Second week in PDX

So far, so good. Granted, there is not much to do at work since most people are OOO. There's tons I can be reading and trying to pick up on, but I learn more easily when I have a task I can apply the reading toward. Based on who I've met so far, and the general vibe of the workplace though, I'm liking the new job. It feels like people are actually accomplishing things here.

Portland is treating me well so far. The lack of crowds, the slower pace, and the abundance of delicious food is all very pleasing. However, note to self, excluding the super awesome Tres Leches dessert cup from Whole Foods-Austin (never seen it elsewhere), their other pre-made desserts are terrible and over priced.

In better dessert updates, Saint Honore' bakery is so delicious. I will be spending a small fortune trying everything on the pastry/bread menu for sure. I had the Mirliton de Rouen this past weekend, and I have never had anything similar in my life. It was heavenly.

Mexico City Redux

Bf & I had a good week exploring Mexico City on our own. The highlight of the trip was the subway system, which made it so easy to be in control of our itinerary. The subway was extensive, easy to figure out, dirt cheap, and always lively with interesting cultural displays and vendors. The trip mainly consisted of a lot of neighborhood exploration and eating.

Quick list of what we did:

Museums:
- Frida Kahlo house/museum (I recommend)
- National History Museum (a couple interesting murals, but overall not interesting)
- Anthropology Museum (A bit overwhelming/extensive, but worth doing)
- Popular Culture Museum (I recommend) -- picture from one of their walls:


Neighborhoods Explored:
- Condesa -- Kind of boring, yuppie dining area, wouldn't go back unless for a specific restaurant

- Polanco -- Beverly Hills of Mexico City with equivalent shopping. Somewhat unpleasant to be in this neighborhood because this is where rich Mexicans are targeted for kidnapping -- but worth a quick walk down the main shopping drag just to see things.

- Zona Rosa -- the neighborhood where we stayed, which I was familiar with from my 2008 trip. Love this neighborhood, it's full of Koreans and gays, it doesn't get better than that. Always lively, many places to eat, and nightlife if you seek that.

- San Angel -- high-end craft market here, which actually had some rather lovely and well-made crafts. Also, just beautiful old cobblestone streets. And delicious churros from the Churreria.

- Coyoacan -- neighborhood with two decent sized plazas where people come and hang out. Great neighborhood market here, some uber-famous coffee shop where people were lined up like crazy called El Jarocho, and also the location of the Frida Kahlo house.

- Centro -- I like seeing the big church next to the Zocalo (main square) and we visited the crazy market La Merced Market twice. The market is packed with every food product you could imagine, clothing, household goods, party goods, etc etc -- extremely cramped aisles, people rushing about, people standing about buying stuff -- it's intense.

Other Random Trip Thoughts:
People were so friendly and helpful, and extremely honest. Multiple times I would get confused about the total bill and would give too much money, and no one ever used that to their advantage.

The number of police/guards/security/body-guards/etc. is overwhelming and a bit unnerving, especially when they have their hands in position on their firearms, ready to unload.

The food was so so so good (duh). The casual taco shops were my favorite -- nothing better than spicy pork (tacos al pastor) washed down with a delicious tamarind drink. The quesadilla shells were an interesting football-shape in MEX -- not round -- had not noticed that before.

Quesadilla picture borrowed from someone else's blog, who has a much nicer Mexico City trip write-up.


Next trip to Mexico will hopefully bring some increased Spanish preparation on my part, and hopefully some trips outside of major cities to see pyramids/the country side.

Last day of work at N*

A bit sad (though I don't know why) to have my last day of work here in San Diego -- I guess it's because I did enjoy and feel a sense of camaraderie with many of my coworkers.

We had a big group lunch at the Dosa Place side of Bawarchi -- so delicious -- I'll have to go back at least one more time before I leave. And apparently I definitely need to go to Chick-fil-A before leaving too, because they don't have it in Portland (and it's been on my "fast food to try" list for awhile now).

So as my last adieu to San Diego, here's what I'll miss about this place:

1) Not having to think about the weather (obvious)
2a) Falafels from The Kebab Shop
2b) Dosas from Bawarchi
2c) Vermicelli bowl with tofu & egg roll from Pho Ca Dao
2d) Arepas from Caribbean Place
3) Running Lake Miramar and the silly geese and birds who roam the premise
4) The numerous amounts of shopping malls
5) The proximity to Los Angeles, though I only went there once while here

However, I'm not sad to leave San Diego (and by extension, California). I'm looking forward to the rainy, unfashionable (yet so hipster) lands of the Pacific Northwest which I think will suit my preferred life tempo.

December Workouts

Su	M	T	W	Th	F	Sa
		(1) Nothing	(2) 3 mile treadmill run	(3) 5 mile run + 1 mile walk	(4) 3.5 mile run + 1.5 mile walk	Nothing
Nothing	5 mile run	Nothing (PDX)	Nothing (PDX)	Nothing	5 mile run + 1 mile walk	Nothing
5 mile run + 4 mile walk	5 mile run	Nothing	5 mile run	Nothing	Nothing	Nothing
Nothing	Nothing	3 mile treadmill run	Nothing	Nothing	2 miles (?), walking/jogging hills of neighborhood	5 mile jog + 1 mile uphill walk through town
Nothing	4 mile treadmill run	35 minutes yoga	Nothing	Nothing	Nothing	Nothing

Hallelujah

I got the job. Portland, here I come.

I thought I'd be able to relax and calm down once I finally heard back from I**** (regardless of the decision they made)... but now I'm anxious and breathless in a new way.

Quick Thanksgiving

Work is having a potluck tomorrow and because I love Thanksgiving foods, I went a little crazy and I am bringing 3 things tomorrow.

