Thursday Things

I’m so confused as to what day of the week it is because not having to work Tuesday totally threw me off. Let’s play catch up, shall we?

Nicole, Lori, and MeNew Year’s Eve was a lot of fun! Nicole had a bunch of us over for dinner and drinks (and champagne Jell-o shots with raspberries that were just soooo good) then we headed over to The Village Idiot to ring in 2008. They had a private one year anniversary/new year’s eve party for their friends and family, and since Nicole is friends with the chef (yes, The Chef), we were on the guest list. It was a fun night, kinda mellow, and celebrated with good friends. What more could I ask for? And no, it was not awkward when I saw The Chef; he wished me a happy new year and gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek and it was all good.
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Speaking of boys, on New Year’s Day, I met another eharmony guy. This one didn’t yell at me and actually offered to pay for my dinner and margarita (seriously, like I needed more alcohol at that point), but he was very weird and definitely not for me. It should also be noted that both eharmony guys used the word hot, and not to describe temperature of any kind. The dancing hairstylist said, “Axl Rose used to be hot.” (hello, red flag number one) and the new year’s day dud said, “You live in Hollywood? That is hot!” Seriously. It’s like eharmony is filled with 14-year-old girls.
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In random news, did you know Flickr now offers stats? I had no idea, but I activated mine!
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In TV news, there are new episodes on this week! I’m getting my Law & Order fix (finally!) and am so hoping that TK and Rachel win The Amazing Race. Who are you rooting for? I’m also trying to get into The Biggest Loser, but I think the lack of two solid teams is making it less exciting. Or maybe I’m just over the show.
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2007 in YummiesIn totally random food news, my new favorite store-bought treats are the fleur de sel caramels from Trader Joe’s–both the chocolate and plain caramel varieties. Oh so good! Speaking of sweets, don’t forget about your chance to win cookies, baked by me! And also, click on the picture to the right to check out all the yummy treats I baked in 2007.
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This week’s question: Did you make any new year’s resolutions? If so, what are they?

Rainy Weekend Wrap-Up

This weekend, the plan was to go to happy hour with Randi on Friday, take my Little to Disneyland on Saturday, and do laundry and other exciting stuff on Sunday. Thanks to the rain, that’s not how the weekend went down.

Friday afternoon at work, we received [a very unusual] email from our CEO stating that the office would close early due to the expected rain/floods/mudslides/end of the world. Apparently, he wanted us to get home before southern California turned into one big traffic jam. Yay! But boo, because that meant I would have to sit around an empty office for more than an hour before I could meet up with Randi, so we rescheduled our drinks for another night. So instead, I decided to go to Target. I figured the place would be a zoo, considering Trader Joe’s was crazy the night before. I had not seen TJ’s that crowded since the grocery strike of 2003–it was insane. Anyway, Target was empty and I did my shopping, came home, immediately changed into PJs, and spent most of the night on the couch watching really warbled TV (anyone else watch Miss America Reality Check?) thanks to the wind and my DirecTV satellite.

Saturday, I stayed in my PJs until about 5:00 and got so much done–I cleaned, did laundry, watched more TV, paid bills, stalked exes on MySpace and Facebook (MySpace is much better for stalking, if you must know), shredded and recycled bills, and caught up on the phone with my friend up in Seattle. Then I got dressed and picked up my sister before heading out to eat (California Chicken Cafe in case you care) and then to see Atonement (great film, no I didn’t read the book) at the Arclight with the half of Hollywood that actually went out in the rain. I have never seen the parking garage that crowded before, there was a line to get in! On our way back home after the movie, Sunset was nearly empty; it’s like LA shut down the minute it started drizzling.

