Friday Night with Cio-Cio San.

Ahhhh, the weekend again. This week was a little slower, which was a nice change. Monday, Bug and I met up with some friends for dinner at the Spring Street Smokehouse. The original plan had been french dips at Phillipe's, but the crowds were insane. (Awesome Monkey recap here.)

The rest of the week was just work and home. Josh had Yom Kippur off on Thursday, so he was a total angel and whipped our house in order. Such a nice surprise to come home to!

Friday, Josh met me downtown and we headed to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. We have season tickets to the L.A. Opera, and we had tickets last night to see Madama Butterfly.


Josh is actually a pretty big opera fan. Fun fact about Josh: He has an absolutely gorgeous voice. He was classically trained, and for awhile, sang in operas. However, he got bored with that, and now would rather start a 90s grunge cover band. I kind of wish he would have stuck with opera, because how many people can sing like that? I mean, if I opened my mouth and all those incredible sounds came out, you would not be able to pull me off stage. A side note to this side note: Josh is fantastically fun at karaoke.

(One more digression: This week, I dug out my old point and shoot camera, so I actually have pictures (I am often too lazy to tote around my big 'ole SLR), although they are a little fuzzy.)

Okay, back on track.

We arrived at the Music Center an hour before the show. I was hoping to have dinner at Pinot Grill, but it was completely packed. Josh and I decided to grab a quick bite at the Spotlight Cafe, a small cafe run by the Patina Group that has sandwiches and snacks.


We got a couple little bottles of wine, and I ordered the grilled portobello mushroom sandwich with arugula, which was quite tasty! (Extremely fuzzy pic below.)


We sat by the fountain, ate our food, sipped our wine, and enjoyed the water show.


After a quick bite to eat, it was time for the show.


Of course, no pictures were allowed or taken during the show. The music was gorgeous, and the set design was very modern and minimalist. It was beautiful -- the stage looked like a moving painting, and the singers would freeze and slowly walk it looked like they were gliding. The stage was a moving, breathing painting. (That said, the theater was quite warm and we had just had a delicious dinner. Some of the slower arias set against the minimal background seemed to drag a little.)

After the show, we trekked home. After the food, wine, and beautiful music, I made a beeline for bed and slept like a baby.

Happy Birthday, Josh!

Last night, we kicked off celebrating Josh's birthday by going to see The Kids in the Hall at the Orpheum downtown. The Kids in the Hall are a Canadian comedy troupe (with, in my opinion, Monty Python-esque humor) that had a cult following in the early 90s. If you haven't heard of them, you may know one of their members, Dave Foley, who used to be in Newsradio. (Josh's favorite, classic KITH sketch, if you're interested, is "I Lost My Indian Drum." I didn't really laugh the first time I saw it, but hearing Josh reenact it is pretty funny.)

The Orpheum is so pretty! Kind of Art Deco mixed with a Phantom of the Opera vibe. Here is a pic I snagged from their website:

The show was funny. Josh said it best. It's funny at the time, but it gets funnier the more you think about it after-the-fact. The most noteworthy part of the show, however, was the audience. Everyone in the crowd was about our age, or maybe 3-5 years older. And man, we are all old. Most were sporting the same sort of hipster gear from high school: tattoos, funky glasses, blazers, spiked colored hair. But, it was weird seeing it on all these grown adults. I sat in my seat, looked around the theater, and couldn't help but feel that I was sitting in a high school assembly, only ten to fifteen years had passed. It was pretty surreal.

This morning, I woke up early(ish) and made the birthday boy breakfast. I was most proud of the lemon currant scones baked this morning by yours truly. They turned out really well! Crumbly and crunchy with a bit of lemon zest.

After breakfast was finished, Josh curled up on the couch to veg (or, more accurately sleep) in front of the TV while I made the birthday cake.

Josh had requested red velvet cake. I found a recipe and baked the cake part late last night. Please note that this is the first time, I think, that I have baked a cake entirely from scratch.

The batter turned out nice and, er, red (which I think is a good sign). :)

I didn't burn the three layers. Another good sign.


This morning, it was time for the cream cheese frosting. I was especially proud of it. It was so light and fluffy, but still tasted rich and delicious. I took a pic halfway through the frosting process . . .

Yum! I can't wait to slice into it!

We are headed out to start celebrating the birthday in a few hours. I am going to try and sneak a nap in before that . . . I'll be sure to bring the camera, and I am going to try and stay away from the Irish car bombs this time.

