Indian Giver of British Products

Less than three months ago, I was in London.  It feels like it has been ages since then, though.  I had so much fun.  I am working on a small, informational publication on the subject of London to be delivered, hopefully, as Christmas presents to my Friends.

On that trip, I met up with an old friend from yesteryear--Old Chap.  Back in the day, Old Chap, Cl. Panic, Green Thumbs McGillicutty, L. Woods, and I all worked in the same law firm.  Old Chap was in the London office.  One wintry day, we all flew to Washington, D.C., to participate in some training, and that's where we all met each other.  We have kept in touch since then!  It was one of only a handful of good things that came out of working in that firm.

Naturally, when I finally made my way to London, I called up Old Chap and off we went to have wonderful Pakistani food.  We went to Tayyabs.  O.  M.  G.  This was so good.  But Old Chap's food tips didn't end there.  He also directed me to Fortnum & Mason, described by Old Chap as "the quintessential supplier of English goodies."  Boy, he was not kidding.

On my last full day in London, I paid a visit to Fortnum & Mason and bought so many biscuits (cookies), teas, and jellies.  Most were slated for gifts to friends and family.  But I learned a valuable lesson:  Send food gifts as soon as possible because, the longer you hold on to them, the more likely they will end up in your own stomach.  There were two jellies (a hunter's marmalade and a rose jelly) that were slated for MonkeyPig and 3-Fish, respectively.  Those did not survive long enough in the US to reach their intended destinations.  So, I ordered replacements (plus other things) online.  I kept the dark lime jelly (detailed description).

Dutifully, I sent the goodies to their intended recipients.  In advance of their arrival, I tell 3-Fish that I'm sending her a rose jelly.  Well, guess who's too good for rose jellies and breakfast in general?  So, I tell 3-Fish to send the rose jelly back if she's not going to eat it because I would eat it.  The rose jelly was delivered back to my house yesterday.  What's wrong with this picture?  Yep, Mr. Nonny Nu had to pay the postman $1.55 because *somebody* didn't pay the full postage.  But here is the treasure trove, complete with polar bear greeting card to Mr. Nonny Nu conveying a hateful but accurate complaint about a most beloved rabbit:

Tourists in our Own Backyard

In honor of the return of Twinkies, I'm going to make a concerted effort to bring back The Nu Warren. I begin with a post about a rejuvenation...

Today, Green Thumbs McGillicutty, L. Woods, and I were tourists in our own backyard.  For L. Woods' and my birthdays, Ms. McGillicutty invited us to tea at Charles Chocolates in San Francisco.  Charles Chocolates is located in the Mission District.  This was the first time I'd been to that part of the city and I really liked it.  I felt like I was among the working folk, and not the fancy pants city folk.

When we got to Charles Chocolates, we were greeted with a menu that promised nothing less than scrumptiousness and wonder.  I chose the Yorkshire Gold Black Tea, L. Woods chose the Organic Maiden's Ecstasy Pu-Erh Tea, and Green Thumbs chose the Organic Blood Orange Pu-Erh Tea.  My Yorkshire tea and L. Woods' Maiden's Ecstasy tea were yummy.  I don't know whether the Blood Orange tea was good because Green Thumbs never offered me any.  Then, the food arrived, each item lined up to meet their fate in the Chamber of Horrors that is my stomach (my favorite victim was the Pulled BBQ Chicken Slider).  Most interesting item was the Fresh Bing Cherry Clafoutis, egg-y and light (for Cantonese speakers, the consistency is the same as lo bahk go).  We met Charles himself!  He's a great host!

After this delightful tea, the three of us strolled around the Mission District with endless possibilities before us.  We were open to anything!  Green Thumbs then suggested that we visit the mission and we did.

Just kidding.  That^ wasn't the mission.  That^ was the high school.

This is the Mission San Francisco.  It is also known as Mission Delores and is the oldest structure in San Francisco.  It was built before the Declaration of Independence (see right).

We met many saints there.  My favorite is San Juan Capistrano.  He was the only one with a sword (because he led a Crusade) (he's the one on the left).  Here is the altar where Pope John Paul II visited back in 1987.

Then, we visited the basilica that is part of the mission but the basilica was built in 1918.  I'm not Catholic so I'm not sure what is the difference between a basilica and a church, but the basilica was fancier than the church.  Here is its altar.

