Recent firsts

Hanami at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. Truly one of the treasures of NYC, the garden is so peaceful and refreshing -- every time I walk into the garden, through the gates and away from the grimy, noisy city streets, I feel a calm settle into me. And when it's cherry blossom time, it is especially gorgeous (albeit more crowded than usual). We strolled through rows of the pink blooms, so fresh and vibrant against the green of the leaves. To walk amongst the trees and be surrounded by delicate pink petals above and to the side of you, and to watch the bloom-laden branches sway with gentle breezes, to catch some petals that flutter past you as they settle towards the grass -- I can't think of a more beautiful way to spend a crisp Saturday morning. A few steps over were also some fragrant lilacs and hyacinths, in swaths of purple and lavender. Overall, spring at the BBG is just awesome. And to get there, I was reminded of the wonderful architecture and classy history of Brooklyn, my favorite borough. We drove past wide streets with brownstones on either side and past the Brooklyn Museum with its own cherry trees out front.

Prunus 'Kanzan,' one of the most showy cherry blossoms; view more from our BBG visit on this Flickr photostream

Crawfish etouffee, alligator. I had never had Cajun food before and crawfish (never had that before either) was a good introduction. The texture is like a cross between lobster and shrimp, with a little bite to it. Alligator I was not so crazy about. Or maybe it was just the preparation of it -- I mostly tasted batter.

All-you-can-eat blue crabs in Delaware. We usually drive through this tiny state on the way to other destinations, but I think we've found enough reason to stay: outlet shopping, nearby beaches, and succulent, sweet crab. There's just something about the spices in Old Bay that remind me of the ocean and when mixed with the warm, sweet crab meat, I am in ecstasy.

5 Borough Bike Tour on a tandem bicycle, as a marshall. The 42 miles were grueling for my poor, out-of-shape self and there were times I really wanted to call it quits. But I stuck through it all, fighting crowds of cyclists entering picturesque Central Park, crossing over the Queensborough Bridge, avoiding the bumpy potholes of the FDR Drive and DUMBO, pushing over the long steep incline of the Verrazano, into Staten Island and onto the ferry. I really appreciated the downhills for the first time (I'm usually scared of losing control going downhill and often ride the brakes -- so bad, I know!) when I could stand on the pedals and give my butt a break from the skinny, hard seat. The worse parts, surprisingly, were the relatively flat stretches -- it was a difficult for me to keep up pace and there is no break for the butt. There's even something about going uphill (vigorous pumping of the legs?) that relieves your gluteals from the hard seat. I was also glad for the few long breaks when we had to walking the bikes because of bottlenecks or other traffic issues. It was also interesting to ride a tandem -- once you get used to the balance issues, it's kinda fun, especially when you're biking with someone who has way more experience and expertise. I wish I could say that I learned how to properly shift gears and steer through traffic from him, but I forgot most of it already. :(

Elote (Mexican corn). I've always wanted to try this but never knew where I could buy this delicious grilled, buttered, cheese and spice-coated comestible.

Inner workings of a recording studio. It was cool to see how a voiceover is produced, all the audio equipment and how it's used, and to sit in a soundproofed room. I also think doing freelance voiceover work is a good, fun side gig.

Conflicting funerals from both sides of your family means that you shouldn't send a wreath to one side. I don't understand the logic of this at all, and which side is ignored. In this case, we were told not to send for my yee paw's funeral because Dear's grandmother passed away too. Also, my mother told us to forget Mother's Day this year because of the passing. Weirdness....