Thursday, December 31, 2009

365/365 The Dome


365/365 The Dome
Originally uploaded by tallasiandude.

Reluctantly saw Avatar, and yeah, inconsistencies, plot holes and the potpourri of tropes and cliches, was still kinda awesome. Damn.

In other news, that's a Project 365 wrap. Worthwhile, but kinda glad to be done.

Off to the next project which will get rolling once we get back to Massachusetts.

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

364/365 Soupy San Ji Bao


364/365 Soupy San Ji Bao
Originally uploaded by tallasiandude.

We usually expect our xiao long bao to have a bit of broth, but even the guo tieh and san ji bao (shen jian bao?) dumplings at "Shanghai Restaurant" in San Gabriel are soupy enough to squirt on your shirt, into your teacup or up your nose without proper eating technique. All dericious, but our favs were definitely the pan-fried guo tieh.

Monday, December 28, 2009

362/365 Not Your Average Joe's


362/365 Not Your Average Joe's
Originally uploaded by tallasiandude.

LA Balboa Night at Great American Joe's Bar and Grill in Burbank, CA. (not to be confused with the New England "Not Your Average Joe's" regional chain or the national and thoroughly average Joe's American Bar & Grill franchise.) Live band, no cover (2-drink min, donations accepted by band), great dancing.

Sunday, December 27, 2009

361/365 Dancing at the Cicada Club


361/365 Dancing at the Cicada Club
Originally uploaded by tallasiandude.

Finally got to one of the dance venues in Los Angeles.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Monday, December 21, 2009

355/365 This Blows


355/365 This Blows
Originally uploaded by tallasiandude.

Blow test before the blow-in cellulose insulation installation. Actually, it's pretty awesome -- the house was noticeably warmer when the work was completed.

10 days to go...

Sunday, December 20, 2009

354/365 Here we go again


354/365 Here we go again
Originally uploaded by tallasiandude.

Third snowfall, but first serious storm this winter -- probably about 16" and about 2 hours of shoveling.

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Friday, December 18, 2009

352/365 A Silly Wine


352/365 A Silly Wine
Originally uploaded by tallasiandude.

In 1996, I worked on a project with a Camelot theme -- and at its completion, all the members received a bottle of this wine. I was never much of a wine guy to start with and lost my taste for chardonnays shortly after college, and it was too dorky a brand to be regifted. (seriously, Camelot wine?) We finally opened it up as a lark at a friend's birthday gathering -- a 16-year-old poorly-stored, no-name chardonnay. It was... interesting -- kinda weak and flat with some dried fruitiness you'd associate more with a port or brandy, I guess. I think I found more entertainment in it than anybody else who tried it, of the few who did.

People really didn't want to go there -- because after all, it is a silly place.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

351/365 Too Many Cheesey Choices


351/365 Too Many Cheesey Choices
Originally uploaded by tallasiandude.

Picking out cheese and cured meats at Formaggio Kitchen in Huron Village for a birthday meal. Really, it's more difficult to go wrong than it is to get carried away.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

350/365 Candying Oranges


350/365 Candying Oranges
Originally uploaded by tallasiandude.


UPDATE: The dried oranges were actually more photogenic, but you take what you can get on a given day.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

349/365 Portrait Day


349/365 Portrait Day
Originally uploaded by tallasiandude.

Finally got a decent close up of the scaredy-kitteh, needed for another project.

Portrait Day - alt1 Portrait Day - alt2 Portrait Day - alt3
Portrait Day - alt4 Portrait Day - alt5 Portrait Day - alt6

Monday, December 14, 2009

348/365 The burden


348/365 The burden
Originally uploaded by tallasiandude.

17 days left.

I'm kind of ready to be done with this project.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

347/365 Hem Stitch


347/365 Hem Stitch
Originally uploaded by tallasiandude.

finally redid the hem on some pants myself (with the help of a friend's sewing machine) after the one done (and redone) at the shop came out a second time.

Saturday, December 12, 2009

346/365 Aftermath


346/365 Aftermath
Originally uploaded by tallasiandude.

from our holiday cocktail party, citing the it's-still-the-same-day-if-I'm-still-awake rule.

Friday, December 11, 2009

345/365 Bad Nuts


345/365 Bad Nuts
Originally uploaded by tallasiandude.

