The Heusens

Today is Chienyo's birthday. This is Chienyo:


Dear Chienyo,

Dude! WTF. I seriously don't have enough pictures of you because I had to Google Image search you to get this. And then I was like "Is that a CIGARETTE in your hand?!?!" Because just when you think you know someone well, sometimes they surprise you. I would consider you to be a "bosom buddy" but had no idea you ever smoked. Ever. (To be fair, this could be, like, a piece of chalk you're using to teach Econ 1.) Please clarify.

Love, Ashlyn

Anyway, if you click this link, you will see that Chienyo is a Machine. By that, I mean that he has run marathons and done an IRON MAN. Whaaa?!?! But he is modest enough to be one of those people who claims that "anyone" can do an Iron Man.

Chienyo is one of my favorite people in the world. I met him in 2001, when we joined the Asian American Graduate Student Association Book Club together, because - as I'm sure you know - that's what all the cool kids do. Some of my favorite memories with Chienyo (in addition to the long hours spent gossiping about other Book Club members) are: Chienyo's 30th birthday party, the drunken trip to Carlsbad, and Chienyo's love affair with my mom (he is the only person I know who will indulge my mom in an hour long conversation about Japanese dishes...bless his soul). And he is just one of those people that you can always count on to listen to you and comfort you when you've had a bad day.

In honor of his birthday, here is a little acronym:

C is for Caring. And Cigarettes, apparently.
H is for Huggable and Hello Kitty (Chienyo's favorite)
I is for Iron Man
E is for Empathetic
N is for Neurotic (cannot throw away the wine from his brother's wedding...which was a million years ago) and Neeraj's B.F.F.
Y is for yellow (Asian pride!)
O is for Oops! I got drunk and passed out at Kris and Ashlyn's wedding! And then walked into the wrong apartment!

Love you Chienyo!!! Sorry that your fabulous birthday dinner tonight devolved into being slobbered on by Saya...I had higher hopes...but what can I say? The girl loves a man in glasses. Especially one with an iPhone.

P.S. I just had a funny memory of my last tango with Chienyo and Google Image search. Once, when I was selling my soul to the devil in banking (circa 2004), I had a boss who was trying to recruit some economics grad students for consulting work. I suggested Chienyo. My boss then decided to do a little Google Image searching. Five minutes later, my boss asked me "What race is he?" Shocked, I was like "He's Chinese, not that that's an appropriate question to ask!" Then my boss dropped his voice down to a whisper and said "But...he's so...dark! Like...him!" and then pointed to my Nepalese co-worker.

Shocking? Yes! Yet par for the course in my private sector experience!

Posted by Ashlyn at 11:54 PM | Permalink | Comments

To dance like Michael Jackson.

Please, don't laugh at me. I really, really, really would love to be able to do this, or at least break dance really well. Unfortunately, when I tried to enroll with Sisterz of the Underground while pregnant, I learned the unfortunate news that breakdancing conflicts with growing a fetus in the womb. Who knew?



I found this link after googling all that can be googled about the never-been-kissed Susan Boyle, a competitor on Britain's Got Talent. It's just about the most heartwarming story EVER.

P.S. I DO in fact know how to grab my groin and then yell out, all Michael Jackson high-pitchy like. This happens regularly in the Heusen household, and also while giving birth. Unfortunately my talents sort of stop there. Dare to dream!

Posted by Ashlyn at 10:40 PM | Permalink | Comments

I just read this CNN article, titled "Breast-feeding may protect mom's heart after menopause." It almost seems like there's a conspiracy in the medical community to tout the benefits of breastfeeding, no matter how small.

Here's one quote from the article: "Calling the findings "dramatic and persuasive," Edward R. Newton, M.D., a professor and chair of obstetrics and gynecology at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina, stresses that "it is imperative that health care providers and our society support and educate women concerning the maternal benefits of prolonged breast-feeding as well as the documented benefits of breast-feeding for the children."

