Simple Lighting System for Seedlings

With the "polar vortex" settling in multiple times this winter, who knows when the last frost date will be this year?! The winter's shenanigans may not actually affect home gardens unless it means spring will be cold (I had an opportunity to observe that last night's didn't stop the Wrigleyville drunkards waiting in lines outside to get into bars, jaywalking by purposefully sliding across the street in snow, and otherwise acting foolish), but I thought I'd start some of my garden inside this year just in case. I also had success last year starting some plants from seed, so I also thought it'd be nice to start my own seedlings and cut the umbilical cord from Gethsemane and other garden centers and grocery stores that provide starter plants.

Apparently grow lights can be kind of fancy and really expensive, or it can be cheaper but slightly complicated, but I just wanted powerful lights over the seedlings and a way to adjust its height. So Mordecai built something simple and cheap--the lights, fixture, chain, and light switch all came to...$30? The pine was leftover from some other project and he assembled that in two sittings. The starter kit and starting mix soil were also inexpensive. The most expensive thing was probably the seeds, which I get from Kitazawa Seed Company out in Cali.  

Last year, I had great success with Japanese pumpkin, kabocha, which I started from Kitazawa seed. I still have a couple left over--I use this recipe to simmer it in the holy trinity seasoning of soy sauce, mirin, and sugar. (I never take any of the skin off; I don't always cut the corners; and I have no idea what that paper dome thing is about.) My cukes also made it from their seed but they were not that skinny long classic Japanese shape even though they were supposed to look that way. It may have been because I neglected to harvest them at the right time... I've had other successes with them (chinese cabbage, pak choi, carrots, snow peas). This year, I'm starting indoors Japanese eggplants, "Money Maker"!!!; Japanese green peppers (not spicy but a little bitter), shishito (my friend Naomi points out you start to see this as a "fancy" ingredient at restaurants); another variety of Japanese cucumbers; a pink-fleshed tomato called "Momotaro," which I bought for the name and its referent. I'll be planting straight to the raised beds the following: turnip, green onion, komatsuna (like spinach, good for smoothies/juices), mizuna (salad green), "cosmic purple" carrot (orange on inside, purple on outside!), and daikon. 

Requisite helper shot.

From this picture, I will be able to remember what is where. But the bottom far left section only has seed in only one cell, the top far right corner--I found an old watermelon seed that never made it and wondered if it was dead or not. We'll find out. The top far left section has four edamame seeds from last year, and some old spinach seeds. There's no need to start spinach indoors but again..why not? Especially when you are sent hundreds or even thousands of some varieties of seeds. 

Last night, I also got to observe a friend's ecosystem setup: turtles, whose poop gets filtered to starter plants, which can be fed to snails, who get fed to the turtles. They had grow light bulbs attached to a light stand made to light up bedrooms, not for plants, so it was all quite simple and they worked with what they had. That was cool to see. MiMi needs to step her helper game up! Although I will say, Yoshi the timid German Shepherd didn't seem to be contributing much to the turtle ecosystem. Just some sad, concerned looks in the general direction. Maybe we don't want any of that in our bedrooms anyway, poop and sad looks alike.

Our setup is in the bedroom, the warmest room in the house. We may still be frozen over in Chicago, and Mitsu's winter coat is still locked in securely. But garden work has begun. Spring is near! 

Olympus Pen Mini E-PM2

I acquired a micro four-thirds camera while in Japan this past spring. One of the main justifications included being cheaper in Japan even with the then-atrocious exchange rate. Another is that it's much more compact than the Canon Rebel DSLR. A relatively minor but still important one is that it's cute, and so is the girl who advertises for it. 

Requisite shoe/foot "selfie" with fallen sakura petals. I had never seen Japan during the cherry blossom season, and my timing was perfect. I arrived as they started to bloom and left as they fell. So I got to enjoy quite the spectacle. Also, these Liberty x Nike Sky High Dunks are the greatest things ever. There's a hidden wedge, so you get a little boost in height and leg length, if they are exposed. It might be good, if this sort of thing can ever be good, to "practice" for wearing higher heels at all. I think Nike knows that these are too popular not to make any more, so I'm waiting for the right print to appear to grab another pair.  

