MIXED WELL

Do the Puppet Master

2011-06-30T12:53:00.000-07:00

When it comes to rating myself as a dad, I’m a hard grader. For yesterday, though, I’d give myself an A.

Exhibit A: Homemade puppets, our post-nap art activity. I let Aki choose what type we’d make, and his “one track mind,” if you’ll pardon the pun, won out: everything these days is trains, trains, trains!

The materials: All reused or recycled. Gift and bagel bags; parts of empty tissue boxes; wooden coffee stirrers; coffee filters; nutella and honey lids; crayons and markers.

We also made the Little Red Caboose’s wreath (which, you may know, was its reward for saving the train from sliding down the hill) out of ribbon, glitter, and a hole-punched sticker. And our conductor (female! breaking stereotypes!) is a sticker from the drive-thru at In N Out.

Little Red Caboose Puppet

Before my bragging sends you packing to a less self-congratulating Daddy blog, though, let me explain some of my recent shortcomings, and why I allowed myself a pat on the back. You see, Aki got into his Terrible Twos about half a year early; accordingly, he seems to have entered into his Threes (whatever those should be called: Threatening? Thrilling?), ahead of schedule. And Daddy has been letting his temper get the better of him.

Aki’s always been a sassy, strong-willed little man, which I think is great in a lot of ways; after all, someone once told us, would we want our child to be weak-willed? But now that he’s speaking in increasingly complex and grammatical sentences, he’s gotten verbally sassy.

And that little temper of his? Well, he gets it from me. That and his stubbornness, although Yuri and I joke that he gets the temper from me and the stubbornness from her, or vice versa. Either way, when it's time for a tantrum or meltdown, he and I are like the Irresistible Force meeting the Immovable Object.

Aki and Daddy at Make Music Pasadena

In the past few weeks, as we’ve worked to transition him to sharing toys (and the limelight with his adorable cousin Keagan), sleeping on his own, and going potty on the toilet (still a work-in-progress), we’ve clashed, and I’ve often found myself with that sickening feeling you get after you raise your voice or even holler at your kid until they melt down.

I also admit to relying too much on Netflix to keep him entertained while I cook, tidy up, or sag into a chair, sapped of parental energy. (Although I'd have to say that this might be the Golden Age of Children's TV, with clever and instructional Nick Jr. shows like Wonder Pets and Yo Gabba Gabba, on which a painfully hipster-ish Elijah Wood recently taught Aki how to do "the Puppet Master" dance.)

Worse yet, I’ve found myself--due to poor planning, or changing things up on the fly to hang out with other family members/parents--relying too often on prepackaged, processed snacks, like the little sugary fruit snack packets from Target; a chocolate milk from the coffee shop (when I get myself a shot of Joe to get through the day); or those salty little Goldfish that kids crave like Crack.

Sugar Rush!

I would be the last person, in other words, to call myself the perfect Dad.

Yesterday, though, I decided to work a little harder. We took a nice long walk up to Gymboree (where I bought him several new outfits for less than $25: thanks, sale prices!). We got a day's worth of exercise before the day got too hot, and stopped on the way to snack on a peach, mostly avoiding artificial sweet, although we still made time for one bite-sized treat (a mini-carrot cake from Henri Charpentier, thanks to Yuri’s cousins in Japan).

We practiced introducing ourselves to a little boy playing on the “blue bench” (“It’s nice to meet you. My name is Aki. What’s your name?”) then stopped off at Fresh & Easy to get some broccoli, butter, and other things we’d need to make our fresh lunch.

Favorite Hang Out: The "Blue Bench"

I made him his favorite Choo-Choo Pasta--a recipe out of The Baby & Toddler Cookbook--wagon wheel pasta with a white cream sauce and steamed broccoli, which he wolfed down heartily. Then we re-read one of his favorite books (The Little Engine That Could) before I helped him fall asleep in his own room, no-fuss, no problem; he was tuckered out.

He slept a satisfying two-and-a-half hours while Daddy revised some poems and sent out freelance work-related emails. After his nap, we set about making our train puppets, washed rice and shucked corn for dinner, then draped the dinner table with blankets and “camped out” in our own private little world until Mommy came home.

I always feel better about myself as a Dad when I make our food myself, when we avoid burning fossil fuel with the car, and when I can remain steady and insistent in asking him to do something without seeing myself go into the red or triggering any tears on his part.

Mommy and Aki at Milk

Not every day will be like yesterday; and I know that it’s not unnatural or even the worst thing in the world to occasionally blow one’s top, even when talking to a two-and-a-half year old.

But I always want to be a better Dad, maybe since now that I’m in the thick of child-rearing, I look back with wonder at what a first-rate job my own parents did.

Before I started graduate work at USC, my old prof Stuart Friebert wrote me a letter of congratulations, asking me to send him a picture of me with my son. “It’s your most important assignment,” he wrote, and I took it to heart, since Stuart is a fine poet, educator, editor and father himself.

Each day Aki infers something new, asks a new question, remembers something I never would’ve thought he could possibly remember, recites lyrics to a song I haven’t been able to pick out myself.

He’s working as hard as he can (without even realizing it) to understand and master this world, the way we break it into discrete parts and name these parts, all the countless nuances of how and when and why we say things a certain way. The least I can do is try as hard as he tries, and give him as much support and stimulus as I can—-love, sensory-rich experiences, understanding, ethical and behavioral modeling, creative and even wonderfully nonsensical activities like making paper puppets that look like a train and a caboose.

The Butterfly Trail at the Audubon Center

Forbidden Nuts

2011-06-13T21:05:00.001-07:00

, a photo by aqua_rabbit on Flickr.

So apparently these are like the Cuban cigars of the nut world: Iranian pistachios that have been officially banned in the U.S. since late 2010.

Thanks to one of Yuri's coworkers, we got a bag of these delicious guys hand-carried from Tehran or thereabouts.

They've got a mouth-watering bite of a salty core and if I'm not mistaken are dusted with the same savory magenta-purple spice you find in quarter-sized dabs at good Persian restaurants. Help me out here: saffron?

Thanks to Nick and his wife for the delicious treat! And here's hoping we can find culinary and cultural solutions to world-craziness instead of the other uglier kind.

*cracks open a pistachio in his mouth*

*crunch*

Mothers' Urth, Father's Office

2011-04-21T23:08:00.000-07:00

Aki's Saturday morning music classes have, of course, been good for his developing ear. But they've also given us a good excuse to go out and get some good morning eats afterward. A few weeks ago, we met up with some of Yuri's old pals at Urth Caffe, everyone with kids in tow.

Sabrina (who was just about to give birth to her second -- congrats!) brought Maddy, who was cute as a button and getting tall, and Maggie knocked us out with her three kids' picture-perfect behavior. Suzanne and Gary brought not only little Isaac but gifts to keep all the other little ones happy. Never underestimate the power of crayons and Play-Doh!

Spanish Latte

The coffee at this place is un-Urth-ly: Spanish Latte: you had me at ¡hola! I had a delicious and hardy chicken sausage and potato omelet; Yuri had poached eggs over a natural beef hash.

Gary and Isaac at Urth

Aki and Isaac chased the paved-over railroad tracks into the Arts District, then we headed over to JANM to make little model houses at the Target Free Day (and check out a powerful, sobering new exhibit on the internment experience).

Hanging' in the Arts District

Pints at Father's Office

While Aki napped, I headed over to meet Eric at UCLA to get a book (which isn't in USC's library), and the two of us took a break in my old hood at the original Father's Office, with that insanely good Roquefort-melted Office Burger and a pint of Old Speckled Hen for me (a decent, nutty bitter, but served American-cold) and Alaskan White for Eric.

I dropped Eric off at the Physics Lab, then headed back home to get Yuri and Aki for a farewell party for Dave and Cat, who are set to move to Abu Dhabi for at least a year!

The Famous Burger at Father's Office

90 Degrees and Serendipitous

2011-04-16T22:30:00.000-07:00

Why the long absence and sporadic posting? A day like today goes a long way toward explaining things. Packed with color, festivity, food, family, music, and strange coincidences, it was hard to find time to catch our breath, let alone update our blog. But we'll try to give it a shot, just to help us hold onto the day that much longer.

Bright and early, we met up with Aki's cousin Keagan at the L.A. Arboretum, for Easter egg hunts, painting, and oodles of other family friendly activities with a Beatrix Potter theme.

Aki and Keagan at the Arb

Afterwards, we dashed up Baldwin Ave. to Din Tai Fung, our favorite place for siu long bao (soup-filled dumplings), and met up with Aki's uncle Eric, and Yuri's cousin Mi-chan and her husband Ken, who are expecting their first child next month. We're so excited for you guys! We also bumped into one of Chris's former co-workers, Gloria from HR, who had helped Chris get paid-time-off back when Aki was born. And her own son, Steven, was a huge almost-two himself. Time flies.

While Aki took his afternoon nap, Daddy brushed up his chops with the percussion section of the Crown City Symphony. Given that it's been about ten years since he picked up his sticks, this was a pretty dig deal.

We picked up a gift for Mi-chan at Giggle on Lake, then met up for dinner at Aki's grandparents' house, where we took home some several bags of Alaskan King and Dungeness from Boiling Crab (not too mention some cob corn, calamari, spicy catfish and fries...yum).

Since Baba was pretty wiped out from a day of teaching, she gave up her seat to Musica Angelica to Aki's Daddy, who polished off the day with Rameau and company, and discovered an old Obie classmate (and fellow current USC doctoral candidate -- weird coincidence!) behind the harpsichord.

Chris got a chance to reconnect with him for a bit at intermission -- and also downed some of our favorite coffee, provided by Jones -- and got to chat with Aki's grandpa about music, art, and all the stuff Chris is supposed to be writing/studying about right now.

Luckily, Aki and his Mommy are crashed out cozily in the next room. Time to write and study (which is the main reason we've been so slow to post, but thanks for sticking with us!)

We'll try to pack the next post with gratuitous shots of mouth-watering food!

Big Shoes to Fill

2011-01-03T12:31:00.001-08:00

Never judge a man until you've walked a mile in his shoes. But what if they're your auntie's shoes and compared to your own they're gi-no-mo?

We always knew Aki was a shoe-in for following in his auntie's footsteps...

2010: A Year In Food

2010-12-28T21:40:00.000-08:00

Roast beef sandwich at Europane

Few things are as fleeting as the taste of what you just ate or drank. Paradoxically, few experiences are as heartily satisfying, or engage us so completely in the moment, in the present--aesthetically, sensually, even spiritually--as a good meal. That's why, as we come to the end of another year, we're thinking it might not be such a bad idea to reflect on the last three hundred or so days in terms of food.

It's impossible to sum up the ups and downs, ins and outs, and essential moments of the year in just a few words. And, come on: isn't it more fun to gloss over the things you ate, and grin like idiots at the memory of those mouth-watering sandwiches/dumplings/noodles that you slurped up/supped/swallowed? Wouldn't it be much better to start to daydream about hitting some of those places all over again next year?

We certainly think so. Which is why, below the cut, you can find much musing on recurring themes we identified from all the delicious stuff we ate in 2010.

The Nom Nom Truck at Jones Coffee

Food Trucks
Dumpling Station. Nom Nom Truck. Patty Wagon. The Grilled Cheese Truck. We hit more than a few of these gloriously L.A.-ish meals-on-wheels this past rotation around the sun, and all we can say is, man is it good to live here!

Aki outside the KoolHaus Truck

Lemongrass chicken tacos from the Nom Nom Truck

Our favorite so far, though, isn't Kogi, the Korean taco truck that Twittered the whole truck phenomenon into hipster hysteria, nor is it the Dim Sum truck, who we found parked inside the Americana one Saturday morning. No, we probably have to go with Food Network-fave Nom Nom Truck, whose creators dish out delicious Vietnamese fusion tacos and banh mi. We're getting hungry just typing about it.

Mini-burgers from the Patty Wagon

Dinner at Torihei

Small Plates
God, we love small plates. Though the tapas-inflected version has crested here in So Cal of late, izakayas (Japanese style pubs) have been carrying the small plate torch here for ages. Our favorite izakaya this year by far is the newish Torihei, where we just can't get enough of pretty much anything they'll feed us. Yum and a half.

Seco de carne from Mo-Chica

We had another incredible small plate experience at Mo-Chica near USC: it's a high-end Peruvian joint in a little warehouse/food court in Downtown L.A. where on occasional Thursdays the chefs host a tasting menu: you don't get to choose; you get the same several delicious courses everyone else gets. It's an extravaganza of spectacularly concocted and plated Peruvian delicacies. A-freakin'-mazing.

Caffeine
Pasadena and its environs (including, broadly speaking, Eagle Rock, Silver Lake, and Echo Park) took the cup of Joe to a 'hole nutha level this year, with Jones Coffee opening up new digs in Pasadena's warehouse district (and hosting the Nom Nom truck on Friday nights), Intelligentsia opening up a combined coffee bar-eatery in Old Town, and places like Le Mill and the Coffee Table continuing to brew to (caffeine) high standards.

Europane, one of our favorite java-plus-gourmet food places in Pasadena, opened up a second shop not far from its first, across from Paseo. Chefs far and wide praise the egg salad sandwich, but the roast beef is to die (and slobber) for.

Cupcakes
To borrow a bit from Papa Hemingway, the reports of the death of cupcakes are greatly exaggerated. The retro-sugar bomb trend that everyone expected to fade as soon as it flared in the pre-Tens just. Won't. Go. Away.

And we're more than a little complicit in keeping it all going. Some of the best cupcakes we had this year were from Lark in Silver Lake. They were so damned good we wanted to just keep slicing the last piece of each cupcake in half over and over again to keep it from ending. If someone hadn't stopped us, we might've split an atom and blown all the cupcakeries of So Cal away in a sugary mushroom cloud of frosting.

Sweets counter at Bottega Louie

Fine Dining...with Kids!
Thanks to sympathetic in-laws (who, let's face it, jump at any chance to spend time with their grandson), we got to enjoy several nights out this year at pretty fancy-schmancy places...with a toddler. Luckily, either Baba and Jiji or Lolo and Lola not only refused to let us pick up the tab, but they also helped us keep Aki entertained (and eating).

One of our favorite fancy places to eat this year was the Green Street Tavern in Old Town, a dark-paneled, Arts & Crafts-looking dining room with good short ribs and a fantastic white chocolate croissant bread pudding. Baba and Jiji took us there to celebrate Chris getting into the doctoral program at SC with a fellowship.

Thanks to Baba and Jiji, we also got to enjoy, among other things, one helluva good blue corn-flour Chicago-style pizza and epic bread pudding from Masa in Echo Park. Lucky? We know it.

Eggs Benedict at Bottega Louie

Hell's Kitchen in Minneapolis was another amazingly deep menu we got to sample thanks to Lolo and Lola. And Bottega Louie in Downtown L.A. is our go-to spot for a good brunch (followed by the city's best macarons) or a delicious dinner that has to include their white pizza (smothered with arugula) and addictive portobello fries.

Slaw Dogs in North Pasadena

Roadside Revival
Last but not least, we love the way creative restaurateurs are juicing up classic roadside dishes for fabulous foodie delectation. Slaw Dogs in North Pasadena is a great example, with delicious, creative mashups of butterflied or rippered sausages with gourmet ingredients like truffle oil (on fries), thai slaw (on a dog), or all the accoutrements of a reuben.

Of course, our old favorite The Oinkster is still our roadside beacon in Eagle Rock, with its bad-ass pastrami, pulled pork, burgers, and well, pretty much anything they serve.

It's Good to Be the King

2010-12-25T22:06:00.000-08:00

Here's our little two-year old champ at a recent church Christmas pageant, hamming it up (with his buddy Kamryn) as one of the three kings.

The days are a flash, and ever since we started him (part-time) at day care, his language has been snowballing. On the way to his grandparents the other day, he asked me out of the blue, "Where did the Christmas lights go, Daddy?"

It's been a deliriously happy year, and we're thankful for a million little (and big) things. It's an incredible privilege to get paid to write and read books; it's an even greater privilege to get to see a human being grow before your very eyes, and to have that little being trust you with every fiber of their being.

It's wonderful to share each others' lives, to cook as much as possible, and to pick up Chinese food on Christmas Day and eat it in your warm kitchen while more torrential rains come down on Southern California.

My cup runneth over, the Psalmist wrote. But the truth is that it's been running over since the day we were born. Giving yourself over to what you love makes it easier to hear and taste it.

Alhambra Farmer's Market

2010-11-21T22:21:00.000-08:00

The Big Man Upstairs cranked down the climate control on So Cal this weekend, and even threw in a decent amount of rain over the last couple of nights. Still, the sun busted through the clouds for a spell today, long enough at least for us to hit the Alhambra Farmer's Market and pick up some "baby" vegetables for the big Turkey Feast this Thursday.

You've gotta love it when farmers from Santa Maria roll down with crackling carrots so sweet you just can't stop eating them raw. We even split a bag of oranges with Tommy and Lisa and got to make googly faces at a very smiley and cuddly baby Keagan.

And who knew that in addition to Chinese and Japanese eggplants there were Filipino and Thai ones as well? Can't wait to see what they taste like!

Tea Two: Jin Patisserie and the Huntington

2010-08-02T06:00:00.000-07:00

Ah, tea. Few things could seem further removed from L.A. and its taco trucks, strip malls, and In 'N Out burgers than a cup of English Breakfast and a couple of cucumber sandwiches.

But as a former tea snob (at least of the "loose-leaf-Twinings-Earl-Grey-with-milk-and-two-lumps-of-sugar" variety), I'd say that when it comes to tea and its entourage of sweets and finger sandwiches, I wouldn't count L.A. out.

There are straight-ahead tea rooms like the Huntington's, where we recently had afternoon tea with Aki's Lolo and Lola. And there are places that like to juice up the somewhat stodgy traditions of tea time with an East Asian or Californian twist, like Chado or Jin Patisserie, where we joined Tommy, Lisa, and a couple of their friends for high tea to celebrate Lisa's birthday.

Whichever way you want to cut it, most of your tea party desires can easily be quenched in the City of Angels. And yes, you can put your pinky up in the air while you sip your Darjeeling. We'll just look at you funny.

Jin Patisserie

Though we didn't opt for a full-fledged "babymoon," Yuri and I lived it up after we found out we were pregnant with Aki. By living it up, I mean we feasted our hearts out at as many not-so-baby-friendly places as we could before the due date rolled around.

This past spring, we got to join Tommy and Lisa as they did the same thing, dining at some yummy-licious L.A. establishments before baby Keagan burst onto the scene in June.

Jin is a converted home, with its exclusively outdoor seating wedged between the "house" (a photos-forbidden bungalow with the cashier, dessert display, and restroom) and a fence separating diners from the sidewalk and the bustling, bourgie Abbott Kinney neighborhood.

