About 7 years ago, my friends and I started "Travelisms" - basically funny sayings that occur while we are out and about. As I was cleaning out my desk today, I came across some funny sayings from 2003 and I thought I'd share a few of the best ones with you.
Tim, Wendy and I went to the Dodger's game and Tim's seat was in another section. How did that happen? We bought all the seats at the same time!
- Mitzi, watch the posters - as we are crammed in the crowded section with LA Dodger posters that keep poking us.
- The game has started with little fanfare - apparently going to a baseball game in LA is more about being seen than watching the game. We were halfway through the first inning before we realized the game had even started.
- We assimilated easily and the locals embarrassed us. What? Are we a little dramatic or what? Just because someone talked to us? You'd think we were filming a cheesy Lifetime movie!
- If I could get to my pants, I would pay you - did I mention that we were very crowded at the game? I think this also lead to the phrase, "This feels like being in a middle seat in Northwest coach." We got really spoiled traveling so much for work.
The piece de resistance for this baseball game - you can buy crack cocaine 2 blocks away from here, but you can not buy more than 2 beers, you hear Tim muttering as he has to stand in the beer line for the 4th time of the night!
Showing posts with label Wendy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wendy. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Random Thoughts from 2009 - Day 8
As I started my 12 Days of Random Thoughts, I believed I had lots of bizarre ideas and opinions, but as I struggle with the last 6 days, I realize I might not think enough. So I guess one of my resolutions for 2010 will be to think more. But in the mean time, I am hungry. I just ate my Fruit Loops and yogurt, but I really want a waffle. Too bad, no one at work has one for me! So anyways that got me thinking about my favorite restaurants so here is My Top 10 List (like David Letterman):
10) Chimaya (Huntington Beach) - Wendy, Mike and I spent a good part of a year there drinking mango martinis, sitting around the fire pit on the beach and eating chips and guacamole. I recently came across a picture of me there as I was loading our new Digital Frame Christmas present and while I had bad hair, I looked skinny, had good skin and seemed happy.
9) Luna Park (L.A.) - Dr. Pepper martinis with Dr. Pepper jelly bellies, need I say more? Fay and I were full of candy when we were done but it kicked off a fun weekend adventure in California that included San Juan Capistrano!
8) Chop House (Ann Arbor) - Wendy, Tom S, Trudi and I spent a very fun-filled evening here discussing the publication and marketing of Tom's book Managed Murders. I felt very grown-up and smart as we discussed book signings, interviews, launch parties and such. To this day, the only book that I know of where I am in the acknowledgement section.
7) L.A. Farm and Whist (Santa Monica)- Again more Michelle and Wendy adventures where we made friends with the chef, were late to our reservations yet again because of traffic but had the best salmon and steak of our lives!
6) Spice Kitchen (NYC) - Besides being a celebrity hot spot, it represented a fun weekend of sightseeing and the Fancy Food Show with Tom. After a yummy dinner with Tom, Liz and The Jose, it was off to see the Broadway play "Curtains" and then champagne at the Marriott Millennium. A true New York experience!
5) The Stinking Rose (San Francisco) - A whole restaurant where every entree (and desserts) include garlic! A stinky but yummo dining experience during a fun trip to a great city that included a Ghost Walking Tour!
4) Auberge du Soleil (Napa Valley) and Yavapi Restaurant (Sedona) - The views were spectacular - vineyards at the first place and the red rock mountains at the second one. It doesn't matter who you are with, if you are a nature lover or not, you can not help but be impressed with these restaurants. Just don't eat my jicama like the waiter at Yavapi did. I don't care that I think it is gross, don't touch my plate! French Laundry, here I come!
3) Palio (Ann Arbor) - our favorite Italian restaurant in town. The mushroom crostini (or as Scott calls it, the fungi) is to die for, the pesto is delicious and they have the great birthday special that I love so much. They make me feel like I am in Naples (I'll let you know if my feeling is accurate once I actually visit Naples).
