The conversation started innocuously enough.
Dan: "I'm thinking we need a larger hard drive to store all our media."
Me: "I thought we had sufficient space scattered across our computers."
Dan: "But we're getting more movies and music and will run out of space soon."
Me: "Why don't you spec it out and see how much it will cost."
Dan: (already running off to his computer) "Okay."
(I had already forgotten this conversation in the next 5 minutes. My mind is like a sieve except it's not like the baking ones you use to sift small particles like powdered sugar or flour. No, it looks more like a drunk trunk driver rammed a Mac truck through it. That's my memory.)
We were sitting down to dinner the next day when Dan mentioned casually that he had bought a "two terabyte hard drive for only $100 dollars" and was blissfully dancing about how happy the computer was going to be to get this awesome add-in. 2 terabytes (TB)? 20 TB would hold the text content of the US Library of Congress. 10 of these babies and we'd be able to store most of modern knowledge encapsulated in written form. Hot-diggity-damn.
When the 2 TB disk arrived, you'd think it was Christmas morning in the Kwan-Chang household. Wowzers! "Can you believe it?" Dan would say, smiling and shaking his head. "2 TB for $100!" I, being the lapsed engineer, was equally excited. 2 TB seems like a heck of a lot of space. Like a bottomless well clamoring to be filled with delightful electronic water. The joy was short-lived, however, when Dan began the process of installing the HD into what he affectionately dubs the "entertainment center". I call it the "computer that holds our music and videos and connects to the TV and projector." TomatO, TomAto.
Long story short, the 2 TB hard drive nearly broke the computer, what with all the formatting, and installing, and porting, and whatcha-ma-call-its to make sure that we didn't lose the existing data. It took Dan almost a week's worth of man hours and a living room strewn with computer parts to configure it properly. The living room/bedroom looked like two computers had entered an Ultimate fighting ring and torn each other to pieces. Very sexy stuff. Every night I came home from work and asked, "Is it working yet?" and Dan would reply, "Yes, but...". Poor guy would fix one problem to have another magically appear, like evil fairies.
The moral of the story is that when your husband turns to you and says, "I'm thinking of getting more computer storage", start cleaning out the living room floor. You're going to need the space.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Monday, August 2, 2010
"All I Need is You and Cheap Mexican Food"
About 2 years into our dating relationship, Daniel took me to a favorite cheap Mexican haunt next to the University of Chicago called Maravillas. This is the kind of place favorited by cheap college kids and starving residents. In short, its Dan's kind of place. If my memory serves me correctly, we ordered approximately 47 tacos and 234 enchiladas. More or less. On the ride back home on Lake Shore Drive, Dan turned to me with the utmost sincerity and uttered, "All I need in life is you, and cheap Mexican food."
Since then, we have been a mission to discover all the hole-in-the-wall taco joints in Chicagoland. No crumbling storefront or suspicious signage can deter us from discovering and devouring delicious cheap tacos. We recently discovered Tierra Caliente, a nondescript tacos restaurant in the middle of a very homey Mexican convenience store. You know a place is good when the patrons are either working-class Mexicans or hipsters.
We also ventured out to Peoria Packing Butcher Shop, which is not in Peoria but in Fulton Market. It's the place I'd vote for as "Best Place to Hang Out on a Humid Chicago Day if You Got No A/C". It's also the vegetarian's version of hell. Meat in all delightful shapes, sizes, and packages fill the rafters. Bacon, pig feet, shanks, sausages, wings, drumsticks, thighs, pork butt, fish, chicken nuggets, short ribs, etc. The smell of clinical carcasses fill the air, and I tend to shiver a lot in the ruthlessly efficient refrigeration. We were there to purchase pork tenderloins for a Sunday dinner we were planning to cook for some of Dan's work colleagues. We also saw some rad-looking devilish fish, like ones you might see in Disney movies.
On Saturday night, we made our way to the Kenmore Live Studio for Argentinian night. A housewife-turned-entrepreneur demonstrated her famous empanadas on Live! Facebook! TV! In addition, she was making alfajores, which is a traditional Argentinian delicacy, kind of like a crumbly, buttery cookie sandwich with dulce de leche caramel and coconut topping. Really outstanding and airy. But the way she was pronouncing "alfajores" sounded like "alpha whores". Dan turned to me amd said, "Isn't that a madam?" At which point I punched him in the arm since the HUSBAND OF THE CHEF was sitting next to us.
