Author: Ruel

Day 65: F Is For Friday

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Belly Buster in Alhambra, CA

 

Three Fs for Friday:

1. F is for Five K: I hit up the trail this morning with my wife for our latest craze: 5K Friday. Not sure if it’s a trending hashtag, but this is our way of getting our weekends off to the right start. It always feels nice to put in a few miles at the end of the week.

2. F is for Farmer’s Market: We bought fresh fruit and veggies today at the farmer’s market. The oranges we scored were local, organic, and delicious. The veggies will be used for smoothies: my wife is a genius when it comes to making sure I get my daily dose of fruits and vegetables.

3. F is for Flashback Friday: All of the healthy living and eating today was in anticipation of my return trip to Belly Buster Sandwich Shoppe in Alhambra, CA. I haven’t had a Belly Buster sandwich in over 20 years and I’m happy to report that they still taste the same: delicious. It’s not the best sandwich I’ve ever had, but it’s comforting to know that nothing has changed over the years. Their menu still consists of the cute names for the various sizes of the sandwiches: Belly Buster, Belly Button, and Dimple. Back in the day there were several Belly Busters at Southern California malls, but they’ve been whittled down to the original location in Alhambra. I’m not complaining one bit, either. As much as I love the Belly Buster (truth: I got the Belly Button), my waistline can’t handle these gut-busters that well these days.

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Day 64: These Boots Were Made For Hiking

Monrovia Canyon Falls

It’s been too long since I’ve been on a hike. The photo above was taken at the Monrovia Canyon Falls, after a simple hike (there are a few routes with different degrees of difficulty for more ambitious hikers). My wife and I were dating at this point and once a month I’d pick a trail from Dan’s Hiking Pages (an excellent resource for Southern Californians) and we’d go conquer that trail.

Living in Southern California it’s easy to overlook all of the resources we have at our disposal. I’ve never been a gym rat, so being able to make a short drive to a hiking trail is perfect for me. I’m not a fan of watching television while on the treadmill; give me a pair of hiking boots and a decent trail and I’m more than happy. Not only is the fresh air good for the lungs, but the disconnect from electronic devices of all sorts is great for the mind as well.

One item on my bucket list is to climb Mt. Whitney, the tallest mountain in the lower 48 states. I always envisioned doing it when I turned 50 years old, but after the last few years of a torn-up knee, bum back, strained Achilles, and other dings and bruises, I’ll have to do it before then, lest I suffer another physical setback.

If I don’t fulfill my Whitney quest, though, it won’t be the end of the world. I could always re-read Into Thin Air, my favorite book about conquering an even bigger mountain.

 

Day 63: Ticket To Ride

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Ticket To Ride

 

This arrived tonight: Ticket to Ride! Back in January I wrote about my purchase of Pandemic, which was the first board game I’d bought in years (at least a decade). I’ve loved playing Pandemic; even though it’s a 2-5 player game, since it’s a cooperative game, it plays well for one person. Nearly every weeknight, I’ve managed to play a game or two before going to bed.

My wife and I played one game of Pandemic and she didn’t take to it like I did, so I decided to buy Ticket to  Ride. Once again, I did my research on games for new gamers and Ticket to Ride kept coming up. Watching the Tabletop episode on the game sealed the deal.

I hope she likes this one because it doesn’t seem like it will be a fun solo game. I could go down to the game store or connect with some local gamers, but I’m more of a homebody these days and prefer playing games with family and close friends. Thankfully, my wife likes playing Zombie Dice. I picked up a copy and we went 1-1 the other night, with the rubber match still to be played.

So, three new games in the last two months. I still have a ways to go to have a collection on par with Game Haus Cafe, but it’s been fun stocking the games shelf here at home.

Day 62: Three Fresh Things

Fresh Off The Boat

Fresh Off The Boat

1. I missed last week’s Fresh Off The Boat due to a previous commitment, but tonight my wife and I weren’t going to miss our favorite television family. It was another hilarious episode, with so many highlights: Eddie suffering the indignity of having his neighbor babysit him as he goes overboard on the sriracha, Jessica’s quotes from Caddyshack, Louis’ Coming-to-America-like McDowell’s move, Eddie’s dream sequence, the billboard, and “Buffalo Things.”

2. The only complaint I have so far about the show? The entire season isn’t on Netflix so I can binge-watch to my heart’s content.

3. There’s a Spotify playlist of the show and there’s plenty from the Golden Age of hip hop. Listen here for your dose of 90s music (Warning: some NSFW language).

4. I know I said three things, so consider this a bonus: A must-watch after each episode is Fresh Off The Show, hosted by Phil Yu and Jenny Wang. It’s a live recap of the show and it’s funny and informative. Check their twitter accounts on Tuesdays for the link to the live feed on youtube.

Day 61: Reading Through My Earbuds

World War Z audiobook

World War Z audiobook

After writing about a few of the podcasts I enjoy while commuting or working out, I added a few audiobooks to my phone for future listening. The first, World War Z, was excellent and you can read my review of it here.  As I noted in my review, it was vastly superior to the Brad Pitt movie that barely registered a “meh” with me. Having a large all-star voice cast definitely made the audiobook experience a pleasant one.

So pleasant, in fact, that after I finished it, I immediately borrowed David Sedaris’ Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls from my local digital library. Having read most of Sedaris’ books, this is my first audio version of his work and it’s been terrific so far. The subject matter is familiar (a collection of essays on various subjects, told through the author’s unique point of view), but the fact that Sedaris reads it himself makes this a must-listen; he’s an outstanding storyteller. I was fortunate to attend his performance in Santa Barbara last year and I’d see him again in a heartbeat.

