Jean and Andrea Get A Puppy

2009-10-29T16:23:00.000-07:00

I don't get it really.. and the link, while an actual website, doesn't match the picture? But it got my attention, so I guess that's the gimic. And made me think of this blog.

Help Me.

2009-10-29T02:37:00.000-07:00

As you may or may not know, I'm wildly in love with the Olympics. I'm not quite sure what it is about it, but I get the super warm fuzzies during the theme song, love watching opening ceremonies, and get so amped about the games and the competition. I have VHS tapes of games when I couldn't watch it (due to school/work/time zone differences) and consequently have applied to like 18 different positions for the 2010 Games in Vancouver. It would be so bad ass if I could work for the Olympics. The next best thing is going to the Olympics. I sort of had the opportunity a year ago (Whoa.. the last Olympics were only a little over a year ago!) when some of my family members were going. Except I was working like a crazy person and didn't get to go. Super. Freaking. Sad. Face. I even contemplated flying to China for a weekend just to go. *sigh.

Anyhoooooo... I know while I could go, Microsoft is having this contest for a student blogger and a female blogger to be on their blog team for the games. How neat would that be?!?! I debated telling you all about it, because I don't need any more competition than there already is - but hey - if you win, you totally have to bring me along. But before you enter, I need help. One of the things you can submit is a photo of yourself, in your blogging environment. I spent a few hours taking pictures of myself in my room (it is WAY harder than it looks) and don't "love" any of them, but kind of luke warm like. So, if you were a judge and the criteria was "featuring you in your home/personal blogging area. The photo will only be eligible for bonus points if it features the entrant (and no other people) AND is the environment where you traditionally blog." I also can't include any third party logos - so besides the Macs (which I'm sure Microsoft will love to see two of them in the wide shot pictures) if there is anything glaringly obvious let me know!

The picture above is just them arranged on my desktop. I uploaded them to a set in flickr so you can examine them closer. Which one do you like best? Which one should I enter?

Eating and Drinking our way through the City

2009-10-28T03:51:00.000-07:00

Because I am entirely too far behind to write a single blog about everything that's been going on, here's a photo post with extended captions. This isn't everything, but just a sample of a few things Dre and I have been doing. Notice how most of it centers around food.

We were both craving dim sum and finally woke up early enough on Sunday to do it. We trekked to Sea Empress in Gardena because that's the place I like best. We ordered way too many dishes, like we always do at chinese restaurants, and happily ate mini plates of yummy yummy goodness.

Afterwards, we both needed a caffeine jolt and decided to head to Intelligentsia in Venice. Like many places, we talk about going there, but it takes awhile for both of us to get together to go there. In between our schedules, our random "not eating out" purges, and life, we make a little bit of time for our adventures.

It's cool and hip and coffees are $5, but it totally makes you want to be one of those people who just sit around in a coffee shop all day "working" on your laptop. I'm not quite sure I could afford to sit there all day, because I would just chug their drink and try every dessert in their dessert case, but maybe one day. Below is Dre's "excited to have coffee" face! Look at their cute sign in guest book and cakewiches? YUM.

When you want to keep in touch with people, it's all about "let's do lunch" or "let's grab drinks". In this case, lunch was Big Jo's. Big Jo's is a hole in the wall burger stand in Santa Monica with some of the best burgers and fries ever. It's not fancy or processed fast foody, but real grilled diner like burgers and you can put this amazing seasoning on their fries, which are so good. It's kind of like Steve's in the South Bay, but a tad bit different. But basically was an institution in Friday lunch plans when I used to work. Now it's a novelty for me. But my favorite is the bacon cheeseburger with mushrooms, french fries and a pepsi, because you know, if you're going to go down, you might as well go down in flames of glory.

With the total burst of food trucks, we've been trying to try as many as we can. That doesn't always work out so well because sometimes you aren't hungry or have time to stop when you pass by them on the street, and then when you really crave them, you're not near where they're at. And then since they're mobile, you say "oh, I can get that next time" Dre and I went to the "opening" of the Nom Nom truck - serving vietnamese sandwiches call Bahn Mi and the Fishlips Sushi truck. Both were super excellent, and although the wait was a little long, I think that's the benefit of parking at the Brig. You walk in and get a drink while you're waiting for your food, eat, get hammered, have more food. It's so simple, and so effective.

Another lunch date was set at the new cafeteria style place lemonade. There are a few other locations, but this location set on the corner of Venice & Abbot Kinney is hoppin'. There's always a line when I pass by, and I didn't get to actually try their various lemonade flavors, but I had the pot roast mac 'n cheese sandwich and it was kind of amazing. Also, the cream cheese brownie (not pictured) is to die for.

Last but not least, the Dodger game. (Go Doyers!) Friday nights in the summer, they let the crowd on to the field and shoot off fireworks. It's pretty cool and we all ran around like little kids once we got onto the grass. They cordon off the infield (of course), so I'll somehow in my lifetime find a way to play on that, but it was fun nonetheless. And you know, I pretty much love fireworks of any kind.

What's next? Likely a Halloween post, possibly a concert post, and hopefully at least some pictures from some more food trucks. And we still need to go on the Xiao Long Bao adventure. (Yes... more eating...)

Your Window Says What?

2009-10-15T09:26:00.000-07:00

("Mommy" and her 2 dogs)

I love dogs. And I'm looking forward to my future as Crazy Lonely Puppy Lady. But this is taking it too far. Even for me.

Is this a Challenge that Needs to be Met? I think so.

2009-10-05T01:56:00.000-07:00

Apparently October is Official Taco Month. Who knew? But I'm not going to complain. I'm sure there are different versions of this, but there are also rules for Tacoctober... Let's begin:

Official Tacotober Rules

These are the rules as dictated to me by the father of Tacotober, Brian K .

1.Any mixture of two or more traditional items in a folded tortilla constitutes a full taco.
2.Traditional items are: beans, meat, cheese, salsa, rice, avocado, guacamole, lettuce, cilantro etc. You know, taco stuff.
3.Choco Tacos count as a full taco
4.Mini tacos and taquitos only count as 1/2 a taco.
5.Fusion tacos (Tacos with ingredients like Daal, Korean BBQ, and haggis etc.) only count as 1/2 a taco.
6.You must eat 31 tacos during the month of October to be considered an official Tacotober member.
7.After the great taco shortage of 2007, it is no longer necessary to consume a taco at every meal. But, it is smiled upon by the great taco God, Cilantro the Conqueror.
8.Spread the word of Tacotober at work, with friends, at your house of worship and via your social network.
9.It is suggested that you create a “contest” with your friends and co-workers to determine who is most deserving of Cilantro the Conqueror's love by eating the most tacos during the month.

Who's in?

http://web.me.com/strngwys/Tacotober/Taco_Flavored_Kisses.html
(via Angelee)

Metaphorical Faces

2009-09-30T00:57:00.000-07:00

We discovered something tonight

They're Identical, but Opposites!

2009-09-26T11:47:00.000-07:00

NEWFLASH: Diablo Cody (Who I HAAAATE, but, after Juno, she's allowed to do whatever the fuck she wants, like make Jennifer's Body, run red lights, and scalp babies) is slated to write a script for a new full-length feature film based on....

(wait for it)

SWEET VALLEY HIGH.

Don't even act like that's not the best news you're going to hear all weekend.
Jean and I will see you in line on opening night... you know... because I'm going to force her to come with me.

Don't Go Shopping with Andrea

2009-09-24T04:12:00.000-07:00

"I'm such an enabler when I shop with other people, and I just read Lucky magazine so you're screwed."

Snack Food Epiphany

2009-09-22T14:06:00.000-07:00

Andrea: hang on. i'm going to walk to the drug store and get some junk food.

quick! talk me out of it!

Kim: what the

what kind of junk food?

Andrea: i dunno yet...

maybe pringles

Kim: ewwwww!!!

don't bother

if you had said cheetos you woulda had my blessing
Andrea: OOOH! i was just thinking about those this morning

i don't know why i forgot.

Kim: lol
Andrea: i was!

that's pathetic, but i was literally thinking about cheetos at 9:15 this morning

Kim: cheetos are bad for you!

stay and talk to me

Andrea: hah.

but i WANT them

(OMG - story of my life.)

Sent at 2:05 PM on Tuesday

Time Traveling

2009-09-17T00:26:00.000-07:00

Okay, time for a real post about our adventures, because there have been a few.

Last year, there was an 80's Prom Party and I missed out. Partially because I was working like a fiend, and partially because I avoided it. I HATE dressing up in themes and I HATE costumes. It's all this effort to look stupid. Or Awesome as my roommate would like to call it, but really, along with Karaoke and not wanting kids, these are things that she and I will disagree on. This year, she made 80's prom her birthday party, so I "had" to go. We went thrift/online/Urban Outfitter shopping for all the neon, sparkly, outdated but currently in, huge poofy things we could find. Andrea came over, helped me crimp my hair, poured half a water bottle full of vodka in her "starter" drink and we amassed ourselves with bracelets and rings. And this was only the beginning.

After the shady cab driver - we finally arrived on the scene. We were greeted by Finding a Way Back into Love and Alex P. Keaton... or what he may have started out as... The 80z All Stars are a band that plays at Disneyland and I hired them to play at a Halloween Party and it rocked. Andrea found out they were playing here, and my roommate (who looooves the 80's and dressing up) decided to make it her birthday party - and that's how we find ourselves here. and Andrea being too cool for school.

You want to know why Drea thinks she's hot shit? Cuz she is. And she's wearing a GIANT BOW on her ass. You might not be able to see it too clearly here, but it's totally awesome, for sure.

