I went walking on Sunday to get in my long haul for the weekend. I half power walked to the beach at about 4pm intending to get in 2 hours of walking. When I reached dog beach about 40 minutes later, wave after wave rolled in and they were huge! They looked about 10 feet high. They were amazing! No one was surfing which l thought was odd and I later learned there was a surf advisory because of the storm and it was not safe to surf. Also there wasn't a lifeguard in sight. There were a few brave souls on the beach playing with the waves but no one dared go in. It was fun to watch all the people taking pictures of the waves. I called John to come out to see them.
Well, the waves played havoc on my walk so I only managed 5 miles when l really wanted to walls 6 miles. Anyway, my after-walk treat was going to our favorite Japanese restaurant Mimi they have the best sushi in town. When we go there I always wish l spoke Japanese so l can tell them how much We appreciate their restaurant. We eat there Once a week or more. A little extravagant I know, but if you ate their food you would understand. The tuna and salmon just melt in your month. My personal favorite is the Unagi (eel) and Unaju (eel on rice).
I was less than lady like in my waling sweats but did not let that get in the way of my culinary enjoyment.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Let's go Outback Tonight
Well, we went to outback for dinner tonight. Did not want to cook and had a hankering for Steak. Considering the week I had I felt like I deserved it. With back-to-back meetings on Friday and all but dead projects roaring back to life with ruddy cheeks and all, I was in the mood for some red meat without a lot of fuss. After l blasted off my last email for today and shut down before any others miraculously appeared from ether, we set course for Le Outback. Maude our trusted navigator was in tow and we were off to the faraway lands of Costa Mesa with Maude's help. 15 minutes later we were there and trying to figure out how to drive into the parking lot. You would think 2 educated people would figure it out but it took one miss and a drive around the block to get into the lot.
Anyway, that ordeal over, we proceeded to order the crab cakes and coconut shrimp. Had to take care of immediate hunger pangs. The crab cakes were, well, forgettable. The coconut shrimp, on the other hand, were huge and tasty and were 8 on the plate. After wolfing two in haste I decided the batter was too sweet and peeled it off. Ahhh so much better. I did not dare dunk in the nasty marmalade-like sauce everyone serves with coconut shrimp -- that stuff is dreadful. In my humble opinion. I found an alternative: the spicy mustard sauce that came with the crab cakes. Yumm! John thinks I am crazy because I never eat anything as it is served and I really can't stand sweet sauces. Not long after he raised a questioning eye brow at my antics he ushered forth the king of all grimaces. My turn to raise an eyebrow. He said the shrimp tasted funny -- I, of course, am convinced it is marmalade stuff -- yeech! It is only after he has downed his shrimp and tastes the sauce alone that he realizes the sauce is no so good. I, mistress of the last word, go completely mum with a smile. There are sometimes you just know when to shut up.
Enter the steaks. I am making up for a long 4-day work week so I go for fatty and tasty: our friend the rib eye. John goes for the NY steak. I am a well done kinda person and John goes for medium rare. You immediately see why we are meant for each other. A match like no other. We are looking deeply into each others eyes when the steaks arrive. This is no time for romance it is time to eat. I cut into mine and I see red, didn't she, with all the good service flairs, specifically ask me if I wanted no pink? She sure did and I did not have a frog in my throat, which has plagued me all day, when I confirmed I wanted no pink. I do not like seeing blood on my plate -- i want NO obvious reminders this was a living mammal. I swear if someone served me half cooked meat for 5 days I would become a vegetarian or maybe it more that I won't eat beef again.
I sent it back to the kitchen to get burnt to a crisp while I watched John eat and I picked on his fries. When my steak emerged once more from the kitchen, it was well well done just like I like it. John shook his head like he always does practically convinced that I am doing the steak a misdeed by having it cooked to an inch of its former self. My answer to that is it is my piece of meat.
Alas I could not finish the 14oz piece even after barely touching my rice. I need to rethink my restaurant ordering strategy! John cleaned his plate. His appetite is simply amazing. He has this way of making one feel like the best cook.
She, queen of the flairs, asked if we wanted desert. I thought at that moment she was truly unobservant! I thought I looked one step way from a food coma between 2 hefty glasses of pink "lemonade", a burst at the seams steak (which by the way I did not finish) you think she would get the hint. I think I gave her something very close to the evil eye and she quickly backed off and indicated she would bring our check right away. Now she is eager to kick us out! Well, we're ready to go anyway, so there!
