It was brought to my attention by, well, me that my last post had a lot of simple errors. This is why it now appears as a new post in case any of you loyal readers were confused.
HAPPENINGS: I got a chance to catch the last half of the Gator football game this weekend. It was a fun time at our dear friends, Brian and Sue's, apartment. There we were, four UF alumni and a dog named Three-Hole Punch, cheering on our Gators from the opposite side of the country. I felt like I was back in Gainesville for a little bit, and it was nice. Three-Hole Punch peed twice in the apartment that night. I think she was just really happy about the win, and so were we.
I slept till 1:30 PM today, something I have not accomplished in a long time, possibly since high school when I would often take what my brother and I refer to as "Sammy Days" (much needed and deserved self-appointed days off or half-days from school which I suddenly feel the need to go into further later in this post). I am not sure. I cannot specifically recall the last time this happened. It was shocking and strange to see those numbers on the clock. Immediate feelings included disgust and shame, which later in the day slowly turned into self-satisfaction and ultimately pride. This might explain why I am still awake and writing this blog at midnight when I have work tomorrow.
Oh Sammy Days! In case you don't know me very well, "Sammy" comes from my last name and was a nickname that my brother and I both had in our respective high school years (although him more than I). Some people didn't even know my brother's name was Brian (since everyone called him Sam so much), while Sammy was mostly just the name people called me when I was playing sports since it was easier to say than my full last name when I was getting yelled at on the court/field. Anyway, the Sammy Day was invented by him sometime around 9th grade. I believe it was officially named years later, closer to when I would begin to use it as my own. A Sammy Day would be taken when stress began to build at school. In high school, my brother (who is four years older than me) and I both played almost every sport, we participated in lots of extra curricular activities, and we both made good grades. I don't remember what time school started, but I remember having to wake up at about 6:20 AM every morning (and I did NOT primp...I cannot stress that enough). There were mornings when I would wake up and be in the car in under a minute. With a busy schedule, late nights socializing, and staying late at sports practices/games, I would need breaks. Here is how it would work for my brother for his four years and then for me for my mine:
NIGHT BEFORE: Tell mom I am really tired, and not really feeling well. It didn't take much. We always knew she understood that we were taking on a lot, and we were smart enough not to let it affect our grades.
REALLY LATE NIGHT BEFORE: Make sure mom calls the school office. My mom is from Puerto Rico, and in case you don't know, that means she stays up really late. She would call the office and say I would not be coming to school the next day. This ensured that no questions would be asked since no one was there to take the call. Also, the late night phone call would make it sound more convincing, like I really was sick.
DAY OF: Sleep as long as possible. I think my record was 3:00 PM. Usually it was more like noon. I would eat some yummy food, watch daytime TV, maybe take a trip to the DQ down the street. It was never time wasted. I really made it a point to actually relax and savor the time I had that no one else did. It was almost like I need to take time off when no one else could or else I would always be tempted to be a part of whatever else was going on.
AFTER SCHOOL: I would definitely make it in if there was a practice of some sort, but if there was nothing going on, I would maybe go to the gym and work off the DQ before I grabbed some dinner.
A Sammy Day was never taken on a test day and certainly never taken on the day of a game (since you were not allowed to play if you were not there for at least half of the day). I probably averaged about one or two Sammy days each month. This may seem like a lot, but it felt perfect to me. My grades never suffered, and I was always rested if I really needed to be. It may sound irresponsible of my parents to allow something like this, but I think they just really knew what we needed, and I would be happy to work something like this out with my kids someday. If I change my mind about this, however, I may erase this blog.
THOUGHTS: We got to talking about cruises. Are they a good idea and why? I think there is much to be said on both ends.
Pro Cruise:
*cheap
*all-inclusive
*relaxing
*the ports
*tropical drinks (acceptable for men as well exclusively on cruises, e.g. Chris Ramenda and his pina coladas)
*unlimited food
*hot tubs
Cons for cruising:
*not being able to get off the boat
*boredom at times
*cheesy 80's decorations (mostly on Carnival Cruises)
*touristy port stops - rare to get in any real exploration
*terrible comedians
*sharing dinner table with people you don't know
*general lack of choice and interesting things to see/do
I think it just depends what you are going for. I have been on a few cruises in the past few years, each a very different type of experience. I have been with my family and also with my friends. While neither time felt similar to the other, they were both enjoyable. It would be a challenge to pay for a vacation of the same length and enjoyability with the money it took to pay for one of these cruises. However, it can be argued that they are not always the most memorable or enlightening types of vacations. I have been on weekend trips in California that I remember more clearly than the actual locations/food/activities from cruising. Anyway, I am finished talking about this. I don't even get vacation until I have been working at my new job for a year. What is the use?
