The best reason I've found for international travel.

Whenever I go to Asian markets, I love picking up something I've never seen before (and not something obvious like Pocky). It's a fun mini-adventure, and pretty cheap. But I've never seen anything as cool as strawberry Cheetos. But I bet I could get the same effect with a tub of whipped Betty Crocker and the 7-Eleven Cheetos.

Slang of the day.

Bromance: A platonic love between two men that results from a bonding experience or shared interests.

One more reason America sucks.

After I saw "Sicko," I started thinking that things in our neck of the woods may not be the best on Earth. And now, more proof. A company in Japan has instituted "heartache leave" as part of its benefits package. Seriously. And the best part is that it's graded by age, with women 30 and older getting the most days, three, because at that age women are over the hill and would be much more upset over a breakup because god knows, finding another man is like finding a needle in a haystack. (I'm paraphrasing.)

Shit to buy:

1. A fuse. Apparently you can't use a treadmill and run a space heater in an adjoining room at the same time. (I was drying my clothes.) While I'm at my parents, blowing a fuse just means giving up on the workout and coming out to blog (at least until my dad wakes up). But at my other apartment, it means the whole place has no power. So I need to buy a fuse, and also locate the fuse box. (I know, it's ridiculous not to know these things, but I do know how to turn off the water, so that's something.)
2. Batteries. I used the last ones to replace the worn-out ones in the remote, and I can just see my alarm clock going dead one night at 10.
3. Ice. Margarita Sunday depleted my stock, and I never think to buy soda the weekend before I run out, so it's always warm when I want to drink it. I saw this thing that chills wine really quickly, and how awesome would that be? After I win the lottery, that's on my list of useless crap to have.
4. A portable generator. So you guys don't have to suffer through posts like this every time I can't do something else.

But what are the coffee crystals made of?

I know it's unbelievable, but I just discovered instant coffee. I like to switch up my tea every now and then, but there's only regular coffee ever brewed at work, and caffeine just makes me itchy and shaky. (And a little dopey and grumpy, too.) And I never really grasped the concept of instant coffee until I saw a container of it on the water cooler and read the back. Genius! So I bought some "coffee crystals" at Safeway, and they're pretty good! I mean, I don't know jack about coffee so I'm not the best judge, but it works for me.

Good thing I discovered this at the same time I started my pack of Crest Whitestrips. Not so genius.

Rest in peaceful protest.

On the Adam Corolla show this morning, Adam was talking to a woman who was planning to picket Heath Ledger's funeral because of Heath's portrayal of a gay man. She's a member of a radical Baptist church that's protesting Heath's sharing of the message that it's OK to be gay.

“Heath Ledger is now in Hell, and has begun serving his eternal sentence there,” the Westboro Baptist announcement says.

Whaa?! Seriously? I guess it shouldn't surprise me, given that people are willing to blow themselves up in the name of God, that people are also willing to make complete idiots out of themselves in the name of God. It just bothers me that these people are so close-minded. Like, isn't the idea of God supposed to encourage people to live better lives, to be kind and loving? Their God doesn't sound like too nice of a guy.

But why take their anger out on a DEAD man? That's the most shocking part - that people are going to be grieving and they're exploiting it to gain attention for their cause. I hope somebody smacks that chick in the face. I know, violence isn't the answer, but it sounds like in their religion it might be.

Cooking tips

I know most of you probably don't care about cooking, but I think these things I've learned recently can help everyone. And I post so randomly that maybe you'll read this even if you don't care, just because it's new!

• When hard-boiling eggs, use old eggs. Seriously. At least seven days. Otherwise you end up with a bowl full of mess that's half pitted eggs, half shells still stuck on. And a full portion of frustration.
• Baking powder expires. (I know!) If you don't bake often and don't want to buy it every few months, try this: Mix one part baking soda to one part cornstarch and two parts cream of tartar.
• It's important to use really cold butter when baking pastries, because when it hits the oven it lets off steam, forcing the pastry to rise.

Wednesday random thoughts.

• When doing "business" at work, why not travel to a lesser-used bathroom? Especially if it's going to take a while? We must have four bathrooms here, and two are definitely off the radar: one upstairs, and one f'ing freezing one toward the back. It just seems that there would be less stress in those situations, and a feeling of "Safe Toilet Syndrome." (Google it, with "Dr. Oz.")
• I am addicted to those little boxes of Valentine's Sweethearts. Not the regular kind, but the chocolate kind. They're modeled on Necco wafers, and I have a two-a-day habit. Which, at 110 calories each, pretty much negates my workout.
• Is cleave at work ever acceptable? I understand we in newspapers aren't paid very much, but clothes that can do double duty as clubwear and business casual aren't in existence. Maybe I'm just jealous, but it seems there are some shirts that are debatable, and some that are just obviously inappropriate.

