Conversation with mom about email

Urgent call from my mother while I am at work:

Mom: I need you to set up an email account for me.
Me: Do you know how to use email?
Mom: Yes, of course. I took at class at church.
Me: How many classes?
Mom: Just one but I have a good memory.
Me: Are you sure?
Mom: Yes, I need it for the Nike account.
Me: Do you know how to type?
Mom: Sure. You just peck out the letters.
Me: Do you know how to spell?
Mom: Umm...I'll call you if I don't know how to spell a word.
Me: Fine. I'll set one up in gmail and then call you when its all set up.
Mom: Okay. Thanks. I love you.

A few minutes later.

Me: Hi, I set up the email account. Go to this page. Gmail.com.
Mom: Okay, did it.
Me: In the user name on the right hand side type in: ******* In the password type in: ********* Then click 'sign in'
Mom: Okay
Me: Did you get in?
Mom: No, what am I supposed to see?
Me: You should be in the inbox and see one email from the Gmail Team. On the left side you should see a lot of different commands.
Mom: I don't see any of that. All I see are the words 'Google Search'
Me: Wait, did you even go to the gmail site?
Mom: Yes.
Me: Then how did you get to 'Google Search'
Mom: I don't know. The computer just took me there.
Me: (suspecting that she had never even gone to gmail) Okay. Lets start again. Go to the very top of the internet explorer window. (I then walk her through the entire process again.)
Mom: I still get 'Google Search'
Me: Let me talk to Rudolfo (my mom's manager)
Me to Rudolfo: Can you show my mother how to get to gmail.
Rudolfo: Sure, sure

(mumbling in the background for about 5 minutes)

Mom: We still get 'Google Search' (at this point my mom is cracking up so hard that she can barely speak.)
Me: OMG! Does no one in the store know how to use the internet. Let me talk to Christian (one of the sales kids.)
Me to Christian: Hi Christian, do you know how to check email?
Christian: Sure
Me: Okay, can you take my mother to gmail.com
Christian: Okay

(5 more minutes pass)

Mom: We still get google search. Just set up an account in hotmail. I know how to use hotmail.
Me: Gmail is the same concept.
Mom: I don't care. I learned how to use hotmail.
Me: Fine, I'll call you when I set up the account in hotmail.
Mom: Okay. Bye.

5 minutes later...

Me: Hi. Okay, you are all set up in hotmail. It's the same user name and password.
Mom: Okay, stay on the line while I try it.
(two minutes pass)
Mom: I don't understand.
Me: What?
Mom: I still get google search.
Mom: Oh, never mind...I'll try later.
Me: Okay, Bye.

I call my mom at work 2 days later.

Me: Hi, it's me. Did you figure out how to check your email.
Mom: No, but your little sister is coming over in the afternoon to show me how to use email.
Me: I though you knew how to use email.
Mom: So did I.

Bo in Aschtavakrasana

Bo in Aschtavakrasana
Originally uploaded by jboylee.

I came across this picture whilst sorting through some old files. I think this picture is about three or four years old. So I must have been about 25 years old. If I remember the day correctly, a friend had just gotten a new digital camera and wanted to experiment so I was being all goofy and started doing all sorts of yoga poses. I've always been fairly competent at arm balances. My shoulder loop looks great in the picture but if you look closely my left hand is sort of lifting off the floor and my thighs are not solidly holding onto my right arm. While I'm not going to say my current Aschtavakrasana is better (that's not really the point of the yoga, after all) I will say that my body has become stronger and more open and I can do the pose more gracefully now.

Ha!

I thought y'all would get a hoot.

PS: Check out my pretty, shiny red toes. I still paint them that color!

From our nation's capital

Greetings from DC! I'm down here for the next few days attending a conference and working.

Don't you just hate it when you build your enthusiasm for something and then plans change and what you thought was going to happen won't happen for several more days. My furniture shop called yesterday and informed me that the sleeper sofa and chair and ottoman that I ordered, which were supposed to be delivered on July 1st, will now be delivered on July 15. I guess I'll be sitting on the floor for a couple more weeks. On the bright side, my cute pedstal dining room table will still be delivered on Friday. So I have a place to work and eat but no place to park my sorry booty. In the grand scheme of things, two weeks is nothing in the life of a sofa.

