Voyeurism for the Literate

I'm slow

2008-07-05T15:39:00.000-07:00

Way behind on posts, but I'll do my best to catch up soon!

Almost a terra cotta tragedy

2008-06-09T22:21:00.000-07:00

The Friday of our vacation Cody and I were rushing to get out the door because we were excited to see the Terra Cotta Warrior exhibit at the Bowers and didn't want to be late. I grabbed the tickets from my nightstand as I was brushing my teeth and did a double take. CRAP! They were for THURSDAY!

My desk calendar, Google calendar, Blackberry, and blog all had notes that our museum tickets were for 10:00am on Thursday, yet for whatever reason we had it in our heads that they were for FRIDAY.

A million different thoughts and were racing through my head – we were looking forward to this for weeks, do we go and see if they’ll let us in with our old tickets, do we bite the bullet and spend $50 on new tickets, LittleK took the time and effort to get these for us, how could we be so stupid, I had it written down EVERYWHERE that it was for THURSDAY not FRIDAY, we were lazy bums and did absolutely nothing the day before, how did we not know it was THURSDAY, so on and so forth.

The clock was ticking and now there was a chance we'd be late to the 10:00am entrance. If we couldn't make the right day, the least we could do is make the right time. We were hoping we could speak with someone at the museum, explain our situation, and they'd take pity on our sheer patheticness and let us in with our expired tickets.

My heart dropped when we arrived because the museum was crowded, the exhibit was packed, and I was sure they wouldn't let us in, but the woman at the front desk was kind enough to change the date on our tickets and let us join the crowd that was already inside. I seriously wanted to jump over the partition and hug her, but I think that would've been a tad inappropriate and she may have retracted her offer.

There was a no photo policy inside the exhibit, so the following photos are from the Bowers website.

The handheld listening devices that narrated each display really brought the exhibit to life. Each section was told in a story-like fashion which provided more a feeling of "a day in the life of" rather than "welcome to history class". We listened to all the tracks, read all the descriptions, and sat back to admire the intricacy of each item. All in all, we were inside the Terra Cotta exhibit for about 2 hours.

It was laid out a bit like an Ikea store with a maze took us through the 22 different stations. We got additional narration by listening to the other crazy museum goers spout out their knowledge of each piece. Some of the patrons were serious fanatics. Also, one of the docents inside had a nametag that read "Beverly Bowers". We couldn't help but wonder if she was related to THE Bowers of the Bowers Museum.

The detail of each piece was remarkable. Individual strands of hair were carved, as well as shoelaces on each shoe. Each soldier had different armor, hairstyles, weapons, and faces. My favorite display was of the chariot driver. His armor covered the tops of his hands so he wouldn't lose control of the reigns if he was hit. He also had a higher protective collar than the other soldiers. Essentially, each warrior was created to be battle ready.

I'd look at Cody, then at a bow and arrow or spear, then back at Cody in disbelief that he could totally use those gigantic weapons that were the same high quality weapons the military of that period had. There was something astounding about seeing these life-sized pieces and realizing they were really LIFE-SIZED. Seeing the items up close had a much more profound effect than looking at them in a textbook.

We’re so glad our catastrophe ended on a happy note. Thank you, thank you, thank you LittleK for getting us these tickets!

Friday rain

2008-06-09T22:18:00.000-07:00

Thankfully the rain didn't wreak too much havoc on California traffic.
Friday morning was stressful enough without any help from Mother Nature.

Oops

2008-06-08T19:21:00.001-07:00

Vacation Thursday was a day of sleeping in and tons of naps. We were totally lazy and stayed in our pjs the whole time. Cody and I totally loved that day and definitely needed the relaxation. Little did we know we let something big fall through the cracks.

Food, food, and more food

2008-06-08T17:53:00.000-07:00

Wednesday of our vacation HotNurse stopped by to check out our new place (yay for our first non-family visitor!) and say her goodbyes before she drove across the country back home to Minnesota.

It was so strange showing her around and totally taking in the fact that we’re home owners. Wasn't it just a few years ago that we were freaking out over college applications and how we'd actually pay for school if we managed to get in?

