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Seth invited us to swim @ his parent's house on Friday eve. It was the four of us, the dogs, and a pot of tom khaa soup on the stove.









I wanted to stay in the pool all night, but we were going to Ft. Smith early the next morning, so we called it an early evening. We did make plans to return, but it looks like it's gonna rain all week.

We primarily went to Ft. Smith to visit family. We had this grueling schedule of going back and forth between my dad's, my stepmum's & my aunt's homes, over and over again. A few hours here and then on to the next. We never had time to ourselves, which made us exhausted & weary. In a weird way, I feel like we were some hot commodity that they couldn't get enough of. "Where are you going next and when will you be back?"

On Saturday, we had lunch with our stepmother @ Pan3ra Bread. It was o.k.. Their baked goods looked really awesome, but are currently off limits. After lunch, we got a kickass coffee @ Sweet Bay. I have to praise their iced mocha w/ soy (no cream). Magic juice! After lunch, we checked into our room and then went on to dad's.

How can I explain our father? Our relationship with him is troubled and extremely delicate. Just spending a few hours with him makes me feel physically & emotionally ill. I can't enjoy the simple fact that I'm 'back home' and hanging out in the house I grew up in. Dad is such a downer, but only with me, KMHD & our ex-stepmother, who he is stringing along. He is happy, fun & easy-going with everyone else on this planet, but us. It really gets to me that he shares his (imaginary) misery with his family only. I guess I should thank him for at least not drinking while we visited? How's that for a silver lining? We hung out right up until the breaking point. I could not have made this visit without ATM & KMHD right by my side.

After we left dad's, we drove to Ft. Chaffee to take some photos before it got dark. A lot has changed out there (Janet Huckabee Nature Center?), so we didn't find what we were looking for. In some parts, it looks like life after people. Roads are overgrown with weeds and aside from a little mowing here and there, they're just letting it go. As I understand it, most if not all buildings are full of asbestos. It would be costly to demolish them, so they're just sitting there. We ran out of time before we could take some photos, so we hightailed it to my aunt's house who had bowls of pho waiting on us.




It was one of the nicer moments of our trip. My aunt is the best cook in our family and I greedily ate that pho. My cousins & aunt are so loving and sweet. Even the little one that I previously had 'issues' with was precious. I LOVE that my aunt likes ATM. She likes to make him eat and listen to him attempt speaking Vietnamese. It's fun-NY. After supper, our cousin wanted to drive out to Ft. Chaffee & shoot a potato gun (!), but they couldn't find it, so we drove around for a little while.

No, we didn't stop by the natural history museum! This display is my uncle's. Ha!:

My littlest cousin, outside their home, on the street:

Here's Carol Ann Cross Park. Apparently, when the pond is low, you can go 'underwater' in this room that acts as an overflow catchall. Only high school kids would know this, right? KMHD, ATM & our cousin went down there. I didn't because I didn't have proper footwear on. I was kinda jealous.:


From the park, we drove to our hotel and went to sleep. I was beyond exhausted. My bones were heavy like lead.

The next morning, we met Mayumi (stepmother) for breakfast. We tried to keep it light because our aunt was going to make lunch for us before we left town. Anyway, for breakfast, we had Pan3ra Bread AGAIN. We had to do boring because we didn't have time to do the proper full breakfast spread. After breakfast, we drove out to Ft. Chaffee again to see if we could find the barracks. I have not been on base since I was a kid. Dad used to take us when he shopped at the PX. It was awesome to be there again, but I felt really sad to see it in it's current state.

In my memory, the barracks are white. Now they're yellow? You could see right into them because the doors are open. If I had better shoes on, I would've gone inside one for some snapshots.






Last year, there was a fire that wiped out about 150 buildings. I wonder if the one my mum stayed in was one of them? Just the foundation and chimneys left.


On our way to dropping off Mayumi to her home, we stopped by Pho Vietnam, better known as the Vietnamese Deli. I wanted to pick up some bahn mi for Collin as well as myself. The wait was long & the sandwiches were great, but I've been spoiled by better. That is considered sacrilege amongst peers, but I can offer no apology.



We went over to my aunt's for one last meal:



I felt bad rushing off right after being fed, but our energy was rapidly diminishing & we still had to see dad. We went to his house for a super quick cup of coffee and made our way home to Little Rock/North Little Rock.

We started feeling better once we passed Van Buren.

While on the road, I thought about our trip and figured that it was my father and my stepmother that made going home extremely difficult. There's no happiness there. Nothing is ever easy with those two. They dislike where they live; they are not advocates of Ft. Smith. I feel that we, when we have the time and are not with family, do a fantastic job of exploring and finding what we love about Ft. Smith. I love getting coffee and going to Creekmore Park. I love walking around downtown. I love hanging out @ my aunt's house with my cousins. I love driving by my old schools. I like driving through the historic district. I love retracing the steps of my old stomping grounds. I'm from there! The Ft. Smith I knew and the one that exists now are not the same. So, I'm rediscovering it, getting to know it again. I just wish that my family weren't soul-snatchers. I know, you can't choose your relatives. But, damn!

