hbe was over tonight for dinner, with whole family;
i made (keyless) lime pie, lime meringue pie, mashed potatoes, mushroom gravy, rotisseried (trader joes) racks of lamb, green beans, and popovers.
we watched ‘Motorcycle Diaries’ together afterward in the Big Room, and then talked in the darkish.
tomorrow night he’ll be over again; i’m making pizza (gotta start the dough in the morning for the crust).. and then we’ll watch our Wednesday night movies together — one last time.
Currently playing: Guster – Come Downstairs and Say Hello
yesterday was my grandfather’s 7th-seven… the 7th week/49th day after his passing. my mom sponsored a Sok at the Tibetan Buddhist temple (we’d been to one just two weeks ago, i think…) and she brought most of the food (people seem to bring anything: cake, cookies, crackers, cheese, ham, rice, lasagna, grapes, peanuts, etc.)…
A Sok, by my understanding and experience, consists of a whole lot of prayers and chanting (very rhythmic at times; also accompanied by a loud but pleasantly dull-sounding drum at parts) and various blessings.. food that has been brought by the Sok participators was laid out nicely on a table… one of the temple persons conducts prayers over them while we’re chanting in our seats with the prayer books.. then handfulls of food (crushed up) from each dish are gathered into a bowl and water is drizzled over it slowly until the dish contains a mountain of mushed food… maybe incense is placed on top now… at certain point in prayers, person takes dish outside and offers it there.
then you’re given some type of alcohol in your palm and you sip that and pat the rest over your head… and you take a pinch of this grainy/gamy thing they bring around, and you eat that.
also later, you take pinches of uncooked rice they have available, and you sprinkle a lil on your head. and then at specific points in one of the prayers, you toss it around you… which means there’s rice flying at everyone from different directions and that’s rather fun.
later, everyone is given a plate and a small piece from every dish is given to everyone… your plate ends up being quite a hodgepodge of different stuff… especially is there’s been a big turn out/lots of food. then you take a small bite of anything from your plate. and then a bowl comes around and you take something or a handful from your plate and put it into the bowl. that bowl gathers the “leftovers” from everyone and that gets offered out.
then after prayers are basically done, we all eat. don’t have to eat everything one your plate, but it is considered blessed food, so good to eat at least a little.
breakfast time!
referring to previous entry..
booyah. throat hell is gone. now mostly mild discomfort and general throat soreness. that’s a very happy improvement.
i’ve soup downstairs still that i can put together and keep throat happy with… and i’ve been meaning to eat ice cream since yesterday… (no cookiedough icecream, tho.. cuz that’s of slightly questionable helpfulness for unhappy throats… though tried and tested goodness for spiritual well-being.)
sun’s out fairly early this morning, as radio yesterday promised… i forget whether they said the sun would stay out today… i hope so..
basically cont’d from Swollen Throat entry.
I can’t call any of this “curing a sore throat” because a) i’m not all better yet, and b) i’m not even sure you can call this a “sore throat”
how’s that for a pretty title? it’s descriptive, anyway…
Very swollen and sore throat today… started sometime last night when i guess i woke up to the pain and discomfort, and it’s followed me through all of today…
have taken zinc lozenges with echinacea & vitamin c, showered thoroughly which usually helps most physical sufferings, made myself a pretty healthy broth with carrots and mushrooms and rice and a lil ginger, have gargled with vinegar, have napped, have taken one advil early in the day and one ibuprofen when i woke up… not caring too much about the whole ‘don’t take medicines..not natural’ thing right now… throat hurts!
and i’m told it’s going to get worse before it gets better. what for!?
basically cont’d at Nursing a sore throat entry.
eyes are happier than they were before, though still much time in front of computer… japanese translations getting done.. some small maintenance of sites, but not the half-revamps i want to do… time, i suppose.
leave the country ina few months? will think about that after a few more things get done here. outdoors looks very nice right now… yesterday at this time, it looked wet and dreary… but after getting out, and stepping out of Best Buy, the sunlight was streaming and the rays were even rather warm! so wonderful. beautiful beautiful yesterday.. looking forward to today.
good to catch up with friends, long-time-not-seen/long-time-won’t-see… and Abra’s still lonely..
movie of the month:
The Notebook
Save Toby!
I want a bunny.
Real Pokemons!
Rapidash is surpisingly common.
Xia-Xue’s blog
What the HECK is this??
Singing Chubbers
(—to use Waws’ description..) This guy is such cheeriness. :) I miss bounce song. The song is called ‘Dragostea Din Tei’.
Mario on piano
Watching/listening to this just makes me happy. really really.
Invisibilia
Just a simple, nice idea and gallery of photos from which the main subject has been replaced with a sketched-representation..
Invisible Pornography
This is reasonably safe to view in the presence of small children. It’s somewhat in keeping with the theme of the “Invisibilia” link above. :)
slated in
days at 3:55 pm
Happy simultaneous birthday and Chinese New Year to cousin Philip Chong who turns the big 0-5 today. That’s halfway to double-digits!
I’m told that being a Dragon in the year of the Rooster is quite auspicious, because the Roooster—being of the Phoenix family—complements the Dragon. Must be further auspicious, then, to have a Dragon birthday on the Rooster Chinese New Year Day. :)
Here’s hoping this year is full of even more smiles and laughter for you than you constantly give to everyone else.
Happy birthday, Philip.
Happy Chinese New Year everyone. This year, 2005, is the year of the Rooster; I guess that doesn’t necessarily mean a whole lot to everyone, but it’s something for me. Whether you’re a rat or a rabbit or tiger or dragon or goat, dog, pig, ox, snake, horse, monkey, or …
I’m not totally sure how to feel about the Rooster sign… it’s a Rooster / Cock… it’s not a Hen. So…what does that mean for female Roosters? Also, is it a chicken, a domestic bird that waits everyday for a new dawn, or is it the small form of a phoenix, able to rise from every dust and carry the sun through any day?
I think… some things are innate; sub-conscious / feelings…. and not everyone can choose to be something they’re not..
but everyone can choose to try, and everyone can choose to be or do something different.
There’s only so much room in the present, and in the past.. Find new room in the new years.
![iching: Fêng - Abundance [Fullness]](https://ferrydust.com/images/21.gif){kind=small}
