I am not known for my good mood during the holiday season. All the happy people tend to bum me out and then in recent years I've worked for a client that shuts down between Christmas and New Years, which means that I end up with a lot of time on my hands, which is also never a good thing for me.
Wah wah, my life is so hard, I am on vacation, blah blah blah.
I know.
But for reals, the holiday season is not a good one for me.
THIS holiday season, I'm pleased to report, has been really good though!
HURRAH!
Take my Monday, for example:
I spent the morning going to my Dailey Method class with Morven, our Australian exchange student's wife (they're in town for Christmas). Quality sweating time with one of my favorite people, with bonus baby squeezing (her baby and my miracle niece) when I went to pick her up.
Then I went to San Francisco to brunch and museum with my friend Christopher. He has a membership to the Cal Academy of Sciences and I don't know how we got to discussing that we'd go, but we did, so we went. It's a really cool museum that opened up while I still lived in SF, but I never got around to going despite it being RIGHT THERE in my backyard AND on my life list.
We got the last two passes for the 3:30 planetarium show (and were very proud of ourselves for our good fortune) and wandered around looking at stuff for like 15 minutes before the fire alarm went off and the whole place was evacuated. Okay, fine, we'll evacuate, but let's go to the bathroom first! OOH! GOOD IDEA!! NO LINES, HOLLER!
So we took our sweet time evacuating, but when we finally did, we found a park bench and Christopher produced two Tootsie Pops from his murse and HOT DOG, I LOVE TOOTSIE POPS! So while everyone else was crowded around waiting for the "emergency" to be resolved, we relaxed, enjoyed our suckers and did some people watching.
We were let back in at the EXACT RIGHT TIME for us to make the 3:30 planetarium show (again, very proud of ourselves for our good fortune) and after a quick trip around the universe, we saw the rest of the museum.
When I dropped Christopher off back at his apartment I had the thought that OOH! Maybe I'll see if Cousin Kristina is available for a drink! It was an idea suggested in a Facebook thread the week before so I sent her a "What are the chances you're sitting around right now wishing you were drinking champagne, because I'm in the city and could either go home or have champagne with you" text.
And magically, not only was she available for champagne, but she was with Cousin Eleanor and they were about to go to dinner and would I like to join them?
HECK YES.
So I met them at the proposed restaurant and I'm not sure why there was a last minute change of heart re: Papalote, but that's fine because plan B was a restaurant that has been on my To Try list for a while. YAY!
So my totally serendipitous day suddenly not only included champagne with Cousin Kristina and Cousin Eleanor, but we were able to try TWO items on the list of 100 Things to Try in San Francisco Before You Die (the eggplant from the 2009 list and a cocktail from the 2010 list), which all translated into a lovely, lovely evening with my people.
I would like more days like that please, Universe.
Showing posts with label 100 Things. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 100 Things. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Monday, April 12, 2010
Sporty McSportyson
1. First, OMG my knees hurt. They don't hurt at all WHILE I'm running, but they hurt for like the 23 1/4 hours a day I am not running. Maybe I should just run everywhere I go. Like Pittsburgh's Running Lady.
And that's enough of the whining.
2. In exact opposite news, I just entered myself into the lottery for a spot in the Nike Women's Half Marathon.
No, I don't know what I was thinking.
3. On Thursday afternoon I got a text from Leslie asking me if I wanted to be her last minute date for the Sharks game. My knee-jerk reaction was to say no because I had very important nail painting and TV watching to do but then I rolled my eyes at myself and had a little chat with myself where I reminded myself that I AM NOT 100 YEARS OLD. So I went and I'm so glad I did!
I met Leslie at the Campbell light rail station (which, if you know how close I live to the Arena, sounds kinda stupid, but parking/rides/whatever seemed like too much effort so I drove out of my way to take public transportation) and la de da de da, we got on the light rail, sat down and OH CRAP SANDWICH I came face to face with (and this is embarrassing, I know) the TGI Friday's bartender I used to flirt with ALL THE TIME.
Back before my friend Daina got married and had a baby (who is now a little boy), we used to rock and roll the TGI Friday's happy hour because it was close to work and because I had the hots for the bartender.
YES, I was a regular at TGI Friday's.
I KNOW.
