Loving my lunch. Quinoa salad with tons of goodies.

Whipped up this little salad for lunch today.

1/2 cup quinoa
Green beans
Cherry tomatoes
Shallot
Sliced almonds
Dried cranberries
Sliced dates
Olive oil
Salt + pepper

I cooked the quinoa in the rice cooker and boiled the green beans for 2 minutes.  Dumped it all in my trusty Tupperware and mixed.  Damned good stuff.

Sandals from Star Mela

These super cute sandals are from Star Mela. Go get some www.starmela.com

I want a lasandwich

I don't even like sandwiches, but I might be convinced to eat this one.

The Grows Up mobile

 

It's not fancy, but it certainly is cute.

And this, folks, is what your hard-earned tax dollars go towards...USPTO

If you have ever attempted to use the US Patent and Trademark office website you are well aware that it happens to be one of the worst sites ever designed.  In fact, designed would be a compliment.  The site takes be back to 1995 complete with CGI scripts and beautiful error messages.  I particularly enjoy that the error messages ask me questions.  That is kind of cute.

Government sites should really hire decent designers and make my life easier instead of more complicated.  /endrant

Super cute personalized stamps

I love this.  Personalized stamps.  Just upload your photo / logo and select the amount of postage.  Voila!  Your very own stamp.  Yes, I know that mailing stuff isn't very high-tech, but sometimes it needs to be done.

Check out our super cute Grows Up stamps.

Obon Odori prep and practice

I've started going to Obon Odori practice here in San Francisco at the Buddhist Church.  This is to prep for the San Francisco Obon festival at the end of July.  I hear that the big festival is really San Jose and I think that SF has a tiny one compared, but San Jose was too far to drive for practice 3 times a week.

A little more about Obon for you round eyes out there.
Obon (お盆?) or just Bon (?) is a Japanese Buddhist custom to honor the deceased spirits of one's ancestors. This Buddhist custom has evolved into a family reunion holiday during which people return to ancestral family places and visit and clean their ancestors' graves, and when the spirits of ancestors are supposed to revisit the household altars. It has been celebrated in Japan for more than 500 years and traditionally includes a dance, known as Bon-Odori.

I used to dance obon with my mom when I was a child and I have always remembered it fondly.  It was fun to participate in something cultural and I always loved getting dressed up in my kimono.  I hope that it will be a tradition that I will someday share with my daughter or nieces (if I have any). The practices are fun, but it is clear to me that I was never going to make it as a dancer.  My coordination is terrible.  Alas, I am trying.  I shall post pics of me dressed up in the kimono for the actual obon...

                 
Traditional garb including kimonos and obis that Mom dragged out of a box and some props that are used in the dances like fans and katchi-katchi (castenets)