The mark of a basilica is the gold and red umbrella (shown at the right) and the crest of the church (it's on the left but blocked by a column in this view).  We saw many saints here, too.

Oh!  I take back my previous statement about San Juan Capistrano being my favorite saint.  He's only my second favorite because my first favorite is Saint Francis of Assisi, the saint for whom San Franciso and the Franciscan order are named.  Here's a picture of him (left).  Can you guess why he's my favorite saint?

At the basilica, we saw beautiful cupolas and stained glass windows.  The windows showed many saints, many after whom cities were named:
Santa Clara
San Juan Capistrano and San Luis Obispo (boo...long live Pomona!)
San Gabriel (*claps!!*) and San Antonio
San Carlos and San Diego
Santa Barbara and Junipero Serra

There was also an ancient cemetery ("goo mo"), which is something that So Ba Sing really loves to visit.  Because we are in the West, which is a younger part of the nation than the East, our goo mos aren't as goo.  The oldest one I found was from 1830, the grave of Don Luis Antonio Arguello, the governor of "Alta California," back when California was still a part of Mexico.  Interestingly, that  picture I took is almost exactly the shot that is on the Wikipedia entry for Senor Arguello (scroll down). There was a sundial in the cemetery that was off by only about 20 minutes, and that depicted Father Time (not the Grim Reaper) (so says L. Woods and Green Thumbs).

On the way back to our parking spot, we found a pair of shoes and its owner a few yards away.

All in all, we spent a relaxing day experiencing San Francisco and being tourists in our own backyard.  Here, again, are the ladies who lunched:

Welcome back, Friends!

Self-Portrait and Magnets

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

This morning, I rode the rails with Cl. Panic and dribbled tea all over my sweater because my beautiful Jane Austen inspired travel mug sprang a leak.  But all is well because someone at work gave me an enzyme stain remover wipe.  It works ok, but not as good as a Tide Pen.

Anywho, the moral of this story is:  I got a new magnet!!

Whenever I or one of my friends or sisters go on vacation, we bring back refrigerator magnets to share with the people who we left at home.  My very first refrigerator magnet was one from Seattle, but I will tell you how I got that later in this post.  Check out my office minifridge and my magnet collection (you can see a reflection of me taking the photo)!

I can't remember the order in which I received the magnets, but I know that the first one I got was from Green Thumbs McGillicutty.  It was from one day trip she took from San Jose to Seattle just to make the miles to keep her in some sort of airline "best customers" club or something like that.

I also have ones from San Antonio (from when I went to my niece's wedding), another one from Green Thumbs when she went to Philadelphia for a deposition, and another from myself when I went to visit MonkeyPig in Georgia (the little fish pictured was from Cl. Panic for our unfortunate but thankfully temporary stay at Drones 'R Us).

This one is from MonkeyPig when the sisters went to Georgia for a surprise visit.  And, this one is also from MonkeyPig from a few years ago when we had a sisters reunion in Washington, DC.  We ate at the Supreme Court's cafeteria and I saved my ticket stub!  The two Tinkerbell magnets holding the stub are from L. Woods when she visited Disneyworld in Florida.

Now, this one is an international magnet from Heidelberg, Germany, where L. Woods visited on business a year ago.  Note the giant gummy bears attached.

And, then, there is my most recently acquired one from Cl. Panic and A-Dog from when they flew to the Pacific Northwest recently.  It is from the actual Tillamook cheese factory and is 24K gold plated brass.  The magnetic bunnies are from Cl. Panic.  They got very hungry and attacked the cheese (they are not partial to giant gummies).

Finally, this one is not a magnet, but is nonetheless a sentiment from a dear friend who had gone afar and kept me in mind.  It is a keychain of a polar bear dressed in a UK t-shirt from when Mr. Nonny Nu went to London recently.  The bear has the Harrods' "H" stamp on the bottom of its foot.

So many little treasures!  I think my most prized items in my office might be my magnets and keychain.

June Birthdays

Hello, everyone! Just wanted to take this time to say a very special "Happy Birthday!" to my bestest kitty, Sushi Cat. You are the most special soul and I miss you so much. I know that you are up there having fun and making sure there is a comfy cloud for Momma and Daddy when we see you again. I love you very much. Here is a pepperoni pizza for you from Momma, kitty. Don't eat too much because you know you can't handle the spice so well.