This will be the recovery week for me. So far, so good. I hope I can get a lot more swimming in. Seth!

Still not sick of you

On Wednesday evening, we picked up Alannah @ her hotel and drove to downtown NLR to dine at Starving Artist Cafe. We sat on the patio, which was nice even with the nearby construction noise pollution. Think circular saws and random alarms going off. The chef went over there and tried to put a stop to it, but it picked back up after 5 mins. Anyway, the food. We started with olive salsa w/ foccacia. I didn't overdo it, I think, but eating real bread is some kind of special. We three had different fish dinners, all served with haricot vert & a nice cheesy, starchy risotto. They are consistent because I left extremely satisfied. Our meal left us exhausted and parched (all of those olives!), so we called it an evening, which was probably a good idea because Alannah has a lot going on right now.



It turns out that I will be DJing while Eclipse Glasses plays on the roof of the Arkansas Queen. What?! I need to get a play list together! I get a little nervous when I think about it because I haven't done that in a minute. I'm really hoping that E.G. will just steal the show, so I'm only entertaining one or two randoms who are on the roof for a smoke or to talk on their cell phone. Need to start that list! Comments open for suggestions.

Mum gave me a ridic amount of cucumbers that will not be eaten fast enough. I can't give the things away; there are not a lot of cuke fans around here. I'm workin' a half-day, so I'll make some quick pickles this p.m. Everyone loveth the pickle, right? And it works out because I'm going to a pool party @ Baldy's parent's house tonight and I said I'd bring snacks. Serendipitous.

We initially planned to go camping this weekend, but, by Wednesday, we figured it would be too hot. Turns out, it was the perfect weekend to go camping -- it was in the 80s, there was a touch of coolness in the air & no humidity. Memphis was what I needed, though.

When we got into town, we drove straight to Memphis Pizza Cafe. I kept to my very strict diet all week to ensure that I could enjoy some pizza pie while on our mini-vacation. Pizza! Pizza pizza pizza pizza pizza! I miss pizza & MPC makes a crazy good pie. Since the perfect summer weather extended to Memphis, we got to dine alfresco. It was heavenly. I stuck with the plan, so things did not get ruined.

After lunch, we went to the Pink Palace Museum to satiate our curiosity about the place AND to kill time before checking in to our hotel room. I don't know, maybe I've been spoiled by better natural science museums, but I thought this was just barely o.k. It cost nearly $18 for both of us -- not worth it, IMO. There was one exhibit that we spazzed about and it was about rocks & minerals. It was pretty impressive. That huge quartz crystal they had on display? It was from Hot Springs, natch. (O'Arkansas rulez!)

Iron pyrite. Better known as Fool's Gold. Looks like some Superman stuff:

After the museum, we checked in to our room. ATM took off to Goner Records & I went swimmin'. I can't remember the last time I swam in a pool. It was nice, I had the whole of the deep end to myself & after swimming laps, I read in the sun. I am really taking to this relaxing thing. I love it.

Memphis gets an A+ for classic, old signs. Someday, I'd like to drive around and take photos of all of the old school signs they've got to offer. It's not just nostalgia, but better design. I was just complaining about modern sneaker & car design to ATM. The same applies to signs & revamped logos. They're all so...bulbous, for lack of a better word. It just offends my sensibilities. Pass the smelling salts.

ATM says that this is the classic Photography 101 sign, but it's a good one. It moves! You don't see a lot of businesses maintain a neon sign that moves.


We had supper (nothing to write home about) & hung out @ the hotel & had drinks. Actually, I didn't because it's part of the diet, but I did stock up on a few cute bottles.


On Sunday, we went to the Memphis Botanic Garden. That place is like 96 acres & we walked for a good hour & a half and probably didn't cover 30% of it. I enjoyed it. It's serene, smells fresh, and there are lots of solid old trees everywhere. They have a garden called the Japanese Garden of Tranquility. They've got koi, ya'll! I have a great affinity to feeding koi fish. They're hilarious and freaky! This lot was funny because they followed us the length of the pond. We'd walk back and forth to see the whole school swim along or toward us.



Following us to the bridge:

The swan that's had it up to here with these dang fish!



I am named after the lotus that Buddha sits on. My mum explained that it's a beautiful flower that can grow out of "despair" or an undesirable environment. KMHD & I are named after flowers which is sooooooooo my mum.






We didn't stay as long as we wanted because we were hungry. Thankfully, the roses and the irises (and other gardens) weren't in bloom, so I don't feel like we missed much. For lunch, we ate Vietnamese. ZOMG, it was kickass. It was better than anything you can get around Little Rock. I guess there's a decent-sized Vietnamese community in Memphis? I wish I could redo this meal. And the pizza one, too.

I got pho, as usual:

ATM got his usual dish, too:


After lunch, we headed back to LR.




We did walk by House of Mews:




Downtown Memphis @ 5:37 a.m.

ATM & I are going to Memphis this weekend. We've got no plans, just stepping out for a moment.