Sunday I had very long overdue outing with my Little. We bought stuff to make memory albums, had some photos printed at Target, then went to lunch at Daphne’s where she inquired about my new boyfriend. What Is This Place? Apparently her friend that I bumped into on Christmas Day told her how she saw me with the Dancing Hairstylist and assumed he was my boyfriend. I told her we were no longer dating and she asked why. I just told her he wasn’t for me; I figure she’s still too young to tell her what she has to look forward to. After lunch, we went to the Beverly Connection to check out Old Navy and Steve & Barry’s (junk) then my Little requested ice cream from Coldstones. Fortunately, I was too cold to even consider eating it. Side note, we looked in the windows of this random looking place (see photo to the left). Anyone know what it is?

Chocolate Caramel BrowniesAfter dropping my Little off at home, I stopped at the market then came home and baked chocolate caramel brownies and talked to a Jdate guy on the phone. Now I am going to make dinner then plant myself in front of the TV yet again. I love weekends.
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In boy news, the new year’s day dud emailed me the other day asking me out again. I sent him a very nice email in return, thanking him for a nice evening, but that I wasn’t really feeling it. His response? “Yep. I love chicks that yawn on dates.” Nice response for a 37-year-old man. Nevermind the fact that a) he is the one who emailed me to ask me out; and b) it was new year’s day when we met.

In other news, Tuesday night I’m meeting a Jdate boy for drinks and I’m not all that excited. Let’s hope he doesn’t yell at me or call me on a yawn.

Yeah, you already know how this will end

Confession time.

When I’m bored, I will do one of three things: bake, watch TV, or look people up online. (I guess I’m easily entertained.) So when I found my PMSing self with too much free time at the office today, I did the one thing I could do from my desk–I Googled. I looked up an ex-boyfriend (whom I am convinced must have moved to another planet, because he has no online presence whatsoever). I looked up past dates (I want to see if they’re married, divorced, fat, bald, living on the other side of the world, whatever). I searched for former co-workers. And I checked up on some old friends.

And then I decided what the hell, I’ll see what’s new with The Ex. (Yes, I am aware this is a horrible and stupid habit. Why I do it, I’m not quite sure. It’s like a form of self torture actually.) In the past when I Googled him, all I found was legal information about the business he recently sold as well as his super skinny IMDB profile. OK that’s not true, I once saw his wedding pictures. No, his wife isn’t pretty. And he was chubby.

This time though, oh boy, this time was different. I found his personal website, which included a picture of him from his wedding as well as a picture of his wife standing with his parents. And he had written a short bio, in which he referred to his wife as “the love of my life.” That’s when it hit me and I felt my stomach twisting into a million knots. The man that chased me for eight years, the man who begged me to get back together with him–he has a new love of his life.

The weird thing is, this wasn’t news to me! A year and a half ago, he told me over the phone that he was getting married. And I saw the wedding pictures. I knew he was with someone else. But reading those words, on the Internet, out there for everyone in the world to see–for some reason, that defined it for me.

So now, I’ve decided no more Googling. No more “researching dates” or whatever I want to call it. MySpace will be used solely to check up on my Little, Facebook only for Scrabulous, and Google for querying recipes and celebrities and other useful pieces of information. Because really, I think today put me in a place emotionally that I’d rather not visit again.

Thursday Things

If you live in San Francisco and are interested in architecture, food, fashion, art, or local stuff (schtuff I suppose), then check out San Francisco Shtuff. My sister’s friend Jillian is writing for it so go visit and say hello!
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My baking blog is more popular than this blog now. Am I really that boring? Or are my baked goods just that good?
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fudge 018Tuesday’s date was…nice, but not riveting or anything. We met at The Arsenal and had a drink, decent conversation, and then took off, all within an hour. If only all Jdates could be so easy. (As an aside, they had lights on! It wasn’t pitch black inside! I asked the bartender what was up, and he said they decided to make it a little brighter in there. Yay!) Anyway, until I received an email (what’s up with the second date emails?) from him yesterday in which he invited me out again, I thought it was obvious that neither of us was terribly interested in the other. Whoops.