2) Rosa Mexicano (Washington D.C.) and some hole in the wall Mexican restaurant (Albuquerque) - both adventures with Helen. The first involved 2 extra subway rides and about 2 miles of walking in 95 degree heat because we were in the wrong quadrant of the blasted city. The second involved a strip mall restaurant recommended my a friend that had mouth watering quesadillas, crazy patrons that were sharing their dinners with us at the bar and way too much sangria!
1) Real Seafood (Ann Arb0r) - the best crab legs on the planet and Tom and my engagement dinner (only I did not know it - I thought it was just a birthday dinner!) Over the years, I have been there with so many friends and family, it seems like an extension of our dining room (though a much better one). My mouth is watering now!
This blog did not help with me being hungry but it did bring back memories of good times, good friends and fun travels. OK, off to find some toast!
10) Chimaya (Huntington Beach) - Wendy, Mike and I spent a good part of a year there drinking mango martinis, sitting around the fire pit on the beach and eating chips and guacamole. I recently came across a picture of me there as I was loading our new Digital Frame Christmas present and while I had bad hair, I looked skinny, had good skin and seemed happy.
9) Luna Park (L.A.) - Dr. Pepper martinis with Dr. Pepper jelly bellies, need I say more? Fay and I were full of candy when we were done but it kicked off a fun weekend adventure in California that included San Juan Capistrano!
8) Chop House (Ann Arbor) - Wendy, Tom S, Trudi and I spent a very fun-filled evening here discussing the publication and marketing of Tom's book Managed Murders. I felt very grown-up and smart as we discussed book signings, interviews, launch parties and such. To this day, the only book that I know of where I am in the acknowledgement section.
7) L.A. Farm and Whist (Santa Monica)- Again more Michelle and Wendy adventures where we made friends with the chef, were late to our reservations yet again because of traffic but had the best salmon and steak of our lives!
6) Spice Kitchen (NYC) - Besides being a celebrity hot spot, it represented a fun weekend of sightseeing and the Fancy Food Show with Tom. After a yummy dinner with Tom, Liz and The Jose, it was off to see the Broadway play "Curtains" and then champagne at the Marriott Millennium. A true New York experience!
5) The Stinking Rose (San Francisco) - A whole restaurant where every entree (and desserts) include garlic! A stinky but yummo dining experience during a fun trip to a great city that included a Ghost Walking Tour!
4) Auberge du Soleil (Napa Valley) and Yavapi Restaurant (Sedona) - The views were spectacular - vineyards at the first place and the red rock mountains at the second one. It doesn't matter who you are with, if you are a nature lover or not, you can not help but be impressed with these restaurants. Just don't eat my jicama like the waiter at Yavapi did. I don't care that I think it is gross, don't touch my plate! French Laundry, here I come!
3) Palio (Ann Arbor) - our favorite Italian restaurant in town. The mushroom crostini (or as Scott calls it, the fungi) is to die for, the pesto is delicious and they have the great birthday special that I love so much. They make me feel like I am in Naples (I'll let you know if my feeling is accurate once I actually visit Naples).
2) Rosa Mexicano (Washington D.C.) and some hole in the wall Mexican restaurant (Albuquerque) - both adventures with Helen. The first involved 2 extra subway rides and about 2 miles of walking in 95 degree heat because we were in the wrong quadrant of the blasted city. The second involved a strip mall restaurant recommended my a friend that had mouth watering quesadillas, crazy patrons that were sharing their dinners with us at the bar and way too much sangria!
1) Real Seafood (Ann Arb0r) - the best crab legs on the planet and Tom and my engagement dinner (only I did not know it - I thought it was just a birthday dinner!) Over the years, I have been there with so many friends and family, it seems like an extension of our dining room (though a much better one). My mouth is watering now!
This blog did not help with me being hungry but it did bring back memories of good times, good friends and fun travels. OK, off to find some toast!
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Why Are All the Crazies at Starbucks?
