Catch and Release Mr.Olyphant

So I saw the Jennifer Garner movie "Catch and Release" on Saturday with Tiff (who's in town...yay!) and Erica.

I have to say...I was pleasantly surprised. It wasn't as cheesy as I thought. Yeah, any straight guy would probably have more fun shooting himself in the foot rather then sitting through this movie, but the girls and I thoroughly enjoyed.

It stars Ms. Garner, Kevin Smith, Juliette Lewis and....that hot man from the movie "Go"...Mr. Timothy Olyphant. He is delish. That's probably why I liked the movie so much. Let's be honest. He has actually been in quite a bit since Go actually....looking at his imdb profile...he was in an episode of SATC (where was I?) and Rockstar and a bunch of Deadwood episodes. Go Timmy!

Also, that night we went to Cafe Tu Tu Tango....and their food is just excellent. I love me some tapas. We had white wine sangria, the white pizza (feta and chicken), asian steak skewers and chicken chipotle empanadas....all I would recommend. Super.

Nyquil is the BOMB!

So Nyquil has been my knight in shining armor these past few days. After ridiculous sleep deprivation over the past 2 months or so from stupid allergy congestion and yucky colds, I got the ultimate sleep. I went to bed at midnight on Friday evening....and didn't open my eyes until 11:30 a.m. the next day. Almost a full 12 hours of sleep. The last time I slept like that...I believe it was in college. Yup, righty-doo.

Allergies are seriously not fun. I don't know if it's going back to having carpet (since had hard wood floors in SF), having the illustrious Snickers the cat spreading her dander all over the house or what....but I am constantly sneezing. And I feel like I'm an old person since I have to put those plastic linings on my mattress and pillow so I don't wet the bed...I mean let the dust mites bite.

What did Cave people do? I don't think they had allergies. They'd probably tell me to suck it up. What can I say...I'm just not as tough as a Caveman. According to those Geico ads...I sure am smarter though ;)

Things to not do while driving

Shave. Yes, why are men shaving while driving?!?! I mean, COME ON! How does someone think this is a GOOD idea???

I saw 2 different guys going to town on their faces using electric shavers on the way to work today. These fools who think their cars are "a home a way from home" better wake up. Seriously!

So what next? Bikini waxes while driving? Whipping up excel spreadsheets on the trusty Blackberry on our way to work. This nonsense must stop people.

And yeah...to all of those people who text while driving...not that I have partaken in that foolish behavior...yeah...that might not be a good idea either really...not that I've ever done that...but to any of you out there that have...yup.

We all grown-sed up

Well, atleast Jen(ni) is. I helped her move into her new place (which she OWNS and is not renting). I'm so proud of her. Go Jen(ni)!

So when I say I helped her move...not furniture exactly. That's a boy's job. No, I helped her with things like clothes, and shoes and stuff from her room. And do you wanna know what kept going through my head?

Damn I need to get my a$$ to the gym!!!

I started getting all "asthma-y" walking up and down the stairs and suddenly, pants and coats became THE HEAVIEST things in the world to lift! Nothing like some tennis lessons and pumping some iron can't cure hopefully.....geez!

Thank goodness for helmets!

Check out my old roomie's phat bruise!!! Becky is pretty hard core. To give some perspective...that bruise is on the side of her left leg and it's the size of a cantaloupe. She craaazy...if I took a spill off a bicycle like that...I don't think I would even get on a stationary bike again let alone a professional fancy one.

Thank goodness homegirl was wearing a helmet.

Weird and Wacky

So I was up north in Los Altos over the weekend and didn't have a chance to write about 2 of the most BIZARRE things I have ever seen. Seriously...prepare yourselves.

First, when I went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, I was really looking forward to seeing their White Shark...one of the only ones in captivity (and I was lucky to have seen it since they just released it into the ocean a few days ago!) So I'm looking in this massive tank for this illustrious shark...and all of a sudden that huge fish above swims past me. I literally gasped. Have you ever seen something so crazy in your entire life? This picture doesn't even do it justice.

It's a Sunfish (also referred to as a Mola Mola). It looks like it was flattened into a giant pancake. So intriguing to watch. It eats jellyfish too. Fancy that.

To top off the evening, I was hanging out with Becky and some of her h.s. peeps back in Los Altos, and they showed me the Indian version of "Thriller." Have you seen it? It is one of the weirdest videos I have ever seen....it's hilarious yet ridiculous at the same time. Kind of like "Bollywood" but we think this guy is completely serious. Check the video out here. It's highly entertaining.

