And Then There Was Snow...

It's Monday, and I am home from work... why is that you ask? Me, yes, moi, decided to take a spontaneous weekend getaway in Salt Lake. I left Thursday after work, drove to the Long Beach airport and got there around 10:30 PM, then spent a wonderful weekend with friends and family - although I missed a few people. Mad Scientist - I apologize, I said I would stop by work but I was so congested and tired.... rrrr it would have been fun to see you and other co-workers!

So I spent time with my mom, Roxy (our dog) - who was super happy to see me Thursday night by the way, my brother, step brother & step sister in law, stepdad before he went to Colorado for his ski trip, had brunch with my girlfriends, and spent time with my man and his family. My man had the flu - and I unfortunately, probably caught it. I'm congested right now and have a massive headache, so I came back home this morning vs. tonight so that I could rest all day and be prepared for tomorrow's craziness at work.

It was a fun weekend! Babe, his brother and I went to see "Knowing" with Nicholas Cage. It was pretty good. The end makes you question a ton of stuff... and it was creative... and there was definitely a twist in there... anyway, I won't give up the ending or anything else. You should see it if you're into disaster movies, like me.

We were also going to see "Watchmen" and "Slumdog Millionaire." Watchmen I heard was a little disapointing... but I've seen mixed reviews. Slumdog I hear was awesome but I'm ok waiting a little longer to see it or waiting for it on DVD. Any opinions/ comments/ disagreements with my statement?

So today I got home around 11 AM, checked work emails because I'm a work-aholic, called Lady Boss M to tell her I was sick but got home safe and that I should be in tomorrow, and she offered to go to the grocery store and pick me up any groceries I need... which I thought was really sweet and I said that I'd go there later. If I stay inside all day I'd feel miserable so I had to get out.

I then took about a 3 hour nap and woke up once, then decided to walk over to the beach to get some ocean breeze for my nose, went to Trader Joe's for some groceries, Albertson's for some Zicam and Redbox for a free DVD. I got "Rachel Getting Married," since I heard it was good. So tonight consists of a delicious broiled salmon with an olive oil glaze and a appetizing salad of organic mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, sliced avocado and sweet basil, a DVD and a warm bath. I'm working on my food verbiage so that I can open up a restaurant in my alternate life. How am I doing?

Today I'm grateful to have spent a weekend with the ones I love, and even the snow didn't bother me. Ok, that's a lie, I dislike snow, but I had to see it at least once this year, right? I was glad to be home or a bit though. It felt weird. I felt like I was in my mid-thirties coming back to a home with memories and old school stuff stuffed in boxes in my room. I've only been gone for 4 months!

Well, I wish everyone a pleasant week, and hope that I get better before $teve comes to visit this weekend so that we can go to Disneyland or Knott's Berry farm or something. Yay for company again!

Some Sunday Randomness

Here's what happened this week/ weekend:

*Discovered tofu cream cheese and actually am addicted now

*Decided to learn how to roast garlic, and plan to make homemade roasted garlic hummus later

*Have a beautiful fridge full of colorful veggies, tantalizing meats and creamy yogurt

*Had a smashin' omelette this morning with andouille sausage, garlic, onions, sliced mushrooms and avocado

Ok, enough about food... although, did I mention I love food?

Speaking of food, I went to my volleyball buddies' BBQ last night, and it was pretty fun! We had really tender BBQd steak, juicy chicken, cheeseburger (I had 1/4 of a cheeseburger), some kind of transparent rice noodle dish (very eclectic bunch of people), and some good conversation. I didn't drink (no surprises), and the cheeseburger is the only thing I went off the diet from. Not too bad. The weather was fairly nice, but there was a cool breeze and got cold quickly. I still managed to spend time there until about 9pm, as they lit a bonfire to keep us warm... they were out of wood so started breaking old chairs... so, whatever. I smelled like campfire so went home, took a quick shower and watched "The Holiday" - I really like Jack Black in it as a sweet guy, and Kate Winslet's adventure in LA.

So today, might not play volleyball because it's really windy and cold... although it was supposed to rain all day but the wind chased the clouds away. It's like Mistral! Maybe I'll just go for a nice walk after lunch on the beach in a sweater and watch the angry ocean.