In other Jdate news, I spoke to a new Jdate boy on the phone last night and we made plans to have drinks on Sunday. He mentioned he went to the same college as Julie and about half of my high school, so we played a quick game of Jewish geography. Turns out one of his best friends is a guy I went to Hebrew school with. Small world! Dare I say I’m excited to meet him? Think good thoughts please!
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In TV new, yay for new TV! My Tivo is so happy and content now that it has Law & Order, Big Medicine, and Project Runway to record. And how about The Amazing Race? I was so glad TK and Rachel didn’t get eliminated. Last night was apparently the season finale of The Real World, which my Tivo did not record. Fortunately (unfortunately?) MTV seems to replay that show constantly so I can catch it another day. What are you currently watching?
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In other news, January is National Mentoring Month, who knew? Now is as good a time as any to check out your local mentoring program. Trust me, it’s an amazing feeling! If you have any questions about being a Big Sister, feel free to email me.
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This week’s question: Do you volunteer? If so, what do you do? If not, what would you like to do?

Weekend Wrap-Up

Friday
Came home from work and fought with my neighbors for the washing machines. Who knew Friday nights were so popular for laundry? Did a couple of loads, had dinner, and watched my new favorite horrible reality show, Miss America Reality Check. I still don’t exactly get the whole point of the show, it’s not like they’re picking Miss America, so why is it on?

Saturday
Slept in then headed out to the Valley for a mani/pedi and hair cut and color. I chopped off another two inches (!) and went darker. My natural color is close to black, and while I don’t want to go there, I was just getting tired of the light brown with blond highlights. I’m still getting used to it.

That evening, Jen and I had dinner, saw P.S. I Love You, and went for drinks. The movie was good, but of course, nowhere as good as the book. I think I cried throughout the entire book, and only found myself tearing up twice during the movie. And Jeffrey Dean Morgan with an Irish accent? Sucked.

Sunday
Easter in January at CVS!Slept in again then ran errands, including one that crossed something off my 101 list–I finally took my jar of coins to Coinstar at the CVS in West Hollywood. The machine has an option now that if you choose a gift card (rather than cash), you get the full amount back. So, I cashed in $19.07 in coins (mostly pennies) and now have an Amazon gift certificate for that amount. Pretty cool. It should also be noted that CVS had a display of Easter candy. In January. What the fuck? The rest of the afternoon was spent lounging around and cleaning.

Sunday night, I met a new Jdate guy for drinks at The Well. As luck would have it, they were closed for a private party, so I suggested The Woods instead. As we were talking about the bar, a guy in the parking garage overheard our conversation and said he worked at The Woods, and after a few minutes of chatting with him, we discovered they were opening late. Apparently the private party at The Well was for all of their employees at all four of their bars, including The Woods. Of course. So instead, we ended up at (where else?) the Cat and Fiddle down the street.

Over a few hours, we had two rounds of drinks, shared some food, and had fun and interesting conversation. At one point, I was telling him about my Little and he referred to the award I was honored with last year. I asked him how he knew about that, because I didn’t remember sharing that information with him (and my immediate thought was that he had found my blog, which I’m still not 100% sure he hasn’t, so if you’re reading, then um, hi!), and he said he Googled me (he knew my first and last name). I was more than a little surprised, and thought it was really funny that right when I give up Googling, my Jdate Googles me. The date ended with The Googler giving me a hug, and honestly, I have no idea if he is interested in going out again. I thought he was nice and funny and cute, and if he asks me out again, I would go. If he doesn’t, then at least I had a fun Jdate.

And now I need to go to bed because it’s almost midnight and I have to wake up in about six hours.