1) Sausage, Cranberry, Apple Stuffing
2) Sweet Potato Casserole
3) Red Velvet Cake Balls

The cake balls are kind of a mess and I'm a bit embarrassed to bring them in (but I don't want to keep them because I'll eat them all). The cake mix / frosting ratio was off in the recipe, and I wasn't paying attention and added too much frosting -- so the cake was a gooey mess to work with, even after leaving it in the fridge to harden up a bit. This is what I get for relying on a boxed cake mix and canned frosting. Then the chocolate bark stuff didn't melt well, and in a rush to finish it all up, they just don't look that nice. But they taste fine.



The sweet potato casserole went off without a hitch, but it's a no-brainer recipe.



I'm most proud of the stuffing, which turned out great, and I kind of did up my own recipe based on two similar ones -- recipe 1 and recipe 2. Here's my combo version which I will definitely make again in the future:



Sausage, Cranberry, Apple, Stuffing

About 6 to 8 corn muffins (1 box of Jiffy)
Loaf of hearty bread (the one I got says 24 oz -- 1 pound 8 ounces)

2 leeks (chopped)
3-4 stalks of celery (diced)
1/2 onion (diced)
6 T. butter

Minced fresh sage, rosemary, thyme (maybe about 1-2 Tbsp worth) -- use more sage & rosemary than thyme

1 pound sausage (I used Jimmy Dean sage sausage)

1 Granny Smith apple (diced)
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup flat parsley (Italian parsley)

2-4 cups chicken broth

1) Break corn muffins & loaf of bread into small chunks and dry out in the oven/lightly toast -- use a low temperature, like 300 degrees. Put the bread chunks in a large bowl.

2) Cook leeks, celery, and onion in the butter for about 20 minutes (add some salt and pepper). Break sausage into vegetable mixture and cook sausage through. Add the sage, rosemary, and thyme and cook for 2 more minutes.

3) Add sausage mixture to the bread chunks. Stir in apple, cranberries, and parsley. Add 2 cups of chicken broth and assess the moisture of the mix.

4) Spread stuffing into shallow baking dish and cover with foil. Bake at 325 degrees for about 1 hour. Take off foil in the last 15 minutes or so to crisp up the top.

Antsy antsy antsy

I've been vacillating between confident optimism and resigned despair for the past 11 days as I continue to wait for the In*** results. I've become compulsively obsessed with staring at the Gmail web browser tab that stays open during the work day, waiting for it to refresh with a new message -- or alternatively, staring at my phone, waiting for it to light-up with an incoming call. Not a pleasant state of mind to be in, and now I'm just ready for the results so I can move forward either way.

As of tonight, I'm leaning more toward the mindset that I didn't get the job, because hey, if they really really wanted me, surely they would have said something by now. Though, granted, one of my UT friends just got a great librarian position at a city university, and they took 6 weeks to notify her (and her interview process was 11 hours to boot -- it included breakfast and dinner with the team).

Luckily, I have a very excellent distraction to occupy myself with now -- I'm going to Mexico City for vacation with the bf next week. I was there exactly 2 years ago and enjoyed the few days in MEX immensely (the rest of the trip was spent in a small beach town much further south). However, on the last trip, L. Noodle and I had quite a cushy time since her Mexican buddies took us around and handled all the transportation, translations, and planning. The burden of figuring it out on one's own (or at least with a lot of prior Internet research) is a welcomed task though, and I can't wait to go back there.

Back from In**l

All in all, the interview day went as best as it could. The current status is that they're supposedly interviewing more candidates on-site in the next coming weeks, and then they'll get back to me.

I very much want this job, and want to be back in P-town, but of course it is not up to me at this point. I've laid out my cards and presented myself as best as I could, and now it's just time to wait and hope that they see an alignment of my capabilities and the skills needed for this position.

Positives:
This team did not pull out any of those lame, generic, behavioral interview questions. In fact, there were no stupid questions whatsoever, I'm impressed. Each "interview" was more like having an interesting conversation on topics of design strategy, which were based primarily upon my experiences at my current job.

I was the least nervous I have ever been when giving an hour-long presentation. Some things I mentally did with myself which I think helped minimize nerves: 1) Focused on the idea that being nervous is a rude behavior because it makes other people uncomfortable -- so don't be nervous; 2) What I get to talk about are cool & fun ideas on design, and so just relax and view the talk as a series of interesting stories I get to tell.

Socially, I think I was a good fit. There were no awkward moments that I detected in terms of general bantering with the team.

Negatives:
The team needs someone who can take a leadership role for this position--maybe they'll perceive me as not having the necessary charisma and vision to be a project leader. Especially perhaps in comparison to other people they might interview.

My presentation was a little disjointed and some of my sentences were a bit repetitive.

November Workouts

Su	M	T	W	Th	F	Sa
	(1) 5 mile run + 1 mile walk	(2) Nothing	(3) 4 mile run + 1 mile walk	(4) Nothing	(5) Nothing	Nothing
Nothing	5 mile run + 1 mile walk	3.5 mile treadmill run + 1.5 mile walk	60 minutes yoga	5 mile run	4.5 mile run + 1.5 mile walk	Nothing
Nothing	6 mile run + 1 mile walk	4 mile treadmill run + 1 mile walk	60 minutes yoga	3.5 mile run + 1.5 mile walk	6 mile run + 3 mile walk	Nothing
Nothing	5 mile run	Nothing (Mexico City)	Nothing (Mexico City)	Nothing (Mexico City)	Nothing (Mexico City)	Nothing (Mexico City)
Nothing (Mexico City)	Nothing (Mexico City)	Nothing

Why are suits so boxy?

I pulled out my $30 Kohl's suit this morning (it's kind of a low-end Nanette Lepore knock off) and decided it didn't quite fit right any more so I went to the mall to find a suitable replacement -- budget was $150.

I think the only people who must buy suits are shaped like big squares with really thick arms and legs. Which I know can't be true, because where do all those little cutie real estate agent types get their suits? I hunted at Nordstrom, Express, Banana Republic, The Limited, New York & Co., Ann Taylor, and Loft -- and first of all, I'm like trying on sizes 2 and 4 in blazers (which should never be my size -- I should be at least a 6 or 8), and all the arms are still way too big around!