I heart JT

Went to the JT's concert "Future Sex Love Sounds" last night at the Staples Center. It was a-maz-ing. He is officially a man. No more boy band mouseketeer that one. Well, his voice may still be as high as a mouseketeer but I'm not complaining. His moves are sick, his stage presence is unbelievable, and there is just NO way you CAN'T dance to his music. And who knew homeboy was so musically inclined? He played the piano, guitar, that keyboard thingie that goes over the shoulder....I was just BEYOND impressed. Way to go Justin.

Also interesting to note was how many seemingly straight guys went. Well, their sexuality is questionable, but it would be quite the appropriate place to pick up on women. Because Staples was swarming with them. And some boyfriends of girls who were "pretending" they were being dragged to the concert, but were secretly SO glad to be there.

This S%#@ is Bananas!

Who knew that bananas could be so good for you? See below for some of the many health benefits:

1)Bananas contain three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber. A banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy.

2)Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes.

3) Brain Power: 200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.

4) Hangovers: One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey,builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and
re-hydrates your system.

(You can read the complete list here.)

Gosh, these things would have been nice to know back in college, eh? I could have been an "exercise-crazed, straight-A-overachieving, crazy-hang-over-free-partying, ADHD-maniacal skinny bitch" by now!

I guess this means I should eat nutella banana crepes ALL the time then, huh? I think I could handle a diet eating strictly nutella and banana crepes...I may experience an early onset of Type 2 diabetes, but hey, that decadent dessert is worth it!

I'll welcome you David

My love, Mr.David Beckham is finally moving to the U.S. of A. He will be playing for the Los Angeles Galaxy this year. I suddenly have the urge to get season tickets to all home games.

He is just the epitome of yum and currently my #1 on the "Celebrities I would want to Shag" list. Mmmm. I could stare into those eyes all day. A girl can dream, can't she?

Slurp.

Ok, I'll stop now.

The Way of the French

So I finally tried the quaint crepe place on 2nd street in Belmont Shores today called "Le Creperie." And it DID NOT disappoint!

Our department goes out to lunch once a month for zee birthdays and today was such a delightful treat. I had the savory salmon crepe following description (Smoked and fresh fillet of salmon in a tomato, dill and caper sauce). It was scrum-dilly-umptios! And all of my coworkers seemed to enjoy their food too. The Dipollo (mushroom, chicken and thyme cherry cream sauce) and the Zorba (spinach, tomatoes, olives in veggie broth) both looked yummzies as well. You can get salads, paninis, pasta, chicken/steak/seafood entrees, you name it.

Unfortunately, I did not partake in the sweet crepe I wanted to try...the Romeo and Juliet (nutella, banana and strawberries) since the service was SO SLOW and we had to make it back for a meeting. So ya, don't go there if you don't have 2 hours to spare. Seriously. Prolly takes 5 hours for dinner. Other than the lagging service though, highly recommend the place.

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On a totally related note, Maria doesn't have to, per se, "watch out" for my mad tennis skills just yet. I'm just still formulating my master plan. No rush ya know. It's a work in progress. So, she has a couple weeks or so before she needs to be shaking in her sneaks. Yup. Then, IT'S ON!

Watch out Maria!

Yeah, that's what I said. You know why? Because I am starting tennis lessons this evening. Maria Sharapova best be afraid. Because I'm gonna tear up the courts pretty soon. Yup. As soon as I can actually serve in the correct square and fine tune my back hand swing so I hit...oh, I don't know...atleast 50% of the returns that come at me...I should be fiiine. Ummm...yeahhhh.

Which brings me to a fond memory when I was playing tennis a month or two back. It was one of those games where we thought if we made those unnecessary "grunting" noises like the pros do, it would somehow improve our skills. No such luck. On one specific rally, I swung my racket as hard as I could and let out a yell, anticipating that the return would be an "ace" or whatever it's called and, poof! The ball was no where to be found.

Meanwhile, Erica is rolling around laughing hysterically and I can't figure out why. I look up thinking the ball might come down a minute later. Nope. Look all over the court and in the court next to us. Nope. Still no tennis ball. I am looking everywhere humanly possible and when I'm about to settle on the fact that I must have hit the ball SO hard that it had to have disintegrated, Erica manages to catch her breath and tells me to look "in" my racket.