I had an elegant pot of Darjeeling and Yuri had a strong pot of macha; we split a pair of sandwiches with clean presentation and balanced flavors. As far as the tea-time sweets and pastries, though, I'm still a little partial to the Scarlet Tea Room's. (It's probably just Pasadena pride!)

Jin is a little narrow, muted in volume, and tough to negotiate in case of a toddler meltdown, but luckily, there seem to be many other stroller-toting folks in attendance. (Tea and sympathy, or so you'd hope!)

Like everywhere else in the Venice/Santa Monica ballpark, Jin's bright, clear ocean air is a meal in itself. With the dog days panting down our throats, the idea of a pot of gourmet tea by the ocean is more than a little tempting.

The Rose Garden Tea Room at the Huntington

Who knew that ginger and carrot pressed between two slices of bread could be so good?

The Rose Garden Tea Room's buffet-style sandwich and sweets selection might be off-putting to some, but if you put your pride and prejudice aside, it's easy to enjoy the Huntington Tea Room's bed-and-breakfast atmosphere, and of course the matchless view of the railway magnate's prized rose garden.

Speaking of roses, the Huntington's rose tea is wonderfully complex and aromatic, and fills your mouth and nostrils at the same time. And what could be better than walking off the sandwiches (and caffeine jitters) on the garden's grounds, maybe popping in to peruse the Gutenberg Bible?

And did we mention those warm scones? And rammies of clotted cream?

Desert Garden at the Huntington

Huntington's Japanese Garden

On the parental side of things, the maitre d' couldn't have been sweeter to Aki, and the bustling atmosphere was perfect for him (especially after wolfing down some of those scones), especially with the promise of a dip in the Children's Garden's mesmerizing fountains.

Rating for little ones? Two thumbs up. Rating for tea time, overall? Two pinkies up. Way up.

Breakfast at Bottega

2010-07-25T16:48:00.000-07:00

Ah, Bottega Louie: The mere mention of this uber-popular, cavernous, small plate-specializin' deli/bar/eatery near Grand and 5th makes us want to wrap Downtown L.A. in our arms and smother it with kisses. MWAH!

The way Yuri puts it: If we had wads of money falling out of our pockets, we'd eat there, oh, three or four times a day.

It isn't, though, the easiest place to bring an infant or toddler. We've only eaten their once, in fact, and that was on our anniversary, when we let grandma and grandpa play with Aki while we ate at Bottega then caught Band of Horses at L.A. Live.

But it left a deep impression. So, when Aki recently had his last summer class at Colburn, we decided to spoil ourselves and head down to the marble-tiled, high-ceiling'd Louie to grab some fancy (and surprisingly affordable) breakfast a hop, skip, and jump away from Colburn and the Disney Concert Hall.

I had eggs, which comes with a smattering of short order goodness: applewood-smoked bacon (not visible in the first picture above because, well, Aki ate it all), toast, home style potatoes, and a succulent turkey sausage.

Yuri's salmon benedict easily put mine to shame. Talk about your pitch perfect hollandaise. And if there's a better slice of salmon in town, I don't need to know about it.

Books and crayons: Don't leave home without 'em!

We ordered a delicious and refreshing medley of fresh and seasonal fruits for Aki, but as I mentioned above, the bacon kind got in the way. Whatever makes the kids happy while you chow down!

Meanwhile, Bottega's morning cup o' Joe lived up to its afternoon and evening selections of wine. And the servers (and managers) couldn't have been any nicer.

Whoever's in charge of this place, keep doin' what you're doin'. Downtown and its denizens thank you!

View of Disney Concert Hall from Colburn Music School

Quincy Market and Little Italy: Beantown, Part 3

2010-06-28T06:00:00.000-07:00

Aki and Baba at breakfast in Quincy Market

Since we only had a few days in Beantown, we didn't want to waste any time seeing the sights. We also had Jiji and Baba to pace us, since they were traveling with Eric's uncle from Japan, Shupopoji.

We caught the Green Line by ourselves not too late in the morning, headed off to Government Center, and met up with Jiji, Baba, and Shupopoji at Quincy Market for a little breakfast.

It's hard to figure out how much to bring with you when you leave the hotel. Sure, there's places you can buy milk, and places you can ask to have it heated up, but it also gives you a lot of peace of mind to know you've got a few extra cartons in an icepack and a Tommee Tippee you plug into an outlet (thanks, Auntie Lisa!) to heat that stuff up.

Here's the downside to overpacking, though: It gets heavy. Real heavy. Especially when you're also toting around a 26-pound toddler, an umbrella stroller, snacks, and changes of clothes for everyone. Yikes! It's a good thing we didn't bite the bullet and buy a DSLR for this trip: Our iPhone and P&S were good enough.

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After finding a nice, greasy combo of bacon, sausage, potatoes, toast, and eggs, we strolled out to see the Atlantic, then circled back to meet up with everyone and walk over to Little Italy.

Aki catnapped for a spell on his Mama's shoulder, as we passed a section of the Freedom Walk, including Paul Revere's house.

Dad popped into a couple of trattorias, then decided on a little place called La Summa with the nicest proprietor you could hope for. A bunch of silver-haired ladies were having a reunion in the front room--they'd all grown up in the area and have been meeting up for a celebratory lunch once a year for the last 40 years or so--and cooed over Aki after he woke up.

Catnap outside Paul Revere's House

It was decent, hardy Italian fare, washed down with a couple of brews, and the folks at La Summa were kind enough to give us some milk AND warm it up for us. We even managed to change Aki's diaper in one of La Summa's cozy little restrooms.

After lunch, though, it was time for the main event: Gelato down the street at Vittorio's.

Music: Top Five Tracks of 2010 (So Far)

2010-06-18T09:00:00.000-07:00

2010 is another banner year for indies, with some wunderkinds from the pre-Tens issuing sophomore and junior albums (Vampire Weekend, July's new album by M.I.A., Band of Horses) and some new (or at least semi-new) acts getting their fair share (or more) of buzz.

Folks seem to be raving about She & Him, for example, M-Ward's "Swell Season" with Zooey Deschanel. Sure, it's charming, but it's also kind of bloodless. On the other hand, I go gaga about pretty much anything Danger Mouse does, so Broken Bells (his duo with Shins' frontman James Mercer) has me itching to run down to Amoeba.

Since "Top Ten" lists seem to be out like the seventies (call it a sign of our ever-shrinking attention spans) we're cutting our list down to a much shorter, tighter, and more manageable five songs from the first half of 2010, released between January and June.

Below the cut, listen to a playlist of tunes we've had on constant rotation, complete with (sometimes snarky) commentary. Mix, enjoy, repeat.

Bloodbuzz Ohio (The National)

So good it could be a whole list in itself. That's all. Or as an old friend of mine put it, you just want to lock yourself in a dark room and listen to this track again and again. And again. And again.

Me and Jane Doe (Charlotte Gainsbourg and Beck)

There's a lot of first-class brooding and pensiveness on IRM, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Beck's collaboration that straddles 2009 and 2010. I'm a little surprised at how solid the whole thing is, since CG has kind of a flat, detached singing and songwriting style (she's a "chanteuse," after all). But this track not only has a catchy, tongue-in-cheek, spinning across the meadows upbeat-ness to it, it also has an irresistibly free-wheeling and elegant guitar hook (plus what sounds like Javanese gamelan samples)—vintage Beck.

The Ghost Inside (Broken Bells)

Like I said, Brian Burton (aka Danger Mouse) could record an album of vuvuzela duets and I'd be all over it. But while I found the first couple of advance tracks from Broken Bells (Mongrel Heart, The High Road) intriguing but not indispensable, "The Ghost Inside" has just the right mix of fat, measured beats I'd expect from Danger Mouse (hand claps for the win!) and an unexpected, Bee Gees-worthy falsetto from James Mercer. Why yes, I'll have another (insert your favorite alcoholic beverage here).

Beach House

Norway (Beach House)

Beach House's music makes me want to take a long walk on a wintry shore on some other planet. There's just a touch of Cocteau Twins in the dreamy reverb and breathy backup vocals, but then you have that warbling, organ-grinder wallpaper of a pedal tone and the throb of that Hamm's "Land of Sky Blue Water" tom-tom. Beach House's songs are so loose and natural that you feel like you have all the time in the world—lor some other world—leven though the track lasts just over four minutes. More, please.

White Sky (Vampire Weekend)

Ezra Koenig and Co. quickly became 2008's The Strokes, the band that everyone either loved to love or loved to hate. I never stopped liking their peppy, kwassa kwassa-inflected indie pop, but then again, I'm a fortysomething in a 34-year old's body, an "All Songs Considered" poster child. (The other day at the polls, a gray-haired fortysomething voter grinned at my T-shirt, which referenced the classic Nintendo's video game "Contra," and said "Great album!") I wasn't surprised, then, that Vampire Weekend's sophomore album was another collection of candy and earworms. What I was surprised about was a post by Momus, one of my favorite and perennially hipper-than-thou, crustily forward-looking artists/musicians/bloggers, wherein he declared that he dug Vampire Weekend's new album. The band had lobbied for his support for their first album, but to no avail. What won the crotchety Momus over this time? He gave it up to Koenig's "charm offensive." Come to think of it, that might be a better name for the band.

Copley Square Hotel: Beantown, Part 2

2010-06-17T09:00:00.000-07:00

Here's one piece of advice we'd give to anyone traveling with a toddler or infant: Ask your hotel for a refrigerator.

The folks at the Copley Square Hotel in Boston—a slickly remodeled boutique hotel in (like all of Boston) an antique building situated conveniently near the T in an upscale neighborhood—were kind enough to reserve the one refrigerator available for us.

It was just a tiny thing, but since there was a Shaw's (somewhere between a Bristol Farm and a Von's, according to Eric) just down the street, we were able to load up with milk each night, and more than a few bottles of water, and freeze our ice pack for walking around the city each day. Trust us: It's worth asking!

Another essential piece of advice is to travel with your in-laws. Not only did Aki's Jiji and Uncle meet us at the airport and help us lug our luggage laden with toddler goodies through Boston's mass transit system, but Jiji and Baba helped us lug around our milk and snack-heavy each day and made it possible for us to, oh, eat every now and then.

A sleek, trendy bar for the younger set fronts the hotel (crisp black modern lines, plush cushions, and a "fireplace" composed of dozens of faux frosted glass candles), and there are free wine tastings every night from 5-6 p.m. which, as anyone who knows us could tell you, is like the icing on the cake. Granted, every time we've come to Boston we've tasted wine and it's always been from California, but who's going to complain when it's free?

With its restored-to-trendiness/art deco feel, the Copley Square Hotel reminded us of some of the boutique-y places we've stayed at in San Francisco or Greece. Following another parent guidebook's advice, we ate a meal or two in the hotel (again courtesy of Shaw's!) to help make the place feel like "home" for Aki (and also saving a couple of bucks in a relatively pricey tourist trap like Boston!).

Oh, and our last piece of advice about traveling with a toddler is to have a friend get you the hook ups: The Copley Square Hotel isn't exactly budget, especially during graduation season (contrary to Spinal Tap's assertions), but Kano was able to find us a great deal at the travel agency where she worked before moving on to bigger and better things. Thanks, Kano!

First Flight: Beantown, Part 1

2010-06-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

In the weeks leading up to our trip to Boston—our first airplane trip with Aki—Yuri and I were pretty wound up. I, for one, literally lost sleep worrying about how it would be.

Not only was it going to be Aki's first time up in the air (and our first time traveling in an airplane as parents), but it was going to take six hours.

How many times had I had a toddler behind or near me on other flights, kicking the back of my seat, fussing, or just plain hollering their poor little lungs out because of the pressure on their ears? And didn't I still have some bad memories of plane flights myself as a child, particularly the hellishly long flight to the Philippines my parents took me on when I was three (with stopovers in Hong Kong and Tokyo, if I remember right)?

We got all kinds of advice from folks who took the plunge before us, some of it helpful, some of it not so. (We refrained, for example, from trying to slip Aki some Brandy before takeoff).

So, combining all of that advice into careful packing (by Yuri), a battle plan, and a kind of kamikaze fatalism (by Chris), we brought plenty of books, toys, and snacks to keep him entertained, happy, and chewing (to help pop his ears). Yuri also got up early on the day of the flight to make a whole bunch of musubi (8 spam and 8 tuna!).

And for the most part, we didn't need most of it (except for the musubi, of course: we finished most of that!) The novelty of being on an airplane kept Aki occupied for a good chunk of the time.

There was also a little redheaded boy named Jasper sitting in front of us who was about the same age as Aki, and a little Filipina girl sitting behind him. They kept popping over the backs and fronts of Aki's seat like prairie dogs playing peekaboo.

(We befriended Jasper's mom at the end of the flight, thinking we'd never see her again, and then bumped into her a few days later at Tufts during Eric's graduation: small world!)

We had some of the kindest stewardesses in the world—a sharp contrast to the short-tempered hags on our return flight. These kindly ladies were totally patient with our newbie fussiness and worries and warmed up Aki's bottles without batting an eye.

From Boston 2010

Poor Yuri: The day of the flight was also her birthday, so it was spent for the most part in worry, transit, then relief. But Aki, little prince that he is (most of the time!), gave her the best gift possible: He was an absolute dream on his first flight.

Torihei: Chicken On a Stick Perfected

2010-05-14T09:00:00.000-07:00

When I first got to L.A., I didn't know my puet from my elbow. Luckily, a guy I knew from Oberlin gave me the lowdown on where to hang and where to eat.

Certain neighborhoods figured into his recommendations: He was fond of Palms, with places like Cafe Brasil and Versailles topping off his list. Torrance, a less-than glamorous sprawl of suburbia in the South Bay, didn't make his top ten. In fact, he recommended I skip over it.

"There's nothing there," he said. "Nothing at all."

After a decade in L.A., I now know he couldn't have been more wrong.

After one incredible feast of kushiyaki and Kyoto-style oden at Torihei, the only U.S. outpost of a franchise with eateries in Ginza and Yokohama, we were already looking forward to our next trip down the 110 for more beer and meat on a stick.

Kano & Yuri at Torihei

If you don't have a friend like Kano to show you the ropes, Torrance is as impenetrable as a Chinese box. The zoning is a complete mystery; there's block after block of warehouses, stitched together with strip malls packed with cell phone shops (what is this, the '90s?), gas stations, and Japanese restaurants.

The problem is, which one of these places is good? There's hundreds of them. And once you pick a place, how do you know what to order?

Well, with Kano, we always let her do the ordering (although after a recent conversation with Lisa's friend Chung-Yee, I couldn't help ordering the chicken-skin yakitori).

With Kano, there always ends up being too much food. But it also always ends up being an absolute feast.

Rather than blabber on and on (too late!), let me reproduce, verbatim, the semi-drunken notes I typed up in a delirium of foodie bliss just after we got home from Torihei:

Oden #1

Absolutely Delicious

Oden #1: A pouch of shrimp in a slurp-worthy broth. The broth was so delicious Aki was drinking it from the rim of the bowl!

Oden #2

Oden #2: A brighter, tangier broth with boiled half-eggs stuffed with salmon roe.

Karaage

Karaage: Succulent Japanese-style fried chicken with the fatty tang of skin but dark, rich meatiness of moist thigh meat. (Of course, can't have yakitori without a tall, sweaty bottle of Asahi.)

Daikon: smothered with ume (plum), twisting together the refreshing, the tart, and the sour.

Fish cakes

Fish cakes:, tender as soft tofu, in a broth with a garnish of yuzu.

Beef tongue kushiyaki: Each slice with a dollop of sharp wasabi; thick-cut but just the right size to tuck between your teeth.

Yakitori

Yakitori #1: Plain Jane, straight-ahead yakitori, tender and bursting with flavor (and dipped in a mound of salt).

Yakitori #2: Chicken skin accordioned on a stick, each bite almost disappearing like smoke in your mouth.

Yakitori #3: Chicken hearts with cloves of garlic. According to Kano, always order the special heart, not just the regular heart. The special heart is fattier (mine is probably special too, unfortunately: time to hit the gym), mouth-watering.

Chicken meatball yakitori

Yakitori #4: Chicken meatballs. Almost too big for a single bite, but a just-crisp-enough casing and mild ground chicken flavor on the inside.

Interesting

Woven basket of roasted ginkgo nuts, rolled in salt.

So-so

Kalbi: Too voluptuous seasoning, not enough char.

Asparagus: Bacon-wrapped asparagus rolled in Japanese curry. An interesting idea, but the asparagus was still too raw, and the flavors didn't blend.

Gratuitous karaage shot

One of the best parts about eating at authentic Japanese eateries, for us, is that Aki gets in on the act. Maybe it's because he twists and turns at the slightest hint of a Japanese morpheme, looking for an aunt or uncle or grandparent. Or maybe it's because his Ojii-san and Obaa-san love taking him to shabu-shabu at Shinsengumi in Monterey Park once a month.

In any case, Aki is down with pretty much any flavor redolent of the Japanese kitchen: miso, soy, tofu, bonito, white rice, noodles, pickled fish...you name it.

He can be a handful in a restaurant, it's true. But as a child, I was as picky as picky can get, and my parents will swear to it. As long as Aki loves stuffing his face with exotic flavors, I don't mind a little wriggling, wrestling, and piercing screams that get other customers' eyes rolling.

After all, Torihei is an izakaya, people: It's supposed to be loud!

And as far as izakayas go, Torihei easily has the best pub grub we've ever had. And that includes Japan.

Do yourself a favor and block out a few hours to eat (and drink) in Torrance. It's as good as it gets.

From April 2010

With Apologies to NYC

2010-05-03T13:30:00.000-07:00

Authorities on Sunday reported a suspicious-looking toddler approaching the guest bathroom with a battery-powered toy in hand.

When approached, the suspect attempted to hurl the toy, a combination Elmo/Cookie Monster wand-thing, into the open toilet.

Thanks to the combined efforts of local law enforcement (i.e., Mommy and Daddy), disaster was averted and Elmo and Cookie were saved.

The suspect is still at large.

Art with Lolo and Lola

2010-04-26T00:53:00.000-07:00

Aki, Lolo & Lola in front of Urban Lights

I have a feeling this is going to be one of those photos that Aki is going to find twenty years from now, yellowing in an album he's just dug up out of some cupboard or basement archive. He probably won't remember taking the picture, or the visit his Lolo and Lola made in April 2010, but the proof will be right there in front of him.

He's even less likely to remember popping into LACMA with his grandparents and seeing the Renoir in the 20the Century show on the 2nd floor of the new BCAM building (which critics have lambasted, but is a decent assemblage of late works by a pretty muscular painter, and is convenient for those of us who won't be able to hop on a flight to Paris any time in the near future!).