I finally found a stylish suit at BR that doesn't make me look like a linebacker, with a sale price and additional 25% discount, but it's still not right. The jacket is cute and fits well, but the pants are way too high waisted and have a lot of material around the hips which really doesn't flatter me.

So, after playing dress up in my closet for the last hour, I think I've managed to pull together an "interview appropriate for the tech industry-but not for law offices or finance" suit that pairs the navy BR jacket with a pair of light beige Express Editors I already own (miraculously the same material style & weight as the jacket -- thank you random Chinese textile supplier who services American mall stores year after year!), and finished with either a plain tank or white button down, and navy blue Tory Burch revas. I look like I want to sell you a condo now.

(Pants in light beige, in real life)

Good and scary

Shockingly, I've been invited by Int*l to continue the interview process in Oregon. I'm excited and stressed since I now need to prepare a formal presentation (and they don't just want a re-hash of my dissertation defense).

I'm going to need to develop a 45-minute presentation on design strategy, innovative user research, technology trends/markets, and managing/leading people on projects -- all as it relates to creating novel technological products. Well, I don't just need to talk about those topics, I need to tell compelling stories about how my own experiences tie into those ideas. I developed the presentation topics based on the job requisition and the topics covered in the phone interview.

It's going to be a full day of interviews, which I've never experienced before, ever. N*kia only had me do 4 hours of interviewing. I'm going to need lots of Red Bull to stay peppy but articulate and wonderful for 7-8 hours straight. Yikes.

Other job hunt updates:
- HP Singapore, also surprisingly, was willing to do a second round of phone interviews with me. However, I withdrew my application since I do not want to make printers and I really was not foreseeing a great relationship with the hiring manager.

- C*sco, who I thought was absolutely loving me since their product centered on group communication and collaboration (and I gave them lots of good ideas about their product in the interviews), sent me an auto-rejection notice which I was not expecting.

I'm pretty annoyed with this C*sco team and the recruiter in general -- it's not that I think I'm so fantastic and deserve anything I interview for -- however, I don't like being led on by the recruiter who kept talking about how great a match I was (and that everyone I spoke with liked me) and that the next step would be a fly-up interview.

After my second phone screen, I was supposed to hear back by the following week (assumably about an in-person interview) -- I heard nothing for 4 weeks until the rejection email came through -- and clearly they'd hired someone else during that time. I think at the very least the recruiter could have sent me a personalized email letting me know (not to mention just staying in better contact with me overall). Thankfully I didn't want this position anyway, but now they've essentially severed any possibility I will want to consider future opportunities with them. Well, maybe they didn't like me either, but if so, no need to be fake about it.

San Diego Odd Eats

I was looking for Oaxacan food on Yelp to see if any options looked appealing for chilaquiles, and randomly came across the Escondido Swap Meet which has a couple food court areas. Fiesta Oaxaquena is one of those places within the swap meet, and I was intrigued because they offer chapulines (grasshoppers).

I'm definitely not an adventuresome eater, but with some encouragement, I ordered a plate of them -- they're fried and coated in lime, salt, and some other spices -- and weren't bad tasting, but it was hard not to be a bit weirded out by eating bugs. I'm glad I broke out of my comfort zone and it's always fun to find something so unusual so close to home.

Phone Interview Aficionada

Been a busy week with phone interviews, had 3 of them, all quite different.

1 - HP Singapore: The interview went terribly. The manager's only style of questioning was "Tell me about X." So I'd say some stuff about X, he'd have no response, and then say "Tell me about Y." I just couldn't pick up any personality out of the guy, and since they just make printers at the Singapore site, I'm not too enthused.

2 - Syn*ptics: (In case Google is caching my entries for entries, I don't want company names that are easily searchable to show up in results) -- This interview went really well. I had concerns that I would need to prove my quantitative prowess, but it ends up the mgr had a different, more qualitative role in mind for me that hadn't been posted on their site.

I felt I was able to build a rapport with this mgr, and her questions were all very standard reviews of my work history and research. All very pleasant and it seems certain I'll secure an in-person interview.

3 - Int*l: Zomg, most difficult first interview ever. Six people on the call, no softball questions whatsoever. Immediate grilling about the meaning of user experience, designing for innovation, roadmapping and strategy processes... all stuff that is a bit out of my league. Familiar topics, but usually someone higher up than myself is handling these types of decisions.

However, the original requisition called for someone with a Ph.D. and just a few years work experience, so I don't know how they're expecting to find someone on the cheap who can do that level of technology business strategy and has a Ph.D. I hope that if they don't see me as a fit for the specific role we discussed, that they can slot me in somewhere else.

My coworker wanted a rundown on the different questions, and here's the ones I remembered:

You've used the term User Experience a few times. In your opinion, what are the differences/similarities between UX, usability, information architecture, interaction design, etc." (Basically, what does UX mean to you.)


What do you do when you don't agree with a design decision? How would you argue or persuade for your position? What do you need to do to convince others?


What's your methodology for creating a design strategy? How do you link that to future developments? What resources do you use to learn about the current state of technologies/design?


How would you go about designing for an unmet user need?

October Workouts

Su	M	T	W	Th	F	Sa
					(1) Nothing	(2) Nothing
3 mile walk	Nothing	Nothing	5 mile treadmill run + 1 mile walk	3.5 mile run + 1.5 mile walk	Nothing	Nothing
4 mile run	Nothing	30 minutes weights DVD	4.25 mile treadmill run + .75 mile walk	5 mile run + 1 mile walk	Nothing	Nothing
40 minutes pilates DVD	4 mile run on treadmill	30 minutes squats class	4 mile run on treadmill	5 mile run	5 mile run	Nothing
Nothing	Nothing (sick)	2 mile treadmill run	Nothing	5 mile run	3.5 mile run + 1.5 mile walk	3 mile treadmill run

Stuff White People Like - Line Dancing

I haven't been pro-active about exploring San Diego over the last few months, however, at the urging of coworkers, I joined them for an evening out and did my best to embrace the whole trying-something-new.