Wendy and I have a routine on most Saturday mornings when we are both in town. We meet at Starbuck's, drive out anyone from our favorite seats and drink coffee, eat breakfast sandwiches and play Scrabble. It is 1 1/2 - 2 hours of peace in an otherwise hectic week. However, every time we go to Starbuck's, crazy things happen.
One day, it was garbage day at Starbuck's. Everyone leaving the drive-thru pulled over to the garbage can and decided to clean out their car. Why? This is not the car wash. You are at a food establishment, not the city dump. We watched in disbelief as the garbage can became full in our short time at the Bucks.
Another time, we were outside enjoying the sun and a homeless man and his belongings comes up and sits down. He starts talking to himself. I am not callous - I felt bad for the man and if he asked for money, I would have gone in and bought him some food and a coffee, but he did not ask. This reminded us of a time when we were in Chicago and a woman decided to take a bath in a public store restroom. Another bad story, but I beg you, why do I have to witness all of these crazy things?
Finally, this past Saturday was smile day. Minding our own business, people would walk by, stop and stare at us and then smile. It was Halloween, but we were not wearing costumes! Sure, we were probably a little scary - I had just come from Jazzercise and Wendy had crazy Saturday morning hair, but really. Two women playing Scrabble and drinking coffee does not seem like it should garner an audience? Oh well, people smiling at us made us feel happier as we left to continue our day!
Wendy and I relish our girl time at Starbuck's. We complain about the wacky music, we laugh at the motley group of people who come in for coffee and we curse the outdoor tables that are so shaky that several of our drinks have fallen victim to them. But, it reminds of us of our younger days and our great friendship, so that is all good!
One day, it was garbage day at Starbuck's. Everyone leaving the drive-thru pulled over to the garbage can and decided to clean out their car. Why? This is not the car wash. You are at a food establishment, not the city dump. We watched in disbelief as the garbage can became full in our short time at the Bucks.
Another time, we were outside enjoying the sun and a homeless man and his belongings comes up and sits down. He starts talking to himself. I am not callous - I felt bad for the man and if he asked for money, I would have gone in and bought him some food and a coffee, but he did not ask. This reminded us of a time when we were in Chicago and a woman decided to take a bath in a public store restroom. Another bad story, but I beg you, why do I have to witness all of these crazy things?
Finally, this past Saturday was smile day. Minding our own business, people would walk by, stop and stare at us and then smile. It was Halloween, but we were not wearing costumes! Sure, we were probably a little scary - I had just come from Jazzercise and Wendy had crazy Saturday morning hair, but really. Two women playing Scrabble and drinking coffee does not seem like it should garner an audience? Oh well, people smiling at us made us feel happier as we left to continue our day!
Wendy and I relish our girl time at Starbuck's. We complain about the wacky music, we laugh at the motley group of people who come in for coffee and we curse the outdoor tables that are so shaky that several of our drinks have fallen victim to them. But, it reminds of us of our younger days and our great friendship, so that is all good!
Friday, October 16, 2009
Squirrels and Beavers
Our obsession with squirrels and beavers started at the Hoover Dam. Tom and I and a couple of friends were taking a tour of Hoover Dam while we were in town for Wendy's wedding. We were over tired, over caffeinated and generally over giggly. In the most serious tone, our friend said to the guide "How many beavers were harmed in the making of this dam?" As were we laughing hysterically, people started looking at us strangely. The rest of the tour we ran around yelling "Beavers!"
A few months later, we were camping with Wendy and Dan in Three Rivers. We went out to dinner and as we were being seated, the waitress said, "I am going to seat you under the beaver." A stuffed beaver that was and of course the night deteriorated rapidly from there and we were suddenly elementary students who thought everything was so funny!
The movie "Up" was adorable. We loved Bob the Dog and his love of squirrels. At the Tigers - Red Sox game this spring, a squirrel came out on the field during the 2nd inning and ran around the entire field. Play was eventually stopped and security chased the menacing squirrel off the field, who promptly laid on the field wall and passed out of exhaustion. It was hilarious! The squirrel returned in the 5th inning to chase the Red Sox players around again and the entire stadium started yelling "Squirrel, Squirrel, Squirrel!" When we got home that night, we watched the recap of the game and the squirrel got more coverage than the players.