So...what exactly are these "dramatic" maternal benefits? Let's take a look at the findings:

"Among women who breast-feed for more than one year, the researchers estimate that 38.6 percent will develop high blood pressure, 12.3 percent high cholesterol and 9.1 percent cardiovascular disease. In comparison, 42.1 percent of women who don't breast-feed may develop high blood pressure, 14.8 percent high cholesterol, and 9.9 percent cardiovascular disease."

So...let me get this straight. In a non-causal, completely correlational study, we see that breastfeeding FOR AN ENTIRE YEAR OR MORE is associated with a 0.8 percentage point decrease in the risk of developing cardiovascular disease? Who freaking cares!?! And who knows whether they even controlled for mother's lifestyle factors (eating habits/education/socioeconomic status) properly to obtain these results.

Um...does anyone else feel (like me and Nicole) that they're sick of how these studies are being blown out of proportion and used to control women's bodies and lives?

Posted by Ashlyn at 11:49 PM | Permalink | Comments

I was incapable of working today. Instead, I gathered moving estimates, called 1,000 different people about moving, and thought long and hard about how this is all going to go down in a month. And how I am going to squeeze in everything I want to do in the Bay Area to say goodbye. Here is the tentative calendar of events:

April 27th: Finalize moving estimates, select mover, schedule date

April 30th: Family photo shoot with Aubrey Trinnaman at Stow Lake and the Chinese Pavilion (where we got married!) in Golden Gate Park, tea in the Japanese tea garden, a visit to the California Academy of Sciences, and dinner at Dragonfly


May 4th: A trip to the Ferry Building (my ultimate happy place), Tartine (for croissants), Bi-Rite Creamery (for ice cream) and Delfina (for dinner)

May 5th: Cinco de Mayo AND Japanese Children's Day...meaning something Japanese, and something Mexican. Maybe this means teriyaki chicken tacos.

May 6th: Get my hair done before moving away and trying to find a new stylist (ugh).

May 7th: Go with Kris to Berkeley for the day to work and eat gourmet sandwiches at Gregoire and pizza at Zachary's.

May 8th: Trip to Cowgirl Creamery at Pt. Reyes

May 9th: Baby Loves Disco! OK. This is not totally sanctioned by Kris, but I want to go. Monica, are you in?

May 10th: Mother's Day. I don't know what's going to happen this day, but it Better. Be. Good.

May 12th: Kris leaves for a conference in Japan

May 16th: Day to say goodbye to Berkeley: 4th Street, Shattuck, College & Claremont, and maybe even Piedmont.

May 17th: Kris returns from Japan

May 23rd: Goodbye party (tentative...this is Memorial Day weekend...are you even around?!?!)

Also in the mix: All other moving activities, buying a new laptop, planning Maryn's bridal shower/bachelorette party, three doctor's appointments (plus botox...and yes, it is absolutely necessary), three million ticky-tacky chores on the to-do list, and three visits to the physical therapist for my you-know-what. Oh yeah, and INFINITE work stuff to take care of. Kris and I are totally in over our heads.

Posted by Ashlyn at 11:06 PM | Permalink | Comments

I'm feeling a little sad and overwhelmed today. Our move to Indiana is fast approaching, and soon I will have to say goodbye to my beloved California.

I've lived in California my whole life - except for a 15 month stint in Phoenix, which doesn't count because it's like L.A. on crack - and I love, love, love everything about California. To me, California means home, family, friendship, and sunshine. It means having a beautiful lifestyle and living among people who share my values and priorities. I love living in a place with this much diversity, such great cultural amenities, and great restaurants.

I am going to miss our little home. Yes, our crappy, tiny one-bedroom apartment and its ugly furniture. It's the home where "he" and "I" became "we". It's the first home I shared with Kris. The home we lived in when I decided to pursue my dream of returning to academia and Kris finished his Ph.D. The home we lived in when we got married. Where we cooked together and threw fabulous dinner parties. Where we made love and whispered to each other all night. We were here when we conceived our baby, took her back from the hospital for the first time, fell completely in love with her, and when she had her first smiles, first words, and first tummy scoots. There has been a whole lotta lovin' in our home.

