Skip to main content

A thought on the ramen I snarfed down yesterday

Captain's Log, Stardate 02.11.2006

Book giveaway:
My Monday book giveaway (SAVANNAH FROM SAVANNAH) is here.
My Thursday book giveaway (A HERO FOR DRY CREEK) is here.
You can still enter both of them. Just post a comment on those blog posts.
On Thursday, I'll draw the winner for SAVANNAH and post the title for another book I'm giving away. Stay tuned.

Random thought--ramen: What is it with my fascination for Asian noodles? I love bread, don't get me wrong--especially if it happens to be toasted with butter and garlic--but the thought of a bowl of thin wheat noodles swimming in MSG-spiked soup makes my mouth water.

The last time my parents flew up to California, they brought me frozen ramen imported to Hawaii from Japan--not the dried Top Ramen or Sapporo Ichiban sold at Safeway. This was the expensive, authentic stuff. The frozen Asian noodles are soft and yet firm, which is opposite from Italian pasta--cooked fresh pasta is often softer and more supple than cooked dried noodles.

But the best part is the soup base. Japanese know how to craft salt, spice, soy sauce, sesame oil and MSG into culinary masterpieces. I have no clue what's in those soup bases. I don't care about anything except the fact that the ramen soup rolls off my tongue and it's lovely.

So despite the fact I decimated my diet yesterday with a massive ramen lunch, I'm not entirely guilty today because the stuff was so darn good! I must be addicted to the MSG or something.

Bible in 90 Days: Day 34. Job is a deep book. I think it's deeper than my brain can think. This reminds me of how I felt in Philosophy in college. The one thing I can take from the book is that God is not subject to a set of rules about right, wrong, justice, injustice. He is the highest standard, and we don't need to understand why anything happens, whether good or bad. We have to trust Him and in His justice, and praise Him for His grace and love.

Writing: Got a little done today, but hopefully I'll get more done tonight after we get home from church youth group.

Diet: Well, I did get that drink I mentioned yesterday--a glass of some really pleasant French red wine that I picked up at Trader Joe's. I can't believe the quality for the price. So enjoyable. Only 100 calories, too. I think I ended up with 1700 calories for yesterday. I went to PT but I didn't go walking like I said I would--got too caught up answering Genesis emails.

Today, my husband surprised me with a cheeseburger and fries--who would be heartless enough to turn down a gesture of love like that??? I restrained myself admirably--700 calories.

Comments

Gina said…
Oh so much to learn from Job. So true that it carries many deep insights. God allows suffering and that's a toughie for so many. Yet we can learn from Job how to praise even in the tough times.
Trader Joe's! Where my chocolate comes from! Or did, when I lived in Tucson. Every time I went in there, I said, "Are you building in Dallas? Are you building in Dallas?" As it turned out, their next store is in Tennessee. Lucky Tennessee.

I've been doing the 90-day thing, but hitting the references and cross-references have slowed me down. But what fun, not to be on a schedule, just absorbing. Like it took three-plus tons of gold, not to mention silver and bronze, for the Tabernacle in the Wilderness.

I saw a beautiful model of the Tabernacle at the Holy Land Experience in Orlando. The side walls were muslin so we could see the priest in the Holy of Holies. Wow!

I do love the end of Job--he ended up with more than when he started. God is good.

Popular Posts

No Cold Bums toilet seat cover

Captain's Log, Stardate 08.22.2008 I actually wrote out my pattern! I was getting a lot of hits on my infamous toilet seat cover , and I wanted to make a new one with “improvements,” so I paid attention and wrote things down as I made the new one. This was originally based off the Potty Mouth toilet cover , but I altered it to fit over the seat instead of the lid. Yarn: any worsted weight yarn, about 120 yards (this is a really tight number, I used exactly 118 yards. My suggestion is to make sure you have about 130 yards.) I suggest using acrylic yarn because you’re going to be washing this often. Needle: I used US 8, but you can use whatever needle size is recommended by the yarn you’re using. Gauge: Not that important. Mine was 4 sts/1 inch in garter stitch. 6 buttons (I used some leftover shell buttons I had in my stash) tapestry needle Crochet hook (optional) Cover: Using a provisional cast on, cast on 12 stitches. Work in garter st until liner measures...

