#24 - Tapioca and Me

Watering the Plant; Remembering Natura Spa; Bobalicious

Hello, my friends,

I saw two people wearing Notorious BIG shirts today, I listened to a Notorious BIG song yesterday, and the slain rapper was in the news a few weeks ago. I think the universe is showing me I need more Biggie in my life (and also providing it for me). In other music news, my sojourner friend and insightful HMF commenter, Faith, wrote an outstanding piece on the Beatles’ song “Yesterday”. It’s long but worth it. I also wanted to share with you two innovative articles from The Pudding, a website that “makes awesome stories with data”. The first, “Wonky”, is a dive into the irregular hip-hop beats of producer J Dilla. Make sure to have your audio available and listening ears on for that one. The second is about dark patterns in web interface design, it’s creepy from a psychological perspective and yet something we see everyday as web users, “How Companies Make it Difficult to Unsubscribe”. And now for some light patterns…

“Public Pool for Daytime Swimming” (1984) by Joyce Kozloff

Watering the Plant

As a housewarming gift, my friend, publisher, fellow dad, and librarian compatriot, Yago, got us a hanging plant. I hung it outside but having never had a hanging plant, I consulted with Ashley on how to water it since when I tried, the water drained out and wet the balcony. You just put it in the sink, she said. I scoffed because I couldn’t imagine keeping a plant in the sink. What if I need to wash my hands? Well, instead of the sink, I’ve taken to giving the plant a shower! I bring it in, place it in the tub and spray it for like 30 seconds until the leaves and soil are moist (this morning, Michael helped). Then I leave it there to drain. Later in the day, when it’s dry, I hang it back up on the balcony. Does the plant like it? Hard to tell, but it seems to be satisfied enough with the attention. Why am I sharing this slice of life? I’m a simple man who wanted an excuse to say that I gave my plant a shower.

“Growth of Night Plants” (1922) by Paul Klee

Remembering Natura Spa

When Ashley and I took our honeymoon to Japan in 2013 (two years after we got married), we made the right decision to check out a sentō (public bath) and an onsen (similar, but with water from a hot spring). So when we returned to Los Angeles, we sought a similar experience and found it in Koreatown, 20 minutes from where we lived at the time. Koreatown in Los Angeles has many such spas and after trying Wi Spa, the biggest and most popular, I made it my business to give myself a mini-tour of the others. After trying four or five different K-Spas, I settled on Natura. A small facility based in the basement of what seemed like an abandoned high-rise. I went to Natura, sometimes with others, but mostly by myself for years and then, in 2018, they closed. Five years later, I still find myself nostalgic about spending a weekday morning at Natura.

There was barely anything special about Natura, which is what made it so special to me. It was rarely empty, but never crowded. The wet area was simple: Hot pool, cold pool, wet sauna, dry sauna, stand-up and sit-down showers. That’s it. Exactly what I needed for an hour of quiet shuffling between hot and cold, my mind free to think its thoughts. Then, after a bone-deep soak, I retired to the sitting room with it’s easy chairs and little restaurant. I’d read a book while lunching on bulgogi with a bunch of side dishes and complimentary barley tea. Then I’d get a tiny styrofoam cup of burnt coffee (here was the only place I added sugar to my coffee) and relax on the recliners. A few hours of unhurried time reading a book, napping, or watching something on my phone, with occasional glances up at the TV (usually playing Korean news or drama). I always left refreshed, which was good because by then it was 2-3 in the afternoon and I’d have to drive in traffic to get home.

After Natura closed, I switched back to Wi Spa as a default. Now, at our new place we’re closest to Descanso Garden Spa, which I try to visit every couple of months. It’s uncrowded and has what I need. Their restaurant just re-opened too, which is nice. In my mind, though, I like to visit Natura every so often. In its current location, there’s no entry fee, the dry sauna is very hot, and the cold plunge is perfect.

If you’re curious the Yelp page and (oddly) the website for the old Natura are still up.

How many peaceful hours did I spend in those chairs against the back wall? So many.

Bobalicious

Would you believe it if I told you I had boba for the first time only last month? Boba is a sweet, sometimes milk-based, drink characterized by little tapioca balls which sit at the bottom of the cup and are swooped up through a fat straw. It’s not the kind of thing I would usually go for and never have because I assumed all the drinks were milk-based (my belly doesn’t tolerate milk). Yet, there’s a boba shop with the odd name Monstera outside of the Descanso Garden Spa, on a whim, Ashley and I went there. What a treat! I’ve had boba twice since then and recently learned that there’s a boba place in the little downtown area close to where we live. It’s 9:28pm now and the store closes at 10pm. Would it be absolutely awful if I ended my newsletter now and went to get some boba for me and Ashley? I knew you wouldn’t mind.

Just a stock photo of boba.