Month: March 2015

Spiderman, Vertigo, and Playlists- Viewing Suggestions, Please?

What’s the difference between a super hero and a balance disorder? With the former, he gets Spidy Senses a-tingling, with the latter one is smacked with Spin-y Senses attacking.

First time I had vertigo, it stunk. Second time was quite a violent attack. Third time was just a sensation of an odd disturbance in the force… and once again I sense something is not quite right in them ol’ vestibular canals.

I should have a TV, Netflix or movie viewing list lined up before I become fully incapacitated, miserable, and unwilling to come up with an idea. Or move, for that matter. Any suggestions? Downton Abby and Torchwood are at the top of my list so far. Any great You Tubers that I should binge watch? All I’m good for is sitting and staring. Reading, my favorite past time, is not an option due to the position of the head. Do Not get cute and suggest Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo… not funny.

If you know anyone who is bothered by BPPV, a somewhat treatable form of vertigo like mine, here is a great doctor’s recommendation of her own maintenance- click on the picture:

Vertigo treatment option from Dr. Carol Foster MD, University of Colorado Denver
Vertigo treatment option from Dr. Carol Foster MD, University of Colorado Denver

San Diego Beer Scene- At Times, Hop-less (thankfully, sheesh!)

Fish Tacos and Lightning's Elemental Pilsner
Fish Tacos and Lightning’s Elemental Pilsner
"Better Beer Through Science" Who can argue with that?
“Better Beer Through Science” Who can argue with that?

Quick Fish Tacos for dinner tonight, and what to drink with it?

I consulted the resident beer expert (he’s also my running coach, among other things) and he suggested a pilsner. So… pilsners generally don’t have a lot of hops, I’m guessing, that must be why I didn’t hate this beer.

Don’t you wish that wines and beers with amusing labels and clever sayings on the bottles tasted better than boring ones as a rule? That would make selecting one much easier. I think The Husband picked this beer because of the motto alone… patronizing fellow scientists. “Better Beer Through Science.” Clever.

I liked this! Lightning Brewery, in North County San Diego, was founded by a couple of former scientists, and I’m happy to see something other than double, triple and quadruple hopped beers coming out of this part of the country. This is getting to be ridiculous!

It may be one of the signs of The Apocalypse, but there are now TWO kinds of beers that I would drink- pilsners and stouts (it only took three wrong spellings before I gave up and used the spell checker to see how to properly spell ‘apocalypse’).

Vegan Restaurant or Donut Shop… Tough Decisions

Today’s foray into new food was setting up to be one of extremes- it was looking like either vegan fast food or a donut shop. The restaurant wasn’t where I thought it was. Oops. However, the donut shop on the walk up the hill to find it was looking mighty good! But, I turned the corner and there it was, right where The Girl pointed it out to me a couple of years ago. Her friend works at “The Loving Hut,” the largest family of vegan restaurants worldwide, and a meatless Lent makes this the perfect time to finally try this restaurant.

You know It’s a good joint when there are two Buddhist monks sitting in a booth near you, and the satellite choice is tuned to jazz combo music. Yea!

I ordered way too much for lunch so I could share with whoever shows an interest, IF I decide to share…

Fresh Summer Rolls
Fresh Summer Rolls

Fresh Summer Rolls– lots of basil, carrots and jicama for crunchiness and protein of soy ham and tofu. Very good.

Ginger Tofu from The Loving Hut
Ginger Tofu

Ginger Tofu– whoops… remembered that I don’t care for ginger. Fortunately, it wasn’t overloaded with ginger. It was just plain good, a gingery-teriyaki-ish sauce on tofu cubes that might have been fried. They were good, however they were prepared. 

IMG_5671Healthy Fried Rice– it’s darn near impossible to make a good fried rice with brown rice, even The Boy would like this. I don’t like meat in my fried rice but love the scrambled bits of egg. I didn’t miss my egg as the fried bits of chopped tofu were really delicious. 

more of the menu options at The Loving Hut- non-GMO, organic tofu used...
more of the menu options at The Loving Hut- non-GMO, organic tofu used…

The guys working were really helpful with suggestions for what to order next time (oh yes, there WILL be a next time). Lucky Lemongrass soy fillet with veggies, the wonton soup, Crispy Chow Mein noodle bowl filled with sautéed veggies and soy, Drunken Noodle stir fry, and a couple of taco options all came highly recommended. 