Part of the reason it'll be hard for him to remember is that LACMA has a new, strict, and unpleasant no-photo policy, which includes not only the art, but anything inside their buildings. Which is too bad, because I thought one interesting photo project might be to just take pictures of all of the different types of chairs on LACMA's massive grounds.

Some of the mean docents on the first floor of BCAM even scolded Aki for touching the massive Richard Serra sculpture, which is basically a gigantic maze made out of corrugated iron. Relax, people! Talk about your spoil sports!

Luckily, Aki has taken to making his own art lately, thanks to some chalks his auntie Lisa bought him, and unlike the Broad family and the totalitarian meany-heads they employ at LACMA/BCAM, we generously allow photography of Aki's original artworks. So kick back and enjoy. You might even see some of Aki's "urban" and "guerrilla" art on or in your local stoops and sidewalks. We apologize for any inconvenience. But just remember, it washes off pretty easily.

Always Room for Pollo Saltado

2010-04-14T09:19:00.000-07:00

The last time we made this pollo saltado recipe, we were cooking for eight. So we didn't feel bad about following Chowhound's advice and using frozen french fries. (Who has time to peel and cut that many potatoes?)

This time, though, we made the fries fresh, and it made all the difference in the world. Yuri's Mom has a good tip for the spuds, too: Nuke 'em for a few minutes before slicing and frying them, and they'll cook much quicker.

The only problem was that I didn't season them enough. We could've used more paprika and cumin. Ah well: Live and learn!

One thing that was surprisingly perfect was the match with this inexpensive wine that we picked up from Fresh & Easy. It's a Malbec, which of course means Argentina, not Peru, but it's a pretty close match, especially for a fiver!

Açaí: Breakfast of Champions

2010-04-07T09:07:00.000-07:00

Talk about a power breakfast.

I recently picked up some frozen packets of açaí on the Westside, at a little Brazilian plaza on Venice, right across the street from the original Cafe Brasil. There were recipes for açaí smoothies and açaí with granola written on the packaging, but my cousin Virgil, who is an up-and-coming MMA fighter and eats for a little extra power, shared his recipe with me. This wonder juice might eventually phase out my need for coffee.

Okay, that's not very likely. But it's delicious and packed with protein, fiber, antioxidants, and all kinds of other goodies.

Oh, and it tastes freakin' good. I highly recommend it. (Although I'd recommend buying your açaí from a Brazilian market and not from Whole Foods, since the big organic change charges you an arm and a leg for it.)

Virgil's recipe:

1 packet of frozen açaí
1 banana
A handful of strawberries, blackberries, or other fruit
1 cup soy milk or yogurt (I use half of each)
1/2 cup juice (mango juice makes it perfect)

Pop in your Magic Bullet and blend, and either drink it down or serve with a bowl of granola. For our last batch, we also toasted a tablespoon of flax seeds and blended them in, which added even more texture (and Omega-3s).

Play Date and Fanta-Sea Grill

2010-04-05T09:00:00.000-07:00

JT and Aki

This is my buddy JT. My Dad and JT's parents had a play date the other day at Garfield Park.

Afterward, JT's folks introduced us to Fanta-sea Grill in South Pas, a hole in the wall with some of the freshest fish in town. Check out these freaky lobsters.

Daddy ordered an Atlantic salmon, which comes with a swirl of brown and white rice and some veggies (blecch...but Daddy liked them).

The salmon was yummy. And JT's parents were funny. JT and I kicked each other's feet in the strollers.

Okay. Good night.

Like a Big Pizza Pie

2010-04-03T09:00:00.000-07:00

Instead of just asking the world why we couldn't all just get along, Rodney King should've just told City Hall to order enough pizzas for the entire city of Los Angeles. L.A. Riots solved.

Is there anyone who doesn't like pizza? (If there is, don't tell me: It will irrevocably shake my world view.)

In any case, I had to show off these scratch pizzas my sister-in-law made for us last week with three different varieties of heirloom tomatoes from Bristol Farms.

Yum. And, we got to take home leftovers. Cup runneth over-ing? Check.

Healthier, Yummier Mabo Tofu

2010-04-02T09:00:00.000-07:00

Here's a (slightly) healthier twist to Mabo Tofu: Try using ground turkey instead of ground beef, and add a shredded carrot, both for all that carroty goodness and for the eye: Doesn't everything look better with orange? (Okay, maybe not everything.)

We have to do a little disclosure here and say we usually pull a Sandra Dee with our Mabo and make it semi-homemade. We use House Foods' Chinese Mabo Tofu Sauce--we're busy parents! Anyway, you can kick up the flavor by sauteeing your ground turkey with a couple of gloves of garlic, and of course garnish, garnish, garnish with some fresh-cut green onions.

Yuri's been keeping the ends of the scallions in water, and those suckers regrow like the Dickens. I think green onions might be able to solve the world's energy problems.

Books By Day, Books By Night

2010-03-31T23:39:00.000-07:00

Yuri kept encouraging me to take Aki to Story Time at the South Pasadena Library for, oh, about a month. She just didn't give up, even when I got cranky and snapped about how hard it is sometimes to get the little guy going before lunch time (especially when Daddy can get crabby after not writing for a couple of days).

Boy, am I glad I listened to my wife.

Besides being jam-packed with an amazing group of smart and funny kids (as well as their cool South Pas-area parents), South Pas's Story Time features what must be one of the greatest children's librarians ever.

What a reader! She started off with Taro Gomi's "Spring", and threw in a little singing and dancing, and a little wiggling to get out the willies to boot.

The noble librarian rewarded each of her auditors with a handsome hand stamp. I rewarded us with a post-Story Time pit stop at Kaldi's, my favorite coffee shop, which is just a stone's throw away.

What a mocha. And Aki couldn't get enough of the whipped cream.

Taking a stroll in South Pas's Mission District is, of course, a reward on any day, especially for a kid who loves to watch trains.

And we were pleased to see that the unlucky but lovely corner lot that's been the former site of both 750 ml and Little Parlor will soon be bringing our favorite Indian restaurant, Radhika, back to life.

Reading is also always a big part of our bed time routine, even last Saturday, when we joined a billion other folks for Earth Hour. With our lights and all non-electric appliances off, we read a little Easter tale by one of my favorite children's authors, Tomie de Paola, by candlelight.

From Day One, I hoped books would be as big a part of Aki's life as they are for mine. So far, so good.

Garfield Park

2010-03-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

We would have felt bad about bringing Aki to so many activities on Saturday if it weren't for the fact that everything was planned around him!

Our first stop after music class was Garfield Park. We buzzed by this spot in South Pasadena to meet up with several other families who had young kids. It was great to trade stories about the little ones, and even better to let them go and enjoy themselves in one of the best parks in the area.

Aki's already been swinging and sliding since our trip to Mammoth last year. This time, though, he worked up the courage to climb up himself and take the big plunge:

From March 2010

We weren't sure how many of the families at the park were there to meet up with our group: It was pretty crowded. But we love the South Pas vibe. Everyone was friendly and kept a good eye on their kids. And with the weather warming up in So Cal, it was the perfect time to take the little guy out to run around and go crazy.

From March 2010

Chicken Soup with Tofu, Miso, and Lomo

2010-03-12T23:04:00.000-08:00

As much as possible, we like to make Aki's food from scratch. Besides the fact that you know exactly what's going into your child's food, it's just fun. And since I feel like I could use some brushing up on my kitchen fundamentals, this full-time Daddy business is just great for everybody.

Well, at least when Aki likes what we make. And it's pretty easy to tell when he doesn't, because it ends up on the floor, in his hair, on his pants, etc.

Today, though, was a hit. Following Yuri's advice, I started off with some leftover, homemade chicken stock. Aki wasn't feeling well the other day, afer a bad reaction to his MMR, so we went with the tried and true chicken soup, with grated carrots and greens.

(I have to pause for a sec here and explain that I recently discovered the MoreLomo app for the iPhone, which simulates lomographic cameras, which is why these snaps got all arty.)

I added half a block of medium firm tofu, cut into cubes. After boiling it for about 3 minutes, I turned off the heat and stirred in a tablespoon of miso paste.

Aki, who's normally a picky eater (it's karma smacking me in the face!), gobbled it straight up, including the veggies.

And keeping on with the whole analog unpredictability of lomography, here's a couple more fun shots we took today, including one of us video chatting with Lolo and Lola. Aki hammed it up for them, of course, and for our part, we got to peer into my childhood home, through the picture window, out into the cul-de-sac and the last bits of a record year of snow.

We signed off and ran a couple of errands in the warmish weather, a nice change after a couple of chilly days, then came home to get our Friday Night dinner going.

OK, eating out once in a while is great, but eating together at home is as good as it was when I was a kid.

Lomo #4: Trader Joe's elevator

Lomo #5: Hostas (I think?)

Going for a Stroll

2010-03-11T09:20:00.000-08:00

From February

Morning with Aki, March 2010. Hey, these iPhones take great pictures if there's great light. And if you have a great subject!

Music: Voluntary Butler Scheme

2010-03-03T09:00:00.000-08:00

I realize it's bad karma to drive a regular, internal combustion engine car just for the hell of it. But I have to be honest and say there's nothing like cruising on empty city streets on a Sunday night and listening to the radio. If we have grandkids someday, they'll probably look at me like some kind of war criminal when I tell them I used to just drive around for fun on a foreign-imported tank of disintegrated dinosaur juice. Sorry, kids, in advance.

At any rate, songs like this fresh track from Voluntary Butler Scheme (great name), a one-man Brit band that features gratuitous use of the kazoo (which is, by the way, a great Scrabble word), make it even more fun to drive around during one of those rare hours when L.A. freeways and back streets can be a straight shot.

It's got all that indie quirk I love so much: an irresistible acoustic hook, dry dual-tracked vocals, a simple catchy drumbeat, and a $#$-eating grin of a melody.

Sunday nights have always been good for radio, in my book: I crank up 89.9 KCRW, and Gary Kalamar comes on around 9 p.m. (I used to work the graveyard shift and would be heading into work around this time, usually late: Sorry, boss!)

Now that Jason Bentley has usurped the Music Director post from Nic Harcourt, Nic is also relegated to Sunday nights just before Gary, but he's still churning out the best tunes anywhere, in my book.

He spun this track just before Gary took over last night, as I was rolling out to Burbank to pick up Mom and Dad T.

I love being a Dad, and I love living as green as I can, but sometimes it is just fun to burn a little gas and roll the windows down. I live in Los Angeles, after all.

Engrish 101

2010-03-02T09:00:00.000-08:00

My buddy Walt keeps an entertaining blog that takes note of all the odd uses of English you can find across Japan these days (though he hasn't posted for a few months).

Bad Engrish, as the phenomenon is commonly called, always makes me giggle and feel a little nostalgic at the same time. While I was often baffled when I lived in Japan (What exactly does Dog Wiz sell?), I enjoyed every second of it.

Luckily, with L.A. being the cosmopolitan city it is, we can walk into a number of different Asian grocery stores and find a little Bad Engrish now and then to tide us over until our next trip across the Pacific. This Pocky box isn't exactly a good example of Bad Engrish, but the tagline at the bottom is charmingly odd.

Plus, the fact that Pocky has a "Men's" line is just the best. Can we have an "Altoid's for Men" or "Brawny Kit Kat", please?

Slaw Dog Has Its Day

2010-02-28T09:00:00.000-08:00

There's a strip of Lake Avenue just north of the 210 that you could call Fast Food Heaven. You can find prime examples of everything from pastrami (The Hat) to chicken and waffles (Roscoe's) to vegetarian fast food (Orean's). Recently, we checked out the neighborhood's newest offering, The Slaw Dogs, which caters to foodies and junk-food junkies alike with its gourmet twist on sausages and fries.

Slaw Dogs is a shade of Pink's and a slice of The Oinkster. Like The Oinkster, it takes a "slow fast food" approach to a traditionally quick and dirty dish, combining different kinds of sausages (Italian, Polish, rippered, butterflied, etc.) with lavish and/or exotic ingredients (think kimchee, a la Kogi, or infarction-inducing fried egg and chili, a la Fatburger).

It also has some of the best service you'll find in any takeout venue, fast food or not.

Tucked into a tiny strip mall with an oddly shaped parking lot (if you miss the narrow turn-off, good luck: The back streets are a frustrating maze of dead ends and one way streets), Slaw Dogs is done up like a roadhouse, with wood paneling, a huge menu chalked up on a sandwich board, and old-fashioned squeeze bottles for the ketchup and mustard.

After drooling over the endless menu (like Pink's, there's a bunch of specialty dogs as well as the option to build your own), I opted for the Reuben Dog: No bun, but grilled Rye, with traditional Reuben accoutrements, including 'kraut, Russian dressing, swiss, and pastrami, and a butterflied spicy polish dog. (Excuse the half-eaten photo: I just couldn't hold back before I took the shot!)

Reuben Dog

I helped Yuri out with her TNT Super Dog, served up like a burrito in a ginormous tortilla and oozing with chili, cheese, bacon pastrami, fries, grilled onions, and the optional fried egg.

TNT Super Dog

Lisa ordered one of the daily specials that was packed with premium curve balls like kumquat chutney, minted onions, and curry, a bunch of bright flavors that blended well.

1/2 and 1/2 fries

We also shared the 1/2 and 1/2 basket, with Belgian as well as sweet potato fries. While it's hard to measure up Slaw Dogs' Belgian fries against The Oinkster's twice-baked potato perfection, they were pretty good, fresh cut, just thick enough, and more importantly, not too salty.

On the other hand, we stole a glance at some eat-in diners who'd ordered the onion rings, and we'll have to try those suckers next time: You could've played ring toss with them! We'll also have to come back to try Amy's Homemade Fudge, which rounds out one of Slaw Dog's combos, and has foodies raving.

As we mentioned, the service at Slaw Dogs was really terrific. Both of the folks in front were incredibly friendly, and even offered to top off my drink before we headed out. We suggested they start honoring the KCRW Fringe Benefits Card, and they liked the suggestion and said they'd give it some serious thought.

Does this mean North Lake will become the next Eagle Rock? We sure hope so. With cheaper rents and plenty of people roaming around for food, it seems like the ideal place for creative restaurateurs to set up shop.

We love seeing folks chasing their foodie dreams and putting together new twists on old favorites. Best of luck, Slaw Dogs!

Aki + Hoodie = Padawan

2010-02-27T14:58:00.000-08:00

Powerful Jedi you be one day!

Cupcake Attack!

2010-02-17T13:00:00.000-08:00

You can get everything from crepes to tacos to grilled cheese sandwiches out of the back of a truck these days, along with any Asian-Mexican-European fusion combo in between. It's all a familiar part of the L.A. landscape now (one cool new development: There's now a "mobile food court" at Alameda and Traction where the trucks occasionally drop anchor).

That doesn't mean it isn't fun to dip in when one of these movable feasts pulls up to your curb, though. And since we're suckers for cupcakes, we couldn't help snarfing down a couple when Dainty Cakes L.A. pulled up outside the Japanese American National Museum on Saturday.

And when Sabrina and Maddy showed up with a boxful of cupcakes from Lark in Silver Lake, we decided to just give in to the sugar rush and "frost" ourselves!

As part of JANM's Target Family Day, the first 200 guests got vouchers for free cupcakes from Dainty Cakes' truck. Since there was such a swell variety of flavors, we just had to buy at least one more, of course! We sampled the lemon-blueberry cupcake, and this peanut butter-chocolate combo lathered with frosting:

The lemon-blueberry was moist and well-balanced. I was a little disappointed by the other cupcake, though, since underneath the frosting, the cupcake was burnt!

Sabrina and Maddy at JANM

Maddy and Sabrina helped us out with some cookie-decorating and flower-making activities. Then we packed it up, since Aki was fighting off yet another bug! Later, though, we got to share the Lark goodies Sabrina had brought us with Yuri's family.

Okay, so here is an amazing cupcakery. Not only do you get show-perfect frosting and piping, but you get a delicious variety of distinctive tastes and a good match of frosting-cake flavors.

The carrot cupcake with cheesecake frosting was probably my favorite: Many bakeries make this type of cupcake too dry, but this was one moist and satisfying treat. This layered tower of Oreo goodness was pretty impressive, too!

Mom and Dad dipped split a cupcake that looked like it might be another chocolate/peanut butter combo. It turned out to be mocha frosting instead, and was also a knockout. (Did I lick my plate afterward? Yes.)

Natural History: The Secret of NHM

2010-02-12T09:00:00.000-08:00

Here's a couple of myths about L.A. that I'd like to sink once and for all. One: It's all style, no substance. Two: Everything costs money, and a lot of it.

The first myth's easy to shoot down. There's a wealth of world-class museums all over the Southland; you just have to go out and look. And every one of these places offers free admission at least once a month (here's the list I use); so much for the second myth!

Aki and I took Eric to the Natural History Museum on its "free Tuesday," to check out its collection of bones, rocks, feathers, and corpses before he headed back to Boston for his last semester as an undergraduate. And we couldn't have picked a better museum buddy. Who else can tell witty anecdotes about coelacanths, or explain the difference between an Allosaur and a T-Rex?

Besides having a killer SLR (all these photos are his!), Eric has some kind of magic rapport with Aki. They're like peas in a pod. It's no wonder, since two of Aki's favorite subjects were also Eric's back in the day: dinosaurs and trains. And one of the cool things about the NHM is you get to see a little of both.

The skeleton of a Tyrannosaurs Rex is impressive pretty much any day of the week, especially for a toddler who roars and points at the tiny little T-Rexes printed on his pajamas. The Triceratops was always my favorite, though: It kept to itself but could bring out the big guns when push came to shove!

Both beasts blow you away in the NHM's entry hall. The immediate aftermath is kind of depressing, from an adult's point of view: a series of displays filled with stuffed, lifeless samples of animals that still walk the earth ("like Cain in Kung Fu"). I don't think Aki saw it that way, though. The sight of a full-sized elephant and giraffe practically made him leap out of his stroller!

On the upper floor, you can even see real! Live! Paleontologists! Carving away at fresh bones in preparation for a new gallery. Almost like performance art, like that guy who went about his daily business in a glass box at a museum, except paleontologists are a little more exciting (although they don't wear fedoras).

I read a (Momus?) blog post ages ago about how museums, chronically underfunded as they are, become unintentional collections of graphic design and typographical styles. I visited the Smithsonian in 2000, and so much of the explanatory text looked like it came out of a textbook from the early 1980s.

There's that layer to the NHM, too, if you feel like getting all pomo about it: New wings get thrown up with the newest, slickest color palettes and fonts, but turn the corner and you find placards in old school serifs and seventies earth tones.

It all added to the charm and nostalgia of the trip, since there was that feeling of being in "my Dad's shoes." (Plus, my folks brought me to the NHM when I wasn't much older than Aki.) But there's also the sense of decades of historians, archivists, and curators being the caretakers of nothing less than our civilization itself.