Sunday, September 7, 2008
not so restless
As it seems, this new job thing has gotten in the way of my blogging. However, I think there is still hope for it considering the fact that this is a new post.
HAPPENINGS: I like my job. I have learned a lot so far, and I am not having trouble imagining myself staying here for at least the year they require of new assistants. It is not as similar to my old job as I thought it would be, but that is neither a good nor a bad thing. It is just different, and I am enjoying the things I am getting out of it so far.
Also:
1. I think I found a new apartment. I will be moving in a few weeks.
2. I am newly addicted to coffee, particularly McDonald's sugar-free vanilla iced
3. I am doing something super-fun this weekend
TIPS: I cooked a meal in a crock pot yesterday. It was quite possibly the best thing we have ever made, and I don't even feel like we "made" anything. We just threw things into a pot. It was chicken and sausage paella, and it was so delicious. If you want to try it, sear 2 lbs of chicken (drumsticks, thighs, breasts) in a frying pan in a couple tbsp of olive oil then throw the chicken, 8 oz of cooked turkey sausage (or whatever kind) in a slow cooker. Then pour in a 1/2 c of water and a can of low sodium chicken broth. Top it with 3 cloves of minced garlic, a whole chopped onion, 2 tsp thyme, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1/4 and cumin. Set the cooker on "low" for about 8 hours. In the last 5 minutes throw a package (or 3/4 package) of frozen peas, a chopped yellow pepper and two chopped Roma tomatoes on top. I think that is it. Serve over saffron rice (or whatever kind you want). Sooooo yummy.
THOUGHTS: I would first like to make it clear that I am definitely not voting for McCain. I don't really feel the need to explain. It would just be a terrible idea. However, I don't know about this Obama thing. I don't like the hype surrounding the guy. Obviously, the more logical reason I will probably not be voting for him is I disagree with about %80 of his political stances. I do like some things about him, but nothing I would ever base a vote on. Mainly, my problem is people's unconditional approval of him is annoying and much of the time undeserving. I am not saying all or even most Obama supporters are this way, but I think anyone will admit that he has more blind followers than anyone I have ever seen. I don't like the idea someone who may very well be the next president of this country has a sort of "can do no wrong" image with so many people. I do have to say I prefer him to Hilary for no other reason than I don't think I can take one more speech about the poor dying single mother she met on the campaign trail, the soldier that asked her to take care of him when he ships out the next morning, and the little boy that tugged on her monochromatic suit and asked her for health care for his mommy with diabetes. Do these people really exist? If so, I call on these people to reveal themselves. Also, when she speaks, she always sounds like she is yelling at me. Maybe she never understood the purpose of a microphone. As for me and my house...Bob Barr 2008.
HAPPENINGS: I like my job. I have learned a lot so far, and I am not having trouble imagining myself staying here for at least the year they require of new assistants. It is not as similar to my old job as I thought it would be, but that is neither a good nor a bad thing. It is just different, and I am enjoying the things I am getting out of it so far.
Also:
1. I think I found a new apartment. I will be moving in a few weeks.
2. I am newly addicted to coffee, particularly McDonald's sugar-free vanilla iced
3. I am doing something super-fun this weekend
TIPS: I cooked a meal in a crock pot yesterday. It was quite possibly the best thing we have ever made, and I don't even feel like we "made" anything. We just threw things into a pot. It was chicken and sausage paella, and it was so delicious. If you want to try it, sear 2 lbs of chicken (drumsticks, thighs, breasts) in a frying pan in a couple tbsp of olive oil then throw the chicken, 8 oz of cooked turkey sausage (or whatever kind) in a slow cooker. Then pour in a 1/2 c of water and a can of low sodium chicken broth. Top it with 3 cloves of minced garlic, a whole chopped onion, 2 tsp thyme, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1/4 and cumin. Set the cooker on "low" for about 8 hours. In the last 5 minutes throw a package (or 3/4 package) of frozen peas, a chopped yellow pepper and two chopped Roma tomatoes on top. I think that is it. Serve over saffron rice (or whatever kind you want). Sooooo yummy.
