Katie’s Blog
Katie is the appreciative frequent user of emuzines. She grew up in the South Bay, which she continues to visit frequently since her move to Northern California in 2008. Academics are a big part of her life, and she is currently working toward her second graduate degree. She is passionate about autism, and is currently working at the MIND Institute in Sacramento, conducting autism research. Katie loves the little things in life, such as the smells of parking garages, water on concrete, and the fog on Pirates of the Carribean. Her friends and family are very important to her, and she loves hosting parties and entertaining visitors. She loves dogs, travelling, exploring, eating out, scrapbooking, chocolate, and rain.
Slight Horn Tooting
I don’t like to toot my own horn, but I thought I’d share a little story of Sally tooting my horn. That’s a little less narcissistic, right?
Each year we need to do a progress report for school. We outline what we’ve done, what we’re working on, and what we have left to do in our program. Advisors check “Satisfactory,” “Marginal,” or “Unsatisfactory,” and sign. Quick and easy. Well, I had Sally fill mine out today. I told her that all she needed to do was check one of those three options and sign. She studied it for awhile, reluctantly checked “Satisfactory,” and studied it some more. She didn’t seem satisfied with that choice, so she decided to make her own option. She wrote in “Superb.”
Mom’s Birthday
I spent this past weekend in LA to help celebrate my mom’s birthday. What a great weekend it was…
I arrived on Friday in the early afternoon. My mom and I often think very similar thoughts, so when she suggested two lunch spots and I had already been craving one of them, we naturally jetted over to Malibu Fish Grill for some lunch. After that we did some shopping and then headed home to hang out with Logan and start dinner.
…Let me tell you about the best food I have ever consumed. In 2007, Nik and I visited the Bahamas. We arrived to the tropical island (Grand Bahama Island) late in the day, starving, without car, and a little nervous at being in a foreign country with no working phones. The resort that we stayed at was a little bit removed from the majority of attractions, resorts, and restaurants on the island, but they offered frequent daily shuttle service to that side of the island. Unfortunately, we were too late to catch the shuttle, and there was seemingly no food around. Desperate, we asked the resort manager where we could eat, and she suggested Ruby Swiss, a local restaurant nearby. Our only option, Nik and I trudged through the jungle and came upon a truly local-looking spot–nothing fancy, a squat building in the middle of nowhere, full of local Bahamians. All eyes were on us as we entered, the only tourists around. I blindly ordered the lobster thermidor, never having heard of such a thing but in love with lobster. Well, it was the best…thing…I’ve…ever…had. I have been craving it ever since, searching for it, but have been unable to locate it anywhere in the United States…
Well, my mom decided to make it for me!! A pretty complicated recipe, she dove in headfirst on Friday, producing a rich, delicious lobster dish!! I ate two tails full of lobster…just amazing!! I wish I had driven instead of flown down there this weekend, so that I could have driven leftovers back up with me. Thanks, Mom!!
Saturday was full of some more shopping and a nail appointment. Then on Saturday night, my mom, Mandi, and I headed out for a night on the town to celebrate our mom’s birthday. We started out with dinner at Fogo de Chao, a Brazilian steakhouse in Beverly Hills. This place is incredible. There is no real menu, but neverending portions of all of their food. You start off at a well-stocked and nontraditional salad bar, featuring veggies, cheeses, olive oils and vinegars, salads, tabbouleh, meats, etc. Then the side dishes start to come–warm cheese bread, garlic mashed potatoes, polenta, and caramelized bananas. These come to you endlessly–we hadn’t even finished half of a dish when it would be replaced by a full dish. And then…the meats. There are something like 15 different meats which also come to you endlessly. Flip your card to green, alerting the waiters to bring you meat, and a wave of dishes come to you immediately. You can choose your cooking level (medium, etc.) and obtain endless portions of meats such as bacon-wrapped filet mignon, lamb chops, pork ribs, parmesian-crusted pork loin, etc. SO…INDULGENT. Here we are, pre-food, about 12 pounds lighter (each).
