Fish Sauce

I've been wanting to make pad thai, and all the recipes I find call for fish sauce. I've never bought or used fish sauce, so I Googled to find recommended brands.

Then I went to Choi's Asian Market. I saw three brands. Two of them were poorly reviewed in an article I read, so I ended up buying the third.

However, the third brand-- Dynasty Premium Fish Sauce -- has virtually no reviews that can find, anywhere. No one mentions it anywhere, at least in English.

Since I have no experience with fish sauce, I have nothing to compare it to, so I won't really be able to review it myself. Not with any bases for comparison, anyway.

I feel like a pioneer. It's kind of scary.

 

Monarch chrysalis

Wet with morning dew

Going painting

I am about to head out for some plein air painting today, and I am thinking about how that feels. I feel excited and nervous (just a little bit of each, but it's there.) I never ever really feel like I completely know what I am doing, which I guess is something most artists feel, regardless the medium. I feel like I spread myself too thin and that I lack focus. I feel like I never accomplish a plein air painting that is as good as a huge percentage of other artists I pay attention to on Instagram or find via Google, but that is probably a common feeling, and it's definitely a trap that people fall into -- that feeling of inferiority. But also, those other artists I see are very inspiring. I think, "I want to paint like that! I am learning just by looking at them. Really good paintings are within my grasp." So many of my paintings are failures. But not all of them, certainly, and I learn with each one. You just have to keep going back to what inspires you, and then keep acting on that inspiration.

Grey Tree Frog

There was a tree frog on the side of our house when we got home from a soccer game last night. I have been hearing them in our neighborhood for years, but this is the first one I have actually seen. It made me very happy.

I tried to catch him to get a better look, but he was pretty fast, and slippery. He disappeared into the Japanese yews by our front door.

Shadowrun tonight

Our team versus two killer creepy kids and their creepy clown spirit.

Clue: The Great Museum Caper

We played a game of this tonight, with my younger daughter as the art thief. She nabbed three paintings and bolted before my other daughter and I even caught a glimpse of her. Good game.

Bumble bee on anise hyssop