The evening began with dinner at Tango, an upscale restaurant in Escondido, participating in San Diego Restaurant Week. RW is where you can go to any participating restaurant for a prixe fixe 3-course meal for either $20, $30, or $40. I kept my expectations low, and was accordingly not surprised by the over-salted food and mediocre preparation for the price. I had:

Starter - Duck Confit Arugula Salad
Main - Smoked Salmon with Marscapone Risotto
Dessert - Trio of Sorbet

I didn't finish any of my food, granted it helped I wasn't particularly hungry, but I felt no compulsion to eat the super salty duck meat, risotto that reminded me of boxed Rice-a-Roni mix, and the unbalanced flavors of the sorbet (super sour lemon, soury raspberry, delicate and sweet coconut -- the last was tasty).

In some ways I think all the years I have spent watching cooking shows, Top Chef, MasterChef, Kitchen Nightmares, etc etc have spoiled my ability to enjoy "fine food." But I just get so disappointed when I'm paying a lot of money and things aren't close to perfect or even just simple and competent.

-----

The second half of the evening was my first time in a country bar with line dancing, called Temecula Stampede. Someone forgot to give me the memo in life, but I have no idea where one goes to learn the very specific dances that go with the very specific songs. I recognized a few of the moves from my step aerobics classes, but no way could I transition that into a smooth dance (though I gave a few half-hearted attempts in the name of putting myself out there).

The crowd who goes here clearly participates in this lifestyle all the time, and it was fun watching the coordinated movements of a crowd that seemed to consist of 20 year olds and 60 year olds.

I would say the place was enjoyable up until about 10pm, and then as the evening wore on there began an unfortunate introduction of clubby music and it turned into a gross bump and grind scene with some especially unattractive and lewd participants. By then all the adorable older couples had left, and I wish I would have been able to do the same.

All-in-all, I would give line dancing a thumbs up and would try it again in the future if there was a Line Dancing for Dummies class I could take in preparation.

Selling Oneself

It's been a positive month overall for a prospective job, though of course none of it quite matters if no offer letters are secured. However, my confidence in interviewing and my ability to secure interviews has dramatically increased since I re-did my resume.

I always thought that just plainly explaining my accomplishments and abilities in a matter-of-fact way would be sufficient to draw interest, but I know see that's not true. Since re-writing my resume to have more skillful "marketing speak" about myself, I have had at least one recruiter from a major corporation expressing interest each week, whereas previously I was only getting this same interest 1-2 times a month.

The current state of prospects in order of preference is as follows:
(1) R&D job Samsung
(2) R&D job Intel
(3) HP Barcelona - hardware human factors
(4) Cisco - business collaboration tool user research

Right now I feel strongly for my preferences, but I also don't have any offers -- so my perceived set of choices may not matter.

When is garbage garbage?

I can't believe someone put a very nice looking plant in the apt. complex dumpster, instead of leaving it off to the side where someone could re-home it without having to pick it out of the trash.

Of course, this plant may have had a less painful, quicker death at the hands of the garbage system compared to my slow, tortuous, and feeble attempts to keep it living.

I also don't understand my fellow residents who have a difficult time understanding how to use the huge recycle dumpster which is conveniently located right next to the one for trash -- it bugs me when I see items that are so obvious and easy to recycle being thrown into the trash. And I totally see that I shouldn't be on a high horse as I know there are many steps I could take to reduce my environmental impact, but I choose to ignore my own behavior and criticize these unknown strangers.

September Workouts

OK, I'm trying a new format for keeping track of my workouts since I don't like having so many posts that aren't really that interesting. I'm going to go by month now, and this way I can get a better overview too.

Ignore the huge amount of spacing, Blogger doesn't seem to like me inserting HTML table code.

Su	M	T	W	Th	F	Sa
(29) Pilates + free weights at home for 45 minutes	(30) 5 mile run	(31) 30 minutes lower- body class (squats)	(1) Nothing	(2) 5 mile run	(3) Nothing	(4) Nothing
Nothing	Nothing	4 mile run	30 minutes spin + 20 minutes weights	4 mile run + 1 mile walk	4 mile run + 1 mile walk	Nothing
Nothing	5 mile run	Nothing	Nothing	Nothing	Nothing	Nothing
4.5 mile run	3.5 mile run + 1.5 mile walk	Nothing	30 minutes spin + 20 minutes weights	5 mile run	3.5 mile run + 1.5 mile walk	Nothing
Nothing	4 mile run + 1 mile walk	Nothing	4.25 mile run + 1 mile walk

Quinoa Combos for Work Lunches

I intend this post to be a running list for myself of quick mix-ins to do with quinoa that I can make easily during weeknights to bring for work lunches.

I cook 1 cup of dry quinoa in 2 cups of liquid which for me is about right for 2 lunches (I also pack a piece of fruit). My row of cubes keeps a well stocked snack section on hand, so I typically am grazing throughout the day and don't need a huge lunch.

For the liquid to cook the quinoa, I've found a less expensive but still effective substitute to having broth on hand is 2 cups of water with a pack of Mexican-style seasoning. If I'm bored, sometimes I will also sprinkle in some other spices into the liquid such as onion powder and whatever else looks interesting. This substitution is specifically just for when cooking quinoa, I'm not making the claim that this is a fantastic soup base by any means--I've just noticed that it seems to be a waste of good broth when I use it for quinoa.

Right now I'm using Sazon Goya - Sin Achiote (there's different flavors) -- probably only available in Mexican supermarkets:



And of course right after I say it's only at Mexican supermarkets, I do a search for the packaging and it's on CVS.com. Go figure. But I never see this stuff at Ralphs or Vons, even in the Hebrew-Mexican-Asian aisle.