After a final round of hugs it was off to Islands for a mini lunch.

Cody and I split a Sandpiper (grilled chicken breast,
sautéed mushrooms, swiss, lettuce, and tomato)

And a basket of their Island Fries

After some aimless driving and goofing around we decided to pop into an unfamiliar frozen yogurt place in hopes that it was as good as the one my brother took us to down in San Diego.

We split an original, honeydew, and strawberry frozen yogurt with mango, kiwi, and strawberries on top. It was fantastic.

Later that night we finally got around to using
a giftcard we received for Riptide.

It was the biggest sushi bar we’d ever seen with a huge assortment of unbelievably amazing food. $50 is pretty easy to spend on sushi so we thought burning our giftcard wouldn’t be that difficult, but we didn’t know their rolls would be so huge.

We shared a Fitness Roll (seared salmon, artichoke hearts, Japanese sprouts, and avocado wrapped in baby leaf spinach and steamed rice topped with tobiko and sweet wasabi sauce)

And a Galaxy Roll (salmon tempura, avocado, crab, and cream cheese topped with salmon, special sauces, tempura crunch, and green onion)

Miguel, our sushi chef, had to put the rest of our order on hold while we finished what we had in front of us.

Yellowtail sashimi

Spicy tuna hand rolls and Philadelphia hand rolls

And because its tart flavor is so completely addicting,
we drove back for more fro-yo.

Frankie says relax

2008-06-06T20:18:00.001-07:00

I'm going to try and relax this weekend...and maybe even catch up on blog posts.

Desk calendar, june 3rd

2008-06-03T21:47:00.000-07:00

Outfits not even a mother could love

2008-06-02T21:28:00.000-07:00

Stacy: Let's talk a little bit about all these tees, shall we?
"My mommy says I'm special".

Natalie: Well, yeah. It's true.

Clinton: Actually, I think your mommy said you dress like crap.

Clinton: When a statement tee is so obvious, I say why even wear it.
Why bother. "I love tater tots"? Who the hell doesn’t!

-Stacy London, Clinton Kelly, and their latest victim on What Not to Wear

Bakery, butterflies, and broadway

2008-06-02T19:19:00.000-07:00

Tuesday of our vacation was one big ball of fun up in LA. We got up there in half the time since we went after rush hour on a weekday. I wish we'd always have this kind of travel time whenever we go north.

First we went to Portos for lunch. The timing was perfect because we managed to grab a parking spot out front. In the past we’ve always had to circle the block a few times to find a space despite the large lot in the back.

There was so much gorgeous food inside. If we lived closer I’d seriously come here at least once a week.

Cody had the steak torta sandwich (strips of grilled steak with guacamole, black bean spread, cotija cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes on a French roll) and a mango smoothie.

I had a turkey croissant sandwich (turkey, Swiss cheese, mayo, lettuce, and tomatoes on a butter croissant). Simple, but utterly perfect.

Afterward we got some cream cheese rolls and guava and cream cheese strudel to go so we could snack throughout the day as we ran around town.

Then it was off to the Natural History Museum.

I thought we were just going to wander around for a bit to cool off and possibly see Thomas or some other exhibits. What my wonderful husband failed to tell me was that the Pavilion of Wings was also open!

It was such a great surprise. We spent about two hours inside admiring all the butterflies, moths, and flowers.

By the time we made it inside the museum we only had 45 minutes left before closing, so we rushed through to our exhibits of choice and only stopped to take a couple photos.

On the way out we saw this guy grab a snack from a local picnic and scamper up a tree. So funny and so cute.

My kindergarten told me there weren't such things as purple trees. Oh yeah? What do you call these?

And the grand finale of our day, Wicked at the Pantages

We even got to see Steven Schwartz's star directly outside the theater. Totally appropriate that night since he was the composer and lyricist for Wicked.

The theater was completely packed. Surprising since it was a weeknight.

But the show was absolutely amazing. Cody and I were singing the whole way home.

"What if science could exceed our imagination? What if the unimaginable could become reality?"

