John and I went to see the LA showing of Wicked the musical on July 14 th -- Bastille Day -- Pepperdine University arranged to buy tickets for the folks who were interested. Simply put it was awesome. The set was intricate and beautiful and the singing was just immense.
It was an opportunity to dress up for me so I donned on one of the long skirts my Dad got for me. That was a fine idea till we got to the numerous steps to our seat. To give you an idea, our wrappers (skirts) are fitted down the hips and usually flare or have a split at the bottom. This is fine when walking on relatively level planes. Well, to get up the stairs I hiked up the skirt a little to give my hips some room to maneuver and I sort of walked sideways -- I had to laugh at myself because I must have been fun to watch. I was not happy when intermission came because it meant going down two thirds of the stairs I had just painstakingly climbed to make it back up again! I had to do it so I did not appear to be anti-social to John's colleagues.
I recognized Andrea who was one of John's colleagues on our Italy trip and we chatted for a bit. We also said a brief hello to the dean and the admin who set up the outing -- she was just lovely.
Back to Wicked My favorite favorite song was Defying Gravity. I can still hear it in my head and how she belted it out without missing a note.
The wonderful thing about Wicked is it takes the Wizard of Oz and stands it on its head. What if you just changed your perspective on the witches and their situations the story takes on a very different meaning. Glenda the good witch was delightful as a ditsy witch with generally good intentions while the Wicked witch was fun to see painted ogre or envy green. The winged monkeys, the headmistress, the soldiers, the townsfolk were all fun to watch in action. The wizard's singing was not as good, in my humble opinion, but he was a good actor.
The first half was an hour and a half long while the second half was only an hour. Though it may sound long I did not want it to end because it was sooo good! I sat at the edge of my seat for most of the show and it was not because we had bad seats (we had really great seats)!
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Saturday, July 14, 2007
The Ivy
We started off our Saturday morning as any other sleeping late and dreaming of nothing. Then at noon we had this brilliant idea to go to The Ivy this famous restaurant in LA. First I did the first thing when I don't want to be bothered to call I go to http://www.opentable.com/ to book a table online. Well, no listing for The Ivy so I break down and call them for lunch reservations and there is room at 3:15pm -- kinda late for lunch but we'll take it because it is The Ivy.
I printed the directions and some reviews to read to John on the way there. CitySearch.com had lots of reviews about celebrity sightings, eating on the patio, and how expensive the food is. Other reviews go on and on about how bad the wait staff is and the state of the restaurant, a veritable shack, as well as the ordinariness of the food.
We turned on Maude, our beloved GPS, just before we got there. I was quite upset at her because she gave us slightly different directions from Yahoo which made us do a left turn onto Robertson from San Vicente. Oy! It took us forever to make that turn because each turn of the light only let through 1-2 cars because of on coming traffic. We finally make it there looking at the neighborhood thank God for valet parking! There wasn't a single street parking space in sight!
We had called to say we were going to be late, 15 minutes would have been 8 if not for that left turn, it appeared to be no big deal since we still waited to be seated. We asked to sit inside and Maitre D just as he was about to lead us inside he mentioned that an outside table freed up at which we could be seated I overheard them say there was a walk off. Good for us. The patio table was being prepped and just as it was ready he started leading us in inside the restaurant. When I looked toward the table on the patio with a question in my eyes, he gave me a big fat smile and said it was no longer available because it was being prepped for a table for six. I was not miffed at all because some of the blogs tell you to expect to be bumped. Except in this case it was not for some celebrity -- too good to be true.
It was a homey 2 room shack of a restaurant but it was cozy. I got the crab cakes (yum) and John had the Caesar to start and I had the mesqite grilled Cajun shrimp and John the Swordfish for entrees. It was good American comfort food but unbelievably pricey. Since we got there at 3:30pm we were way past the lunch prices time. The bill certainly gave me cause for pause especially since there were no celebrity sightings and this is one of those times I will not be sharing the amount. This was shucked up to a i-can-say-i-went-to ... experience -- nuff said. A couple of the side dishes were interesting a mound of pureed cauliflower which tasted lime it had some blue cheese in it and some pureed squash (yuk!). There was also this lime tomatilla sauce which I tasted and quickly passed on to my don't-eat-ever-again list. I must admit that is a little harsh but I am not crazy about sauces because I believe they mask natural food flavors -- this was no exception, it was kind of horrible. I only ate the pureed cauliflower.