For now, I’ll settle for reading his latest book through my earbuds.

Day 60: Bradbury Building

The Bradbury Building

The Bradbury Building

Pictured above is one of the coolest buildings in Southern California: the Bradbury Building. It’s easy to miss as you’re admiring the architecture in this part of Los Angeles (read my Yelp review here). I love stopping here whenever I’m downtown; it’s free to gawk and take photos, but you can’t go past the second floor or ride the elevators. Movie fans will recognize the interior from Blade Runner and 500 Days of Summer.

Many moons ago I worked nearby and it’s nice seeing how they’ve revitalized the area; downtown is much cleaner and hipper these days. My favorite thing about the Bradbury Building? It’s right across the street from the Grand Central Market, where you’ll find a bevy of culinary treats, including the amazing carnitas at Las Morelianas.

Trust me on this one: checking out a historical landmark and and chowing down on pork tacos is an excellent way to spend a day date with your significant other.

Day 59: Pancit Molo

Pancit Molo

Pancit Molo

My first attempt at pancit molo (Filipino wonton soup) was a success, thanks my wife’s copy of The Adobo Road Cookbook by Marvin Gapultos. Hardcore food truck fans might recognize the author’s name: he was the founder of Southern California’s first Filipino food truck, The Manila Machine. For those lucky enough to have eaten there, The Manila Machine served wonderful versions of Filipino favorites like adobo, sisig, lumpia, and more. I’ll never forget their delicious sliders (on pan de sal, of course) and ube cupcakes.  Sadly, the truck is long gone, but this cookbook does have a few of its recipes; I can’t wait to make the sisig using pork belly, among dozens of others.

The recent rains put me in the mood for soup. I had planned on making sinigang na baboy, but we had it earlier in the week at one of our favorite Filipino eateries. I love my mother-in-law’s pancit molo and after a quick search in Gapultos’ cookbook, I found the recipe.

It wasn’t a difficult recipe to follow; it was labor-intensive yet strangely relaxing. In fact, I learned that making dozens and dozens of dumplings was a nice way to spend a rainy late afternoon. The soup and the dumplings were delicious and, more importantly, they passed the does-my-wife-like-it taste test. And since I used more shrimp, ginger, and patis than the recipe called for, I decided there was only one name for my version of pancit molo: Pancit YOLO.

Lots of labor required for the dumplings, but totally worth it.

Lots of labor required for the dumplings, but totally worth it.

Day 58: Live Long and Prosper

R.I.P. Leonard Nimoy

R.I.P. Leonard Nimoy

Leonard Nimoy passed away this morning. I loved Star Trek as a kid, especially Mr. Spock, and watched the reruns on Channel 13 in Los Angeles. My dad introduced me to the series and he owned a few of the wonderful Fotonovels, which were pseudo-graphic-novels featuring stills from an episode with captions and text superimposed over them. Since this was before our home had a Betamax or VHS, it was my only way of enjoying Star Trek On Demand.

I’m sad as I read all of the tributes and remembrances of Mr. Nimoy on social media, but I’m happy that he lived long and prospered: he seemed to be well-loved by all.

Rest in Peace, Mr. Nimoy.

Day 57: High Noon

High Noon

High Noon

(This is part of my ongoing series on my quest to watch all 100 of AFI’s Greatest American Films of All Time)

27. High Noon

This was one of the movies that I watched as part of a Film Studies class a lifetime ago and still enjoy after several viewings. My exposure to black-and-white Westerns to that point had been the reruns on TV; nothing ever grabbed my attention enough to make me fall in love with the genre. High Noon was different, though, and it’s all because of Gary Cooper. He’s brilliant as Will Kane, the weary and soon-to-be retired marshall of a small town of weak-minded folk. Shot in near real-time, it’s an atypical Western, with Cooper as a vulnerable and very human hero of the film.

If there’s a weakness in this film, it’s the lack of action, but again it’s not your standard cowboy movie (the closing gunfight is great, though). Cooper is dressed in black, which was normally the bad guys’ color. Instead of rallying the town behind him, he finds himself alone, practically begging people to become deputies and make a stand against an incoming gang of bad guys looking for revenge. I love how Cooper maintains a stoic yet approachable presence throughout the film.

There’s a scene near the end when he seems overwhelmed by everything and he sets his head down to take a breather. It lasts only a few seconds, but it tells so much of the story: he knows he’s facing insurmountable odds and most likely a certain death and nobody has his back. I’m not sure most heroes of ’50s-era movies were shown in such a weak, powerless position.

Cooper’s vulnerability and his stand amongst the cowards of his town is what has always appealed to me. He’s not doing the popular thing, but he’s doing the right thing.

Other well-known actors in High Noon: Grace Kelly, Lloyd Bridges, and Harry Morgan (billed as Henry Morgan). All are good, but not as great as Cooper, who won the Oscar for Best Actor. And every time I see Lloyd Bridges in any old film, I blame Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker for making me think, “Looks like I picked the wrong week to stop …”

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkNu4-sSglY

Day 56: Healthy Hump Day

Fettucine Cauliflower Alfredo

Fettucine Cauliflower Alfredo

As much as I loved last night’s abundance of pork-based Filipino dishes, tonight my wife and I got back to our healthier eating. She made her excellent cauliflower alfredo sauce with fettucine and baked green beens. It’s a simple meal and I’ve been surprised how much I enjoy the cauliflower dishes she’s made (my other favorite being her mashed cauliflower “potatoes”). As for the greens beans, I’m a big fan of garlic and slivered almonds, which certainly weren’t lacking in this dish.

The only problem with tonight’s dinner? No leftovers.