THOUGHTS: I would first like to make it clear that I am definitely not voting for McCain. I don't really feel the need to explain. It would just be a terrible idea. However, I don't know about this Obama thing. I don't like the hype surrounding the guy. Obviously, the more logical reason I will probably not be voting for him is I disagree with about %80 of his political stances. I do like some things about him, but nothing I would ever base a vote on. Mainly, my problem is people's unconditional approval of him is annoying and much of the time undeserving. I am not saying all or even most Obama supporters are this way, but I think anyone will admit that he has more blind followers than anyone I have ever seen. I don't like the idea someone who may very well be the next president of this country has a sort of "can do no wrong" image with so many people. I do have to say I prefer him to Hilary for no other reason than I don't think I can take one more speech about the poor dying single mother she met on the campaign trail, the soldier that asked her to take care of him when he ships out the next morning, and the little boy that tugged on her monochromatic suit and asked her for health care for his mommy with diabetes. Do these people really exist? If so, I call on these people to reveal themselves. Also, when she speaks, she always sounds like she is yelling at me. Maybe she never understood the purpose of a microphone. As for me and my house...Bob Barr 2008.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Blessed
I am in Florida right now. I just had my daily bowl of oatmeal and a cup of coffee, something I do everyday. However, this time I have my awesome family running around my parents house in Tampa, and I couldn't be happier. Since moving away, time with them is more rare and special than it's ever been before. I don't take one moment or even the fact that I have this family that I love so much for granted. Christy and Becky are also stopping by in a few minutes to say hello before I leave to the airport. As far as I am concerned, this is a great day.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Top 100
As my first order of business at my new job, I am required to create a "top 100 movies" list, and I thought I would share. The movies we like are something that people are judged by everyday in this town. I think these choices do say a lot about a person, but try not to judge too harshly one way or another...
1.West Side Story
2.The Lives of Others (Germany)
3.American Beauty
4.Match Point
5.Little Miss Sunshine
6.Strangers on a Train
7.Hannah and Her Sisters
8.The Counterfeiters (Austria)
9.Traffic
10.Monster
11.Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
12.Babel
13.Juno
14.Volver (Spain)
15.Crash
16.Knocked Up
17.Little Children
18.Liar Liar
19.Once
20.Friends with Money
21.Virgin Suicides
22.Notes on a Scandal
23.Fargo
24.Everything Is Illuminated
25.The Life of David Gale
26.Spanglish
27.Rear Window
28.Aladdin
29.Sixth Sense
30.Back to the Future II
31.Chicago
32.Now and Then
33.The Upside of Anger
34.The Orphanage (Spain)
35.Meet the Parents
36.Ocean’s Thirteen
37.Center Stage
38.One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
39.Shakespeare In Love
40.The Shawshank Redemption
41.All the President’s Men
42.King of Kong (documentary)
43.Kramer vs. Kramer
44.Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
45.The Devil Wears Prada
46.Mean Girls
47.The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (France)
48.Pan’s Labyrinth (Spain and Mexico)
49.10 Things I Hate About You
50.The Crucible
51.Girl Interrupted
52.Wedding Crashers
53.Good Will Hunting
54.Sabrina
55.Taxi Driver
56.Eastern Promises
57.Arlington Road
58.Children of Men
59.The Exorcism of Emily Rose
60.Full Frontal
61.Jerry Maguire
62.An Affair to Remember
63.Blue Car
64.Sex, Lies and Videotape
65.Being John Malkovich
66.Erin Brockovich
67.Life as a House
68.Annie Hall
69.Margot at the Wedding
70.Baghead
71.Jesus Camp (documentary)
72.The Usual Suspects
73.Titanic
74.Network
75.Castaway
76.Romeo and Juliet (Baz Lurhmann)
77.The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
78.Annie
79.The People vs. Larry Flynt
80.Princess Diaries
81.The King of Comedy
82.Funny Games
83.The Labyrinth
84.Psycho
85.Badlands
86.The Hours
87.Sex and the City
88.Casino
89.Death at a Funeral
90.Boys Don’t Cry
91.Bubble
92.The Three Faces of Eve
93.The Breakfast Club
94.40 Year-Old Virgin
