Does anyone have any restaurant recommendations for near the spa in Rancho Mirage? We want to go somewhere yummy and fun.
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I have a new favorite gum called Stride. Best. Gum. Ever.
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I’m currently in love with Fiber One chocolate oat bars. I know, crazy huh? They are so good.

In unrelated food news, Crisco is now trans fat free. Now maybe people won’t whine as much as they’re devouring one of my cupcakes.
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Tuesday night was a Big Brothers Big Sisters networking mixer at a bar in the Valley. (Sidenote: It took me 45 to get over the hill, 12 minutes to get back into the City. Ugh.) Anyway, I parked two blocks from the bar and noticed I was walking right past Mugged Guy’s store. I stopped by on the way out of the bar but was told he had taken the night off.
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Yesterday was my final tonsillectomy post-op appointment and everything has healed perfectly. Yay! Have I mentioned I feel like my pre-Mono-and-Strep-self? It’s so nice to feel like a normal, healthy person again and not be constantly sick!
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In TV news…The Amazing Race All-Stars is just eh. I realized I’m not enjoying it as much because we already know about the teams and how they act and how they play the game. It’s not as exciting that way. In other TV news, how damn awesome was Law & Order SVU the other night? And what are you watching?
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Totally unrelated to anything, can someone please explain to this Jew the following: a) What is the meaning of the holiday of Lent?; b) Why do you give up something?; c) Why do you only give it up for 40 days?

Another lazy weekend. I kept feeling like I was getting sick, but I think it’s just allergies. Hah, I forgot what it’s like to not be constantly sick. Anyway, highlights (if you can call them that):

• Walked down to Hollywood and Highland right when the Chinese New Year parade was beginning.
• Noticed Banana Republic closed (!!) and Forever XXII is taking over its spot.
• While driving down Franklin on my way to the freeway, saw trainer Bob from The Biggest Loser jogging.
• Got another inch cut from my hair then got it colored and mentioned to my stylist that about a week after she colors it, the gray hairs show through. She said she needs to mix in a different kind of color that adheres to gray better. Admitting I have some gray is the first step, right?
• Finally finished my cousin’s baby book.
• Was locked out of my Yahoo mail for most of the weekend. I put in a help ticket about two weeks ago and for whatever reason, they can’t seem to fix it.
• Tried to catch up on emails then got locked out again.
• Made hamanataschen. What an ordeal.
• Updated plugins on my blogs. (Exciting, I know.)
• Went to Trader Joe’s. I so love that store.
• Got canceled on by my Little.
• Watched three episodes of Engaged and Underage. Why do I like that show so much?
• Realized that last week I bought another book I already own. Memory? Hello? Where did you go?

And that’s it. I warned you it was boring. Yet restful. And did I mention it was about 80 degrees here all weekend? And Friday I’m leaving for Rancho Mirage, where it will also be in the 80s. Goodbye winter!

Do these straight boyfriend jeans from Gap come with a boyfriend? And how cool is it you choose if he’s petite or tall? (I’m kidding. I just find the name really funny.)
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I accidentally bought waterproof mascara the other day. I can’t i figure out why anyone would purposely buy the stuff, unless you were planning on crying, taking a shower, or going swimming. And if someone’s seeing you crying, naked, or in a bathing suit, should you really be concerned with your eye makeup at that point?
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Julie mentioned she and her husband bought a new super duper mattress and are getting rid of their “old” four-year-old pillow top. Being as I am looking to replace my 10+ year-old-mattress, I offered to take theirs. Is it weird to take the mattress your best friend and her husband conceived two children on?
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I took a book of stamps out of my wallet, peeled off a stamp, and stuck it on my envelope. Unfortunately, I have no idea how much that stamp is, considering there is no amount printed on it or the book. What is up with that?
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Finally, is anyone planning on going to the Media Bistro blogger party tomorrow night?

It’s that time again. Tell me something. Where are you from? Are you married? Single? What do you do–for fun or for work? How did you make your way to my blog? Anything.

You can read what others spilled back in June and October. Don’t be shy!