Between eating the lovely brown bread, a large bottle of pellegrino, linner, and coffee we were stuffed. No room for dessert which was really a pity because there were some good reviews about dessert. On another note, the waiter was an interesting bloke, he creeped me out a little because his movements were slow and deliberate and reminded me of slo mo movie. For example, when he gave us the bill it felt like he just about passed our table when he turned back and slowly placed the bill on the table. He also waited for a beat before he smiled like he had to remind himself that it was part of the waiter's hand book and even then it was a reveal of his beautiful row of teeth with upturned mouth corners rather than a smile. Hmm...made me wonder if he was the character from Phantasm.
Not much drama around except us witnessing a couple of ladies right next to us fight over the bill and try not to tear it - quite funny. Since they must have realized they looked quite comic so one of the ladies leaned over to explain to me that her friend had come to visit her from Minneapolis so it was only natural that she pay the bill. I told her I was staying out of it. They solved it amicably with some pact to which John and I were witnesses -- have no idea what the pact was.
After the wonderful meal minus the sauces stuffed to the gills, we pulled out into the LA afternoon traffic and headed for home. If you have been to LA I do not need to describe the traffic. It is rather unreal that at 5:30pm on a Saturday traffic is backed up on LA highways but it is.
I printed the directions and some reviews to read to John on the way there. CitySearch.com had lots of reviews about celebrity sightings, eating on the patio, and how expensive the food is. Other reviews go on and on about how bad the wait staff is and the state of the restaurant, a veritable shack, as well as the ordinariness of the food.
We turned on Maude, our beloved GPS, just before we got there. I was quite upset at her because she gave us slightly different directions from Yahoo which made us do a left turn onto Robertson from San Vicente. Oy! It took us forever to make that turn because each turn of the light only let through 1-2 cars because of on coming traffic. We finally make it there looking at the neighborhood thank God for valet parking! There wasn't a single street parking space in sight!
We had called to say we were going to be late, 15 minutes would have been 8 if not for that left turn, it appeared to be no big deal since we still waited to be seated. We asked to sit inside and Maitre D just as he was about to lead us inside he mentioned that an outside table freed up at which we could be seated I overheard them say there was a walk off. Good for us. The patio table was being prepped and just as it was ready he started leading us in inside the restaurant. When I looked toward the table on the patio with a question in my eyes, he gave me a big fat smile and said it was no longer available because it was being prepped for a table for six. I was not miffed at all because some of the blogs tell you to expect to be bumped. Except in this case it was not for some celebrity -- too good to be true.
It was a homey 2 room shack of a restaurant but it was cozy. I got the crab cakes (yum) and John had the Caesar to start and I had the mesqite grilled Cajun shrimp and John the Swordfish for entrees. It was good American comfort food but unbelievably pricey. Since we got there at 3:30pm we were way past the lunch prices time. The bill certainly gave me cause for pause especially since there were no celebrity sightings and this is one of those times I will not be sharing the amount. This was shucked up to a i-can-say-i-went-to ... experience -- nuff said. A couple of the side dishes were interesting a mound of pureed cauliflower which tasted lime it had some blue cheese in it and some pureed squash (yuk!). There was also this lime tomatilla sauce which I tasted and quickly passed on to my don't-eat-ever-again list. I must admit that is a little harsh but I am not crazy about sauces because I believe they mask natural food flavors -- this was no exception, it was kind of horrible. I only ate the pureed cauliflower.
Between eating the lovely brown bread, a large bottle of pellegrino, linner, and coffee we were stuffed. No room for dessert which was really a pity because there were some good reviews about dessert. On another note, the waiter was an interesting bloke, he creeped me out a little because his movements were slow and deliberate and reminded me of slo mo movie. For example, when he gave us the bill it felt like he just about passed our table when he turned back and slowly placed the bill on the table. He also waited for a beat before he smiled like he had to remind himself that it was part of the waiter's hand book and even then it was a reveal of his beautiful row of teeth with upturned mouth corners rather than a smile. Hmm...made me wonder if he was the character from Phantasm.
Not much drama around except us witnessing a couple of ladies right next to us fight over the bill and try not to tear it - quite funny. Since they must have realized they looked quite comic so one of the ladies leaned over to explain to me that her friend had come to visit her from Minneapolis so it was only natural that she pay the bill. I told her I was staying out of it. They solved it amicably with some pact to which John and I were witnesses -- have no idea what the pact was.
