty melty dairy between two bits of carb that’s been buttered…not the best meal.  But if you ever find yourselves where the Grilled Cheese Truck is an option, I recommend trying them.  Don’t forget the tater tots!

Can you believe this was my first time at a Kogi BBQ Truck?  I know there’s like four trucks that roam around and I always credit them with being behind the LA Food Truck scene.  Just somehow I’ve never found myself at the same place as a Kogi Truck or if I was, I was actually there for another truck and didn’t get around to trying it.  Since I was hoping to eat at more than just one truck I limited my order to just a short rib taco and a chicken taco.  You know the kind, a small little soft tortilla with a bunch of chopped meat and lettuce on top.  I probably could have eaten five?  Maybe more?  I’m going to recommend you try Kogi.

The Lobsta Truck was there and I had a lobsta roll with mayo and it was good as always.  The Lobsta Truck is reliable for having good lobster and I have to stay true to my vow:  I will not go out of my way to go to the Lobsta Truck.  I never want to get to the point where I have it so much it becomes less magical.  The Lobsta Truck is my absolute favorite source of lobster rolls and as I like to say they often are better than seafood I get at restaurants.

Now I did get a sample from the nice man at the Ragin’ Cajun truck.  Tried the garlic sauce.  Was pretty good, but I was still getting a feel for what was out there and I didn’t really want to fill my stomach with a helping of gumbolaya.  And I don’t think I could stop from ordering a fried shrimp po boy… and I just have this weakness for cajun and it would have ended up with me at the gym trying to work it all off.  Instead I see on their website that not only are they looking to open a new restaurant out in Hermosa Beach but they also are going to launch a quickserve restaurant.  Hopefully that will be closer to me.  Because really the only restaurant I drive out that far for is Lahaina…

Also I had a black cherry sorbetto at Palazzolo’s Artisan Gelato & Sorbetto truck.  Yes, it contained bits of cherry.  No it wasn’t creamy … because I’m lactose intolerant and I can choose food that doesn’t lead to regret.  It was nice on this very sunny Saturday.

I will also mention the My Delight CupCakery truck. I did not try this, but I do want to try their breakfast cupcake.  It’s like a pancake cupcake with bacon.  Bacon inside of it and bacon on top and it kinda sounds brilliant so hopefully at some point I will get the chance to try this.

And then I also saw Nonna’s Kitchenette and I didn’t try it but heaven knows I have a fondness for italian food.  Something tells me the hand rolled risotta balls are great.  And I’m not sure but a peanut butter, raspberry and prosciutto sandwich sounds like something I have to try.  Afterwards I will either herald it as a revelation or …not.

Lastly I want to say it was nice seeing Youngblood Hawke there.  I managed to go hours without mentioning to anyone that the band is named after a Herman Wouk book that I started but is very thick and unavailable on my Sony Reader (well I haven’t checked this month).  Soon they’re going to hear the sound the sound as we come running….

tote_bagI got a free bag with admission.  I left it in the trunk of my car.  I came to the realization that even though I don’t really need a bag, sometimes I do.  I live in Pasadena where stores don’t give out plastic bags and I never remember to have sufficient bags with me when I go to the market.  I’m hoping that I will be able to use this for groceries and it will be helpful and useful and I don’t forget to bring it with me.  If wishes were horses…

 

The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary Special Orchestra CD

Last night I was on the elliptical machine when my iPod nano shuffled to Gerudo Valley, track 4 of The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary Special Orchestra CD.  The CD was a special pack in with The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword which I regrettably didn’t play as much as I have played the soundtrack.

I don’t think of myself as a super video game nerd, and my friends who do play video games can vouch for my lack of game playing ability.  But this collection of music I think stands out as good music, exceeding what I would have expected from a video game soundtrack or a television or cinema score.  Of course there are little moments when musical cues provide a thrill associated with memories of gameplay; if at anytime in real life I were to hear the secret notification and a key falls out of the sky I think it would be the best thing ever.  (Main Theme Medley, 0:48)

 

Track Listing for The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary Special Orchestra CD

  1. The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary Medley
  2. Kariko Village – Twilight Princess Theme
  3. The Wind Waker Symphonic Movement
  4. Gerudo Valley
  5. Great Fairy’s Fountain Theme
  6. Twilight Princess Symphonic Movement
  7. The Legend of Zelda Main Theme Medley
  8. Ballad of the Goddess from Skyward Sword

Yesterday I found out that Viz (VizKids) published a translation of the Legend of Zelda manga series and I may have purchased all ten volumes.  I was reviewing one for Edelweiss but didn’t realize there was a whole series.  I had finished Ocarina of Time Part 1 and wanted to continue on so I checked at the bookstore I was in and on the shelf I found all ten of them sitting there, waiting for me.  I immediately looked online and read about the ten volumes — hopefully soon to be more than ten with the upcoming release(s) for Skyward Sword — and perhaps as a rash impulse buy I grabbed all of them.

As a confession, I haven’t finished most of the games.  This is one of the reasons people give me grief about video games; that and lack of skill.  However the manga are helping me fill in the plot holes.  It’s a little better than reading spoilers online…Plus, if I don’t buy books, bookstores may cease to exist as we know them. :-/

Anyhow:  positive review, both for the CD and the Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time Part 1.  One jar containing a fairy out of one jar slot.

Edit:  I forgot to mention that Koji Kondo is responsible for much of the Legend of Zelda music.