How You Got Here

I have nothing remotely interesting to share yet, and it’s been a long time since I’ve done one of these posts, so here’s a list of search phrases that landed people here:

  • chocolate shell on penis
  • how much does it cost to have tonsils removed
  • mazel mouthguard
  • who would marry a guy called big crazy lester?
  • internet dating disaster - last minute cancellation
  • where would i find a guard to keep your mouth closed at night
  • does anyone dislike anne hathaway?
  • is the actor in the kiafest commercial a professional dancer?
  • is he a good date?
  • what is the superfluous?
  • are dates good for you?
  • ex boyfriend michael you hurt me seattle
  • how long after having mono can you kiss again?
  • how did larry from sitnsleep lose his weight?
  • regular band aids over corns or callus on the pinky toes do you leave them for 1 day or 2 days
  • borat incorporated in new jersey makers of dog hairdryer
  • does it mean i m not well liked if i dont receive gifts?
  • sweater set fetish

As always, write a story using at least five of the search phrases. And to all the new people, how did you get here?

Thursday Things

Last night I went to Taste with my cousin and my aunt. Great food (mac and cheese with truffle oil, among other things) and super fun conversation, as always. And my former neighbor was our server so we had stellar service. After dinner, they headed over to The Jazz Bakery for a show, but I went home and crashed.

Tonight I am supposed to meet Kristin of Better Now. Years ago, she wrote a now-defunct blog and was one of my first readers. I can not wait to meet her!
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In dating news, the guy I went to The Arsenal with (let’s call him The Professor, because well, he is one) asked me out again and I accepted. We’re getting together next week.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies Earlier this week, The Googler and I both said we’d like to hang out again and since then, we’ve exchanged a bunch of silly two sentence emails with no mention of a date. I don’t know how I’m supposed to respond to some of them, because it’s not like he asks anything, they’re just random links and thoughts. I kind of get the feeling he just wants to correspond via email rather than see me in person again, which isn’t something I’m interested in and don’t really understand the point of. Unlike chocolate and peanut butter (yep, I baked again), email and dating do not go well together.

It should also be noted that both The Professor and The Googler are musicians, and the Googler is also an aspiring writer. Big surprise, huh? At least he’s not a comic.
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In TV news, I am so behind in my Tivo, so please don’t tell me anything about Project Runway. Or anything else that is on on Wednesdays for that matter.
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Have my fellow Scrabulous fans seen this? Waah.
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Radar has a post about the picket lines being the new way to meet (unemployed) men. They obviously don’t frequent Jdate, because I’ve been meeting unemployed writers that way for quite a while.
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Saturday is take two at Disneyland with my Little. I think it’s supposed to be in the 60s and sunny, so it should be a good day to visit Mickey. The last time I was at Disneyland was for The Ex’s fraternity formal (also the first time I ever had my hair straightened at a salon), and we fought the entire night following the party. It was a miserable trip and I am looking forward to making new Disneyland memories, even if they are with a 14-year-old.
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Remember how I lost my Bluetooth? Well, it turns out I lost my camera battery too. They were both in the same pocket of my purse, and now I’m wondering if someone ganked them. It’s not usual for me lose stuff like that, and I’m totally bummed.

Speaking of my camera, I discovered it has a macro setting, so now I can take pictures of the stuff I bake and it won’t be blurry (see above). Duh. I guess I didn’t read the manual thoroughly.
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This week’s question: Have you ever had/considered plastic surgery? If so, what procedure?

Weekend Wrap-Up

Me, Kristin, and Tamara My weekend actually began Thursday night when I met up with Kristin and Tamara (a fellow LA blogger whom I had never read before, but am now so glad I met!) at Edendale Grill in Silver Lake (Silverlake? I never know which way to spell it.) for martinis, martinis, and more martinis. Kristin was in town for business, and after getting to know each other via our blogs for the past four years, it was really great meeting her. She is just as sweet and fun in person as she is on her blog. And as we sat outside sipping martinis in the 50 degree weather on the patio near the heat lamps, Tamara and I in our jackets and Kristin sans one, I couldn’t help but laugh when she called our freezing cold weather “warm and balmy.” But I won’t hold that against her, especially because within her first hour of being in LA, her rental car broke down on the 405 and she had to deal with the asshats on the freeway. What a “welcome to LA” moment; at least things could only get better from there!