Oh, I'm painting my bathroom this weekend...and by painting I don't mean just one color. My contractor had painted my bathroom high gloss white. And you know me when I see big white spaces...I gotta fill them. So I'm going to the paint store on friday and picking up a whole slew of those small Benjamin Moore paint samples and I'm gonna paint pictures on my bathroom walls. Great big abstract pictures of...well, that I haven't figured out yet. I'll be doing some major charcoal sketching on my bathroom walls on friday night. I'm taking suggestions. Just to give you an idea, the tiles in my bathroom are sort of a gray with a slight blue hue to them. My bath mat is yellow and my shower curtain is a madras plaid of lilac, yellow, and light green. Yeah, I'm a girl. Anyway, so the pictures on my wall need to sort of match that theme. I'm thinking happy flowers - blue bells, sunflowers, daisies, poppies, lotus blossoms and a few chubby bumble bees and lady bugs to round it all out. Yes, I really, really, really am a girl.

I am now off to sign into my conference.

The tenuous life of an artist

This weekend was weird and wild and I loved it. I got to immerse myself in the world of dance. Got to watch it and speak about it and investigate it and breathe it all in. During one discussion someone asked, "But what are they [the artists] thinking?" and the response was "I don't think even they always know that. All we know is that it is very different from what everyone else is thinking. That, I think is the purpose of artists. They think differently from the rest of us."

I like that description.

I'm not sure what to make of the two pieces I saw this past weekend. Both were mesmerizing in there own way yet profoundly sad and rather dark.

I then came across this article about Sarah Michelson this morning. It's sad to think that such a well established artist can barely scrape by. What sort of commentary is that on our societies value system?

FYI: for those who might live in NYC. Sarah Michelson is teaching a couple of classes at the yoga studio The Shala this week and over the 4th of July weekend. I highly recommend you check them out. I know I'll be there. She rarely teaches yoga anymore so this is a great treat. She's the teacher that taught me to "place your hand on your cheek and caress your face as though you were caressing the face of your beloved...then realize that you are."

*****
Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company
The New York Times

June 14, 2005 Tuesday

HEADLINE: Back on the Boards, but Haunted by an Injury and the Rent

BYLINE: By CHRISTOPHER REARDON

BODY:

Sarah Michelson prides herself on being a survivor, a latchkey kid who crossed an ocean, beat the odds and made a name in New York. As a choreographer, she commands an avid downtown following, wins plum commissions and basks in critical acclaim.

But last winter Ms. Michelson (pronounced MITCH-el-son) suffered a wrenching blow. While rehearsing on Jan. 2, four days before the scheduled opening of her new show, she cracked a bone in her right foot. The injury, she said, was cataclysmic. It forced the cancellation of a three-week run at P.S. 122 in the East Village, costing her troupe an estimated $43,550 in production expenses, theater fees and lost ticket sales.

Now back on her feet, Ms. Michelson plans to return to the stage tomorrow through June 26 for the belated premiere of ''Daylight,'' an abstract work initially conceived as a meditation on urban geography and displacement.

Yet the injury haunts her. It has intensified her already acute sense of stage fright, she said, driven her deeper into debt and weakened her devotion to the art form. ''I really cannot go on this way,'' said Ms. Michelson, 40, who has no health insurance and consequently ran up a $12,000 medical bill. ''I have no money to live on.''

Bouncing babies

And we have another one!

My oldest and one of my dearest friends, MK, gave birth to yet another healthy, beautiful baby boy! Welcome to your new life, TYHK! May it be filled with great joy, blessings, and adventure. You couldn't have asked for two more lovely people for parents.

It's odd that all my friends seem to be popping out baby boys. Aren't girls supposed to out number boys?