And jazz music. Did I mention that? Piano bar jazz on their background music playlist. 

The Loving Hut is neither fast food, nor junky, and all around delicious- I will be coming back here soon.

What Would a Haunch of the Devil’s Ass Taste Like? Giles Coren Has an Idea…

After running the gamut of errands, house work, and emotions, I plopped myself down and thoroughly enjoyed Giles Coren in “The Million Dollar Critic.” If you have access to BBCA Network, and are looking for something other than the usual sitcoms and Reality TV (LOL… I can hardly mention that poorly-named genre with a straight face), you might appreciate this show.

I enjoyed Giles Coren and comedian Sue Perkins in “The Supersizers…” The series, in which for one week they wear period costumes, live in close to or completely authentic settings, and eat the foods from different eras throughout history, was full of great banter and crammed in a lot of interesting facts. I caught “The Supersizers…” on American TV several years after it originally ran in the UK, from 2007-09, and I was happy to see Giles Coren on a new foodie show for North American audiences.

A lot of self deprecating humor in “The Million Dollar Critic” helps to balance the fact that he really is a highly regarded critic with much riding on his reviews. When dining with Eva Avila, the season four Canadian Idol winner, he shares “People imagine that having dinner with a restaurant critic is going to be informative, thrilling, and sexy. But in fact, as I’m demonstrating to Eva, it is as boring as having dinner with any other tedious, self obsessed middle-aged man who loves the sound of his own voice,” and then proceeds to embarrass himself with the cutlery.

Best lines included:

“An amuse bouche is something that restaurants that think they’re fancy give you because they’ve seen it on the TV… just the sort of thing that makes you wish you’ve gone for a burger instead.”

On trying seal meat- “This tastes like death. Like a small haunch of the Devil’s ass.”

On observing the chefs and owners of a popular restaurant- “Chefs should never be drunker than I am. That’s just showing off.”

There are about 120 other great lines, go watch this show. Great television viewing here, folks, it doesn’t get any better that this.

March Read: Abby Picks Historical Fiction…. “The Mistaken Wife” or “Hild”

It is time to choose a new Book of the Month! Today, Abby the Labby gets to pick, and she’s quite excited… because we are bribing her with a treat to keep her sitting down and posing for this photo. What’s it gonna be? She knows I don’t want another edjoo-ma-cative read after January’s “The Happiness Project” and  February’s “Nikon D3300 for Dummies.” She also knows that I am fond of historical fiction, and have picked up two recently.

“Hild,” is book number one by Nicola Griffith, who, through much research created a novel about what 7th century Britain would be like for the woman who would be later known as Saint Hilda. This book came highly recommended by staff at a favorite small bookstore. Book number two is “The Mistaken Wife,” third in a series including “The Blackstone Key” and “The Counterfeit Guest,” all by Rose Melikan.

Abby during the discernment process:

Sure looks like she is leaning toward "Hild," and check out all the wine we won at the school's raffle! We've NEVER won anything like that, WOO HOO!!!
Sure looks like she is leaning toward “Hild,” and check out all the wine we won at the school’s raffle! We’ve NEVER won anything like that, WOO HOO!!
Is Abby choosing "Hild?" Is she in a 7th century Britain mood? Hmmm...
Is Abby choosing “Hild?” Is she in a 7th century Britain mood? Hmmm…

So what is Abby going to choose for me? It’s…

IT’S “THE MISTAKEN WIFE!” But, how do we know which one Abby chose? It came down to which book she drooled on, honestly. Remember, we had treats for her, and she was quite aware of it. Maybe she also knew that I already read Melikan’s first two stories about Mary Finch, reluctant heiress and even more reluctant spy during the close of the 1700’s. Either book presented a win-win situation for me- I’m a sucker for well researched historical fiction,  And Harry Potter. If you ever feel like discussing the minutiae of that universe, I’m your Potterverse Pal.