2008-06-01T21:28:00.000-07:00

-Fringe

Monkeys control robots with their minds

Salamander-inspired therapy may aid injured vets

The shopping center next to the happiest place on earth

2008-05-28T23:59:00.000-07:00

Later that night we decided to give Downtown Disney a whirl. Cody and I used to walk around and people watch there all the time, but haven’t been back since we moved out of northern Orange County two years ago.

The police vehicles were so cute. Can't you see them
trying to chase down teenage riff raff in one of these?

Vouchers from Compass Books that would make any husband happy.

We got to feel like kids again inside the Lego Imagination Center.
I forgot they had so many models inside.

Basin had a ton of great bath products and fresh cut soaps.

My favorite was the red Mickey that smelled like gingerale.

One of the employees gave us a bath bomb demonstration.
Cody saw how much I liked them and bought a barrel of five.

After that it was time for ~~lunch~~ ~~dinner~~ linner at Rainforest Cafe. I absolutely adore their China Island Chicken Salad and fell in love with their banana crepes with vanilla ice cream and chocolate and caramel sauces.

Then an additional sweet treat at Marceline's Confectionery.

And some goodies for my niece and nephew.

A note for all you gentlemen out there -
A real man isn't afraid to hold your bags when you shop.

A couple shots of the Rainforest Cafe at night on our way out.

Another great day :)

Thankfully MRIs are more hands off

2008-05-28T22:21:00.000-07:00

The Monday before last I went in for my fun medical procedures. Aside from having to wait an extra 45 minutes with a completely full bladder that was about to burst because the original lab tech flaked, there wasn’t a replacement around, and the crew on staff was already short handed...I got an extra surprise.

I thought I was going to get the normal ultra sound you see pregnant ladies get. You know the one - slap some goop on my belly, move the rolly thing around, and use your fancy machines to take some pictures. But no, I was so special that I got to have TWO kinds done. The regular type and the type that should’ve totally taken me out to dinner and a movie beforehand. On a lighter note, the tech praised me for doing a good job drinking all that liquid. She could see my bladder filling up again halfway through the super special procedure.

Afterwards we went for breakfast at the Original Pancake House to use a 2-for-1 coupon and help take my mind off all the fun.

Cody had a spinach-filled crepe with mushrooms and onions in a blended cheese sauce and topped with hollandaise.

I had an oven-baked dutch baby with whipped butter, lemon, fresh strawberries, strawberry sauce, and powdered sugar.

I guess it’s good I let the lab tech get all touchy feely with me. It turns out I have a growth that the radiologist can't identify as benign and I need to have an MRI. Maybe if I'm good we can go for pancakes after.

A definite plus in my book

2008-05-27T20:42:00.000-07:00

The first Sunday of our vacation we had brunch at Mimi’s Café with HotNurse and LawyerDude, an emergency trip to Walmart for a fan since our air conditioning was (and still is) broken, a quick stop at Starbucks because we were melting, and a side trip to Cost Plus just to kill time.

That little side trip was an unexpected highlight of our day.

We found a ton of great spices on sale and stocked up for future kitchen adventures. (Thank goodness I found me a man who likes to cook!)

Truffle oil that brought me back to the Burger Bar in Vegas...Kobe beef burger with pan-seared foie gras, provolone, portobello mushrooms, and black truffle oil…Mmmm.

Chocolate syrup for chocolate sodas – another Vegas treat I fell in love with at Everything Coca-Cola.

Chocolate with a kick

Funky syrups that I’m both scared of and curious to try

Fun for only $2.99

Easy drink mixes for summer parties - just add booze, water, and freeze!

Where Sunday pot roast comes from

And the origins of NASCAR

All in all, it was a pretty good field trip and I'm sure we'll be back.

A perfect description of why I find cooking more forgiving than baking

2008-05-26T18:52:00.000-07:00

"Baking is definitely technical. It’s not like cooking where you put a little bit of this, a little bit of that, you throw things in. You have to measure. If you miss an ingredient in a pasta sauce, you’ll be able to taste it and you’ll be able to fix it right away. If you miss baking powder in a pastry or in a bread, you’re f*cked."