Target Find Of The WeekFriday I left the office and headed straight to everyone’s dream–a very empty Target. It was so nice to stroll through the aisles and not have kids running all over the place, or have to wait in a huge line to pay. I also happened upon a really inexpensive piece of art to hang in my kitchen. I love it in all of its cheesy glory. After Target, I hung my “art,” had sushi delivered, and scraped wax off of my menorah while watching bad reality TV.

I also had to search my apartment in order to find a piece of paperwork that allows me to make medical decisions for my Little while she is with me. (I was taking her Disneyland the following day, and it was one of those things I felt I should have, just in case. And it is now in my wallet, where it should be.) Aren’t you jealous your evening wasn’t as exciting as mine?

The next morning, I woke up right after the sun, packed some snacks, and picked my Little up and headed off to Disneyland. Amazingly, there was no traffic so the ride there was uneventful, save for me wanting to shoot someone after listening to about half a dozen Kelly Clarkson songs. When my Little is in the car, she somehow gains control of the radio.

Matterhorn, as seen from the Tea CupsDisneyland was a lot of fun, albeit expensive even with free passes (given to me by my airplane friend Hilary): Parking was $11, lunch (burgers and fries and sodas) was $20, dinner (skewers–who knew? and drinks) was also $20, and dessert (ice cream sundaes) was $10. Fortunately, I did a good job of packing snacks so the only extra thing we bought was $3 cotton candy. I don’t know why I felt the need to share that with you, I’m sure you don’t really care. So anyway…

Like I mentioned before, I had not been to Disneyland since college, and I have to say, the fast pass thing is amazing–no more having to wait two hours for rides! Except that Matterhorn didn’t offer a fast pass which ended up being alright since the line was only 30 minutes, but the new submarine ride was two hours and neither of us felt like waiting for that. We also didn’t get a chance to go on Space Mountain because when we arrived at our fast pass time, the ride was closed “for repairs.” Uhh yeah.

To wax nostalgic for just a moment, the minute I walked into Disneyland, I had a flood of emotions. I remembered going to the park in high school with Julie, Marisa, and Josh, all of us wearing high school sweatshirts and having a blast. And I remembered my first visit there with The Ex, and getting caught in a downpour and wearing yellow ponchos and walking around with soaking wet shoes. Then I remembered my last visit there with The Ex, and his horrible fraternity formal and us fighting and breaking up and getting back together. Thankfully, I have new memories, even if they do include a 14-year-old asking me, “Was the Pirates of the Caribbean ride the same back in the day?”

Sunday morning I woke up at 7:30 and couldn’t fall back asleep even though I was thoroughly exhausted. I watched TV then decided to throw some laundry in, and by 11:00 I had already done four loads and cleaned my apartment. I saw my sister briefly, then ran errands. Now my eyes are beginning to close and I’m quickly fading so I think it’s time to take a short nap. I wish I didn’t have to work tomorrow.
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In boy news, The Professor and I are going out next week, The Googler appears to be the latest victim of the The Bus, and there is a possible setup in the near future.

Jdate Email Exchange of the Week

At 9:33 a.m., a Jdate guy emailed me this:

Hello,

I enjoyed reading your profile this morning. You definitely possess a passion and zest towards life. You also express yourself very passionately and effectively. That is very rare and hard to find in a woman today. I would truly enjoy getting to know you.

Warmest regards,
XXXX

At 3:55 p.m., I read it, checked out his profile (out of my age range and out of town, among other things), and responded with:

Thanks for your email, but I don’t think we’re a good match. Good luck with your search!

At 4:16 p.m., he responded with:

I agree with you as well. After taking another look at your profile, I don’t think we would make a good match either. I do not think we share the same positive outlook in life. The best of luck to you.

What a difference 21 minutes makes. Don’t you just love Jdate?