Trips likes this aren't supposed to be time-killers, after all: The point is to lay the groundwork for a lifetime of curiosity. I wouldn't hate it if some of Eric's perspicacity and recall rub off on Aki. For Eric and me, spending time with Aki at the NHM reminded us just how miraculous our one and only world is, how fragile, lovely, and full of endless wonder.

Xooro

2010-02-10T16:52:00.000-08:00

How the heck do you pronounce "Xooro?" That's the first question. Thankfully, this Santa Monica sweet-tooth boutique answers that question with it's tagline: SURE-oh.

The second question is: Just what is it, exactly? Xooro's slick marketing takes great pains to distinguish these sweet treats from your average churros, although that's basically what they are. But Xooro gives there cylindrical yummies a European twist, taking the treat back to its regional Spanish roots (thus the fancy-schmancy spelling).

Xooro also takes a page from the cupcakery/Pinkberry movement, dolling itself up with sleek, colorful interior design, and a Yogurtland-like variety of choices for fillings.

It's also got a killer location, just a skip and a jump off the Promenade. After gorging at Anisette for Chris's birthday and then taking in the Pacific off Ocean Ave., we strolled back up Broadway and saw it.

Yuri and I split a Nutella Xooro and didn't regret it. It was warm, light, just sweet enough, and crisp. Tommy and Lisa' chocolate Xooro was just as good, and both had a good ratio of goo to pastry.

Did we mention that the place has decent coffee? If we were kids from San Mo high or Crossroads, we'd be all over this place. Tourists probably love it too.

The next time we're in the neighborhood, we'll have to face a classic Yuri & Chris dilemma: Do we order what was so good last time, or do we try a new flavor and risk disappointment? Decisions, decisions!

Anisette: The Best Croissant in L.A.

2010-02-08T11:03:00.000-08:00

Brasseries—that louder, brasher variety of French dining that usually involves hearty food and booze (brasserie means "brewery," after all)—were all the rage in L.A. in recent years. One of the newest brasseries to hit the Southland is Anisette, a big, boisterous spot just off the Promenade in Santa Monica with a bar imported from France, lofted seating at the back, and a menu of decent Gallic cuisine wrapped in a bright package with impeccable service.

Anisette is also the place where we chose to ring in my 34th year (wow! What a geezer!) on a Saturday afternoon. We thought the brasserie atmosphere would be great to tow along a toddler—we figured any shrieks or hollers would just get sucked into the general noise level—and sure enough, we weren't the only ones toting youngsters along for a foodie adventure.

Probably the best thing, menu-wise, was Anisette's croissants. "They're the best in L.A.," our waiter said. I wanted to reply with a Liz Lemon-ish, "Oh really? Have you tried Costco's?" but the guy was so great with Aki I didn't want to be rude.

Aki proposes a toast at Anisette

Sure enough, the croissant was pretty damn good. We tried it plain and with chocolat, and it was head and shoulders above Europane or the little place on Montana Ave. I used to go to.

Tommy's burger: No, not that Tommy's!

The burger got a thumbs-up from Tommy. And I thought the steak au poivre was decent (though we've made better bechamel) and the croque monsieur was pretty damn good. And Aki, of course, gave the frittes two greasy thumbs-up.

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Yuri's croque monsieur

But by far the shiniest spot on Anisette's report card was the terrific service (including "valet parking" for our stroller). The decor is pretty spectacular, too, including the dizzying floor tiles, high ceilings, and spectacular wall of liquor, which, besides a couple of mimosas, we didn't get to sample.

This was all a few weeks before the Biblical floods that have swept L.A. set in, so we got a chance to stroll down to Ocean Ave. and soak up some of that spectacular Santa Monica air and sunshine.

I used to head down to the same patch of grass above the water after working the graveyard shift, and just suck in the cool ocean air and let the sun charge me up with Vitamin D like a human solar panel. It's a touristy spot, to be sure, but it also used to be home.

It was a wonderful gift to be able to touch base at one of my old haunts. It was just the way you're supposed to spend a birthday: Having people who love you show you just how well they know you!

Look what a couple of mimosas will do for your complexion!

Aki and Longfellow

2010-02-04T15:44:00.000-08:00

"A boy's will is the wind's will,
And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts."

Top Tracks of 2009

2010-02-03T15:56:00.000-08:00

2010 is already shaping up to be a great year for indie music, with some knockouts by Vampire Weekend, Charlotte Gainsbourg & Beck, and Spoon, among others. But let's pull a Lost for a second and flash back (or flash sideways?) to our Top Ten Tracks of 2009.

(OK, so it's February 2010. But procrastination has its benefits: All the other top ten lists, the indignation, backlash, and hater-ation has died down. Now we can look back and be more "fair and balanced," like a music blog version of Hannity & Colmes, if you will.)

So, without further ado (or adon't), here's our top ten from 2009. As usual, we crammed in a few more than ten to be democratic, and not in any particular order. Listen to the list (minus Madera Limpia and Why?; couldn't find any MP3s) by clicking on our playlist.com below. And click on the link for a blow-by-blow review.

Artist: Glasvegas
Song: Geraldine
Album: Glasvegas

This glammish, power-pop single just made the cut, with Glasvegas dropping in the U.S. in January of '09. Certain parts of the globe were just hot last decade, like Austin, Texas, Montreal, and...Glasgow?! Anyway, you indie-rocking Scots (and we like the fact your brogue (is it called brogue for Scots, too? Sorry!) shows through in your vocals), we've got to say it: Clever name, clever name. And juiced up anthems like this will keep us coming back for more.

Artist: Phoenix
Song: Lisztomania
Album: Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

Everybody loved these Frenchies last year, including Madison Avenue. (You stil hear them these days in a certain car commercial.) Call us chumps, but when someone writes pure pop like this with ingeniously bright, infectious, and uppity hooks, we can't help loving it. We'll take that car, thank you very much! Sold!

Song: Boca Floja
Artist: Madera Limpia
Album: La Corona

Some musicians reel you in with their image. (This goes for you, hipsters, as much as it does for Lady Gaga fans: Opting out of image is still a kind of image, to paraphrase Grace Paley.) Others hook you with their story. Such is the case with Madera Limpia, a raw, genre-bending but also back-to-basics duo from one of the islands that gave birth to salsa: Cuba.

More specifically, these cats are from Guantanamo. As you can imagine, there's some politics thrown into their lyrics. There's also a nice injections of experimental and roots salsa. Only a couple of tracks of La Corona might be Conga Room-friendly, but just listen to that freakin' bass drum on Boca Floja: Pure awesome. And isn't it nice to hear handmade claves as opposed to synth loops?

To hear Boca Floja and read more about this band born on the edge of Camp Delta, check out NPR.)

Song: Heaven Can Wait
Artist: Charlotte Gainsbourg & Beck
Album: IRM

What do you want to be when you grow up, Charlotte Gainsbourg? A Wes Anderson-ish indie waif, or a chanteuse like Mom and Dad? OK, fine, do both. Just keep these ultra-mod songs (like 2006's "The Songs That We Sing," another good candidate for the decade's Top 40) coming. (Collaborating with pop geniuses like Beck, Air, and Nigel Godrich doesn't seem to hurt, either.)

Song: Apollo and the Buffalo and Anna Anna Anna Oh!
Artist: Sunset Rubdown
Album: Dragonslayer

Positive thoughts you might have when you first hear a track off Dragonslayer: ambitious, epic. Negative thoughts: sprawling, incoherent. Listen to the songs a few times, though, and you start to see how carefully structured and complex they really are: the two-part "Apollo/Anna" opens with an instrumental lick that that ends up being the melody for the second half; the lyrics by frontman Spencer Krug (of Wolf Parade) spin a tapestry of tales of dragons, ghost herds of extinct buffalo, and world-weary gods. You can almost hear the fire crackling.

"Apollo/Anna" has one of the best choruses I've heard in years: a great progression, a catchy-as-hell melody, and Krug's voice in its most comfortable and compelling range. And Krug & Co. only give it to us twice.

Song: Sleep Alone
Artist: Bat for Lashes
Album: Two Suns

If we ever finish our Top 40 of the Decade (Give us a break! We have a baby!), Bat for Lashes's "What's a Girl to Do" will surely be on it. Even though we've never seen "Donnie Darko," we feel like that particular song -- and Natasha Khan's songwriting style in general -- captures some of its spirit.

The first four tracks off Bat for Lashes' sophomore album are all surprisingly strong (though K Dizzle thinks her songs all sound the same!). Most critics shouted out "Daniel" at the end of the year, which is a great, gloomy episode all in itself, but "Sleep Alone" has more of what made us like Bat for Lashes in the first place: breathy goth, booming high school gym acoustics, brooding lyrics, and well-made, pensive melodies in a minor key.

Artist: The Generationals
Song: When They Fight, They Fight
Album:

Thank you, Noisettes, Amy Winehouse, et. al. for bringing back the hand-clapping, brass-hit laden, Motown-ish summer jam. But where others led the way, The Generationals last year brought the summer jam out in its finest form. (Thanks, KCRW, for tipping us off to these guys!)

But surprise, surprise: This retro track comes from a couple of gents (and their beehived backup singers) who are not only melanin-deficient hipsters, but from The Big Easy. Huh? Go Saints?

Artist: The Noisettes
Song: Never Forget You
Album:

Speaking of The Noisettes, we had to keep this summer jam segment going with some serious Mary Wells reminiscent diva-ness. How can you not like that crazy hair-do? How can you not like this group? We recommend you roll your windows down, slide on your sunglasses, and enjoy this track immediately, even if you don't live in a warm weather climate (or have a driver's license, for that matter).

Artist: Andrew Bird
Song: Fitz and Dizzyspells
Album: Oh No!

It takes a real man to use hand claps in a song. It takes an even manlier man to incorporate whistling into the bridge. How do you get any more masculine than that? Why, you whistle in harmony and with vibrato, of course. Now that's truly sensitive! And boy is it a catchy bridge!

Artist: Asobi Seksu
Song: Me and Mary
Album: Hush

We've plugged more than our fair share of shoegazer pop here on Mixed Well -- some Raveonettes tracks qualify, and so does a large chunk of M83 -- but Asobi Seksu (Yuki Chikudate and James Hanna) amp up their dream pop with infectious energy. Plus, they rock out half their lyrics in Japanese. カっこいい！

Artist: Danger Mouse/Sparklehorse/David Lynch/Gruff Rhys
Song: Just War
Album: Dark Night of the Soul

This is off my favorite album of the bunch. Didn't see Dark Knight of the Soul on many lists? That's probably because it was never actually released.

Brian Burton, aka Danger Mouse -- collaborating here with an insanely talent-packed lineup, including director David Lynch (singing!), Suzanne Vega, and frontmen from The Flaming Lips, The Shins, The Strokes, Sparkehorse, and Super Furry Animals -- ended the decade much like he rode it (see The Grey Album): embroiled in a legal battle with his label over the right to release his music on his own terms. To give the finger to the tightwads, DM sold blank CDs (packaged with art from the Twin Peaks co-creator), slyly suggesting fans download the music off the net.

Every single track off this unreleased album is amazing. Thanks again to NPR, you can listen to the whole album streaming. If you dig around (I won't say where), you can find hackers who've cracked NPR's stream codes so you can rip the tracks.

My favorite is this epic little number featuring Gruff Rhys of Super Furry Animals. Hard to put into words, but it combines saunter and grandeur in an amazing way. Ambles along unassumingly, then builds into Sgt. Pepper-era Beatles-like ecstasy. The title track, featuring Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips, is pretty good too. Hands down, I'd say this is the best album of the year.

Artist: Animal Collective
Song: My Girls
Album:

Apparently, according to the snobs at Pitchfork, Animal Collective has been around for a long, long time. Great: Good for you, underpaid (if paid at all) music lackey! Animal Collective was new to us, and to a lot of folks, in 2009, but that didn't make me enjoy "My Girls" any less.

There's something bizarre and fresh about Animal Collective's layering on this track, tribal beats and shouts laid on top of a flickering street light loop of electric sounds. Basically, this is more of that catchy, upbeat stuff (with lyrics we don't even want to penetrate) we like. 'Nuff said.

Song: In the Shadow of My Embrace
Artist: Why?
Album: Eskimo Snow

Less hip-hop than 2008's Alopecia -- actually, there's no hip-hop at all -- Eskimo Snow still dishes out songs in the same vein as Why's first album, somehow repeling at the same time it fascinates. Frontman Yoni Wolfs rattles off a complex, articulate, and probably offensive stream-of-consciousness in punkish, Berkeley-bred vocals. He's literate and he's also crass. The band is virtuosic and multi-faceted: I can't help loving the use of vibes and other keyboard percussion. But, boy! Some of those lyrics: Not for the faint of heart.

It's Chinatown

2010-01-21T23:50:00.000-08:00

It's nice to have someone else plan an outing for you. That was the case when Tommy and Lisa invited us to take the Metro from South Pas to Chinatown on a recent Saturday.

After taking Aki on his very first train ride (on the sparkling and sun-splintered Gold Line), we sprinted over to Empress Pavilion, which was just wrapping up dim-sum for the day, and stuffed our faces with all kinds of goodies like sticky rice, shumai, and spare ribs.

Picky? Or a one-track mind?

It was Aki's first time on the train, and even though it's not really a "choo-choo" train (his favorite book right now is Freight Train by Donald Crewes), he seemed to love riding the Metro as much as he enjoys the reading about good old steam trains.

Tommy orders...

Ah, dim sum. The only drawback this time around was the sticker shock: Since when have we ever spent more than forty bucks on dim-sum?! Either there was some kind of error, we were ripped off, or we ate so fast we didn't see everything we ate. Definitely a possibility!

...and Aki approves!

Afterward, we strolled around Chinatown in the sunlight (this week's Old Testament rain storm hadn't yet set in), and ducked down an alley we'd never walked before, which was lined with shops selling knick-knacks and knock-offs on the cheap. It reminded us of any number of cheap little markets all over the world, and was a perfect way to walk off some of that no-MSG-added goodness.

Back alley shopping in Chinatown

As we've mentioned before, South Pas is one of our favorite places to either wind a day up or down. We hopped off the train at the South Pas stop, chit-chatted with a Dad ramming a Twinkie down his happy son's throat while we sipped java at Kaldi's, then strolled over to where we'd parked by the library. A perfect day? Pretty much. Thanks, Tommy and Lisa!

Vikings vs. Cowboys

2010-01-16T22:16:00.000-08:00

Jan. '08: Lolo and Lola make Aki a Purple People Eater

It isn't easy being 15 months old. According to books we've read, Aki's feeling a lot of conflicting impulses: a desire for independence, but also a fear of being apart from us; the hunger to verbalize and speak, but a raging frustration when he can't make himself understood.

Well, thanks to the Santiago side of the family, he'll be even more conflicted tomorrow: the Brett Favre-led Vikings are battling Tony Romo and the Cowboys in the playoffs.

...and Dec. '09, Uncle Sean and Auntie Connie...

Last year, Lolo and Lola set Aki up with a slick Vikings track suit, ensuring his status as a Purple People Eater. This year, though, Tito Sean and Tita Connie set Aki up with some Dallas Cowboys gear.

...make Aki a Cowboys Fan?!

We're not sure who Aki will root for during tomorrow's big game. It makes us think of Luke and Vader in Return of the Jedi:

"I can feel the good in you, the conflict."

"There is no conflict!"

Candy Shower

2010-01-12T11:04:00.001-08:00

It's a funny thing about toys. You get your kids the shiniest, trendiest new toys you can get. But sometimes they just want to play with stuff they find around the house. Like, say, by filling up a salad spinner with some leftover Halloween candy.

Ready, set...

...POUR!

This has even become one of Aki's favorite activities. (Thanks for inventing it, Auntie!) We call it the "Candy Shower."

The first rule about the Candy Shower is, you DO NOT talk about the Candy Shower.

Who's going to clean up this mess?

The second rule of the Candy Shower is, you must do it AGAIN! And AGAIN! And AGAIN!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-10T13:42:00.000-08:00

New Year's Day at Aki's Great-Grandma's

Happy New Year, everybody!

The end of 2009 dragged us down coughing and sniffling with a nasty virus that laid out all three of us. But by New Year's Day, we were all ready to celebrate Oshogatsu with some delicious Japanese delicacies at Aki's Great-Grandma's House.

We hope all of you had a wonderful holiday season!

The Age of Aquariums

2009-11-17T12:43:00.000-08:00

"Something's fishy here..."

Aki is always a good sport when we take him with us to do grown-up stuff. A couple of weekends ago, we turned the tables and tagged along with him to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, one of L.A.'s kid-friendliest places.

There's no better way to start off a day at an aquarium than with a nice hot plate of Fish 'n Chips. After we got ourselves stinking with salt, oil, tartar, and malt vinegar, we let Aki try out his sea legs by walking around outside.

He was pretty brave about touching everything, including the sting rays, starfish, and sea urchins. He cooed at the tubby sea lions, and reached out for the colorful lorikeets. But his favorite part, I think, was the shark lagoon.

"Dada, these teeth are kinda big..."

It was also the last day of the Aquarium's Autumn Festival, which featured booths and performances by different Asian cultural groups. The most virtuosic of these was probably a group of Korean girls who literally bent over backwards to show off their percussion chops.

These days As soon as Aki gets his shoes on, it's off to the races. He also wants to hug every kid in sight, and since not every child reacts to this positively, there's a lot of dashing around, blocking, and prying apart involved. Mommy and Daddy are getting a lot more exercise these days!

Who's crabby? Not me!

Top Tracks of the '00s: The Funeral

2009-11-13T01:20:00.000-08:00

Song: The Funeral
Artist: Band of Horses
Album: Everything All the Time
Year: 2006

The Funeral, Band of Horses' blazing anthem off their 2006 album Everything All the Time, starts off like the opposite of a lullaby, hushed and reverent. It has the feel of coming up out of a dream or a fever. Then the band kicks up the wattage, and the brooding lyrics are set off by fierce, defiant, clear-eyed chords and rhythms that peal away any layer of self-pity you might expect from a song with lyrics like "For every occasion, I'll be ready for a funeral."

We spent the second part of our anniversary night at the squeaky-clean Club Nokia in the new L.A. Live complex, swimming in Band of Horses' soaring wall of sound. Sure enough, they played "The Funeral" toward the end of their set of dense, ecstatic songs.

I love Band of Horses' albums, but Bridwell's high, lean, not-too-gritty but not-too-pretty voice is better live, and so is the band: They don't dilute their sound with as much reverb as they do on the albums, and you hear more of their musicality: the Southern rock DNA they share with My Morning Jacket (Band of Horses was formed in Seattle but is now based in Bridwell's native South Carolina), and the folk and indie rock intensity of Arcade Fire, Fleet Foxes, and alt-country rockers like Uncle Tupelo.