- Lisa Fernandes, Top Chef: Season 4

"Turns out you can't control people, or even predict them. Numbers are different. As I used to say, you can count on them."

2008-05-21T22:18:00.001-07:00

-Donald Morton in Mozart and the Whale. I completely agree.

Rock Band Rock Star

2008-05-21T18:28:00.000-07:00

Friday night was Rock Band, Mario Kart, and Indiana Jones at B’s. I love hanging out at his place because it’s cozy and everyone is comfortable squishing together to get a good view of the TV. Plus, B’s group of friends is always super mellow and non-judgmental. That’s very hard to find in Orange County now a days.

LittleK was teasing me while Cody was getting his groove on and asked if I knew my husband would be so into Rock Band. I had no idea. Let me tell you, if my man didn’t have such a knack for accounting, I think he’d quit his day job to be the frontman or drummer of a Rock Band group.

B and LittleK must’ve been thoroughly exhausted the next day since we were there until 4:00 in the morning. Even B’s cat gave up around 3:00am. Rock on, Cody. Rock on.

At the top of my to do list

2008-05-21T17:56:00.000-07:00

I gave blogging another shot because months would fly by and Cody and I would barely remember what happened outside of work. I can’t believe we’re experiencing that again a few days into our vacation! In our defense, we’ve had a super packed schedule to take advantage of our time together, but still, I definitely need to catch up on posts before these memories slip away.

"Dear Diary, today I was pompous and my sister was crazy."

2008-05-21T17:08:00.001-07:00

- Jayne reading Simon’s diary on Firefly

"If ever anyone tries to kill you, you try to kill them right back."

2008-05-21T17:06:00.000-07:00

- Malcolm on Firefly

Like a thin mint with a straw

2008-05-19T22:47:00.000-07:00

1. It was in the 90s again yesterday

2. Opening the windows was a joke since there was no breeze at all

3. Lucky us, we discovered our A/C was on the fritz

So what's a girl to do? Buy a fan for the house by way of Starbucks, of course!

Cody and I popped in to try the Mint Mocha Chip Frappuccino - light with no chocolate whipped cream or chocolate sauce because we convinced ourselves doing so meant we could get a venti.

Or, for the truly self-flagellating, you could get the real thing (photo from Starbucks)

It totally reminded me of Girl Scout Thin Mints or Keebler Grasshoppers. . . or the shooters those random guys bought us at Yogini's bachelorette party.

Makes mouths happy

2008-05-19T22:14:00.000-07:00

They installed vending machines at my office last Friday. I'm not sure what surprised me more, the items inside or what they're charging for them. Mmmm, Burger King brand Ketchup & Fries flavored potato chips.

If you can't drive down the street to get a burger off BK's dollar menu, I guess you could always spring for some of their Flame Broiled Flavored Potato Snacks.

"This movie does not conform to my beliefs about time / space continuity…and that bothers me."

2008-05-18T20:20:00.000-07:00

- Cody after watching Deja Vu. I love my nerdy husband :)

It looks like this will be a vacation marked by food

2008-05-18T18:30:00.000-07:00

Cody and I had brunch at Mimi’s Café with HotNurse and LawyerDude after church this morning. It’s kind of pathetic that this is the most non-work, human interaction we’ve had since May of last year. We definitely need to change that.

Can't forget about the underwear

2008-05-18T18:23:00.000-07:00

At the beginning for church today, all the children were gathered at the front near the altar while Pastor J talked to them about wants versus needs.

Pastor J: What are some things that we need in life?

Child A: Food!

Child B: Water!

Child C: Underwear!

I had dinner and a movie with a hot blonde. How was your Saturday night?

2008-05-17T22:45:00.000-07:00

The last movie I saw in theaters was The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe back in 2005. Yes, Internet, I’m boring, busy, and usually too cheap to spring for movie tickets. Saturday was an exception though, and probably a turning point in my life. I finally stepped out from behind my mountain of work and went to see Made of Honor with HotNurse. Did you know it now costs ELEVEN DOLLARS for a movie ticket? You practically need to take out a second mortgage just to buy a ticket and pay for the gas to get there! Either way, I realized that my work-life balance is completely out of whack and I need to start living my life and not living to work.