CSA Week 2 Roundup

This weeks CSA bounty included:

1 bunch of red lettuce
1 bunch of green lettuce
1/2 lb of kale
1/2 lb of swiss chard
1/2 lb of bitter greens
5 garlic scapes
1 yellow summer squash

This bounty was thusly transformed:

The lettuces are being eaten as wonderful salads. I have enough greenery for 4 HUGE salads.
The kale was cooked down with some stock, garlic, and lemon zest. It was all finished off with a little olive oil to balance out the flavors. Yum. Kale is one of my most favorite leafy greens. Some of the cooked kale made its way into a tasty egg white omlete.
The swiss chard and bitter greens were steamed down, then mixed with a little garlic, scallions, seasame seed oil, seasame seeds, and a touch of fish sauce. This recipe is an ode to my korean side. Quite yummy when eaten with some brown rice and kimchee.
The garlic scape were steamed and eaten straight away. I've never had garlic scape before but I'm a convert. It is garlicy, aromatic, and delicious. I'll have to make some for a dinner party sometime in the near future.
The squash was thinly sliced, marinated in a little aged balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper and then broiled. Ideally I would have grilled the squash (nothing is better than grilled squash) but I lack both a grill and a backyard. Yellow summer squash is up there with kale on my list of favorites.

This week was quite the treat!

This is turning out to be one of the best things I've done this year!

Techie success and jam progress

So after a little tweaking and some research, my wireless router is up and operational. I'm using it right now! Big success...

No need to date for tech support...however, dating for massages...I'm up for that!

My jam progress has been very slow going. It's nearly impossible to find the needed equipment in Manhattan. I think I'll have to order all the goods online. After some research I've decided that I need the following supplies:

- 22 Quart Canning Pot
- Canning Rack
- Wide Mouth Funnel
- Canning Jar Lifter
- 8oz Jelly Jars
- Various Fruits
- Sugar
- Liquid Pectin

All told, I may end up spending some $100 dollars for about two dozen 8oz jars of jam - this includes about $50 worth of fresh fruit. If I just purchased jam I'd probably spend about the same amount for two dozen jars of gourmet jam - far less if I purchase conventional supermarket variety jam - even less if I purchase Trader Joe preserves. And there is no guarantee that I'll even make a decent batch of jam. My jam may end up being quite disgusting. But I can't seem to get the jam making idea out of my head. I actually started thinking about it two years ago when I met FS, the former landlord of my friend EC. She made her own jams. I just found this idea fascinating. Obviously, given my seventh grade hobbies, I've always found the idea of homemade jams quite romantic and enchanting. FS was the first person I ever met who actually made her own jam. Of course, I have my family to blame for some of this. From scratch cooking is in my blood. My grandma used to dry her own fish and make her own kimchee and chili paste and fermented soy bean paste. She could have easily purchased mass produced varieties but she didn't. Same with my mom. I'm the lucky kid that had a hot homecooked meal every night. My mom and grandma made everything from scratch. I fortunately or unfortunately (depending on how you look at it) learned from them. If I ever have kids, the little tykes may not have clean socks but they'll always have food made with love.

Oh jam...I shall learn your mysteries.

Dating for Tech Support

I think I need to start dating from tech support. After spending nearly three hours trying to set up my wireless router last night, I finally gave up and went to bed at 2 in the morning. What a horrible miserable failure. I'm going to give it one last go tonight. If that fails, I'm going to officially pimp myself out for a MSc in Computer Science.

Complete non-sequitor

I have become eerily obsessed with the idea of putting up my own fruit preserves and jams this summer. The thought of making my own jam just tickles me to no extent. I'm researching methods and contemplating recipes and shopping around for jelly jars. Even more exciting than the thought of making jam is the thought of cracking open a self-made jar of jam in the middle of the winter. Here are some of my recipe ideas:

Rhubarb-Fig with Lemon Preserves
Strawberry, Lime, and Mint Preserves
Cranberry-Orange Marmalade
Peach, Vanilla, and Candied Ginger Preserves

I'm a little wary only because I once tried making jam in seventh grade (I was a weird kid) and I failed miserably. I'll let you know if anything comes of my jam adventures.

