Lake Tahoe, Redwoods, Oakland

The second part of the trip through Northern California included Lake Tahoe and the Redwoods. We left our motel and got to South Lake Tahoe, where we immediately cooled off with a Jamba Juice. The workers there were really chatty and tried to be helpful with our trip planning. We ended up choosing a 4 mile hike to Susie Lake, with the option of extending another 2 miles beyond to another lake. With such a late start in the day (around 4 pm) and the onslaught of mosquitoes near the end of the trail (all near standing water) and the difficulty of hiking on gravel the whole way, we decided to just hang at the lake and turn back.



We filled up on gas (expensive!) and continued north. Christina was in charge of dinner - making a lovely vegetable soup (from a can) with some ramen noodles thrown in. We were sure to store everything in the bear locker - to keep out the riff raff (mostly aggressive chipmunks), as we'd been doing all trip. We got lucky at this campsite and didn't get charged the $11 fee - made up for the $70+ splurge on the motel the previous night.

The next morning we skipped a short hike around Sugar Pine and continued on our drive north, hitting Tahoe City, where we stopped to take an ankle dip into the cold cold lake one last time. The water was beautifully clear, with lots of geese enjoying it.

We drove northwest, along 80, stopped in Sacramento, in search of another Jamba Juice. We had no idea how to find one so decided to ask someone - the first people we sized up didn't look like good candidates. Finally in a state of desperation at a red light, we asked some guy in a truck next to us - he knew exactly where it was and we were close! But somehow we missed it. So we stopped at a co-op and asked for directions. Despite the information worker's disdain in our search for "Junka Juice", we decided to take his directions and go get our free smoothie anyways. We had printed out a few coupons before leaving Berkeley that were begging usage in all the heat.

Smoothies in tow, we took off for the Redwoods, going up I-5. We switched driving at some point (for the first time) and I finally got to do the deer spotting on the side of the road. We even encountered a cow in the middle of the road! She came up to the driver side, then decided to turn round and take off running to a patch of grass. Definitely a safer spot to be standing around. Christina drove to Eureka and then we switched seats again. We stopped at a campground just south of the park. We stopped at headquarters to pick up some breakfast, to meet Christina's only criteria in how to celebrate Independence Day - by eating some pie - blackberry pie.

We got to the Redwoods, saw some ginormous trees and some more wildflowers and enjoyed a loop hike from ocean beach to canyon. We used up some energy doing jumps on the beach for the camera (the hiking wasn't nearly as strenuous as the Yosemite hikes). We did some scenic driving and then turned back south to break up the long drive to the Bay Area. We did it up in another motel, opting for a shower and internet access over monetary savings.

We ended the trip with a wonderful home cooked meal by my cousin Jim, assisted by his girlfriend Susan. They have a wonderful garden filled with fresh herbs in their new house in Oakland. It was a short visit, but Jim was able to share an old photo album with pictures of my nai-nai and ye-ye (paternal grandmother and grandfather) that I'd never seen before. I also test drove their couch for the night - and had a very peaceful night's rest (Christina's sleep talking doesn't really bother me, but I think the presence of someone sleeping right next to me makes me a lighter sleeper - or maybe it was just the wine that put me out deeper than normal). In the morning, I woke up to see hummingbirds at the windows at the feeders. Susan dropped me off at OAK, and I was on my way to TX...

Nai nai and a sibling with their mother


Ye-ye and Nai-nai

4 Campnights and a Motel

Christina and I have embarked on our California trip. We spent the first night with KC, doing research and tying up loose ends in Berkeley (The picture is of Moe trying to prevent Christina from doing anything at all). The next morning we picked up our car from Avis, a white Kia Rio, with surprisingly good trunk space. It could fit the huge tupperware of cookware and the coleman stove (burner and grill), as well as 2 sleeping bags, 2 sleeping pads, 2 water jugs, 2 backpacking packs, and additional bags. We hit Berkeley Bowl to load up on food, Jamba Juice for a free smoothie (buy one get one free), and then REI to pick out some hiking boots and other gear. We finally got on the road by evening and arrived at our first camp site near Pine Lake. $15 for the night with bear and mountain lion warnings everywhere, but we only spotted some deer near our site.

I made my first campsite meal - asian style! Buckwheat noodles with spinach, tofu and sesame oil.