How To Have A Bad Night

  1. Come home from work in a good mood and excited to have a night with nothing to do and decide to make Mark Bittman’s easy and fast peanut brittle.
  2. Decide to heat up a package of Trader Joe’s frozen bean and rice burritos, but first drop the package on your little toe.
  3. Follow the oven instructions exactly.
  4. Notice a burning smell coming from said oven and open it to find the plastic you punctured with a fork, per instructions, is burning. Remove plastic and cover with foil instead.
  5. Notice a new burning smell coming from said oven and open it to find the paper-ish container holding said burritos is also burning. Remove burritos from paper-ish container and just wrap the suckers in foil.
  6. Take burritos out of oven and notice they are not completely hot, so stick them in the microwave for 30 seconds and go wash your face.
  7. Return to find the microwave smoking because you accidentally set it for 3 minutes, not 30 seconds.
  8. For some reason, decide to still make the “easy and fast” peanut brittle.
  9. Find yourself unable to melt sugar over low heat, per the recipe. So instead, try it over high heat.
  10. Add peanuts, pour onto cookie sheet.
  11. Think, hmm, I bet that little glob of hot melted sugar would taste good, so you stick your finger in it.
  12. Yell five million obscenities and run finger until cold water, only to find your water pressure is next to nothing.
  13. Yell more obscenities and stick your finger under the bathtub faucet.
  14. Wish your fucking blistered finger didn’t hurt so badly. Cry. Also, wonder why you are such a moron sometimes.

The end. And this post was typed with only one hand. Impressive, I know.

Thursday Things

First, hello and welcome to everyone who got here from Kristin’s blog. Feel free to say hi!
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Some really weird ways people found my blog this monthDid anyone else watch Notes From The Underbelly on Monday? There was a dog on the episode, and his name was Guster! In other TV news, I am so glad that TK and Rachel won The Amazing Race; I think they deserved it way more than anyone else. Is anyone else watching Celebrity Rehab? No? Um, yeah, neither am I. How about Project Runway? I love Ricky, but enough with the crying already! Who are you rooting for?
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Tonight is date number two with The Professor. We’re going for Indian food in Beverly Hills. In related news, The Googler emailed me and said he was sick. Achoo achoo. Of course, still no mention of getting together again. I think he’s definitely in the path of The Bus and am not expecting another date.
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This weekend, I’m having dinner with Jami, Jenn, and Nanette at Simon LA, one of the restaurants participating in Dine LA. I am really looking forward to checking out the restaurant and tasting their food, especially their desserts.
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Speaking of desserts. I’m extending the header image contest deadline a few weeks, so if you’re interested in entering, there’s still time!
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Today is my half birthday. In related news, I now have a link to my Amazon Wish List on my blog in the lower right part of the sidebar. You know, just in case.
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In “only in LA” news: My office closed early yesterday due to the drizzle, I mean rain. Yes, seriously.
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This week’s question: How did you meet your significant other?

Weekend Stuff

My Almost Fifteen Minutes of Fame
Thursday morning I received an email via my blog from a producer at The Early Show on CBS saying that she thought I would be the perfect voice for a piece on “non-Jews on JDate with the larger story of Jewish people intermarrying in general.” Other interviewees include two non-Jewish people who use JDate, a rabbi who will offer his opinion on non-Jewish people using JDate and talk about why he thinks it is important that Jewish people marry other Jewish people, the CEO of JDate and possibly an author.

After much consideration, I turned it down for a variety of reasons, but I am anxious to watch the segment. And I referred the producer to a few people I know so there is a chance of seeing some familiar faces when it airs February 4. Stay tuned!

Date
Thursday night was date number two with The Professor. We went for Indian food in Beverly Hills. The restaurant looked really cool, but the food was just sort of eh, kinda like the night itself. The Professor is a really nice guy, but we don’t really have much in common and there is zero chemistry. It was a pleasant night, just nothing special. Oh well.

Friday
Came home from work exhausted, made dinner, watched TV, then fell asleep before 11:00. That’s it.