I wonder if my tech deficencies are related in any way to my jam proclivities?

In my next life I want to come back as a modern dancer

I'm officially claiming this weekend as my modern dance weekend. I kicked it off last night with the emotionally exhausting, yet meditative Death Poem by Eiko and Koma at Danspace Project. Through my work with Danspace Project's board, I was able to score an invitation to their insideDans event prior to the performance and got to nibble on some tasty cheese whilst listening to several Eiko and Koma experts discuss the performance and the artists. I'm now inspired to take their Delicious Movement workshop next time they hold one in NYC.

Next up is the much anticipated Sarah Michelson piece Daylight at PS 122 on Saturday night. I say much anticipated because 1) The piece was originally set to debut in January but was postponed due to injury, and 2) Sarah Michelson is a genius. Sarah Michelson was one of my first (and still most influential) yoga teachers back in the day when she was still establishing herself in the NYC dance community and I could barely get through a 90 minute yoga class without feeling like I would pass out. Her classes were inspirational and transformative and so is her dance.

I need to sign myself up for some dance classes. I also need to find me some friends who like modern dance. I want a post-show discussion buddy.

The business case for corporate diversity

Oreo Barbie
Originally uploaded by jboylee.

Why is corporate diversity important?

So that there is at least one person in the room who realizes that this...Oreo Barbie....is one of the most racist and stupidest thing to come out of a corporate boardroom.

What were they thinking?

Think Globally, Eat Locally

Although I fail miserably 99% of the time, whenever possible, I do try and practice what I preach. I recently joined a Community Supporting Agriculture (CSA) program not to far from my new home. What is a CSA and how does it work? Here's a snippet from my CSA's website:

How it works:
Members join the CSA during the winter and early spring. They pay in advance to provide Norwich Meadows Farm with starter money to buy plants, pay labor expenses, and get things rolling wihout having to take out a high interest loan. Starting in June, as the crops begin to ripen, through the end of the season in November, our farmer Zaid will deliver weekly shares of his harvest for members to pick up.

Why it's great!
CSA is good for your body, your mind, your taste buds, and your wallet, good for the farmer, the farm, and good for the environment. Forming this kind of partnership cuts all the middlemen -- the farmer gets all of your food dollars as opposed to the huge portion that usually goes to shipping, packaging, advertising, etc., in the traditional food market. You can afford to get fresher, tastier food for less money while supporting a system that keeps small local farms in business using sustainable, earth-friendly, organic growing methods. You know where your food is coming from, who is growing it, and the ways it has been tended, and our farmer gets to know who is enjoying the food he and his family have worked hard to produce. Everyone wins!

I picked up my first share of veggies and fruit last week. The produce varies from week to week depending on the harvest and I never know what I'll get. Not only am I supporting a local, organic farmer, I also eat more veggies, and I keep variety alive in my diet. My bag of goodies included:

Two heads of romaine lettuce
A big head of bok choi
Kale
A bunch of white radish
A bunch of bitter greens that I wasn't familiar with but which were very tasty
Two leeks
Three stalks of rhubarb
Several Apples

I got all this for an average price of $10 - A overflowing bag of organic veggies for $10 - that's unheard of in NYC. My bag of goodies was transformed into the following menu items:

The romaine lettuce became the foundation of a HUGE salad
The bok choi found its way into a tasty garlic saute and also into a big homemade pot of soup
The kale and bitter greens also joined the pot of soup, as did the greens from the radishes.
The white radishes were eaten raw as I'm a big radish fan
The leeks joined some eggs, potatoes, and garlic in a nice little omolete
The rhubarbs were peeled, diced, and stocked away in the freezer. I'll transform them into a nice strawberry-rhubarb pie when a baking fit descends upon me
The apples were eaten right away

One veggie share is meant for 1 - 3 individuals and they weren't kidding. In my mad rush to eat through my weekly veggie allotment, I found little time to eat anything else. That's another benefit - I'm eating loads more veggies.