Easy-bake.

Sunday was baking day this weekend, because I'd borrowed a cookbook from my friend Genette at work, and I was on a deadline to get it back to her. My mom loves scones, and there was a delicious-sounding oatmeal variation in this book, so I thought I'd try it out. And I actually had some of the stuff from previous projects (I don't have a pantry, so I don't often keep supplies "just because.") The only thing was I had to buy a food processor, but I'm all for impulse purchases.

The recipe was pretty simple -- the only thing was I forgot the cardinal rule of flaky pastry: make sure the butter is cold. I side-tripped after the grocery store, and then laid everything out in preparation for baking, so it was decidedly room temp by the time I processed it. But whatever. Practice makes perfect. But everything else seemed pretty easy, and the result was beautiful!

I love how it's always a surprise when you bake. You put something in that's pretty much inedible (except when it's cookies), and after 15 minutes it's delicious.

Fashion memo

Cute, cheap shoes alert: Payless' Hellene slingbacks. They're like $17 and even though they give you some crazy blisters, they're adorable, and perfect for those pants that aren't a good length for flats, but look like highwaters if you wear 'em with the big-girl shoes.

I know enough to know I don't know.

It's officially election time. I'm officially a Democrat, but that still leaves a lot to be decided in the primaries. What kind of Democrat am I? One with a strong stance on war, or do I care more about health care? The Vote Smart Web site is a great resource to find out about how each presidential candidate voted on certain issues, broken down by category, during their tenure. Unfortunately, neither Clinton nor Obama (the only two I've looked at) wanted to share their stances on political issues posed by the organization.

My next stop - The New York Times archive. I really care to be educated this time around. If nothing else, it makes for good dinner table conversation. If you don't abide by the adage of avoiding religion and politics at dinner.

Goddamn you, Gardasil.

I kind of hate health insurance companies. And not just because I saw "Sicko." I decided to get the Gardasil shot after a friend of mine who has a master's in public health told me that I was ridiculous to ignore a vaccine that could prevent cancer, the first of its kind. The coverage is for girls 11-26, and I was 26 when I went in. Apparently it's a series of three shots. The first one was covered; the other two are not. What kind of shit is that? Like, shouldn't it be dependent on when I started the treatment? I know I was 27 when I got those other two shots, but it's not logical to think I'd get one and not the others. They're a package! And the girl at the insurance company, when I called to ask, said, "Sure! If you start the series when you're 26, we should cover them all."

Anyway, it's $150 a pop, so if you're old like me and considering it, just know that much. This has been a public service message.

Happy new year!

I'm not making resolutions this year. That's a good sign, I think. I don't feel like I have to eat healthier (thought I totally should) or lose weight or find a better job. I would like to be more adventurous, but it's not something that I just thought of on Jan. 1, so I don't think it counts as a resolution. Maybe cook more. That's a good one. And watch less MTV.

I spent NYE in Phoenix with my friend Laura. We hardly ever get to see each other, so when we do it's nice that there's an excuse to drink. I flew out of the Stockton airport, if you can call it that. It's pretty much two rooms: one for checking in, and another for waiting. The problem with the waiting room is that there's no bathroom or water. So do get either, you need to leave and come back through security. Isn't that ridiculous? With the laws being what they are, at least put an Aquafina vending machine over there. Anyway, the flight was uneventful, and no one tried to have a conversation, which made my day.

As soon as I got there I wanted to eat, so we hit up: Wal-Mart. I love supermarkets over restaurants because the choices are so much better. However, I bought Goldfish crackers, popcorn and soda. So maybe a restaurant would've been healthier. But I was on vacation! Phoenix Wal-Mart was a hell of a lot nicer than Stockton Wal-Mart. There were still the obligatory harried-looking soccer moms and slow-moving elders with coupons, but it seemed more spacious and clean and organized. Or maybe I just hate Stockton and project my feelings onto everything I see, including Wal-Mart.

After bingeing, we went over to her old roommate's to get ready, then went to his friend's to drink a little beforehand. He's a fun guy. Who wanted to smuggle vodka into the bar.

He should've worn bigger pants.

The bar we went to, Casey Moore's, was fun. It wasn't a NYE-destination place, which was awesome, because there was no cover and fewer hoochies. But they didn't even pass out Champagne for a toast! The countdown was really random - one guy started doing it, and everyone was like, "Oh, is it time?" So who knows if we celebrated right, but it doesn't really matter.

Then Laura and I took off and stopped by the burrito place, because what better way to break all possible resolutions at once? (Swearing, drinking, smoking, eating disgusting foods late at night ...) But it was the perfect way to end the night, because the cashier guy totally gave us roses! Even after I was accidentally a little patronizing and said "Por favor" and other lame Spanish shit in an attempt to be friendly.