The next morning we packed up and drove on to Yosemite and checked in at Camp 4, the walk in campground. $5 per person per night - what a deal! We stayed there 3 nights, did a lot of hiking and eating and one wonderful shower (also $5 at Housekeeping camp -- supposedly free showers were available at Curry Village without a towel, but we chose instant gratification). We did the first part of the Half Dome hike to Vernal and Nevada Falls, part of the 4 Mile Trail from the bottom up (most do top down), part of the Upper Yosemite Falls hike (too hot to go too far), and my favorite was the Cathedral Lake hike with the trailhead out of the valley on Tioga Road.

We then drove on to Mono Lake and saw some big tufas and tasted the saltiness of the depleted lake. It was surrounded by hoards of flies that you could hear lift off in mass whenever you took a step. Yuck! We had a lovely picnic dinner at sunset at the County Park on the north side, and then swung on the swing set and tossed a disc on the super plush carpety-feeling grass - and even did some layout drills. We ended our time in the park laying on the grass watching the stars come out and enjoying the warm dry air and pleasant wind. We filled up on water at the fountain and then started driving again around 10 pm, driving through Bridgeport on to the town we're in now where we found a Motel with free wireless. This place is the digs. We got Unit 13, which is the handicap unit - after so many days of greasy sweaty stickiness, we were ecstatic to enjoy a hot shower with fluffy white towels and have a real refrigerator to store our food in (If Christina falls ill, it could be one of 10 questionably warm food items that caused it).

We are off to Tahoe soon and then back west towards the Redwoods and Bay Area.

Camping entertainment included a rowdy Scrabble game with some college kids there for the weekend. Despite Christina's low confidence, she won the game!

Photo Essay: Berkeley and Oakland

My last days in Berkeley were spent sleeping with Mo, and sometimes Marcus would join us. Here they are being unusually affectionate with each other.


I also spent my time packing up, getting ready for the return to Seattle. Here, Mo is checking out the huge bag that my sister gave me.


Mo and I became quite attached. Here she is laying down on top of me, preventing me getting any more packing done. We enjoyed this position for a good 20 minutes at least. Such is the pace of my life these days.


I tried another gluten-free recipe. This time crepes. I would have like to use buckwheat flour, but didn't have any on hand, so used a recipe from one of Gretchen's books. I don't know if lack of refrigeration botched the thickening or if the book was just way off. I had to seriously adjust the ingredients as the batter was way too thin. I filled them with spinach, mushrooms, onions and chicken. This was the side-dish to a delicious dinner that KC and Gretchen whipped up.


On Sunday, my cousin Jim came over to pick me up. We gave him a tour of the house and sculpture garden. Then we were off to Oakland Chinatown for some yummy food at Shan Dong. (The yelp review is pretty good - If you know any chinese at all, read the one from 3/16/07 - hilarious for the mandarin-english translations.)


Unfortunately, we were late in meeting his sister/my cousin, Emily, there. Thankfully she was patient and stayed extra to chat with us. Emily is a teacher in the Bay area, recently returned from 7 years abroad studying Buddhism. Jim is an avid bicyclist and his girlfriend Susan was away working the Lifecycle ride to LA. Since Emily already ate, Jim and I shared 7 dishes (Shan Dong special dumplings, jiu-tsai cakes, sweet do-jiang, seaweed salad, vegetarian bun, a tofu dish, and yo-tiao).


Jim and I walked around Chinatown afterwards, where we spotted this car. That's right, take a closer look at that license plate.


We picked up some mini egg puff treats - which I was excited to try because they're one of my favorite things to get in NYC Chinatown. The woman in NY sells bags for a dollar each, and they're fresh made from her little cart and ready to go in minutes if not seconds. The ones I saw in Oakland were in a cafe, took at least 15 minutes to order and prepare, were 3 times as expensive and tasted like fortune cookies. I wouldn't recommend it.


We also spotted cherries for 99 cents a pound. So I bought a bag to bring home to Gretchen and KC. I put them in a tray next to the 3.99 a pound cherries from Berkeley Bowl and the 6.99 Rainier cherries from the Berkeley Organic Farmer's market. I split the Chinatown cherries into 2 sections - the normal looking ones and the mutant, double butted ones. The blind taste test resulted in the Berkeley Bowl cherries in first place, with the mutant Chinatown cherries in a close second. The others were far behind in 3rd and 4th.


I also made a gluten-free Italian Herb Bread. It turned out really well - even better than the French Bread. I used fresh parsley from Gretchen's garden.