Although the harvest season has started, it may not be to late to join a local CSA. Here's a list of CSAs in NYC. I'm sure a quick google search will turn one up in your local 'hood.

I'm going to try and keep a post of my weekly veggie and fruit share. I think it'll be fun.

Handy Coveting

Having come close to finishing the initial flurry of activity associated with any good house move, I've come to realize that I am becoming far too house proud for my own good. My kitchen cabinets are too organized (I suppose it helps that I have glass cabinet doors and this shames me into keeping them tidy) and all my clothing is either hung up properly or folded semi-neatly in drawers. I've even mopped my shiny refinished floors three times in the past two weeks. I'm sure once the newness of it all fades, I'll be back to my old, somewhat unkempt ways. I know a few of you would like to see some pics of the new place (complete with lemon souffle yellow walls) but I'm holding off until 1) I get some proper furniture in place, and 2) I figure out a way to "borrow" my sisters digital camera for a few days.

My new home has also unsurfaced a rather nasty side of me that I try not to feed too often - my covetedness (is that a word?). I realize I want a lot of stuff that may be unnecessary. There are so many things I want for my new place - new lamps, end tables, dining set, rugs, filing/storing bureau, media console etc... I already succumbed and purchased a couch and a chair and ottoman set (but I don't feel too bad about these purchases. Making guests sit on the floor does not for a good hostess make. Plus, after having already hosted my first house guest and a second scheduled (Yipeee!), the queen sleeper sofa is becoming quite the necessity. (Hint, hint to y'all who have been promising to visit).

Do I need all that I desire - of course not. But that doesn't make me want it any less. I'm trying to avoid the IKEA route. Sure I could fill my entire apartment with stuff and spend less than $1000, but given that I plan to be here for awhile, I want nice stuff. Things that are made of real wood and don't require retightening every 6 months.

I'm quickly starting to realize why so many people find it shocking that a 29 year old, single female has purchased her own home. It is very overwhelming. Not only the financial aspect (mortgage and maintenance!) but the overall mindfulness (running to Home Depot to purchase parts to fix my running toilet and buying a new tube for my gas range.) I am now the proud owner of a power drill and I've used it twice! In the past two weeks I have...replaced the inner guts of my toilet, replaced the gas tube behind my stove (and I didn't blow myself up!), removed some molding (with my new crobar), cut a hole in said molding to get access to an outlet, and reinstalled the molding, and installed a towel rack in the bathroom (and its straight!). I plastered a mysterious hole in the wall, spent 5 hours scrubbing every inch of my bathroom (and temporarily damaged my olfactory senses due to all the cleansing fumes - I couldn't taste or smell any foods for two days), and discovered that the grouting between the tiles in my kitchen are red clay and not black (lots of hands and knees scrubbing involved). I'm not going to call myself handy quite yet. I'm officially adding a new quality to my list of must haves for any future mate. HANDY. Oh what a joy it would be to have a partner in crime and hand him or her the drill and say - "please install this new ___ behind the closet door." I've even considered purchasing a step ladder.

This whole process has revealed so many new things about me. For instance, if I ever end up as someone's domestic partner (I don't believe in marriage or the whole wifey thing) I know that I will be the one that 1) Manages the finances, files the taxes, and deals with all external third parties, 2) Does the grocery shopping and all other essential purchasing, 3) Cooks, 4) Organize dinner parties and other social gatherings, and 5) Does the dishes. I like doing all these things (or at a minimum - none pose a challenge to me). My mate will hopefully take upon the responsibilities of 1) Cleaning and laundry, 2) Fixing things, 3) Moving heavy objects, and 4) Keeping me calm (I'm unfortunately highly excitable).

Come see what I'm talking about - my new red sofa is being delivered on Friday, July 1.

I'M IN!!!

I'M IN...

More details coming soon.

I'm shameless

I'm shameless
Originally uploaded by jboylee.

Just more proof that I'll do anything to make a cute boy laugh.

Ain't he a cute. J is the son of my dear friend LB.

This picture demonstrates the extent of my maternal instincts.

