I am looking forward to colder, wetter weather

November 3, 2014 in Everyday | Tags: , , , , , , , | Comments closed

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This past Friday it rained in my city. The weatherman had predicted heavy rain showers throughout the day. I was very much looking forward to this wet, gloomy skied weather. (Gawd knows we need more rain to ease this major drought we’re having in California.)

I must make a little naughty confession. I mostly wish for rain so that I may shirk my home-gardening duty of watering the plants around my house. My house is an Eichler designed home, with big front & back yards as well as a courtyard/atrium in the middle of the house. (My home floor plan is U-shaped & boxy.) Oh, I also live on a pretty steep hill, so my backyard has multiple levels, so let me just say that watering ALL of the plants around my house is a chore & a half!

I’m veering off my original topic. I’m sorry. Let me continue. Where was I? Oh, yes. I was talking about loving the colder, wetter weather. Other than this nasty cold I’m having (& on the day I’m going to my very first Black Keys concert no less!), I’m really enjoying the approaching colder climate. I am looking forward to wearing chunky knit sweaters, & layering, & all that [INSERT HIPSTER FASHION TREND SO I CAN PRETEND TO BE COOL & TRENDY]. Don’t get me wrong. I still love hot weather & sunny days (Try walking the concrete streets of Tokyo in mid-July). However, I am ready to throw on my fluffy down jacket & bust out my itchy, plaid scarf. (Oh the things women will do for fashion…or my lack thereof.)

Rainy days, to me, are fun & motivational. Yes, I said MO-TI-VA-TION-AL. It really gets me in the mood to tackle all of the house chores I normally would push off until it became immensely unavoidable. Sure, when it rains, most people would rather be cuddled under a warm, soft blanket on the couch watching On-Demand movies & drinking hot cups of coffee, or reading a book while sipping on a cup of tea…I did indulge in some of that myself…& I also got shit done (ironing dress shirts, vacuuming the rugs, folding laundry, hand-washing delicate clothes, emptying clean dishes from the dishwasher).

That sense of accomplishment, nothing feels more rewarding, especially when you get to finally settle down on the couch & relax after all is said & done, wrapped up with a neat little ribbon. I feel so at ease listening to the pitter-patter of the raindrops while sipping my second cup of hot coffee. The weather on that day was cold enough to warrant my use of a space heater. I actually turned on the gas-powered fireplace & settled in to play a few puzzle games on my iPad. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I hope more of this colder, wet weather comes again soon. I would like to enjoy more days like these. Cheers.

Today’s song of the day:

My DIY project: fruit fly trap

October 17, 2014 in Everyday | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 2 comments

At home, we like to keep our fruits in a decorative bowl right on top of our kitchen counter.  Although the fruits may be pretty, they attract a lot of fruit flies.  While the fruit flies aren’t entirely harmful, they are annoying, especially during hot weather days.  We don’t have screens on our kitchen windows (we took them out to wash the windows & screens & haven’t put them back on since then).  So, we don’t open our kitchen windows, even in the summertime, for fear of inviting more flies into our kitchen.  However, those pesky fruit flies seem to know how to weasel their way back into our kitchen.  Luckily, we found these two separate articles from Apartment Therapy on how to make your own fly trap.  All it takes is a few simple materials & boom! Your fruit fly problem is practically over.

Here’s what you will need to make your own at-home fruit fly trap:

  1. fruit fly trap1a clean mason jar or cup
  2. apple cider vinegar
  3. a sheet of scrap paper (old newspaper will work too)
  4. dish soap
  5. small amount of fruit (optional)

Here are the steps of assembling your fly trap:

  1. Pour a small amount of apple cider vinegar into the bottom of the jar/cup, just enough to cover the bottom
  2. Roll the piece of paper into a cone-like shape, to create a funnel effect. Make sure you keep the shape loose enough so that it fits around the inside rim of the jar/cup.
    (Don’t push the paper all the way down to the bottom. You will need to leave a gap from the paper to the base, for the flies to get through.)
  3. Place a 1-2 small drops of dish soap to break up the surface tension made by the vinegar, so the flies won’t sit at the top.  The flies will go through the funnel, but will have no way out.
  4. Place the trap anywhere in the kitchen (or around your home) & watch the flies (pardon the pun) ‘drop like flies’.
  5. This is optional, but you can also add a small piece of fruit into the jar/cup to attract the flies faster.  We used dates at the bottom of our trap.