I posted pictures of the night and Andrea comments "wait, I drank that?" - yeaaaaa... that probably led to the picture on the right. And my shoddy shoddy framing of it as well... which, to be honest, I barely remember taking this picture... and the other 5 like it.

There was good music, lots of dancing and singing, people's fun outfits, vodka shots in honor of Dorina's birthday, more dancing, photobooth pictures, late night cabbing to Denny's (the disappointment of no potachos was an EPIC FAIL), and the day after - trying to regain composure from the night before and get the hairspray out of the hair. You want to know what Andrea remembers?

Thank goodness for cameras.

Like a Fat Kid Loves Cake

2009-09-08T14:52:00.000-07:00

From LAist featured photos

Literally, No Subject

2009-09-05T12:58:00.000-07:00

Hi, I don't have shit to say. Mostly because it's SO. FUCKING. HOT. And I want you to rip my limbs off and fan me with them.

I cannot wait for this summer to be over. Any day now, People.

Lavabear

2009-09-03T00:40:00.000-07:00

Meet Lavabear. He's one of the many fine creations from Mr. Nathan Hamill, and sibling of Boris. Are they related? Are they both Picnic Land characters? Or just related by association since Nathan is both their daddy? You should ask him for yourself.

Here's Lavabear... isn't he cute?

www.nathanhamill.com

also on twitter: @nathanhamill

Congrats Hungry Girl!

2009-08-27T16:53:00.000-07:00

So it's not a secret that Dre and I like food. We like it, a lot. We like eating it, we like smelling it, we like making it, and we like people who appreciate it. There's a very cool blog called "A Hungry Girl's Guide to Taipei". It's an english blog dedicated to reviewing the best eats in Taipei or Taiwan and has even expanded to LA or SD or other Asian countries this Hungry Girl happens to be in (Korea, China, etc etc). Even if you don't live in Taipei, there are the LA reviews (I'm assuming most of our readers are LA based... so far :P) it's a fun read and nice to see food from other countries that isn't Panda Express (or Taipei's take on foreign foods to them!) I think it started out as a personal blog to remember or recap food experiences, and possibly share with some others since at its inception there were no other English food blogs for Taipei, and it's blown up into a pretty big deal where last time I was in Taipei, my friends who had just moved there said "I use that site!!" and like a religion. I think I especially like that it's not just about restaurants, but food carts and night market spots too, which are SO OFTEN my favorite foods.

Anyways, I digress. There was recently a tidbit in Taipei Times about how her blog was their staff's favorite blog! I think that may be the first print "review"? How Awesome.

Nice job... hope you make even more people drool. Go check it out! (There's this post about Westside Tavern that makes me want to go there so badly.)

a hungry girl's guide to taipei
http://hungryintaipei.blogspot.com
twitter: @hungryintaipei
hungry girl's facebook

to keep you occupied

2009-08-26T03:52:00.000-07:00

there are few blogs that need to be written, but for now.. this one is the easiest. hopefully it will entertain you and tide you over as we get those other posts rolling.

i volunteered for this film festival in LA for the last week and a half. it was okay, i learned things from it, met a few people and hopefully somethings can pan out from it. i got to semi-produce/edit daily pieces of festival coverage. as much as i tried, i couldn't quite control what or how things were being taped, but i think i did an okay job on a few pieces, which hopefully shows my strength as an editor. i find myself wondering if my previous yearning of editing full time is still 100%, but the situation wasn't ideal, so it may not have been the best test for it. regardless, here are some of my favorite ones that i worked on.

this one is my was my favorite because i felt like it was the most well put together.. but then someone tinkered with it after i finished and i don't love what they did, but i think it's okay overall, i'm just not 110% about it. :/ like the guys say at the jungle cruise, if you like it, that's what i did, if you don't, it's the other guy's fault!

i worry about this one being cohesive, but i like this one because i translated the entire interview and then edited and added subtitles for all the pieces that are in spanish. yup, i'm a bad ass.

this is one of the earlier ones we did, so most noticeably the titles aren't as fancy. i didn't have the best b-roll either which contributes to some lacking of cutting to the right shots, but i didn't want the interviews to drag on either. but i like what they are saying and mostly i like it because of jordi laforge & luke wilson :P

there you go! the earlier one we turned around that night mostly.. so edited in a few hours. the later ones we took a little more time on because we would get the footage so late at night it was impossible to turn it around that night, plus we realized we didn't have to, so we allowed ourselves to wrap it up the next day.

(shameless plug: we edited these on a mobile editing bay CONFIDENCE BAY - a RV gutted and outfitted to be used as editing stations! pretty neat actually. any filmmakers/commercial producers out there should consider it for your needs! confidencebay.com)

tell me what you think!

OC Super Fair

2009-08-14T12:31:00.000-07:00

Hi, again. Long time, no see.

Just wanted to share this picture that Jean took at the OC Fair last month. Because it's pretty and doesn't it look like fun!?

This is why, when I invite you somewhere, you really should come along. BECAUSE WE ARE FUN.

The end.

Holy Shiba Inu Puppy Cuteness, Batman!

2009-05-06T13:07:00.000-07:00

more Mango here.

How Will You Celebrate?

2009-04-30T05:04:00.000-07:00

http://www.nopantsday.com/

It's tomorrow, I think you should start planning now.

Trust Me

2009-04-28T04:18:00.000-07:00

So, I apparently attract all the crazies. Something about me, or I have "SUCKER" written on my forehead, or I'm just a good person - they can tell! Last night I was dining outdoors with my sister, aunt and a friend. It was in a large plaza area, and people walking to and fro, but no one really bothers you. Until someone asked how old my nephew was. My nephews are CUTE, (Way cuter than yours, especially you Darrell.) So that question doesn't really phase me. Until the crazy started stroking my sleeping nephew's face and saying "Trust me. Okay? Trust me. Even if he wakes up, he'll be very happy. Trust me." Umm.. no thank you Crazy Lady? I didn't quite know what to say. I have this problem where I can't lie or be mean to random people and strangers, unless obviously there's a reason to or a direct affront... but you know Crazy People have feelings too... I think. So my sister starts saying how we don't know her and she doesn't want Crazy Lady touching her son. And I'm like yea, she's the mom, listen to her. You'd think she'd just be like "sure, sorry" and keep walking right. No... she starts grabbing my jacket (and my hair a little bit... ow) and yammering on about how you should follow your heart, listen to yourself, don't have any regrets, that she gets feelings deep inside and knows I'm a good person and to "TRUST ME" (she said that about sixty four times.) She said that I was good and that I shouldn't trust anyone if I get bad feelings about them, even if I think I know them. Not to go to temples because they'll brainwash me and read my fortune tell me bad things (and she said that she's been affected deeply by this) - and although I really am not a fan of having my fortune be told anyways, it was all kind of a little too much. She kept telling me that the people I was current eating dinner with weren't to be trusted and she "normally" doesn't really just bother random people (really?!) but she saw me and HAD to talk to me. Somewhere in the conversation she said "You probably think I'm drunk" out of nowhere and then later was like "yea... I'm drunk" - although she didn't really reek of alcohol or walk crooked, so my sister just thought she was crazy. She left to go to the bathroom and then came back and started talking to me again and telling me how the people in my life were bad... and finally I just had to tell her that I didn't appreciate her insulting my friends and that she could leave. And she did.. so it wasn't too terrible. It just got old after the first twelve "TRUST ME"s. My sister was cracking up to the point of tears in the background and the Crazy Lady was increasing her grip on my jacket/hair. Not cool lady....

So... who wants to hang out with me now? Free entertainment! And I'm good person... even crazy people can tell.

Brought to you by Bacon Salt

2009-04-25T08:13:00.000-07:00

Yup.. this is what we do for fun on a Saturday night. You know you're jealous. I'm still waiting to try this on top of Fries... or Popcorn. mmmmm...

http://www.baconsalt.com

Be Kind to your Neighbors

2009-04-23T07:57:00.000-07:00

So I have this friend. Said friend has gotten into a relationship and spends mass quantities of time (read: everyday) with their new loved one, and has fun doing quality couple things. You could say that it's cute. Or you could say that it's grossly annoying. It depends on which end of the spectrum you like to be. Sometimes, if you're friends with said new lovey dovey couple, you just kind of suck it up and grin and bear it. You want to be happy for your friends right? Or you just don't spend as much time around them, which isn't that hard because you're not one of the people in the relationship and that's all they have time for anyway. But suck it up and grin and bear it doesn't apply to people who don't know you. And people who don't know you that you disturb. At least not forever anyways. I've "heard" through the grapevine (not through any actual experience of my own), that some of these activities (not the ones where said couple is just making out on the couch in plain sight, but the kind that are behind closed doors) are kind of disturbing to people outside the room in the same apartment. That's never fun. I spent a whole year of college with not that kind of fun. The crappy part about apartment living is sharing very thin walls. Noise doesn't just travel within the apartment, but apparently throughout the whole building as well. How would you like to come home and find the note below taped to the door? It's a good thing you guys are moving.

Best. Letter. Ever.

I'm Your Huckleberry

2009-04-14T03:40:00.000-07:00

Okay.. cheesiest title ever. Sorry. But it seems... fitting. Plus - this place can be my Huckleberry anytime it wants. I'm okay with that. What is this place? Huckleberry in Santa Monica. (brought to us by the people behind Rustic Canyon, which is another place I've been meaning to try...) Way back when on some drunken night, Andrea, Kirk and I had noticed that "hmm.. this place is new" and pondered what exactly it was, and thought "maybe it's a furniture store".. or something like that. But then I found my UrbanDaddy emails and saw a new breakfast food place in town! They don't just do breakfast, but they're a day cafe, and for some reason, I feel as if they were advertising it that way. So I excitedly email them and say that we need to try this place. 2 months later, we actually did - but it was worth the wait. I wouldn't say that the food was OMGSOAMAZING, but it definitely was good and not something that you just say "oh.. I could make it better", because while food is really hard to get amazing, it's really easy to screw up.