Saturday
Slept in then saw Juno with Karrin at the new Landmark theater at Westside Pavilion. The theater is just like the Arclight–you get an assigned seat and there are no commercials. The only somewhat sucky thing is that you can’t print your tickets at home, you have to go to a kiosk. Aside from the that, it’s a cool theater and there is a Barnes and Noble about two feet away. Anyway, the movie was awesome! It’s one of those I know I’ll end up buying and won’t get tired of watching.

Saturday night I was supposed to have dinner with my friend Hilary. While I was in the movie, she left me a voicemail saying she got a last minute invite to the SAG awards (!) and was running around the city trying to find a dress and needed to get a manicure and pedicure and all that stuff. We’re going to reschedule for a night that isn’t the eve of the only awards ceremony that people are actually attending.

Since I had the night to myself, I decided to be somewhat productive and went to the hardware store and bought a wrench so I could put my new license plates on my car. When did license plates start fastening with bolts instead of screws? Silly. As am I, because after 15 minutes, I still couldn’t figure out how to put the stupid plates on. A new (and cute) neighbor offered his help, and even between the two of us, we couldn’t figure it out. Finally, after stepping away and coming back, I got it. All by myself.

It should also be noted that my new neighbor’s car, as well as two other cars in the garage, got broken into around midnight on Friday. The really bummer part is that the break-ins could possibly have been prevented as a bunch of us called our building manager numerous times during the past week to tell him the garage wouldn’t close. For whatever reason, he never got around to fixing it. Miraculously, he was able to fix it around 1:30 a.m. on Saturday; go figure. I felt really badly for my new neighbor (who by the way, is a writer from NY), as he just moved in a week ago.

The rest of my exciting night was spent spackling over nail holes in the wall (a 101 in 1001 item), browsing the new cookbook I bought earlier in the day, and watching TV and hoping the power wouldn’t get knocked out because of the crazy winds.

Sunday
Slept in yet again then went into the garage to do laundry and bumped into the new neighbor while I was in my pajamas with my hair in a ponytail and no makeup on. Figures. The majority of the day was spent on the couch (watching horrible shows such as something on a DirecTV channel about three girls who go on a road trip to meet people from online, yes seriously, as well as a show about a bridal boutique) in said pajamas, until about 4:00 when I decided it might be a good time to actually take a shower.

That night, Jami, Jenn, and Nanette ditched their husbands (and kids) for dinner and drinks at Simon LA. We all ordered (side note: it’s crazy dark in that place, good luck reading the menu) off the Dine LA menu–can you guess which dessert I chose? The service and food (appetizer, entree, dessert) were both outstanding, as was the company. It was so much fun to talk to a group of girls about fondant and baking and really horrible reality TV and it was a really lovely night. Nanette took pictures of everything we ate, so stay tuned for a link shortly. And Jenn sent us home with goodie bags of homemade mini donuts that are the cutest thing I’ve seen in quite a while!
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Also over the weekend, I found myself at three different grocery stores in search of Kraft Caramel Bits. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find them anywhere and am beginning to wonder if they’re not available on the west coast. Has anyone seen these at their market? If so, where do you live, and would you possibly want to mail me some?

Enough about me, let’s talk about you for a minute (Part IV)

It’s that time again. (And apparently de-lurking week was a couple of weeks ago, so as usual, I’m late to the party. Or early I suppose, if you consider I did this back in 2006.) But anyway, I have nothing exciting to write about today, and I know you’re reading, so here’s your chance to do some of the talking! Tell me anything. 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?

You can read what others spilled back in June ‘06, October ‘06, and March ‘07. Don’t be shy!

Jdate Emails of the Week

My subscription ends this week, so these two will have to tide you over until I’m feeling brave again. Hold on tight, these are scary.