We got our comeuppance in the break when an Argentinian dancing duo were demonstrating the tango and invited audience members to participate. Since no one was voluntarily subjecting themselves to the very real specter of public humiliation, the husband pointed at us and said loudly, "THESE TWO WOULD LIKE TO DANCE." Since we have no shame, we jumped up and started dancing very badly to tango music. On Live! Facebook! TV! Y'all, we have never been so famous. As a revenge for calling us out, we stole one of the alfajores that was sitting on the pristine Kenmore countertop.
Sunday was another low-key day that where we strolled around Chicago's Maxwell Street Market stuffing our faces with enchilades, tamales, flavored shaved ice in lime, mango chile, and guava flavors, and many, many tacos. Our friends Lolita and Lee A. were delighted by this enchanting slice of Mexican life in the Midwest. It was a beautiful Chicago day and needless to say, topped off by churros.
Sunday night, we went to Dan's co-worker's apt in Wicker Park to cook a Southern meal complete with cheesy grits, collard greens, pork tenderloin, corn, and pina coladas! I'm not sure if pina coladas count as Southern fare, but I'm sure if alcohol is involved, the South has something to do with it. Martha busted out the blue glasses, and Akilah made sure we were having a good time. Dan's eyes got very big when he learned that there was an old-school Pacman machine in the next room. I'm sure if I hadn't been there he will still be there, playing the game, and yelling at poor Mr.Pacman.
Since then, we have been a mission to discover all the hole-in-the-wall taco joints in Chicagoland. No crumbling storefront or suspicious signage can deter us from discovering and devouring delicious cheap tacos. We recently discovered Tierra Caliente, a nondescript tacos restaurant in the middle of a very homey Mexican convenience store. You know a place is good when the patrons are either working-class Mexicans or hipsters.
We also ventured out to Peoria Packing Butcher Shop, which is not in Peoria but in Fulton Market. It's the place I'd vote for as "Best Place to Hang Out on a Humid Chicago Day if You Got No A/C". It's also the vegetarian's version of hell. Meat in all delightful shapes, sizes, and packages fill the rafters. Bacon, pig feet, shanks, sausages, wings, drumsticks, thighs, pork butt, fish, chicken nuggets, short ribs, etc. The smell of clinical carcasses fill the air, and I tend to shiver a lot in the ruthlessly efficient refrigeration. We were there to purchase pork tenderloins for a Sunday dinner we were planning to cook for some of Dan's work colleagues. We also saw some rad-looking devilish fish, like ones you might see in Disney movies.
On Saturday night, we made our way to the Kenmore Live Studio for Argentinian night. A housewife-turned-entrepreneur demonstrated her famous empanadas on Live! Facebook! TV! In addition, she was making alfajores, which is a traditional Argentinian delicacy, kind of like a crumbly, buttery cookie sandwich with dulce de leche caramel and coconut topping. Really outstanding and airy. But the way she was pronouncing "alfajores" sounded like "alpha whores". Dan turned to me amd said, "Isn't that a madam?" At which point I punched him in the arm since the HUSBAND OF THE CHEF was sitting next to us.
We got our comeuppance in the break when an Argentinian dancing duo were demonstrating the tango and invited audience members to participate. Since no one was voluntarily subjecting themselves to the very real specter of public humiliation, the husband pointed at us and said loudly, "THESE TWO WOULD LIKE TO DANCE." Since we have no shame, we jumped up and started dancing very badly to tango music. On Live! Facebook! TV! Y'all, we have never been so famous. As a revenge for calling us out, we stole one of the alfajores that was sitting on the pristine Kenmore countertop.
Sunday was another low-key day that where we strolled around Chicago's Maxwell Street Market stuffing our faces with enchilades, tamales, flavored shaved ice in lime, mango chile, and guava flavors, and many, many tacos. Our friends Lolita and Lee A. were delighted by this enchanting slice of Mexican life in the Midwest. It was a beautiful Chicago day and needless to say, topped off by churros.
Sunday night, we went to Dan's co-worker's apt in Wicker Park to cook a Southern meal complete with cheesy grits, collard greens, pork tenderloin, corn, and pina coladas! I'm not sure if pina coladas count as Southern fare, but I'm sure if alcohol is involved, the South has something to do with it. Martha busted out the blue glasses, and Akilah made sure we were having a good time. Dan's eyes got very big when he learned that there was an old-school Pacman machine in the next room. I'm sure if I hadn't been there he will still be there, playing the game, and yelling at poor Mr.Pacman.
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