Now every time we see a squirrel, Tom yells "Squirrel!" and I start yelling "Beavers" at random times. I wonder what will be our next favorite animal?
A few months later, we were camping with Wendy and Dan in Three Rivers. We went out to dinner and as we were being seated, the waitress said, "I am going to seat you under the beaver." A stuffed beaver that was and of course the night deteriorated rapidly from there and we were suddenly elementary students who thought everything was so funny!
The movie "Up" was adorable. We loved Bob the Dog and his love of squirrels. At the Tigers - Red Sox game this spring, a squirrel came out on the field during the 2nd inning and ran around the entire field. Play was eventually stopped and security chased the menacing squirrel off the field, who promptly laid on the field wall and passed out of exhaustion. It was hilarious! The squirrel returned in the 5th inning to chase the Red Sox players around again and the entire stadium started yelling "Squirrel, Squirrel, Squirrel!" When we got home that night, we watched the recap of the game and the squirrel got more coverage than the players.
Now every time we see a squirrel, Tom yells "Squirrel!" and I start yelling "Beavers" at random times. I wonder what will be our next favorite animal?
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
General Hospital Rocks!
My first memories of watching General Hospital (GH) was when my mother was home on maternity leave with my sister. We would watch every day. We saw Luke and Laura get married and the evil Cassadines cause chaos and bedlam. It was probably a little "too heavy" for a 6-year-old, but I was hooked.
Through elementary school, middle school and high school, when I wasn't at sports practice, I was perched on my Grandma's couch watching General Hospital from 3 - 4. When I went off to college, I met my friend Molly and found another GH lover. We tried to schedule classes around GH and I even dumped a Quantitative Analysis class because I was missing too many juicy story lines!
One summer, I was off to Columbus, OH for an internship and I was faced with no VCR. DVR was not around then, so I was in a panic. I was going to miss 10 weeks of GH - how would I survive? Well, it was Molly to the rescue. Molly taped all 10 weeks of GH and when I got home from my internship, I sat on the couch at home for ~33 hours and got caught up before going back to school!
I hit the mother load when Wendy and I met Ingo Rademacher (Jax) from GH on a plane from Detroit to L.A. He was so dreamy in person! I got his autograph, his picture and we spent an hour chit chatting with him and his manager. I could barely control myself as we hurried off the plane as I was bursting inside to call someone, anyone! Too bad, I was dressed in sweat pants and was ill on the plane ride, otherwise, I would be married to him and living in L.A. now.
As life gets busier, it is harder to sit down and watch GH everyday. I still catch it when I have a day off and I go onto ABC.com and check out the recaps once in a while. My favorites - Sonny, Jax, and Carly are still there and there is always the usual quotient of blackmail, murder and sex. I watched the short-lived really bad spin-off "Port Charles - Night Shift". But you know, a girl has to have her guilty pleasures!
Through elementary school, middle school and high school, when I wasn't at sports practice, I was perched on my Grandma's couch watching General Hospital from 3 - 4. When I went off to college, I met my friend Molly and found another GH lover. We tried to schedule classes around GH and I even dumped a Quantitative Analysis class because I was missing too many juicy story lines!
One summer, I was off to Columbus, OH for an internship and I was faced with no VCR. DVR was not around then, so I was in a panic. I was going to miss 10 weeks of GH - how would I survive? Well, it was Molly to the rescue. Molly taped all 10 weeks of GH and when I got home from my internship, I sat on the couch at home for ~33 hours and got caught up before going back to school!
I hit the mother load when Wendy and I met Ingo Rademacher (Jax) from GH on a plane from Detroit to L.A. He was so dreamy in person! I got his autograph, his picture and we spent an hour chit chatting with him and his manager. I could barely control myself as we hurried off the plane as I was bursting inside to call someone, anyone! Too bad, I was dressed in sweat pants and was ill on the plane ride, otherwise, I would be married to him and living in L.A. now.