Yes, apparently I AM f'ing nuts as I'm at it again. While still excruciatingly time-consuming (1 hour to shell 100 nuts, before even dealing with removing the skins), overall the process has been slightly less frustrating due to better nut selection, despite having to pick out a few bad ones like those shown above.

Probably won't get to the finished product until next weekend, but I'll post something when all is said and done.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Wednesday, December 09, 2009

343/365 No Charge


343/365 No Charge
Originally uploaded by tallasiandude.

...for fish frames. It's hard to say no to free, especially when you can make delicious fish soup with it.

Tuesday, December 08, 2009

342/365 The Last of the Geraniums


342/365 The Last of the Geraniums
Originally uploaded by tallasiandude.

still going, but we had to dump it before the pot froze and cracked. Kind of sad, really.

And, just for the record, I was having a heck of a time trying to decided on which picture to use for the day, because I thought this one captured part of the whole post-snowfall garden cleanup in the cold, but how can you resist ... KITTEH!

Monday, December 07, 2009

341/365 Reflected Towers


341/365 Reflected Towers
Originally uploaded by tallasiandude.

We always see these towers on our drive into Harvard Square along Mem Drive. Not quite the picture I was shooting for, but still pretty happy with the result.

Saturday, December 05, 2009

339/365 Snow after dark


339/365 Snow after dark
Originally uploaded by tallasiandude.

We actually missed the first snowfall back in October because we were out in California at the time, but I think this was the first actual accumulation for this season.

Friday, December 04, 2009

Thursday, December 03, 2009

337/365 NOEL?


337/365 NOEL?
Originally uploaded by tallasiandude.

Y'know, trying to get into the holiday spirit and all.

Wednesday, December 02, 2009

336/365 Residual Evidence


336/365 Residual Evidence
Originally uploaded by tallasiandude.

Clearly, this is no longer my bag.

It's his bed.

Tuesday, December 01, 2009

335/365 Tasty Star Cluster


335/365 Tasty Star Cluster
Originally uploaded by tallasiandude.

I may or may not have made a (sadly inadequate) late lunch entirely of these cookies today.

Monday, November 30, 2009

334/365 Wisdom Filled


334/365 Wisdom Filled
Originally uploaded by tallasiandude.

Had my first filling in probably 20 years -- still not the most fun I could have had, but definitely an improved experience from the last time. It did take almost 6 hours for the novocaine to wear off though...

AEDM Journal, week 4


AEDM Journal, week 4
Originally uploaded by tallasiandude.

Still struggling, but just one more day. Hopefully I'll be able to continue drawing or pursue some other creative activities once the challenge is officially over.

Sunday, November 29, 2009

333/365 Reading by the Autumnal Light


333/365 Reading by the Autumnal Light
Originally uploaded by tallasiandude.

It's a little harsh, but at least it's warm and bright.

Saturday, November 28, 2009

332/365 Swans on the Charles


332/365 Swans on the Charles
Originally uploaded by tallasiandude.

seen on a walk about town on a beautiful and sunny autumn day.

Friday, November 27, 2009

Thursday, November 26, 2009

330/365 A Full Plate


330/365 A Full Plate
Originally uploaded by tallasiandude.

The tradition continues, and the results improve year after year...which we didn't think possible.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

328/365 (un)Screwed


328/365 (un)Screwed
Originally uploaded by tallasiandude.

I noticed what appears to be a growing collection of screws, bolts and nails amidst the acorn caps on the roof of our bulkhead; not really sure what to make of that, but it doesn't seem like a particularly good thing.

Monday, November 23, 2009

327/365 Special


327/365 Special
Originally uploaded by tallasiandude.

We actually diverged from our standard (the double cheeseburger plate) and went with double cheeseburger specials. It feels a bit like cheating.

AEDM Journal, week 3


AEDM Journal, week 3
Originally uploaded by tallasiandude.

Barely hanging on -- almost completely forgot about AEDM last night until after getting home from a pre-Thanksgiving party.

So far, the best inspiration came during a long run on Friday -- lots of mental connections on ... making mental connections and its role/relationship with mindfulness and serendipity. I thought I might be able to spin it into an illustrated essay but I managed to get a few notes down in my journal before it flittered away in the noise of the day to day. Only the image of a winding stone wall that I saw on my run managed to get translated to paper, and even then, I wasn't all that happy with how it came out -- but I remind myself this is about process and not outcomes. (other than what comes of putting pen to paper every day)