Italian Herb Bread
adapted from The Best Gluten-Free Family Cookbook by Donna Washburn and Heather Butt

1 1/3 c sorghum flour
1/2 c whole bean flour
1/3 c potato starch
1/3 c tapioca starch
1/4 c granulated sugar
2.5 t xanthan gum
2 t instant yeast
1 1/4 t salt
1/4 c snipped fresh parsley
2 t ground dried marjoram
2 t ground dried thyme
2 eggs
1 1/4 c water
1/4 c oil
1 t cider vinegar

1. In large bowl, combine flours, starches, sugar, gum, yeast, salt, herbs. Mix well.
2. In separate bowl, combine eggs, water, oil and vinegar until well blended. Slowly add dry ingredients at low speed until combined. Scrape bottom and sides of bowl. Beat at medium for 4 min.
3. Spoon into 9x5 greased loaf pan. Let rise, uncovered, in a warm, draft-free place for 60-75 min or until dough has risen to the top of the pan.
4. Bake at 350 for 35-45 min (until loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom). Remove from pan and cool completely on rack.

I woke up on my last morning to Marcus sitting at my feet, laying on her back and cleaning herself. KC, Gretchen and I fit in a few more rounds of cards. I had taught them how to play Vietnamese Poker (with a more forgiving format than Tuyet's Grandma allowed) and we'd been playing all week, keeping tally of the score. KC couldn't pull himself out of a huge deficit, and we promised to start over from scratch in Seattle for the next 13 Cards Tournament. (Here's a site with rules pretty close to how we play.)

I flew out of Oakland, to LA, and then to Seattle. Yes, it was cheaper to go south first rather than a direct flight north. Crazy what I'll do to save $50. That was Monday June 11.

Gluten Free Galore

Yesterday I made a gluten-free tabbouleh using quinoa (pronounced key-nwah, not chin-o-uh). My sister usually makes it using cous-cous and others make using bulghur wheat - both no-no's for Gretchen's diet. I forgot to take a picture of the finished product, so here's one in the tupperware container for the leftovers.

Quinoa Tabbouleh
Most time is spent chopping and chilling. This is a refreshing summer dish that can serve as a lunch or appetizer.

2 c water
1 c quinoa
3 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c lemon juice
3 green onion stalks, minced
1/4 c fresh mint, minced
1 T cilantro, minced
salt
3 roma tomatoes, finely chopped
1 cucumber, finely chopped
(missing: 1/4 c pine nuts, 1/2 c parsley)

1. Rinse quinoa well first so it won't be bitter. Bring water and quinoa to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cover. Cook 15-20 minutes, until water is absorbed and kernels are soft.
   
2. Combine oil, garlic, lemon juice and salt. Mix with quinoa.
3. Add greens and veggies. Mix well. Chill.
4. Serve with bread or over mixed greens.
   

Today I made a gluten-free French Bread. This came out surprisingly well and was really quick to put together, given that it was a yeast bread. The rising time was only 15 minutes! Gretchen really enjoyed this and we ate it plain and with leftover tabbouleh.

Fat-free French Bread
Note that potato starch flour is different from potato flour! Tapioca flour is the same as tapioca starch.

1 1/3 c + 1 T white rice flour
scant 1/2 c potato starch flour
2/9 c tapioca flour
2.5 t xanthan gum
1.5 t sugar
1 t salt
2 t instant yeast
1 t vinegar
2 egg whites, at room temperature
1.5 c warm water (110-115 deg)

1. Grease a French bread pan (or make your own out of a doubled piece of heavy foil about the length of the cookie sheet, to form a long curved mold).
2. Combine flours, xanthan gum, sugar, salt and yeast in large mixing bowl. Whisk well or mix through sieve.
3. Add the vinegar, egg whites, and water. Beat at medium speed for 3 min.
4. Spoon dough into the mold to almost full length. Smooth the top.
5. Cover and let rise for 15 min. Preheat oven to 400.
6. Bake for 1 hour. Turn down to 350 and bake another 15 min.
   
7. While hot, tear it apart to eat. Once cool, cut with knife.

When I was driving home from lunch with my uncle, I noticed a bumper sticker in front of me: Iraq is Arabic for Vietnam

I keep forgetting to take a picture of my uncle whenever I see him. Sitting across from him, I noticed how much he resembles my dad at times and sometimes his mother/my grandmother as well.