As life gets busier, it is harder to sit down and watch GH everyday. I still catch it when I have a day off and I go onto ABC.com and check out the recaps once in a while. My favorites - Sonny, Jax, and Carly are still there and there is always the usual quotient of blackmail, murder and sex. I watched the short-lived really bad spin-off "Port Charles - Night Shift". But you know, a girl has to have her guilty pleasures!
Thursday, October 1, 2009
These are a Few of My Favorite Things - Make Up
Sephora is the mother ship. Ulta, Real Beauty, Lush and department store makeup counters all have their niche, but there is nothing better than entering the harsh lighting, music pumping Sephora where everything looks so pretty and reasoning goes out the window. I admit to being a little crazed when it comes to makeup - Wendy and I have known to buy 3 - 4 lip glosses at a time just because.
Our addiction to Sephora is deep. We ran through the rain, risking a fall in Santa Monica just to get to try on eye shadow. We got escorted out of that same Sephora when Wendy decided to start taking pictures. Apparently, we were working for the competition and their store set up is top secret.
On numerous times, we have hit all of the Sephora stores in Vegas, armed with Starbuck's in hand. That was fine until Wendy put her cup in her basket and the mop had to come out to clean up the spill!
We have had birthday makeovers at Sephora, we have went in and put on a whole new face for an evening out without buying anything and we have gone in to smell colognes that remind us of our ex-loves.
Now, I am on a PIP (performance improvement plan) when it comes to makeup. My drawers won't close, I have boxes of lip gloss and eye shadow that I need to clean out and my 20 bottles of perfume are taking over my dresser. So I have decided it is time to USE the makeup or LOSE it! While I know my friends at Sephora will be sad for a while, once I get this under control, I'll be back!
Our addiction to Sephora is deep. We ran through the rain, risking a fall in Santa Monica just to get to try on eye shadow. We got escorted out of that same Sephora when Wendy decided to start taking pictures. Apparently, we were working for the competition and their store set up is top secret.
On numerous times, we have hit all of the Sephora stores in Vegas, armed with Starbuck's in hand. That was fine until Wendy put her cup in her basket and the mop had to come out to clean up the spill!
We have had birthday makeovers at Sephora, we have went in and put on a whole new face for an evening out without buying anything and we have gone in to smell colognes that remind us of our ex-loves.
Now, I am on a PIP (performance improvement plan) when it comes to makeup. My drawers won't close, I have boxes of lip gloss and eye shadow that I need to clean out and my 20 bottles of perfume are taking over my dresser. So I have decided it is time to USE the makeup or LOSE it! While I know my friends at Sephora will be sad for a while, once I get this under control, I'll be back!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Fact or Fiction - do I really care?
Most of you who know me, know that when I put my mind to something, watch out. I admit to being a little bit obsessive when I like something. Can you imagine? I know it is hard to believe. I love to read. I must confess that I read crap. I do not go for the great novels, the business books, the self improvement books. I go for the cheesy murder mysteries, the campy gossip girl type books and chick lit where the girl always ends up with the guy. What adds to the fun is when a place in the book actually exists in real life and I can go and visit.
My friend Michelle (Helen Keller or HK for short) has born the brunt of my location quests over the years. Before we both got married, we used to take a couple of trips a year together to different places. One year we went to Boston in November. Beside it being crazy cold and us being nutso for taking a duck boat tour and nearly suffering hypothermia, I also made her go off in search of the Isabella Stewart Gardiner museum. I had just read a book about a murder at the museum and I wanted to check it out. We rented a car that they delivered to our hotel and that was a debacle. There were 2 groups of people clamoring for 1 car. After a 1/2 hour of yelling, negotiating and generally being a pain in the a**, we were off to the museum. Armed with just a Boston map (no google maps or Garmin for us), we were off like a herd of turtles to find this museum. After driving in circles and passing about 12 Dunkin Donuts (and stopping at 1 for sustenance), we finally found the museum. We took our pictures and approached the museum to go in. After determining that the $10 admission fee was too much just to go in and look at art, we abandoned this pursuit and we were off to our next location!
