… and a freshly mowed lawn. Favorite time of the day.
Moka Pot Coffee and Challah French Toast
[4 June, 2026]
On a day when the only thing on the calendar is a “4-Mile Outdoor Walk”, I sometimes indulge in a more-lavish-than-usual home cooked brunch of crispy bacon and thick cut Challah bread French toast, sprinkled with fresh blueberries and doused in rich maple syrup, accompanied by slow-brewed coffee on the Moka pot.
Needless to say, I don’t eat like this everyday.
Freshwater Salmon Lox
[23 May, 2026]
My friend Brad regularly goes fishing for freshwater salmon on Lake Erie and never comes home without a healthy catch. This time, he gave me both fillet sides of an entire salmon, around 4 and 1/2 lbs, cleaned. I cut the tail ends for a regular salmon dinner bake, and the rest I cured in the fridge over 4 days in a melange of Kosher salt, sugar, ground multi-colored peppercorns, chili pepper flakes, fine-chopped dill and juniper berries, and just for extra flavor, a good helping of Hendrick’s gin. Unlike most color-enhanced salt water salmon you can buy in the store, the freshwater variety is quite lighter in color, which is characteristic of non-salt water fish.
Of course, it was delicious! But Brad will never find out just how much. He is allergic to seafood!
New Plants in Old Containers
[16 May, 2026]
Every year, I buy flowering, if not colorful, annuals that I plant in several old containers in my Japanese-inspired rear courtyard. This year was no different, except that I bought a bunch of perennials instead. I guess I got tired of pulling out old plants and replacing them with new ones every year. In addition to saving money, it also gives me back a lot of time that I can spend on another “favorite” task every spring — pulling weeds and errant grass amongst the permanent ground cover in the courtyard.
Additionally, I also re-built a 4-year old succulent pot that’s been adorning my indoor dining table. Easy-maintenance and quite resilient, these succulents should be good for another 4-5 years, I reckon.
Upping my Sandwich Game
I’ve been trying to up my sandwich game recently, building up on previous efforts with my must-try sliders with sweet potato fries, and of course, famous breakfast sandwiches: egg soufflé on ciabatta; and egg, cheese, and bacon on either brioche bun or everything bagel.
This time, I added my classic favorites: a Reuben and Italian pesto+prosciutto. Trying to find the right balance of high quality meats, dressing, the right cheeses plus the rest of the necessary accoutrements, on proper bread, is a fun and tasty adventure, one that I’ll continue to expand into other sandwich types. My other favorite, a lobster roll, perhaps? Bon appetit!
Breaking The Spell
Current read … on the Kindle reader. Not from the public library this time, and my first e-book in a while.
New Clock
Just recently got this new two-sided classic-style analog wall clock from Dulton, a well-known Japanese homewares manufacturer and seller. It would be the latest addition to my growing collection of iconic and interesting timepieces. In case you couldn’t tell, I am fascinated with unique and oversized clocks. Big time!
Pi Day, with a Twist
Our annual Pi Day tradition had a unique twist this year: pizza! It is a pie after all. But Gary couldn’t resist and snuck in a coconut cream pie, nevertheless, for dessert.
Oh, and today is also Jiro’s 12th birthday!
Jiro on his 12th birthday, 3/14/2026.
Sushi Night
[5 March, 2026]
A rare dinner get-together with former Honda colleagues at the local Japanese bistro.
Bottled Limoncello
Well, after over a month and a half of preparation and waiting, this year’s batch of limoncello is finally bottled. Spring is just around the corner, and so are evenings spent sipping that sweet, smooth, ice-cold nectar.
Limoncello Update
After steeping in lemon peels the past 4 weeks, my limoncello is ready for the simple syrup addition. It will take another 2-3 weeks for the solution to mellow out, then it’ll be ready for bottling. Can’t wait!
Another Book Down ...
I’ve been going through books every 2-3 weeks the past couple of months, perhaps a result of not having much to do outside during the winter. Nevertheless, brain food is always good for the soul. Here’s my current read.