I planted radishes in late April. This past weekend, about a third of them were ready to be consumed with slices of buttered baguette and a sprinkle of salt.  According to Ina Garten, this is how French schoolboys snack. 

While basketball and hockey linger, baseball begins and its headlines are routinely ignored for Miami Heat news. Here, we went to a Tampa Bay vs. White Sox game in late April. Of course, it was freezing. We went a month later, just this past weekend. Of course, it was freezing. At least we got to see fireworks both times. This Olympus has a lot of settings, including a "fireworks" one, so I got this semi-decent shot. Semi because the fireworks look fancy, but the rest of the stadium makes you feel like you might be a little tipsy. There are other "art" settings, or modes, you can use to take pictures. I don't know the details, but I think it's like using a filter (yes, like Instagram filters, what other filters would I be talking about) without saving a raw, unfiltered form of the image. It's kind of unnecessary but fun to have on hand. 

On chilly days, I wrap her up in her tiger blanket. I'm not sure she cares. I think she at least appreciates the pillows, particularly the blue one with the now-old school Doraemon print. As usual, Mitsu is a happy camper!

My most recent obsession right now is the historical drama series "Yae no Sakura." So, I'm also interested in the collapse of the Tokugawa regime. It makes me think about Japanese identity in a way than I've ever considered before...but I think about it like, ALL THE TIME. I have had to read the chapter on the fall of the Tokugawa bakufu in a book I used in a modern Japanese history class back at Grinnell with Professor Hshieh. I'm even re-reading some sections because so much drama went down in Tokyo and Kyoto during this time, and it's hard to keep track of all the details. It's funny, I used to care more about World War II, but I realize now how terribly ignorant I was of Japan's modernity and how it came to be. And all I had to do was get sucked into at least ONE historical drama. Best believe I'll be studying up on Kuroda Kanbei for the 2014 series. It'll star my favorite Johnny's actor, Okada Junichi. I knew his time would come! Or does being in an NHK series mean you're done? Anyway, there are homework materials to gather in the next six months!

And in two weeks, we will be taking a trip to Japan where I serve as the main guide and translator for Mordecai's family. But all I can hear in my mind is olde [sic] style Japanese language used in higher courts among lords, nobles, and their advisors, and in either a western or northeastern dialect, on top of it all. None of these forms of Japanese are useful for me in present-day Japan! Anyhoo, I live, the blog lives; expect some more posts on Japan or Japanese things, the only thing I will spend extra time to blog about!  

Insta-Mitsu-gram

I've been meaning to update the layout of my blog for a while now and have been hoping for a clean, fresh, minimalistic, streamlined, easy-to-use and -look-at aesthetic, but sometimes that or parts of that description is code for "trendy" or "lazy." Not sure which is worse. I think I will be turning to a white background, at least, and then the real work is in making decisions about fonts and header. Any suggestions are welcome.

The latest place of web-social activity for me has been Instagram. I was kind of oblivious to it, but then Jenni pointed out to me that there were some cute, popular dogs there, like a Border Collie who lets its owner balance objects on his head, and a round, fluffy Shiba named "Maru." Lately, I've also been seeing some Shibas as models (on a can of Science Diet food, on the Target website for Halloween costumes), so I've decided if the opportunities for fame and fortune come by Mitsu, I will do like Usher's mom, Jessica Simpson's dad, Beyonce's dad, and become a "momager." My main concerns have been, how does a dog open up a bank account (Bridgeview gives away stuffed teddy bears!), and how can I convince airlines that Shibas should be carry-on dogs, not stow-away dogs. She would have been perfect for a cameo, especially in the second half, in this lovely dog friendly music video by Real Estate !