After dinner we headed over to Hollywood to see Beauty and the Beast at the Pantages. The show was awesome!! I love going to the theater, and I love this show (we’d seen it years ago). I think my mom had a great birthday celebration!!
We started Sunday off, a little sleepy, at breakfast at Le Pain Quotidien in Manhattan Beach. This place has the best coffee around, yummy pastries, unique tartines (little French sandwiches), fresh fruit, etc. Combined with the perfect setting at the beach, this is my favorite breakfast spot. I tried the ricotta, fig, honey, black pepper tartine…yummy!! After breakfast we did some quick shopping at a boutique nearby, then I headed to my dad’s house to hang out for the afternoon. We had fun chatting and eating quesadillas for lunch. Another great weekend!!
What a Life
Yesterday Mandi, our mom, and I flew out to Las Vegas for the day to help celebrate Memere’s birthday. Celebrating this occasion in Las Vegas is a yearly tradition for Memere, Pepere, and my Aunt Debbie, and we have joined them in some years. This year, we decided to make the trip a surprise to Memere, which added to the fun! We flew in, met at the airport, and shuttled over to the Mirage, where they were staying and playing. Aunt Debbie provided us a play-by-play of Memere’s morning activities so that we could coordinate the surprise. Memere was playing the slots when we arrived, and she came across us standing in the casino. Her face was priceless! She was utterly surprised!
We started the day off at Siegfried and Roy’s Secret Garden, checking out the dolphins, white tigers, lions, panthers, etc. The animals get really close to you here…it’s really unlike a zoo. The lions and tigers were about 3 feet from us behind a seemingly-plain-old wire fence. I’ve never seen them like this–they’re huge and awe-inspiring. Here I am with the birthday girl.
After that, we checked back in with Pepere, who was spending the day where he is most comfortable, in front of the slots at the Mirage. He was doing just fine!
Next, the girls headed down the Strip to Planet Hollywood casino (formerly Aladdin) for some shopping at the Miracle Mile. Mandi and I got soooo thirsty during this walk, so we stopped at Cabo Wabo for some thirst-quenching drinks and chips and salsa. If you know me…you know I love me a good mojito…and these were by far the best mojitos I had ever had (second best award goes to Little Prague in Davis!). They were pineapple mango, and just incredible. I drank them down as if they were water. And that salsa was unspeakably good. We were tempted to start scooping it up with our fingers and licking it. Mandi yearned for a Slurpee straw to suck it up.
Mandi and I chatted for awhile in the warm, warm sun. Then we met back up with the rest of the girls and did some shopping, gambling, and exploring. Here we all are in Paris:
There were a couple of shenanigans (Mandi and I are good at creating them, as I’ve said before).
We had a good time meandering back to the Mirage to get ready for dinner. Mandi and I had an hour or so to kill, as we weren’t getting ready/changing, so we headed to Rhumbar for some drinks in the outdoor lounge. I tried the Spanish Trampoline, which was a Food Network Challenge winner.
Finally, we headed to a gluttonous, unbelievably delicious dinner at Lawry’s Prime Rib. I enjoyed multiple lobster tails, while everybody else enjoyed the famous prime rib. Also enjoyed was their famous spinning salad, creamed corn, mashed potatoes, asparagus, mushrooms, veggies, etc. So much fun!! We had also brought with us an incredibly moist white chocolate raspberry bundt cake from Nothing Bundt Cakes, possibly my favorite new bakery and Nik’s desired wedding cake baker. The cake is indescribable. Happy birthday, Memere!
Heading into and out of Vegas in a day, let alone scampering all over the Strip for the day, left me pretty tired (but happy, man was I happy!). Luckily, I have a wonderful life which allows me much flexibility in terms of my schedule. I am technically on spring break right now, so don’t have classes to deal with, but I am still working. I am currently writing up an entry for the Encyclopedia of Autism (how cool is that?). I let myself sleep in a bit today, then got up and spent the day writing from home in my pajamas. In addition, I cleaned the house and got some work done on my dissertation.
