Sunday while we were walking to the grocery store, we saw a jogger who ran into a buddy of his stopped at a red light in a car. The buddy honked at Jogger and he waved and chatted with him through his car window. By coincidence, the next car over was another friend of Jogger who also honked and waved at him (all during this red light). The light turns green and Jogger continues on and we see him getting honked at by yet another driver who is a 3rd friend of his… he slows to give him a hello. Geez what is he, a local bartender? He knows everybody!
Category Archives: weekend
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!
Posted by Leaf on March 19, 2011
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To-do’s this weekend
Posted by Leaf on March 13, 2011
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I have a gajillion to-do’s this weekend but the one big to-do for me was to tackle my taxes. This year, and I am so embarrassed I didn’t think of this last year, instead of doing and redoing my taxes over and over looking for the same number twice, I did it twice. Then, I compared the two to see the delta between the two and caught my errors that way. It was so much faster and I’m happy to report I have done my taxes. Every year, I drag my feet about it because it’s just tedious. Not so much difficult as a pain in the ass. To the point where I feel like geez, how about I skip the filing and you can keep my return. And every year, after completing it, I wonder why I was dreading it so much, it’s not so bad and I get some money back. Anyway, this year is the same. Glad it’s done though.
And the rest of the things on my to-do’s: return VS items at the post office – check, grocery shopping – check, packing – not yet, cleaning – not yet. That’ll be another foot dragger I’m sure. At least I don’t have to work this weekend.
I feel so silly and petty talking about my mundane activities and frivolous feelings in light of the earthquake(s) and tsunami in Japan. It’s not that I’m not aware, I’m stunned, saddened and yet just carrying on with my life. It sure does put things into perspective in terms of my silly complaints about my life. I feel very fortunate. And an ebonics-speaking boss has its endearing side.
Ali Baba
Posted by Leaf on March 12, 2011
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Today, after we came back from running errands and grocery shopping, we headed upstairs to our place and since his hands were full, I took the keys to open the door. For some reason though I couldn’t turn the key and I kept trying and saying “Nope.” And he said “It’s the right key.” And I tried 2 more times. Just as he pushed the key in to try it, we heard someone behind the door unlocking it. I thought our neighbors had dropped by to play with the chinchillas. But then an old man poked his head through and we immediately stammered oh geez, we got the wrong floor. He said he’s done it before himself. We were so mortified we quickly ran back to the elevators. We need to paint a big “X” on our door.
Relaxing Sunday
Posted by Leaf on February 20, 2011
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Today feels like Saturday because I had to work yesterday and we have Monday off for the holiday. For lunch, we went to the Cinema Drafthouse to see Tangled and have greasy bar food and beer. It’s been so long since I’ve seen a movie in the theater, I think the last one was a year and a half ago. And it was a Disney princess movie! And a new place I’ve never eaten. We had fried mac n’ cheese appetizers and nachos. I loved the movie. I mean ok yeah it’s stupid Disney princessy and the story is all jacked up but still, I just like the fairytale la-dee-da escape from reality! And the mac n’ cheese triangles were dangerously yummy.
This afternoon I attempted to do my taxes. I think I’m done but I’m going to sit on it a bit in case anymore forms come in. Taxes are such a chore. I needed to relax afterwards with some chinchilla-mania.
Marco’s attacking the water bottle for some reason.
Gina (on the left) can’t figure out what the interest with the water bottle is either. I love my crazy chinchees.
Dance!
Posted by Leaf on January 28, 2011
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We just got back from our first ballroom dance class and boy do my hips and knees ache. It was just 2 hours but 2 hours on your feet moving about can be a lot of work. We first learned the 3 step waltz, then the 4 count rumba (which is basically the waltz but there’s a pause on beat 2), then the simple hustle, and then merengue. I think I rather like it. So we learned that for the waltz, the women step back with their right leg (aka “sexy leg”) and the men step forward with their left leg. Ladies put their left hand on his bicep and he puts his right hand on her shoulder blade. Then it’s just 1-2-3, back side together, up (left) right together for the women and opposite for the guys. The women have to look to the left. No eye contact. Easy peasy eh? I think I can handle that. It’s when they start introducing fancy side twirls and such that I start to get dizzy.
Recuperation
Posted by Leaf on January 2, 2011
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After all that wild partying with endless food and Settlers of Catan, we needed some time to recuperate for the start of a new work week.
Here’s what we did:
Dec. 23rd – Dinner at home with the extended family. Catan the rest of the night, into the morning.
Dec. 24th – We went home to give our neighbor’s cat a kitty-loving session while they were out of town. Then came back for round 2 of family dinner and Catan.
Dec. 25th – Brunch at Hunan Palace. We had Taiwanese brunch dishes. After dinner of leftovers, we yes, played more Catan.
Dec. 26th – The twice yearly pilgrimage to Full Key. Delicious as ever. Nap. Catan.