95.Back to the Future I
96.When Harry Met Sally
97.Solas (Spain)
98.The Family Stone
99.Mrs. Doubtfire
100.How the Grinch Stole Christmas
1.West Side Story
2.The Lives of Others (Germany)
3.American Beauty
4.Match Point
5.Little Miss Sunshine
6.Strangers on a Train
7.Hannah and Her Sisters
8.The Counterfeiters (Austria)
9.Traffic
10.Monster
11.Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
12.Babel
13.Juno
14.Volver (Spain)
15.Crash
16.Knocked Up
17.Little Children
18.Liar Liar
19.Once
20.Friends with Money
21.Virgin Suicides
22.Notes on a Scandal
23.Fargo
24.Everything Is Illuminated
25.The Life of David Gale
26.Spanglish
27.Rear Window
28.Aladdin
29.Sixth Sense
30.Back to the Future II
31.Chicago
32.Now and Then
33.The Upside of Anger
34.The Orphanage (Spain)
35.Meet the Parents
36.Ocean’s Thirteen
37.Center Stage
38.One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
39.Shakespeare In Love
40.The Shawshank Redemption
41.All the President’s Men
42.King of Kong (documentary)
43.Kramer vs. Kramer
44.Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
45.The Devil Wears Prada
46.Mean Girls
47.The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (France)
48.Pan’s Labyrinth (Spain and Mexico)
49.10 Things I Hate About You
50.The Crucible
51.Girl Interrupted
52.Wedding Crashers
53.Good Will Hunting
54.Sabrina
55.Taxi Driver
56.Eastern Promises
57.Arlington Road
58.Children of Men
59.The Exorcism of Emily Rose
60.Full Frontal
61.Jerry Maguire
62.An Affair to Remember
63.Blue Car
64.Sex, Lies and Videotape
65.Being John Malkovich
66.Erin Brockovich
67.Life as a House
68.Annie Hall
69.Margot at the Wedding
70.Baghead
71.Jesus Camp (documentary)
72.The Usual Suspects
73.Titanic
74.Network
75.Castaway
76.Romeo and Juliet (Baz Lurhmann)
77.The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
78.Annie
79.The People vs. Larry Flynt
80.Princess Diaries
81.The King of Comedy
82.Funny Games
83.The Labyrinth
84.Psycho
85.Badlands
86.The Hours
87.Sex and the City
88.Casino
89.Death at a Funeral
90.Boys Don’t Cry
91.Bubble
92.The Three Faces of Eve
93.The Breakfast Club
94.40 Year-Old Virgin
95.Back to the Future I
96.When Harry Met Sally
97.Solas (Spain)
98.The Family Stone
99.Mrs. Doubtfire
100.How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Sunday, August 17, 2008
The Other Side
HAPPENINGS: I think my blog audience will be proud to know that I am starting a new job tomorrow. And by my blog audience, I refer to the nine people I am sure have read this: Zach, Brian, Sue, Katie, Luke, Christy, Zach's mom, Zach's dad, I think Zach's sister. Of course, eight of these nine people already knew this bit of information so I suppose I am working under the not-so-humble assumption that there are others.
For the past month or so, I have been unemployed (excluding the few temp jobs I did here and there) after quitting my last job at the casting office. I left because of other possibilities that turned into impossibilities soon thereafter. I think that is all that needs to be said about that, and it turns out that I am happy with the transition even though things didn't turn out exactly the way I had picture them. My new job will be as an assistant to an agent at a talent and literary agency in Beverly Hills. I am anxious to get settled in there and see what the "other side" is like. I think it will be a good place for me to see what else is out there and open up to more possibilities. I will be leaving behind a life of two-a-days to the gym, Sex and the City DVD's, meeting Zach for lunch everyday, and the stress of unemployment. As nice as most of that sounds, I think I am much better off with a nice clean routine for now. Anyway, I cannot say much more about that. I haven't even started yet.
TIPS: Pineapple Express...eh...it was okay. I certainly laughed, and James Franco was darling, but it was slightly disappointing.
I kind of liked that new documentary, American Teen. It is strange in some parts, but I think it captures some really genuine moments that we have all experienced in high school. The movie follows four high school kids through their senior year: a popular girl, a band geek, a basketball stud, and an artsy outsider girl. While I still felt that parts were possibly edited or presented slightly out of order (not that I have any proof or special knowledge of that happening), something about it felt very true and reminded me of specific moments in my high school experience. Go Lancers.