With their skinny, bearded indie look, Band of Horses looks like a cross between a Wes Anderson cast and a bunch of haggard Civil War veterans. In the middle of their set, they treated us to some new songs off the album they're currently recording. We loved a new song featuring band member Ryan Monroe's lead vocals and keyboards, thick with harmonizing that would make Fleet Foxes smile (come to think of it, Monroe looks like he could be a Fleet Fox himself). And another new song even made me think of my favorite band from Minnesota, the late, great Jayhawks.

No Capes!

2009-11-09T15:46:00.000-08:00

For years, holidays didn't mean much more to me than the possibility of a day off, a couple of beers with some buddies, and a September to December sensory assault by the retail sector: costumes, candy, tinsel, and tryptophan.

Then I became a dad.

This happens to people every day, of course, but it often changes people's lives so quickly that they don't even have time to stop and take stock of the ways that their lives are changing.

Well, future parents, take note: Side effects of having a child may include drowsiness, weight gain, and seeing the holiday season with a fresh pair of eyes.

We spent Aki's first real Halloween (he was an eensy-weensy three-weeks old last Halloween) at a couple of Halloween parties. The first was Aki's girlfriend Sonoma's first birthday party, which was at her parents' house in the Glendale hills, complete with games, Hawaiian food, and "round" costumes.

The second party was at Aki's auntie's house in San Marino, where we even rediscovered the fun of door-to-door trick-or-treating. For both Yuri and I, it was the first time we'd gone trick-or-treating in almost 20 years!

When we first started feeding Aki solids, we were surprised at how emotionally satisfying it was to just see your child eat. In the same way, it's incredibly satisfying just to see your child experience the world.

Barbrix: Small Plates, Big Flavor

2009-10-14T15:05:00.000-07:00

Life has been moving pretty fast for us lately (Aki is walking!), and there are a bunch of great eateries we haven't had a chance to dish about yet, if you'll pardon the pun.

Way, way back in May, for example, Dr. & Mrs. T treated us all to a feast at Barbrix, a new wine bar and restaurant in Silver Lake. The occasion: a slightly belated birthday bash for both Tommy and Yuri.

Barbrix had just opened, and it was already chalking up rave reviews. In its first week, according to co-owner Claudio Blotta (of Campanile fame), Barbrix already had regulars. It's easy to see why: The wines are delicious and eclectic, but not overpriced; the food is, in the words of our hero Jonathan Gold, "surgically designed" to match with the wines; and the atmosphere is casual, a neighborhood spot you can stroll to. You can pop into the long, low-ceiling'd, dark wood interior -- a converted bungalow with a walk-in wine bar -- or you can nab a table in the front-end patio ringed with lemon and olive saplings.

Baba, Mommy, and Baby at Barbrix.

Daddy and Uncle Tommy after a few glasses of wine.

Barbrix rides the wave of small plate innovators (two of our favorites are Orris and Cobras & Matadors) who have revitalized the conversational, wine-sipping, "variety pack" aspects of dining in L.A. Unlike many of these places, though, Barbrix's dishes are all clear and distinct. We could give a blow-by-blow run-down of everything we tasted, but that would be moot. To keep everything fresh, Chef Don Dickman draws from local farmers and markets; as a consequence, the menu is seasonal and changes often.

Give Peas a Chance: The summer faro salad

In general, though, we found a range of mostly pan-Mediterranean flavors, like the multi-textured summar farro salad: English peas, pine nuts, mint, feta cheese, and red onions. It was hard to choose from so many yummy looking dishes, but luckily for us, Yuri had done her research. She unfolded several printed blog posts (in color! with her picks highlighted and underlined!), and ordered away.

You're pulling my duck leg!

Among the standouts were the drool-worthy duck leg confit, with a handsomely caramelized skin (browned with fig wine) and a smattering of mouth-watering potatoes.

Angelic deviled eggs.

The deviled eggs were nothing to brush off, either. Draped with boquerones (small, filleted anchovies that are a tapas standby), we can only classify them lovingly as eggs-quisite flavor bombs.

Baby and Auntie Lisa.

We sat out on the patio, which is good for both clinking glasses with your trendy urbanite pals and enjoying a family meal with a feisty little baby. The dusk was just criss-crossing our cutlery and wine glasses as we sat, and the evening got a little cold, but luckily we had Aki's aunt, uncle, Ojii-san and Obaa-san with us to help keep him warm. There's nothing like a good meal in a good setting with good company!

Aki does his best doll impression with Baba and Jiji.

Icons and Tangles

2009-09-21T21:42:00.000-07:00

These are fun times with Aki. He's babbling up a storm, he's eating everything in sight, and a couple of weeks ago, he took his first steps by the beach in Malibu during Sasha's birthday party at the newly opened Annenberg Community Center.

This past weekend, he even got gussied up and hit the town for his first art opening at the L'KEG Gallery on Glendale Blvd. downtown. Yuri's good friend Carrie was responsible for half the show, aptly called Icons and Tangles -- a playful, poppy, colorful exploration of interlaced or pixellated celebrity imagery, with chops and structural prowess to spare.

Aki had his favorites, including a thickly layered, bright orange canvas with the smirking mugs of Brad and Angelina, Colin Powell, Danny DeVito, and the President and First Lady.

We liked them all, and were glad the little guy was such a good sport about hitting the art scene on a Saturday night.

Icons and Tangles runs through October 17th at L'KEG. We highly recommend it (and there's a decent taco stand just a couple of blocks away, where Chris hung out with Michael for his "Man Baby Shower"). Congratulations, Carrie!

From September 2009

Nisei Week

2009-08-28T11:36:00.000-07:00

One thing we love about living in So Cal is that even if you don't get a chance to travel much, there are still plenty of cultural events going on all the time that can make you feel global, worldly, and, well, full!

Because, of course, to us, culture = food.

We took Aki to his first Nisei Week Parade earlier this month in Little Tokyo and dressed him up accordingly. Thanks to Auntie Shu and the Fujimura family for Aki's colorful and adorable yukata!

And as far as the food, well, Japanese festivals mean street stalls hawking beer, yakitori (grilled chicken), grilled corn, okonomiyaki (grilled Japanese pancakes), and takoyaki (grilled octopus). Basically, anything you can throw on a grill and sell for a few bucks (excluding the beer).

While Aki, Mommy, and Daddy stuffed themselves silly, Uncle Tommy, Aunties Lisa and Alex, and Grandma were part of the parade, hammering out Taiko anthems with Chikara Daiko.

Meeting Up

2009-07-23T09:00:00.000-07:00

Taco Sample Platter at ¡Loteria! Grill

It takes about the same amount of time to drive from Cleveland to Chicago as it does to drive from L.A. to San Francisco. So, when friends come down from other parts of the Golden State, we try to meet up with them whenever we can. Chris's pal Shad, for example, came down in March, and we met up with him in Venice for some sandwiches and frisbee.

Strolling with Shad in Venice

But when our friends have good news to share, we really try to clear off our plates and hang out. This was the case when Danielle, Chris's friend from back in the day (i.e., from Chris's hometown of Bloomington, MN, home of the Mall of America), rolled into town with a stack of Persian rugs to sell and the news that she and her husband, Damion, were expecting their first child in August.

Well, we did what any friend would do in that situation. We drove across town, picked Danielle up, and ate like there was no tomorrow.

Yuri & Aki meet Danielle at the Farmer's Market

Since Danielle was staying on Sunset as part of a work trip, we took her a short hike down Fairfax to the Farmer's Market. ("It reminds me," she said, "of the State Fair.")

Fresh off our own experiences with pregnancy aversions, we let her pick a place to eat and were pretty happy when her nose led us (Fruit Loops-like) to the ¡Loteria! Grill, a little taco place in the thick of the Farmer's Market.

The three of us (Aki just looked sleepily on) split a huge plate of cheese- and meat-slathered nachos. It was a full meal for two by itself. Plus, we ordered some appropriately greasy (and spicy!) carnitas and the mouth-watering taco sampler platter pictured above, which featured just about every kind of (legal) taco meat imaginable, plus shredded cactus and a few other surprise. Yum!

Shad meets Aki on Abbot Kinney

Within a few weeks of Danielle's visit, Shad, Chris's friend from the JET Program, came down from Santa Barbara to meet up with us and a couple of friends at Abbot's Habit on Abbot Kinney.

Yuri and I split a delicious, healthy sandwich and salad (huge portions!), then went for a little stroll down by the water (we also caught a fleeting glimpse of the infamous Kogi truck (with a short line, too!), but alas, we'd already eaten.)

Shad and I got to toss the frisbee around for a little bit on the beach, which is one of my own little personal visions of heaven.

It didn't take long for the sun and heat to tucker out the little guy. We took a quick snap by the water and bid adieu until our next So Cal meet up. We don't see friends like Shad and Danielle as often as we'd like (we missed Damion's book reading at Book Soup the week before Lisa's wedding), but every second we get to spend with old friends is not only bloggable, but something we hold dear.

Star Baby

2009-07-22T15:21:00.000-07:00

Aki's uncle Sean and I always liked collecting trading cards when we were kids, especially Star Wars-related ones. He sent me this homemade one this afternoon.

Lisa and Tommy's Wedding: Part 3

2009-07-17T13:31:00.000-07:00

Aki in Formal Wear (Thanks, Uncle Takeshi!)

Since Tommy and Lisa had guests coming in from way out of town, they figured why not get everyone together a few times to catch up, play with the new baby, and have a bite to eat. After their dress rehearsal on Thursday, all of us cruised over to Fritto Misto in Santa Monica (where Yuri and I once ate back when I used to live in SaMo), and packed ourselves into the backroom for some wine, pasta, and happy conversation.

Mom and Dad Takasugi with Ken and Ta

Lisa and Yuri's cousins, Takeshi, Ken, and Eri, and their Auntie Shu made the trek all the way from Japan. They loaded us down with goodies from good old land of Yamato, including this little outfit that Ta brought for Aki:

All of us were thrilled to finally get to meet Ken and Auntie Shu. We were also totally thrilled to see Ta and Eri again, who we hadn't seen since our own wedding.

Takeshi, Eri, and Auntie Shu

The pastas were delicious and unique too, especially a dark green flat noodle made from squid ink. And the air in Santa Monica is so clean you almost choke on it. Aki was a big fan of the bread.

We were glad that Aki was such a people person. It doesn't look like Yuri and Lisa's cousins minded spending time with Aki, either!

Pasta from the Pantry

2009-07-13T15:33:00.000-07:00

Yuri & Chris's "What Have We Got in the Pantry?" Pasta

Yuri went on a Food Network bender when she took leave last year and has been on it ever since. Her -- or I should say our -- favorites, Rachael, Giada, Tyler, and Barefoot, are always going on and on about how we have to use San Marzano tomatoes (tomatoes canned fresh from the San Marzano region of Italy). So, one weekend when we were at Mario's Italian Deli & Market (arguably the best Italian sandwiches in town) in Glendale, we picked up a couple of cans and put them in the pantry.

And there they sat, until a couple of months ago, when we found ourselves home on a Saturday night hungry and without a recipe.

The Sandwich Counter at Mario's

So, we tossed a red sauce out of some onions, garlic, a can of the San Marzanos, and some sliced Omaha franks we had in the freezer, a wedding gift from Kano (okay, they were THAT old, but it is a freezer after all). The snobbish among us may turn their noses up at franks, but these are actually some tasty sausages. Among all the Omaha Steaks treats that Kano sent us (which included steaks, burgers, crab-stuff scallops, potatoes au gratin, and chicken), this was probably one of our favorite dishes (so were the scallops!).

All this we poured on top of a pot-full of Quon Yick noodles. Sound crazy? Chinese noodles for Italian style pasta? Our response takes only two words: Marco and Polo.

We love making Italian pasta dishes with these noodles and would recommend them any day. Pick up a box at Mitsuwa, Marukai, or your other favorite Asian grocery, and serve it with a sauce of your own making. Ours was pretty darn good, especially since we just threw it together out of the pantry!

More Mario's pics:

Eric & Christine

Yuri says Tommy is un poco loco

Lisa and Tommy's Wedding: Part 2

2009-07-11T18:16:00.000-07:00

Now that Tommy and Lisa are back from their whirlwind tour of the Far East (i.e., their Honeymoon in Thailand...spicy!), we can finally post a link up to the slide show we put together for their wedding.

Special thanks to Eric and Alex for helping us pick out music, for pointing out some things that needed fixing, and for helping us come up with a couple of the gags.

Enjoy!

Lisa and Tommy's Wedding: Part 1

2009-07-05T21:38:00.000-07:00

Aki with the Newlyweds

A little less than two years ago, Lisa, Yuri's sister and our Maid of Honor, bent over backwards to make the wedding of our dreams come true; so did her boyfriend, Tommy. The two of them tied ribbons, packed gift boxes, cut invitations, lifted, lowered, coordinated, and confided their hearts out.

At the end of June, we finally got to see Tommy and Lisa enjoy their big day. Did our eyes water? Probably. Were we totally thrilled see two of our favorite people tell each other "I do"? Most definitely!

Even during the biggest week of their lives, Tommy and Lisa found ways to make us a part of the joy and festivities. Chris's family came out to take part, and of course Aki's Lolo and Lola were totally thrilled to see their grandson again:

Lolo, Lola, and Aki

Lola made sure Aki outclassed his Daddy with this new three-piece suit. (Italian. Seriously.)

Uncle Sean

Aunt Connie

Uncle Sean and Aunt Connie didn't seem to mind hanging out with their nephew, either. Uncle Sean was Aki's own personal paparazzi with his fancy camera and professional snaps (thanks for letting us rip these photos, Sean!)

We'll add some more photos from the wedding as we get everything processed. For now, here's one last shot from Sean, featuring the Takasugi clan and their newest member, Tommy (along with Aki showing off the new wave he's been working on.)

Congrats, Lisa and Tommy!

March Madness!

2009-06-09T17:10:00.000-07:00

Photo booth shot courtesy of J&J's wedding

Weddings come and go in waves. This year is chock full of nuptials: Chris's Oberlin pal, Cat, got hitched to Joe in early March, and his boss and buddy from the graveyard shift days, James, said "I do" to Julia a couple of weeks later.

Cat's nieces: flower girls, or rock stars in training?

Macaroons from Paulette: J&J's wedding favors

We weren't able to make Yuri's Scripps buddy Youshik's big day with Nicole a couple of weeks later, which totally bummed us out. But here's a couple of snaps from the March Matrimonial Madness we were able to take part in (which also included Aki's first wedding):

Cat & Joe's Wedding Bash in Vegas

Tristan, Chris & Andy

Weddings are always a good excuse to see friends. Cat and Joe's March wedding in Vegas was a chance for Chris to catch up with some of the best. It was especially great to return the favor, since Tristan, Chuck, Jess, Janet, John, Cat, and Joe all came to our wedding less than two years ago.

Chuck

Here's Chuck, The Last Bohemian (orchestral musician, violin salesman, wine connoisseur, country music star...), and my temporary roommate, waggling his tongue before disappearing on me with our one and only key card. Will his antics never end? Luckily, Jess and Andy were willing to grab a ten dollar burger with me until he turned up.

Cat & Maid-of-Honor Jess

Speaking of Jess, Yuri and I are wondering when she's going to turn up in So Cal again, so we can pick hang out at her parents' beautiful home (they've got some mighty tasty plums, too).

I also got a chance to catch up with one of my old roomies, T-dog. We tried to out-dry each other with our duelling dry senses of humor, but as usual, it ended in a draw (and of course all that dryness made us want to have a drink. Or three.) Unfortunately, our other roomie, Greg, was busy playing a gig in D.C. with some guy named Barack. I guess his career is going pretty well.

Cat & Joe got married a tee shot off the green at the Red Rock Country Club in Summerland. Besides seeing an old friend marry the love of her life, some of the highlights include the inflatable guitar-wielding flower girls, and the prime rib, which is probably the best wedding food Chris has ever had.

We're totally thrilled for Cat & Joe, and hope their kids are as cute and rambunctious as Cat's nieces. Congrats, guys!

James & Julia's Big Day in Pasadena

March 21, 2009

Back when we were shopping for wedding venues, we narrowed our list down to three places: The New Otani, the Athenaeum at Cal Tech, and The Westin in Pasadena. All three looked like dream locations to us, so when James & Julia actually had their reception at The Westin this past March, we were thrilled.

James & Julia's wedding was full of personal touches. First, there was the photo booth, as well as the color assortment of party favors and name cards:

There were countless other little touches, like the table names, which were named for authors, since Julia & James are both book lovers. We were, appropriately, seated at Murakami. :)

Our friends Amy and Meredith came back from Nashville for a short stint to see James and Julia get hitched. The six of us hadn't been together since we wished them congratulations or bon voyage (or Happy Trails? Is that what folks say in Nashville?) at Blue Velvet. They were pretty happy that they finally got to meet Aki.

Meredith and Amy cuddle up with Aki

During the cocktail hour, Amy and Chris realized that something reminded us of working those surreal Santa Monica nights in an office tower with James: it was the music! How cool is a wedding that features a playlist with Belle & Sebastian, Camera Obscura, Radiohead, and Nouvelle Vague?

Coffesnorter, James's former roommate and Chris's old source of under the radar tunes, was also there. His blog has lived (and died? when are you going to post again, buddy?) in different incarnations during both our Livejournal and Blogger days. "I feel like I'm trapped inside of James's iPod," he said, although I knew he approved of the tunes as much as I did. Their first dance, after all, was to Band of Horses. Indie, indeed!

We miss you guys! But we're so happy for you, too! Words can't express how thrilled we were to leave the Westin with a little treat from Paulette:

Little Tree Hugger

2009-06-07T12:58:00.000-07:00

Aki's Daddy is known to friends and family alike as a certified, tree-hugging, bare-footed Oberlin hippie.

Here's Aki getting his first chance to flounder around in the grass. Like father, like son!

Where is Aki?

2009-05-20T16:23:00.000-07:00

There he is!

Aki & Daddy's Week Off

2009-05-13T21:51:00.000-07:00

Grinnin' at the Huntington

A few weeks ago, while Aki's Ojii-san and Obaa-san hiked, hang-glided, tubed, and tramped their way across Kauai, Chris took the week off, stayed at home, and got to spend some good, quality Daddy time with Aki.

They took a stroll to break in Aki's new shades...

...then stopped off at home to freshen up in front of the mirror. Who's that good lookin' guy?!

Later on, the Santiago boys headed out one of the family's favorite destinations, the Huntington Gardens, for more strolling and napping. They didn't forget to stop and smell the roses.