Yesterday evening was a good evening for harvesting tomatoes. I've been waiting for this! This goes w/o saying, but this is the only time of year that tomatoes are good. Any other time, they are disgusting and inedible. And I can't tell you how happy it makes me feel to grow my own. They really do taste better.


O.K., so maybe I'll revise my weight loss goal to 10 lbs. instead of 20, which is still a tall order. To be fair to myself, it will take time to do this right, so I shouldn't go for some lofty goal in such a short amount of time. Things are going well, though, just slowly.

For those of you who don't know, my mother & her siblings are Vietnamese refugees. Fort Chaffee (in Ft. Smith, Arkansas) is where they stayed when they arrived to the United States. Both of our parents have never been forthcoming about our family history. Too, it's difficult to draw anything out of them. We have bits and pieces, but we largely do not know anything about our families. To me, Ft. Chaffee is the closest thing to immediate family history that KMHD & I have. I occasionally get anxious when I hear about the disrepair or the damage that happens there. There was a big fire not long ago that wiped out a hundred barracks.

A long time ago, I was still in grade school, my mother took my sister & I to the barrack, to the very cot that she slept on. It's just a vague memory -- I wish I could remember it with total clarity. I hope to visit Chaffee really soon before there's not a lot left to reconnect with.

I'm going to ask my mum for photos, if she has any, to post here.

What is up?!

I must boast. On Friday, I took like 3-5 naps. It was awesome! I never really allow myself to let go like that. In my busy brain, there is always something to do! I'm getting the hang of this "maxxin' & relaxxin."

On the Fourth, I didn't get as many naps in, but it was still pretty lazy up until our cookout. We had a nice (Read: manageable) turn out including surprise visitor John Kushmaul.

O.K., I had to liven up this photo some, everyone looks like they're being SO GOOD! I hope you don't have a seizure looking at it, though.

It was a classic Fourth cookout w/ bocci ball, burgers, fire crackers & cold drinks. On the food front, Donna made some KILLER pickles that I can't get over. So crunchy, so dilly, so fresh! KMHD made homemade ketchup (creativity points!) & a tofu cheesecake w/ strawberry topping. She also made her own black bean burgers AND buns. What?! YUMG! Seth made deviled eggs & gazpacho. My handcrafted contribution was homemade vanilla bean ice cream. There were the usual burgers, veggie burgers, hot dogs & sausages, too. We never busted out the elote because 1. I got distracted by fireworks 2. There were too many people and 3. There was no room for it. We broke in our brand new Weber grill! Here, KMHD lays down some black bean boigas:

Man, I'm totally kicking myself for not getting one sooner. I'm talkin' 'bout the charcoal chimney! I don't know what held me back from buying one until now. I've admired them for a long time, but it doesn't really mean anything until you possess one. Aside from the obvious perk of eliminating the need for lighter fluid, it takes the guess work out of "is it ready"? ATM & I are good at keeping folks at bay until the coals are ready; one of my biggest annoyances is when someone (a guy) thinks the grill is ready when it is not. They think 5 minutes after lighting it, it's good to go. I roll my eyes as I write this! Why? Because if I try to intervene (gently and in a way that is humiliating to me) I get rebuffed & usually in a rude manner. I've since given up on trying to avert other people's (guy's) disasters, but we do have a loose "our grill, our rules" thing to ensure that no one eats a burnt-on-the-outside-raw-on-the-inside ________. This works! Yes, you can grill your own food, but not until we say! I've learned that people (guys) don't like grilling advice from me. Whatever! Anyway, the charcoal chimney. Fear_ants approved!

Yep:

I love firecrackers with surprise endings. There's the one that shoots out a little parachute; it's like the tossing of the bouquet with everyone gathering in the street to see who can catch it. Like last year, the oak tree won. "There's always next year!" That's what everyone was saying, patting each other on the back, heading back to the safety of the porch. Some went to go watch the city's fireworks display, but a lot of us stayed and shot roman candles at targets.

Friendship Pagoda!


On the Fif, we did a whole lot of nothing. I guess I managed to set up the grill to cook leftover sausages (Thank you, Peeks!) & grill some corn. We had to eat elote. We couldn't let the holiday pass without doing it. It was delicious, of course!

The day started out overcast, then it rained some, then the sun came out, but it didn't get hot/humid, and then it got overcast and then we got dumped on BIG TIME. It totally distracted me from watching True Lies because it was a raining really long and really hard.

This is what all of the ladies are sippin' on these days. Sweet Carolina! It's totally nasty & totally good.

Perfect holiday. The ideal balance of caffeine, naps, good food, rain/no rain, no mosquitoes, reading & hanging out with cats & agreeable humans. Even the cookout was easy and hosting things like that can be a lot of work.

Now it's back to the grind and I am totally struggling. I think I got used to having a mid-morning nap. Boo!

Me & ATM come home for lunch usually. To. Get. Away. From. The. Crazies. We. Work. With. Last week, our usual viewing of The Bernie Mac Show got replaced with Wimbledon, which was great. Wimbledon has since been replaced with Tour de France, which is like 3 weeks long! We've got things going for us.

I wish I was here.