Quinoa Combos
Mix-in the following to some hot, cooked quinoa (1 c dried cooked in 2 c liquid). Sorry there's no real measurements, these aren't meant to be rigid recipes. Add salt & pepper to taste on all these.

1) Corn, Arugula, Mint, Lemon, Goat Cheese
Handful of cooked corn (I just threw in some frozen kernels in the last few minutes that the quinoa was cooking), handful of chopped fresh arugula, small dose of chopped fresh mint, squeeze of lemon, smattering of goat cheese (if you want your goat cheese chunks to remain whole, need to add when quinoa has cooled down).

2) Seasoning Mix, Bell Pepper, Onion, Garlic, Parmesan Cheese, Arugula, Tarragon
This is essentially the filling based for the stuffed pepper recipe I made previously. Saute' 1/2 bell pepper, 1/2 onion, 1-2 cloves of garlic. Cook 1 cup of quinoa in 2 c of seasoning mix broth. Mix quinoa + sauteed mixture, add in roughly chopped arugula and tarragon (lots of arugula, a little bit of tarragon) -- add parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper to taste.

3) Onion, Garlic, Pasta Sauce, Parmesan Cheese, Arugula
Essentially the same as above, but just cook quinoa in water. Used 1/2 onion + 1 clove of garlic. Used about 1/4 cup of store bought vodka red sauce.

Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

I haven't really found any memorable quinoa-specific recipes since I've started cooking with it, so now I'm trying to take regular recipes that use rice and replace with quinoa. I really liked how this Stuffed Pepper dish came out when I substituted the wild rice with quinoa. The arugula and tarragon herbs in this dish are really great additions -- my stuffing mix before the herbs was just OK, once they were added, it was absolutely delicious.

Changes I made:
- Did not use yellow squash
- Used 1 c. dried quinoa (cooked in 2 c. seasoned water/stock) instead of wild rice
- Did not use 14oz can of tomatoes
- Increased amount of tomato paste to 1/2 of a small can of tomato paste
- For the 1 c. of diced red & green peppers, I just used the cut-off tops of 3 peppers that I stuffed (removing any whitish segments, and obviously not using the stalk)
- Sprinkled in some Emeril Seasoning (I bought it as a substitute for adobo seasoning once, and I figured why not try adding some)

Migas

I recently came across this great recipe blog called Homesick Texan, and while I can't even claim to be a Texan whatsoever, living in Austin for five years certainly gave me a deep appreciation for their food. It never ceases to depress me that while I now live in a state that is also heavily influenced by Mexican cuisine (California), it's really just not the same here (read: not as good).

So far I've tried one recipe from the blog, Migas, and they were fantastic, but more effort and ingredients than I would like for an everyday recipe (especially in the morning) -- I never have milk on hand (don't drink it, only buy it for specific recipes), and I'm too lazy to chop cilantro, onions, and jalapenos when I'm only making a single serving for myself.

If you want to get technical, my version is probably more in the realm of chilaquiles because of the increased ratio of chips to eggs, and sometimes I cook in the salsa with the egg mixture instead of leaving it as a topping. I recommend using a fresh salsa that has a lot of herbs, garlic, etc. in it -- this makes up for the lack of chopping up your own.

My Quick Version of Migas

Servings: 1 hungry person

2 corn tortillas
2 eggs
Canned diced jalapenos
Shredded cheddar/jack cheese (optional)
Canola oil
Salt & Pepper
Salsa (I will give Southern California credit for stocking a really delicious salsa in the supermarkets, I love this stuff: La Salsa Chilena)

1) Heat oil in a frying pan (be somewhat generous with the oil). While the oil is heating up, beat eggs with a fork -- throw in some diced jalapenos to taste and some salt and pepper.

2) Cut corn tortillas into strips and begin frying. Get a nice crisp on them, turning the chips once. Once they're crisped, pour out the excess oil (leave the chips in the pan).

3) Pour egg mixture into the pan, add some cheese to taste, and cook until eggs are done.

4) Serve, topping with salsa.

Yahoo! Pulse

Just a PSA for those who like privacy, I noticed a few weeks ago in my Yahoo mail account that I was now seeing a status feed of updates from people who I used to be connected with via Yahoo Messenger from a job 10 years ago (!!).

In a Facebook-style move (and Google Buzz style too), if you have a Yahoo account you probably now have a public profile about yourself that may show a photo of you, your full name, birth date, etc.. Also, anyone you've ever corresponded with via your Yahoo account now shows up as a potential connection and this info might be viewable to them. This is really annoying since my Yahoo account is the one I use for eBay transactions and Craig's List casual encounters -- j/k.

Anyway, if you want to see your profile (and perhaps change your privacy settings), just log in to your account on Yahoo Pulse.

Week 34 Workouts

Sunday - Nothing

Monday - 5 mile run

Tuesday - 45 minutes pilates

Wednesday - 50 minutes step aerobics

Thursday - 5 mile run

Friday - 4.5 mile run

Saturday - Nothing

Week 33 Workouts

Sunday - Jillian Michael DVD, No More Trouble Zones - 45 minutes.

Monday - 5 mile run.

Tuesday - Nothing.

Wednesday - 45 minutes step aerobics.

Thursday - 4.75 mile run + .25 mile walk.

Friday - Nothing.

Saturday - 5 mile run + 2 mile walk.

Same ol same ol

Nothing particularly interesting or noteworthy has occurred for me to feel like blogging as of late. I spent the majority of the week working on my user experience portfolio and so now I'm comfortable proceeding with listings that request one in the description.

I've passed through the HR screener for a really desirable looking position, one completely focused on user research (as opposed to design/implementation), but I'm not getting my hopes up too high since the hiring manager still needs to decide whether to proceed with a real phone screen.

