Legendary Easter Egg Hunt

Cadbury mini-eggs are in my opinion, the only easter candy worth eating, besides the odd Peep here or there– just for old time sake if you can choke one down, or if you enjoy the taste of stale styrofoam (yellow chicks only, none of this purple bunny non-sense).  This year, I happened upon a new version of mini-egg– dark chocolate– and as predicted, they were a hit… my roommates and I finished off the whole bag in 2 days.  Sadly, when I went back to Safeway to restock they were nowhere to be found, their inferior bastard cousins the milk chocolate mini-eggs parading around as if dark chocolate had never existed!

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(Prepare yourself for a ridiculous and completely tangential sidenote… I hope you are not religious- please disregard the following comments if they offends you… written in name of humor only and  not by any means out of malice…) 

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Sacrilege!  Really, what would Jesus say?! I’m pretty sure he’d say ‘Where the hell are my dark chocolate mini-eggs?!’  just as I did.  They are in fact a divine dessert, and I can say with 99% certainty that they must have been at the last supper (since it was right around Easter afterall).  Or maybe Safeway ran out then too, which is why Jesus rolled over in his grave a few days later.

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I tried to hunt them down again on numerous occasions but all subsequent ‘easter egg hunts’ proved futile, and highly disappointing, so I turned to the internet- which should be everyone’s first line of attack for anything nowadays.  The only place I could find them was on ebay, so bought 3 bags.

3 weeks later they had still not arrived and I was starting to go through severe withdrawl and anxiety.  I checked the status online and they had been delivered to my address in San Diego!!!!  What horror!  The new tenants must have promptly inhaled my precious mini-eggs!

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As any self-respecting victim of tragedy should do, I turned my sadness into anger and called up the La Jolla post office to inquire why the package had not been forwarded to my new address, as I had specifically instructed them, and to demand replacement or reimbursement of the lost goods.  They informed me that the package had been forwarded a few days prior.  Rejoice!  Hope is not lost!  I patiently awaited as my mini eggs made their pilgrimage through San Diego, to the Mission (my first forwarding address in San Francisco) and finally over to Haight, a long arduous trek of thousands of miles and weeks of turmoil.

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Luckily, none of the handlers knew of the contents (or they probably never would have made it to their final destination, in my tummy) and despite being marked “fragile” their candy coating shells are smashed to pieces, but still divinely tasty.  A much anticipated happy ending  The remaining 2 bags will be rationed carefully.

Whale Watching

Whale watching off San Diego on July 4th:

It was a damp gray morning. The marina was quiet, still sleeping under a blanket of clouds hanging low above the placid bay. The tinkering of buoy bells in the distance, lolled by the roll of the morning swell, chimed the wake up call for the gulls and pelicans that began to circle in the misty morning air.

They stretched their wings over our heads as we sat huddled on the bow of the iron hulled trawler. Watching as they dove headlong into the platinum waters for a bite of breakfast, the saline smell of the ocean kept our own appetites at bay. Still half asleep and dreaming of Moby Dick and Whale Wars, the engines started to grumble and we slowly headed out to sea, leaving sleep and the San Diego skyline behind.

Motoring past the rocky shores of Point Loma, the palm encircled lighthouse blinked its sleepy eye. We quietly waved good-bye and set our sights on the open ocean. Howling winds whipped through our thin clothing and white spray exploded into the air as the hull of the boat, and our churning stomachs, rose and fell in the chop. Eyes wide with excitement, having peeled back their heavy covers and cast sleep aside, we scanned the undulating waters for the subtle puff of a whale spout, that geyser of marine morning breath we silently sought after. The ocean air grew thick with anticipation as we approached the limitless horizon.

Ahoy! In the distance! 2′ o’clock off the starboard bow!

The engines shifted into high gear as we altered course and sped off towards the target, cameras at the ready, focused as sharply as harpoons to shoot our prey.

…to be continued…

Minipigs… almost as desirable as Cadbury Mini-Eggs

Evidently minipigs are all the rage… in the pharmaceutical industry?!!

“Minipigs are a most important species for dermatologic assessments. Minipig skin is a close correlate to human skin in comparison to the skin morphology of rodents, guinea pigs and rabbits. CBI has over 10 years experience with minipigs in dermatotoxicology studies and recommends them as the nonrodent species of choice. “  (http://www.compbio.com/dermatology-studies.php)

Species of choice!  Wow.  How flattering- don’t you wish someone would say that about you?  If I were a minipig, my mini-apple stuffed cheeks would be blushing.

This is no joke.  Its long past April Fools (but might give me some great ideas for next year).  They even have whole scientific meetings dedicated to the minipig:

http://www.biologue.ku.dk/English_Version/Events/2007/MinipigSeminar/Minipig_seminar_Lund_final.pdf

Sounds like cult worship to me (although given the male propensity for bacon and other pork products this is nothing new… ooo- fabulous new marketable idea:  Cadbury minipigs, bite sized bacon treats for Easter!). 

I don’t know, I still like mice and rodents (as pets, not appetizers), but I do feel I missed out.  I mean, how great would it be to say you did your PhD on minipigs!!!

Primal Fire

Fire is part of the annual cycle in San Diego. In milder years it is part of the backdrop, a random burn here or there out in East County. Places we have heard of… Julian, Ramona, San Jacinto. Perhaps we have even visited for a brief wilderness respite. A jaunt into the fragrant pine forest, an overnight camping trip under the stars, an apple picking foray far from the hustle and bustle of San Diego crowds. But as we sit in gridlock, creeping through traffic on the daily slog toward the 9 to 5 cubicle, these magical places of our memories seem to exist only as figments of the imagination, millions of miles from the beach towns, housing developments and high-rises we call home. The burn reports are an interesting note in your morning commute, glancing through your mind in one ear and out the other while juggle the grocery list and kids’ soccer games. Many months later, when you can squeeze in the time to visit your favorite wilderness escape, you may find yourself hiking through the charred wreckage. Yet the blackened remains of tree stumps and burnt hillsides, and that smoky smell of charcoal, still seem distant… a dismal and barren reminder of what has passed but dead of the emotion and turmoil of the raging fire.