Other plans coming up not involving food: clean my apartment today, hang a fun print in my bedroom that I found at Michael's, vaccuum, and just chill. I'm thinking of getting a membership to Netflix because a) you know my TV's snowy b) Convenient c) I get 2,500 bonus Skymiles for it. To be honest, "c" was the best reason for me. Can't wait to go to France for free! Although it may take a few years... if only I could pay my rent with my Skymiles Amex...

Today I'm grateful that although my man's got the flu, he's feeling better today. I hope to see him in 10 days or so. I'm also grateful that for the past week and a half, I notice in the shower that I'm not losing as much hair as I used to. Maybe my thyroid is back to normal? I've got a doctor's appointment on April 3rd and we shall see.

I hope you all have/had a great weekend. A fun week, too! Au revoir.

Bum on Fire

I love eventful days, don't you?

Had one of the best days this month.

*I had a great hair day
*I put on a cute business outfit
*I was smiling on the way to work
*Heard "Right Round" By Flo Rider Ft. whoever, and it's a song I love to crunch my core with in the car
*Got to work, found out that we got our bonuses from last year - and I didn't think I'd get anything cuz a) hard times and b) I was only there for a month. I did get something I thought hey, maybe enough for a gourmet sandwich - but it was more than that. Yeah, made my day.
*Got some work done... and finished a project I wanted to do today... I love the satisfying feeling of accomplishment!

Then I got home, it was a beautiful late afternoon, did my core workout for 45 minutes, burned some calories, then turned on the oven for a scrumptious salmon dinner I was going to make, so I started preheating the oven. By the way, try this: Salmon with dijon mustard spread on top and lemon cut in thin rounds. It's delicious! (I like whole grain mustard better, personally). Preheat to 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes if frozen. You're welcome.

Well, I didn't get my salmon. In fact, my bum - and much more important things for that matter, like, you know, my belongings, and my life, almost got on fire. Yep, my oven caught on fire.

Luckily the smoke detector started beeping, I ran toward the oven, the dutch oven on top of the stove (which wasn't on by the way) had black smoke coming out of it. I thought, "Did I accidently turn the stove on intead of the oven?" Well no, I opened the oven... and flames are coming out of the rectangular holes by the oven door. What do I do? I turn off the oven, open the front door, windows... the flame finally went away but it took about 90 seconds. That was a long 90 seconds. Meanwhile, my legs are shaking and I call the maintenance lady on site and left a message. She came over 20 minutes later, was scared for me, and looked at what was up. She's really great by the way, you could tell she cares. She looked at the oven and under the oven (where some people put cookie sheets and stuff). Well, my muffin pan was in there, with a piece of what looked like burnt paper on top (ashes by now), and we determined that was probably it.

Hold on... phone call...

Ok, that was the maintenance lady that called, wondering if I tried turning the oven back on again and if everything was ok. I haven't turned it back on but the stove's going with black beans right now. I'll try my salmon tomorrow... and make sure the place doesn't burn down.

So anyhoo, I started cleaning since it looked like this:


And the oven's fine. I grab the sponge to get rid of the black on the stove, but realize I didn't want to use the same sponge I clean the countertops with. Why don't I use the older sponge I used to clean the oven with the other day? Where did I put it... oh yeah that's right, under the....

Oh, Sh*t.

I guess sponges aren't flameproof...

Babord ou Tribord?

The weekend is coming to an end... but it's been a good one!

The Queen Mary, in Long Beach, was doing a free admission special for SoCal residents, today being the last day. I thought I'd check it out since it normally costs $20+ and it's only about 15 miles from my place. It was... well, a giant boat. Here, see for yourself:


And I'm glad I went, because I wasn't too into it... it smelled like wet wood the whole time and felt like... being on a big boat. Why am I glad I went? Because if I had actually spent money on this I would be a little dissapointed. Now I don't have to go back or tell family and friends that it's a "must see." I stood in line for 20 minutes, and when I got out there was a line, I kid you not, probably .75 miles long. Again, aren't we in a recession? LoL.

The parking was the fun part. Being the cheapo that I am, I wanted the best bang for my buck and knew there was a free bus from downtown, and I found a $3 spot for 2 hours. Allrighty!