After the wonderful meal minus the sauces stuffed to the gills, we pulled out into the LA afternoon traffic and headed for home. If you have been to LA I do not need to describe the traffic. It is rather unreal that at 5:30pm on a Saturday traffic is backed up on LA highways but it is.
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Huntington Beach July 4th Parade
This is the first time I made a decision to watch the 4th of July parade ever. I was looking forward to seeing all the marching bands and interesting groups that decide to march. John mentioned a couple of days earlier people had begun to stake out their territory on the parade route -- kind of reminds me of Mardi Gras in New Orleans -- who knew the HB parade was so popular.
Lots of people and a glimpse of the marching band with the yellow feathers
Lots of horses from miniatures ...
To stallions
Cowboys -- nothing sexier than a man with a lasso. Yee haw!
Some jiggerbug or is it jitterbug? This couple danced right in front of us what a treat!
He was waiting for his lady ...
And scouts a la Huntington Beach
The morning started off slow a day off in the middle of the week is a great excuse to sleep late. The fact that the parade was happening from 10am to 12pm kind of get us going. I was so keen on seeing this parade I left the house without earrings! I may not wear make up but I will not leave the house without earrings! Well, I broke my own rule. So, me and my earringless self went out in search of the parade with John trailing a little ways behind.
The tail end of the parade route was about 4 - 5 city/country blocks away so we walked. It was overcast so it was actually pleasant. We got there at about 11am but it appears we missed some of the big marching bands which was a bummer but there was still plenty to see. There were actually lots of people out to see the parade with their kids.
Lots of people and a glimpse of the marching band with the yellow feathers
Lots of horses from miniatures ... To stallions Cowboys -- nothing sexier than a man with a lasso. Yee haw!
Some jiggerbug or is it jitterbug? This couple danced right in front of us what a treat! He was waiting for his lady ...
Our military and veterans:
This caterpillar backfired loud enough after it was done with the parade that it nearly sent people sprawling to the ground in cover!
Fire engines
Even ones with John's name!
Some interesting sounding bands ....
Local personalities I know very little or nothing about ...
The bus from the local college. Hmm wonder if their curriculum is more updated than the bus especially since I plan to try them out this fall ...
And scouts a la Huntington Beach
Leaving the parade in style
Monday, July 2, 2007
Sunday Crazies and Shopping
Well, The day started off a little rocky with the dream and all. I took out the trash because we had so many bags and it was high time. There is nothing like Sunday morning duties with no one around to bother you. There was one other guy who was on trash duty as well he said hello. That in itself is amazing because no one here says hello. The only guys who say hello to us are the crazy conspiracy neighbors to our right and the blonde haired couple to our left. As to what else they are capable of saying is anyone's guess.
I heard John wake up and trudge to the bathroom so I decided to go out get some coffee and on the way deposit those bags of my old clothes at goodwill. Remember those bags I talked about in April? Well they are still here.
Post movie it was a run to McDonalds because all respectable restaurants were closed. As we were leaving I did a great job of messing up the previously low tire by running over the curb. How much more lucky can you get?!?!
I heard John wake up and trudge to the bathroom so I decided to go out get some coffee and on the way deposit those bags of my old clothes at goodwill. Remember those bags I talked about in April? Well they are still here.
On my way out the door I noticed that the water in the vase of flowers John bought me about a week ago was low. It was odd to have evaporated like that but I went to the kitchen to get some more water. Got back to the dining room table and realized that it wasn't evaporation at all. One of my favorite vases had this terrible crack and leaked all the water out and was sitting in an amoebic puddle on the table surface! Awwww! Now I have to clean up! Which I did and used the occasion to knock off the fine layer of dust the graced the table top.
No time to mourn the vases now I had things to do. Noticed I said vases -- the other one had a crack from way back which really made me mad.
Anyway, I loaded the 3 huge bags headed to goodwill in the car and set off. OK, I thought I knew where I was going. I drove down Adams, up Atlanta, down Garfield, and up brookhurst! I have been to this place before at least twice. Now I am angry that I did not look up the address before leaving!
I gave up went ot StarBucks for coffee and pastry breakfast and headed home with the goodwill bags still in the car. All the way home I am thinking of how much I am a dobbin.
Got home, was going to get John his coffee and head on my own to church. John caught me and got dressed in a jiff and we got there on time and heard a really good sermon. After church, home for a bit to catch our breath and headed out again because John needed new shoes and I had 20% off coupons for both Bloomies and Macy's too hard to pass up.