My task for this week is to get through the Week 1 steps in this book: Writing Your Journal Article in Twelve Weeks

Week 32 Workouts

Sunday - 6 mile walk

Monday - 5 mile run (Lake Miramar)

Tuesday - 50 minutes pilates class

Wednesday - 45 minutes step aerobics

Thursday - 4 mile run

Friday - Nothing

Saturday - Nothing

Week 31 Workouts

Sunday - Nothing

Monday - 50 minutes step aerobics

Tuesday - 4 mile jog

Wednesday - 2 mile walk + 15 minutes weights

Thursday - 5 mile jog

Friday - 30 minutes yoga

Saturday - Nothing

Week 30 Workouts

Due to laziness, I didn't feel like posting workouts in Week 29, though I did complete a regular routine week of exercise.

Sunday - 4 mile run around neighborhood.

Monday - 4.5 mile run around work neighborhood.

Tuesday - 50 minute faux-pilates class.

Wednesday - 3 mile run + 1 mile walk.

Thursday through Saturday - Nothing (traveling).

Ash-e-Reshteh Recipe

I've only had Ash-e-Reshteh a few times in restaurants, and I don't think my version of the recipe completely replicates all the right flavors (I know I'm missing the final extra garnishes). However, I do think it's still incredibly good -- my version is based on the recipe that was posted years ago on the Internet as Dora Mahboubi's Ash-e-Reshteh.

In the abstract, it's an egg noodle soup with beans and herbs -- but the flavors are nothing like I've ever tasted anywhere else. I like my version very thick, so my end result is closer to a thick stew than a soup.

Ash-e-Reshteh

1/3 c. dried red kidney beans --- soaked
1/3 c. dried navy (northern) beans --- soaked
1/3 c. dried garbanzo beans --- soaked
1/3 c. dried lentils
2 onions (diced)
2 Tbsp. oil
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. turmeric
8 cups water
2 cups stock (vegetable, chicken, whatever)
1/4 c. dried chopped chives (or 1/2 c. fresh, can use scallions too)
1/4 c. dried dill (or 1/2 c. fresh)
1 c. Ash Sabzi fresh herb mix (defrosted in fridge)
1 bunch fresh spinach (chopped)
1-2 small beets (sliced)
6 oz. Ash-e-Reshteh noodles
1 T. flour
1/2 c. fried onions
Sour cream or Liquid Kask

1. Soak beans for 6-8 hours or overnight
2. In a large pot, sautee onions in oil until they begin to brown. Add salt, pepper, turmeric.
3. Add water and soaked (but now drained) beans (excluding lentils). Simmer for 45 minutes.
4. Add stock and lentil beans. Simmer for 30 minutes.
5. Add chives, dill, Ash Sabzi, spinach, and beets. Cook 20-30 minutes.
6. Add water if necessary.
7. Add noodles and flour. Cook 10-15 minutes.
8. Add fried onions. Mix in some sour cream to taste.
9. Serve and add additional sour cream if desired.

Some of the ingredients I use (available at Persian grocers).

Ash-e-Reshteh Noodles:

Fresh Chopped Herbs - Available in Frozen Section:

Fried Onions - Available in Frozen Section:

San Diego Persian Grocery

This weekend's adventuring in San Diego was checking out two Persian grocery stores.

Parsian International Grocery (4020 Convoy St) and Balboa International Market (5907 Balboa Ave). I have to say, I was impressed! I guess I should have realized that San Diego's proximity to Los Angeles means that you can get most of the same stuff--though I did not find as good of a trail mix (ajeel) as I could in Los Angeles.

Before I forget, the Persian trail mix that I love so much from Westwood Blvd. in LA consists of the following -- so I can always mix up my own if needed since all the ingredients are available at any Persian grocer.

Recipe for Persian Trail Mix
Walnuts
Raw Almonds
Pistachios
Dried Garbanzo Beans
Dried Apricots
A few bits of Turkish Delight candy
Dried Mulberries
Dried Golden Raisins
Fard Noghl

Balboa International Market was a fantastic store -- it was a medium/larger sized store that was well stocked, especially with items that I'd never seen elsewhere (e.g. Armenian brands).

Mulberries look like some horrible larvae to me, but I know they taste good so I picked up this Armenian brand of mulberry preserves. I just tried it on some warm, homemade bread and it was heavenly. It was much sweeter than I anticipated and the spread was thinner than syrup (excluding the whole mulberries within the spread). This would work well with pancakes or crepes, and also with a soft cheese and bread.


I'll review some of the other new-to-me groceries I got once I've had a chance to try them out.

Rediscovered Reading

Between my Kindle eReader at home and my Kindle app on my Android-based phone, I've managed to finish 3 books in the past month. I haven't read this much since I was a kid -- it's really nice to get immersed into books again.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Stieg Larsson) -- Super fun read, quite gory and graphic at times, but looking forward to reading the other two books from this author.

Washington Square (Henry James) -- I occasionally feel obligated to read something old. The prose was a bit dense, but for forcing myself to get through this, it wasn't too bad. Simple storyline about a rich-but-plain-Jane young woman in the late 19th century who is torn between pleasing her father and wanting to marry a man everyone else thinks is out for her money.

The Help (Kathryn Stockett) - I was surprised I liked this book as much as I did; on the surface, a story about black maids in Jackson, MS in the 1960s doesn't sound that compelling to me, but I was unable to put this book down and read it in 3 days straight. What worked for me about this book was that it really made me fully grasp how terrifying it was (it is) to be the wrong color in the wrong place.

Week 28 Workouts

Sunday - 30 minutes Chalean Extreme fitness DVD.

Monday - 60 minute step class.

Tuesday - 4 mile run.

Wednesday - 2 mile run + 2 mile walk.

Thursday - 30 minute core class + 20 minute circuit machines/free weights.

Friday - 45 minute spin class.