Yoko also stopped by today - she loved the house. Here's a link to original pictures: bantadesign Go to Projects - Residential - XYZ House

Day Off

I had the day to myself yesterday to wander around San Francisco. I started in Russian Hill and walked up Polk St (south). I stopped at Quetzal to get a mango-banana-pineapple smoothie. It was delicious. I then went to an Indian grocery store, New India Bazzar, not too far down the road. It's a very small store, especially compared to what I'm used to (Mayuri in Redmond). But they had some idly mix and some chutney powder which was what I was looking for. I still didn't have my debit card on me, so I had to get at least $15 worth to use my credit card. I made out with some papads, cashews and a pongal mix.

I continued walking south then east in order to get through Chinatown. It felt like home again. I miss chinatowns - I realize more and more that Seattle's lack of a decent chinatown makes me sad. I only had one dollar bill on me, so couldn't splurge on all the amazing food I saw - I passed on the boxes of mangoes, fresh made dumplings and bakery sweets like dan-ta (egg custard). Instead, I spent 90 cents to get my lunch: a cha-siu bao (bbq pork bun) and a mantou (steamed sweet roll). It was amazingly delicious. The place was on the right, walking north on Stockton. Its whole front counter was completely dedicated to steamed breads - huge vats of water and steamer baskets. It was like a little piece of heaven.

I continued north and west, crossing over the hill via Vallejo, climbing up the hundreds of stairs and enjoyed the view from the top. I rested at Yoko's trying to get some work done. But the free wireless available was being extremely flaky and driving me nuts. I looked up other free hotspots and considered going to Notes from the Underground, which was a close enough walk. However, by then, I had firmed up plans to meet Theresa at her hotel. She was in town for business. And the Courtyard Marriott she was staying at advertised free wireless in the lobby. So I packed up and took off towards downtown.

I got a chance to look at my cousin's pictures from his recent annual Memorial Day bbq. I also happened on another album - one dedicated to my uncle, his late father. I had only just arrived in France when he passed away and wasn't able to attend the funeral. Looking through the pictures made me miss him and regret not being able to spend more time with him. I think this is part of what drives me to go to Taiwan - to spend time with my only remaining grandparent.

KC and Grr were kind enough to pick Theresa and I from the lobby and drive us over to Richmond, the new Chinatown district. We met Abby at a Burmese place on California and 6th called Mandalay. There were a few interesting dishes (tea leaf salad, rainbow salad) but I think I like a well made Peking duck over the tea-smoked duck there.

This morning I made idlies for breakfast - mix 1 part idly mix with 1.5 parts water. Spoon into greased idly pan and steam for 12-15 minutes. Serve with chutney (chutney powder mixed with oil). Simple and delicious.

Memory Lane

I'm sitting now in Yoko's apartment in Russian Hill in San Francisco. She graciously lent it to me for the night while she is away. I found our college yearbook in her bookshelf and just flipped through the whole thing. It felt as if I'd never seen it before (but surely in any of the visits I've paid to Yoko in the 6 years since graduating, I've at least glanced at it, right?). I still laugh at Lauren Rankin's commencement speech. Seeing so many familiar faces, it felt like attending a reunion of sorts. My picture isn't in the portrait section of any of the college yearbooks - I don't think I ever cared enough to get my photo taken on picture days. It didn't seem like a big deal. However, I did make it in to some ultimate photos - who submitted the one of me and Amy Fair in spring break swimwear?! I had no idea. Flipping through is like a trip down memory lane - people I haven't thought about since college, but recognize instantly when I see their photo.

Yoko and I spent the last day and a half together. I got my haircut at her favorite place - her cutter/stylist convinced me to go longer than I wanted - and I don't think I'm happy with it. I'm willing to give it more time, but think I might go get another chop soon. We enjoyed lunch by the ferry terminal and then went to the Marina District to camp out while I got some work done and she napped (having flown in from Japan, she was really jet lagged). We met up with her friend Diane for dinner at a Mexican place around the corner, then returned home for an early night. This morning I did more research, grabbed lunch with Yoko, hung out at a cafe (The Grove, apparently where Friendster was started), book browsed, grocery shopped, and then returned home. I made the salad while Yoko prepared the pasta bolognese for dinner.

Quick and Easy Salad
(serves 2 - adjust servings as necessary and to taste)

mixed greens
fresh grapefruit slices (1/2)
avocado slices (1/2)
roma tomato chunks (1)
1 clove chopped garlic
1 t Dijon mustard
2 T balsamic vinegar
6 T oil
salt and pepper

Mix garlic, mustard and vinegar thoroughly. Add oil and shake. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss with greens. Add grapefruit, avocado and tomatoes. Done.