Then I decided to read the entire Margaret Truman series - Murder in the Smithsonian, Murder in the White House, Murder in Foggy Bottom, Murder at Union Square, etc. When HK and I went to visit Washington D.C. in July 2004, it was crazy hot. Like 95 degrees and ridiculously humid. We must have walked 20 miles that weekend, looked liked drowned rats from sweating so much, blisters from walking all over the city and generally miserable with heat exhaustion. We went all over the city, checking out the places in the book, exploring the city, all without finding one dead body like the books.
Next up, was a book called Angel's Flight where a murder took place on a funicular (aka incline). Well imagine my surprise when I found out that this actually exists in downtown L.A. Tim, Wendy and I piled in the car and braved LA Rush Hour (it really is a contest to survive with your sanity) and off we went. We found it and Tim asked "I drive an hour and a half for this sh*t. Why does this even exist?" This funicular was about 50 feet long and transported lazy people up a small hill. It had been shut down in real life because 9 people died on it. How does that happen? It is literally 2 feet up the ground and moves at like 10 mph, how does such an accident occur? So we had driven all that way and could not even take a ride on it :(.
While my book adventures often don't turn out as easy or exciting as I would like, I am already planning our trip to Forks to see where Bella and Edward live, (for people who have lived under a rock for the past 2 years - they are from Twilight), where they hang out and Jacob's Indian reservation. God help this little town of 3,000 when I invade!
My friend Michelle (Helen Keller or HK for short) has born the brunt of my location quests over the years. Before we both got married, we used to take a couple of trips a year together to different places. One year we went to Boston in November. Beside it being crazy cold and us being nutso for taking a duck boat tour and nearly suffering hypothermia, I also made her go off in search of the Isabella Stewart Gardiner museum. I had just read a book about a murder at the museum and I wanted to check it out. We rented a car that they delivered to our hotel and that was a debacle. There were 2 groups of people clamoring for 1 car. After a 1/2 hour of yelling, negotiating and generally being a pain in the a**, we were off to the museum. Armed with just a Boston map (no google maps or Garmin for us), we were off like a herd of turtles to find this museum. After driving in circles and passing about 12 Dunkin Donuts (and stopping at 1 for sustenance), we finally found the museum. We took our pictures and approached the museum to go in. After determining that the $10 admission fee was too much just to go in and look at art, we abandoned this pursuit and we were off to our next location!
Then I decided to read the entire Margaret Truman series - Murder in the Smithsonian, Murder in the White House, Murder in Foggy Bottom, Murder at Union Square, etc. When HK and I went to visit Washington D.C. in July 2004, it was crazy hot. Like 95 degrees and ridiculously humid. We must have walked 20 miles that weekend, looked liked drowned rats from sweating so much, blisters from walking all over the city and generally miserable with heat exhaustion. We went all over the city, checking out the places in the book, exploring the city, all without finding one dead body like the books.
Next up, was a book called Angel's Flight where a murder took place on a funicular (aka incline). Well imagine my surprise when I found out that this actually exists in downtown L.A. Tim, Wendy and I piled in the car and braved LA Rush Hour (it really is a contest to survive with your sanity) and off we went. We found it and Tim asked "I drive an hour and a half for this sh*t. Why does this even exist?" This funicular was about 50 feet long and transported lazy people up a small hill. It had been shut down in real life because 9 people died on it. How does that happen? It is literally 2 feet up the ground and moves at like 10 mph, how does such an accident occur? So we had driven all that way and could not even take a ride on it :(.
While my book adventures often don't turn out as easy or exciting as I would like, I am already planning our trip to Forks to see where Bella and Edward live, (for people who have lived under a rock for the past 2 years - they are from Twilight), where they hang out and Jacob's Indian reservation. God help this little town of 3,000 when I invade!
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