Thursday, April 09, 2009

Improved...?!

Soft French Bread (Malt Flour Added)

Well, you can't tell if this bread is better or worse compared to the one I baked before without malt flour because I didn't show you inside of the bread then, right? Only I can tell the difference, I guess. Hahaha...

OK. Being as fair as possible, I say that this bread is better than the previous one. The crust tastes better and the texture is better. (Still I cannot be 100% sure that malt flour made that difference, though. It could be that I did a better job kneading this time, or the temperature and the moisture in the kitchen was better this time.) To be honest, I wanted my bread to have much bigger holes, but that will be my next step. Next time I'll make sure to take photos of the whole bread AND the slices.
;)

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Yep, I have been preparing for the move to my hometown. The moving day is settled: that's April 30th, the last day of this month. There's a long list of "Things to do," including a couple of doctors' appointments, hanging right next to my laptop, and a few of them are already crossed out.

Every day I sort out my stuff, sitting hours in the dust, which is a REAL fun thing to do in the middle of the pollen allergy season for a person allergic to house dust and house dust mites in addition to cedar pollen. :P Every day I wear two masks, take medicine that dilates blood vessels (for Meniere's ) and another medicine that shrinks blood vessels (for the allergy), and always keep nasal spray in the pocket. A Kleenex box and garbage pail are set in each room and kitchen because I got tired of bringing them around. And I curse myself for not having been more tidy in the past years... :(

But I'm getting things done, little by little. Sorting and cleaning will be a big task until next Monday, the "Big Trash Day" -- the only chance I can throw away big, nonburnable stuff for free of charge --, but after that, I'll be able to take it easier.

Last week I spent several days at my parents' place and measured here and there in my prospective room so that I can figure out what furniture to bring there and what to throw away. It is a nice Japanese style room where my grandma used to live and I love it very much (though dad says it will be really hot by the window in summer). I can't wait to show you the room! :)

OK. I should get back to the cleaning. Today I'm going to open the box of knicks and knacks that I have been keeping since before the Great Hanshin Earthquake...
Why am I so terrible at throwing things away???


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6 comments:

K and S said...

looks delicious, hope the move goes smoothly!

Pinkity said...

Good luck obachan! Hope to read about your escapades soon! We'll miss you~

Mora said...

We are all wishing you the very best as you clean out your belongings and prepare for your upcoming move. It was only a couple of years ago that my partner and I moved from California to Oregon. The time was well spent getting rid of things we'd forgotten about, no longer needed, or knew that someone else could use. Good luck with everything you are undertaking. Your box of knick knacks reminded me of a saying in Diane Dursten's Wabi Sabi book: you can't have everything...where would you put it? I love that saying and reflect on it whenever I'm having trouble getting rid of things. Gambatte!

obachan said...

K & SOh, I hope so, too! :D

PinkityEscapade? Well, we'll see...
And you won't be missing me for a long time because I'm sure I'll start blogging about my new place right away. ;)

MoraI missed the garage sale I had in the U.S. It was much more fun than negotiating with a guy from a recycle shop.

The problem with me is that I cannot throw away the presents given to me because I feel guilty, even though I know the people who gave them to me wouldn't find out about it.

furniture store said...

I am not sure what size room you ahve but my suggestion for you is to put your bed on one wall, then put your shelf in one corner and put your desk in the opposite corner. It also all depend opn what size bed you have, if it is a full size you can put the head of it againthe wall and everything else on the outer corners just don't block you door

furniture said...

Well I am about to move in this friend of mine that I have known for the better part of a year. She is a nice girl and she is religious. (I won't name what religion she is because I don't want this turned into a religious debate).

Well, we never talked about religion until a few weeks ago, and only then for a couple of minutes. She assumed that I am a Christian (she is not, though. But her religion views Christians more favorably than Agnostics) because my parents are and I still visit my parents to visit those holidays.