Here are some recent Insta-Mitsu-gram outtakes:

I've found that there's a simple way to get lots of "likes" aside from hashtagging pictures, and it's to follow other people and like their pictures. Sometimes I can't help but also comment, so I've been exercising my written Japanese (in addition to hiragana, katakana, and kanji, you need to know the proper [ab]use of emoticons, too). I guess that for the most part, I "think in English," but given the right context, it appears that I can channel my Japanese-ness pretty well, almost like a "real" native. So anyway, now my feed is overflowing with Shibas from what appear to be various parts of Japan (I love the rural-ish backgrounds, the black beach sand near Maru's home, playdates with other dogs, and stylish dog-apparel). I also search rather desperately for pictures of Yokohama (pictures of the Minato Mirai skyline do not count), particularly the Kannai and Totsuka area. So far, there's one picture of a man doing a handstand at the Totsuka station with the caption "Totsuka yabai," which may translate roughly to "Oh shit, Totsuka"...? Kannai searches produce photos of the New Grand Hotel, which I can't help but "like." As cheesy as it sounds, Instagram has been helping me feel less second-home-ish-place-sick.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Food thoughts

I've been meaning to write about my recent interest in eating and being more healthy. Sources of inspiration include being exhausted in and after Japan, feeling older more generally, reading about a favorite fashion blogger's take on food (somewhere buried in there), watching "Food, Inc.," having a vegetable garden, wanting to cure my eczema, and needing to be productive. With a recent purchase of a blender, which was meant for summer smoothies to beat the heat, I've been making "Green Monsters." I make one serving, and split it with Mordecai (he gets the Burger King cup today). I'm not sure if I really feel more energized, but I appreciate that it just tastes like banana but supposedly gives me all this vitamin A, E, and whatever chia seeds (!!) offer.

"Food, Inc." was not as scary as I thought it would be, possibly because I tend to be antagonistic, or guarded, with message-infused documentaries. I didn't think this one was obnoxious, and found myself being able to comfortably be impressed by Monsanto's insanity, to crave McDonald's afterwards, and to love Stonyfield yogurt more than ever. (That scene where Stonyfield gets the organic farmer to meet Wal-Mart higher ups...I love it so much.) It's disturbing to see oversized chickens and cows unable to walk, but it was also horrifying to see the throat-slitting of even the lucky chickens who, as Mordecai's mom once put it while we were waiting for our chicken to be wrapped up at Whole Foods, had stories read to them at night. On Sunday, I also saw "The September Issue," which was fun to watch, and it made me think about documentaries. Two documentaries I would watch (or would be happy to participate in) are humanities grad school (get on it, Pannapacker!) and the nail industry (nail polish, gel, acrylic, etc.). The only documentary I could make is one about Mitsu Scheckter, which would be funny if I really could document her many antics and adventures on video. For a special DVD release, I'd make furry Mitsu cell phone straps and key chains, and bonus features would include a full catalog and explanation of her nicknames (Darkest Muzzle, Mi-chan, Minmi, Redheaded Stepdaughter, Car Fox...), video footage of her at daycare, and a rendering of what her puppies would look like if Sinbad were the father. The credits would roll as I play her favorite song on the piano and she sings along, which she still does, maybe with even more confidence and fervor than before (her muzzle was so dark!).

Edge of Glory

Day 30 – A photograph of yourself today + three good things that have happened in the past 30+ days.

1. Finished topical (currently stuck on prospectus though)

2. Teaching summer school (failing at making aesthetics appealing)

3. Started eating/moving better, but still need to cut back on things like excessive sodium and driving the car.

Pictures

Day 27 – A picture of you last year and now and how have you changed since then?

Here's a picture of me last year. Is that my mom's shirt? I was in Japan last May, a fact I can barely believe. Since last year, I've become much more domesticated. I also feel like I've aged a lot, or I can see the effects of aging more clearly.

I've fallen behind on my posts because I don't feel like posting a picture of myself in recent days. I started teaching the four-week "intensive" summer session, and it's pretty tiring. It's not as bad as everyone made it out to be though, at least so far. The material is stuff I've done before, which helps a lot. I like my students (only 13!) and I get the sense that they don't dislike me. So instead of a gpomyself, I present these others photos from day off today.