The second we stepped in we ogled over their decadent display of sweets and pretty much said "yes" to one of each, in our heads. We ended up having the bread pudding and the coffee cake, both of which were great. (*Side note, my frame of reference for bread pudding isn't great because I'm actually not the biggest fan, but Andrea seemed really happy about it and is probably more of a bread pudding expert.. so we'll stick with "both of which were great".)

The greatest part about eating with friends [who like to share] is that you get to try more than just your dish. This is why you have to be choosy about who you go to eat with as well. Friends who don't like to share food generally don't get invited back - unless it's by other people who don't like sharing food either. That's not me.

So, for Sunday (not particularly Easter) Brunch, I had a Turkey Meatball sandwich (with gruyere cheese!), the Fried Egg Sandwich (mm.. niman ranch bacon) and the Green Eggs & Ham sandwich (the green was pesto). All three dishes were quite tasty and I wouldn't hesitate to go back, for breakfast, or lunch, or to stop in to get one of their take home shepherd's pies or $4 cinnamon sugar croissants or MONSTER donuts. I've heard only stories about how crowded it can get, but we went on the late-ish side, so it was actually really nice. Too bad it wasn't warm enough to eat outside, but we've got a whole summer [of next day brunch post late night drinking nights] ahead of us.

Huckleberry www.huckleberrycafe.com
1014 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica CA, 310)451.2311
Wed-Fri 8am-7pm, Sat/Sun 8am-5pm, Open on Tuesdays starting in May!

That's What You Said

2009-04-14T01:46:00.000-07:00

On making bad decisions...
Jean: It's after midnight, this should not be happening!
Dorina: At least it's not after 2am

~~~~~~~~~~

Talking about exchange of favors
Jean: "Well, it makes up for all the times you took me to school when I missed the bus."
J's Dad: "You should have taken a taxi."
Jean: "Sure, you just would have had to pay for it."
J's Dad: "I'd take it out of your allowance."
Jean: "Okay, I didn't get allowance anyways."
J's Dad: "Sure you did, we gave you money for lunch."

~~~~~~~~~~~

Random Musings in Our Apartment
Dorina: "You know what are awesome?... Jolly Ranchers"
Nicole: "Are they the candy or the people?"

Dorina: "Movie! Movie!"
Jean: "Get up and put it in."
Nicole: "That's what she said."

Drea's birthday @ The Brig
Andrea: "Can I leave you alone to go to the bathroom?"
Jean: "I think I'll be okay."
Andrea: "Don't let weird people talk to you."

~~~~~~~~~~~

Sunday "morning", January 4, 2009 - @ Backstage & Our Apartment
Dorina: "Does curated mean catered?"
Us: "No"
Dorina: "Shit."

Andrea: "I'm not unhappy for them. I'm just unhappy for the rest of us."

True story.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Friday night, December 26, 2008 - watching Bedtime Stories
Movie: "We'll combine the romance, and the action, and make it a ROMACTION story!"
Nicole: "I need some Romaction."

(ps. Andrea - at karaoke Saturday night - we sang Torn for you.)

~~~~~~~~~~~
Friday night, December 5, 2008 @ Gaslite - West LA, CA
Mix girls and alcohol and some awesomeness, and here's what you get:

Dorina: "Sorry, I had to move. I didn't want to get uglier."

[while Natalie Imbruglia's Torn comes on]
Andrea: "This is why I don't come to karaoke. Cuz I would totally be THAT girl"

News at Blu Jam Cafe

2009-04-11T20:07:00.000-07:00

I have some good news, and some bad news, and some more good news!

The good news is, Jean and I got together this morning and had an adventure!

The bad news is, at some point during that adventure, Jean admitted that she was terribly pissed off that I didn't blog at all the entire time she was in Ireland! She knows I was having adventures without her, and I didn't share any of them, which is, frankly, incredibly disappointing.

The rest of the good news is, she's not actually pissed at me! She's mad at Kirk. (Hi, Kirk!) Because, naturally, this is ALL HIS FAULT. Naturally. Because he makes me "boring." Right? Right. That is how that works. (Mission: Be not boring.)

To make up for it (because of course I don't want Jean to be mad at Kirk) I picked up our brunch at Blu Jam Cafe on Melrose. And I even took pictures so I could blog about it. I fucken love brunch, by the way. It might be my favorite thing about weekends, even more than drinking a lot (mostly because I like to do that on weekdays) and sleeping in (mostly because I sometimes wake up really early for no Goddamn reason, like today.)

Jean had the Kamil's Breakfast (Kamil being the chef de cuisine) on the left. It was eggs scrambled with bacon, cheddar cheese, garlic, chives, and elbow macaroni. Whoever thought to throw pasta into their egg scramble is a genius. Or was incredibly hungover that morning. And a genius. I had the Eggs Bohemia, which was 2 eggs fried over bacon and black forest ham and topped with chives, served with their home potatoes and [wheat] toast. Sometimes I forget how good eggs and bacon are. And, because of that, I am ~~retarded~~ stupid. Also, the potatoes? Really good. I hate it when you go to a breakfast place and the potatoes are an afterthought.

At some point or another during the meal, I found myself asking, "Nice brunch with my workBFF? Could this get any better?"

GUESS SO. Crepes with strawberries, bananas and Nutella. Don't you get dessert when you have brunch? No? Well, do you get a third entree for two people? Again, no? Never? In that case, WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU. Let's make it a point to never have brunch together.

Well, three entrees for two people is a lot of food. Per Jean: "You win, breakfast." (And that was before the complimentary teensy chocolate chip cookies.)

Blu Jam Cafe
www.blujamcafe.com
Open daily from 8:00am - 4:00pm and
Friday nights from 7:00pm - 10:30pm for various "International Bistro Nights"
7371 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90046
(323) 951-9191

Addendum...

2009-04-11T20:05:00.000-07:00

Yay for adventures! And here is Andrea being a Bohemian, and cute coffee designs in our lattes. Let me just clarify... I wasn't really REALLY mad, but I can be if that involves more people picking up checks. (Thanks Dre!)

*Also... boring = not hanging out with me - so let's rectify that ... constantly. It's not just a one time thing, but an eternal thing you are striving for. And this isn't just to Andrea, but everyone. Got it?

*And lastly, breakfast made a really good dinner. Nuking it a little bit took some of the liquidy grease out of it (or maybe it was just draining on the bottom of the leftover container).. but it tasted really good a little drier. Oh, and leftover crepe was AWE.SOME. God I love Nutella.

It's Been Awhile

2009-04-08T00:16:00.000-07:00

Hi world, what's going on? It's been awhile, and Andrea and I haven't been on many adventures lately.. so there hasn't been too much to say. At least not in coherent sentences. I'll try to pick a few shots from Europe to post, but I took over 1400 shots, so when I pick a "few" it ends up being a few hundo. But let me tell you about something more current.

Last Wednesday I went to Hotel Cafe, which for those of you that don't know is a really great music/cafe/bar venue in Hollywood. It's really good it you like seeing the acoustic/folky/singer/songwriter types, and very often have people they play on KCRW and what not. Back in San Diego at the height of my coffee shop heyday, I would go to Twiggs or Lestats all the time to see certain people play, or sometimes to just hang out with friends. Yup, I made friends through the internets. Mostly through my love of Jason Mraz - right before he blewed up. It nice to see some of these people at Hotel Cafe, and that's really the only reason I go now... I don't know why I didn't keep up my whole indie streak in LA. Maybe it's just too hard to follow every aspiring artist out there cuz there's so damn many. And it, for some reason, seems harder here. ANYHOO.. this is not about that.. this is about people I like. Lots.

This very talented girl is Annie Bethancourt. I "discovered" her in my college dorm (sounds kind of like the start to a really "fun" movie).. but this isn't that kind of show.. keep moving people. We're friends from college, but that's not the only reason I like her. She's kind of got a voice like an angel, not that I'm biased or anything. The best description I think was I look at you and then think "how does that voice come out of there?!" And it's kind of true. I hear her sing and I'm always blown away. Apparently now she's living in Portland, OR for part of the year and in Costa Rica for the other part (see: adventurous), but working on her 3rd CD and playing shows throughout. Actually one in San Diego tomorrow and one in Fullerton on the 18th. Here's a snippet - check out more on her site! www.anniebeth.com

I got a double dose of goodness that night as I discovered that Tristan Prettyman was playing that night, along with every Wednesday this month. Whee! Tristan isn't a friend, but someone that I started listening to in San Diego and she's gotten moderately big. She's had songs in several TV shows and most recently (that I've heard) in He's Just Not Into You. I think she has a really infectious songs and her voice can be really soulful. She's also really cute, and funny, has great stories on stage (last week she talked about going on a date with the guy she lost her virginity to... where else are you gonna get that?) and I always really love her hair. I wish mine did that.. but uhhh.. anyways. www.tristanprettyman.com

See.. the place is cute right? (Sorry picture quality is not super fantastic...) You have to be 21+ because they are a bar now, but they also have food which is pretty tasty. Except if you order the Pastrami Panini, they put mustard in it too (doesn't say that on the menu!), so get it without if you're a mustard disliker like me. The roomie and I might check out the show tomorrow - along with another guy Tavis that I saw once and enjoyed. Should be for a fun time and then maybe we'll hit up Big Wangs afterwards or something. Or come home... but definitely NOT go to the Beauty Bar. haha.. I'm boycotting that place. But that's a story for another blog.