Occasionally the fires threaten to invade the city, traveling up the canyons that cut through the suburbs, refuges of tinder wilderness in a sea of concrete. Friends and coworkers are urged to evacuate their homes as the fire burns like a fuse towards the San Diego metropolis. A red haze blankets the sky, and the smell of smoke pervades the air. An eerie sense of foreboding looms, as all we can do is huddle together and wait as Mother Nature runs her course, hoping that the firefighters will prevail in their struggle to defend the outskirts of our civilization. We are powerless against Mother Nature’s fury.  Refusing to be ignored any longer, she exerts an undeniable dominance over our frivolous ways, and we are humbled and terrified by the display.

But Mother Nature is not our enemy, and neither is her gift of fire. We have deep roots ingrained in both. There is nothing as mesmerizing as starring into a campfire for hours on end, flames dancing in the darkness in ribbons of gold, bronze sparks spitting into the night, carried on the updraft to mingle with the stars above, and the crackling embers below, pulsing with red hot intensity like the heart of the Earth itself. Yet we are so often removed from these primal experiences.

I have had the good fortune of witnessing fire in a truly stunning and surreal display of beauty and fury that it has been seared into my mind for all of eternity. Flying cross-country through the darkness of night, I peered from the portal window of a commercial jetliner down onto the advancing front of the Qualcomm evacuation fire of 2006. The flames snaked across the hillsides, glowing an ominous red and billowing smoke across the charred landscape it left behind. Stunning and scary at the same time, primal is the perfect description. A feeling you didn’t even know existed inside you. A feeling so familiar yet so foreign at the same time. An intimacy with the roots of humanity. A deep secret hiding away in your core until the right situation surfaces. There’s nothing like fire to unlock the beauty of it.

Looking down on this ancient phenomenon from the wings of American Airlines was a particularly surreal contrast. I must have boarded at the wrong gate, stepping into a time machine instead of an airplane, and was now mysteriously transcending time and space to witness this most amazing scene from pre-history. Unfortunately they still served only pretzels, a timeless treat evidently. Twenty minutes later I touched down right in the heart of San Diego. Just like that, my time travels had come to an end. Overwhelmed by a mind-blowing culture shock, I collected my baggage and stepped out into the glittering lights of the downtown skyline. Disoriented from the surreal journey I struggled to grasp reality. But as I stepped into the night, the smell of the distant fire wafted through the air and intermingled with the primal memory of pre-history burning in my core. I closed my eyes to see the snaking fire seared across the blackness behind my eyelids. It was not a faded memory, or fleeting thought as I hailed a cab. It was a part of me, an essence hidden deep in the hearts of all humanity. It was real.

 

Divine Dessert Sauces

Tasty toppings for vanilla ice-cream:

Bring 1 cup of Sauvignon Blanc to a boil in a small sauce pan.

Add 1/2 cup fresh blueberries and 1/4 cup blueberry preserves.  (Alternatively, substitute nectarines and orange marmalade or cherries with cherry preserves)

Add 1/2 TBS pectin.

Boil until becomes slightly viscous (will congeal more when it cools)

Note of caution:  Do not cover the sauce pan… especially do not cover it with a lid that is too big for the pan.  The evaporating alcohol will condense on the lid and drip down onto the burner, igniting into a massive flame that will jump into the sauce pan and create a jumbo sized bunsen burner in your kitchen.  This is however an effective means of jolting you away if you have not yet had your morning cup of coffee (I speak from experience).

Bacteria and Brain Chemistry

In keeping with yesterday’s quote of the day…

Soil bacteria combat depression by activating serotonin producing neurons in the brain. 

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070402102001.htm

I’ve always loved getting dirty, now I have an excuse for it!  Nothing like playing in the Earth to lift your spirits.  I’m going to go take a mud bath.

Yet again, bacteria take the cake for most fascinating organisms.  They have so many tricks hiding up their sleeves, we are finally starting to appreciate the good ones.

Quote of the Day

The Wilderness holds answers to more questions than we have yet learned to ask.

    -Nancy Newhall

Locked Up Abroad, National Geographic

Also a rivetting show.  Will really make you appreciate your office cubicle.

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/locked-up-abroad/all/Overview

I’m Alive, from Animal Planet

Amazing TV show (minus the Nickelback theme song).  Eyes wide, jaw dropped, can’t tear myself away… I was plastered to the tv for 2 hours without blinking. 

      Episode 7 is a must see.  Chimps in Sierra Leon turn on the tourists.  Horrifying.

      Episode 10 also unreal… bear attack.

      I saw one on TV I didn’t find on the website about a guy that got bit by a Taipan on Sept. 11th.  His eyes were oozing blood while he waited for 2 days to get the anti-venom.  They needed special flight clearance from the pentagon to fly it from the San Diego Zoo.

    Brace yourself.

http://animal.discovery.com/tv/im-alive/episode/

Quote of the Day

The love of wilderness is more than a hunger for what is always beyond reach;

it is also an expression of loyalty to the earth,

the earth which bore us and sustains us,

the only paradise we shall ever know,

the only paradise we ever need,

if only we had the eyes to see.

               -Edward Abbey