Email #1

Hello
How are you doing today,hope you are doing fine..I must tell you that your profile is worth a million glance….Am [Xxxxxx] by name am in Marketing….Am a man of 40 years old with a son,whose name is [Zzzzzz]…….currently am Divorced and looking forward to meet a woman that will possess at least few of my qualities….That is loyalty,Humble,Honest,GOD fearing,Caring,ETC
Finally,i would be highly honored if you can admit me as your friend….And also tell me more about yourself…This is my personal email address [Xxxxxxx]@yahoo.com please reply to my personal email address…… If you have a yahoo id please send it along so that i can add you to my friend list…….i believe through that medium it will be faster to get to know more about each other.
Hope to hear from you

Email #2

hello my name is [Wwwwww]i am new at the site and found your profile and loved what i saw in there i think we coulg get to know more about each other….i want a lady for a long term relationship ….i mean someone i can feel and touch someone that can care about me and share love together with me…….i want to fall in love again……………….
…..contact me at my email [Wwwwww]@yahoo.com if uve got im so we can have some chart and get to know each other we can start from there

Now, must you really ask why I’m not in a huge rush to renew my subscription? And what’s with the ellipsis and IM requests?

Thursday Things

Monday night I dropped a prescription off at Longs and decided to run into Fresh & Easy (horrible name for a market, no?) while the pharmacist did his thing. I’m not sure if I’m missing something or if the store is just majorly disappointing. Sure, it’s really bright and the aisles are wide and you don’t run into people like at Trader Joe’s, but eh. I picked up a thing of blackberries (yes mom, I started liking blackberries) and the “use by” date on the package was that day. I checked all of the packages and they all had the same date. Not good if you ask me. I think I like TJ’s better, but perhaps I’ll give Fresh & Easy another chance.
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All these years of working in corporate America are beginning to take a toll–on my feet! Lately I’ve noticed that when I get home from my work, my feet and shins totally cramp up. The cramps only seem to occur after wearing regular heels, not boots, but in the meantime, I need to figure out a solution without a) spending a fortune on new shoes and b) getting all of my pants hemmed.
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To people that I know in person: I’m thinking of participating in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure on Saturday, March 15. Want to walk to with me? Also, I want to go to the Bad Religion show at the HOB on Sunset in March. Interested?
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In TV news, I now have unhealthy obsessions with both Celebrity Rehab and The Millionaire Matchmaker. Every time I see Jeff Conoway I’m just shocked he’s the same person that played Kenickie. Also, I haven’t watched anything that was on last night so please don’t spoil Project Runway for me.
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I have a stupid pimple on my chin that goes away then comes back a few weeks later which is becoming quite annoying. But couple that was the fact that I am getting wrinkles while I still have pimples, and it just pisses me off.
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In travel news, I’m meeting my friend Cyndi in Vegas in April! She’s going to fly down from Seattle and I’m going to fly out from Burbank ($59 each way…nice!) and we’re going to spend Thursday through Saturday in Sin City. It should also be noted that the week before I head there, I should know a little bit more about the job situation, so hopefully I won’t be gambling away my last paycheck. Just kidding, I wouldn’t do that.
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In chocolate news, someone nominated my baking blog for a Death By Chocolate food blogger contest. Both a reader and blogger will win trips for two to Napa to attend a chocolate festival! So go ahead and register as a reader (which enters you in the drawing), then when the voting begins next week, vote for my baking blog, and maybe we’ll have a chance to chat while we stuff our bellies with chocolate up north!
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It’s been a week since I last heard from The Googler. Another one hit by The Bus. And no, he’s not horribly ill or anything because a while back he told me about his blog so I read it yesterday and he’s been posting regularly, and made no mention of writing from a hospital room or anything. Why guys are wusses and say “lets go out again” then do the disappearing thing will always remain a mystery to me. Why not just say “it was nice meeting you” or whatever. Lame.
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Last night I went to a Big Brothers Big Sisters mixer at a bar called The Sapphire in the Valley. It was a really cool place (probably because it reminded me a little of The Well) and if any of my friends move to the other side of the hill, I would definitely be up for drinks there, although I might bring a flashlight–that place made The Arsenal look bright.
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If you haven’t already, please tell me about yourself!
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This week’s question: What is your current guilty pleasure TV show?