I am sad to leave Stanford. It has been an idyllic bubble for me, and I truly appreciate the wonderful opportunities I've had here. I have found myself intellectually and truly value the training and mentorship I've had.

I will truly, truly miss our friends and the community we've established, both here and in L.A. I feel so blessed to have so many wonderful friends here, and we will miss you all terribly. I will miss bumping into friends at work...and then gabbing for half an hour. I will miss meeting up with friends in San Francisco. I will miss spontaneous dinner outings with local friends. I will miss you.

We're going to try to visit as much as possible, but psychologically it's just not the same when you're a five hour flight away. I'm excited for our future, and excited to create a slice of heaven in Indiana, as we've done here. But moving is hard, and I know there will be some tough days ahead of us. It's going to be physically and emotionally exhausting.

Two weeks ago, some things happened that pushed our move up by several weeks. Now, instead of moving in mid-July, we are gearing up for a move in early June, which is - gulp - a mere five weeks away.

First, Saya got into our #2 choice for day care. They wanted an enrollment confirmation in two days. We called our #1 choice, which confirmed we had no chance at all to get in. So, we called #2 and told them we'd love to come, but wouldn't be there until August. They told us they'd wait for us until June, but if we didn't take the spot then, they would put us back at the bottom of the wait list. We even offered to pay the rate for full time care until we got there in August, just so we could guarantee her spot. They said no.

At first we were frustrated, but then Kris and I started thinking that it would be really nice to have child care for June and July - we both have tons of grant proposals due in July - and started wondering whether we should maybe move out early.

Second, I called my friend who is an Assistant Professor in my department. She spends her summers away from Bloomington, so she offered to let us stay in her (totally gorgeous) home until our rental home becomes available on August 1st. My department also told me an office would be waiting for me if I arrived early.

Third, I got an email from my department. They want faculty to participate in converting courses to online course offerings, and will pay me $7,500 if I convert one course...as long as I attend a four-day seminar in June. I have to do a course prep anyway for the class I'm teaching in fall, so preparing the online course will probably take care of 75% of my course prep...while paying me a lot of money!

After these three things came together, Kris and I thought the best solution would be to move out early - by June 1st - to enroll Saya in day care, dig in our heels at work, start getting used to life in Bloomington, and crank out as much work as possible.

The next five weeks will be absolutely insane. Plus I'm a little traumatized by how quickly this all happened. We have a lot of research to wrap up, a lot of planning and organizing to do, and a lot of socializing to do with our dear friends.

Gayle suggested that I follow Design Mom's idea of having a month of activities to say goodbye to California. Check out her Goodbye to New York calendar here. It's such a great idea. I'm gonna try to mimic it for Northern California (we said our goodbyes to L.A. last week), so I'll keep you posted on our activities.

So far on the list: Visit Cowgirl Creamery, have dinner at A16, and get Botox (I have a feeling it's somehow more accessible here than there)....

What do you suggest?

Posted by Ashlyn at 11:05 PM | Permalink | Comments

Last Monday, Kris and I commenced our fake vacation. As my mom watched Saya, we worked all day, but had fabulous lunches and dinners.

Due to work commitments, we couldn't make it all the way to Chinatown to go to our favorite lunch place for dim sum, Ocean Seafood. We settled for Sea Empress in Gardena...big mistake. Don't go here, unless you enjoy biting into chasiu bao and feeling like your teeth are going to fall out because there are weird, super hard things in the middle of it. But, DO go to Neighborhood Grinds in Redondo Beach (ahem, Chienyo) if you want decent coffee in a super chic atmosphere! We loved this new discovery.

On Monday afternoon, I submitted a grant proposal for $20,000 in research seed funds from SPEA. Yay! Then, it was off to Osteria Mozza for our 5:30 dinner reservations (which I was SO excited to score). Osteria Mozza is a Mario Batali restaurant (yes, I also find him annoying on Food Network). I went to his other restaurant in Manhattan, Babbo, a year ago, and wasn't super impressed. But Marsha told me that I HAD to go to Mozza. And so I went.