For the past month or so, I have been unemployed (excluding the few temp jobs I did here and there) after quitting my last job at the casting office. I left because of other possibilities that turned into impossibilities soon thereafter. I think that is all that needs to be said about that, and it turns out that I am happy with the transition even though things didn't turn out exactly the way I had picture them. My new job will be as an assistant to an agent at a talent and literary agency in Beverly Hills. I am anxious to get settled in there and see what the "other side" is like. I think it will be a good place for me to see what else is out there and open up to more possibilities. I will be leaving behind a life of two-a-days to the gym, Sex and the City DVD's, meeting Zach for lunch everyday, and the stress of unemployment. As nice as most of that sounds, I think I am much better off with a nice clean routine for now. Anyway, I cannot say much more about that. I haven't even started yet.
TIPS: Pineapple Express...eh...it was okay. I certainly laughed, and James Franco was darling, but it was slightly disappointing.
I kind of liked that new documentary, American Teen. It is strange in some parts, but I think it captures some really genuine moments that we have all experienced in high school. The movie follows four high school kids through their senior year: a popular girl, a band geek, a basketball stud, and an artsy outsider girl. While I still felt that parts were possibly edited or presented slightly out of order (not that I have any proof or special knowledge of that happening), something about it felt very true and reminded me of specific moments in my high school experience. Go Lancers.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Was he a historical figure?
Everyone is on vacation:
Sue and Brian are on vacation somewhere with...
her family who is on vacation.
My parents just got home from a vacation in Italy.
Zach's family is on vacation in Los Angeles, and even took...
me and Zach with them out of town last weekend for a mini-vacation.
HAPPENINGS: My vacation was to see the Hearst Castle. This castle in the mountains is about four hours north of LA and overlooks the ocean. It was built by William Randolph Hearst who not only inherited his father's fortune in the early 20th century, but also built his own publishing empire. His castle was built on thousands of acres of Hearst property on which WRH would camp with his family as a boy. The castle took about 30 years to complete. That seems like a long time except when you compare it to the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, a cathedral that has been under construction since 1882...and still is. Anyway, this place was grand. I didn't know what to expect because castles are usually old. I had never really heard of a modern castle. It was beautiful, the kind of place no one deserves. It was full of artwork, structures, fountains, tiles, and tapestries from all over the world from different time periods. The view was the best view I have ever seen from a place that could be considered a residence. I won't go too in depth because I imagine you just have to see it, and any description of mine would never do it justice. It is just always really nice to take little trips in California because there are so many places to go within a reasonable distance, and this is definitely one of them.
INFURIATING: Zach beat all of us in a round of 20 questions with "Deep Throat". After concluding that this alive, famous, and American man was a historical figure but not a political leader, we starte running around in circles.... not even close. That is a good one.
TIPS: For one of the best steaks I have ever had, I would recommend The Lodge Steakhouse on La Cienega. This place was recommended to me by Jesse a while back when Zach and I were looking for a place to go for Valentine's Day. We went, and it was so good. We also saw Donald Faison with his girlfriend, Cacee Cobb, there (we had actually seen the two of them before the only other time we had gone to a nice steak place...weird). Anyway, I had the pleasure of going again when Zach's family took us last night for a sort of farewell-for-now dinner since they were leaving this morning. It was just as good, if not better, than I remember. While I would suggest saving it for special occa$ions like people in town or Valentine's Day, it is definitely worth a try.
Sue and Brian are on vacation somewhere with...
her family who is on vacation.
My parents just got home from a vacation in Italy.
Zach's family is on vacation in Los Angeles, and even took...
me and Zach with them out of town last weekend for a mini-vacation.
HAPPENINGS: My vacation was to see the Hearst Castle. This castle in the mountains is about four hours north of LA and overlooks the ocean. It was built by William Randolph Hearst who not only inherited his father's fortune in the early 20th century, but also built his own publishing empire. His castle was built on thousands of acres of Hearst property on which WRH would camp with his family as a boy. The castle took about 30 years to complete. That seems like a long time except when you compare it to the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, a cathedral that has been under construction since 1882...and still is. Anyway, this place was grand. I didn't know what to expect because castles are usually old. I had never really heard of a modern castle. It was beautiful, the kind of place no one deserves. It was full of artwork, structures, fountains, tiles, and tapestries from all over the world from different time periods. The view was the best view I have ever seen from a place that could be considered a residence. I won't go too in depth because I imagine you just have to see it, and any description of mine would never do it justice. It is just always really nice to take little trips in California because there are so many places to go within a reasonable distance, and this is definitely one of them.