I went to Ulta today with a 20% off coupon to get pink nail polish by Essie. "Princess Pink" seems to have gone extinct, which is a tragedy, as it was my wedding pick and seemed easy to apply. I chose "Lovie Dovie," the Pepto Bismol color on my index finger. It was my mom's suggestion. I just tried it on more extensively, and Mordecai said it looks like a stripper's nail polish. It requires more care in application so I will try again tomorrow.

While I cooked dinner, Mitsu lied on her back and showed me her teeth. "You use peanut butter in your dinner and I get none in mine? I glare at you. Look at my teefs."

I realize this is not the most flattering picture, but that's PBJ pancakes (peanut butter pancakes, blackberry "syrup" [=heated preserves + water + lemon zest]), an egg, and some ham. This meal was inspired by Sunny Anderson's "Let the Sun Shine In" episode on her show, "Cooking for Real." I saw it for the second time this morning and decided today was the day for some PBJ pancakes, Sunny-style. I recommends them if you like peanut butter, and you can make whatever berry syrup you like! I wonder if almond butter would work with pancakes...? Is that too yuppie/Lincoln Park mom-like?

Weekend

Day 20 – The meaning behind your blog name.

'Keipop' was coined back in college to express what is popular with Kei. 'Nation' was a common suffix we used to add to words for emphasis, like 'homework nation,' as in 'I'm in homework nation,' or something like that. I think that was high school vocabulary that survived into college. My blog is the land of all things popular and mainstream with me. 

Day 21 – A photo of something that makes you happy.

Well, obviously Mitsu makes me happy, so I will post something else in addition. 

My home. There are 2 cherry trees in the back. Maybe it's more like 1.5; the other one is like, half alive, or clearly missing a big branch. I like the plastic grocery bag that is caught in, or decorating, the tree at the very top. I am very grateful for this home and try to treat it right, but I'm so messy and lazy. When I clean, Mitsu looks worried. I think she's used to the clutter that accumulates; she certainly likes her toys all over the floor. I think she's also concerned that the vacuum cleaner will come out. She gets angry at it when it's on, and then sniffs it when it's all over.

Her nose drips when she's in the car, sniffing out the window. She tries to get a handle on the nose juices by spraying it outside, but the wind usually pushes it back on my face.

Yesterday

Day 19 – Another picture of yourself.

This is another Nodame/Rachel Berry-esque dress I was wearing yesterday. We went to Bistro Margot with our GROUPON and watched "No Country For Old Men" last night. Carla Jean Moss is amazing.

Day 17 – A photo of you and your family.

I won't subject my parents to the Interwebs, though there are probably traces of them here and there anyway. I like these photos, which I'll post instead. These are the characters I see and deal with everyday, myself included.

Day Fifteen

Day 15: Something you don't leave the house without.

I don't leave home without my keys, phone, wallet, lip stuff, my super chic eczema meds, and thoughts of Mitsu. Is she winking? Or partially falling asleep?

Oblivious

Speaking of the Meat Stew, we bathed her for the first time this weekend. Generally, she is a pretty clean dog. She doesn't smell doggy and she licks herself clean frequently, I guess not unlike a cat, which I've read is a common trait among Shibas. But I wanted her to get used to bathing, or at least treat it as not a big deal as you are apparently supposed to do with everything. On Saturday morning, we took her to Soggy Paws, where they provide everything except labor. She didn't seem to mind the water or the shampooing--I imagine she secretly enjoyed the massaging, but she didn't want to let it be known. But after we rinsed and towel-dried, we blow-dried her fur, which scared two poop nuggets out of her! Poor thing. I think we'll be DIYing washes in the backyard during the summer so she can air dry, and if she must be bathed in the winter, peanut butter may help, but we may get special presents regardless if we attempt to blow dry.

Help?

Help! I feel funny.

Day Eight

Day 8 – A song to match your mood.