Last night, Nicole, Lori, and I attended the Media Bistro/Blogging.la party at Bar Lubitsch. I was excited to finally check out the place, as I’d heard so many rave reviews of it, and it’s close to my apartment. The bar was really cool, had lots of seating, and a huge room in the back. I’ll definitely be visiting again.

Because the place was so damn crowded (and loud), it was hard to walk around a lot, but I did get a chance to talk (or scream) with people I already knew–Marissa, Esther (yep, she’s in town!), Melanie, Joel, and Jay (whom I haven’t seen in forever and a half.) I also met some people I felt like I already knew–Will and Nina. And, I was beyond excited to meet two bloggers I just adore–Lesley of Eater LA and Jessica of Ultratart. I also met a few Media Bistro and LAist people as well. (Sorry, I’m horrible with names.)

After a few rounds, we decided it was time to put something in our bellies so we headed over to The Village Idiot for dinner and more drinks (seriously, I’m paying the price today). Thanks to Nicole knowing the sous chef from way back when, we also enjoyed some amazing desserts–a pear crisp (?) with vanilla ice cream and an enormous chocolate chip cookie with mint chocolate chip ice cream. Yum!

I do believe a fun night was had by all.

I really missed playing tennis while I was sick so I decided to sign up for the 3.5 level (intermediate) class. I can’t wait. And hopefully I’ll meet someone who will want to play with me once a week.

Speaking of tennis, I’m hoping to hit a few balls this weekend if it’s not too hot in the desert. Yeah right.
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In dating news, there is no news. Except–remember Broken Nose Guy? He found me on Jdate again.
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In TV news, The Amazing Race is not too bad, but seriously, how fucking annoying are Charla and Mirna? And are Grey’s and Ugly Betty ever coming back? What about Entourage? I can’t live off just The Hills and Engaged and Underage. Or can I? Actually, my current obsession is Intervention. Have you seen it?
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I am finally recovered from Tuesday night. Wednesday at work was brutal.
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I found the coolest pants at Gap. They have buttons on the side you can wear them like regular pants or hook them to be capri-like. This is a huge thing for me, because regular capris are usually short on me, so now I can choose the length I want. I’m a dork and bought two pair–brown and beige. I can’t wait to wear them this weekend.
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In an attempt to not embarrass myself in front of the masseuse this weekend, I began using the stinky lotion with self tanner in it. I now have orange kneecaps, streaked feet, and white legs. Yeah, not embarrassed at all now.

In related news, when you go for a massage, do you a) get totally naked or b) leave your underwear on? And yes, I am fully aware I am asking total strangers this question–I have already polled all my friends. I’m just curious.
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Finally, if you haven’t already done so, please tell me about yourself. I really do enjoy learning about who’s reading!

And with that, I wish everyone a fun weekend! Beginning Friday afternoon, I’ll be relaxing and sitting in the sun. And hopefully not burning.

Earlier in the week I went to the doctor because my throat was really sore. He did a Strep culture, said it’s most likely negative (ya know, because I am sans tonsils now), and said to call him back on Friday for the results before I leave for the desert. So, after a game of phone tag with a nurse, I am told I have to go back on Levaquin for a bacterial infection (not Strep). You may remember Levaquin is the drug I had to take for the stupid pseudomonas infection I had back in October.

Anyway, long story short, I finally spoke to the doctor who said the initial culture results came back positive for a proteus infection (yes, another totally random one), but we’ll know more on Monday when the full culture is done and to hold off on the Levaquin until then. I asked if I was contagious and told him about my plans for the weekend, and he said no kissing on the lips or sharing food. Okay, all is good.

However. One of the girls that I was supposed to go with this weekend is pregnant. I filled her in on the situation and she called her ob/gyn to get her thoughts. Basically, her doctor said the same thing as mine, but wouldn’t give her a “yes, you’ll be fine if she goes” or a “no, your friend shouldn’t go” type of answer, which of course, sucked. So, my friend thought about it and thought about it and finally decided it’s probably best if I don’t join them, because she doesn’t want to risk catching what I have with less than three months left in her pregnancy. So I’m here. It royally sucks, but I do think if I were in her situation, I would have done the same thing.