The Bloomies at South Coast Plaza is very new and is entirely and expensive proposition. The last time we were there we were looking at these 100 thread Egyptian cotton sheets that cost $1000. Can you imagine sleeping on sheets that cost $1000?!?!?! They would have to send me to lala land immediately or work some kind of magic to cost that much. Before we went to Bloomies we stopped at Marshalls -- wouldn't you know it John found some shoes.
We wen to Bloomies anyway and there was nothing with my name on it. Next stop Wolfgang Puck to fill up for the shopping road ahead. John has the smoked salmon pizza and I had the spicy shrimp pizza -- yum yum. The waiter took forever to serve us but I had this drink called Starburst it cost more than John's beer. It was totally worth it because it had passion fruit, orange, and mango juices with a touch of grenadine and it did feel like all the flavors came alive in your mouth. Hmmmm... I can still taste it. At the end of the meal we had coffee which the waiter said was on him and I wondered was it on him because he didn't want to be bothered redoing the bill or was he really apologizing for making us wait. Could not figure that one out. The funny part of lunch was I knock over John's empty wine glass just as the waiter was coming over and the waiter assumed it was John and mentioned it was good that I was driving! Hah!
Next stop Macy's. Well much to John's chagrin I tore up the store. I had an armful of clothes when I was done and John has become tired and headed off the bookstore. We got our little wires crossed because I was thinking Barnes and Nobel and he was thinking Borders. I was not happy about this because I had to give up my beautiful parking spot to go to where he was.
We spent a small fortune on travel books mostly, novels, and Seattle's Best coffee and decided to do our last outing for the day go see Live Free or Die Hard with Bruce Willis. John noticed my front passenger tire looked rather low so we went to gas station to fill her up. I am pretty glad he noticed because the air gauge at the garage indicated 12lbs for a tire that is supposed to have 32lbs! Boy am I glad we decided to take Jean Luc out for some exercise today!
We are back in business we head to the movie which was just the kind of action movie I love seeing. It was f-a=b-u-l-o-u-s! Before we went in, we said in the little open air amphitheatre and watched the kids play. There was this adorable little girl who kept on running around. Soo cute! She was a little blur of activity so it was hard to get a good picture of her!
Post movie it was a run to McDonalds because all respectable restaurants were closed. As we were leaving I did a great job of messing up the previously low tire by running over the curb. How much more lucky can you get?!?!Sunday, July 1, 2007
Strange Dreams
Last night was a strange dream night. I remember being in China for some reason since it is a dream it plops you where it bloody well pleases. I was with a friend just not sure which one it was you know how dreams make such details a little blurry.
Anyway, I am either in dire need of cash or I need to get away so I ask to replace someone who is selling tickets to an event out side a hotel like structure. I start selling tickets without asking the person who I relieved what to do. I sell my first couple and the folks ask me for their paper tickets and I say it is ok they can go in and let the folks at the front door know I sold them tickets. I sell a few more and I hear shouting coming from the door and the doorman yells at the top of his voice that I am selling tickets without giving tickets. Well, that alerts the police across the street and they begin walking my direction.
I panic obviously and head straight into the hotel at top speed which it turns out is a train or metro station. I try unsuccessfully to find a hiding place darting here and there with my companion. Then decide to hop a train and wind up somewhere in New York.
That is as much as I can remember.
Hmmmm....! Do you think this is one way of telling me I need to visit my mom in New York? And what's up with the China connection. Any insight is welcome.
What a way to ring in July!
Anyway, I am either in dire need of cash or I need to get away so I ask to replace someone who is selling tickets to an event out side a hotel like structure. I start selling tickets without asking the person who I relieved what to do. I sell my first couple and the folks ask me for their paper tickets and I say it is ok they can go in and let the folks at the front door know I sold them tickets. I sell a few more and I hear shouting coming from the door and the doorman yells at the top of his voice that I am selling tickets without giving tickets. Well, that alerts the police across the street and they begin walking my direction.
I panic obviously and head straight into the hotel at top speed which it turns out is a train or metro station. I try unsuccessfully to find a hiding place darting here and there with my companion. Then decide to hop a train and wind up somewhere in New York.
That is as much as I can remember.
Hmmmm....! Do you think this is one way of telling me I need to visit my mom in New York? And what's up with the China connection. Any insight is welcome.
What a way to ring in July!
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