I don't know that either of these songs 'match my mood' but they have been in my head for the past week. Dan gave me Adele's '21' album, and I've been listening to it in the car nonstop. I keep forgetting to bring it in and copy it onto my iTunes so that I can pass the good shit on to Emily. I like to listen to the songs and arrange the lyrics to Mitsu's circumstances or personality. "Rumor has it...rumor has it...rumor has it Mitsu has some tummy troubles~" "There's a fire, burning in my dog!" And so on. 

Bonus factoid: Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" was actually written for the only real "little monster" who belongs to no one but herself--Mitsu. I imagine she sings the song with amended lyrics when, say, the vet says to me and Mordecai that we're raising her well. "It doesn't matter who my real parents are...or who my human parents are...I'm putting my paws up...Ms. Vet, I was born this way! I was born this way, I was born this way...My name is Mitsu Scheckter, I was born this way!"

Days Five, Six, Seven

What a blogging-delinquent weekend. It was a cooking-heavy weekend, as well as puppy health issues-heavy weekend. Mitsu has been having some tummy troubles, and she also had a random allergic reaction to something on Saturday night. I'll be calling the vet soon; I hope the desk attendants are like, "Oh poor Mitsu! Bring her in right away." She hung out with them when she got spayed. Anyway, here are Days 5 through 7 in one post.

Day 5 – A photo of yourself two years ago.

Two years ago, I wore bright colors and frequented Golden Nugget more than I do now. I still get the Guadelajara Skillet.

Day 6 – A photo of an animal you’d love to keep as a pet.

I think Mitsu would have a ball with another creature in the house, but I think capybaras are really mellow and would want nothing to do with Mitsu-like creatures. I think her ideal companion would be an equally enthusiastic-for-life!!!!!!!111 male Shiba or a Jack Russell Terrer. But I also think I'd die if I had to take care of another dog. 

Day 7 – Your dream wedding.

 

Been done did it!

Day One

I got this idea from a blogger I randomly came across long ago. She is an absolute stranger to me but she's pretty and she has pretty jewelry, bags, and shoes, so I check her blog a lot. She once commented on this here blog. Let's see how far I get with these daily tasks.

Day 1 – A photo of yourself and a description of how your day was.

Here are 2 photos of me today. Mitsu has amazing teeth. She also smelled my eye for a while.

This morning I got some work done at Argo. I stepped into Rugby across the street for a few minutes and found some nice khaki pants, which I touched. I also saw some nice shirts on sale, but decided that theoretically, if I were to buy anything, it'd be the more practical or needy item, which would be the pants, as opposed to the wanty items. My current pants all fit weird because I've recently gained a significant enough amount of weight to notice such things. I also need nice pants, pants I can teach in during the summer. But I don't live in a theoretical world, so when another customer came in and occupied the employee, I slipped out. I'll probably be back though; let's just face the truth.

I went to yoga later in the afternoon, where I was the only person in my class. It was a lot harder than last week, which was good. But in order to fit into certain pants again, I figure I'll need to go again this week, or add another aspect to my exercise regimen that is not walking Mitsu around the neighborhood for fifteen to twenty minutes once or twice a day. I dread running, and we no longer have a VCR so I can't do "Buns of Steel" from the early 90's and even if Naomi returned Wii Fit (I think I kind of instructed her not to), that'd be of no use to me. To be continued.

Recent photos

Playing now

It's taken weeks, maybe a couple of months, but I'm finally playing this up to speed. Obviously not with wisdom, knowledge of much beyond what keys to hit when, or with the kind of emotion that lifts me from my piano bench. I remember when this song came out in Japan back in the day, when it dominated the mainstream charts despite having no vocals or lyrics. I think part of the appeal was its promotion in a commercial for an energy drink or something, but also that it soothed many overburdened, stressed out Japanese souls. There is indeed something soothing about the melody, like menthol, but there's also something catchy, popular, dare I say "easy," too, like candy.  Basically, what I'm saying is, this song is a good cough drop. As with all other non-Beethoven pieces I play, Mitsu is not interested, so there are no videos of us jamming together on this one.