I’m so fucking tired of being sick. I thought the tonsillectomy was supposed to solve all of this. I swear, it’s like one big joke, especially since I feel fine save for a minor sore throat.

I’m going to head down to San Diego for the weekend instead. I hate my throat.

I don’t really want to talk about the spa anymore, because it’s over and really, it is what it is. However, some good did come out of going to SD instead–Julie really needed a friend Friday night, and I was more than willing to relive our junior high days (once her kids were asleep) and eat Round Table Pizza and watch a bad movie with her. I think it was a much needed night for both of us.

Other highlights of the weekend include:

• Arriving in San Diego with all of my eye makeup except for my mascara cried off. Good thing I accidentally bought the waterproof kind.
• Having lunch with my mom and Julie and her boys.
• Learning that kids behave perfectly when they are threated with someone eating all of their french fries.
• Going shopping with my mom. We went to Banana Republic where I got three really cute tops for the office.
• Joining my parents and a bunch of their friends for dinner before they went to the theater.
• Baking oatmeal chocolate chip and lowfat cinnamon sugar cookies for everyone to enjoy after the theater. Too bad my mom’s baking powder didn’t work. Those were some flat cookies!
• Being asked by my parents’ friend if I’d like to be setup with a guy (who once dated Lisa Ling) looking for a nice Jewish girl. Sorry, no future post about it; he recently moved to New York.
• Still being able to wear my new pants/capris because the weather is beautiful. In the 70s in San Diego and in the high 80s in LA.

In Dog News
When I left today, my parents took their dog to the Annual Ugly Dog Contest (that’s just the name, there are a bunch of categories) at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. My dad and Da Vinci entered the “Dog Who Looks Most Like its Owner” category, and somehow, they won. This is what my parents do because they don’t have grandchildren. By the way, anyone happen to be or know an animal agent? My dad wants to get the dog representation. Yes, seriously.

In Fire News
While driving home, I was talking to a friend (the attorney I dated many years ago who a friend tried to set me up with last year) who lives in Orange County. As we were chatting, I noticed a [then] small brush fire and mentioned it to him. Fortunately, it’s still on the other side of the canyon from his house. But still so scary. As wonderful as the hot weather is, the fires just make it so horrible.

In Lame News
I received a voice mail from DirecTV Saturday telling me to download a daylight savings update that day. (Last minute anyone?) I was out of town and my receiver is not always plugged into the phone jack (because it’s on the other side of the room), so my receiver will not update the time until 2:00 Monday morning. Lame.

In Bacteria News
Tomorrow I get the full culture results, and if it ends up showing something other than what the initial culture showed, I may just have to shoot somebody. And did I mention Tuesday I get to go for my colposcopy? Good time, good times.

In Fiber One Bar News
The Fiber One bars everyone loves are on sale for four boxes for $10 at Vons (Pavilions? Safeway?) until March 13. Just in case you want to stock up.

And now, I will unpack, relax, and maybe even put the air conditioning on. (Sorry Beth!)

I have nothing remotely interesting to write about unless you want to hear more about the proteus infection in my nose or Tuesday’s scheduled colposcopy. Yeah, didn’t think so. So to tide you over until something of substance happens, here are some recent searches that landed people here:

• don’t ruin your nice high heels while driving
• doorwall maintenance
• gogo dancer auditions in las vegas
• cambria ca three legged dog
• how much does it cost to get tonsils removed?
• jdate rejection
• waterproof pasties
• does antonio banderas do a nasonex commercial?
• facial expressions for ouch wow oops yuck mmm shhh hmm etc
• how to get a jewish guy to marry you if you re not a jew
• why is superfluous so cool
• i am addicted to jdate
• whole foods speed dating sherman oaks
• picture of a old guy driving a convertible

As always, write a story using at least five of the search phrases.

This week has sucked big time. Thanks to the antibiotics (for the proteus infection in my nose), I don’t feel like myself and I haven’t been able to sleep more than four hours a night. And to top it off, I still have the sore throat that started this whole thing. That, coupled with my nervousness about the colposcopy, has made for a majorly crappy week.