Yeahhhh, the ball was neatly wedged in that little triangular space between where the strings are and the racket handle is. Hey, we have to all start somewhere, right?

Delish but stiiiinky!!

If you're looking for a good meal, fun time and a stench that will stick with your clothes and hair for days, look no further! Cham Soot Gal, a wonderful Korean BBQ establishment in Garden Grove, is where it's at.

Those who aren't into consuming red meat or dabbling in dishes of a peculiar nature, beware. This may not be the eating adventure for you. But with an open mind and hearty appetite, it is quite a delight. We went here over the weekend to celebrate Erica's birthday and it was so much fun! Very interactive in that you are given tongs to cook up your own meat. All you can eat, $16.99, can't beat that. Great for hungry boys. And, you get to scoop your own choice of ice cream onto a cone for dessert. Highly recommend the green tea flavor. Yum.

Afterward, we proceeded to get the birthday girl "slightly" intoxicated by heading over to Killarney's in downtown HB. And, although I wouldn't normally want to admit it, had fun at Hurricanes afterward. I remember about 10 years ago when I used to make fun of the place saying that's where all the "old" people go....looks like I have arrived. Joy!

Gimme an "A" gimme an "O" gimme a "P"

So it's important to like where you work, right? Well, let's just say I've become a bit of a loony cheerleader for my place of employment, the Aquarium of the Pacific.

It's like college all over again. Back in those days, I would sport every red and yellow piece of merchandise I could get my hands on to represent USC. T-shirts, sweatshirts, booty shorts, sweats, bags, wrist bands, hats, you name it. I was all about it. Splash those three lovely letters across me and I was a happy camper. And give me a "F-UCLA" shirt and I was even happier ;)

It appears this behavior has transferred over to my profession. I am so pumped about the free polos, sweatshirt and wind breaker jacket all branded with the AOP (Aquarium of the Pacific) logo all employees here get. I almost even bought a beanie at the gift store just now. Because, who DOESN'T love beanies? Yeeeaahhhh....I know I would NEVER wear it. Not because it has my work's logo on it of course, but because I don't live in the chilly mountains or San Francisco any more. And it messes up my hair 'do. Can't have that.

This made me realize though that I might be a bit of an Aquarium "fan"....not just a "marine enthusiast." A bit of a zealot if you will.

So when does this become unhealthy exactly? When I dress like an Aquarium Guest Services rep on Halloween? Or on weekends just for fun? (That would actually be quite frightening). Wear my name badge to dinner, the movies and while shopping? Carry around a sea otter or penguin stuffed animal purse? (We do sell those in our gift store believe it or not).

I may eventually grow tired of all the spirit. This could just be a phase. But for now, my AOP logo'd wind breaker and I are going to be very happy together.

It's about that time

So it looks like I've given in to the power of "blogging." Yes, I am hopping on the bandwagon. I am drinking the Kool-Aid. I am jumping off of the cliff with everyone else...and I know how I like to kill some time throughout the day and check out various sites and blogs. So, might as well add another to the list.

In this blog, I can't tell you what I'll write or what you'll read. It'll be a mish mash of journal entries, restaurant reviews, news stories (or more likely "celebrity" news stories and gossiping...I mean, let's be honest), and gibberish. A way for you to spend a few seconds/minutes of your day away from doing actual work. Can't complain with that ;)

So this morning, I saw this fantastic story on the news. Yes, the actual news. I sporadically turn on the tube in the mornings and have this inner battle with myself...either listen to the news and know what the heck is going on in the world yet become depressed since most stories are not exactly uplifting, or stay pleasantly naive of current events and remain in good spirits. What to do?

Well, I am glad I decided to tune in on this particular day because I heard the lovely story of Wesley Autrey (pictured above...and no, he is not my bf), the "Subway Superman." For those who haven't heard of this fantastic guy, he jumped onto some subway tracks of NYC, laid on top of a stranger that had fallen down, and they both survived after the train ran on top of them. You can read more about it here.

So this begs the question. Who in their right mind jumps onto subway tracks as you see a train approaching? I mean, I'm sure we all would like to think we would do the same thing...but who knew there was enough space between a train and the actual tracks for 2 people to lay down and actually walk away unscathed? I sure didn't. Now we all do though, so it looks like we would all do the same thing should someone fall onto subway tracks in the future. Yup. We sure will.

(Yeah, thank goodness there aren't train tracks I frequent in the OC).