No leftovers for me!
Maude helped us figure out how to get home since she happened to be very aware we were in dire need of assistance. As for Outback, I think I'll let 2-3 yeas go by again before I am ready.
Anyway, that ordeal over, we proceeded to order the crab cakes and coconut shrimp. Had to take care of immediate hunger pangs. The crab cakes were, well, forgettable. The coconut shrimp, on the other hand, were huge and tasty and were 8 on the plate. After wolfing two in haste I decided the batter was too sweet and peeled it off. Ahhh so much better. I did not dare dunk in the nasty marmalade-like sauce everyone serves with coconut shrimp -- that stuff is dreadful. In my humble opinion. I found an alternative: the spicy mustard sauce that came with the crab cakes. Yumm! John thinks I am crazy because I never eat anything as it is served and I really can't stand sweet sauces. Not long after he raised a questioning eye brow at my antics he ushered forth the king of all grimaces. My turn to raise an eyebrow. He said the shrimp tasted funny -- I, of course, am convinced it is marmalade stuff -- yeech! It is only after he has downed his shrimp and tastes the sauce alone that he realizes the sauce is no so good. I, mistress of the last word, go completely mum with a smile. There are sometimes you just know when to shut up.
Enter the steaks. I am making up for a long 4-day work week so I go for fatty and tasty: our friend the rib eye. John goes for the NY steak. I am a well done kinda person and John goes for medium rare. You immediately see why we are meant for each other. A match like no other. We are looking deeply into each others eyes when the steaks arrive. This is no time for romance it is time to eat. I cut into mine and I see red, didn't she, with all the good service flairs, specifically ask me if I wanted no pink? She sure did and I did not have a frog in my throat, which has plagued me all day, when I confirmed I wanted no pink. I do not like seeing blood on my plate -- i want NO obvious reminders this was a living mammal. I swear if someone served me half cooked meat for 5 days I would become a vegetarian or maybe it more that I won't eat beef again.
I sent it back to the kitchen to get burnt to a crisp while I watched John eat and I picked on his fries. When my steak emerged once more from the kitchen, it was well well done just like I like it. John shook his head like he always does practically convinced that I am doing the steak a misdeed by having it cooked to an inch of its former self. My answer to that is it is my piece of meat.
Alas I could not finish the 14oz piece even after barely touching my rice. I need to rethink my restaurant ordering strategy! John cleaned his plate. His appetite is simply amazing. He has this way of making one feel like the best cook.
She, queen of the flairs, asked if we wanted desert. I thought at that moment she was truly unobservant! I thought I looked one step way from a food coma between 2 hefty glasses of pink "lemonade", a burst at the seams steak (which by the way I did not finish) you think she would get the hint. I think I gave her something very close to the evil eye and she quickly backed off and indicated she would bring our check right away. Now she is eager to kick us out! Well, we're ready to go anyway, so there!
No leftovers for me!
Maude helped us figure out how to get home since she happened to be very aware we were in dire need of assistance. As for Outback, I think I'll let 2-3 yeas go by again before I am ready.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Dana Point
Dana Point is one of my favorite places to go. Last year we day dreamed of getting a house there so we went house hunting. There were some cubby holes for $1M! Huh! $1M! On the bright side you are steps ways from the view in the pictures below. We went there again last weekend and it turns out that one of the houses we looked is still on the market.
Frolicking at the Fresh & Easy
The English are coming!!!
The English grocery company, Tesco, opened a grocery store, Fresh and Easy, by the Marshalls down the street on Beach.
Interesting concept the groceries are in small packages. The cool stuff is pre-cooked and packaged in small containers. We got some chicken, pre-cooked potatoes, yellow squash and some other knick knacks.
Since I have been shopping at Albertsons I was feeling like a pro at unassisted check out. Well, I met one self-check out cash register that did not like me at the the Fresh and Easy! The bordering-on-disdainful check out help lady came to see about me twice during my check out process. How embarrassing! I, the lioness of self check, became the cub of self-check.
$3 Dollar Movies
Our new discovery of last week was the $3 movie theatre -- Regency Theatre. Way cool. It is on Wagner and Beach and we got to see Charlie Wilson's War.
Charlie Wilson's war was actually really really good. I had no idea who he was. Also, he is still alive -- we looked him up on Wikipedia. Do you know the man was re-elected 11 times?!?