A Series of Fortunate Events
Current read … continuing my exploration of the universe and how we came about.
Our Place in the Universe
As I indicated in a previous blog post, I’ve been reading Neil DeGrasse Tyson’s book, “Astrophysics for People in a Hurry” the past few days. If you haven’t read that book, I should mention that I highly recommend it. I just finished reading it yesterday and was struck by certain realizations about how our place in the universe is both awesome and precarious. More than that is the realization of how our ego creates realities, imagined and perceived, about how the world revolves around ourselves. which is as laughable about our nature as previous beliefs about the Earth being the center of the universe.
Dr. Tyson reflects on this cosmic perspective in the book’s final chapter, and eloquently describes this rather circumspect viewpoint in the following passage:
When I pause and reflect on our expanding universe, with its galaxies hurtling away from one another, embedded within the ever-stretching, four-dimensional fabric of space and time, sometimes I forget that uncounted people walk this Earth without food or shelter, and that children are disproportionately represented among them.
When I pore over the data that establish the mysterious presence of dark matter and dark energy throughout the universe, sometimes I forget that everyday — every twenty-four-hour rotation of Earth — people kill and get killed in the name of someone else’s conception of God, and that some people who do not kill in the name of God, kill in the name of needs or wants of political dogma.
When I track the orbits of asteroids, comets, and planets, each one a pirouetting dancer in a cosmic ballet, choreographed by the forces of gravity, sometimes I forget that too many people act in wanton disregard for the delicate interplay of Earth’s atmosphere, oceans, and land, with consequences that our children and our children’s children will witness and pay for with their health and well-being.
And sometimes I forget that powerful people rarely do all they can to help those who cannot help themselves.
I occasionally forget those things because, however big the world is — in our hearts, our minds, and our digital maps — the universe is even bigger.
— Neil DeGrasse Tyson, “Astrophysics for People in a Hurry”
He goes on to explain how we, as a society should consider ourselves lucky that we can have the resources and luxury of time to continue to explore the wonders of the universe. But at the same time, the cosmic perspective compels us to strive to be humble, and to open our minds to extraordinary ideas and our eyes to the universe as a cold, lonely, and dangerous place that forces us to assess the value of humans to one another.
Personally, it is a wake-up call to the noble notion of life’s purpose, and how our own lives have the opportunity to enrich everyone else’s. Our time on earth is but a blink in the eye of cosmic time, yet if applied in proper perspective, can bring such fruits as joy, meaning, and connectedness. We cannot, and we don’t have to, make a ‘dent in the universe’. We just need re-calibrate our expectations.
Finally, Dr. Tyson implores us to continue exploring what’s yet to discover about the universe, reminding us that …
The day our knowledge of the cosmos ceases to expand, we risk regressing to the childish view that the universe figuratively and literally revolves around us.
— Neil DeGrasse Tyson, “Astrophysics for People in a Hurry”
Winter Storm, Frigid Week
[25 January, 2026]
Well, it was bound to happen. It’s winter time, after all.
Over a foot and a half of snow fell on Sunday, the 25th of January, and threw Central Ohio into Level 3 snow emergency mayhem over the next two days. With only emergency vehicles and essential workers allowed on the roads, I was stuck in the house for 2 days. Luckily, we didn’t lose power but this week’s forecast of negative single digit temperatures the rest of the week, with windchills way below that, guarantees all this snow should stick around for a while.
A New Batch
[20 January, 2026]
The winter doldrums settling in, I needed something that reminds of summer and warmth. So, a new batch of organic limoncello it is!
Steeping the lemon rinds takes about 4 weeks, and another 2-3 weeks after the rinds are removed and simple syrup is added. That gives me plenty of time to clean and sterilize my bottles and get them ready for the liquid gold. But what to do with all those lemons?
Astrophysics for People in a Hurry
Current read … I’m not exactly someone in a hurry, however, in the fabric of space-time, I guess I’m always moving about.
Letter to a Christian Nation
Current read … This will be a quick one - tiny little book, only around 90 pages long.