Now, for my dear friend, Siddharta's girl. This has been a year of changes and progress. I am so happy that you are pursuing and finding your faith. I hope that you will find peace and happiness because you deserve it. For you, a zen cake...

Last, but not least, I had one of the best birthday celebrations ever. Not only was I taken to lunch, my awesome friends Green Thumbs McGillicutty, Mr. McGillicutty, Cl. Panic, A-Dog, and L. Woods threw an impromptu birthday celebration for me that night at the McGillicutty ranch. Even Mr. Nonny Nu was there! The McGillicuttys cooked delicious burgers on the grill, accompanied by a light orzo salad and homemade, slow cooked Boston baked beans. L. Woods provided yummy drinks to cool everyone down. And the meal ended with the Panic-Dogs' guava cake topped with Green Thumb's scrumptious homemade strawberry ice cream and TWO KINDS OF WHIPPED CREAM provided by L. Woods! These people know me so well.

But the things that touched me the most was the fact that these very busy people who routinely stay late to work had taken the day off early in order to make this impromptu party happen for me, that these people who highly value their precious and relatively scarce time with their families would give up that time to include me, and that a certain person who rarely ventured from the house got himself dressed and ready to go by the time I got home to participate in this celebration. That was the best gift of all and I will always cherish the memories in my heart.

Now, you all know how I normally like to keep my face off of the blog but I will break that rule and show you pics of me and the cake so that you can see my happiness and contentment. That fireball in the foreground is the cake with 36 candles on it.

Happy Belated Birthdays!!

I have been so remiss these past couple of months.  Please, everyone, accept my apologies for missing three birthdays.  THREE!!!  Oy...

First, happy birthday to Willy Wonka!!  I know that any cake I find will not be up to snuff taste-wise when compared to the delicious fabulosity that you've created in the past.  Here's to another 50 years of baking and cooking for the common good!

Second, happy birthday to A-dog!!  For you, I have chosen a king cake.  Why?  Well, there's a Chinese saying that goes like this: 物似主人形 (object resembles owner's form).  I hope you like it and CONGRATULATIONS!!

And, last but not least, is my dearest L. Woods!  Happy birthday!  I know that you're super busy right now and that all you'd like to do is to have just a few hours of good sleep.  So, here is a Xanax and whiskey cake for you!  Sweet dreams!

Bird Segregationists?

Who would've thought that the Civil Rights Movement completely bypassed the animal kingdom?

Last week, L. Woods and I took a little walk along a bayside trail.  We call this "birdwalking" because there are many birds along the trail.  There are pelicans, geese, and many other birds that I can't name.  Suffice it to say, this is a bird haven.

On the way back to the parking lot, we noticed a bunch of birds sitting along the shallow part of the bay.  Upon closer inspection, all the white birds were sitting on one side of an imaginary line, and all the brown birds were sitting on the other side.  Now, isn't that weird?  I guess birds of a feather do flock together!

(The second photo is the one with the birds.)

Lobster Safari (and Wedding)

This weekend, I went on a lobster safari. The lobster's natural habitat is on the East Coast, and one of the best known lobster preserves is located in and around the town of Boston. Green Thumbs and L. Woods accompanied me on this quest, but L. Woods arrived a day early to scope out the place.

GTM and I flew from San Jose to Boston, careful to sit in non-adjacent seats so as not to tip off the lobsters. Lobsters are very sensitive creatures and often detect trouble with their long antennae. This was my first lobster safari but I did my homework in advance, mostly in the form of daydreaming about the moment when I would meet my first lobster face to face, antennae to ears, mano y mano.

The morning of the safari, GTM and I woke up at the crack of dawn (9-ish) and prepared ourselves physically to confront the feisty lobster. I ran on the treadmill, and GTM read a book about a girl who kicked the hornet's nest (presumably in case we encounter any hornets on the way to the lobster lair). L. Woods felt that the best way to prepare for the safari was to go back to sleep for another hour.

During that hour, GTM and I warmed up and each purchased a lobster roll next door at the James Hook Lobster Aquarium. Here's what it looked like:

Look at the chunks of lobster in that baby!