Here are a few pictures from today:

View from the boat, Downtown Long Beach

Russian Submarine (that one was $10... too claustrophobic to go...)

Oh yeah, it's a hotel too... I'd rather go on a cruise!

Captain's stateroom...

And then what was probably the highlight of my day: I saw an Irish store with lots of imported foods from Ireland and England. I grabbed a "Lion" bar. Haven't had those in over 10 years:

That's about it for today! Went to the beach to find my volleyball buddies, but they weren't there. I texted Leo and he said most people were out of town and we'd do it next week. I just got an email too for a BBQ this Saturday with the team. Sounds awesome!

Otherwise I walked on the beach for about an hour, and the rest has been fairly lazy. Oh, except that I did laundry.

Today I'm grateful that even though I got lost (stupid google maps directions) getting back home, I still found my way - just because I found Pacific Coast Highway. Once I'm on PCH, I know exactly where to go! See mom? I'm doing fine without a GPS or iPhone...

I wish everyone a great week!

Un Peu De Paris Dans Ma Chambre

It was about time I started doing my Paris collage and started hanging a few things.

Today was very productive I have to say. I went for a walk, bought $7 worth of Macarons (the French ones, not the coconut macaroons), watched "Big Fish," went to Target to buy SuperGlue and vaccuum bags, went to Pier one to return a piece of furniture, went to Michael's to try to find art to put in my dining room - something that represents food - and I've yet to find my bonheur. I then went grocery shopping, got home, ate some California rolls, got a 1 hour massage, put my Paris collage together and hung other items. The aparment is feeling more "homy," little by little. Wow, after reading this sentence again, the word HOMY looks like HORNY. That's kinda funny. Sorry if I confused anyone...

Got some updated pictures for you:

Hung paintings and got a side table

Found a place for my plant

I love candles... even above the loo

More candles in the bedroom

My Paris collage up close:

And what it looks like above my bed.
It would look way cooler if I had a bed frame...
and cooler bed sheets...
but it's a start.

So that's my day! Today I'm grateful that I get a little Paris in my bedroom, and I had a huge smile on my face after I hung everything. It's a good feeling to accomplish things that will make your living environment more pleasant. Sometimes the ocean view just isn't enough :)

My interesting thought of the day - as I hung the Paris frames, I saw the very first spider in this apartment. Not that I'm scared, but I wanted to kill it - so I hopped on the bed, took a paper towel up to it... and thought I had smashed it... but no, as I took the paper towel off it fell to the ground and started running, so I screamed really loudly. I caught it in time though... and the apartment is now spider-free. Or, so I think.... I wonder where the little bugger came from?

I hope everyone's having a great weekend, I'd like to give a shout-out to my sweetie who became an uncle a few days ago, and who will come see me hopefully very soon. I'd also like to give a shout-out to the non-dairy "Tofutti" cream cheese I bought today, because hey, it doesn't taste that bad!

What made your day/weekend? A bientot...

Nouveau PC S'il Vous Plait

That's it, I've had it, and it's about time... My PC is so fracking slow, and the wireless mouse GD@#$%^%*FGBDF#@ that it's driving me *&^$($%@@%G!!

So, now, on a positive note...

It's Tuesday night, and I feel... pretty good. How about you? I got a lot done at work today, left at a decent time (4:40pm), and with daylight savings... it's still not completely dark at this hour and I'm just loving it. I got home and felt like running (what?!!?) so strolled down to the beach and ran in the sand for 4.5 minutes, after not running at all for quite a few weeks... so that's the accomplishment for the day. I then ran another 3 minutes or so on the way back.

Tonight's dinner consisted of yummy Costco Chicken Apple sausages and a salad with cherry tomatoes and my homemade vinaigrette. I think I'll have some yogurt and fresh strawberries for dessert. Yum!

You know what's awesome? I had a terrible headache all morning (slept funny), but the day still ended just great. I find myself smiling in the car even during rush hour Cali traffic. I don't know about you, but that's quite a task.

So tonight I'll probably watch AI or Family Guy, haven't decided yet (probably go back and forth during the commercials).