I am heading to LA this weekend to celebrate my mom’s birthday. What a fantastic life I live!
Engagement Party
This past Saturday night, my mom hosted an engagement party at the Chart House in Redondo Beach for me and Nik. It was such a special and memorable night, one that we’ll be able to look back on fondly for years to come. It was truly a wonderful night, with our very closest friends and family in attendence. Despite a plethora (read: millions) of mysteriously dead fish in the area, as well as a tsunami to add to the excitement and halt fish cleanup, it could not have been a more perfect evening. Here are some pictures of the event…
First, Nik and I. We had such a great time!
Here are the three sisters. I am happy to announce that Mandi and Justine will be co-maids of honor!
We had personalized menus (“Congratulations on your engagement, Katie and Nik!”)…
…as well as personalized napkins and a gorgeous and delicious cake.
Dave, Nik’s best man, gave a really nice toast.
We played a couple of fun games, including Nik and Katie trivia. Not surprisingly, Mandi won that one, with nine of ten questions correct (she didn’t know our song…not sure anybody does!). We received some really generous gifts. My mom had one of our proposal pictures put on canvas. It’s just gorgeous.
I can’t get pictures of everybody up, but I appreciate every single person who came. Here is my bridal party, the prettiest bridal party you’ll ever see! You can read more about each of these amazing and important girls, as well as the guys important in Nik’s life, in the Bridal Party section of Tying the Knot, coming really soon.
The night was truly memorable. I cannot thank my mom enough. Not only did she host the party itself, but she worked for months on several special details and surprises, and kept everything on track the day and evening of the party itself. THANK YOU, mom, for everything from big (dinner!) to small (dots on favor boxes!). Nik and I really appreciate this night.
Nik’s Poll
Nik posted this poll in his blog. It’s a very fun poll. Please go to his blog and vote on it, or vote below. Please…you know…pick the right answer…
[poll id="2"]
A Bit About Nik
Nik has always been exceptionally sweet, attentive, and helpful to me. It seems as though he been even moreso the past couple of weeks, or perhaps I’m just noticing every little thing he does more. Anyway, I thought he deserved a public thank you. Here are some wonderful things he has done for me over the past couple of weeks. This is only the tip of the iceberg.
-Bought us an art project to work on together. We spent the evening designing a duck and a…creature…coloring and drawing. It was quite fun.
-Spent an hour trying to figure out how to make a graph for me in Excel.
-Made the bed and tucked in only his half of the sheets, because he knows I hate “ballet feet.”
-Spent countless hours working on our Tying the Knot site…which of course is his as well…but he was receptive to my every supremely-obsessive request.
-Endured a solo trip to Costco on a weekend day, so I could stay home and work on my statistics project.
-Subsequently accompanied me to a long grocery store trip, his least favorite thing to do, without complaint.
-Highly complimented my cooking and came up with a future First Saturday meal.
-Offered immediate and ongoing tech support to my friend Amy. In general, he is very good to our friends, and I love to see that. He’d do anything, drive anywhere for them.
-Enjoyed a shenanigan-filled sister trip to San Francisco, and served as our photographer all day, capturing spontaneous escaped-peacock scenes, etc.
-Took apart our old table for Mandi, helped her load it into her truck, helped her pack it up, etc. as I shivered in the cold and ran indoors.
-Honored all immediate requests to watch what I want, eat what I want, change the sheets, etc.
-Brought me a beautiful box of chocolates, just for nothing.
-Bought the neighbor kids an art project.
-Called me fiance countless times.
I’m sure there are a million more. I think it’s important that he knows how vital he has been to me during this Ph.D. program. I wouldn’t have been able to do this without him.