Then, it was time to go on the actual hunt. We took a 30 minute ferry to The Lobster Island, attended Cl. Panic's and A-dog's beautiful wedding ceremony, and were led to a table of lobster torture instruments. When our table was called, I shot up like a rocket and stealthily slithered over to the lobster lair. Upon reaching the lair, I pointed at an unsuspecting lobster and exclaimed, "I'll take that one!" He didn't know what hit him!

I slung the slain lobster over my shoulder and dragged it back to our table. There, I eschewed the instruction sheet and relied purely on my predatory instincts to take apart the beast, limb by limb.

Afterward, we all enjoyed a wonderfully timed sunset.

The Nus wish Cl. Panic and A-dog much happiness and contentment in their life together!

The Transformation is COMPLETE

It all started with The Green Machine, my iPod Shuffle.  I was so happy to get it!  I'm still using it to listen to audiobooks when I go running.

Then, I got Paddy, the iPad.  Wow.  I haven't had my own computer since, well, since college (which is a long time ago).

Tonight, Mr. Nonny Nu surprised me with a brand new MacBook Pro!!

My transformation from PC user to Apple user is finally complete.  I love it!

P.S.  I just sent my first email to L. Woods from my MacBook!  I'm still thinking of what to name her.  I know it's a her.  I can feel it!

Bread Car

No, I'm not talking about a lame car that's made of bread, but I know what you guys are all going to say when you finish reading this post--"Yes, I WOULD buy bread from that car!" Okay, check this out...

L. Woods and I go to lunch quite often and we almost always take the 101. There's an access road that runs right next to the freeway. A couple months ago, I noticed that I frequently saw a white car that drove along the access road on the way back to the office. I named it "The Bread Car." When you see it, you'll know why:

Right? I would totally buy bread from that car! Can you imagine a bread service that brings you fresh baguettes every other day? I would pay for that, especially if they delivered the bread in The Bread Car. Anywho, L. Woods has since seen a moldy bread car and, yesterday, I saw a pumpernickel bread car.

I know what you're thinking right now.

"Hm, yes, I WOULD buy bread from that car!"

Dear Nonny Vol. I

From time to time, I will post the answers to some reader questions. Today, I received an urgent inquiry:

Dear Nonny,

Last week, I was hired at the law firm of Drones 'R Us, the firm that Nu, Nu, & Nu, LLP merged with last year. I like it here well enough but I know that my days are numbered. Employees like me only last a week or so, but that is to be expected--I am brought in to do a very specific job and once my contract expires, I am literally removed from the office with a quickness.

One of the things I have gotten used to is the twice- or thrice-daily visits I get from you and another permanent employee named L. Woods. I heard from my predecessors that you two ladies also visited often while they worked there. But, lately, I haven't heard or seen L. Woods at all. She hasn't called or emailed or sent any form of a message to me (I am always at my desk). Do you know what happened? Was it something I said?

The Temp

Dear The Temp,

No, it wasn't anything you said. L. Woods is just out of the office taking and defending a couple of depositions. She'll be back next week, but your contract expires tomorrow. I'll let her know that you said hello and goodbye, though. See you in a few...

nn

Pea Tasting

Wow, doesn't the title sound disgusting??  But, it was really such a wonderful experience.  Back in January, Cl. Panic gave me two pea plants.  Each of them yielded two peas.  One of the four peas grew very slowly and the other three peas just could not wait any longer to be eaten, so I invited Cl. Panic, Green Thumbs McGillicutty, and L. Woods for a pea tasting here at work.

As you can see, the pea pods were a pretty good size and the peas themselves were gigantic.  The problem was, there were four of us and only three of them.  So, Cl. Panic and I shared one.

The peas were delicious!  I'm glad that the original plan of bringing them to be cooked and eaten at hot pot was nixed.  We tasted these peas in their freshest, just-picked glory.  It was spectacular.

As an aside, I anticipated that, even with four pea pods, it would still be a pretty meager food offering for four grown people, let alone the actual situation where people outnumbered pods.  So, I brought some baby carrots and ranch dip to accompany the peas.  But, it was still slim pickings after that.  The whole situation where we had to slice one of the peas in half was totally hilarious because it reminded me of those old WB cartoons where they showed very poor families slicing a loaf of bread so thin that the bread slice would float down to the plate!