Speaking of the colposcopy. It wasn’t horrible, just unpleasant, and the biopsy part pinched for about ten seconds then it was over. The worst part was the insane curl up in a ball cramping and bleeding afterwards. My doctor said everything looked good and that he’ll have the biopsy results next week, but not to worry. He’s Jewish–he should know my mom taught me how to worry quite well.
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Anyone else watching The Hills? I live in the same area as these girls, and my life is so different, it’s amazing.
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My Yahoo mail issues seem to have gone away since they incorporated Yahoo Messenger into the mail system. It’s kinda cool to be able to chat within Yahoo Mail.
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Guster is playing a free (!) show at the Grove (!) next Thursday, courtesy of Indie 103.1. I am so there!
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Remember this sign? Check out this shirt.
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I have two baking gigs coming up–one baby shower and one bridal shower–and I have business cards to give to the hostesses as well. Woohoo!
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I’m in the market for relatively inexpensive bedroom furniture that preferably doesn’t come in a box. Any suggestions on stores?

*Got a call from my doctor tonight–the biopsy came back “totally normal.” Yay!

This weekend, I:

• Got the results of my biopsy (okay fine, it was technically Thursday night) and everything is “totally normal.”
• Had shabbat dinner at Marnie’s.
• Finally got to see Esther while she was in LA. Unfortunately, because this week sucked in so many ways, I didn’t get to spend much time with her.
• Had food, lovely conversation, and yummy “tipsy lemonade” with Amandarin at Granville.
• Created a placeholder page for my baking business.
• Began working on a webpage for my dad’s office.
• Learned how that shofar playing/biological clock ticking postcard sender guy was able to get my address.
• Saved $30 using coupons at Bed Bath and Beyond. I love that store so much.
• Put together and hung a cabinet using my drill, all by myself. I am so proud. Yes, I’m a dork.
• Went to the Hollywood Farmer’s Market then ran a million errands.
• Received an email from a seemingly normal Jdate guy.
• Saw a few people wearing all black clothing and ski masks across the street from my apartment this afternoon. I have no idea what was going on, but I heard people chanting something, so maybe there was a protest. At least I hope there was a protest.

And now begins good Sunday night TV. And I’m so happy tomorrow is a new week with lots of good stuff going on.

Here’s the thing. My life is pretty boring and uneventful at the moment which means I have nothing exciting to write about. And I see you guys checking back daily (and um, some of you hourly) for new content, and I have none. So, this situation presents the perfect opportunity for another, long overdue, edition of Ask…

You know the rules: You ask me a question. I answer it. Post it in the comments or if you’re shy, send me an email. I’ll answer the questions later in the week.

You can read previous questions and answers here.

My new favorite find at Trader Joe’s: Mandarin Orange Chef’s Sauce. Yum yum yum, good stuff!
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Did anyone else get the Target catalog in the mail? Like a real catalog, not the paper catalog in the Sunday newspaper. I love it, especially the coupon part.
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Six Degrees comes back tomorrow. Random.
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Rumor has it there’s a Tesco opening down the street from me. I love fun grocery stores.
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Caroline on Crack reviewed a bunch of cupcakes in LA. Check out her posts!
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Now it’s reader question time:

Does anyone know the story behind this fairy tale looking house in Beverly Hills? I pass it on my way to work when I take the shortcut down Carmelita and always wonder about it.

Anyone know where I can buy XO sauce, aside from at an Asian market? (Nicole, that’s the sauce that was on the Buddah’s Belly green beans. Mmmm.)
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Tonight is Guster! I’m meeting my friend Jen at the Grove for dinner before the show, I’m so excited. Anyone else going?
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Looking for Passover dessert recipes? Here are the ones I’ve tried; the matzo brittle and apple crisp are definite faves.
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I decided to leave the Ask… post open for a few more days–I’ve been busy every night after work this week and haven’t had a chance to answer the questions. (Sorry Dawn!) I’ll post the answers by Monday or Tuesday at the latest, so keep on asking.
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Almost forgot: For those of you that like Coke’s original formula (with sugar rather than corn syrup), look for the kosher for Passover bottles–the ones with the yellow caps–they’re in the stores now.