And continuing in reverse order, last week, after the Trouts left, Gretchen and I hung out at her house getting some work done and decided to sign up for a tournament (CAL States) for the upcoming weekend. We went to Tuesday night pickup to get some ultimate in, where I nearly regretted signing up. Just doing the lap around the field was making me winded. Thursday, KC encouraged us to go on a run around the 'hood - again, a near death situation. My compartment syndrome still comes back on hard surfaces - not made any easier by the feeling of burning lungs battling the up hill course.

I undid any benefit of the short run by eating way too much at my favorite Chinese restaurant in Berkeley (Great China Restaurant, 2115 Kittredge, 510-843-7996). We met my uncle (San Bo = 3rd uncle) and my cousin (Jim) there. We had entirely too much excellent food, including Peking Duck, double skin dish (only available here!), sauteed crab-egg with sweet man-tou, fresh sweet chives with chicken, pork and tofu dish, and a lamb dish. My uncle even ordered a dessert (sticky rice) on top of the standard orange slices and fortune cookies you normally get.

A few minutes after returning home, GMul and Jo showed up at the door, having flown in from Seattle. We caught up a bit that night, made breakfast together, went into town for lunch (Indian buffet), and then fired up the grill for dinner. In between eating, I managed to get some work done, including buying my return ticket to Seattle (June 11).

Saturday morning we woke up bright and early. We had ended the night in a heated debate and didn't get as much sleep as planned. We picked up Rob before driving down to Santa Cruz (Jo and GMul had left earlier - they play on an elite women's team. Grr, Rob and I were picking up with a last minute throw together team in the coed division). We warmed up on the most beautiful ultimate fields I've seen in over a year. The grass was green and plush - slightly wet from dew and fog - just the perfect kind for laying out. Just as I was reveling in the moment - of being able to run around again and enjoy the outdoors, my vision started to go. I stupidly decided to finish the point before going to rest. Of course, it ended up being the longest point of the game with a time out called in the middle. By the end of it, I was nearly blind in both eyes. I grabbed Grr's car keys and luckily passed GMul on the way - she helped me get to the parking lot since I was so disoriented I had no idea where it was.

Blindess, sensitivity to light and smell (there were some orange peels lying around from the morning that seemed to suffocate my nose and throat), nausea, temperature fluctuations, and finally throbbing headache. Grr showed up, prepared some garbage bags for me and luckily didn't have to witness me retching breakfast into the bag. As soon as I did, as is typical, the throbbing pain started to subside into just a plain headache. Grr came back with some magic medicine from a teammate whose wife also suffers from migraines. Even though it was too late, I took it anyway - letting it dissolve on my tongue. It had a refreshing minty taste. We decided it best to drive to the hotel and let me sleep in darkness and peace instead of in the parking lot. However, the bumpiness of the ride made me throw up twice more - mostly just dry heaving as there wasn't anything left in my stomach.

Fortunately Best Western had our room available and let us check in early. I alternated between being extremely cold and too warm, but was well on the way to recovery. The complete darkness, with curtains shut, was just what I needed. The close sound of traffic, with what sounded like trucks driving right past our window, I could have lived without. I spent a lot of time thinking about past migraine experiences. The first one I can remember clearly is in first grade. I remember sensing it coming on and dreading going to the nurse. I was using scissors to cut some paper and wanted to just ignore it. Another time I remember recovering and trying to join my mom in some exercises the next morning - I immediately threw up. Ever since then I try not to do anything active in the first 24 hours. The most embarrassing for my family is probably on one of our regular trips to NYC to see my gramma - I had gotten one on the way. We got to our restaurant and I barfed all over the table! The worst in my mind was sophomore year in college after eating a huge breakfast of scrambled eggs - a dish I don't even like - and it's definitely worse going the other way. There were lots of times I avoided throwing up, once I figured out how to manage them better - like junior year in college just before an ultimate tournament, and the most recent time while working at Microsoft. Luckily in both cases I was able to lay down in darkness and quiet until it subsided (thanks to Rick for having a couch and not being in that afternoon). [Note: for others who suffer from migraines, Oliver Sacks book, Migraine, is a great read. The medicine I took is maxalt.)

