Browse Author: beakatude

Back in C-Town!

We’re in C-Town for the weekend!  Jes and I flew in last night and Huy was kind enough to pick us up from LAX at midnight (flight was delayed an hour). THANKS DUDE!! Afterward, we went straight to Cerritos where we met up with the Fernandos at a sports bar next to Carl’s Jr. It was a weird little dive bar playing heavy metal and packed with people who didn’t look like they were from Cerritos (if you know what I mean). Anyway, we had a good hour and a half of beer and hot wings before heading back to The Magical House. Unfortunately, the parents are out of town for the weekend. Too bad. But I still got to make a quick trip to Target and deposit some checks that I’ve been carrying around with me for weeks. There some things about suburbia that you can’t beat.

By the way, it’s a crazy 87 degrees with some humidity down here so I’m in shorts, a t-shirt, and flip-flops for the first time in months. So, THIS is what summer is like. I sorta forgot.

Refreshed

I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with my hair.  Yeah, it’s long, straight, and smooth but it’s also slippery, heavy when it’s long, doesn’t hold a curl, and ends up looking the same by the end of the day – in a ponytail.

So, I made an appointment for a haircut and thought I’d give it a try once more.  I had a weenie haircut back in February where I got some layers in the front but it wasn’t drastic enough.  I still didn’t really need a blow dryer and it ended up in a ponytail once again.  As I walked out of work today, a good friend said to me, “Happy Haircut!!  Be brave!!” and I was inspired.  As a result, I cut off 5 more inches, got more layers, and actual bangs!!  I had bangs all through childhood, high school, and my first two years of college but this time it was going to be different! I didn’t wait 13 years for the classic straight-across-all-one-length cut again.

As the stylist snipped away, my head felt lighter instantly.  She taught me how to use a brush and blowdryer and recommended using some product in my hair for volume.  My low-maintenance mornings just got a little trickier.  I tried to pull it back into a ponytail just now and it’s gonna be tough.  I’m going to need some strong rubberbands and lots of hairclips for work tomorrow…but I still like it.  It’s a welcome change and totally worth the trouble…at least for now.

Oh how I’ve missed you.

I heard pattering on the window this evening, opened it and was so excited by the smell of rain!  It was sooooo refreshing!  Granted it sprinkled for only about 10 minutes as the big rain cloud ran across my area but it officially rained!!!  Just in case you all forgot what it looked like, it’s a bunch of drops of water falling from the sky.

Disappointment and Surprise

On Saturday morning, Jes and I took Koa to Chrissy Field for a Shiba Meet-up.  We were supposed to meet a bunch of other Shiba owners and their dogs for a day of romping on the beach but we got there a little late and totally missed them.  We walked and walked and couldn’t find them.  So, Koa ended up with a really long walk and about 20 minutes of running off-leash on the grassy field and beach.  The morning didn’t go quite as planned.  Too bad, Dog.

On Saturday evening, Jes and I went out for a nice dinner at Luce.  It’s a relatively new restaurant that we found on Open Table and thought we’d give it a try.  Have completely no expectations, we were pleasantly surprised with the awesome 5-course tasting dinner that we had.  Apparently when you order the 5-course menu, you end up with 11 actual items to try.  We had an amuse-bouche, all 5 courses, and a sprinkling of intermezzos, palate cleansers, and even a pre-dessert.  What the heck?!  It ended up being a 3-hour dinner and we left satisfied and buzzed.

One of my favorites was the foie gras on top of toasted brioche drizzled with a duck consumme.  Yum.

Another was the pre-dessert consisting of melon granita, ricotta cream (tasted like coconut milk), and basil oil.  Sounds gross but it was sooooo tasty.  I seriously felt like I was a judge on Top Chef with surprise after surprise.  One of the funniest parts of dinner was the fact that we were puzzled by about 3/4 of the menu items.  That’s when Google came in handy.  On my crackberry, I looked up things like “escabeche”, “purslane”, “branzini”, and “pintade”.  We were so ghetto but it was very educational.

It’s a year later…

…and we’re still in SF.  One year ago, I was crashing at Jimmy’s house and exploring SF as a newbie to the city.  We hadn’t yet closed escrow on our condo and I was enjoying my first couple days of unemployment.  Ah…those were the days.

So, one year later here we are, South Beach residents surviving on overpriced fusion fare, organic produce from the Farmers’ Market, and foggy skies.  We’ve learned how to minimize our belongings, ride the bus, and take a reusable bag to the grocery store.  Koa has found a few favorite sniffing spots and made some new friends.  Jesse is still enjoying his job (amazingly) and I’ve become sort of a “feeding expert” for babies.

I still miss my old life in Southern California and I really miss my family.  At the same time, there’s plenty to do and see up here and it’s been so nice to have friends close by.  So, for now, we’re here to stay but who knows what the future has in store for us.

Oh yeah, it’s also the end of Month Six of the “We Have No Car” Experiment.  Has it been that long already?!

blah

I woke up with a crazy pain above my left eye.  It subsided long enough for me to get ready for work and walk the dog.  I left the house feeling blah and without an appetite (which is very strange).  I took my usual commute: 1) light rail, 2) train, and 3) shuttle.  I felt fine on #’s 1 and 2 but after #3, I had to hurry to the bathroom.  I yakked up my 2 sips of morning coffee and 1 bite of toast along with lots and lots of clear stuff.  Yum.  So, I was sent home for the day.  Once I got home, I took a morning nap.  Got up to have some soup and felt like crap.  I tried to take an afternoon nap but ended up lounging around in bed with a pain that had moved to behind my eyes and the back of my head.  Awesome.  Someone is playing a terrible trick on me.  So, it is now 4:50 pm and I have missed a day of work without any relief.  Boo…