Very interesting that some guy who did not know much about the Russian-Afghan war orchestrated one of the biggest covert CIA operation to the region. amazing.
Charlie Wilson's war was actually really really good. I had no idea who he was. Also, he is still alive -- we looked him up on Wikipedia. Do you know the man was re-elected 11 times?!?
Very interesting that some guy who did not know much about the Russian-Afghan war orchestrated one of the biggest covert CIA operation to the region. amazing.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Perfect Day
Today was as close to perfect as I can think of! First thing was getting up late. Then we went to church and they sang one of My favorite hymns: Greats is Thy faithfulness. That song fills my heart and always comes close to making me cry. But it always reminds me of all the good things that have happened in my life and the not so good things and the fact that with His steady hand I am stronger and have come through it all. So, Church was a very good way of starting the day.
After church I gave John a kiss and walked 2 miles to Old Mary to find some sweatpants for walking. John was waiting at this coffee shop. I sat for a moment and proceeded to get detoured from Old Navy to the Aerosoles Store: Shoes!!! My favorite thing! Well, it was almost a bust till I found these short boots that will go perfectly with my Work trousers/pants and are comfortable and boast a high enough of a heel for me to be happy. But l swear it was so bard to find my size in the shoes for sale. The store only seemed to have size 9s or 11s so l could not get any of the other cute 3 or 4 pairs of shoes I wanted for which my wallet is probably thankful for but my inner fashionista is quite upset about!
Next stop was Earth Shoes a store John told me about. The shoes in there were earthy and pricey. I moved on to old Navy. Finally! found some really cool cropped sweatpants. I nearly went for the peach-colored ones but l rethought when the image of my butt sashaying down the street filled my mind in full color. I usually don't mind my butt, it is one of my better features, but having it streak down the street in practically a neon sign for coverage is not exactly what l want people to remember me by. "Oh yes, I remember her! She was wearing those peach long pants! I nearly fell out of my chair laughing at her audacity! Those black women! Boy, l tell ya, they'll wear anything!" Or, equally as appalling is being a walking advertisement for the show "What Not To Wear"! That is how my criminal record will begin: with neon peach-colored cropped sweatpants! Makes me shudder just to think of it!
Enough about the sweatpants. We went to Barnes and Noble to book shop. We always find something. Interesting thing was l had not printed out my 20% coupon but l showed it to the cashier on my cell phone and she gave me the discount. That was pretty cool. l saved one piece of paper in my grand scheme to go paperless! Woohoo! l was very pleased with myself.
Next on the list was Kabuki for dinner which as always was good but halfway through sushi l feltincredibly nauseated so John hadto finish what was left of the Sushi. I was a little bummed because I did not get to to eat the salmon but l would rather not have it come back up either. I manaqed to eat part of John's pork tonkatsu without the ponzu sauce. That was a lot better. I think all the flavors got to me and made me feel sick.
We watched the movie Jumper which could have been better. When we get home, we decided to watch "The Long Kiss Goodnight" to make up for the not-so-good movie. After some decaf coffee and some chocolate and biscuits it was all right as rain.
Now off to sleep and to enjoying another day off: President's Day!
After church I gave John a kiss and walked 2 miles to Old Mary to find some sweatpants for walking. John was waiting at this coffee shop. I sat for a moment and proceeded to get detoured from Old Navy to the Aerosoles Store: Shoes!!! My favorite thing! Well, it was almost a bust till I found these short boots that will go perfectly with my Work trousers/pants and are comfortable and boast a high enough of a heel for me to be happy. But l swear it was so bard to find my size in the shoes for sale. The store only seemed to have size 9s or 11s so l could not get any of the other cute 3 or 4 pairs of shoes I wanted for which my wallet is probably thankful for but my inner fashionista is quite upset about!
Next stop was Earth Shoes a store John told me about. The shoes in there were earthy and pricey. I moved on to old Navy. Finally! found some really cool cropped sweatpants. I nearly went for the peach-colored ones but l rethought when the image of my butt sashaying down the street filled my mind in full color. I usually don't mind my butt, it is one of my better features, but having it streak down the street in practically a neon sign for coverage is not exactly what l want people to remember me by. "Oh yes, I remember her! She was wearing those peach long pants! I nearly fell out of my chair laughing at her audacity! Those black women! Boy, l tell ya, they'll wear anything!" Or, equally as appalling is being a walking advertisement for the show "What Not To Wear"! That is how my criminal record will begin: with neon peach-colored cropped sweatpants! Makes me shudder just to think of it!