Greetings from the Other Side of the World

2009-03-12T16:04:00.000-07:00

Overheard @ the BofA in Culver City:

Random guy: heeeey man! What's up buddy!
Random guy2: it's aight, it's cool
RG: your girl looks good man!
RG2: that's my sister

~~~~~~

I had to restrain myself from laughing in their faces. RG proceeded to try and talk to RG2 and hit on his sister, and they were both (understandably) weirded out and tried to blow him off - but politely.

I wish I had more to blog about while I'm in Dublin, but it's only my first night, and I can't upload any pictures until I get back. So here's a HI. It's been fun so far, I've been taking lots of pictures, mostly of scenery - but I'm hoping to see some sites over the next 2 weeks.

Here are some tips I picked up:
1. Don't order seafood in Dublin
2. If you want to felt up/heavily picked on/feel like a piece of molested piece of meat - go to Copper Faced Jacks
3. Don't go to Limerick, it's known as "Stab City"
4. Don't come to Ireland and march in the St. Patty's parade and proclaim your Irish Pride. Because Irish people are nice, they'll tolerate you, but they really don't like that, or think you are.

Oh.. and here's a fact - a lot of establishments light certain areas (mostly bathrooms) with black light so that druggies can't find veins and shoot up. I thought it was so I could see any nastyness while entering a stall.

I saw the "worst" shirt ever today... It says Happy St. Patrick's Day, and "It's great to be Irish, and then a picture of Obama's face - with the title "O'bama". Really people? This is how you want to make your buck? I guess it's the same as "Commerative Water".

Our hostel for the night is right next to "Booze 2 Go" and down the street from the China town area. I feel kind of ignorant, but I didn't think there'd be Chinese people in Ireland, I thought I was gonna stick out like a sore thumb. I feel a little at "home" now. Haha... kidding... sort of. Well that, and all the people who work @ this hostel who get on the internet, are all over their Facebooks too.

Lastly:
Andrea: well jeez
Andrea: i sorta miss you
Andrea: haha
Andrea: it just hit me
me: aww!!
me: it's almost like i'm there.. this is what we'd be doing if i was there
me: actually.. i probably wouldn't be online, i'd still be sleeping or something.
Andrea: haha yes but i was thinking about what trouble i would get into this wknd and it doesnt include you

Alert the cops.

And it sucks being right all the time

2009-03-09T18:15:00.000-07:00

This is probably how we talk about you, too.
Andrea: I thought she was ugly, though?
Jean: That's what Dorina said. But Dorina thinks a lot of people are ugly.
Andrea: Jean... She's usually right.

Also, regarding this in the post below?

Drea's birthday @ The Brig
Andrea: "Can I leave you alone to go to the bathroom?"
Jean: "I think I'll be okay."
Andrea: "Don't let weird people talk to you."

Yeah... Totally do not remember that happening! ...But it sounds like something I'd say, so it's completely valid.

Super Sad Face

2009-02-25T18:00:00.000-08:00

I don't know if you've heard of THE BEST JOB IN THE WORLD (http://www.islandreefjob.com) - but it was almost mine. Had I not done my usual self-sabotaging/lazy-ass self, then maybe I wouldn't have procrastinated. Take this as a lesson to you all - and to myself. I guess I will be learning the lesson the hard way, by not spending 6 months in Australia, being paid to explore and blog.

The deadline came up a little quickly, and I planned on having last week off to work on it. But I didn't get last week off and work crazy hours, and on Saturday was sick/tired/lazy and didn't work on it either. I started working on it very late in the day on Saturday, and thought I had missed the deadline, but just decided to finish it anyways. I checked later, what the deadline was actually later than I thought it was, and I was energized to finish. I finished my very super cheesy totally shows I did this in a few hours but is super fucking awesome anyways cuz I'm rad video, and instead of uploading it, emailed it to my sister for "comments". I don't know what I was thinking, I wasn't realistically going to change it... I guess I just wanted approval, or maybe secretly I didn't want to not get picked (out of.. you know.. 34,000 applicants...) But I decided to sleep and upload it the following day because I had enough time. Congratulations to me, because the servers were jammed all day, and despite the 40 hours I spent, I could not get through. Lesson learned - be smarter, evaluate your options and judgement better, don't procrastinate.

It's sort of sad that I stayed up til all hours creating something and because of a moment of lameness, I'm not even going to get a "shot". In my idealistic world, I'd like to say that my video would have caught something amongst the recruiting group. But now I'll never know. I even sent them a "plea email" (as I'm sure SO many other people did) and while I knew it was a long shot, I thought I would send it anyways. After some sleep I realize "what have I got to lose". This is what they have to say on their website:

"Overnight about 4000 people tried to simultaneously upload their last minute applications, which unfortunately caused delays and some technical difficulties. We regret if this has caused frustration. To be fair to everyone, we can't accept applications via email or any other form. Due to the overwhelming amount of applications that we have received and the time required to process and shortlist for the next stage, we have to be very strict with the closing date. This means that applications have now closed and no discussion will be entered into regarding this matter."

Boo Urns.

Either way, like as said in the caption - hopefully this won't be the last video I make. But it might be the last one you see, of me, talking in my sickly almost man super sexy 3am voice. Oh man.. you should hear me now...

It's not quite Barney's Video Resume, and I "borrowed" one small idea from him - but I hope you have some crackers and wine handy cuz this thing is CHEESE.Y.

Still Effing Hate That Movie

2009-02-23T10:25:00.000-08:00

I persist that screenwriter Simon Beaufoy nailed the SINGLE GOOD THING about Slumdog Millionaire in his press room interview:

"I don't think you've could have made this film in any other city other than Mumbai," he said referring to the beautiful and brutal dichotomies. "I couldn't have written this film for New York or London or Paris... You can't load any of the city world with the same kind of massive tone changes that you can in Mumbai." He added, "I suppose it's what's happening in India in terms of cinema. I've been contacted by a lot of Indian actors and directors who say 'finally, we don't have to make a film about the middle class getting married and having five dance sequences'... We've taken a lot of flack by showing the slums of Mumbai... They just don't do that in cinema... It's opened a new cinematic pathways for Indian directors, at least that's what they're telling me... If you can get Hollywood and Bollywood combining, you'll have a new genre of cinema."

-Because if this film had taken place in New York, Los Angeles, London, people would have taken it about as seriously as You've Got Mail... Entertaining, but not Oscar-worthy.

(source: The LAist)

... And Counterpoint.

2009-02-17T10:41:00.000-08:00

On Sunday night, my very best friend - who is a dude - invited me to the movies to see He's Just Not That Into You. (Yeah, he's a straight man, I promise you.) Despite the fact that Jean gave it a freaking glowing review, I still went along to check it out. Sometimes I do ill-advised things. And I paid money. At the expensive theater.

Prior to Jean seeing it, I did have a mild interest in watching the movie because I was hopeful it would be like an American version of Love Actually, which is a really great movie, in my opinion. Jean hates Love Actually. I like Love Actually. I can't hate anything with Hugh Grant in it, even though he's most likely a giant fucktard in real life.

That being said, I guess it kind of makes sense that I didn't actually hate this movie.

I didn't luh-huve it, like my companions did. But I was pleasantly surprised at how amused I was by it. Obviously, it was completely predictable. It's a movie, and movies are meant to be "uplifting" because that's what the public wants. (Case in point: Slumdog Millionaire - UGH.) Generally speaking, I hate uplifting movies because they're so cliche. But you don't go into a romantic comedy and not expect Harry to make a scene about how much he adores Sally on New Year's Eve. If he didn't, it would be a different kind of movie. Probably, overall, a better one.

The whole exception-versus-rule thing in this movie is important and stupid. When Crazyface Girl realizes that she's The Rule, it was a big moment. I totally bought that. But, an hour later, the movie spins it with this moral: "If you wait long enough, you will eventually be The Exception." Wuh? ...And then I ralphed into my popcorn bucket. Waste of perfectly good popcorn. Maybe I'm still in the "I'm The Rule" phase of my romantic career, but I didn't buy that shit. They tried to give it to me for free with my $14.50 movie ticket, but I didn't even take it. All I wanted was my parking validated.

Also, I'd like to note that I don't remember a single character's name. That's generally a bad sign. The characters in this movie weren't really people - they were characatures. Crazyface Girl. Married Couple (Bitchy Lady and Lying-Cheater Dude.) Unmarried Couple (Hot Girl and Awesome Dude - sorry! I liked him and I'm on his side.) Clingy Real Estate Dude. Attention Whore. "I'm a Mac"/ Afraid of Relationships Guy. Drew Barrymore. But I think that was kind of the point - you were supposed to be able to relate to one or some of the characters on some level or another.

So what exactly did I like?

First of all: afterwards, you get to play with "Which Character Do You Relate To Game." (After a lot of thought, I've concluded that I'm "I'm a Mac"/Afraid of Relationships Guy.) Could be worse, right? And then you get to tell your friends which characters they were: "Dude. You are so Real Estate Guy!" "....Oh, God, I'm Real Estate Guy!!! NOOOO!"