Velvet Margaritas

One of my very best friends, Taryn, is staying with us for the weekend! She arrived on Wednesday night after braving traffic all the way from LAX. After she arrived, we ate some Chinese food, drank some of Josh's homebrew, and watched America's Next Top Model. Then, there was a quick trip to Golden Spoon.

Yesterday, I headed into work for the day, and Taryn worked, poked around town, and put together a lovely dinner for Josh and me (which was so nice)! After dinner, we headed into Hollywood to the Velvet Margarita, where we met up with Jackie, PJ, Susan, and a few of Susan's neighbors.

We ordered the Velvet Margarita, which seemed fitting. It was huge and served in a ridiculous, hollowed-out pineapple!

That huge margarita should have been enough, and yet Taryn and I each had two more. Our bartender was pretty heavy handed, so by the time we were on number three, I happily exclaimed to Taryn: "I'm pretty sure this one is going to be a mistake!" Famous last words, right?

Taryn is already a crack up, so you add a few margaritas in the mix, and I was cracking up all night long. It was the type of uncontrollable laughter that lasted so long my stomach started cramping, eyes watering, and face hurting. Very good times.

Another picture, courtesy of Jackie...

So, I am going to do a little work this morning and then take the second half of the day to run around with Taryn. Happy Easter!

Books, Art, and Noodles.

This week has been pretty tame. Work hasn't been overly demanding, and I have managed to make it home every evening at a decent-ish time (8 or so) and spend time with Josh. Last night, we even went for a two-mile walk around our neighborhood with the dogs, which was pleasant and relaxing.

Yesterday, I finished A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. (New Year's Resolution: Cut back a bit on TV watching and read more.) A Thousand Splendid Suns is a historical fiction that chronicles the lives of two women over the course of thirty-or-so years in Afghanistan. It was one of those books that picks you up out of your life and places you in a completely different world. Plus, I was surprised at how little I know about (and how much little thought I have given to) Afghani history and culture, which is somewhat shameful given recent events. The plot was rich and kept me engaged, although the stories are quite sad. Overall, it was one of the best books I've read in awhile.

This evening, Tater and the Monkey picked me up from work, and we went to the Murakami exhibit at the MOCA. The exhibit was great. I really enjoyed walking around and talking with Tater and the Monkey, both of whom are very funny and bright. Sadly, I have no pictures to show, but the Monkey was great about documenting the evening, and I suspect a picture-filled blog post will show up on her blog soon. After, we went to dinner. Now that I think of it, I cannot remember the name of the restaurant, but I had some spicy ramen with pork that was delish!

I am so excited that tomorrow is Friday! I will probably work a little over the weekend because I found out today that I am spending Sunday night through Wednesday night in San Jose. Luckily, a few other friends from work will be there for the same case. But for now ... bed.

Lazy Sunday.

Well, good news: we seem to have survived Stormwatch 2008! Wow, that sump pump turned out to be a lifesaver. It sucked up our mini-lake and dumped it down the rain gutters. Flood and disaster averted.

Other than that, the weekend was remarkably slow. The grey weather made me lazy, and I slept in Saturday morning past noon. I haven't done that in so long, and it felt incredible. We went up to Camarillo to see my dad for the afternoon and then headed to Sherman Oaks to see Jackie and PJ.

Jackie, PJ, PJ's pal, Josh, and I headed out to a dive bar called Green Frog, also in Shoaks. The bar had a pretty interesting mix of people that seemed to match the weird variety of music played (Alanis Morissette, Pearl Jam, Snoop, Britney Spears). Pretty random, but I dug it. Also, I tried a black and tan (in this case, Guinness and Bass) for the first time, and it was pretty good.

Today was also pretty low-key. Church and breakfast in the morning in Malibu. Then, we headed to my sister's apartment. Bug cooked dinner and then we watched Blades of Glory, which made me laugh, despite its predictable jokes and silliness.

I am now parked on my couch watching Cashmere Mafia. So far, meh. A little too similar to Sex and the City, methinks. Ah, well. I should probably hit the sack anyway...

One Year

Today is our first year anniversary! I cannot believe how quickly this year has come and gone. Everyone says the first year is hard, and although there were some growing pains, this year has really been wonderful! I was never one of those little girls who planned her wedding or thought about her "future husband," and so I think the most surprising thing I learned this year is how much of the "marrying type" I actually am. Who knew?! :) I was excited to marry Josh, but I don't think I knew I would love being married to him this much. Even in spite of the rants about beer and music, the guitars peppered throughout my apartment, and the train-like snoring, I still think he's pretty great. :)



Okay, enough mush! Geez, what have I turned into? :)

So, last night we went to dinner at the Ritz Carlton in Pasadena to celebrate our anniversary. Our original plan was to go to Santa Barbara, stay at Bacara, and spend the weekend drinking wine, but, alas, work owns me and I ended up having to turn around a project. We may try and do a make-up weekend over Labor Day weekend.

