Bespoke

One of the things I appreciate about living in BS is that there are small, independently owned stores and restaurants. I’d much rather shop at a boutique store than a mall or department store. Chain restaurants? I avoid them like the plague. Mr. & I were out having brunch a few months ago, and noticed a sandwich-board sign on the corner of LaVerne & 2nd advertising “Urban Eden. Home – Body – Soul” and we were lured in. We walked into a little gem full of treasures to explore. The bonus was to find out that all of the wares are crafted by local artists and designers. Everything from jewelry, to homewares, handmade shawls, blankets, candles, and even a natural skin care line. The owner, Cheryl is genuinely kind and attentive without being pushy. It’s the kind of boutique where items are always changing, there’s always something new. You could go in to pick up a quick gift for someone, or spend some time casually wandering around. Perhaps to pick up a gift for yourself…

Parks and Rec

Memorial Day was last weekend, and everyone claims it as the “official” start of Summer. I feel like the weather didn’t know that, though. It was pretty cold and gloomy. But, I think it’s gradually getting better, and before you know it, it will be sweltering. Most people head to the beach to cool off. I know a lot of people head to Horny Corner. Have you ever noticed the flotilla of inflatables in the bay nearby? It’s an inflatable play ground and is run by the City Parks, Rec and Marine Department. It’s on the water in front of the Kayak Café (run by Alfredo’s Beach Club). The best part? It’s freeee! So, take those kiddos out there to burn off some of that out-of-school energy this Summer. Or, better yet, it would probably make a super fun workout! Who ever said only kids can play…?!

 

Traitor

I wanted to title this post, “Traitor: My Love/Hate Relationship with Trader Joe’s” but I like to keep it short. I love Trader Joe’s. Who doesn’t? But, I feel like no matter what I go in there for, I always end up with more. Sure, sometimes I go with a list. Or I’m going in for the usual (steamed Lentils, cooked frozen quinoa, fresh peas, riced cauliflower, Two Buck Chuck, etc.) I always end up in excess. Maybe it’s my fault because I read the Fearless Flyer first. Maybe because I browse every aisle. Maybe because I bring extra grocery bags. Maybe because they offer free samples that I usually sample and equally as usually purchase. Today, I ended up with their new jalapeño sauce, green curry sauce, chicken, some kind of Brussels-kale-cabbage slaw, bruschetta, salmon burgers, and dark chocolate covered blueberries. What am I going to make with that?! I’ll tell you what I’m going to make with that: something new, that I’ve never made before, but nonetheless delicious…

 

 

Boner

I’m baaa-aack! IDK what happened. I try to stay on the ball here, but things seem to have gotten away from me. So, I’m here to let y’all know I’m back. But more importantly – and I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to tell you this – Dogz is back!!! If you recall, at the end of 2017, a truck hit the fire hydrant outside of the restaurant, and everything was flooded. After months of renovations/reconstruction, in the summer of 2018 (just weeks before they were ready to re-open), they were a victim of arson. Dogz was always one of our favorite places for daydrinking, people-watching, and snacking. There’s a great assortment of beers on tap (Racer 5 IPA, and Ballast Point Sculpin IPA were two of my go-tos). The wingz were the best I could find in the city. And the bean nachos were a hit when we wanted to pretend to be healthy.

So, needless to say we were thrilled when they announced their soft re-opening on April 10 (Roar in the Shore) and their grand re-opening party that Friday. Mr. and I decided to wait a little until the first rush calmed down, and we went to visit Saturday afternoon. It was like being home. It has a fresh, more open feel, and they expanded the bathrooms (yay!) and the kitchen. I have to be honest, though (as I always am) and let you know that it seemed they were still having a little rough start of getting going again. The waitress informed us there was only one cook (for a sunny Saturday afternoon filled at capacity before even lunch time). It seemed like less of a selection of draught beers (no Racer!? No Sculpin!?). They were out of things like french fries, and one of their new menu items, soft pretzels with cheeze sauce (was dying to try this!), and the service was pretty slow. Now, I have many fond memories of this place, and I’m chalking it up to maybe new employees or under-expectations of crowds, but I definitely know that we’re looking forward to many days ahead in the Dog House.* And I mean that in the best way possible…

*BTW, the mural is gone.

Tired

Mondays. UGH! Amirite? Especially a DST Monday. Imagine leaving for work, and seeing you have a flat tire. On a Monday. A DST Monday. Almost enough to ruin your day. Almost. A good samaritan (not even a neighbor – he said he was visiting one of my neighbors!) stopped to help me. He simply offered. “If you have a spare, I can change it for you.” I just stood there. I didn’t know what to do. I told him I didn’t have any cash on me, but offered to Venmo something to him. I asked him what I could do for him. “Nothing. It’s no problem. I’m not like that.” In fact, it turns out he’s an artist, and he gave me a cactus in a holder he designed. I promised him I would pay it forward. And I will.