I liked the woman-on-the-street mock interviews between scenes. They were funny. I liked that I genuinely laughed at things. I liked Drew Barrymore's monologue about MySpace/texting/emailing/cyber-tag. (Because I agree- if it's a text, it ain't a date. And I'm not shaving my legs - so there.) I liked that the basic message boiled down to not playing games. (i.e. He's probably not playing games. And you probably shouldn't be either.) I liked the set design A LOT because I'm a lame nerd like that. I liked that it allowed you to laugh at the person who was acting like a total shithead retard because, in real life, that person is usually your friend and you usually have to be nicer. I liked that it was honest about the way women tell each other silly advice to make each other feel better that may or may not be true. I liked that when my friend said it gave her "hope," it made me a little happy, but also a little "You're so cute and naive; it's a good thing you're so pretty."

Bacon Sleeps

2009-02-13T11:54:00.000-08:00

This video was taken a couple years ago on the way home from Puppy School. Bacon is so cute. Did you know there are entire websites dedicated to videos of animals falling asleep? That's fucking weird. I don't want to see that. But I could watch this video over and over again.

For the record, that is exactly how I looked during hour 2 of the 3 hour block of meetings the day after my birthday party. Wrinkly nose and everything. Score.

How I Realized That I Hate Gossip Girl

2009-02-10T14:51:00.000-08:00

(12:31:30) rubbr xx duckee: ZOMGS. http://gawker.com/5145707/see--denorex-tingles
(12:44:58) benackerman1979: i know right?
(12:45:09) benackerman1979: blair and nate?
(12:45:10) benackerman1979: blech
(14:42:48) rubbr xx duckee: way better than vanessa and nate
(14:42:53) rubbr xx duckee: i fucking hate vanessa
(14:43:00) benackerman1979: haha
(14:43:15) benackerman1979: why?
(14:43:23) benackerman1979: shes kinda cute
(14:43:26) rubbr xx duckee: she's boring and annoying
(14:43:32) rubbr xx duckee: and she totally fucking stole mail!
(14:43:40) rubbr xx duckee: WHICH IS A FEDERAL OFFENSE
(14:44:01) benackerman1979: hahah
(14:44:05) benackerman1979: it is a federal offense
(14:44:09) benackerman1979: you're so moral
(14:45:01) rubbr xx duckee: plus it's like
(14:45:06) rubbr xx duckee: she doesn't know she's boring and annoying
(14:45:21) rubbr xx duckee: she just goes about her business, liking how she is. which is ANNOYING
(14:45:28) rubbr xx duckee: so she's boring, annoying, and ANNOYING
(14:45:29) benackerman1979: hahaha
(14:45:32) rubbr xx duckee: i should be a lawyer.
(14:45:35) benackerman1979: man i just don't get that
(14:45:48) benackerman1979: i mean
(14:45:53) benackerman1979: nate is ten times more boring than her
(14:46:40) rubbr xx duckee: and 20 times hotter
(14:46:45) rubbr xx duckee: so that's forgivable.
(14:46:48) benackerman1979: haha
(14:47:03) benackerman1979: i mean honestly
(14:47:05) benackerman1979: theyre all boring
(14:47:08) benackerman1979: except chuck and blair
(14:47:17) benackerman1979: so thats why blair and nate making out is lame
(14:47:20) rubbr xx duckee: yeah, but they're not all annoying
(14:47:22) rubbr xx duckee: just vanessa
(14:47:23) rubbr xx duckee: jenny
(14:47:26) rubbr xx duckee: dan and serena
(14:47:38) rubbr xx duckee: ....
(14:47:40) benackerman1979: hehe
(14:47:41) rubbr xx duckee: i think that's it
(14:47:47) benackerman1979: rufus is pretty annoying
(14:47:49) rubbr xx duckee: the rest are tolerable
(14:47:51) rubbr xx duckee: oh
(14:47:53) rubbr xx duckee: oh yeah he is!
(14:47:57) rubbr xx duckee: forgot about him
(14:48:05) benackerman1979: he's also the worst father of all time
(14:48:06) rubbr xx duckee: because i DON'T CARE ABOUT RUFUS AND LILY
(14:48:16) rubbr xx duckee: why can't that show get that through their heads!??!
(14:48:21) benackerman1979: hahah
(14:48:29) benackerman1979: yeh
(14:48:40) rubbr xx duckee: OMG I totally hate Gossip Girl.
(14:48:41) rubbr xx duckee: !!
(14:49:08) benackerman1979: yeh i kinda hate it too
(14:49:10) benackerman1979: but i loves it too
(14:49:11) rubbr xx duckee: hahaha
(14:49:21) benackerman1979: plus it looks good in hd
(14:49:55) rubbr xx duckee: if the actors on gossip girl were ugly and wore ugly clothes, i'd so not watch the show.
(14:50:02) benackerman1979: agreed
(14:50:04) rubbr xx duckee: (which also explains why i don't like vanessa)
(14:50:06) benackerman1979: also
(14:50:08) rubbr xx duckee: BAM
(14:50:09) rubbr xx duckee: done.
(14:50:15) benackerman1979: what if gossip girl suddenly became about time travel?
(14:50:20) rubbr xx duckee: hahahahha

Gjelina

2009-02-09T00:26:00.000-08:00

So, this is a post that really should have happened a month a half ago. I'm trying to be better about this, I swear. Anyhoo, I was meaning to do this this weekend, and didn't, and was talking to a friend about this place - so I figure, that's my motivation. It's kismet. (Kind of like me ending up at the WeHo Target and getting a WiiFit today... Squeeee!)

In late December, my BFF came down for New Year's. We planned half a week's worth of good times - most of them revolving around eating or drinking. Based on the recommendation of my ex/Dre's current co-worker, for our "nice meal" of that week during BFF's visit: Andrea, BFF, BFF's future husband, and I ended up at Gjelina in Venice.

I'm just gonna say Yum. And it wasn't too overly priced for a "nice" meal. We all came out spending less than $100 and were really f*cking full by the end of it. It's been awhile, so I can't remember quite everything we had (which really just means I need to go back soon.) There was oysters, mussels, fried egg (over asparagus?... was that it?), truffle pizza, flank steak, two bottles of wine with *gold foil* (you know it's special then!), and probably a few more dishes I was too busy stuffing my face with to take pictures. Then there comes dessert. We really didn't need it, but that's never stopped us. I forget what exactly it was.. like butterscotch creme brulee? See that tasty little looking thing in the coffee cup in the third picture down there? To. Die. For. I'm pretty sure we had to stop ourselves from looking totally crass and licking the cup, but we probably all wanted to. Mix it with the flourless chocolate cake, and I was pretty happy girl.

It was super cute, and I highly recommend it (for anyone who's asking.) It's definitely got that Venice/Abbot Kinney vibe, and we sat outside in the back patio (yay Southern California). We also sat next to this raging fire place that roasted my arm until I made BFF Future Husband switch. hehe :) There's also really cute couchey/comfy dining areas that would be really fun for a nice grown up birthday dinner, or just hanging out and chilling. It's open air in the back with snazzy architecture and decor throughout. Which makes it cool, modern, hip, comfy, cozy and intimate all at the same time. I started reading some reviews, and as always, they can be kind of mixed. But I was never one for listening to reviews by strangers anyways so - If you can't tell by now, we all had a really great time. Thumbs up, Gjelina.

2009-02-07T07:39:00.000-08:00

Jean's been really rockin' this blog. I guess that's what happens when you're nearly unemployed. Really, though, I very much appreciate it because I've been in New York all week. it was wonderful and cold and it snoed. This is what snow looks like in Manhattan...

It was really quite beautiful. That's pretty much all there is to tell: snow, food, walked, ate, brother-and-sister bonding time-d, came home and my apartment was dripping like an effen cave. But my trip was wonderful, so I'll just deal with these small inconveniences.

Now, for the weekend, Jean will again take over the regularly scheduled blog programming as I am off on a road trip with my best friend, Tim. Harry and Lloyd style, except we didn't get a scooter and good thing because it's raining today. We're going to San Francisco to visit his college roommates, my NorCal boy friends. Or man friends, I should say, because we've gotten quite old over the years. The Bay Area maybe won't be quite as beautiful as snow in New York, but it will be at fun.

See you on the other side.

I'm Just Not Into That Movie

2009-02-07T03:20:00.000-08:00

So I held off on this blog, so I wouldn't totally spoil someone's movie experience. Chances are, if you REALLY cared, you went and saw this movie last night. Maybe you didn't want to deal with crowds, and I'll try my best not to spoil anything - but stop reading if you really don't want to know anything.

Tuesday, I went to a press screening of He's Just Not That Into You with my boss @ The Grove. I was slightly excited to see this movie, I'm not sure why. I thought it might be good. I thought maybe I would learn or enjoy or at the very least be entertained. I was uncomfortable. Maybe not through the whole movie, but there were a few moments where I slunk down in my seat, cringed, and prayed that girls are not this stupid. But they are, at least in this movie. Maybe Andrea said it best when she said "It makes you uncomfortable because you know girls like this." Maybe seeing it on the big screen was just too much. But it was HARD to watch. I also got really uncomfortable when I would laugh out loud about things that might make normal girls go "aww" - and silently cursed myself for being a "jerk", and wished Dorina was there so she could laugh with me.

My boss said that she could relate to every single woman in the movie, even the craziest one. She's also a bit older than I am, and has been in tons of relationships - so maybe it comes with the territory. But still, I hope I am never as crazy at the crazy one in this movie. And it's not like I can't relate. I related to Katherine Heigl's character in 27 dresses, I liked that movie. I can't relate to crazy people - like Meg Ryan in Sleepless, or in this case - Ginnifer Goodwin's character.

So, because she was crazy, I found her slightly annoying. (spoiler) And then when things happen the way they do for her. I don't agree. And I'm not happy for her because she bugs the sh*t out of me. Plus it doesn't make sense to me. And it was uber predictable, really early on. And then I think the biggest reason of all is that I feel like plot is then counter to what the book is supposedly trying to stand for, and thus give crazy girls hope and they can be crazy it's okay. Sooooo not the point of the book. Although, the book is a little crazy itself - it's supposed to be about giving the women power and sense, I don't feel like this movie did that.