Anyway, dinner was incredible! We sat outside on this pretty veranda that had a gorgeous view of the city lights. We were in our own little corner, so it was very cozy. We ordered a fixed menu prepared by the chef and paired with three different wines. Josh has some special dietary needs, and they were so wonderful and accommodating. The chef even came out to meet us, wish us a Happy Anniversary, and tell us he would "whip up something special." We had seven tiny courses, but I was so stuffed at the end. Everything I tasted was unbelievable. Josh kept saying he felt like we were in the audience of Top Chef. :) It was definitely a fun dinner and perfect for the occasion.

So, this morning I have to turn back to all the declarations I have been writing and crank out a few more. After that, I don't know what we're up to...

Tonight, my dad, grandparents, sister and her guy are supposed to swing by, have some champagne with us, and eat a little defrosted wedding cake. We pulled the top layer out last night to defrost, and surprisingly, it looks really good! I have been a little skeptical. Just in case, we may end up with a small back-up cake...

Weekend Recap

Lately, the hubs ("WB") and I have been pretty mellow, spending most of our weekends lazing by my dad's pool and bbq. Last Sunday, I complained that we live in such an incredible city and never go exploring all the fab restaurants, bars, etc. So, we made a vow: one new restaurant/bar per week and no more take-out from the same old place. Well, we were so excited about our new plan, we went a little overboard this weekend.

Friday night, we went out to dinner at Il Cielo, a romantic Italian restaurant in Beverly Hills. Upon arriving, you first walk through a patio where there are dimly-lit tables underneath glowy twinkle lights strung through the trees. The inside feels like a formal dinner inside someone's home, with white linens on little round tables mixes with a couple plush couches, and an overall warm, almost rustic glow. The food was absolutely delish, and we ordered the best bottle of wine (unfortunately, we forgot to write down the name of the bottle). WB ordered risotto and I ordered the scialatielli pasta for dinner and then we had tiramisu and sorbet for dessert with some port for WB (of course) and a cappuccino for me.

Our server, the sommelier, even the host all spoke fluent Italian, and the whole experience was like being briefly transported back to Italy for a couple hours. It definitely made me want to go back for awhile (or, forever) this year. Although, my Italian is probably a bit rusty...


Saturday night, we had dinner with my little sister, Bug, and her boyfriend, Ajax, at Citizen Smith in Hollywood. A co-worker recommended we check it out, so, in the spirit of our new pact, WB and I decided to make reservations. Bug and Ajax decided to take a break from their studying (they are both second year med school students) and join us. The vibe was kind of a laid-back glam: lots of funky chandeliers covered in glass cubes with celebrity images scanned on each pane that hang over a rich mahogany bar. We sat outside on the patio in a little booth. Bug ordered the chicken and waffles which looked amazing, and I ordered a burger that had brie, gruyere, and something else on top. It was so delicious but way too huge.

Bug and Ajax talked a lot about school and the boards (making me very grateful I will never, ever have to take the Bar again). They are such smart cookies, and I am so proud of Bug. She made honors last year (what a braniac!) and is just one step closer to taking over the world.

After dinner, Bug, Ajax, WB, and I met up with Epp and Peej at the Bungalow Club in Hollywood. Epp has been my bff since we were in second grade, and Peej and WB are also long-time grammar school friends. I went to high school with Peej and WB, and Peej's mom and my mom are basically inseparable, so we are all basically family. Peej and Epp are roommates, too. Okay, so now that this all basically sounds like a bad pitch for a cheesy sitcom, moving on...



We sat outside, squished in a little bungalow and had a few drinks. Epp was in NYC for almost two weeks for work, so it was so great to see her and catch up. Epp, Peej, and Bug are all crack-ups, so needless to say my face hurt and I was still smiling at the end of the evening. It was definitely a fun night.

This morning, I was up for an 8 a.m. conference call (yes, I know it's Sunday). I will probably knock out a few work things that need to be taken care of today before we head out to have dinner with my grandparents. WB and I might venture out to the dog park with Woody and Ella (our dogs) at some point. Ella is a holy terror, so hopefully, she will not yap at all the big dogs at the park.

So, yes. That is all for now. I think I have procrastinated work enough for the morning . . . time to get to work. Hope you all had wonderful weekends!