Enough about the sweatpants. We went to Barnes and Noble to book shop. We always find something. Interesting thing was l had not printed out my 20% coupon but l showed it to the cashier on my cell phone and she gave me the discount. That was pretty cool. l saved one piece of paper in my grand scheme to go paperless! Woohoo! l was very pleased with myself.
Next on the list was Kabuki for dinner which as always was good but halfway through sushi l feltincredibly nauseated so John hadto finish what was left of the Sushi. I was a little bummed because I did not get to to eat the salmon but l would rather not have it come back up either. I manaqed to eat part of John's pork tonkatsu without the ponzu sauce. That was a lot better. I think all the flavors got to me and made me feel sick.
We watched the movie Jumper which could have been better. When we get home, we decided to watch "The Long Kiss Goodnight" to make up for the not-so-good movie. After some decaf coffee and some chocolate and biscuits it was all right as rain.
Now off to sleep and to enjoying another day off: President's Day!
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Superbowl!!!
Today it rained so there was very little motivation to go out. I settled on spending the day on Star Trek Enterprise marathon on sci-fi and the superbowl. I am really not a super bowl fan or a general fan of football but like John says it is a cultural experience so we have to do our duty and watch. As a "marketer", I watch solely for the halftime show and the commercials.
We "watched" the first three quarters halfheartedly. TIVO helped because we taped it and fastforwarded over a good part of it. Anyway, we all know the real game is played in the 4th quarter. With 28 seconds left to go and the Giants having just scored a touchdown it is looking quite hopeless for the Patriots. Lots of missed shots and catches and the clock down to one second the game it really over. The Patriots coach wants to make use of the last second but the celebration has begun and there is chaos on the field.
What an upset! The Giants were not really expected to win especially since the Patriots had not lost a game all season. Goes to show ya it ain't over till the fat lady sings or when others expect you to fail the more determined you become. Truth be told the game was really played in the fourth quarter. It was actually exciting.
Oh, yeah, I did watch the commercials and the one that caught my eye was the flame thrower bud commercial. The other one was the Life Water commercial with Naomi Campbell dancing with geckos to the MJ Thriller song -- weird. The others that deserve mention are the coke commercial where the macy's parade balloons are fighting for a bottle of coke -- freaky, the Pepsi commercial with Justin Timberlake being flung about like a ragdoll whenever some girl took a sip -- not sure how to intepret, and the Victoria's secret commercial hinting that the game would end soon and the other games would begin -- hmmm, very subtle.
We "watched" the first three quarters halfheartedly. TIVO helped because we taped it and fastforwarded over a good part of it. Anyway, we all know the real game is played in the 4th quarter. With 28 seconds left to go and the Giants having just scored a touchdown it is looking quite hopeless for the Patriots. Lots of missed shots and catches and the clock down to one second the game it really over. The Patriots coach wants to make use of the last second but the celebration has begun and there is chaos on the field.
What an upset! The Giants were not really expected to win especially since the Patriots had not lost a game all season. Goes to show ya it ain't over till the fat lady sings or when others expect you to fail the more determined you become. Truth be told the game was really played in the fourth quarter. It was actually exciting.
Oh, yeah, I did watch the commercials and the one that caught my eye was the flame thrower bud commercial. The other one was the Life Water commercial with Naomi Campbell dancing with geckos to the MJ Thriller song -- weird. The others that deserve mention are the coke commercial where the macy's parade balloons are fighting for a bottle of coke -- freaky, the Pepsi commercial with Justin Timberlake being flung about like a ragdoll whenever some girl took a sip -- not sure how to intepret, and the Victoria's secret commercial hinting that the game would end soon and the other games would begin -- hmmm, very subtle.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Walking
I started walking. It seems to fall in line with my non-resolution to lose some weight and non written resolution to be more fit. I have tried to put in 2 miles of walking a day. Not a bad start.
I am not worried about the time I am in the city because I am forced to walk. Either it is from my hotel to work or from work to another building for meetings. By the end of last week my calves were burning because of the little hill to my hotel on Post Street. Humph!
Today was a big day. John got up early to head to a retreat with his university and I thought it was high time I put in a long walk. I was aiming for 4 miles. Simply walk to the ocean and back on beach blvd. No big deal.