While taking a break from the stroller and getting a gander at the pond in the middle of the new Chinese Garden, Aki saw a couple of, well, ganders! Dropping into the water on their way back north after a winter getaway south of the border. With a dramatic squawk and a graceful, confident brush stroke into the water, they made the declaration that spring had officially begun.

Things were definitely looking up!

Aki and Daddy still had time to explore the Huntington's charming children's garden...

...and check out a couple of paintings (the first real ones Aki had ever seen), including a Mary Cassatt of, what else? a Mommy washing a wee witto baby!

Speaking of Mommy, Aki could barely contain his excitement when his Mommy finally got home.

A week off with Daddy was great, but things are always at their best when all three of us are together!

Faux-Hawk

2009-05-12T23:08:00.000-07:00

Now that my hair is growing out, Mommy and Daddy have started experimenting with new hairstyles for me. It's not quite like Uncle Tommy's or Daddy's friend Chuck's, but give me a few years and it'll be the best. Faux-hawk. Ever.

Top Tracks of the '00s: Four Shot

2009-04-24T12:14:00.000-07:00

We've gotten a little behind in our list of our Top 40 Tracks from 2000-2010. To catch up, here's four of our favorites from the past decade -- from Kanye, the Shins, the Raveonettes, and Morrissey.

Song: That Great Love Sound
Artist: The Raveonettes
Album: Chain Gang of Love
Year: 2003

Our first track is from The Raveonettes, a Danish duo that first popped on our radar with their 2008 single Dead Sound. We got a live dose of their white-noise-meets-Everly-Brothers sound last year at Make Music Pasadena -- in the middle of a heat wave! -- and followed the trail back to this amazing single from their 2003 album Chain Gang of Love.

Song: Heard' Em Say
Artist: Kanye West
Album: Late Registration
Year: 2005

The talented and often arrogant Kanye West has already cemented hip-hop folk hero status with his post-Katrina tirade. This song has an unexpected poignancy given contributions from the late Bernie Mac. Jon Brion's production helps Kanye move toward his goal of art-hop; Brion is the composer of such indie movie soundtracks as I Heart Huckabee's, Punch Drunk Love, and Eternal Sunshine. His perennial Friday night set at the Largo was also one of our first dates.

Song: New Slang
Artist: The Shins
Album: Oh, Inverted World
Year: 2001

Is Garden State our generation's answer to The Graduate? We're not sure, but we do know that the soundtrack for Zach Braff's 2001 directorial debut set the pace for soundtracks aimed at disconnected 20- and 30-somethings. Without Garden State, we probably wouldn't have the soundtracks for Grey's Anatomy, Gossip Girl, or even House. If The Shins' contribution to Garden State didn't change your life, as Natalie Portman's character guaranteed it would, it at least brought the group's Brian Wilson/Simon & Garfunkel sound to college file-share services everywhere.

Song: First of the Gang to Die
Artist: Morrissey
Album: You Are the Quarry
Year: 2004

We were just as surprised as anyone to find out that Morrissey was not only still around, but writing music. Not only that, he's become our neighbor of sorts, with his big move to L.A. commemorated in Art Brut's catchy hit "Considering a Move to L.A." "First of the Gang to Die" has the classic Morrissey happy-go-lucky morbidity, but it also has that Echo Park/Silver Lake summerstruck pavement to it.

My Dad was weirded out, I think, when I was in middle school and my friends and I started to listening to Led Zeppelin and other '70s bands. I started to understand how he felt when I went to some high schools in L.A. and discovered that the Latino alterna-kids were wearing all-black and eyeliner, piercing their noses, spiking their hair, and listening to The Cure and Morrissey. It was like they were early '90s Goth kids who'd stepped out of the hallways of Jefferson High School, but a Jefferson in an alternate universe, situated right in the heart of Mexico City. That's the passage of time for you!

The Scarlet Tea Room

2009-04-16T11:35:00.000-07:00

Sometimes we need a little push to take the next step forward with Aki. The first time we took Aki out to a restaurant, for example, was when Chris's parents came to visit back in November.

Well, this past January, we finally took the step of leaving Aki with a babysitter while we went out to celebrate. The occasion? Chris's birthday. Thanks to Auntie Lisa, who was more than happy to play with Aki for a few hours at her new house in San Marino, Yuri was able to surprise Chris on his birthday with high tea at The Scarlet Tea Room in Old Town Pasadena.

Here's the best cup of Darjeeling Chris has had since London; absolutely fragrant and sublime!

And you can't have tea and be civilized unless you nibble on some scones, which topped off our epic tea-time tower. Scarlet's scones come with delectably fresh lemon curd, and scarlet cream, a whipped cream I can still taste three months later.

Moving downward, we come to Scarlet's scrumptious tea sandwiches. We each got to pick four, so of course we joined forces and had a foodie feast of bite-sized delights.

Our choices? Mushroom duxelle with citrus aioli; olive tapenade and roasted red pepper; a sushi-worthy salmon and chive spread; turkey & cranberries; mascarpone with citrus marmalade; french ham and marmalade; brie, walnut & watercress; and roast beef & white cheddar.

These were little mouth-watering masterpieces and make us think of Webern or Jan Brueghel the Elder's miniature paintings: it takes just a second to eat it, but the flavors are so well-balanced it's like a whole meal in a flash. Every little sandwich has just an extra touch of flavor -- a little chive, a little marmalade -- which, besides being totally fresh and delicious, perfectly complements the main ingredient. As Rachael Ray would say, yum-mo!

You have to round out the meal, of course, with some marzipan sweets like these pretty little things.

There's also Strawberries Romanoff -- they really work the "scarlet" theme -- sweetened with some orange liqueur and brown sugar cream. And if that's not enough, Scarlet also lets you cleanse your palette at the end with some refreshing homemade "signature sorbet."

Basically, on Chris's birthday, Yuri once again spoiled her hubby with culinary delights. And after fattening him up with food, she took him downtown to Disney Concert Hall to see the Oberlin Orchestra plaster the Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 4 to the wall, along with Mahler's 1st Symphony and a world premiere by Chris's classmate, Huang Ruo, called "Hanging Cliffs," all of which were so good it literally left us with watery eyes.

Oh, and I can't forget to mention one of the present pictured in our collage, the matching Adobo shirts Yuri got Chris and Aki from blacklava.net. How lucky a husband am I? Thanks again, hon!

Aki at Six Months

2009-03-30T14:03:00.001-07:00

Aki with Uncle Sean, who visited a few weeks ago

It's hard to believe it's already been six months since Aki came kicking, screaming, and pooping into our world, but it's true: last Thursday was Aki's "half-birthday." (It's also true about the pooping: it was the first thing the nurse who pulled him out into the world noticed!)

Right before our eyes, he's gone from newborn to the verge of boyhood.

He smiles, he laughs, he lights up and waves his arms when he sees someone he knows.

He stares at his own hands in stupefied wonder (like a character out of Dazed and Confused or Dude, Where's My Car?), then explores the texture of fruits, plastic bags, blankets, our faces, or anything else he can get his fingers or mouth on, as if he were an adorable little alien sent down to earth to gather sensory input and other data about our planet and way of life.

Aki's also taken quite an interest in food. He gives a long (and longing) look at every thing we spoon into our mouths, and seems especially interested in coffee and wine (should we be worried?).

A few weeks ago, we started him on solids, and now he grins, pumps his fists, and hollers when we break out the spoon, mini-latte bowl, and rice cereal.

Needless to say, we could go on forever about him. Did we mention that he turns pages when we're reading books to him? Okay, we'll stop!

Of course, one of the best things about this past month was that we got to share his growth with so many people we know and love: Uncle Sean was in town from Texas a few weeks ago for work, and Auntie Alex was just here for Spring Break.

We can't wait for Lisa's wedding, when more folks will be in town to drop by and play. Be ready for Aki to pull your hair or stick his finger in your mouth!

Aki and his Auntie Alex

Top Tracks of the '00s: Float On

2009-03-24T17:01:00.000-07:00

Song: Float On
Artist: Modest Mouse
Album: Good News for People Who Love Bad News
Year: 2004

If you measured how good this decade's songs have been by how often they've been covered, Float On would be right near the top. Covers of this Modest Mouse track range from the bubble gum bright (like this cover by Goldspot) to the moody and melancholy (like this version by Ben Lee).

I've gotta admit, I had to listen to the original for a few weeks before I got used to Isaac Brock's semi-frantic, semi-operatic singing, but now when I hear a cover, I definitely miss it.

Besides being one of the most ubiquitous and likable tracks of the decade, Modest Mouse's "Float On" also has one of the decade's coolest videos.

Part Joseph Cornell box art, part pop-up book, part Terry Gilliam-animated Monty Python cartoon sketch, the video captures the song's psychedelic carnival feel, with its simple boom-chsh! bass drum/hi-hat (almost like an organ grinder or carousel) and authoritative, Cure-like guitar riff.

Urth Day, Europane and the Norton Simon

2009-03-19T13:14:00.000-07:00

Being a foodie with a baby is tricky, but not impossible. Cooking at home (or having food cooked for you at home: thanks, Mom and Dad!) is one way to eat well.

Another way to is to meet up at a gastronomic hot spot with a couple of baby-friendly pals. This way, you can pass the little guy around while everyone takes turns stuffing their faces. Win, win!

This is what we did with Mike and Sabrina a few weeks ago, when we started off a Saturday with coffee and breakfast at the new Urth Caffe in the Downtown Arts District and closed out the afternoon with sweets -- and more coffee! -- at Europane on Colorado Blvd. in Pasadena.

Between meals, we strolled through one of L.A. County's best-kept secrets, the Norton Simon Museum, and learned one of Mike and Sabs' wonderful little secrets: they're expecting! Congrats, guys!

We hadn't seen Mike and Sabs since they got hitched last December, so it was nice to kick back with them at the new Urth's outdoor tables, chat, and enjoy the boho-hipster ambience.

As always, Urth we gave an A+ for its ingredients; everything was organic, fresh, and attractive, and the coffee strong and rich. Urth's prices make us think they might've called the place "Sky" (or even "Space") but it's good to chow down here once in a while in the charming brick alley ambience of the Arts District.

After driving home to Pasadena to check out The Norton (which has got a pretty amazing collection, especially of late 19th and early 20th century painters), Mike and Sabs took us to Europane on Colorado. It's right in our 'hood, but somehow we've always missed it (although we have sampled their sweets at Jones Coffee on Raymond).

Mike swears by the Egg Salad Sandwich at Europane. Still kind of full from Urth, we stuck with sweets, and weren't sorry in the least.

The apple pie Yuri chose was probably our favorite. We liked it so much that we took Tommy and Lisa there a few weeks later. We sampled every kind of macaroon in the house, and got a free sample of Europane's delicious home-baked bread from a nice German man in line in front of us.

And of course, we tried that egg salad sandwich. You were right, Mike! We're going to have to go back for that one soon.

Top Tracks of the '00s: Shine a Light

2009-03-16T17:01:00.000-07:00

Song: Shine a Light
Artist: Wolf Parade
Album: Apologies to Queen Mary
Year: 2004

"Shine a Light", a track off Wolf Parade's 2004 album Apologies to Queen Mary, has the drive and intensity of a Peterbilt truck. Maybe this has something to do with the trucker hat fad that swept the hipster nation a few years ago.

In any case, this is pure indie bombast from Wolf Parade, a Canadian band fronted by Dan Boeckner (who also fronts the Handsome Furs). Along with Arcade Fire anthems like "Neighborhood 3" or Clap Your Hands Say Yeah's "Yellow Country Teeth," it's one of our favorite high energy tunes this side of Y2K.

Aki and the Big Blue Elephant

2009-03-12T11:07:00.000-07:00

While Yuri was still on maternity leave, her coworkers Nick and Nayda dropped by our place to meet Aki. Nayda, in particular, was smitten with the little guy, and we the feeling was definitely mutual.

(Aki's sporting the Vikings gear he got from his Lolo and Lola. This was back in early January, so the Purple People Eaters were still kicking!)

We grabbed a bite to eat at Burger Continental, always a good bet for both meat-eaters and vegetarians, then strolled through a couple of neighborhood shops.

Nayda snuck off for a second and got this adorable gift for Aki from Giggle, the new baby store down the street.

Needless to say, Aki loves it. He can't take his eyes off it when we change his diaper!

We think it's Horton from the Dr. Seuss book, but we call him Mr. Elephant Man. Thanks, Nayda, and thanks for coming out, Nick! Aki can't wait to see you guys again!

Top Tracks of the '00s: Yellow Country Teeth

2009-03-09T17:01:00.000-07:00

Song: "The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth"
Artist: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Album: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Year: 2005

My good friend Ffej used to always say that the best songs always had hand claps in them. So what would he say about a band that actually has hand claps in its name?

It's hard to guess, since Ffej, a fellow Oberlin alum, is about as easy to get a hold of as J.D. Salinger. Still, I like to think this tune would be right up his alley.

This self-released anthem for the skinny jeans set is indie to the bone. But it's also indie rock at its catchiest and sunniest. It's the perfect song, in other words, for the hipster who likes to jog: cue up this track, pop in your ear buds, strap on a cotton headband, and take a lap around Silver Lake in your totally impractical suede Pumas.

I thought Clap Your Hands Say Yeah would disappeared off the face of the earth after bringing these five minutes of sunlight into our lives, but last week they showed up on Jimmy Fallon's new Late Show. Welcome back, boys! Now, whether Jimmy's show itself disappears in five minutes, only time will tell. Pray you have the same luck as Tina Fey!

I Like to Make Faces

2009-03-03T11:14:00.000-08:00

Aki likes making all kinds of faces. We're not sure what this one means, but we think it's cute!

Top Tracks of the '00s: Ooh La La

2009-03-02T14:01:00.000-08:00

Song: "Ooh La La"
Artist: Goldfrapp
Album: Supernature
Year: 2005

Goldfrapp's 2005 album Supernature starts with good songwriting and lush vocals, then plugs it into enough electricity to black out the whole Eastern seaboard.

Will Gregory, the production half of Goldfrapp, writes film music; he has great composition chops and shows it. Goldfrapp's songs, like all great pop, have architecture and a backbone. Combine that with a diva like Allison Goldfrapp (you could mention her in the same breath with Debbie Harry or the Divinyls' Christina Amphlett), and you get gorgeous ballads, as well as some seriously catchy, electroclash dance tracks worthy of the trendiest clubs.

Our pick, "Ooh La La", is one of the most danceable tracks on the album. It's got an irresistible high-wattage hook and such a fresh, cyberpunk sound that it was featured in the episode of Heroes (Season 1, when the show was still good) in which Hiro jumps five years into the future.

Goldfrapp performing "Ooh La La" live

When Casino Royale came out in 2006, I crossed my fingers and hoped the producers of the Bond reboot would be smart enough to tap Goldfrapp for the title track: Goldfrapp has just the right combination of the lush and the edgy to reboot the Bond songbook, which gave us hits like Goldfinger and Live and Let Die. (Check out Time Out from the World to see what I mean.)

Instead, we got a horrible and instantly forgettable track by Chris Cornell.

Supernature, with its New Wave washes of electronic sound, marks for us the high point for this decade's retro-'80s impulses. But where bands like Muse clogged their stages with flashback synths to amp up the operatic intensity, Goldfrapp plugged in to just be fun, poppy, and sophisticated.

Happy 200th, #16!

2009-02-25T17:01:00.000-08:00

Four score and seven hours ago -- last weekend, in other words -- we took Aki to the Huntington to meet up with Ren, Christina, and Will. The Huntington has a Lincoln exhibit that runs through April and shows off some of the its impressive collection of letters, photographs, and other memorabilia related to the 16th president, including a life mask and cast of his hands.

Since Aki's Daddy spent the last couple of months reading Lincoln bios, he was totally psyched. Ren and Will are history buffs too -- Will was a history major and is a storehouse of facts and figures -- so we chitted, chatted, and traded anecdotes about the president who was recently rated by historians as our greatest.

We didn't count on meeting the President himself, though: Lucky Aki! Since we know you're going to ask, we'll just come right out and tell you: the beard is real.

Will, Christina, and us at the Huntington

With or without presidential exhibits, the Huntington is gorgeous year round. We were lucky enough to catch some cherry and plum blossoms this time around, and enjoyed strolling around the pond at the new Chinese Garden.

To bolster the festivities for Lincoln's 200th birthday, a Civil War band played several songs. Unfortunately, we just missed it. D'oh! Luckily for us, though, Ren brought his SLR.

Ren and Christina ain't whistlin' Dixie!

We can't take the credit, in fact, for any of the pictures in this post. They're all Ren! He took more pictures, too, especially of Aki. You can check them all out here.

Hyperlinkin' Lincoln

So why all the fuss about Lincoln? Why are there more biographies written about him than anyone else in history (including Mohammed and Jesus of Nazareth)?

Undoubtedly, a large part of his myth is his martyrdom. Lincoln himself was quite fatalistic, and dreamt repeatedly of a strange boat that was taking him to some unknown shore. He was attracted by the Doctrine of Necessity, and once said that he confessed not to have controlled events, but that "events have controlled me."

In reading these biographies, I was chiefly struck by how he was self-taught, self-made, veering away from self-pity when tragedy struck him, unerring in his instincts and judgments, forgiving, confident, gifted, honest, moral, and the chief source of joy, laughter, and high spirits for those around him.

The most justice I could ever do to his name would be to recommend the two books I read: David Herbert Donald's Pulitzer Prize-winning Lincoln and Doris Kearns Goodwin's blockbuster biography Team of Rivals. (You can click here for a free podcast of Goodwin's lecture at the Gilder Institute.)

The Rail-Splitter checking out his own exhibit

Cheesy as it sounds, iTunes University also has great resources, including more lectures and tracks of Civil War-era music. I also found the Gilder Institute's website pretty awesome.

Goodwin closes Team of Rivals with an account of how Leo Tolstoy, the great Russian writer, discovered that by 1908, even a tribe in the wild and remote Caucasus, a people virtually cut off from civilization, knew of Lincoln and considered him to be "the greatest general and greatest ruler of the world."

Of Lincoln, Tolstoy, the author of War and Peace and Anna Karenina, wrote:

Why was Lincoln so great that he overshadows all other national heroes? Lincoln was a humanitarian as broad as the world. He was bigger than his country -- bigger than all the Presidents together. His supremacy expresses itself...in his peculiar moral power and in the greatness of his character. We are still too near to his greatness, but after a few centuries more our posterity will find him considerably bigger than we do. His genius is still too strong and too powerful for the common understanding, just as the sun is too hot when its light beams directly on us.

Happy Birthday, Mr. President!

Top Tracks of the '00s: Maps

2009-02-23T16:42:00.000-08:00

Song: "Maps"
Artist: Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Album: Fever to Tell
Year: 2003

We love ringing in a new year by making best-of music lists.