Dec. 27th – Dec. 29th – Had to go to work. I think we tried to get some normal sleep hours going. On Monday, our uncle took us out to Rio Grande. On Wednesday, a few of us “kids” got together at Dave & Busters for some drinks after dinner at Amina Thai.
Dec. 30th – Got out of work early. Went shopping at the nearby mall. Then went to my other cousin’s house for a NYE-eve dinner party. Surprise! We didn’t play Catan. It was Taboo instead.
Dec. 31st – Took sis & b-i-l back to the airport, which was interesting. We came back, napped, then they came back, then we all had dinner, then they went back to the airport. That’s the short version. We spent the rest of the evening at my uncle’s house to count down to the new year. I slept a good 3 or 4 hours there. It was a beautiful nap. I needed it. I woke up to the end of Kick-Ass which was disturbingly violent. Yuck. I had the impression from the trailers that it was a comedy. Talk about misleading.
And finally!
Jan. 1st – We were home so we went out to Rustico for lunch.
Chickpea crusted (gluten-free) eggplant pizza. Delicious. Delicious crust too. Usually we get to a point where we start skipping the crust. This time, I was breaking it off and eating it. We also shared a very interesting stout beer. It tasted of Asian barley tea and chocolate. After, we went grocery shopping. I made a curry with chicken, mushrooms, onions, butternut squash, and carrots. A big ol’ pot of it.
Jan. 2nd – Did nothing. Rotted our brains out with TV! It was luxurious. Between yesterday and today, we also watched The Wrestler, totally depressing and tragic, Knowing, a little odd but okay, and Milk, hopeful, inspiring, good, and Gentleman’s Agreement, also along the same lines as Milk, about fighting bigotry and also hopeful and good.
And that was how we spent our holiday season. I’m beat.
Another holiday season
Posted by Leaf on December 26, 2010
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Ahh, another holiday season is here. This means more food than you can shake a pair of chopsticks at and sleep deprivation. We’ve spent most of the time playing marathon games of Settlers of Catan. The 6 player expansion. I usually last until maybe 2 or 3 AM. The rest of the family will go til the sun rises. I’m guessing 7 or 8 AM. We’re not normal! Somehow, with 4 players the game runs at a decent clip. With 6 players all out to get one another, wheelin’ and dealin’ it’s another ball game. Or board game.
So far, I haven’t gone post-Xmas shopping. It’s just too cold to want to venture outside. No matter how good the sales may be. We keep hearing about 6″ snow on the horizon but aside from a short snowfall this afternoon with no accumulation, I haven’t seen a thing. Hopefully, it stays that way.
Furry Friend Fix
Posted by Leaf on November 21, 2010
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Yesterday we went to a local pet store to volunteer at a Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation adoption event. Volunteers are paired with a dog and we walk around outside the store waiting for some folks to come check them out and maybe take them home. I’ve never had a dog so I was a bit nervous about how these animals would behave. I was concerned with big dogs or aggressive dogs but I think every dog was incredibly well socialized and friendly towards everyone (though not necessarily other dogs). The dog I got was Tibby, a 15 pound spaniel mix. She had the sweetest disposition, completely calm, secure, and very affectionate. She never barked the entire few hours I spent with her, even when other dogs started barking. She wasn’t scared of loud cars, young kids that came up to her, big dogs, small dogs. She was just mostly the quiet observer. I think one person even joked that she was given sedatives, she was such a cool cucumber. When I went to take a photo of her, I learned of her weakness.
Belly rubs!! When I stooped down she rolled over and that was it. She started doing it every so often. And I noticed she wasn’t sensitive to me touching her paws or anything. She didn’t seem abused. At first I was worried her calmness gave other people, especially kids, the impression that she was aloof, but when one family came by, with 3 kids, I showed them her weakness and they fell in love with her. After walking around to visit all the other dogs, they came back and said they wanted to take her home. Yay for Tibby! The father seemed reluctant because he said he was allergic but I think the rest of the family had already fallen in love. Especially the 2 girls. They carried her around like a baby and she seemed to enjoy that. I think I heard the wife telling him that there’s a 2 week trial but gosh, when they walked out of the pet store with a new pink leash, name tag, and doggy bed, I got the feeling this was a keeper. At the end of the event, on our way home, I kinda’ wished I had taken her home. She would’ve been the perfect lap dog to watch House Hunters with. I think we kinda’ bonded for the short amount of time we spent together. But I know she’ll have a better doggy life with that family than us. We’re out so many hours and with the 3 kids to shower her with affection, she’s going to be living in the lap of luxury. And given that she’s a calm & quiet dog, I think even their dad will grow to like her because he was pretty much the same way too.
The other dog we met was Houdini, a hound mix. He was about 40 pounds and also very calm and quiet. Never barked the entire time. I think due to his size, people worried that he would be harder to keep. His bio read that he needed a fenced in yard at least a 6 feet tall. Gosh, he would’ve been a nice dog to have too.