Plus, a slightly unintentional 8.5 mile run/hike around San Diego. I met up with a gal pal to explore Tecolote Canyon Park (neither of us have ever been), and we ended up getting somewhat off path and "lost" so we went a lot further than intended.


Saturday - Absolutely nothing. Spent the whole day resting on the couch -- last night's crazy hike knocked me out.

LA Day

It's been about 1.5 years since I've been back in LA, and while I don't miss living there, it was definitely fun to visit again.

My first stop was to Westwood to stock up on Persian trail mix (ajeel), which is the most delicious combination of nuts, dried fruit, and candy in the world. I really should check to see if San Diego has any Persian markets, and I don't know why I never tried to seek out the same in the Bay Area... probably because I would gain 1000 pounds because I can eat this stuff non-stop.

I also stopped to have breakfast at my favorite diner that D. and I used to go to all the time--Rae's in Santa Monica. It was still delicious, and there's some weird sort of feeling of comfort in seeing and remembering the same waitstaff still there.

Pictures below are from Santa Monica (there is a gymnastics area with swingy-rings, a tightrope, and a climbing rope on the beach), and the Venice Beach Freakshow -- fire-eating, sword swallowing, and the wolf boy from Mexico was there too. LA definitely delivered on the entertainment front today.

Week 27 Workouts

Sunday - I made a feeble attempt to do Shape Beach Bikini workout or whatever the DVD is called. I hate this video, it's all dance moves which break my brain. I gave up after 20 minutes.

Monday - Surprisingly good run around my neighborhood for 4 miles. Helped that I did it in the nice cool evening. Was enjoyable because I set out with no set route in mind, and ended up with a decent loop to use again in the future. It's a hilly run, but not super steep ones.



Tuesday - 30 minutes legs class -- pretty much squats non-stop the whole time.

Wednesday - 3.5 mile trail run. Legs sore from yesterday's routine, but the cool weather made this run reasonably enjoyable.

Thursday - Nothing.

Friday - 3.5 miles on the trail. Half run, half walk. Too dehydrated and hot to do better.

Immersing in DiCaprio

I never gave Leonardo DiCaprio much thought as an actor either way, but I've come to the realization that I've really enjoyed just about any movie he has starred in -- and furthermore, his acting is believable and good no matter the character he plays.

In my new quest to see everything he's been in, I've recently watched:

Body of Lies; decent thriller/action movie

The Basketball Diaries; I saw this a long time ago and just re-watched it, incredibly great movie

Revolutionary Road; I don't even recall this movie coming out/having heard of it, but I absolutely loved it. This is a love it or hate it kind of movie; it's a bit slow and plodding, slightly repetitive, and deeply, deeply depressing. However, the themes it touches on really speak to me (trying to find passion in life; ennui from the work world; trying to escape the rat race) -- I was enthralled watching it the whole time.

I probably won't re-watch Titanic though, which I remember seeing during college at some point. And Romeo & Juliet is not high on my list of seeing, but for completeness I'll make a go of it.

Forced tourism

Since my days in San Diego are likely to be over sooner than I have control over (re-structuring at my company with no assurance that there will be any work for our division by the end of August), I'm forcing myself to go out and see/do all the major things that are available around here.

Today was Cabrillo National Monument, which specifically is a white statue dedicated to the Portugese explorer, Cabrillo (natch), who was the first European to set foot on the West Coast. However, the $5 entrance fee also gets you access to tidepools, the Point Loma lighthouse, the gift shop, some very hazy views of San Diego, and a taxidermy display of 4 animals.

Cabrillo Monument

Point Loma Lighthouse

Striped Skunk

Most annoying job app

A company whose name ends in "dee-oh" and begins with "I" has the most annoying job application ever. I guess they must get a ga-zillion resumes, so they have to figure out a way to make sure someone really really really wants to work there to go through the pain.

At first glance, it doesn't sound so bad -- just submit an extra document highlighting some of your key research projects and then describe in more detail your approach, insights, and challenges (and actually, they want that detail for "3 to 5 projects"). Well, gah, I've spent an hour and have written 1 single spaced page and I am not even halfway done describing one project. There's no way I can do this for 3 projects -- not that I even have 3 serious projects to describe in this much detail.

I won't be holding my breath for a call back when I finally finish the application. Where's inspirational Mr Gretzky when I need him? You miss 100% of the shots you don't take, right? I'm not witty enough for a punchy corollary, but something has to be said for knowing when something is probably a waste of time and maybe the time spent trying to make shots that don't go in should be used elsewhere.

Week 26 Workouts

Sunday - 5 mile Lake Miramar jog. I really didn't want to do this run, my legs felt tired the whole time, but I made it through slowly.

Monday - 60 minute step aerobics class. Legs still feel really tired, can't say I put a great effort into this one.

Tuesday - Nothing.

Wednesday - 3.5 mile trail run. Not great, not horrible feeling.

Thursday - 40 minutes circuit weight training.

Friday - 2 mile trail run + 1.5 mile walk. Dehydrated, under nourished, anxious.

Saturday - Nothing in particular, though I did walk around the mall and stuff. But I guess that's not really aerobic.

I tried to be normal

One of my favorite lines in Dexter is when he describes his struggle to fit in with "normal" and he has to constantly remember to observe other people's reactions in order to assess what outward emotion he should similarly portray to fit in (since, as a sociopath, he does not react to most mundane life experiences with empathy).

I felt this way myself this morning watching the USA-Algeria World Cup match, though I don't have the sociopath excuse. I was watching at work; they held an event which doubled as a breakfast potluck (which is why I was there). As everyone was wildly cheering and whooping when USA scored a goal in the 91st minute, I just felt complete ambivalence. While I enjoyed watching the match, I could care less who scored and I've been baffled for weeks as everyone has been avidly following the matches and seem desperately rooted and impassioned about "their team(s)".