Go here. Immediately. I think I had one of the top five meal experiences of my life here. It was like a dream.

Kris and I were the first to arrive, and were welcomed by the entire staff as we entered. They were all lined up at the entrance. I felt like I was part of a huge, theatrical production. And would I like a glass of prosecco to start? Yes, yes I would! Let me tell you - that crisp, juicy glass was the singlemost enjoyable alcoholic beverage of my life.

And now, for the food porn (bowchickabowbow!)...

An amuse bouche of goat cheese crostini with olive tapenade and greens:


Market lettuces with radishes and crostini di anatra (amazing pate crostini):


Grilled octopus with potatoes, celery, and lemon: This was good, but not as good as the grilled octopus at Evvia. Apparently the tenderness of the meat is attributed to marinating the octopus in olive oil and old wine corks.


And, from the mozzarella bar (by the way, I want one of these in my house eventually...have you ever heard of anything as fabulous as a mozzarella bar?!)...

Scamorza panino with Armandino's mole salame and pickled cherry peppers. This was basically a grilled cheese with really good salami. I thought it was good, but also thought I could make it at home.


And then...the dish to end all dishes: Burrata with grilled asparagus, brown butter, guanciale and Sicilian almonds. Honestly, I think this was the singlemost enjoyable dish I have ever had. The flavor combinations were just perfect. It was salty, crunchy, and creamy all at once. The burrata was like pure cream. Kris and I were just amazed at how perfect this dish was.


Then, orechhiette with sausage and Swiss chard, a delightfully crunchy dish:


An amazing fresh ricotta and egg raviolo with browned butter. Don't ask me how, but there was a perfectly poached egg inside the raviolo. This dish was stunning:


A perfectly braised rabbit with rabbit sausage:


And the tre agrumi ghiacciati dessert: grapefruit sorbetto, Meyer lemon gelato, and key lime cannoli:


Sigh. Was it good for you, too?

Posted by Ashlyn at 3:03 PM | Permalink | Comments

Oops! It's been almost a week since my last post. Many exciting things happened in the last week. We had lots of great eating, socializing, working, and a lot of other craziness.

Last Sunday was Easter dinner at my parents' house. Kris and my dad happened to wear the exact same outfit. Do you find this disturbing?

My mom does a Greek themed Easter every year, and I have no idea why. Anyway, we ate a bunch of spanikopita (which - shhhh - is nowhere near as good as Michelle's, which is mind-blowing and addictive. You can find the recipe here on Michelle's Enchanted Spoon blog), ate a prime rib roast and baked potatoes (okay, okay, so the Greek Easter ends there) and ate a cake in the shape of a lamb, which is some sort of Polish Easter tradition my mom adopted. The creepy thing about this lamb is that my mom usually frosts it in white frosting and then makes eyes for the lamb by sticking jellybeans into the lamb's head. But what color does she use? Pink! How creepy is that? It makes it look like a demon lamb cake.

As always, my mom went overboard with making 11 different Easter baskets (yes, you read that correctly). One each for me, Kris, Saya, Maryn, Brian...and all of my first cousins. Saya was thrilled to get goldfish crackers in her basket.

Apparently goldfish crackers are The Great Motivator. In fact, Saya started scooting in a semi-crawl because of the power of goldfish crackers. Nothing else seems to motivate her as well. It's kind of sad, watching her grunt and whine and salivate all over the floor as she struggles to reach the goldfish, and then a little bit disturbing to watch her stuff them all into her mouth with, like, complete desperation. I guess she's a lot like me!


I don't know any other way to say this, but please, never doubt my mom's ability to find a perfectly tailored gift item, no matter how obscure. Can she find a robot Easter basket? I think we know the answer to that question:


The best part of Easter? Easter kisses:

Posted by Ashlyn at 12:18 AM | Permalink | Comments