HotNurse and I had a year of catching up to do (can you really believe it’s been that long?!) and at the end of the night our waiter apologized for having ignored us and gave us a complimentary dessert. We must’ve been seriously enthralled in our conversation because we honestly didn’t feel neglected, but if it made him feel better to give us a chocolate soufflé with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream, who were we to turn him down and hurt his feelings.

Oh, and I know I’m working backwards here, but olive oil dipping sauce that came with the bread at the beginning of the meal was so good that I was thisclose to licking the remnants off the plate. Mmmm. . . I wonder if I can convince Cody to go back with me this week. On vacation, off the diet, right?

Mario Kart, Cows, and CNN

2008-05-17T13:40:00.000-07:00

Google and B While staring at the Mario Kart track menu

Google: Which track is the one with the cows?

B: Um, Moo Moo Meadows

Why a cow needs a flat-screen TV

"The theme of the day was 'eat our fairy dust' "

2008-05-15T22:10:00.000-07:00

- Jesse Brune on Work Out: Season 3

Looking forward to our nothingness with a few somethings thrown in for good measure

2008-05-15T21:21:00.000-07:00

One more day until our vacation! Cody and I were originally supposed to visit his parents in Georgia, but plans fell through and now we get to laze around here and spend some well deserved time together. Ten long days of glorious nothingness and hopefully not too much responsibility.

We definitely want to keep our plans loose since this is a vacation, but I'm excited for what we do have scheduled so far:

Friday - After work it's off to B's for some Mario Kart Wii, Rock Band, and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. I told myself I wouldn't be such a chicken and would attempt the whole Rock Band thing, but we'll see how that goes. At the very least I can try to hold my own at Mario Kart.

Saturday / Sunday - I'm supposed to meet up with HotNurse for some sort of female bonding over the weekend, but we haven't nailed down a day, time, or place yet. No worries though because she's always fun to pal around with.

Monday - All the blah stuff should definitely get knocked out early on, so we're kicking off the day with x-rays and ultra sounds. Thankfully this time around the medical center I'm visiting is just around the corner and I won't have to brave every bump in the rode with crossed legs and clenched fists. Pre-ultra sound I have to drink 32 ounces of water, finish it at least one hour prior to my exam, and can't pee until they're done poking, prodding, and incessantly pressing on what always feels like my bladder. The last time I went through this I seriously thought I was going to pee on the technician. Cody, if you're reading this, please take note that I love you very much and I apologize in advance for any crankiness that may ensue. I promise I'll return to my sweet self once the nice people at the lab let me use the bathroom.

Tuesday - We have tickets to see Wicked at the Pantages! We've wanted to see this for ages, but have been way too busy and way too broke to even fathom going. This is our one big splurge for the week since we no longer need to worry about airfare or hotels. I'll try my best not to sing too loudly during the performance, but don't get mad at me if I hum along.

Thursday - B's super awesome girlfriend got us tickets to the Terra Cotta Warrior exhibit at the Bowers Museum. I'm super excited about this. If you're there that morning, you'll recognize me as the all too giddy museum patron pacing in front of the doors chanting OPEN, OPEN, OPEN to herself as she counts down the minutes until they let us in.

So yeah, not much planned so far, but it's probably better that way. Who knows, we might even finally get around to unpacking. Six months of living out of boxes is enough for this girl!

"Heeeeey, where's the party at?"

2008-05-14T18:19:00.000-07:00

- randomly yelled at me by a car full of guys as I walked to the mailbox

Catcalling: creepy or a compliment?

Because I love polar bears

2008-05-14T17:15:00.000-07:00

Polar bear is made a
protected species

Polar bear now listed as
'threatened' species

Okay, I admit it, I sleep with my Blackberry

2008-05-12T22:07:00.000-07:00

Get your Blackberry out of our bed!