Live 8

Have any of you seen the line ups for the upcoming Live 8 concerts being coordinated by Bob "Do they know it's Christmas all" Geldof? Well, here it is. Notice anything funny?

Hyde Park, London: Coldplay, The Killers, Velvet Revolver, Bob Geldof, The Cure, Mariah Carey, Dido, Keane, Snow Patrol, Elton John, Annie Lennox, Madonna, Paul McCartney, Razorlight, Snoop Dogg, Sting, U2, Joss Stone, Stereophonics, REM, Scissor Sisters, Muse, Robbie Williams.

Ben Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia: Will Smith, Bon Jovi, The Dave Matthews Band, Stevie Wonder, Jay-Z, Puff Daddy, Il Divo, Maroon 5, Rob Thomas, Keith Urban, 50 Cent, Sarah McLachlan, Kaiser Chiefs.

Circus Maxmimus, Rome: Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Duran Duran, Jovan Otti, Nek, Laura Pausini, Vasco Rossi, Zucchero.

Brandenburg Gate, Berlin: A-Ha, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Lauryn Hill, Brian Wilson, Bap, Die Toten Hosen, Peter Maffay.

Eiffel Tower, Paris: Jamiroquai, Placebo, Youssou N'Dour, Andrea Docelli, Craig David, Calo Gero, Kyo, Yannick Noah, Axelle Red, Johnny Hallyday, Manu Chao, Renaud.

So London gets The Killers, Keane, Annie Lennox and REM and Philly gets Bon Jovi and Rob Thomas...that just doesn't seem very fair. Oh course at least Philly ain't Rome, Paris, or Berlin... Tim McGraw? A-Ha? Jamiroquai? I never knew country was so big in Rome.

I won't be attending (unless of course Radiohead decides to make a surprise visit to Ben Franklin Parkway) but I just thought the disparaties between the different locales was hilarious!

Aye

Ever notice that a person seems a lot less threatening if you find out they are from Canada.

Alanis Morrisette
Dan Aykroyd
Michael J. Fox
Wayne Gretsky
Alex Trebek
Mike Myers
Pamela Anderson
Chong of 'Cheech and Chong'
The entire cast of 'Kids in the Hall'

Just to name a few.

Ditto when you find out someone is vegetarian or vegan. Especially if their name happens to be 'Dennis Kuchinich'

What are you proud of?

Here's my most recent crazy thought: The reason all those white folks in the middle of the country are crazy, rabid patriots is because they have very little else to be proud about. Now before y'all jump down my throat and call me classist, hear me out. We minorities have it easy, we get to be vocally proud about our ethnic heritage and no one bats an eye.

For example:

If I were to say:

"I'm a loud, obnoxious, opinonated Korean-American woman and damn it, I'm proud."

Not so offensive, right?


Now, what if a 6' 1" 19 yo Caucasian man from Indiana were to say:

"I'm a loud, obnoxious, opinonated white man and damn it, I'm proud."

Kinda Klu Klux Klan, don't you think?


As I see it, all people feel a need to be proud about something. Whether it be their ehtnicity, their talents, their possessions, or what not? Society tells us we can only be so proud about our talents and possessions. If you're too proud of your talents, you come off seeming egotistical and narcassistic. Too proud about your possessions and you seem shallow and greedy. But if you are proud of your heritage...well, you are an upstanding member of your community, someone who respects their roots...provided you're a minority.

So what is a poor white person to do? Turn white pride into USA pride...doesn't it make sense? And in their minds white = USA, so at the end of the day it's all the same thing.

But y'all are probably thinking, what about those white people who aren't all USA crazy? Well, not all minorities are crazy homeland heads, are they? You don't see me walking around speaking Foblish and hanging out with exclusively korean people, do you? I think its a matter of context and priorities. Those people who have other pursuits in life and other ways of feeling like valuable members of society don't have to necessarily resort to extreme pride in something as uncontrollable as talent or ethnicity or superficial as possessions.

These are my own opinions. Hopefully I won't be killed by a KKK member.