The Year That Was
I have been remiss this past year keeping up with updates on here, and it’s not been for lack of anything to post or say but simply due, I regret, to a diminished supply of motivation. 2025, while filled with the usual events, travel, and activities with family and friends, has not exactly been the most reliable source of uplift and edification from both national and global perspectives. We know how we all had to draw on extra mental reserves just to keep our spirits high and our anxieties on check amidst the constant onslaught of political, economic, environmental, social, and cultural bad news. Nevertheless, we continue to ponder and to prod towards the future, ever hopeful that better things are still in store. I unwaveringly held on to the words popularized by Dr. Martin Luther King, but originally inspired by the 19th-century minister and abolitionist Theodore Parker, who in 1853 wrote:
"I do not pretend to understand the moral universe; the arc is a long one, my eye reaches but little ways; I cannot calculate the curve and complete the figure by the experience of sight; I can divine it by conscience. And from what I see I am sure it bends toward justice."
Definitely words to remember even if right now, the universe appears to be bending toward evil and chaos. It’s easy to feel helpless (hopeless?) in the face of this unchecked cruelty and corruption. But regardless of our own personal values and beliefs, we all share this darkness together, and we can all bring our little lights to it. Whether or not we believe God is with us, we are with each other if we so choose. We can provide enough light to survive if we choose to. Our individual efforts to remain steadfast and to stand on our convictions can keep the flame alive in the darkness.
Wow, that went deep pretty quickly, didn’t it? I didn’t mean to, but it’s good that I got that out of the way. There are also bright and cheery things to talk about, and several of them also happened throughout the year.
Year in Review
The year started with fervent efforts to prepare for a month-long trip to the Philippines in February. That month was documented in the following post under the ‘Blog’ section of this site: Trip to the Philippines. Upon return, it was straight to the usual Springtime house and garden chores and start of mowing season - and my love-hate relationship with it. In April, I celebrated another trip around the sun, and began looking forward to May, during which 3 of my best friends from the Philippines visited me in Ohio to attend the Memorial Tournament as well as to do some road-tripping and overall friendly fun and fellowship - Ohio Bro-cation.
June brought a couple of road trips to the East coast, first to New Jersey/New York to visit some friends, and on the return, to Maryland to spend some time with family. Late Spring also saw me getting busy with tenant turnover at one of my Powell rentals that lasted through July and into mid August when a new tenant finally moved in. That was immediately followed by another tenant turnover at my other Powell rental that began in mid-September and went through early November. At both turnovers, significant property improvements and repairs took place, including full re-paints at both, and total kitchen appliance replacement at one of them. Glad to not have to worry about doing this for a long time, hopefully not around the same time again.
In between these two turnovers was another road trip to the East coast, again to visit family in Maryland and Washington, DC. Just over the long Labor Day weekend, it was nevertheless a great time to re-connect and of course, to explore new places (Mt. Vernon in Alexandria, VA) and share our love for food. Also in September came a couple of unexpected and unfortunate events: I got rear-ended (minor tailgate and bumper damage) by an inattentive elderly driver in downtown Delaware; and my 12-year old built-in Thermador refrigerator developed an un-repairable refrigerant leak, hence, requiring a very expensive replacement (they just don’t make them like they used to).
The last quarter of the year went by fast and in short order, Fall preparations for the upcoming holidays and the winter season were at hand. Sprinkled with a few get togethers with friends and former co-workers, it was a good time to contemplate the year’s events and prospects for a better year ahead. Enjoy the photo carousel below for snapshots of 2025 in pictures.
Photo Slideshow
I am now well through the 4th year of my retirement from Honda and am forever tickled by the undeniable joy depicted by the following comic strip —
I still have a few of the year’s goings-on, learnings, and reflections to share, but I would like to do that in a separate post under the ‘Blog’ section of this site so here goes … ‘more 2025 stuff’.
Nexus
Current read … apt for the times, sorting out the past and future of democracy and totalitarianism.
