Ladle Research

I would be horrible at five-minute shopping sprees–the ones where people race around stores blindly and desperately stripping products from shelves.  I’d probably stand there comparing goods and looking up reviews online before cautiously plucking, say, a vegetable peeler from its hook and placing it gingerly in my cart. Ding! Shopping spree over.

I like cooking and I like good deals, which is why the wedding registry thing is stressing me out. I realize that the registry is basically a shopping spree in slow motion, but that doesn’t make it any easier. I now feel compelled to research dozens of products to make sure people are getting the best quality kitchenware for the best value. Even though these will be gifts from my family and friends, I can’t break the habit of shopping as if I’m spending my own money. And really, I don’t want someone to buy me (i mean, us)  a pizza stone that costs $120 when I could just get some kiln tiles from Home Depot for ten times less.

After spending about two hours hemming and hawing about which Kitchen Aid stand mixer to choose, I decided to tackle something easier: ladles. Brainless, right? But instead of just committing what looked like the best choice (great ratings and a reasonable $9.99) I had to read the reviews:

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

The Best Ladle in the Universe, May 11, 2010

By	(Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Oxo Good Grips Brushed Stainless Steel Ladle (Kitchen)

If I had to rate this ladle (which I just did) and only had 5 stars with which to do it (also just happened) I would be very disappointed that one thousand stars weren’t available, for this ladle is by far the greatest invention of all time. Traditionally, I have assumed ladles were used only for pulling large amounts of liquid from pots, but then I discovered the massive amount of heroin that can be “cooked” in a ladle, and let me tell you, it changed my life. That eureka moment for me happened when I got a bunsen burner cheap at a yard sale and rigged it to the gas line at the motel where I live. The bunsen burner (which rocks, by the way) melted every spork I lifted from discarded pancake containers I fished out of the MacDonald’s dumpster, and it totally torched the three stainless steel spoons that I save for when the pure “Afghani Snowfall” comes around. But let me tell you something: this Oxo Good Grip Stainless Steel Ladle, which my sister threw at me when she kicked out of her shed, proved to be the only recepticle to both withstand the immense heat of the bunsen burner AND have a handle long enough not to singe my fingers. With this ladle, I could cook half a kilo, if I were so inclined. Thanks Oxo! Keep up the good work.

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Thought process: 1) Hilarious. 2) Haven’t blogged in a while; must put on blog. 3) Apparently there is an activity even more pathetic than scrupulously researching ladles, that is, writing fake reviews on Amazon about said ladles. Yay! 4) But even worse than that is blogging about fake reviews written on Amazon about said ladles. Darn.

Wedding: No Engagement Ring

Until now, I’ve been keeping the fact that I’m engaged off the blog (and neglecting the blog in general, but not on purpose) because I wanted to make sure we told as many people as possible in person. Now that it’s been a few months, we finally posted our engaged status on facebook (at his insistence–I would have preferred not to) and I feel like I can join the droves of brides-to-be who blog about wedding prep.

I consider myself a financial middle-of-the-roader when it comes to splurging on the big day. I’m also pretty non-traditional, but not in a dogmatic sense. I’m not pointedly trying to buck tradition. I just like what I like.

Case in point: the engagement jewelry.

I didn’t want a ring. I barely wear them. And I didn’t want diamonds. They can be gorgeous, but lack personal significance to me. Instead, I took a cue from my Chinese name, Jin Yu, which means “Golden Jade,” and chose a jade bracelet with a gold clasp  and gold hinge. My pre-husband* added even more symbolism to the piece by finding one made of Alaskan jade. (We met in Alaska and will most likely end up there someday.)  If I hadn’t been named after a gemstone and a mineral, I probably would have gone with my birthstone, the topaz, which comes in a variety of colors.

I am getting a wedding band. Probably gold with a Hawaii motif, like a lauhala weave or flowers.

One thing I’ve never understood is why people put so much emphasis and spend so much money on the engagement ring. I really like my bracelet, but isn’t it just a placeholder for the real deal? And isn’t it the lesser of the two rings in terms of significance?

*We think the term “fiancee” and its synonyms (“betrothed”, “intended,” and the like) sound a bit too staid and formal for the likes of us. A friend came up with “pre-husband” and “pre-wife,” which we like, although at home Bill occasionally refers to me as his “rent-to-own girlfriend.”

Snow Pictures

Starting the tramp through Rock Creek Park on Sunday:

Loaded tree branches grazing the creek below Embassy Row and Whitehaven Street:

During the second storm (Tuesday), about 30 red robins sheltered in the trees and on a ledge outside our building. The view from Ashley’s window:

I kept scaring them away while trying to take pictures. Imagine a lineup of these plump little guys huddled outside your kitchen window:

Our basement neighbor, Judy, with her pink umbrella…

made me think of this woodblock print:

“Great Bridge, Sudden Shower at Atake” by Hiroshige

Better than Gumby

More cool stop-motion animation. Afraid I’m experiencing a bit of a geek-out…

Poignant Cupcake

I’ve been looking at stop-motion animation videos, wondering whether I can put one together myself, and came across this amazing one about a cupcake. Even the sex scene between it and the butternut squash is rather endearing. Cuts the saccharinity, ya know?

Stop-motion animation looks hard.