Things I'm grateful for today: Organic Cherry Tomatoes on sale for $.99/pt, and sweet golden ripe pineapple $1.25 each. I told you it doesn't take much to get me excited/grateful [especially if food's involved :)].

What made me laugh today? Found a tiny snail beside my lavender plant. How on Earth did you get in here?

Good night & Happy Tuesday.

Le Basilic, Ca Sent Bon

Hey! I just wanted to say hi and wish everyone a happy Sunday. A few things I'm excited/grateful for today, this week, and next week:

*Bought a nice basil plant and it smells so good (hence the title)
*Finally hung up some candle holders in the bathroom, it gives it a little extra character
*Going to hang a painting with a sailboat (very appropriate) above my couch when I get back from volleyball
*Oh yeah, I get to play volleyball again
*I'm hoping to see the fiancé soon
*Went to Ikea & got a $30 side table that works awesome with my new lamp
*Finally took care of my finances for the month
*Bought 6 Martini glasses at Ikea for $5 - they're awesome for chocolate mousse, parfaits, bath salts, and decoration
*Been working out with my DVDs and feel great about it

Well, that's all I can remember right now. I've got a busy work week ahead of me, a Manager training session on Monday, meeting on Thursday, trying to implement another thing on Friday... and all the usual 2nd Week stuff... looks like it just may be another 50 hour week unless I can organize it better and save about 30 minutes.

Here's to being grateful to have a job and all the other things and people that get you through the week. I shall toast that tonight in one of my Martini glasses full of delicious greek yogurt, trail mix, and fruit. Have an awesome week!

Mid-Week Excitement & Cubism

Just an update to remind everyone to have an awesome day...

...and tell you about my plans starting... tonight!

I ordered the "Core Rhythms" workout DVDs on Sunday, and to my surprise, got them today (it was supposed to take 5-7 business days). Now, don't make fun of me, I did order them on an infomercial... but I've been watching that infomercial a bunch of times for about 6 weeks and wanted to order it, but I'm not spontaneous, I wanted to think about it... and finally made my decision 2 weeks ago. Sunday, it came on, so I ordered it. I have to admit, the ordering process was a pain and took 30 minutes because they tried to add on a bunch of stuff for me to buy. No thanks. We're in a recession.

Now, I've decided to try and work out everyday for 45 minutes, if not, at least the 20 minute workout. the DVDs came with a success tracker and measurement tape, so I'm tracking my weight and inches... and we'll see. In a nutshell, I'm giving myself 6-8 weeks to lose 8 pounds and get a fabulous bum... Next update in.... a month!

So, work is going fairly well, it's a slow week but I'm learning a lot of new things since we had to lay off our part-time assistant. Today I'm grateful that I have a job... Tomorrow is Boss Lady's birthday lunch (we all split the bill except the birthday girl), and I plan to eat well. No veering off the diet... I've been doing really well since Tuesday. Actually, that's yesterday.... how funny... well, I've got hope.

I'm not a huge fan of Picasso, but appreciate any kind of art... anyway, I'm not a big fan of cubism is what I want to say, but I thought that this idea of cubism above my stove works well at holding all my stuff:


Also, the flowers are really beautiful and fragrant on my dining room table. I love coming home to this aroma! I leave you with these pictures and hope everyone's happy and grateful for what
they've got. Ciao!

Volleyball sur la Plage

Well, 'twas a productive day today!

*Cleaned the apartment & did laundry this morning

*Went to Pier 1 to get that lamp on sale I wanted, plus a pedestal to put it on

*The flowers on my dining room table are blooming

*It was another 75 degree day, so wanted to walk on the beach for an hour or two... but found what I was looking for instead....


... A VOLLEYBALL TEAM!!

And I couldn't be more excited. I played fairly well for not having played in quite a few years. It turns out they play every Sunday from 1PM - sunset. I'll be there next week! Everyone was very nice. Now I have something to look forward to every Sunday... they even go to dinner Sunday nights (didn't go tonight) but it could be really fun, I thought. They're mostly people in their late 20's, maybe early 30s it seems. Awesome!

Tomorrow it's back to work... and it'll be somewhat busy. Looking forward to next weekend already! Have a great night...