To ring in the new decade, we're going to spend our Mondays in 2009 posting our favorite 40 tracks from the '00s, or zeros, or "ohs", or whatever we're going to end up calling the first ten years of the millennium.

Since we'll be posting one song a week, our list should be finished just about the time 2010 rolls around. If you love or hate our choices, or if there's a song you think should be on our list that isn't, please leave a comment: we'd love to get your feedback!

To start things off, we couldn't think of a better song than Maps by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, off their 2003 album Fever to Tell. It's about as good as a heartache-y, indie garage band love song can get. More importantly, it has one of the coolest drum riffs in indie rock band history.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs performing "Maps" live

Most people have college classmates who've met with spectacular success. But when your college classmates have a hit single featured on Rock Band, it starts to feel a little weird.

Brian Chase, the man behind this track's infectious pulse-pounding beat, was my practice roommate for a semester. I didn't talk to him much and remember him mostly as a mild-mannered and competent jazz drummer who wore pomo specs and kept his corner clean.

Lead singer Karen O (Orzolek), on the other hand, was a shy and nerdy hapa girl with a close-cropped flapper cut. She only spent a semester at Oberlin, and as far as I could tell, she spent most of it at The Feve, Oberlin's local coffee shop cum bar.

Throw in non-Obie Nick Zinner, a vampire-goth guitarist who combines, if you can believe it, peals of white noise with soaring, lyrical lines, and you've got one of the best love songs of the decade.

Home Alone

2009-02-21T21:30:00.000-08:00

Since Mommy went back to work this week, Daddy got to fly solo at home for the first time. It looks like the boys did okay on their own!

But boy was Aki glad to see Mommy when she got back. And of course Mommy couldn't keep her hands off him, either!

Pardon My French

2009-02-10T13:31:00.000-08:00

Pardon me, but would you happen to have any Grey Poupon?

For such a small town, South Pasadena has more than its fair share of French cuisine. If you feel like going Gallic and you have un petit prince to tote around, though, we think your best bet is Nicole's Gourmet Foods.

Nicole's, which isn't far from Mission and the Gold Line station, is one of those places where you can choose from hundreds of different cheeses -- ranging from the inoffensive to the stinky and delicious -- and take it home with a baguette to enjoy with some Edith Piaf records.

Or, if the place isn't too crowded (which it can be even on a weekday), you can order a Croque Monsieur and a glass of bourdeaux, then sit out on the sun-drenched patio and people-watch like a Parisian. That's exactly what we did a couple of weeks ago with Aki, minus the bourdeaux, and we loved every last bite.

We shared the croque monsieur and a melted brie sandwich. The bread for both sandwiches was, as you'd expect, fan-freakin'-tastic, and, like all French places, the green salads that came with them were simple but good. (The dressing-to-leaf ratio at French places seems to always be just right.)

But it was the croque monsieur that made us stop and give props to Proust's peeps: served open-faced, with a mouth-wateringly good gruyère and thick slices of Madrange ham, it is pure French yumminess bathed in béchamel.

You can cap off a nice meal at Nicole's with a stroll around charming South Pas. Depending on how much you eat, you might need it!

Speaking of eating, last week we noticed Aki's first teeth coming in. It seemed kind of early to us, but then again, maybe all the good food we eat in front of him has been giving him some incentive.

As far as we're concerned, though, if it's the solid food he wants, c'est tres bien!

Hardy Boys: A Short Film

2009-02-04T15:20:00.000-08:00

INT. SANTIAGO CONDO - AFTERNOON

BABY AKI tries on an ultra-hip new outfit given to him by TITA SHARON. YURI says a big thank you.

YURI
Thanks for the cute Ed Hardly onesie, Sharon!

SPENCER, Aki's adorable six-year-old fashion plate of a cousin, rolls his eyes and sighs.

SPENCER
HARDY. It's "Ed HARDY." I've got an Ed Hardy jacket at home!

YURI
(grinning sheepishly)
Oh, whoops.

Greene and Greene & Greene

2009-02-02T07:30:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, after spending a gorgeous 76-degree Saturday afternoon at the Huntington (where we saw the Greene & Greene exhibit: a nice sampling of great design and architecture), we took Aki out to a belated Hanukkah party at the home of Wendy and Corky Greene.

Wendy was Yuri's teacher; she's also one of the most generous people we know! Besides keeping in touch over the years, she's included Aki in the little book club she has with her grandkids, and sends him books every month.

Aki makes friends with the Greene clan

At her family's belated Hanukkah party, Wendy showered us with more gifts, and stuffed us with good food, including her mom's secret chicken recipe.

Her family proved to be just as kind. They welcomed us in, told us stories, and gave us some parenting tips. Roy, her brother, even brought a couple of Filipino desserts, including a buco salad and a fig-based sweet treat called Food of the Gods!

We loved our first Hanukkah party, and so did Aki. Thanks, Wendy; Aki can't wait to see you again!

Visiting Aki

2009-01-27T15:57:00.000-08:00

CMYK+: Carrie, Terry, Gaby, Yuri, Chris, and Aki

We've heard stories of couples getting cabin fever in the first few months of being mommies and daddies. Luckily for us, Aki has actually made our social calendar more packed.

Yuri's fabulous former coworkers -- a crew of graphic designers extraordinaire who've dubbed themselves "CMYK" -- came out to see Aki a few weeks ago. Carrie showed off her Photoshop prowess by not only taking the picture, but also appearing in it.

We're pretty proud of the pictures we take, but it's always good to have artsy people take your photo, too. The shot below has to be one of our favorite family portraits so far.

Super Mario's: Perusing Peru

2009-01-15T09:20:00.000-08:00

Camarones saltado at Mario's

We haven't been writing about food lately, but that doesn't mean we haven't been pigging out. In fact, my coworkers have gotten so used to seeing me lugging armfuls of leftovers into the office that they just shrug now and say, "Meh."

But most of our meals have been home-cooked. We can't complain: having a newborn is like having an all-access pass to your friends' and families' kitchens. And our people can cook.

It's also good, though, to get out every now and then with a couple of friends.

One place we miss eating at is Mario's, a Peruvian hole-in-the-wall on Melrose and Vine. The last time we ate there (the same day we checked out the Larchmont farmer's market), we met up with Yuri's college buddies, Youshik, Nicole, Dale, and Kim, and stuffed ourselves on saltados.

Here's a few things we love about Peruvian food, besides the fact that it's delicious:

It's colorful. Sprinkled liberally with cumin and paprika, the chopped tomatoes and red and green onions take on an earthy sheen.
It's affordable. We're talking about ten bucks a plate, but we're also talking about a big plate.
It's a mish-mosh. You'd expect the Amerindian and Spanish influences, but there's also a touch of Japanese in there, too, as well as Chinese and African influences.
French fries. The saltados dishes are full of them. (Potatoes came from Peru in the first place, after all.)
Seafood. With mouth-watering ceviche and huge sampler platters, Peruvian cuisine takes seafood south of the Equator and north of freaking good.

Kim and Dale

Mario's is Youshik's favorite Peruvian place (or was, until a bad experience with a rude server). Since Marios' is in the middle of a strip mall with few parking spaces, and since the place is always packed (your best bet is Sunday for lunch), you have to get creative with your street parking.

Yuri followed Youshik's lead and had the pollo saltado: chunks of chicken marinated in soy sauce, cumin, and paprika, and wok-fried with tomatoes, red and green onions, and french fries. Can you say "yum"?

I tried the camarones saltados and washed it down with a glass of beer-colored Inca Kola. The shrimp is prepped the same way, and is mouthwatering fried up with all that spice and soy sauce.

Both the pollo and camarones were delicious, but a Peruvian coworker of mine claims that lomo saltado (the beef version) is the way to go. We'll have to try that one of these days, or maybe make it at home with this recipe.

Nothing beats the pleasure of making a meal together in the privacy of your own home. But it was good to get out too, especially since Nicole and Youshik are getting hitched soon: the next time we eat with them, they'll be old married folks, like us! :)

Youshik and Nicole

For the menu at Mario's, click here.

For a good Peruvian author, try Mario Vargas Llosa. Death in the Andes is a quick read, a mystery, thriller, and gloss of the country's upheaval, ancient roots, and natural splendor.

Cute Overload!

2009-01-12T11:00:00.000-08:00

One of the Gang: Aki with his cousins Spencer, Ethan, and Emma

One of our favorite websites is Cute Overload, which features images so cute they sometimes cause seizures.

We knew we were in for a real-life Cute Overload experience, though, when we invited Sharon, Sheila, and Rachelle over to our condo with Aki's little cousins, Spencer, Ethan, and Emma.

While Aki's Aunties took turns holding him (lately he's been weighing in at a whopping 15 lbs)....

...the kids helped Alex make a big fat batch of rice krispies:

They had so much fun that it was hard for Sharon, Sheila, and Rachelle to drag them away. "But Mom," Ethan said dolefully, "we've only been here for, like, zero seconds."

Don't worry, though, kiddo: we're sure we'll see all of you real soon. Aki already misses his playmates!

2008: Top 10 Tracks (July-December)

2009-01-07T08:29:00.000-08:00

Icelandic post-rockers Sigur Ros
Back in July, we culled through our playlists and came up with our top ten tracks for the first half of 2008.

Now that it's January -- the season of snow, hangovers, and "Best Of" lists -- we're posting our top ten (or so) tracks for the second half of 2008.

Parachute: by Shugo Tokumaru

Here’s how I’d describe Exit, Shugo Tokumaru’s 2008 album: toy soldiers creep into a clockmaker’s workshop in the middle of the night and form a miniature pop orchestra. (Check out the video for Button for another example.) Call it toy folk pop. Whatever you want to call it, Shugo-san's music makes you feel like the glass isn’t only half full, it’s exploding with sunshine.

Olympic Airways: by Foals

On the surface, these Oxford boys sound like more post-punks, like Bloc Party but with a Fine Young Cannibals falsetto. But then you hear that mathematical precision in the guitars: intricate, antiphonal (best listened to with headphones), syncopated, and dissonant, almost crossing over into electronic/minimalist territory. When Legolas in The Two Towers mistakes Gandalf for the evil wizard Saruman, Gandalf says "I am Saruman, or Saruman as he should have been." That's Foals: Bloc Party as they should have been.

Symphony 6: Fair Thee Well and Requiem Mix: by Emily Wells

Two things we don’t usually like in pop: strings and loops. Strings because most pop artists couldn’t orchestrate their way out of a paper bag, and loops because they may be cool to watch live (Jon Brion, say) but are usually lame and tiresome on record. With the gritty violin loops she plays on this track, though, L.A.-based Emily Wells manages to have her cake and eat it too, with a side of bite and brooding.

Parasite: by The Muslims

Rock and roll, pure and simple. That's all we have to say. (Except that these San Diego-based dudes have changed their name to The Soft Pack.)

Lights Out: by Santogold

Santogold is to indie music as Rogue is to the X-Men: her superpower is absorbing other people's powers. On her self-titled first album (which dropped in April; this single came out in August), she absorbs Karen O's garage band wail (on L.E.S Artistes) and M.I.A.'s 8-bit urban jungle hip-hop (on Creator). She also channels dub, reggae, and on this track, New Wave. One reviewer said listening to "Lights Out" was like discovering a lost track by The Pretenders.

Gobbledigook: by Sigur Ros

If the Big Bang had a sound track, this might be it. If you bend Finlandia around a compound time signature, add some hemiola and pounding drums, and frost it all with lyrics written in an ethereal, half made-up language (click here for a rough translation), this is what you'll get: a searing track of lava and ice (Sigur Ros are from Iceland), bubbling and popping with elemental force.

Paper Planes (DFA Remix): by M.I.A.

The original Paper Planes single, off M.I.A.'s 2007 album, Kala, was catchy, but bogged down with too many samples: gunshots, cash registers, The Clash's "Straight to Hell." This dance-punk remix by DFA, featured on the soundtrack for the soon-to-be Oscar-laden "Slumdog Millionaire," strips away the noise, keeps the swagger, and juices it up with a funk groove that would put George Clinton to shame.

Magic Doors: by Portishead

Bands like Portishead and Goldfrapp know you can have it all: you can be electronic and elegant; you can be plugged in and painterly. Just about every track on Portishead’s long-awaited album, "Third," proves this (we included "The Rip" on our list for the first half of 2008). Though the album dropped early in the year, "Magic Doors" was recently released as a single.

Vive Solo: by Juana Molina

Argentina's Juana Molina is one of those rare artists whose albums we look forward to listening to in their entirety. It’s hard, though, to pin down one track you like; they're soundscapes as much as songs (especially if your Spanish is next to zero). Her latest album, Un Dia, brings rhythm into the foreground. We actually like Los Hongos de Marosa better, but couldn't add it to our playlist.

Offend Maggie: by Deerhoof

We want to like Deerhoof. Not just because drummer Greg Saunier is from Oberlin, but because we like an outside-the-box approach to music. Many Deerhoof songs, though, sound like other bands warming up. Call it art rock, but when you break open the traditional format, it can be refreshing, but it can also, we have to admit, be hard to listen to. "Offend Maggie," though, takes this aesthetic and tames it into a short, even catchy song, with a grace note-inflected guitar riff that almost sounds like an Eastern European folk song.

No One Does it Like You: by Department of Eagles

Call it Roy Rogers meets the Velvet Underground: a dreamy, whimsical tune moseying along on a jaunty, cowboy ostinato. Oh, and with a wash of Lawrence Welk backup vocals on acid. When those guitar triplets come in, it almost feels like a Philip Glass film score: The Hours, Mishima, Kundun...take your pick.

Five Years Time: by Noah and the Whale

Pretend, for a moment, that this song wasn’t played to death in a Saturn commercial this summer, and you’ll be able to enjoy it in all its wide-eyed, indie exuberance. This song is like a Wes Anderson flick condensed into 3 1/2 minutes (the video certainly feels like it). How quirkily good-natured can you get?

Scenes from a California Christmas

2009-01-05T12:02:00.000-08:00

Aki was bombarded with presents for his first Christmas.

Lolo and Lola Santiago got him this adorable Xmas outfit from Von Maur. (If the North Pole has a state penitentiary, this is what their inmates might wear!)

Aki's relatives in Japan, the Fujimuras, got the adorable hat for him from Familiar, Japan's fanciest clothing shop for kids.

Aki sportin' his Familiar hat with Ojii-san

We started off the night with a feast of sashimi appetizers, prepped by Obaa-san (Aki's grandma)...

...then dug into the main course, a huge cut of ham lovingly prepared by Aki's Ojii-san (grandpa):

Aki finally got to meet his Uncle Eric...

...who babbled Hungarian words and phrases at him while Auntie Alex looked on.

Uncle James also tried hoisting up the little guy...

...and so did Uncle Dean and Auntie Maxine:

When it was time to crash out, Obaa-san was more than happy to oblige:

Oh, and the rest of us got some presents too!

Hope you all had a good one, and have a very Happy and Healthful New Year!

A Thug's Life

2008-12-29T23:38:00.000-08:00

Dear Uncle Sean and Auntie Connie:

Thanks for keepin' it real and giving me this fly Batman onesie for Christmas! Oh, and thanks for the kicks, Auntie Lisa and Uncle Tommy: Vans fo life!

Now everybody back up, 'cause I'm gonna work on my backspins...

From December 08

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

2008-12-22T10:38:00.000-08:00

It sure is freezing out there, at least for L.A. Better to just stay inside and watch some TV:

Or hang around and play with Auntie Lisa...

...or Auntie Alex:

Where's Uncle Eric, anyway? Oh, he just got here?!

I can't wait to finally meet him!

Music: M83

2008-12-17T07:30:00.000-08:00

Click here to listen to M83's "We Own the Sky"

We love the '80s. We love the warm, analog-synth sound tapestries weaved by The Cocteau Twins, and the heart-ache-y, self-absorbed innocence of teen-angst flicks like "Some Kind of Wonderful" and "Pretty in Pink."

Because we love all these things, we love M83.

Take a batch of neon shirts, some shoegazers, and a dash of dream pop, and you get this French indie outfit, fronted by a dude named Anthony Gonzalez.

More than any Moog- or Roland-resurrecting act we can think of (MGMT, Goldfrapp, Hot Chip, The Faint...), M83 achieves the same electric, heartbroken vibe of My Bloody Valentine or a John Hughes third act.

M83: "Graveyard Girl"

Driving, breathy, soaring, and occasionally, silly ("I’m 15 years old and I’m scared it might be too late to live. Aren’t you?"), just about every track on this record is great. "We Own the Sky," though, is so breathtaking in its simple, soaring lines, we just had to share it.

Electricity? Yes.

Warmth, sincerity, and lyricism? Also a big fat yes.

The Huntington: Liu Fang Yuan

2008-12-16T07:30:00.000-08:00

The Santiagos and Takasugis both love to garden. It's no wonder, then, that Chris's Mom called the Huntington Library & Botanical Gardens her "favorite museum in the world." This means a lot, considering Mom has been to museums all over Europe and North America.

Since The Huntington recently opened its multi-million dollar Chinese Garden, called Liu Fang Yuan, or "the Garden of Flowing Fragrance", we had to take her and Dad for a look.

Aki and Daddy at the Huntington's Chinese Garden

Sean and Connie didn't exactly hate it, either. For one thing, they got to play with Aki in the great outdoors.

And for another, it was a great opportunity for Sean to play with his new, ultra-fancy SLR camera, which, as this picture can attest, is fast enough and sharp enough to snap hummingbirds mid-flight:

Check out more of Sean's snaps here on his blog

Aki seemed to be in just the right stage for the trip: all the vibrant colors, scents, sounds, and shapes -- honeysuckle, bougainvillea, rosemary -- made his eyes widen and his head turn.

The Huntington is vast, and we burned more than a few calories tramping under massive trees, over broad lawns, and through primly tended rose gardens. It's a good thing, too, since we'd been eating so much lately.

We didn't even have time to check out any of the galleries. Since Yuri and I bought memberships for the year, we can come back anytime, but we promised Sean and Connie we'd take them back when they were in L.A. again, if they wanted to go.

Which brings us to the icing on our cake: reading, a few days later, Sean's blog, where he said that he and Connie liked The Huntington so much they can't wait to go back.

We're right there with you, guys!

Milestone?

2008-12-11T08:58:00.000-08:00

"How you get so big eating food of this kind?"
-- Yoda, The Empire Strikes Back

Let it Snow!

2008-12-09T20:45:00.000-08:00

We'd love to take Aki up to the Twin Cities someday to experience a "real" White Christmas. Grandma and Grandpa Santiago would probably love that too, of course!

But we'll have to wait at least a year until we can introduce him to sledding, snowball fights, ice fishing with the Kelletts, or the Macy's 8th Floor Exhibit with the Hansons.

Luckily for Aki, though, it "snowed" in Old Town Pasadena recently. Dozens of families skidded around on a block of homemade snow, flanked by reindeer, snowmen, and, of course, Santa.