Also, I have this cheapo pedometer that I strapped on to keep me hones and it has a clock which is great because my fingers and wrists swell when I walk so I rather not wear a watch. Pedometer strapped to the waist band of some old Lillian stretch pants that I don't remember how I got them house keys in pocket, iPod in ears, $15 in pocket (emergency money), face towel (you never know), kiss the hubby and I am all set to walk walk walk!
Just as I get out of the gate of the complex John drives up and gives me the thumbs up. Another kiss for posterity and off I go. An hour later I am at the seaside need to pick up the pace but for the first time out not bad. Cool. I assume it is 2.2 miles. The pedometer says I have only walked 1.6 miles. I can't believe it and I am a little upset. But I think well, if I take a detour I can walk the 4 miles by the time I get home.
I head up pacific coast highway to First Street, then First Street to Main Street via Orange St, and main street back to Garfield and Beach. By then it is two and a half hours later. The little toe on my right foot is not very happy and my lower back is pissed off as well. I check the pedometer and it says I walked 12441 steps. Hah! It just has to be 4 miles. They might have been slower toward the end but it is 4 miles.
I get home and get online to see how much I have walked since I don't still believe the pedometer's reading of 4.6 miles and worse yet it says I only burned 267 calories! The stupid thing. The bright spot is at least it records the number of steps right.
I find a calculator of pedometer steps on about.com and I put in my steps and how fast I think I was walking and my weight and tada! it tells me I walked 6.2 miles. Yay! 6.2 miles a far cry from the 4.6 miles the pedometer was telling me. Nice. To be sure I mapped out my route on Google maps and it said I walked 6.2 miles not counting the distance from my house to the corner. I am elated. Now that totally explains why my ankles hurt and the fact that I was flabbergasted that it would take me 2.5 hours to walk 4 miles. So I am walking about a 23 minute mile. I was a little slow in the end ... hard to maintain that 20 minute mile toward the end.
I can't wait for my Omron pedometer to show up! At least it will be more accurate.
Now I need a shower.
I am not worried about the time I am in the city because I am forced to walk. Either it is from my hotel to work or from work to another building for meetings. By the end of last week my calves were burning because of the little hill to my hotel on Post Street. Humph!
Today was a big day. John got up early to head to a retreat with his university and I thought it was high time I put in a long walk. I was aiming for 4 miles. Simply walk to the ocean and back on beach blvd. No big deal.
Also, I have this cheapo pedometer that I strapped on to keep me hones and it has a clock which is great because my fingers and wrists swell when I walk so I rather not wear a watch. Pedometer strapped to the waist band of some old Lillian stretch pants that I don't remember how I got them house keys in pocket, iPod in ears, $15 in pocket (emergency money), face towel (you never know), kiss the hubby and I am all set to walk walk walk!
Just as I get out of the gate of the complex John drives up and gives me the thumbs up. Another kiss for posterity and off I go. An hour later I am at the seaside need to pick up the pace but for the first time out not bad. Cool. I assume it is 2.2 miles. The pedometer says I have only walked 1.6 miles. I can't believe it and I am a little upset. But I think well, if I take a detour I can walk the 4 miles by the time I get home.
I head up pacific coast highway to First Street, then First Street to Main Street via Orange St, and main street back to Garfield and Beach. By then it is two and a half hours later. The little toe on my right foot is not very happy and my lower back is pissed off as well. I check the pedometer and it says I walked 12441 steps. Hah! It just has to be 4 miles. They might have been slower toward the end but it is 4 miles.
I get home and get online to see how much I have walked since I don't still believe the pedometer's reading of 4.6 miles and worse yet it says I only burned 267 calories! The stupid thing. The bright spot is at least it records the number of steps right.
I find a calculator of pedometer steps on about.com and I put in my steps and how fast I think I was walking and my weight and tada! it tells me I walked 6.2 miles. Yay! 6.2 miles a far cry from the 4.6 miles the pedometer was telling me. Nice. To be sure I mapped out my route on Google maps and it said I walked 6.2 miles not counting the distance from my house to the corner. I am elated. Now that totally explains why my ankles hurt and the fact that I was flabbergasted that it would take me 2.5 hours to walk 4 miles. So I am walking about a 23 minute mile. I was a little slow in the end ... hard to maintain that 20 minute mile toward the end.
I can't wait for my Omron pedometer to show up! At least it will be more accurate.
Now I need a shower.
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