I did eventually get over my adoration of the TGI Friday's bartender (which conveniently coincided with Daina and I both switching job locations and no longer being available for happy hours in Cupertino) but he did come to Santa with us one year so I happen to have a photo to share:
The girl on the left was his girlfriend who he claimed to have broken up with. But brought to Santa anyway? Who knows. Whatever.
So blah blah blah, there I was, essentially face to face with 2004 and for whatever reason, I chose not to acknowledge that I knew him so we played the pretending-I-don't-recognize-you-even-though-I-do game for the rest of our ride and POOF, he was gone.
Adios, Bartender Matt!
The game was a fun way to spend an evening and I'm really glad Leslie offered me her spare ticket and that I ditched my nail painting and TV watching.
4. Team Idaho, aka my friends Kristy and Jason, came into town on Saturday night and I drove up to SF to crash their hotel room and take them to a few of San Francisco's finest eating and drinking establishments. They wanted to run the GGB with me the next day so we had to be on our best no-hangover behavior though so we took it easy and unfortunately, taking it easy meant the couple of drinks we did have just made us sleepy and by the end of the night I was sitting at Bourbon & Branch wishing for toothpicks to keep my eyes open.
But first! We went to Coco500 to cross the deep fried green beans off the list of 100 Things to Try in SF Before You Die (verdict: FANTASTIC) and made friends with a gentleman wearing a bug-printed bow tie and a shirt that looked like graph paper. He said he was a scientist (thus the bugs and the graph paper), that he has been married to his wife for 43 years, they're visiting from Cincinatti, he has run 54 marathons and that he's always the largest (he wasn't petite at all), oldest and slowest in all of his races.
This, of course, begged the question: How slow is slow?
But I guess it's considered tacky to ask a marathonner what his race time is and all he'd say was that his goal was to be "home for dinner."
Team HoJo (as in Ida and San) is supportive of this strategy. We want "Home for Dinner" t-shirts.
Team HoJo at Coco500 REPRESENT:
After cocks and apps at Coco500 and dinner at Limon and nightcaps at Bourbon & Branch, we fell fast asleep. Our mellow evening served us well though because we were all able to get up and at 'em the next morning.
Bridge run, YAY!
Except BOOOOOOOOOOOOO because the bridge was part of the course for a half marathon and they actually closed it to non-participants.
On the other hand:
* We accidentally saw my friend Joel actually running in the race! It was a happy accident because it kinda makes up for that one time Carrie and I were supposed to be cheering him on when he ran (actually ran) Bay to Breakers but our over-served asses took too long to get down to the race course and we missed him.
* It started pouring almost as soon as we realized we weren't going to be able to get onto the bridge.
* We did the opposite of running by having brunch (with biscuits!) at Ella's.
So it all worked out.
And that's enough of the whining.
2. In exact opposite news, I just entered myself into the lottery for a spot in the Nike Women's Half Marathon.
No, I don't know what I was thinking.
3. On Thursday afternoon I got a text from Leslie asking me if I wanted to be her last minute date for the Sharks game. My knee-jerk reaction was to say no because I had very important nail painting and TV watching to do but then I rolled my eyes at myself and had a little chat with myself where I reminded myself that I AM NOT 100 YEARS OLD. So I went and I'm so glad I did!
I met Leslie at the Campbell light rail station (which, if you know how close I live to the Arena, sounds kinda stupid, but parking/rides/whatever seemed like too much effort so I drove out of my way to take public transportation) and la de da de da, we got on the light rail, sat down and OH CRAP SANDWICH I came face to face with (and this is embarrassing, I know) the TGI Friday's bartender I used to flirt with ALL THE TIME.
Back before my friend Daina got married and had a baby (who is now a little boy), we used to rock and roll the TGI Friday's happy hour because it was close to work and because I had the hots for the bartender.
YES, I was a regular at TGI Friday's.
I KNOW.
I did eventually get over my adoration of the TGI Friday's bartender (which conveniently coincided with Daina and I both switching job locations and no longer being available for happy hours in Cupertino) but he did come to Santa with us one year so I happen to have a photo to share:
The girl on the left was his girlfriend who he claimed to have broken up with. But brought to Santa anyway? Who knows. Whatever.
So blah blah blah, there I was, essentially face to face with 2004 and for whatever reason, I chose not to acknowledge that I knew him so we played the pretending-I-don't-recognize-you-even-though-I-do game for the rest of our ride and POOF, he was gone.