First things first. The Guster show at The Grove on Thursday was amazing! The weather was perfect, Brian played sans sticks, Adam’s trumpet broke, and there were no ping-pong balls during Airport Song so I didn’t have to worry about getting pelted. Also, Jen and I got to chat with Nanette and her coworker, Jodi, before the show started which was a lot of fun. And, Nanette pointed out that Beth from the first season of The Real World was at The Grove, although I’m guessing she wasn’t there for the concert. Finally, although the band is around my age, I was a good ten years older than a lot of their other fans.

In more Guster news, I mentioned to my mom that the band would be on Leno Friday night. My parents watched it and actually enjoyed them. And my mom said Ryan was cute. Yeah he is.

Okay, on to regular weekend bullets. This weekend, I:

• Made a few dozen cookies and cupcakes for Nicole’s friend’s baby shower.
• Wanted to collapse after all the baking.
• Returned the latest book I bought in duplicate to Target, where the guy asked me “Are you sure you didn’t read it and want to return it?” I tried to explain that not only have I not read it, I had two copies that I didn’t read. I don’t think he bought my excuse, but he did let me return the book.
• Spent $80 on I have no idea what at Target.
• Stayed in my pajamas the majority of the day Saturday.
• Played phone tag with my Little then ultimately got dissed.
• Had dinner with Jen and her husband and the Orange County attorney (who Jen knows from court) I used to date years ago. No, it was not a double date, although he would not let me pay for my meal.
• Received Myspace emails from not only my Little, but her best friend too, and consequently removed myself from Myspace. I’m way too old for that site.

In other news, my tennis class begins on Tuesday so of course it’s supposed to rain. Wednesday I’m going for dinner with some girlfriends. Saturday I’m heading down to San Diego to spend a couple days relaxing before Passover. Good stuff going on!

You asked, and here are the answers:

Will asked: Can I get 40 nickels for a bag of potato chips?
Probably not.

Dawn asked: Hmmmmm. Seeing as you live in LA, do you ever see celebrities? If so, who? (Ironically, I’m so out of the TV and movie loop, if you name anyone, I probably won’t know who they are.)
I do see celebrities, but I am horrible at recognizing them. Most of the time, I’ll see someone and think, “That guy looks familiar, how the hell do I know him?” Then I’ll realize it’s because I watch him on TV every week. With that said, I tend to recognize the um, not-so-famous “celebs”–I see a lot of reality show people as well as Richard Simmons quite often.

(Read on …)

Tuesday was my first and possibly last tennis class. Unfortunately, only two of us signed up and a minimum of four is needed to keep the class. We’re working on the possibility of a semi-private lesson though, as the pro is awesome and gave us an amazing workout. We spent about 15 minutes alone on overheads (which I hadn’t done in 15 years, yet still rocked at), and my right arm is still sore. Hell, my back is sore, my legs are sore, my whole body is sore.
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Yesterday I had an appointment with a new ENT since I still have a sore throat and the doctor who did my surgery doesn’t really seem to care about my tonsil-less throat. The new guy is great, spent lots of time talking to me, and didn’t rush me out of his office. I like him a lot.
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Did anyone else watch What About Brian on Monday? The entire time, I kept thinking, where is baby Bella? She wasn’t on the show until the last five minutes. Weird.
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My mom’s sixtieth birthday is in a few weeks and my parents want to come up to LA for a fun dinner with Bethany and myself. Any suggestions for restaurants (preferably somewhere we don’t have to shout to have a conversation)? So far, my sister and I were thinking about Angeli or AOC, although I sent my mom a few more suggestions that escape me at 6:30 in the morning..
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Can someone explain to me what “collections” are on Flickr? I don’t get it.
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In other news, I made toffee cupcakes with caramel frosting. Don’t be jealous–they look better than they taste, although my official guinea pigs haven’t tried them yet, so I could be wrong.
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And with that, I’m off to San Diego on Saturday to do the following: spend time with Julie, possibly adult time, sans kids; make lots of Passover desserts with my mom; possibly make some pre-Passover cupcakes for my dad; attend two seders, and hopefully play tennis (given I can move my arm without saying ouch). Happy Pesach!