I like the Jennifer Aniston story line, (spoiler) and although still a little bit of false hope is infused there, it makes sense. The Jennifer Connelly storyline is okay, (spoiler) but her husband is such a douche, that it just makes it sad. (That guy always plays these kinds of characters huh? Must be STBHim, being pigeon holed as THAT guy.) Drew Barrymore's story is entertaining, and maybe solely there for comic relief, and also to (spoiler) be able to wrap it up in the end, just so everything can be wrapped up. Why does the movie ending have to have a neat little bow on it in the end, even if the movie spent less than 5 minutes getting to that end. Makes. no. sense.

I get all crazy analytical about the behavior of girls and what does and doesn't work, and a LOT of times it doesn't make sense to me. I think this movie supports a little bit of that, and thus - it doesn't make sense to me/makes me not like it. Which is sad, because it so had the potential - but decided to be cliche instead. It had the potential to be "new" and "different" - which is why I feel like the book was so popular. The shock factor. This movie, had a point where it could have turned and been good and developed well, but it turned right around and got all hopeless love story on me. Aside from the crazy one, there were a few other characters that often made me say "really?!" and wonder if that's what trying to find love, dating or being in a relationship was like - cuz if it is... I'm so not having it. (Explains a lot huh? I'm totally going to be the crazy cat lady... or the crazy electronics lady (when I'm too lazy to take care of my cats)).

It wasn't all lost though. They had cute promo items... one being this date decoder - while being a little farfetched.. it can be a little downright mean. aka equals a good time. These 4 statements are my favorite:

Sleepless in Seattle - the Los Angeles 2009 version

2009-02-04T14:15:00.000-08:00

So I kind of feel like I'm posting an AWFUL lot. But I'll say that I'm holding down the fort while Andrea is off gallivanting on the other side of the nation and she'll come back with lots of fun things to say. Or at least a link to pictures.

I got forwarded this while at work, from a co-worker and the email said "Is this you?" And then I read the following:

HAH. no. funny, but no. Actually, I think I my actual response was, "I wish." But actually, not really either. I wish in the sense that I wish I had had more time to sit around and chit chat and make smileys and conversations with people that I had a good "vibe" with. Or maybe I secretly wish that someone "cared" for me enough that they write a missed connections post about me on craigslist.

Which I guess brings me to another point. WHO DOES THIS STUFF?! Apparently a TON of people. But really - what are the chances that you write something like this, that ONE someone finds it and responds. Especially since there are literally pages and PAGES of these to wade through. Do people surf these ads in the off chance that someone's writing about them in the internet? Well, apparently this shit works, because we were able to figure out who it was. But sadly, girl isn't going to respond. Could have been a Red Carpet romance. I think it's kind of cute that some boy out there is willing to write about how he's been "kicking himself for the last 2 days for letting you get away." Cute. Really cute.

These things always just seems so far fetched. But it's actually within my realm of tangible people. So weird.

Aldo

2009-02-04T03:06:00.000-08:00

In the on going quest to obtaining a puppy - here's a new office friend. He's not for keepsies, but he's a frequent visitor, and I got to detain him and make sure he wasn't roughing up my auction stuff while we were on a conference call. Even though I smelled a lot like dog afterwards, it was pretty worth it.

Can You Love Someone You've Never Met?

2009-02-03T02:33:00.001-08:00

Okay, so that title's kind of a lie. I've "met" this person. For the purposes of this blog, let's call him.. "cool dude". I've met cool dude, I've even met cool dude's step-mom. I have pictures of my friends with cool dude, when, sadly, I was not around. I heard it was really fun though. So, I know cool dude, but I don't *know* cool dude. But yet... I love him. You want to know why?

THIS is why: http://theworstblog.org

I read this, and it makes me giddy. I'm not gonna lie, on occasion, I enjoy laughing at other people's expense (sorry...) Especially if it's a physical slam-your-face-into-a-wall kind of thing, those are my fave. I enjoy sarcasm, I enjoy wit, and I enjoy clever: I enjoy theworstblog.

My Top Three so far...
1. pfft
*what did I tell you... I like crashes.
2. Worst Sales Guy Ever.
3. Teeny Texts-a-lot & Worst father ever.
*Okay, so this is 2 choices, but they're of the same subject matter and both good, so I'm going to make an executive decision and say tie.

Enjoy people... and you're welcome.

Shameless Plug

2009-01-31T02:50:00.000-08:00

So I'm not quite sure how many people read this blog. I'm hoping that all of Andrea's web friends/stalkers/lovers/readers/fans followed her here, cuz I pretty much don't have any.... but I made a little video the goes into details about the SAG Awards Ceremony Auction for this year. While you may not care for certain celebrities of movies of this year, there are maybe things you care about like... James Earl Jones Autographed Star Wars Posters or Talking Darth Vader helmet, or Set visits to various TV shows (who wants to meet AC Slater?!), or some other REALLY cool items like The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Costume Designer portfolio. That may be the one I like best. But there's also other really cool stuff like Entourage signed poster and dvd's, Autographed Slumdog poster (totally going to sweep the awards season), other signed items from Boston Legal, The Closer, House, Weeds, Dexter, 30 Rock, ... etc etc etc. There's also a Heath Ledger signed Brokeback Mountain poster. It starts @ $25k. I don't think anyone I know is going to be able to afford that - but if you're reading this, can afford that, and are a good looking fella - leave a comment now.

In short, there are TONS of really neat-o things, and I slaved over this video and even locked my car in a garage for a night because of it, so I'd really like you to watch it. And then bid on things. So I can look good.

THANKS.

http://www.sagawards.org/auction_store <-- CHECK ME OUT NOW.

Best Text Conversation Ever

2009-01-27T23:24:00.000-08:00

Oh bloggity blog, you're a little empty - but it's been a little busy. I think in the past week or so I may have averaged 4 hours of sleep or so. I guess I'm "used" to it... but it's still a little tough sometimes. Why can't I quit you computer?! So.. after 6 months of killing myself on a movie, I got another job that seemed easier, and I figured - "hey, what's another 12 weeks of my life." Not really that much. But, there was the past few days and a weeks where it's gotten a little crazier as the event day grows near. While it's taxing - it still has it's perks sometimes. See text messages to the right. (I'm the green).

And, to give a little backstory - Nicole and I have loved *NSYNC for quite some time now. And there have been many times where I've been "close" to seeing various members of favourite (yes, with a U) said boyband - and really I even crossed Justin Timberlake on the street and worked REAL hard to not jump him mid-traffic. There are a few instances where I've missed seeing Mr. Fatone by mere minutes. BUT this time, it wasn't one of those times. I forgot that he was going to be there, probably because I was too busy almost tripping over myself over James Franco and Brad Pitt, but I saw him at the party afterwards and while I get really antsy about talking to celebrities (what the heck to you say?!) Joey stuck around for hours meaning that he WANTED me to talk to him. I showed him Nicole's text message (meaning he touched my phone Nicole - wanna switch cases?!) and he told me to tell Nicole that I did it, wherever she said. HAH. I do have Dorina to thank for stopping him as he was leaving, Nicole for providing me with a good topic of conversation, and Andrea and Dorina for providing me with motivation. It may have been the funniest 3 minutes of my life.

Andrea/Dorina - you guys owe me my dollars.

It's 11pm at night, this isn't supposed to happen.

2009-01-15T23:03:00.000-08:00

WTF

Some randomly lit flares on the 405/10 interchange (or some cops left them out from an accident and one got knocked out of place) - but it cause this major back up. Andthe entrance to the fwy was backed up because people don't know how to use two lanes. Long story short... I hate when traffic is backed up when pol don't know how to drive.

And neither of those people are me and dre - even if we are Asian women. Eff you stereotypes.

*note: i originally email blogged this - but for some reason it didn't appear. if it miraculously appears again and is a duplicate post - i apologize. i'm not that angry... my phone has just been hating me lately (shush your iphone-haterade Andrea)

Conversations with Peter Pan

2009-01-12T12:23:00.001-08:00

Catch-up brunch at Jack & Jill's, Sunday.
Shaffer: "So you get a title change and a business card and stuff now? Are you a grown up, too?"
Andrea: "I don't have a title."

... And I'll never grow up!

$18 well spent.

2009-01-10T14:36:00.000-08:00

So last night, Nicole braved her 2nd entrance to the quarantine and brought me soup and some filipino food to help this fire in my throat (*Thanks Nicole!*) She also helped us get out of the dark ages and helped us hook up the Wii to the internet. For some reason - even though I have all these toys - I don't invest a lot of time in them. I know.. it's terrible. There's a whole lot of things that I buy, that I don't open, use infrequently (if at all) and mostly just collect dust. I'm awful... but I do it. I REALLY wanted a Wii two years ago around Christmas time and got on on Ebay as well as one from a Vendor. (Why did I ever quit that job?!) But I paid more than what it was worth on Ebay, and technically it was a present for my dad - but I have since comandeered it. I kind of feel bad about that.

I had heard about downloading games and what not for the Wii, but never did - in the hopes that one day I'd just find my Japanese Nintendo/Super Nintendo, and just have all those games without needing to pay extra for them. (I'm so Chinese, sometimes, I know.) Anyways, we finally got off our butts and downloading Street Fighter and Super Mario - and also this Internet Browser function that's pretty nifty I'd have to say.