Adios, Bartender Matt!
The game was a fun way to spend an evening and I'm really glad Leslie offered me her spare ticket and that I ditched my nail painting and TV watching.
4. Team Idaho, aka my friends Kristy and Jason, came into town on Saturday night and I drove up to SF to crash their hotel room and take them to a few of San Francisco's finest eating and drinking establishments. They wanted to run the GGB with me the next day so we had to be on our best no-hangover behavior though so we took it easy and unfortunately, taking it easy meant the couple of drinks we did have just made us sleepy and by the end of the night I was sitting at Bourbon & Branch wishing for toothpicks to keep my eyes open.
But first! We went to Coco500 to cross the deep fried green beans off the list of 100 Things to Try in SF Before You Die (verdict: FANTASTIC) and made friends with a gentleman wearing a bug-printed bow tie and a shirt that looked like graph paper. He said he was a scientist (thus the bugs and the graph paper), that he has been married to his wife for 43 years, they're visiting from Cincinatti, he has run 54 marathons and that he's always the largest (he wasn't petite at all), oldest and slowest in all of his races.
This, of course, begged the question: How slow is slow?
But I guess it's considered tacky to ask a marathonner what his race time is and all he'd say was that his goal was to be "home for dinner."
Team HoJo (as in Ida and San) is supportive of this strategy. We want "Home for Dinner" t-shirts.
Team HoJo at Coco500 REPRESENT:
After cocks and apps at Coco500 and dinner at Limon and nightcaps at Bourbon & Branch, we fell fast asleep. Our mellow evening served us well though because we were all able to get up and at 'em the next morning.
Bridge run, YAY!
Except BOOOOOOOOOOOOO because the bridge was part of the course for a half marathon and they actually closed it to non-participants.
On the other hand:
* We accidentally saw my friend Joel actually running in the race! It was a happy accident because it kinda makes up for that one time Carrie and I were supposed to be cheering him on when he ran (actually ran) Bay to Breakers but our over-served asses took too long to get down to the race course and we missed him.
* It started pouring almost as soon as we realized we weren't going to be able to get onto the bridge.
* We did the opposite of running by having brunch (with biscuits!) at Ella's.
So it all worked out.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
ATTENTION REVERAND JOEL: Happy Meal Pizza!
New blog, yay!
I was a dumbass and inadvertantly mentioned some stuff that made some OTHER stuff searchable so blah blah blah, one thing led to another and I have a new blog.
So what's your reward for finding it? A FOUR-month-late recap of the wierd internet food party I had back IN MAY.
Okay so my friend CK came to visit me in May and on days one and two of his visit we made a big, fat (ahem) dent in the list of 100 Things to Try in San Francisco Before You Die, as chronicled here.
The next morning we got up and ate some more (though not at a place on the list, but I really do think that Just For You's roast beef benedict deserves a permanent spot on their menu and while we're at it, on the list of 100 things too) and then made a run to Krispy Kreme because Krispy Kreme doughnuts were a KEY ingredient for dinner.
Yes, for dinner.
And then, with a car filled with the scent of hot doughnuts, we went grocery shopping. Our shopping list was long, but we also needed to keep our eyes peeled for things that might be delicious when fried.
If you're keeping track, so far dinner involves Krispy Kreme doughnuts and a deep fryer. Not together, mind you, but you can tell this was going to be a heart-healthy dinner, right?
Truth be told, this was four months ago and I don't remember all the exciting things I had every intention of blogging about, but here's the bulleted recap:
* When my guests asked what they could bring, I assigned them specific menu items from McDonald's.
* The pig candy sounded like a better idea than it actually turned out to be, but here's the photo documentation, just for kicks:
It was pretty much just a layer of bacon covered with brown sugar and nuts and then baked until the bacon was crispy and the sugar was caramelized and then a little melted chocolate drizzled over the top.
Sounds DEVINE, right?
RESULTS:
Not so devine. The thing I didn't consider was that when the bacon cooled, it would cool in its own fat, which would congeal and leave a waxy film on the bottom of everything. It miiiiight work if I had cooked the bacon on racks, but then you wouldn't get the caramelized sugar everywhere it needs to be.
I'm sure Julia Child never had this problem.