Toilet seat cover

Captain’s Log, Supplemental Update August 2008: I wrote up the pattern for this with "improvements"! Here's the link to my No Cold Bums toilet seat cover ! Okay, remember a few days ago I was complaining about the cold toilet seat in my bathroom? Well, I decided to knit a seat cover. Not a lid cover, but a seat cover. I went online and couldn’t find anything for the seat, just one pattern for the lid by Feminitz.com . However, I took her pattern for the inside edge of the lid cover and modified it to make a seat cover. Here it is! It’s really ugly stitch-wise because originally I made it too small and had to extend it a couple inches on each side. I figured I’d be the one staring at it, so who cared if the extension wasn’t perfectly invisible? I used acrylic yarn since, well, that’s what I had, and also because it’s easy to wash. I’ll probably have to wash this cover every week or so, but it’s easy to take off—I made ties which you can see near the back of the seat. And...

What Is a Brutus Cut? A Regency Hair Trend Inspired by Ancient Rome

Regency Haircuts and Disguises in Lady Wynwood’s Spies In this excerpt from Lady Wynwood’s Spies, Volume 8: Traitor , Phoebe prepares for a dangerous mission—one that requires her to disguise herself as a young man. The hairstyle she receives, called a Brutus cut, was actually quite fashionable during the Regency. Read on to find out more about this curious trend and why it suited her new identity so well. Excerpt from Lady Wynwood’s Spies, Volume 8: Traitor : By far, the absolute worst part of Uncle Sol’s plan was that Phoebe had to cut her hair. Of the four agents, Phoebe and Mr. Coulton-Jones would be the least likely to be recognized when they entered the Ramparts building—Mr. Coulton-Jones, because of his skill in altering his facial features and his posture, and Phoebe, because she could play a convincing young man, which no one would expect. A disreputable hat would hide her long hair to an extent, but it would not fool anyone who looked closely. Also, because she would lo...

Tabi socks, part deux

Captain's Log, Stardate 07.25.2008 (If you're on Ravelry, friend me! I'm camytang.) I made tabi socks again! (At the bottom of the pattern is the calculation for the toe split if you're not using the same weight yarn that I did for this pattern (fingering). I also give an example from when I used worsted weight yarn with this pattern.) I used Opal yarn, Petticoat colorway. It’s a finer yarn than my last pair of tabi socks, so I altered the pattern a bit. Okay, so here’s my first foray into giving a knitting pattern. Camy’s top-down Tabi Socks I’m assuming you already know the basics of knitting socks. If you’re a beginner, here are some great tutorials: Socks 101 How to Knit Socks The Sock Knitter’s Companion A video of turning the heel Sock Knitting Tips Yarn: I have used both fingering weight and worsted weight yarn with this pattern. You just change the number of cast on stitches according to your gauge and the circumference of your ankle. Th...

Favorite chocolate?

Captain's Log, Stardate 04.22.2008 Lately I’ve been on this chocolate kick. Normally, I’m not a huge chocoholic like Captain Caffeine. I enjoy chocolate, but if given a choice, I’ll usually choose a fruit or custard/creamy dessert over a triple decadence chocolate layer cake or a chocolate-lovers’ downfall brownie. But lately, I’ve been eating dark chocolate squares. I think it started when I went into Joseph Schmidt gourmet chocolate shop in Santana Row. We’d gotten Joseph Schmidt truffles for Christmas, and they’d been fabulous—I can honestly say that they were as good as DeBrand truffles (author Colleen Coble’s favorite). So when I saw the brick and mortar shop in Santana Row, I went in immediately. Inside, this man was buying up stacks—and I kid you not, stacks —of the Joseph Schmidt Belgian Dark Chocolate bars. He raved about them, said they were terrific. A cashier was restocking the display case the man had cleaned out, and I snagged a bar. “I’ve got to try one, after watc...