Peanut Butter Jelly Time

It's that time of year again!

Our annual celebration to commemorate our pact to join for life is coming up. So, I've decided to take a 4-day weekend! Well, this is as good as any reason to be able to leisurely spend a few days away from work, which I do enjoy but feel that I spend too much time dwelling -- on my butt staring at a screen all day -- upon.

Shopping.
Trader Joe for some edamame, pistachios, sunflower seeds, and gifts for family and friends. Their edamame is the most inexpensive I've found in the area. 2 pounds for under $2. I can't fathom E V E R ordering edamame at a restaurant, where they typically run $3-4 for ~10 pods.

Yes, PODS!

Nourishment.
Yay, we went to Shinano for some home-cooked Japanese food. This is the only Japanese restaurant in the region that is capable of making any Japanese dish I request. The restaurant is owned and operated by Japanese people (owner is a sansei). 99% of the time, I don't order off the menu. Not sure if they hate me for that. :P

After not having korokke for nearly 20 years, I had this sudden urge to eat some several months ago. Nothing on their menu has regular potatoes either, but they were able to whip some up for me.


The day before, I was at a session where Dr. Michael Roizen was speaking. He has a book out titled, "YOU: Staying Young: The Owner's Manual for Extending Your Warranty."

Dr. Roizen is charismatic and humorous, so the session was very enjoyable. He spoke about living life well, where death does not have to be a downward spiral but more of a swan dive. He spoke on how having 'bad genes' doesn't mean doom, and stressed taking initiative to fix the broken parts so the body can be nudged to work toward its optimal potential. He went over fairly simple 'nudges' for various common problems. One such fix is adding turmeric (eating curry) to your diet due to its beneficial effects against Alzheimer's disease.

I'm definitely going to look through the book the next time I hit a bookstore. If the book is anything like his presentation, I will purchase the book not only for myself, but for others!

- Cassaendra