Volunteering for this was so much fun. I basically got to pet doggies and kitties all day. If I’m ever in the market for a dog, I’ll want a grown dog and I’d definitely look at these adoption events. The animals this organization handles were all rescued from about-to-be-euthanized situations. They keep them at a ranch in the sticks of Virginia and are spayed/neutered and up-to-date on their vaccinations.
The road to gout, one bite at a time.
Posted by Leaf on November 17, 2010
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Our five day visit to Cali wasn’t just about food you know. I just don’t remember those non-food related parts as well. And even when we were not eating, we were thinking about where to eat next.
We arrived Thursday before lunch and after meeting and greeting the buns, we headed to Crepevine for lunch.
Their entrees were very large and made with very fresh ingredients. We got the Milano and San Francisco crepes and swapped halfway through. We each liked what the other ordered better but they were both very delicious. These aren’t your typical crepes though. I mean, they’re huge and they are stuffed. The filling is the main event and the crepe seems to just barely make an appearance. If you’re looking for a snack, this isn’t it. If you’re looking for a meal, it is mmm, wonderful!
After Crepevine, we loaded up the bunnies and went with sis & b.i.l to their vet appointment. They recently fostered a 1-year old mini-lop and were considering permanently adopting him. He’s bonded very well with their existing bunny but they wanted to make sure he was in good health before committing to this fairly long-term decision. Turns out, he’s doing great, except for a lot of earwax. A lot.
So even though we got the ZipCar to go to SeaSalt for dinner, it was getting late and I was tired from traveling all morning so I asked for carryout pizza to eat at home instead. Not just regular pizza, this is Zachary’s deep dish.
It is cheezy, tomatoey and the crust is thin and crunchy.
On Friday, we trekked out on our own to explore the nearby campus and stroll through the downtown area. We stopped by Dara Thai for lunch and got duck pad kee mao (drunken noodles?) and summer rolls. The duck version isn’t something we see back home but it was very tasty. After lunch, I wanted to go to Telegraph Ave to shop at all the little street vendors. Last time I went, I got many pairs of earrings. One was a little wooden one which I lost down a sink drain so I was looking to get another pair. This time, I got a bigger one.
For dinner on Friday, we went to eVe.
It had a nice relaxing atmosphere with an open kitchen where you can see the husband/wife chefs whipping up your dinner. I played Sims 3 a lot on Friday too. I think I want to get it.
Saturday. Saturday was amazing from start to finish. We began with a trip to the farmer’s market. After taking a first stroll through all the stalls to decide what we would come back for, we had brunch at the Thai stand and vegetarian taquitos. Sooo good. The crunchy taquitos were in a very spicy green sauce which made my nose run. After we ate, we walked back to buy the olive oil face and body cream and organic brown rice. We also got Hog Island oysters to taste. It was odd eating them for brunch but they were fresh and briny. After dropping off the produce, which was mainly for the bunnies (yes the spoiled little turds eat organic greens, duh!) we set off for Napa to do a bit of wine tasting. The first stop was V. Sattui. What a zoo. The lady who poured tastings for us was very nice and we did buy some wines but it was so crowded we probably wouldn’t go back there again. The next place we dropped by was Milat which was a small boutique winery and it was just us. We asked them to recommend another winery, and ended up at Rutherford Grove and then asked them for a recommendation. And so on and so forth, covering a total of about 5 wineries. The final one was a place that sold $70 – $500 cabs. At $70 or $500, it had better be mindblowing orgasmic. They were neither. On to Yountville for a taste of real mindblowing stuff. Since we were early for our 6PM reservation at The French Laundry, we dropped by the Bouchon Bakery. Also part of the Thomas Keller empire. We got macaroons, a nice reminder of our trip to Europe this past spring.
I’ve already talked about The French Laundry. My first impression of the outside was, it looked like an unassuming cottage. Behind the doors, they have a little garden where we waited for our table.
The food was decadent and to me, the entire experience more than met my lofty expectations. I couldn’t have asked for more. As for whether I would come back, the answer is yes. But, it’s definitely not something I would do regularly. It’s not only a splurge for your wallet, it’s also a splurge for your digestive system.
Thank goodness we did the wine tasting/French Laundry on Saturday. Sunday was recuperation day. We stayed home and played with the bunny buns. Then some board games and then had Gregoire takeout for dinner.
Monday was our last day here. I had lunch with my sis at Taste of the Himalayas. It’s similar to Indian cuisine. We both walked out of the place too full. It wasn’t even a buffet but after I left, all I could say was, “no mo food!” Something about this style of food, once I start, I can’t stop myself!
We ordered mango lassis, eggplant and potato curry and goat and mushroom curry.
Finally before we took off, we headed to Sea Salt for their happy hour dinner. Mmm! I’d say this might have been the 2nd or 3rd best restaurant we ate during this trip. #1 being The French Laundry and #2 Eve. Or maybe Sea Salt is #2. It’s so hard to decide.
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