* My pal Joel suggested we make the Happy Meal Pizza. So we did. And believe it or not, this was not the ONLY recipe that required ingredients from McDonald's.
BEFORE:
AFTER:
RESULTS:
You know what? It tasted like a couple Happy Meals and melted cheese on a Boboli crust. Surprise, surprise because that's exactly what it was. Totally edible, nothing FOUL about it, but it's not cuisine I feel the need to revisit.
* Tangtinis:
Truth be told, I did not learn about the Tangtini (AKA the Buzz Aldrin) on the internet. I had one of these delicious and tangy (!) cocktails when I was in Philly for Danielle and Mike's wedding and it was so delicious that I brought the magic home to CA.
RESULTS:
Considering all the Tang and vodka we went through that night, I think it could be considered a HIT!
* Krispy Kreme Doughnuts in Action: The Luther Burger!
RESULTS:
This was probably my favorite thing on the menu, but again, now that I've had one I can check it off my list without the need to revisit it.
* CK's contribution was the Bacon Explosion.
Step One:
Crafting the bacon:
Step Two:
CK's meat: ROLLED
What your mother said would happen if you touched your meat in an inappropriate way:
RESULTS:
Let me tell you all something: The Bacon Explosion had TWO POUNDS of bacon and TWO POUNDS of sausage and when all was said and done, there was almost NO fat in the pan. So, of course, this meant alllllllllllllllll that fat went into the explosion.
My arteries are clogging just thinking about it.
But all in all, it was good, but mostly just tasted like BBQ'y, bacony meatloaf.
Items we were too busy digesting to photograph:
* Deep fried Nutter Butters
* Deep fried Moon Pies (chocolate and banana flavors)
* Deep fried Twinkies
* Deep fried Oreos
* McNuggetinis (with BBQ sauce rim and all!)
RESULTS:
I, for one, thought that all of these items were better in their natural states. Except for the leftover milkshake, which I put in the freezer and then ate, a few bites at a time, over the course of the next week -- it was much better in ice milk form than in shake form. Or McNuggetini form.
THE NEXT MORNING:
Carrie, CK and I rolled our greasy asses down the street to watch Bay to Breakers. It was CK's first B2B and I don't think they do this in Texas, so I hope he enjoyed himself:
That's not CK, by the way. That was just the best naked guy of the day. AND THERE WERE MANY NOT-BEST NAKED GUYS.
And there you have it.
There's no better way to end my first blog post at this newfangled blog than with a picture of a naked up "dressed up" as a sparkly, rainbow'y Peter Pan.
Right?
Right.
OOOOOOOOh, except WAIT!
I would also like to take this opportunity to comment on the subject of "Things I Probably Wouldn't Do If I Were a Man."
My official statement: If I were a man and I had an acorn wiener and I wanted to participate as a naked "runner" in Bay to Breakers or hang out with my buddies in any sort of a public nudity type scenario, I would NOT walk next to my friend with the knee-slapper.
Kudos to these not-so-well endowed men for being comfortable in their own skin and all, but I have to say, I probably wouldn't notice the petite nature of their wieners (because as God as my witness, there are better things to look at than a bunch of gravitationally-challenged PENISES) if they were surrounded by their own kind...but throw in something even just slightly more average-sized and it totally ruins the perspective.
I'm just saying.
PS, HI MOM!
I was a dumbass and inadvertantly mentioned some stuff that made some OTHER stuff searchable so blah blah blah, one thing led to another and I have a new blog.
So what's your reward for finding it? A FOUR-month-late recap of the wierd internet food party I had back IN MAY.
Okay so my friend CK came to visit me in May and on days one and two of his visit we made a big, fat (ahem) dent in the list of 100 Things to Try in San Francisco Before You Die, as chronicled here.
The next morning we got up and ate some more (though not at a place on the list, but I really do think that Just For You's roast beef benedict deserves a permanent spot on their menu and while we're at it, on the list of 100 things too) and then made a run to Krispy Kreme because Krispy Kreme doughnuts were a KEY ingredient for dinner.
Yes, for dinner.
And then, with a car filled with the scent of hot doughnuts, we went grocery shopping. Our shopping list was long, but we also needed to keep our eyes peeled for things that might be delicious when fried.