INFURIATING: Zach beat all of us in a round of 20 questions with "Deep Throat". After concluding that this alive, famous, and American man was a historical figure but not a political leader, we starte running around in circles.... not even close. That is a good one.
TIPS: For one of the best steaks I have ever had, I would recommend The Lodge Steakhouse on La Cienega. This place was recommended to me by Jesse a while back when Zach and I were looking for a place to go for Valentine's Day. We went, and it was so good. We also saw Donald Faison with his girlfriend, Cacee Cobb, there (we had actually seen the two of them before the only other time we had gone to a nice steak place...weird). Anyway, I had the pleasure of going again when Zach's family took us last night for a sort of farewell-for-now dinner since they were leaving this morning. It was just as good, if not better, than I remember. While I would suggest saving it for special occa$ions like people in town or Valentine's Day, it is definitely worth a try.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Johnny Depp and Cell Phones
HAPPENINGS: It has been a good week since the quake. Zach's family was in town this weekend, and they were kind enough to allow me to be a part of the Weissmueller clan for the whole time. It is always nice to have people in town from Florida because it gives me a chance to step back and look at the city again from a new perspective. We went to a lot of the places that we have grown to appreciate since moving here. Some of these places include:
The Griffith Park Observatory - We like to picnic up there with what I refer to as the best sandwiches in the world from a wine shop in a little area close by called Larchmont Village. There is a nice view of the entire city and the "Hollywood sign" along with some carpet quality grass to sit on and some nice hiking trails.
Melrose Shopping - While Zach sat this one out, I had a good afternoon with the ladies strolling down Melrose in it's entirety. I was very good and did not buy anything, but it is always nice to look! I really like the vintage shops that sell used pieces that range from the tackiest thing I have ever seen to beautiful/classy lacy things.
UCB- The Upright Citizen's Brigade is a great comedy place. This weekend was the second time I have been, but I see myself going much much more in the future. I believe they do mostly improve shows there, and there is this one troupe called ASSSSSSSSCAT that is awesome. There is one guy in particular that makes me laugh every time he opens his mouth. The last time we went, Jenna Fisher (Pam from "The Office") was the guest host. This puts my "Office" celebrity sightings at two. I think the person I would most want to see next from the show would be Kevin. Also, we possibly saw Johnny Depp on our way out of the theater. The possible Johnny Depp was sitting at a table outside of a bookstore with a trendy hat tilted to hide his face a bit. No one was looking at him. Zach pointed him out to me, but by the time I looked, he was covering his face too much with the hat. We thought it might be something he was doing to research for a role, observing the "comedy scene". His mom independently thought it might be him as well so we sent her to walk back by to get a better look. By that time, he was mysteriously gone. So we either saw Johnny Depp or some weirdo pretending to be Johnny Depp so people would think they saw him.
Farmer's Market (Santa Monica) - Arguably my favorite place in the world is the Santa Monica Farmers Market. Oh it is so delicious! You can sample pretty much anything from fresh fruit to cheese to pesto sauces. I always get fresh squeezed orange juice (tangerine and blood orange juice is also available) and a huge omelet. Sometimes Zach and I split an omelet and a huge blueberry pancake. Everything is so good, and if you have been there, you know exactly what I mean. It is sunny and perfect all the time. They sell tamales, sausages, corn on the cob, fresh coffees, breads, crepes, and some more yummy things. I bought some weird purple potatoes to try cooking with. The farmer described them as more "nutty" than regular potatoes. I made them yesterday, and they pretty much tasted like normal potatoes except they were bright purple and not like beet purple but like crayon purple. I was almost scared to try them, but they were just fine.
Getty Center - This is a huge art museum on a hill. It is also an architectural landmark, but my favorite thing about it is the beautiful gardens. You can walk through a really nice area with some strange looking but beautiful flowers. The grass is like carpet, and there are also great views of the city. It is a nice relaxing place.
Restaurants...all the favorites: We wanted to show off our LA restaurant expertise after a year of long hard research. Some of the favorite include:
Toast (trendy, good menu..lots of choices...everything yummy)
Bosa Nova (Brazilian cafe)
Larchmont Wine shop (best sandwich in the world)
In-and-Out (where we have been known to sit a a table for 4 hours at a time discussing important issues with Sue, Brian, Natalie, and Brian McGuire...and by important issues I mean Dark Knight, how people we know are stupid, fool-proof Survivor strategies, who would make it the farthest on Survivor, how we could all get on Survivor without them knowing we all knew each other if that is even possible and then if we could all get on, how we would all make an alliance to get one of us to the end and agree from the beginning to split the money if we won.)