The next best part is the place where I went to get the tire patched. Advanced Auto Club on Anaheim in the Zaferia District. It’s a family-owned and run business. I’m always happy when I can support the little guys. They took my tire out of my trunk, patched it, and re-installed it in a matter of minutes. They checked the air in my spare tire because I mentioned it looked low. They checked the air pressure in all of the other tires. They carefully placed my spare tire in the hidey-spot in the trunk, and re-packed all of the little tools. The only thing I wish I had known was that it’s cash-only if it’s under $20 (it was only $10). The waiting room was small and sparse, but they had coffee, tea and water. I would happily recommend them to anyone who asks, not that I’m hoping y’all have tire issues any time soon…

Out of Service

 

Happy New Year! Yeah, yeah. I know it’s practically the middle of February already, but I’m finally getting caught up after some mishaps. I never realized what a creature of habit I am. How even if the smallest thing gets out of whack, so do I. It all started on December 12 when I was getting into my car that was parked on the street and someone plowed into my open door. Without a car for 3 & a half weeks. Then, I was on Jury Duty for two weeks. Then, I had the flu. I did things like order groceries online and have them delivered to my home. Walk back & forth to work. And miss out on holiday events (although Mr. and I did go out for NYE). But the good news is that I got all of the crappy stuff over at the beginning of the year, and things can only go up, right?  *knocks on wood* At any rate, there’s been some happenings in BS, and I’m looking forward to being able to share some stories with you again…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mini-Me

Guys, it’s almost 2019! Can you believe it?! Many people use the new year as a way to look back on the past year, while also looking ahead into the upcoming year. (Fun fact, “January” comes from the Roman god Janus who had two faces. He was the god of beginnings, endings, transitions, time, gates, doorways, and passages.) The New Year is a time for introspection and self-examination. It’s a time when people start to use the “R” word. Resolutions. Here’s the thing, I never make resolutions any more. Seriously, who ever actually keeps their resolutions? I mean, it’s easy to make a resolution to eat healthy or go to the gym, or quit drinking during the week when you’re chillin at home with your friends and family, relaxed and calm, still in the holiday glow. But when reality hits and you’ve had a shit day at work, are stressed and exhausted, it’s pretty easy to succumb to temptation or laziness. So, we should just give up and not worry about trying to improve ourselves, right?

Nope. There’s another option that a friend of mine brought to my attention. Micro-resolutions. Inspired by this article, it’s kind of like Dry January all year long. No, not cutting out alcohol completely for the whole year. It’s making a small change for each month of the year. Now, that writer claimed a year of abstinence, but I like the idea of both refraining and augmenting throughout the year. For example, in January, cut out booze, in February, pledge to read at least one book, in March, no social media, etc. And I feel like you don’t even have to plan out the whole year. You can make your decisions month by month. I think it’s important to take time to focus on your self, and well-being, and these bite-sized, manageable goals are something I can resolve to do…

Never Better

I left Pittsburgh a little over 15 years ago. I had quit my job, but had nothing lined up. My last day of work was sometime in March. I remember driving to work that morning, it was grey, drizzly, snowy, slushy, and overall just gross. I thought to myself that morning, “this might be the last time I have to drive to work in these weather conditions.” And I was right. I’m still friends with a lot of people I grew up with or went to school with there. They had their first (I think) snow last night. The storm knocked out power, and it’s like 30 degrees. I wore flip flops to work today. As I was watching the news this afternoon, they showed people skiing at Big Bear, and said they might actually get real snow as early as next week. It was like 70 today at the beach. I haven’t had to drive on icy roads for over 15 years. Nor have I been anywhere snowy. (Does Queen Mary’s Chill count?) I don’t miss snow, and I have to say, it’s never been better…

 

 

Broadening

Ack! I can’t believe it’s November already! I’ve been meaning to tell you about this place, and IDK how time got away from me. A couple of weeks ago, Drinking Buddy, Mr., and I were daydrinking out and about, and as evening drew near, we realized we needed some food. We wanted something different from the stand-bys on 2nd Street, and told Drinking Buddy that he could pick, since he doesn’t get down this way that much. He pulled up some list from Yelp, and came up with Ellie’s.  (I think he was familiar with the chef from Campanile.) Tips: make sure you sit outside, the inside is teeny, and Über or Lyft there ‘coz I have no idea where you would park. First of all, our waiter was incredibly knowledgeable and the service overall was impeccable. Second, everything we had was delicious. We decided to get a little bit of everything and were not disappointed. The grilled bread came with pork butter. It was so indulgent, it can in no way be healthy, but get it. The roasted cauliflower was complemented with a smoky eggplant purée and garnished with a crunchy pistachio dukkah. The pasta was delicate, and the meatballs we chose to pair with it were light and flavorful. And the roasted chicken! We eat chicken all of the time, but not like this. The skin was perfectly crispy, while the meat was still tender, juicy, and savory. The waiter-recommended bottle (OK, we had two) of wine was the culmination of this splendid meal. We don’t get out of BS all that often, but this was definitely worth the deviation…

Full Disclosure

Guys! How about that rain storm last night (and this morning!)? I don’t think I have heard/seen thunder and lightening like that since I moved to CA. And it was a legit downpour, not just a drizzle. It was magical. And today was so cool and grey; it was the perfect day to sit around and do nothing (OK, I did a few loads of laundry, so I wasn’t a total sloth). But, I digress. IDK if you remember the pumpkin spice rant I went on a few years ago. September 1 rolls around and BAM! Pumpkin spice everything is everywhere! Coffee, tea, cookies, crackers, tortilla chips… I could go on and on. But, I have a confession. There actually is a pumpkin spice product I enjoy. It’s Buffalo Bill’s Pumpkin Ale. Of course beer is the only pumpkin spice thing that I like. It’s an amber ale that’s brewed with fresh roasted pumpkin; you’ll taste notes of the traditional pumpkin pie spices like cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. It’s only 6% ABV, so it’s a pretty easy drink. I usually get just one 6-pack, and that tides me over until the next year. I typically purchase it at BevMo, and there have been times in the past where they were sold out already. Mr. and I were talking about it a few weeks ago, but I never did anything to actively seek it out. Then, I kinda’ forgot about it. But the other day, I was grocery shopping, and there it was. A 6-pack, just sitting there on the end of an aisle (not even the beer aisle) all by its lonesome. And, I knew it was meant to be…