We met up with Suzanne, who told us about the event, Gary, and Isaac, sipped some free hot chocolate, and enjoyed a little Christmas people-watching. Not bad!

Maybe it wasn't quite the same as December in Minnesota. On the other hand, when it was time to leave, we didn't have any problems starting our car!

Puttin' On the Langham

2008-12-06T09:00:00.000-08:00

When Sean told us that he, Connie, Mom, and Dad were staying at The Langham, our first thought was, "When can we come over and eat?" After all, not only is The Langham (formerly the Ritz) Pasadena's poshest pad, it also has the only hotel-run restaurant in L.A. with a Michelin Star.

We'd eaten there twice when it was The Ritz: once after we got engaged, another time for Lisa's big 3-0. Michelin says they don't take into account the decor, ambience, etc. when rating restaurants, but in The Langham's case, it certainly couldn't hurt: French doors open onto a pillared terrace overlooking a pool; hummingbirds dart in and out of blossom-wreathed trellises.

The service is immaculate, too; it's the very definition of Old School. And the room's so hushed you can hear yourself digesting.

Mom, Yuri, and Sean all had the Traditional Langham Breakfast, a protein-heavy potpourri of eggs, hickory bacon, bangers (sausages), tomato compote, sautéed mushrooms, house potatoes, and an english muffin, while Connie had the American Breakfast, which is a little less epic.

Chris and Dad, on the other hand, decided to specialize, Dad with a perfectly executed smoked salmon Benedict, and Chris with a steak (petite and succulent) and basted eggs.

All of the breakfasts came with hash browned potatoes, which were really good: pressed flat into a crisp, buttery mesh. They also came with a little green surprise: a molded dollop of asparagus butter.

We washed everything down with coffee and grapefruit juice, which Connie passed off to us!, milky white and fresh as the first snow.

The prices aren't exactly bargain basement. But they're not through the roof either. And we're okay with shelling out a little extra once in a blue moon to eat like the other half.

Besides, validation in the dining room offset the $17(!) valet parking, and on top of it all, Sean had managed to book their rooms at a discount that made the concierge's eyes pop (way to bargain hunt, Sean!).

Sean on room rates: "The Internet is your friend!"

The only thing to do after eating like blue bloods is to loiter around the hotel like blue bloods, which is exactly what we did.

Besides being fancy, The Langham's also a a landmark. Before it was even The Ritz, it was the Huntington Hotel, which opened in 1907.

That's why the place has that superior, old money air to it (think of the hotel in "The Shining" minus the snow drifts and axe murderers): Colis Huntington was one of the "Big Four" who built the western part of the Transcontinental Railroad.

The grounds are sprawling and immaculate. They probably need a small army of gardeners, not to mention all the folks to tend to the villas, tea room, piano bar, cocktail party pools, and tennis courts.

It's a good thing, too: we needed to walk off all that food!

Pretty Darn Thankful

2008-12-01T14:41:00.000-08:00

This weekend, Aki gave thanks that he got to meet his Auntie Alex -- finally! -- who was back in town from Starbucksland.

Al joined the rest of us as we trouped down to Orange County to celebrate Turkey Day at Uncle Dean and Auntie Maxine's.

The place was aglow with the holiday spirit: DeMax's niece and nephew, Kyle and Megan, chased each other around the house (later, Megan sang a song); the Beetschens drove down from Rancho Cucomonga, and talked about studying abroad with Dad Takasugi; four or five bottles of wine were poured out -- before dinner! -- and everyone noshed on appetizers, while the house filled with the smell of roasting turkey, yams, and other goodies.

Aki decided to eat before everyone else. We fed him upstairs, where he quickly fell asleep. He slept like a rock. Having a full stomach had a lot do with it. But so did the peace and comfort that surrounded us. We could hear all the revelry down below, but everything was pleasantly muffled, like a warm sweater.

All the delicious smells and sounds wrapped him up in a cloud of contentment. We couldn't help thinking that this was why we love Thanksgiving so much: our own parents rocked and soothed us on Thanksgivings thirty years ago, with a mess of uncles and aunts tromping around the house below us, and all the delicious smells filling up every room in the house.

Uncle Dean carving up the bird

We could hear Uncle James and Auntie Mona wobbling, hooting, and hollering on Kyle's WiiFit; we could hear Megan giving an impromptu concert on the stairs; Alex passed out on the couch in front with a Blu-ray disc of Iron Man cranked full volume; and Dad Takasugi poured out the wine and told tales with Pam, Brittany, Lauren, and Brandon.

Tommy and a very big bottle of vodka

WiiCute: Megan and Kyle

By the time dinner was served, it already felt like the best Thanksgiving we'd ever had. Not because everyone we loved was able to be there, but because we were opening Aki's eyes to how great a gift it was to be able to be with the ones who could.

Next stop: Uncle Eric!

Slow Fast Food: The Oinkster

2008-11-25T08:00:00.000-08:00

We have a special place in our hearts for The Oinkster, Andre Guerrero's venture into "slow fast food" on trendy Colorado Blvd. in Eagle Rock (and one of Jonathan Gold's 99 Essential LA restaurants of 2008).

Part of this is Pinoy Pride: as the celebrated owner and chef of Max, Senor Fred, and Oinkster, Guerrero is one of the highest-profile Filipinos in town.

Another part is nostalgia: we celebrated our first "dating" anniversary at Max. We can still taste the magnificent miso-marinated black cod and ritzed-up lumpia shanghai (which, sadly, has been taken off the menu).

The main reason we love Oinkster, though, is because it's just so darn good. In fact, it's near the top of our To-Do list whenever we have meat-eating guests in town, which is why we took Dad Santiago there. From the look on his face, it didn't disappoint.

Pastrami to the Max

With Oinkster, Guerrero puts a gourmet spin on the classic roadside burger stand. You can see it in the details: the red-roof A-frame and bulb-rimmed signage boasting burgers, pastrami, and rotisserie chicken is revamped with red leather lounge seating flanking flat-screen TVs. Composite floors lead out to a spacious patio ringed by close-packed bamboo.

Like Bruce Wayne training with Ra's Al Ghul in order to become Batman, Guerrero apprenticed himself to Norm Langer, L.A.'s top deli man, in order to concoct the perfect pastrami. The result? Mouth-watering mounds of meat that Guerrero cures himself in-house for two weeks. He smokes it with applewood and rubs it with spices, then heaps it generously onto French rolls, slathering it with Gruyere cheese, caramelized onions, and red cabbage slaw.

Once Bitten, Twice Fried

Guerrero backs up this Abrams tank of a sandwich with an infantry of Belgian fries, one of Oinkster's signature flavors. They're twice-fried, meaning you get them hot, with a firm, crisp bite on the outside and a light, fluffy reward on the inside.

Dip these suckers in homemade ketchup (plain or chipotle) or the garlic aioli, which fellow Filipino blogger Burnt Lumpia described as "containing the souls of a million garlic cloves." We also dipped the fries in Guerrero's Carolina-style barbecue sauce which, true to it's name, is vinegary and sweet, though it's no Bone-Suckin' Sauce (Where are thou, T-Dog?).

Homemade sauces at Oinkster

This time around, Yuri tried out the burger, which gives Pie 'n Burger, a run for its money. Weighing in at 1/3 lbs. of Nebraska Angus and doused with Oinkster's house-made Thousand Island, this burger's only drawback is that all that goodness soaks the bun fast: we had to finish it off with a fork and knife!

Next time, we want to try the pulled pork sandwich. According to the menu, it's "brined with soy and honey, then slowly roasted and smoked," and finally topped off with that Carolina barbecue sauce. Even copying and pasting that text makes us salivate.

Nate at Oinkster in September

Tommy's verdict--fries: yea; chili:nay

One thing we wouldn't recommend, though, is the chili fries. Chris took "the boys" there back in September; they loved the pastrami and the fries, but were disappointed by the thin and relatively flavorless chili. We say keep the fries plain and indulge yourself in Oinkster's delicious ketchups and sauces instead.

Shake Your Ube

If you can swing it, Oinkster's ube (OOH-bay) shake delivers a knockout punch.

We'd been meaning to try it -- after all, this is the one menu item that gives Oinkster some Filipino flash! -- but are usually flattened by the sandwiches and fries. This time we saved room.

What is ube? It's the purple yam that gives Filipino baked goods like hopia a violet hue and buttery flavor. Oinkster's shake features Fosselman's ice cream, fusing '50s malt shops with Pacific Island palates. (We thought there was a hint of coconut milk in there too).

After a greasy meal of savory standbys, the ube shake is mind-numbingly good. Instead of beating you over the head with sweetness, this shake is rich, buttery, refreshing, and complex.

Yuyu eats for two at Oinkster; so does Lolo!

Mike and Anne and Aki

2008-11-20T16:09:00.000-08:00

Aki with his Lolo and Lola at Mike & Anne's

It isn’t easy to dine out when you have a baby. The recent visit from Chris’s family, though, gave us an excuse to be braver.

For one thing, we wanted to show them the local sights (flavors?). For another, Aki had just turned four weeks, so his immune system was stronger.

Most importantly, though, we had someone to hand him off to while we stuffed our own faces!

Or at least that was the idea.

For our first "real meal" as parents out on the town, we chose breakfast at Mike & Anne’s, which we’d already scoped out as hip and tasty but family friendly.

It started off being, in the words of Darth Vader, all too easy: Aki snoozed away in his stroller; we chatted and caught up with Mom, Dad, Sean and Connie, who liked the ambience; the same French waiter who’d served us last time took our order; and we were just thrilled to be out of the house for once!

Then the food came. We’d barely had time to salivate when, like clockwork, Aki woke up. D’oh!

We scurried out to find a private place to nurse him -– it was a blazing hot morning in South Pas -– but were touched when we came back to find our waiter had covered our plates for us. Yuri’s huevos rancheros and Chris’s breakfast quesadilla were still warm – and delicious.

The food was a hit with the Santiagos, too, who downed Mike & Anne’s fluffy buttermilk pancakes and healthy portions of thick-cut bacon and eggs.

Mike & Anne's Breakfast Quesadilla

Afterward, we got scoops of ice cream at Buster’s, then popped into Bellini, which, we were thrilled to find, has a a changing table, a diaper champ, and a private, cozy corner for moms to nurse.

In the end, we decided that breastfeeding and diaper changing in public -- in the middle of a 90-degree heat wave -- isn't the easiest thing in the world. But making it through that first meal out boosted our confidence, and we were ready to get back in the saddle again and eat, eat, eat!

Aki with Auntie Connie and a full stomach

Names and Anniversaries

2008-11-17T15:17:00.000-08:00

Let them eat cake: One year of Yuri & Chris

We used Chris's family's visit as an excuse to dig up what was left of our wedding "cake" (a tier of frosted chocolate and a half-dozen brick-hard cupcakes) out of the freezer and celebrate a year of marriage.

How did it taste? Not bad, surprisingly.

How did we feel celebrating our first year as wife and husband? Totally amazed at how quickly it passed!

When we first started the CHRIS & YURI blog 1 1/2 years ago, our aim was to chronicle all the fun we were having while planning our wedding. Later, we wrote about all the fun we were having being married. Most of this involved friends, family, and above all, food. But the name still applied.

Now that we're parents, though (parents? us?! weird!), we just couldn't keep the old name. Yes, we're still Yuri and Chris, but now we're Yuri, Chris, AND Aki.

Aki at the Huntington Library's new Chinese Garden

We still want to talk about the food we're eating, the music we're listening to, the books we're reading, and all the stuff we get to enjoy doing with the people we know. But we also can't resist going on and on about this magical being who has come into our life and turned it upside-down, and made us love it at the same time.

So, since we love talking about food so much (and mixing in whatever topic floats our boat), and since our baby is halo-halo, like our favorite Filipino dessert (halo-halo means "mix-mix"), we're now calling the blog MIXED WELL.

We should take a second here to admit that this cute title is blatantly stolen from a piece of clothing we desperately want to buy for Aki:

Incidentally, blacklava.net, where we first saw this shirt, is a great website for people who want T-shirts, hats, etc. with catchy or smart-alecky Asian American catch phrases written all over them.

Like the new name? Got an idea for a better one? Leave us a comment and let us know.

And whether you've been with us since our first post or just found this blog now, thanks for reading!

Grandparents

2008-11-13T22:03:00.000-08:00

From November 08

Aki has had love and affection lavished on him ever since he arrived on this planet. This week, he finally got to meet his Dad's parents, brother, and sister-in-law, or his Lolo, Lola, Tito Sean and Aunt Connie.

At dinner at Yuyu's parents house this past Sunday, both sets of grandparents lifted Aki up like Simba in the Lion King and relished the moment. As the first grandchild on either side, Aki doesn't have to worry about being ignored.

And thank goodness, too: that makes it easier for Mom and Dad to catch a breather every now and then!

Change

2008-11-05T17:30:00.001-08:00

I was holding our son in my arms last night when, just after 8 p.m. Pacific Time, we found out that Barack Obama was going to be the 44th President of the United States.

Like many parents, mine always told me that if I worked hard, I could become anything I wanted to, even President. I plan on telling Aki the same thing. But for him, and for everyone in his generation, this is truer than ever.

Our baby won’t remember where he was last night or how we held him, but we will.

I believe that everyone, not just parents, should try to make the world better for the next generation than it was for them. In this respect –- in the fact that all children born here can truly dream of rising to the highest office in the land -- it already is, in no small part because of what happened last night.

Don't forget to...

2008-11-04T12:21:00.000-08:00

Rain was forecast for the early morning here in L.A. County, the largest single voting bloc in the country.

But by the time Chris crawled out to the polls -- just a few minutes after they opened at 7 a.m. -- the clouds had melted off and a brisk, clear light shone down on the dozens of voters lined up patiently outside the Assistance League: Cal Tech undergrads scribbling out physics problems in notebooks; older folks reminiscing about hearing JFK speak in person; young parents watching their toddlers take steps, tumble, and light up ear-to-ear from all the praise the line-goers were giving them.

Yuri's going to vote later on, with Auntie Lisa and baby Aki in tow. As for Chris, the charge in the air -- the optimism; the turnout, bound to be a record high; the sense of being a part of something larger than yourself -- is still ringing in his ears.

Whatever your beliefs, convictions, or credo, we hope you'll remember to go out and vote today. The worst thing you could possibly do is take this right for granted.

Year of the Rat

2008-11-03T10:48:00.000-08:00

Sonoma Cassidy Lu, born 10/30/08

LooLu had a baby!

Our good friends Nate and Steph welcomed Sonoma Cassidy (named after Mom's favorite store and Dad's favorite movie) at 4:52 p.m. on October 30th, weighing in at 7 lbs. 3 oz.

On Friday, we took Aki out to Glendale Adventist -- his longest trip yet! -- to welcome LooLu's little girl into the world. There he discovered that he already has a rival for Sonoma's affection: Caden Ho, a little two-month old charmer born in August.

Yuri with Aki, Steph with Sonoma, and Vanessa with Caden

That made three little ones in one room (and three Dads washing down KFC with IBC root beers: thanks, Brandon!), all born in The Year of the Rat.

We couldn't pass up the opportunity to take a picture of the little love triangle, along with their Moms. :) Congratulations, Steph and Nate!

A Day in the Life

2008-10-27T13:10:00.000-07:00

What's a typical day like for Aki? Well, there's eating of course, followed by some sleeping:

From Aki's First Month

Later on, Mommy and Daddy might get Aki up and out for a walk around the neighborhood:

From Aki's First Month

Then there's some time for a little goofing around:

And even a chance to get philosophical and ask big questions about what this crazy existence is all about:

Pasadena Paparazzi

2008-10-21T19:06:00.000-07:00

The little guy now weighs in at 7 lbs., 2 ozs., which means he's gained almost a pound in a week(!).

The doctor also says Aki is about 19.25" long, which means he's added more than an inch since he came out kicking and screaming (and pooping!) into our bright, crazy world.

Today's visit to the doc's office was Aki's second. As we pulled up in our limo and started to get him out, though, some Pasadena paparazzi nabbed this shot of him:

Lucky for the photographer, Aki hasn't developed his gross motor skills yet. Just wait until he can lift his own head! Watch out, TMZ!

Eternity Leave

2008-10-13T19:33:00.000-07:00

It's Aki's fifth day on the planet. What's it like to be his parents so far? Well, we feel a lot like Desmond Hume, one of our favorite characters on our favorite TV show, "Lost."

Desmond had to spend three years inside a Hatch, without going outside and without having much human contact. Every 108 minutes, an alarm would start ringing, and he had to go over to a computer, tap in a code, and press enter, or the world would end.

He had to do this every 108 minutes, day or night.

Just like him, we find ourselves groggily rolling out of bed throughout the night, changing diapers, swaddling, nursing, burping, settling back down. Repeat.

Luckily, Aki makes us love every second of it! We're biased, of course, but to us, he is the sweetest possible being on the face of the earth.

So this afternoon, after blearily fastening on yet another diaper and sinking back into a chair with a sigh, only to hear a telltale toot followed by a cry to change Aki again, we both broke down, not in tears, but with laughter, because we just love this little one so darn much.

10...9...8...

2008-10-09T16:08:00.000-07:00

At 1:46 a.m. this morning (10/9/08), we welcomed our first child, Kiyoaki Austen Santiago, into this world. Weighing in at 6 pounds, 6 ounces, and measuring 18 inches (and 8.9 on his APGAR scores), "Aki" is already the apple of our eyes!

Thank you to every one for your good wishes and support! Every cliche we heard about this whole process is true: we couldn't have possibly imagined how much we love him already!

Coming to Terms with Full-Term

2008-10-06T11:15:00.000-07:00

We've updated the slide show that traces Yuri's stomach's transformation from washboard to basketball. We also drew up a list of deep thoughts -- Universal Truths, even! -- that have dawned on us throughout this whole process. Enjoy!

It's hard to tie your shoes when you can't see your own feet.

Pregnant women have mutant superpowers. Like Wolverine, they can smell a scrap of cilantro from fifty feet away. Blech!

Nine months really isn't much time at all.

When you're pregnant, total strangers will come up to you and relate their most intimate memories of labor and childbirth.

Sometimes, this is cool, an opportunity to bond with the world at large.

Other times, it's just creepy.

Nine months seems to last forever.

"Baby on Board" sign: $1.99. Medela Breast Pump: $279.99. Bucket of pistachio green paint for the nursery: $26.99. The look on your pregnant wife's face when you give her the chocolate she's craving: Priceless.

Diaper cakes, no matter how tasty-looking, are not edible.

Husbands who try to eat as much as their pregnant wives will suffer the consequences.

Breastfeeding will help Mommy take the weight back off. Daddy's only hope is the StairMaster.