Mitsu x Beethoven Collaboration

Last week, I was playing the piano, and Mitsu starting vocalizing when I played the theme to Beethoven's 7th. I've been playing this piece, a Nodame Cantabile version, for about half a year now so it's become the one-trick-pony piece I play when I feel like playing something but not really practicing. At first, I thought Mitsu was telling me to shut up, and then I thought she had to go outside. But then she sat and lied down by my bench, so I continued playing. When I started a section that involved a crescendo, Mitsu joined in by howling. Her face, looking straight on, is super cute when she stretches her howls out. I started to give her treats when she would sing along to my crescendos, and she performed for Mordecai a couple of times. I was finally able to capture all of this on camera tonight with minimal mistakes on my part. She doesn't seem to care for any other pieces I play, so I like to think that she and Beethoven are basically best friends.

You kind of have to wait for her to hear the howls clearly. She warms up a little throughout the song, misses my conducting cues in the middle, but then comes through at the end (~1:00 mark)!

This is our one hit wonder, guys! We won't be coming on tour near you! You might hear about a comeback 10 years from now! Good night!

Aftermath

So I guess we had only two days off of school back in 1999. Maybe it felt like a week off because it was close to a weekend? Anyway, let's see how many students show up to my sections on Friday.

For some reason, I found last night's epic blizzard to be pretty exciting. Occasionally, I'd hear some voices or tires spinning or snow being shoveled, so I'd peek outside. One group of kids got stuck in the alley next to our house, and seeing it'd be unhelpful for me to go out there, I sent Mordo out with a shovel. Eventually, some other kids across the street joined, and the car was successfully dug out and pushed to Fullerton. It turned out to be a neighbor who had to get his girlfriend home. 

This morning, the snow was still falling, but it eventually stopped and the sun came out. Before noon, people were trying to dig their cars out, clearing sidewalks, and trying to clear the side streets and alleys using shovels and cars. I thought it was kind of interesting how major events like these move many people to do something about their situations instead of wallowing in self-pity, blaming Daley & Co., or napping. Not that napping didn't occur. I thought I'd be cabin fevering it today, but since the snow and wind stopped, walking Mitsu seemed appealing and shoveling necessary. All the physical work culminated into a rather epic nap, which then energized me to make dinner and dessert (separate post). 

Mitsu was less annoyed by the less harsh winds, and she enjoyed a nice long walk along Fullerton and some other side streets that were almost impassable.

I don't have the energy or creative power to make a better looking collage, but I love all these pictures. Mitsu is showing off her good walking skills with me, she's being protected by MoDiddy, she looks deranged because the snow looks like it's taking over her pupils, then she's recovered, then she's looking dainty with me, but with MoDiddy she looks more noble and proud to be a big Shiba baby. I'll end with this one, where she's forging ahead, leading the way, almost getting lost in all the snow.

Mitsupocalypse!

Chicago and its inhabitants are being severely punished right now by a massive snowstorm. The last time we were assaulted like this was in 1999, and I remember having about a week off from school. But I don't remember phrases like "potentially life-threatening," or "thundersnow" being thrown around back then. I am not looking forward to the aftermath, but my parents report that Oji is shedding a little early this year, which hopefully means spring is coming sooner rather than later. I'll put up with a thundersnowstorm and a day (or two? or three? please?) off of school if spring arrives sooner than usual.

Mordecai and I took Mitsu out for a quick potty break. She was very displeased. Mordecai had to carry her out to the front, where there is less snow because it gets blown away. She quickly realized it wasn't going to get any better anywhere else, so she got to business and then immediately started whining to go back inside. I'm glad we have a dog with human-ish sensibilities. Also noteworthy about Mitsu and the elements: she seems to be able to sense patches of ice and water on the ground far sooner than I can. I wonder if she has good eyes, at least for a dog. This has actually helped me out a couple of times when I hadn't even noticed the ice. We don't need a repeat of 2008 of ankle breakage. Thanks, Mitsu!