Live Chicago: T-1 Week!

Sometimes it feels like the timing is just right for a change of pace. The last two weeks have been jammed packed with too much eating outside with friends. I don't see that stopping in the coming month until the middle of May since I will have three guest, two from the West coast and one from the East coast visiting Chicago.

My best friend from middle school is going to stay for a month and I have this week to clean up and make sure things are in order when we get back from Boston. I think it will be good for me to have someone familiar in my life again.

Today I met up with Ping Jing to hand over the certificate for the hotel we're staying at in Boston. I miss hanging out with her more often, but the next coming month or so, she will be studying for her GREs for her exam at the beginning of June, while preparing for the 5k Dirty Girl run at the end of June. What I miss the most about hanging out with her are all the philosophical things we talk about. Life, the world, people, purpose. The people I am most drawn to are the ones who want to do things not just for themselves, but for society. People who like learning things, making things, changing things.

Despite all the social interaction in the last two weeks, I haven't felt much happier doing it. I think what makes me sad and unhappy is when I don't spend time making things. I love my job because I build test instruments and go through a whole design process from the conception of idea to a physical object. I like cooking because I am learning how to adjust recipes to my liking and can learn how to put things together without a recipe from time to time. I love drawing, arts and craft, coding because of my childhood and because I can visualize and exercise creativity. What all these things have in common is that they allow me to focus on the task at hand and prevent my mind from wandering and thinking about too many other things going on in life. They are also activities that create something that can be shared or purposed to affect the lives of people in ways they don't realize. I think that's where I get the greatest satisfaction in life. Most of the time these are solitary activities I do, and sometimes I just need solitude.

Today I made a beet salad. I remember roasting beets one time and it didn't come out great because they burned. This time I boiled them.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/beet-salad-with-goat-cheese/
I skipped the maple syrup and the orange juice.

I think since summer is coming, I want to find delicious salad recipes to try out.The pear salad sounds interesting.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/roquefort-pear-salad/detail.aspx

Okay, I can't just have texts in these posts so here is the end reward. Photos!

FETE MARKET NIGHT

One of the eating events I went to with some friends. I think most of the stuff there was just okay but I kind of expected it since it isn't really a place that would be easy for restaurants to work with. The red eye cupcake was really good.

I got a crap ton off food while lilyan watched my coat and staked out a spot by the restrooms.

She looks like her cousin in this picture. She is also holding onto one of the best things we had at Fete that night.

Now I am eating it.

This is what happens when you shy away from the camera. David looks really drunk here.

This crab chowder was more fishy than crab tasting.

MACY'S FLOWER SHOW- COLORFUL INDIA

If you check back to the post a year ago, the theme was Brazil. I think I liked the exhibit last year because it was more natural. This year they paint sprayed the flowers and dyed the flower petals. I'll probably come back here with my SF friend.