If you're keeping track, so far dinner involves Krispy Kreme doughnuts and a deep fryer. Not together, mind you, but you can tell this was going to be a heart-healthy dinner, right?
Truth be told, this was four months ago and I don't remember all the exciting things I had every intention of blogging about, but here's the bulleted recap:
* When my guests asked what they could bring, I assigned them specific menu items from McDonald's.
* The pig candy sounded like a better idea than it actually turned out to be, but here's the photo documentation, just for kicks:
It was pretty much just a layer of bacon covered with brown sugar and nuts and then baked until the bacon was crispy and the sugar was caramelized and then a little melted chocolate drizzled over the top.
Sounds DEVINE, right?
RESULTS:
Not so devine. The thing I didn't consider was that when the bacon cooled, it would cool in its own fat, which would congeal and leave a waxy film on the bottom of everything. It miiiiight work if I had cooked the bacon on racks, but then you wouldn't get the caramelized sugar everywhere it needs to be.
I'm sure Julia Child never had this problem.
* My pal Joel suggested we make the Happy Meal Pizza. So we did. And believe it or not, this was not the ONLY recipe that required ingredients from McDonald's.
BEFORE:
AFTER:
RESULTS:
You know what? It tasted like a couple Happy Meals and melted cheese on a Boboli crust. Surprise, surprise because that's exactly what it was. Totally edible, nothing FOUL about it, but it's not cuisine I feel the need to revisit.
* Tangtinis:
Truth be told, I did not learn about the Tangtini (AKA the Buzz Aldrin) on the internet. I had one of these delicious and tangy (!) cocktails when I was in Philly for Danielle and Mike's wedding and it was so delicious that I brought the magic home to CA.
RESULTS:
Considering all the Tang and vodka we went through that night, I think it could be considered a HIT!
* Krispy Kreme Doughnuts in Action: The Luther Burger!
RESULTS:
This was probably my favorite thing on the menu, but again, now that I've had one I can check it off my list without the need to revisit it.
* CK's contribution was the Bacon Explosion.
Step One:
Crafting the bacon:
Step Two:
CK's meat: ROLLED
What your mother said would happen if you touched your meat in an inappropriate way:
RESULTS:
Let me tell you all something: The Bacon Explosion had TWO POUNDS of bacon and TWO POUNDS of sausage and when all was said and done, there was almost NO fat in the pan. So, of course, this meant alllllllllllllllll that fat went into the explosion.
My arteries are clogging just thinking about it.
But all in all, it was good, but mostly just tasted like BBQ'y, bacony meatloaf.
Items we were too busy digesting to photograph:
* Deep fried Nutter Butters
* Deep fried Moon Pies (chocolate and banana flavors)
* Deep fried Twinkies
* Deep fried Oreos
* McNuggetinis (with BBQ sauce rim and all!)
RESULTS:
I, for one, thought that all of these items were better in their natural states. Except for the leftover milkshake, which I put in the freezer and then ate, a few bites at a time, over the course of the next week -- it was much better in ice milk form than in shake form. Or McNuggetini form.
THE NEXT MORNING:
Carrie, CK and I rolled our greasy asses down the street to watch Bay to Breakers. It was CK's first B2B and I don't think they do this in Texas, so I hope he enjoyed himself:
That's not CK, by the way. That was just the best naked guy of the day. AND THERE WERE MANY NOT-BEST NAKED GUYS.
And there you have it.
There's no better way to end my first blog post at this newfangled blog than with a picture of a naked up "dressed up" as a sparkly, rainbow'y Peter Pan.
Right?
Right.
OOOOOOOOh, except WAIT!
I would also like to take this opportunity to comment on the subject of "Things I Probably Wouldn't Do If I Were a Man."
My official statement: If I were a man and I had an acorn wiener and I wanted to participate as a naked "runner" in Bay to Breakers or hang out with my buddies in any sort of a public nudity type scenario, I would NOT walk next to my friend with the knee-slapper.
Kudos to these not-so-well endowed men for being comfortable in their own skin and all, but I have to say, I probably wouldn't notice the petite nature of their wieners (because as God as my witness, there are better things to look at than a bunch of gravitationally-challenged PENISES) if they were surrounded by their own kind...but throw in something even just slightly more average-sized and it totally ruins the perspective.
I'm just saying.
PS, HI MOM!
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