Anyway, since I've missed cooking fatty, sugary, carb-loaded food, I couldn't resist not going -- and I do appreciate the athleticism, dedication, and skill it must take to be a world class athlete -- even if I don't care who wins. I made an Apple Pecan Strata based on this recipe with a lot of modifications. I also made the recipe titled Brunch Strata on the same recipe site. Both were good, though I liked the Apple Pecan one more. Here's the recipe with my modifications -- I would make this again for sure if I had to bring food to a brunch.

And yes, I'm horribly embarrassed I used canned apple pie filling, but I was short on time.

Apple Pecan Strata

1 (1 pound) cinnamon loaf bread
1 (8 oz) package neufchatel or cream cheese
1 (21 oz) can apple pie filling or equivalent cooked apples with spices (1.5-2 c cooked apples)
5 eggs
2 c half-and-half
4 T butter, melted
1/4 c maple syrup
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt

Topping:
1/3 c brown sugar
1/3 c flour
4 T cold butter
1/2 c roughly chopped pecans

1. Dry out bread slices by toasting in the oven at 200 degrees for 20-30 minutes

2. Spread cream cheese thickly onto bread. You probably won't use the full 8 oz package.

3. Cube bread slices and place in a greased 9" x 13" (I used 11" x 7") baking dish.

4. Beat eggs, half-and-half, melted butter, maple syrup, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt.

5. Cover bread cubes with apple filling. Then pour egg mixture on top of that.

6. Place plastic wrap on top of mixture, and add some weight (e.g. bags of rice) so that the bread cubes are pressed down into the liquid. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

7. Cook at 350 degrees for 30 minutes (covered in foil), and then add the pecan topping and bake for 20-30 more minutes (uncovered).

8. Prepare pecan topping to be ready half-way through baking time. Mix brown sugar and flour together. Using fingers or a fork, crumble the cold butter into the sugar-flour to form small beads. Add in the chopped pecans and pour on top of half-way cooked strata.

Notes: The pecan topping isn't completely necessary, but I will say it beautifies the dish and that's important when serving others. The dish also held up well in terms of cooking it the night before and reheating the next morning (work had those sterno heated catering trays which I used to reheat slowly).

Chicken Stock

I get a thrill re-using food scraps to make stock. I haven't cooked bone-in meat probably since around last Thanksgiving, but with my roasted chicken scraps I made a nice stock over the weekend based on this recipe.

I didn't measure anything and just used what I had on hand which was 3 chicken breast bones + scraps, 1/4 leftover green pepper, 2 stalks celery, 1 onion, and 2 carrots. Boiled with about 8-9 cups of water and the spices for about 3 hours.

I used the stock tonight to cook my quinoa, yum. Just added some toasted pine nuts to the quinoa and I'll take it for lunch tomorrow with some more of the leftover chicken meat. While I wasn't a fan of quinoa the first few times, I really like how fast it cooks (about 15 minutes for 1 cup) and so it's grown on me.

Week 25 Workouts

Sunday - 5 mile Lake Miramar run. Well, more like a slow, crawling jog. It was miserably hot, but I made it through.

Monday - 25 minute core/ab class, 25 minutes of weight machines. Weighed myself for the work contest today; almost 1 pound of weight loss after 2 weeks into my new eating style. Eh.

Tuesday - Nothing.

Wednesday - 4 mile run on Scripps Poway Parkway. I felt like I went fast (for me) even though it was annoyingly hot outside.

Thursday - 25 minute core class + 20 minutes of weight machines.

Friday - 4.5 mile run around Scripps Ranch neighborhood. One major hill, about a mile of downhill. It was probably good I was running with someone from the running group, because if I had my druthers, I would have walked much of this today -- but they kept me going, even though it was slow at times, the whole way.

Saturday - 1 hour 15 minutes walking around the neighborhood.

Caturday

Goofy Charles picture.

Back to cooking

I've been doing pretty well with eating cleaner for the last few weeks. I probably need to eat fewer nuts if I want to see any weight loss, and my only breakdowns seem to be my continued reliance on protein bars, and I've succumbed to this Cinnamon Peanut Butter spread on celery which is throwing sugar into my diet that I don't need -- but gawwwwd, it is so good on celery.

But besides an occasional meal eaten out and the items just mentioned, I've managed to easily avoid flours, dairy, and non-natural sugars. For work lunches, I've been relying on quinoa alot plus a protein, and then I also used kale this week but I don't like prepping it.

Today I made sweet potato fries as an end of week indulgence since I was really craving a full, regular dinner (ate the fries with some roasted chicken I made with lemon/rosemary marinade). Most nights after I get home from work, I'm not hungry enough to justify a real dinner and just have celery + the bad-for-me peanut butter, some nuts, and fruit.

Sweet Potato Fries

Cut sweet potato into thin strips (preferably as even sized as possible so you don't burn pieces like I did).

Mix potato strips with a little bit of olive oil, cayenne pepper, pepper, and cumin.

Bake for approx. 20-25 minutes at 425 degrees, tossing/turning the fries after about 10 minutes.

Add salt to taste.

And, for Rejection #1

Got the form email this morning saying my skills weren't a match for the research lab position. I'm actually more disappointed about having to stay where I'm at (geographically and job wise) than I am about not getting this position. It wasn't a major surprise they didn't see a fit, and it was with some relief since the product lines they work on would never be at the top of my interests (multimedia interactions/content authoring). Obviously, it's always still ego bruising to get a rejection, even when it's partially expected, but onwards I go.

I'm not one of those "everything happens for a reason" people, which people usually use to suggest that some unknown forces or fates have a larger plan intended. Yes, things happen for a reason, but it's not pre-determined and beyond your control. Actions, intentions, attitudes, and so forth all shape those reasons. Uh oh, I think I might be espousing Fountainhead philosophy or something unintentionally. Ugh.

I'll keep pursuing other lab positions, and honestly, I should just stop being so lazy and try and work on getting parts of my dissertation published. That will help in achieving this goal.