Summertime

Ahhhh, Summer! The long days and warm hot weather tend to put me on a blogging hiatus. So rest assured the blog is not dead (even though Emily heard the screams), but I am busy swimming in the evenings and enjoying the nice Central Coast weekends!

Photo from Cabo San Lucas, March 2006.

9 Years!

Last night Ben and I went out to dinner at our usual spot, The Sow's Ear, to celebrate nine years of being a couple. It wasn't our official day (he was working in Colorado and I was celebrating a friend's birthday), but I know it has been atleast 4 years (or 6, we aren't sure) since we were together on the 29th so this is standard practice for us. We can't wait for the big 1-0!
Picture of the world sculpture at the UN in New York City, July 2009.

Movie Review: The Ugly Truth

I should have checked Rotten Tomatoes before suggesting this movie to my friends for a girl's night. I actually feel really bad. Luckily the theatre was full so I wasn't alone in my mistake.

Typical romantic comedy but a little more crude. I did think the beginning was funny, but then it just became flat. And in the end, the "moral" was a little confusing (or non-existent). It won't be long before it is on TV, just wait and watch it there.

Drinks at our usual place helped to salvage a nice Friday evening. Luckily the pick for next weekend (Julie & Julia) has a much better rating!

America's Most Trusted Newsman

Montreal and NYC were fabulous! So fabulous, that I got a cold and am completely exhausted. I can't wait to sleep-in this weekend!

We hoped to get tickets to the taping of The Daily Show on Thursday night, but unfortunately they are sold-out for quite awhile.

Now I understand why. (And another interesting article).

Wanna feel old?

Giving up my iPod for a Walkman

I Heart Small Town News

It's probably fake, but I don't care.

Best. News. Report. Ever.

Recap - June 2009

It's still June, so I'm not that behind with this update...

June started with a quick work trip to Anaheim for the Institute of Food Technologists' Annual Meeting. On the way down, F and I stopped at the Getty Center to meet up with Rachel and Nik for the afternoon. It was nice, but seeing the whole place in 8 hours was a bit overwhelming.We went over to West Hollywood for dinner at Le Petit Four. I am really surprise this place has 3.5 stars on Yelp. It isn't THAT good (and not "French" from an authentic Frenchie). The other dinning establishments on the trip weren't very good either (Buca di Beppo, Aroma Bakery Cafe, House of Blues). And I didn't step foot on Disneyland except for the group dinner at House of Blues.

Then Emily graduated from Cal Poly.She is official with her new shinny BFA.The family spent the weekend together and Emily was nice enough to share the spotlight a little.Ok not with me, but with everyone's favorite 9-month old.Who keeps getting cuter and cuter.It was also Princess' second experience with a baby, but the first with a moving baby.She is definitely extremely nervous of other small, moving mammals, so she never stopped watching and kept her distance.
Lastly, Ben and I tried our hands at gardening and are happy to report our green thumbs are starting to take shape. There are four new bushes in the front, 2 indoor plants were re-potted into 4, and we added 3 indoor plants and 2 herbs.
Even though summer is here with consecutive triple digit temperatures, life is good.

Gasp! Cutting Cable?

Ben and I have been thinking about leaving the world of cable this summer and switching to a Hulu/iTunes/Netflix system. Basically a good media computer would replace our cable box. Our only problem is keeping HD quality (so if you have any advice...). I am embarrassed to say exactly how much we spend on cable, but until 5 minutes ago, we use to have everything in HD except for Starz (which has all the good stuff). To help ease the transition for me (which I am worried might be painful), I am taking little steps to slowly end the cable addiction and so cancelled the Premium Channels today. Goodbye Entourage, Weeds, and The Tudors, you will be missed.

Soon we will be cable free and then we will move on to re-examine the expensive DSL we have. Do we really need 5 static IPs?

Hello Full Keyboard

Well I took the leap into the world of connectivity 24/7. Not the iPhone (crossing my fingers it comes to Verizon in 2010) but Ben's World Blackberry (he prefers the Pearl).I am trying it out for the next two months while I travel for work, but I don't think I will be able to give it up. F and I needed a good, cheap sushi place in Santa Barbara on our way home from the conference. Hello Yelp App. Emily sends me a urgent request via Facebook since her cell phone died. Instant reply. You just can't go back from this!

Photo on the train from Bratislava to Vienna, March 2009.