Here is the finished product:
fruit fly trap2

After making this at-home fruit fly trap, we have seen a steady decline of flies in our kitchen.  I would definitely recommend trying this out for yourself & see what happens.  Cheers.

Today’s song of the day:

My first Weezer concert experience

October 3, 2014 in Everyday | Tags: , , , , , , , | Comments closed

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I don’t know why I waited so long to watch Weezer in concert, but I finally did it. It was truly a night to remember. I don’t know what I was supposed to expect, but this concert was everything I dreamed of & more. I know lead band member Rivers Cuomo is a pretty quirky & mostly reserved guy, but I feel like he “let his hair down” a bit that night & let loose…about as much as he was willing to. I overheard a lot of fan feedback complaining, lamenting saying that the concert was too short. I thought it was just right, yet I can see how the concert would be perceived as short, with no breaks In between playing songs & not much talking/messing around between the songs & instrument changes. It almost felt like they just breezed through their greatest hits & sprinkled in a few songs from their new album as though they were in a hurry to get to someplace else. However, I quite liked the no-nonsense pace of the concert. Don’t get me wrong…I am not cool with all-business-no-pleasure, but I also don’t like when a band veers too much off track or takes too long to set up between songs/sets. Everything was packaged neatly with a nice Pink(erton) bow.

There were two opening bands before Weezer took the stage as the headlining act. The first band was Young Rising Sons. Before this concert, I’ve only heard one of their songs on the radio: “High“. Normally at concerts, I don’t really pay attention to the opening acts, but I quite liked this band. They reminded me of a catchier, pop-ier version of The Black Keys. I’m not going to lie. I was first drawn into their music by the attractiveness of the lead singer Andy Tongren & the clothing fashion of lead guitarist Dylan Scott. I also liked their music.

kongosThe second band to perform was Kongos. You may have heard them on the radio with songs such as “Come With Me Now“. I don’t have much to say about this particular band, as I am not attracted to their music in any way. I’m sorry, but this band just doesn’t get my motor running…even if they do have a cool accordionist. Also, I just couldn’t get over the lead singer Daniel not wearing any shoes & traipsing around the stage barefoot. The only thing I could think about during this set was “I hope he doesn’t step on anything sharp,” & “I hope he doesn’t get into a bed with white sheets later tonight, lest he leave black footprints everywhere in the bed.” Yes, those were very bizarre things to think about during a concert, but nevertheless I was thinking them. I’m not a germaphobe per se, but dirty feet, well actually feet in general, gross me out pretty seriously. That’s why I think I’d be a terrible nudist.

weezerFinally, let’s get on with the good stuff…WEEZER! Yeah, the band members were all pretty chill & AWESOME. They started their set right away with their oldie-but-a-goodie My Name Is Jonas & shut down the house with their extremely popular song Buddy Holly. In between they performed the following songs (in no particular order): Perfect Situation, Beverly Hills, (If You’re Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To, Undone (The Sweater Song), Say It Ain’t So, Island In The Sun, Pork and Beans, Dope Nose, Hash Pipe. Weezer also performed two new songs from their new album Everything Will Be Alright In The End. I can’t remember the exact song titles, but I believe one was “Ain’t Got Nobody”, & the other was “Go Away”. This was the first time both of those new songs were performed live. Aside from Rivers Cuomo changing up a few lyrics here and there to cater to the audience, there was not a whole lot of playfulness from the band. Only two instances stand out in my mind. One: when a fan rushed onto the stage & danced around a bit before the security got a hold of him & escorted him off stage. Rivers made a few jokes about that guy joining the Olympic track team. Second: when Rivers was introducing the other band members in the middle of the song “Pork and Beans” & he got them each to continue singing the rest of the lyrics as he introduced them one-by-one. Other than that, he made a quick reference to Weezer’s latest album “Everything Will Be Alright In The End” & how it’s available on iTunes. Yes, the set was short but sweet. Most of their greatest hits were performed, with the exception of a few true gems (i.e. El Scorcho, The World Has Turned and Left Me Here, Keep Fishin’, Troublemakeretc.). Yet, I feel they pretty much covered all the bases & did a job well done. I can only just begin to believe that I was in the presence of greatness & legend that night. Cheers!

https://twitter.com/melsenpai/status/517922031225294848

Today’s song of the day:

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