We started out with Street Fighter 2 and although we didn't keep true with the "loser takes a shot" rule (THAT would have been a mess), it was still plenty of fun. I find that even though my memory about things now kind of sucks, I remember a lot of useless knowledge from my childhood - like the codes for evoking the special tricks of the SF2 characters. I also remember where the tricks and special blocks are in Super Mario Bros 3 - but I can't remember to bring my cell phone with me everyday?! Geez.

We debated over whether we should buy Super Mario 1 or 3, and in the end 3 ran out. I know sure if it's the "controllers" we need to get used to, or if our muscle memory is awful because we were sucking pretty badly. There are many moments of hilarity and I highly recommend playing it for the first time if you want to stay in but have a good time.

When Dorina and I separate, I'm pretty sure she's going to ask for her money back... or maybe I'll just be like "sucka..." but she has the controllers - so it'll be an interesting split :P I like how she asked for controllers for my game system. hehe. I foresee some game playing in the future (this is also a trend - I get really obsessed with something for awhile, and then after we're done, it collects dust. TERRIBLE.) But we now have the Nintendo callous and are determined to get better and pass the levels of Super Mario 3 *without using the whistle :P

Redundant.

2009-01-09T23:33:00.000-08:00

I was going to post pictures from new years, but then I realized that there's no one who reads this who hasn't already seen them on Facebook. Am I right or am I right?

Whatever. They're here, okay.

P.S. I've had a severe cold pretty much since 2008. Should I be worried? I just sneezed about 17 times in 90 seconds. It's getting kind of embarrassing.

I like Winning

2009-01-09T00:47:00.000-08:00

So I'm TOTALLY slacking off on the blogging. I'm sorry. I think when I have to carry on an online persona for work, it's hard to do it in real life too. (like my shameless plug? be my friend...)

One of the perks of my current job, is that I have to keep aware of what's going on the internets. Mostly looking at news about the show, and the films that are nominated - so I run across my fair share of "news" that I may not otherwise read up on. One thing I found was this MILK giveaway on The Celebrity Blog aaaaand... (drumroll) I won! Whoooooo!! (that's actual joy, not me hating my life) I'm a little bummed that I didn't win the grand prize because I think the sweatshirt is way cute - but I'm stoked about the bag and the soundtrack. I think I'm also excited because I really enjoyed the film. I didn't really know much about it before I saw it, and it was a welcome surprise how good it was. I even cried a little bit... and I'm SO not a crier. It doesn't hurt that James Franco is in it. He's not hard on the eyes, even with the mane and facial hair.

So - even with all the madness that will be the next 2 weeks of my life - I'm going to try and blog at least once. That's okay right? Maybe throw in a couple good quotes in there or something. Blog topics to come may be: "Why everything is better in Torrance", "Epic Fail that was Jaymie's Birthday", "Wrapping up 2008" and "Why does Vanessa Minillo have a TV show". Just kidding about that last one - but I didn't realize it was her hosting this True Beauty show. Funny. Yes - that's me.. a sucker for reality TV. I apologize for that too.

Girls Are Mean

2008-12-31T13:16:00.000-08:00

benackerman: luckily i'm so stunningly charming, beth paid [for our lunch]
Andrea: nice job
Andrea: you'd make an amazing girl
benackerman: haha
Andrea: all the other girls would hate and resent you
Andrea: but they'd be nice to your face
Andrea: especially when drunk
benackerman: haha
benackerman: i'm not sure i'm happy with that
Andrea: well, that's life, my friend.

The One Time I Plan Something

2008-12-30T14:25:00.000-08:00

... People are jerks. This is why I don't plan. Spontaneity in 2009!!

me: btw can i buy a needle and thread at rite aid or is that wishful thinking?

Jaymie: i think so

when are we going?

me: when we go get coffee

and also stop at the atm.

Jaymie: wow

crap. i have dailies

me: what time?

cuz i have a meeting at 5

Jaymie: 230

me: that's like... now

how long will they last?

i have to go over to finance anyway

we can go immediately after dailies

Jaymie: ok

wow

stop planning my life

me: hahaha. i was just going to ask you if you liked all that planning i just did.

i'm so proud.

Sent at 2:24 PM

Go Niners!

2008-12-30T14:08:00.000-08:00

Note to The World: Don't invite Jean to watch the team you've been supporting since you were 4 years old and eating dirt during the Superbowl on their one chance at Monday Night Football success in 2008. Just don't. It won't end well.

(12:59:13) Kirk: do you realize that if the Niners had won that game we watched at Barneys, they'd be in the playoffs?
(12:59:15) Kirk: suckage
(12:59:28) Kirk: random sports update for the day
(12:59:33) Drea: really?
(12:59:35) Drea: well, shit.
(12:59:56) Kirk: I blame Jean for showing up late
(13:00:00) Drea: hm. i'm wondering what random stranger i can blame that on.
(13:00:02) Drea: hah
(13:00:05) Drea: that's a good one.
(13:00:13) Kirk: haha...similar thought process ftw

Work is Weird

2008-12-30T11:44:00.000-08:00

Craig: (whispering) It's so quiet here today!
Andrea: (also whispering) Don't ruin it.

We hate NYE more than you.

2008-12-29T17:16:00.000-08:00

Jean: dammit mother. she just sent me a happy birthday email she got from macy's for free shipping
Jean: wtf. too late!
Drea: LOL
Jean: orrr .. maybe she wants me to buy something else!
Jean: hahahaha.
Jean: no.
Jean: i can't.
Drea: hahahaha
Drea: thanks for including me in your thought process
Jean: are you being sarcastic?
Drea: no seriously
Drea: it's funny
Jean: haha.. okay.
Jean: cuz i don't need any more grief this week
Jean: haha
Drea: haha
Drea: word.
Drea: stupid nye
Jean: WORD.
Drea: this better be the best 10 seconds of my life.

Will The Disasters Ever End?

2008-12-29T17:11:00.000-08:00

So, in case you missed the memo, sometime in the wee hours of Christmas morning, when Los Angeles was getting soaked by a much-needed storm, the roof directly above my pillow opened up and unleashed a unholy fury of dirty rain water from the rooftop patio above directly onto my bed.

Being that it was Christmas, I was staying at my parents' house at the time of the disaster, in my half-hearted attempt to be a decent daughter and missed the salughter. But what a nice call to receive from Myles on Christmas morning. "Hey, Dre. Merry Christmas. I have some bad news..."

Anyway, long, drama-filled story short, all is mostly well again. My disaster recovery skills are pretty sharp, being that I work where I do. I'm almost all back to normal, after a long weekend of being a soggy and displaced person.

It could be worse. It could always be worse. I could have no arms or no legs or no roof above my head. Oh. Waaaaiit a second.

me: ok, well i just have to run home and make my bed.

Jaymie: hahahah

why?

are you expecting company tonight?

me: cuz they fixed my ceiling this morning

Jaymie: oh

me: when i say "make my bed," i literally mean "make my bed." me: not just put sheets on it in an organized way
Jaymie: but why make it at night if you are going to be sleeping in it later Jaymie: oh

hahahahaha

uh huh

Not Letting this Puppy die.

2008-12-29T05:37:00.000-08:00

So I've recently come under fire for not being a very good blogger. I'm sorry puppy, I've been neglecting you. I think about all these things "ooh.. I'm going to blog about that." And then get distracted or busy, and it doesn't happen (but I'm still thinking about them! They're coming... eventually.) So this is my contribution for today. I REALLY should be sleeping as I have work in a few hours, plus a long night of eating and drinking ahead - but I guess I can sleep, um... later. (I would say "when I die", but that's kind of morbid.)

Part of the reason I'm up so late is that I woke up really late because I stayed up far too late the night before (I knew I shouldn't have went to karaoke...) So it's a vicious cycle. I had a lot of stuff I needed to do, and hardly got anything done because I woke up so late. One of these things is Christmas cards. Yes. I know that Christmas is over. So.. they're... Holiday cards? Every year I really think that I'm going to attempt to send out Christmas cards in the effort of keeping in touch, and getting bogged down for some reason or another. This year, I really didn't want that to happen.

Andrea told me just to give up, either because it's too late, or she didn't think I'd actually do it, or maybe it wasn't worth the effort - but I guess maybe that was good motivation for me to do it even more. Who knows. But this is me pulling out all my various holiday cards from the year and sending it out to my list. Round one... I'll finish the rest later. I'm really gonna do it. Seriously. I think I need to be better about following up on things, committing to things, taking things seriously, and actually doing them (was that all summed up by following up on?)

Sure, Christmas cards seem kind of silly - but baby steps. Next it will be responding to all emails right away, make sure everything's paid on time, making sure things I've said I'll do get done, being better at keeping my life organized and maybe one day I'll even reach going to sleep at a decent hour.

Here's to hope in the new year.

My BlackBerry is a Little Mother Fucking Bastard

2008-12-23T15:37:00.000-08:00

My BlackBerry is a fucking shithead retard. Yeah, I said it.

Once every few months, it has a conniption and deletes all my data. And then keeps deleting it until someone (usually Jean) does something (and I don't even think she knows what that magic is) to make it store emails and SMS messages and MMS messages and call logs again.

Last night, I went to sleep and I had 237 unread messages in my inbox and 104 unread Facebook notices. I'm not proud of this fact, but what-the-fuck-ever, Dude. I'm fucking busy, okay? This is me, trying not to be so attached to my phone. (BTW-- IT'S NOT WORKING.) I woke up this morning and... nothing on Facebook and only 27 unread messages. I know it was 7:30am and I wasn't quite exactly at my peak, but I'm pretty sure something was wrong. And I'm pretty sure I didn't roll over my phone in my sleep and do anything to it. Although that has happened before -- sorry, Sumeet, for the repeated 3am phone calls -- and I wouldn't have any record of it anyway because all my logs were deleted.