The Village Pizzeria - The best Slice in the city.
TIPS: If you order a salad at a restaurant or even a faster service type place like Panera or Corner Bakery, you may want to check out their website for nutrition facts beforehand. If you are ordering a salad in the first place, I assume you are trying to be healthy, but you may be doing the opposite. I ordered the harvest salad with chicken from the Corner Bakery last week in an attempt to keep my calorie count for the day under 1700 give or take. I ate it. It was delicious, but not as delicious as say the chicken pesto sandwich with chips and maybe even a cookie would have been. I looked up the amount of calories in my healthy treat and found that I had just scarfed about 1100 calories in a stupid salad. Also, somehow, they managed to squeeze in about 70 grams of fat! I don't think I could do this if I tried when I make a salad at home. I cannot imagine what in that salad would be 70 grams of fat. I know the dressing is a lot, but the nutrition facts for the dressing were 300 calories and about 15-20 grams of fat. I cannot fathom where the rest came from. Sure there were some blue cheese and walnuts sprinkled about, but I feel like you would have to eat a lot of that stuff to equal so many calories, and there is really not that much in this salad. This selection just so happened to contain more calories and fat than almost everything else on the menu including the pesto chicken sandwich and a bunch of heavy pasta dishes. Note to self and others: eat more pasta and sandwiches.
INFURIATING: The hand held use of cell phones while driving was banned in the state of California; the law went into effect July 1st. Only hands-free devices are acceptable now. This means that if I am driving my car, it is illegal for me to hold a cell phone up to my ear. However, if I am driving, it is perfectly legal to eat a sandwich, put on makeup, text message google for directions to the nearest Best Buy, and close my eyes all at the same time as long as I can do it well and continue to drive safely. This is a serious problem. I am not by any means trying to say any of the previous things should be outlawed. In fact, I am reminding myself what is at stake. I know it may sound like a good idea in theory, and there are those of you who would say, "Well, at least it will prevent accidents!", and you are wrong. There is no evidence that the act of holding a cell phone to your ear causes any more accidents than using a hands-free device. In a study at the University of Utah, researchers found that the likelihood of a driver on a cell phone causing an accident is the same when using hand held and hands-free devices. It is the conversation, not the use of the cell phone, that causes accidents. Should the use of cell phones in the car be eliminated completely? It is a more logical approach than simply getting rid of the hand-held devices. However, if it is the conversation and not the cell phone that is the distracting factor, should we get rid of conversation while in the car? Should having a passenger (especially a crying baby or a rowdy child) in the car be outlawed? Is listening to the radio a problem suddenly? And what kinds of other things should we get rid of? Should any and all distractions be removed by force? This is a step in the wrong direction.
The Griffith Park Observatory - We like to picnic up there with what I refer to as the best sandwiches in the world from a wine shop in a little area close by called Larchmont Village. There is a nice view of the entire city and the "Hollywood sign" along with some carpet quality grass to sit on and some nice hiking trails.
Melrose Shopping - While Zach sat this one out, I had a good afternoon with the ladies strolling down Melrose in it's entirety. I was very good and did not buy anything, but it is always nice to look! I really like the vintage shops that sell used pieces that range from the tackiest thing I have ever seen to beautiful/classy lacy things.
UCB- The Upright Citizen's Brigade is a great comedy place. This weekend was the second time I have been, but I see myself going much much more in the future. I believe they do mostly improve shows there, and there is this one troupe called ASSSSSSSSCAT that is awesome. There is one guy in particular that makes me laugh every time he opens his mouth. The last time we went, Jenna Fisher (Pam from "The Office") was the guest host. This puts my "Office" celebrity sightings at two. I think the person I would most want to see next from the show would be Kevin. Also, we possibly saw Johnny Depp on our way out of the theater. The possible Johnny Depp was sitting at a table outside of a bookstore with a trendy hat tilted to hide his face a bit. No one was looking at him. Zach pointed him out to me, but by the time I looked, he was covering his face too much with the hat. We thought it might be something he was doing to research for a role, observing the "comedy scene". His mom independently thought it might be him as well so we sent her to walk back by to get a better look. By that time, he was mysteriously gone. So we either saw Johnny Depp or some weirdo pretending to be Johnny Depp so people would think they saw him.