But back to Saturday...Apparently, when Gretchen drove back to the game, she played one point and then rolled her ankle! She said it swelled up as big as an apple - she was out for the rest of the tourney. So much for the team picking up 2 women! I spent the rest of the day sleeping and woke up at 7 the next morning -- totaling about 19 hours of sleep. Another freak occurrence was Chad getting hit in the face while marking the disc. It looked a lot worse than he felt apparently.

The next morning I felt better, milked the continental breakfast and then headed to the fields. We watched Riot play a bit - crushing their opponents something like 15-2 or 15-4. We then went down to the lower fields to watch our team destroy Wagon - which was a complete surprise given the 0-4 record from the previous day. Playing nearly savage really seemed to pump the team up - or maybe it was just the desire to not be bagelled.

ok, this is taking too long. Summary: interesting sideline conversations with Buckman and John, seeing my old teammate and captain Brynne playing with Mischief (last year's coed national champions), and then getting the run around trying to find crutches for GMul after she tore her ACL right before finals (HUGE bummer).

my new do

Cold Buckwheat Noodle Salad

Here is the recipe I used to help make dinner tonight. My hosts, Gretchen and KC, are on a gluten and dairy free diet, so I chose this cold noodle dish using buckwheat noodles and made sure to use wheat free soy sauce and tofu. I bought the wrong kind of sesame oil - I'm used to the Chinese kind, which is dark and very fragrant. We went to the local Whole Foods, where I only spotted a plain kind of sesame oil. I compensated by adding more soy sauce - but really, the flavor should come from the sesame. You can adjust the recipe by adding rice wine vinegar to the sauce, or even using meat instead of tofu (shrimp, beef, etc). Carrots also make a good addition, for health and color. You can substitute peas for the spinach. This dish is great in the summer when you want something cool and refreshing. It is also a colorful dish with the variety of vegetables.

Cold Sesame Noodles
Serves 4

16 oz (2 packages) buckwheat noodles (usually wheat free, but check ingredient list)
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
1/3 cucumber, cut into thin strips
1 or 2 green onions, chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped
chopped ginger
sesame oil (dark kind)
soy sauce/tamari (wheat-free)
1 T sugar
spinach
salt and pepper
smoked tofu (or baked tofu if you can find one made with wheat-free soy sauce), sliced into fat strips
cilantro

1. Cook the noodles according to package instructions. Do not overcook. Rinse immediately with cold water until noodles are cold. Transfer to serving bowl and sprinkle with some sesame oil.
2. If you have plain tofu, heat it with some garlic, soy/tamari, salt and pepper to add flavor. Otherwise, just heat up the tofu in a skillet.
   
3. Optionally, you can cook the red pepper. Remove to bowl.
   
4. Heat the spinach in pan until wilted. Chop.
5. Heat 2 teaspoons sesame oil, chopped ginger and garlic over low heat. Remove from heat and add sugar and 2 T soy. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Pour over noodles.
6. Combine tofu and other vegetables in bowl. Toss to mix.
7. Garnish with cilantro.
   

Trout Reunion in Berkeley

10 of us met up at Gretchen and KC's place in Berkeley - reliving and making new memories. As with most troutings, you really have to be there to experience it in full. Here are some pictures from the weekend, which included two hiking trips, a visit to a spa, amazingly huge late breakfasts, and lots of lounging and poker.

Marcus town

I miraculously made all my flights into SFO, via Chicago-ORD and Sacramento-SMF. However, one of my bags got left behind in Chicago - hopefully it will be delivered today. It's not yet 9 am, I've been up for 2.5 hours after maybe 3 hours of sleep. I feel wide awake. This all of course is a clear sign of jet lag, as I wait for everyone else to wake up and get started on the day.

I have access to my cell phone - which is quite exciting - one of the first things I did was message people. My phone still says, "I need to be held" each time a text comes in. This is courtesy of Peter. He also set my voicemail message a few years ago. This was removed immediately after an incident on an airplane. We had just landed and were allowed to turn them on. The whole plane was dead silent and I turned red when Peter's voice shouted out, "SPANK ME! SPANK ME!" When I explained to the woman next to me that my friend often steals cell phones and changes the ring tone, she laughed. I'm not sure that the rest of the plane heard the explanation. It was a bit much for me, so I ended up deleting it, keeping only the tamer of the recordings. But I have a very clear memory of it. Another one he did was, "Touch my bottom!" I don't know where he comes up with these.