Thank you for reminding me

2008-05-11T22:57:00.000-07:00

Manic Mom had a contest to win an autographed copy of Emily Giffin's new book, Love The One You're With. To enter you needed to send her a comment about why you love the one you're with or what happened when you ran into the one you thought was the one.

What did I have to say?

I love the one I'm with because he loved me even when I couldn't love myself.

4 years, 3 months, 12 days, (8 months of those married) and I couldn't be happier.

It's about time!

2008-05-11T15:43:00.000-07:00

My big brother finally popped the question and asked Mo to marry him! Hey DD, does that mean I can tell her all your dirty little secrets now?

You can read their takes on it here and here. Thank goodness for Mo's blog, otherwise we wouldn't have any details!

Congratulations! :-D

Carlsbad Flower Fields

2008-05-10T21:02:00.000-07:00

Just a few photos from my trip a couple weeks ago to the Flower Fields in Carlsbad, CA. Oddly enough, their main showcase is the 50+ acres of Giant Tecolote Ranunculus, yet most of my favorite photos contain don't any.

Oh, and can you believe how much gas cost?

What? I've never seen Firefly before

2008-05-10T19:05:00.000-07:00

Me: What’s the show about?

Cody: Cowboys

Me: *blink*

Cody: SPACE cowboys

Batman vs. Meatball : The Return

2008-05-07T21:54:00.000-07:00

Me: Is batcave one word or two?

B: Bat Cave vs. Batcave......I think one word

B: But you never spell it....you only speak of it

B: Because there is no record of it

B: Batman's just that good

Me: What about batmobile?

B: Definitely one word

Me: That's what I thought

E3: Kind of like meatball

Batman vs. Meatball

2008-05-07T21:52:00.000-07:00

E3: Is batcave one word or two?

Me: I think it’s one. How many words is batmobile?

E3: One? Well, batman is only one word.

Me: Oh, well batcave is probably one word too

E3: What about meatball?

Me: Yeah, that’s definitely one word.

E3: Meatball. Meat...ball. Yeah, meatball’s one word

A new day

2008-05-05T23:53:00.000-07:00

I went from gymnast to desk jockey and gained the equivalent of a third grader along the way. Not pretty. I don’t know what clicked or why or when the accountability kicked in, but whatever it is, it’s here and I’m going run with it.

This will definitely be a slow process, but then again, it’s more of a life change I’m looking for, not instant gratification.

I think I'll have the veggie burger

2008-05-05T18:26:00.000-07:00

B: We're thinking of having a barbeque.

Me: You should make it BYOM - bring your own meat.

B: No, BYOB. Bring your own beef; it's what's for dinner.

Me: Ooh, a beef brigade!

B: Hey, as long as it's not a sausage fest.

Mantuary, man cave, man room - give the guy some space

2008-05-04T19:37:00.000-07:00

Why he needs a room of his own - CNN.com

The loft seemed like the perfect mantuary for Cody, but now it seems like we’d both rather be in the blue room. Is there a way to turn our loft into some sort of communal study and both share the blue room without stepping on each other’s toes? It’s either that, or park both cars out front and convert the garage.

I don't think I've seen a prettier USB hub

2008-05-04T12:30:00.000-07:00

photo by dooce

“You need to bring the thunder!”

2008-05-03T12:29:00.000-07:00

- My three year old nephew coaching Cody on Wii bowling.

“Good job buddy, you got 144. That’s higher than Barrack Obama’s getting.”

2008-05-03T12:22:00.000-07:00

- my brother to his son while Wii bowling.

"Oh, so you went to UC Texas?"

2008-05-02T12:14:00.000-07:00

- my coworker after hearing a fellow employee went to college in Texas.

Here we go again

2008-05-01T12:12:00.000-07:00

Dear Internet,We've had quite the relationship these past few years. Be it blogging, twitter, instant messenger, or social networking sites, we always seemed to run hot and cold. I thought I moved on and gave you up, but your Siren emissary Blackberry managed to weasel her way into my heart. "Good riddance to bad rubbish" I used to think, but what the heck, let's give it another go.

Did you miss me as much as I missed you?