Farmer's Market (Santa Monica) - Arguably my favorite place in the world is the Santa Monica Farmers Market. Oh it is so delicious! You can sample pretty much anything from fresh fruit to cheese to pesto sauces. I always get fresh squeezed orange juice (tangerine and blood orange juice is also available) and a huge omelet. Sometimes Zach and I split an omelet and a huge blueberry pancake. Everything is so good, and if you have been there, you know exactly what I mean. It is sunny and perfect all the time. They sell tamales, sausages, corn on the cob, fresh coffees, breads, crepes, and some more yummy things. I bought some weird purple potatoes to try cooking with. The farmer described them as more "nutty" than regular potatoes. I made them yesterday, and they pretty much tasted like normal potatoes except they were bright purple and not like beet purple but like crayon purple. I was almost scared to try them, but they were just fine.
Getty Center - This is a huge art museum on a hill. It is also an architectural landmark, but my favorite thing about it is the beautiful gardens. You can walk through a really nice area with some strange looking but beautiful flowers. The grass is like carpet, and there are also great views of the city. It is a nice relaxing place.
Restaurants...all the favorites: We wanted to show off our LA restaurant expertise after a year of long hard research. Some of the favorite include:
Toast (trendy, good menu..lots of choices...everything yummy)
Bosa Nova (Brazilian cafe)
Larchmont Wine shop (best sandwich in the world)
In-and-Out (where we have been known to sit a a table for 4 hours at a time discussing important issues with Sue, Brian, Natalie, and Brian McGuire...and by important issues I mean Dark Knight, how people we know are stupid, fool-proof Survivor strategies, who would make it the farthest on Survivor, how we could all get on Survivor without them knowing we all knew each other if that is even possible and then if we could all get on, how we would all make an alliance to get one of us to the end and agree from the beginning to split the money if we won.)
The Village Pizzeria - The best Slice in the city.
TIPS: If you order a salad at a restaurant or even a faster service type place like Panera or Corner Bakery, you may want to check out their website for nutrition facts beforehand. If you are ordering a salad in the first place, I assume you are trying to be healthy, but you may be doing the opposite. I ordered the harvest salad with chicken from the Corner Bakery last week in an attempt to keep my calorie count for the day under 1700 give or take. I ate it. It was delicious, but not as delicious as say the chicken pesto sandwich with chips and maybe even a cookie would have been. I looked up the amount of calories in my healthy treat and found that I had just scarfed about 1100 calories in a stupid salad. Also, somehow, they managed to squeeze in about 70 grams of fat! I don't think I could do this if I tried when I make a salad at home. I cannot imagine what in that salad would be 70 grams of fat. I know the dressing is a lot, but the nutrition facts for the dressing were 300 calories and about 15-20 grams of fat. I cannot fathom where the rest came from. Sure there were some blue cheese and walnuts sprinkled about, but I feel like you would have to eat a lot of that stuff to equal so many calories, and there is really not that much in this salad. This selection just so happened to contain more calories and fat than almost everything else on the menu including the pesto chicken sandwich and a bunch of heavy pasta dishes. Note to self and others: eat more pasta and sandwiches.
INFURIATING: The hand held use of cell phones while driving was banned in the state of California; the law went into effect July 1st. Only hands-free devices are acceptable now. This means that if I am driving my car, it is illegal for me to hold a cell phone up to my ear. However, if I am driving, it is perfectly legal to eat a sandwich, put on makeup, text message google for directions to the nearest Best Buy, and close my eyes all at the same time as long as I can do it well and continue to drive safely. This is a serious problem. I am not by any means trying to say any of the previous things should be outlawed. In fact, I am reminding myself what is at stake. I know it may sound like a good idea in theory, and there are those of you who would say, "Well, at least it will prevent accidents!", and you are wrong. There is no evidence that the act of holding a cell phone to your ear causes any more accidents than using a hands-free device. In a study at the University of Utah, researchers found that the likelihood of a driver on a cell phone causing an accident is the same when using hand held and hands-free devices. It is the conversation, not the use of the cell phone, that causes accidents. Should the use of cell phones in the car be eliminated completely? It is a more logical approach than simply getting rid of the hand-held devices. However, if it is the conversation and not the cell phone that is the distracting factor, should we get rid of conversation while in the car? Should having a passenger (especially a crying baby or a rowdy child) in the car be outlawed? Is listening to the radio a problem suddenly? And what kinds of other things should we get rid of? Should any and all distractions be removed by force? This is a step in the wrong direction.
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