San Francisco Zoo and Other Sisterly Adventures
Mandi and Justine came to visit this past weekend! I always enjoy their visits, and this was no exception. We ate some delicious cupcakes, went to the Melting Pot for a late-night dinner, visited the San Francisco Zoo, had brunch in the city, played games, ordered Thai food delivery, hung out, and had a great breakfast prepared for us by Nik (thanks, Niko!). It was a great and relaxing weekend. Here are some pictures of the zoo trip:
I was most looking forward to the monkeys and monkey varieties, as they are always my favorites. Look how pretty he is!
I also really enjoyed the giraffes, largely because they were so close to us! They were eating when we were there, and they were really funny.
I love this picture that Nik took. I want to pet the giraffe!
Now, this next guy was the hit of the day. When we arrived near his home, this polar bear got up and began doing a dance. He sashayed his way back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, right in front of us. At each turn he would point his nose up and kick his little leg. He made the same exact movements, took the same number of steps, kicked the same leg in the same way each time. He did this a countless number of times, and we were laughing so hard.
Here is Nik, posing as his favorite creature on Earth:
We found an escaped peacock:
And I’ll leave you with this adorable, cuddly rhino:
Valentine’s Day (Week)
Valentine’s Day was a couple of days ago, and I thought I should write about what Nik and I did to celebrate our first engaged Valentine’s Day together!
We are not too big on celebrating Valentine’s Day, typically (a surprise, as many of you know how much I milk Christmas and birthdays). We have just had some experiences on past Valentine’s Days that make me prefer to celebrate in private, understated ways. For example, a couple of years ago we went to a nice, fancy steakhouse…but we couldn’t get reservations until after 10 p.m., we still waited until almost 11 p.m. to be seated, they were out of food, and the food was of much worse quality than I’m sure it generally is at this place. Anyway, we generally prefer now to go out to celebrate on a day other than Valentine’s Day itself, and/or to cook dinner together at home on Valentine’s Day.
I’m also usually asked if I want to do gifts (I always say no), and I truly do not expect any gifts, flowers, or cards. I’m not anti-Valentine’s Day…but I think we can celebrate each other on any other, less crowded day of the year!
Since we had such an…eventful…party on Friday night, Nik and I were pretty beat the rest of the weekend. So we relaxed a lot at home, instead of going out. Which was fine with me!! (Maybe we’ll go to the Melting Pot in a couple of weeks, though…)
Nik did come home with some gorgeous flowers, which really surprised me and made me really happy. He also gave me a really sweet card wishing me a happy first of two engaged Valentine’s Days.
They haven’t bloomed yet, and we’re anxiously awaiting the moment when they will “wake up”!!
On Valentine’s Day, Nik also asked me to choose any type of bread to eat, which he would make for me. I jumped at the chance to have some sort of treat handmade by him, so I flipped through our bread cookbook and chose Devonshire Splits:
He made these for me yesterday. Very yummy!
So we had a perfect Valentine’s Day–or week–just right for us!
Recruitment Party Recap
This past Friday night, Nik and I hosted the recruitment party. This is a party for those who have been invited to my graduate program. I didn’t actually go to my own student-hosted recruitment party when I was deciding on a graduate school, but I have been told that the camaraderie exhibited in such parties has been influencial to others in making their decision about where to attend school. Peer support is so important in graduate school that I can definitely understand the sway that this sort of party might have. So when April, who is on the recruitment committee, asked if we’d be willing to host, I was excited to do so.
Well…we had a BLAST. Have I said before that I never think our parties can get more enjoyable? Well, again we’ve been topped. Wow, it was fun. I think most attendees were out for the count for the remainder of the weekend. Below is some photographic evidence of the fun. These were taken with Nik’s fisheye lens, so they’re a little…wobbly…on purpose.
First, a group shot of inside (we had the firepit going outside, and it was a gorgeous evening, but we don’t have any pictures of that). In this shot, you can see our new table and bar, too!:
Next, an action shot of Andrew, April, and David:
Next, what every party needs…April brushing my hair with a pasta rake!:
And one more group shot:
April and David ended up staying the night, and we made some corndogs from scratch around midnight. Hopefully we didn’t scare away any recruits…but I think the fun just goes to show how well we getting along and what a supportive environment we have here.