Does anyone else have this problem with their BlackBerry? NOOOOOOO. No, they do not. And I know this because everyone I work with has the same BlackBerry and we all sit there and Facebook each other during meetings. Everyone knows we're doing it. What's the point in lying about it?

Anyway, I admit, when I saw that, my first reaction was "I should just get an iPhone." I'm a sell-out. And, once again, my solution to a dilemma is to throw money at the problem until it goes away. Totally hating me right now.

You know what I hate more, though? My BlackBerry. Fucker.

**Alternate title for this post: Andrea is really really white and corporate. Jesus. Shame.

And I'm Not Even Well-Rested From It.

2008-12-16T19:21:00.000-08:00

me: i woke up at 10 this morning
me: don't know how the fuck that happened.
jean: did you wake up at all before that? snooze or something?
me: i did
me: a couple times
jean: haha.. yea, that's how it happened
me: hah
me: yeah
me: good thing no one noticed i was an hour and a half late
me: OR NOT
me: wtf.
jean: hahah
jean: you're so me.. like a year ago.. well.. when i worked for jeff
jean: except you actually have responsibilites
me: lol nah. cuz i feel really bad.
jean: HEY.. I FELT BAD.

It's Part of the Thought Process Now

2008-12-15T10:13:00.000-08:00

me: it wasn't like a "i wanna be your girlfriend and get married and hang out with our other married couple friends" thing.
me: it was more like a "i come to SF every few weeks and i would really like to hook up with you on those weekends and then maybe you can sing to me and take me for walks around the city and we can get little star pizza together, like in movies. but probably only once a month and you don't have to talk to me any other time cuz you'll make me crazy."
ohkimho: lol!! blog that. blog that immediately.

She Just Said That

2008-12-11T16:34:00.000-08:00

jean: but i guess i just outed myself saying that i like sluts.

That's right, my friends.

Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret.

2008-12-11T00:03:00.000-08:00

I had to go on a mission today to buy a dress. It was complicated. It was bad luck in the form of the dress I ordered over a week ago suddenly being out of stock and a little bit of good luck in the form of a one-day-only 40% off sale at Banana Republic and a little bit of bad luck in the form of me being a XS Petite (Did I SHRINK?) and not being able to find anything pretty in my size there. So I ended up buying this purple silk number with a boat neck and puff cap sleeves and a pencil skirt. It's totally not as cute as the first dress that I purchased, which was Lorick, the real-life counterpart of Blair Waldorf's Mom's line on Gossip Girl. And blue. And had birds on it. And was adorable. But I digress!

My point is, I went shopping at the 3rd Street Promenade this evening. I was there for about an hour and a half, and 80% of that time was in the fitting room at Banana, waiting for the sales associate to dig up a XS Petite for me.

When I was done at Banana, I walked down to Urban Outfitters for a headband. That's about a two block walk. During that two block walk, I was approached THREE TIMES by young men in suits trying to introduce me to the existence of their God.

WHAT?!?

This always happens to me. I swear, when I was in college, I'd be minding my own business, sitting on a bench somewhere and all kinds of random people would just come up and literally start reading the Bible to me. WHAT!??!

What is it? Why me? What is it about me that screams "I have no faith in your God?" Aside from my voice screaming "I have no faith in your God." You tell me.

Effing Michael Phelps

2008-12-10T13:06:00.000-08:00

Not in the "I'm Effing Matt Damon" kind of way, but in the "BOO TO YOU" kind of way.

I have this hatred of Michael Phelps that goes back to Athens. I think mostly because he got put on the relay team instead of Gary Hall Jr, who I've liked since high school. It's petty and a little silly, I know, but Michael Phelps as a person, doesn't impress me. Yea, yea, I know... won 8 gold medals in one Olympics, greatest swimmer of all time, eats 12,000 calories a day - blah blah blah. To quote Nicole: "freak of nature". Haha, just kidding. But his body is "built" for swimming. Acutally, get this: Michael Phelps has a rare genetic disorder that has undoubtedly helped in his athletic endeavours, but that may also one day prove to be a curse. That disorder, which affects 1 in 5,000 people worldwide, is called Marfan's Syndrome, a connective tissue disorder which characterized by long limbs and long, thin fingers. See, it's almost too easy. Well fine - I guess he could die someday, but I'm sure he's kind of loving his disorder right now.

[A little background note on me: sometimes when I decide I don't like something, I get really stubborn and just go with it. Also on this list: the DVR from Dish, clowns, BSG, and Cameron Diaz (she's working her way off of it).]

Another reason that I dislike him, is I just don't think he's deserving of all the "hype". I mean, I guess he's a celebrity like any other sports star, but when we saw John Williams and he played the Olympic theme there were SO many shots of him. Why does he need to be on Entourage? Is he really an American hero? No.

Today, Michael Phelps ruined my day by having his book signing @ Border's across the street from my work. This is also where I park my car. Parking lot was full because of his stupid face. I had to drive around and wonder where I should park, and technology decided to hate me today and my iPhone kept dropping calls and wouldn't hold a call for more than 10 seconds despite having all my bars. (Effing AT&T). I don't get why all these people are in line for Michael Phelps, why he has a book called No Limits: The Will to Succeed, AND this is also his SECOND book. What the heck?

SERIOUSLY. NOT. WORTH. THE. HYPE. Boo to you Michael Phelps, Boo to you.

Not to be Jerk but...

2008-12-10T00:17:00.000-08:00

this was my fortune from that night. either my method works, or fortunes are doled out accordingly.

KIDDING.. andrea: your fortune is not so true. don't believe it for a second.

It's Not Punny

2008-12-09T13:17:00.000-08:00

My friend is in Chile visiting his brother for a week. Must be nice being gainfully unemployed, right?

Today, he sent me an email and, in it, he said:

I am in Santiago. I can see the Andes from my brother's apt. Where are they?
At the end of his Armies of course!? Duh!

Oh, good times.

I'd Prefer That It Was Empty

2008-12-08T22:01:00.000-08:00

On Sunday night, after the SAG screening of Curious Case of Benjamin Button (which I thought was lovely) but before the 9:50 showing of Nobel Son (which I thought was over the top), Jean and I met up with Shaffer for some mediocre pan-Asian food at Yangtze on the 3rd Street Promenade.

Pretty much everyone has different ways of choosing a fortune cookie after a meal. Jean likes to "count cookies." Frankly, I have no idea what this means, but if it's her way, it's her way. You don't mess with fate. I like to just grab the first one that calls to me. This is really really stange because I am not like that about ANYTHING else in the entire world. Which is a good thing, because my fortunes often suck.

For example, the one from last night:

"If your desires are not extravagant, they will be granted"??!?!? WHAT!??! In plain English:

"Aim for mediocrity and you will never fail."

Someone up/out/around "there" hates me. I'm going to tell myself that it was just a coincidence that my boss mentioned moving into a smaller cubicle today. Yeah... Coincidence. Definitely.

Deserving Punishment

2008-12-07T12:23:00.000-08:00

So Andrea and I went to a Christmas Choir concert last night. Our ex-DD buddy JL was singing in it. Between the conductor lady who was "secretly in love" with her old composer buddy, the overly expressive choir singers, and eating burritos in the chapel, we found our amusement in addition to the singing. Between the two of us, we had been to LMU 3 times: me, once for high school college campus tours, and Andrea because her brother went there. We didn't know where we were going, but we eventually got there.
Just make sure that when you go to LMU, that you don't park anywhere you're not supposed to. Punishment may be a little harsh and who knows what will happen to you after that. I showed my ignorance of religion by asking Andrea all sort of questions about what exactly Jesuits were, and how they differed from Catholics. I feel a little bad because I didn't grow up with much religious experience or education, except for a little bit of Buddhism, but other than that, hardly any at all. While I'm okay with it, there's a lot of references that I feel I miss out on. Plus, then I'm an insensitive jerk face because I don't "get it". Either way, signs like these amuse me. I also parked in an IT employee only zone, but my car was still dirty when i got back, so it hadn't been baptized. Good. And to show you I'm not alone, here's a little gem courtesy of our friend Nesticle.

Ernest: jean are you getting me an x-mas present :) i need to know who to buy gifts for
me: hahah.. you should get me a gift if you want to. not whether or not i'm getting you one :P
Ernest: well I'm really really lazy :) so it's not a matter of me not wanting to get gifts. I want to get gifts to all my friends! but i would feel really bad if someone got me a gift and I didn't get one for them
me: this is so not the meaning of christmas :P. dorina and i are planning on getting you gifts.
Ernest: i'm chinese. and not religious. i don't know the meaning of xmas :)

You know you want to be like Martha, too.

2008-12-05T16:27:00.000-08:00

Yet another reason to aspire to be Martha Stewart: This little dude right here.

My Hands Are Always Cold

2008-12-05T11:39:00.000-08:00

How awesome are these Kate Spade Hi 5 mittens? I live in Los Angeles and it's pretty much 80 degrees outside right now -- IN DECEMBER, what the fuck -- and I still think these are awesome. For my cold, lifeless fingers. (Reason #3,786 why I don't have an iPhone: Because they think I'm dead.)

Also? Pretty much sold out or backordered everywhere. Please tell me why everything I want this season, other superawesome people all bought out before I could? (Reason #2 to hate me: Because I like what everyone else likes. ...I can't tell you reason #1, cuz then I'd have to kill you.)