Alta Cafe

I'm at Alta Cafe in Newport Beach and I love it! It's in this cute little house on a closed off street with loads of character and now I can breathe a sigh of relief because I didn't think a place like this could exist 10 minutes from where I live in nearby Sterile City. Nelly Furtada is on overhead.

p.s. I have a new haircut and it makes me feel like a new person.

Sisters of St. Joseph in Orange

What is it about nuns and convents built in the 1920s that gives me heebie-jeebies ( in a good way) and makes me feel all weepy inside? My skin gets all prickly and hyper-alert and I feel as if I've entered a thin place (a Celtic term to describe holy places where the veil between God and this world feels thin). Yesterday I met with the Director of the 19th Annotation Retreats at the Sisters of St. Joseph in Orange. We had a quick interview and by the end of it, I was on my way to starting the program. The orientation starts on September 10 and progresses till June.

What is the 19th Annotation Retreat?
This retreat is based on the 30 Day Retreat developed by St. Ignacius of Loyola (founder of the Jesuits). Since the 30 Day Retreat requires a full time participation that most working people can't do, it's been broken down into a 9 month program that you can do each week.

The program consists of these exercises and commitments:

• a meeting with a spiritual director once a week
• one hour of Ignatian prayer and 30 minutes of journaling a day
• once a month group meeting with everyone else doing the 9 month retreat

I've done shorter forms of Ignatian prayer (it includes reflecting back through your day, listening to yourself and becoming aware of the movements of your heart) at other retreats and was drawn to the rhythm and structure it provides. My good friend did this program last year up in the bay area and said "it totally changed how I view God." I'll be updating the blog on what my experience is like over the course of the next 9 months.

Along with my current interests in all things Catholic, I just finished reading The Catholic Imagination by Andrew Greeley. He is my new favorite author of sociology and religion. Check out his website--he's a priest, sociologist, Chicago native, Irish, journalist, and author of fiction novels.

Cupcake Bliss

Yesterday, we had a housewarming party and Lori, one of J.'s department members, brought her signature raspberry champagne cupcakes. Lori is a cupcake baking fiend--in the few months that I've known her, I've probably tried at least 7 different cupcake variations. But this one was really amazing. Delicate bunches of champagne grapes adorned each cupcake filled with raspberry jam and topped with lemon curd buttercream frosting. Each bite took me to another place.

I also made this coconut shrimp recipe and true to the 5 star rating by over 700 reviewers, it was absolutely delicious, simple, and a mad hit.

Henry Louis Gates Jr. Arrested

When Henry Louis Gates Jr., a renowned scholar, tried to open his jammed front door, a neighbor reported a disturbance to the police where upon arrival, the officer refused to believe that Gates was the owner of the house even though he showed proper identification. Nuts.

From the Boston Globe,

“Because of the capricious whim of one disturbed person . . . I am now a black man with a prison record,” Gates said. “You can look at my mug shot on the Internet.”

Full article here.

Sojourners blog commentary here.

Tuesday in L.A.

picture by davidagalvan

This afternoon, I met up with my college friend Theresa in L.A. She is 5 and a half months pregnant and visiting from Singapore. Her baby bump was so cute. I took her to Casbah Cafe in Silverlake for a bohemian tea and catch up time. We had iced coffee, iced fresh mint tea, and a plum tart that was overpriced but absolutely delicious. It made me want to make this plum cake that I saw recently. Later, we joined our husbands at Chichin Itza for a yummy Yucatan dinner.

Then for a non-edible last course, Theresa and Carl took us to his brother's 8th floor rooftop apartment in the Pico/Arlington area and showed us a 360 degree view of Los Angeles. J. and I gasped. It was amazing. We watched the sun set, reveled in the view, and talked about moving there.