What is "Cali-ness," you ask? Cali-ness is many different things, which I am coming to very much appreciate after living in the Midwest and the Northeast. My personality is probably least suited to the Northeast. I have taken to Southern California like a duck takes to water (pun intended).
In an email to one of my best friends, Jenny C., she wrote in a response that she was glad I am enjoying the Cali-ness. This got me thinking - because it was a very true statement - about what Cali-ness is and why it makes me so happy.
Cali-ness is: being able to stop during a run, listen to waves and watch surfers on Saturday mornings (in October!) at Windansea Beach; it is never having to buy socks again (who needs them? strap on your Rainbows and you're good to go); it is not having to stress about running five minutes late to a meeting because apologies are always greeted with, "No worries!"; and many other things, which I'll make sure to include in the blog within the context of future postings.
People out here are generally super laid back and less stressed about life in general. Which is awesome for me, because I tend to stress out alot. However, this is slowly changing as I continue to take time out of life to enjoy the Cali-ness in all its glory. It doesn't mean you have to be less hard working or less focused; it is an appreciation that you accomplish your goals without being hostile and without taking yourself too seriously...
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Dinner Parties with Large Groups Are Never A Good Idea
I went to a new restaurant downtown called Crescent Heights last night for a friend's dinner birthday party (www.crescentheightssd.com). The night started out right - the place has a good vibe: laid back yet a bit upscale. There is a collection of "fancy pants" drinks including a selection of many fruit mixtures, which I'm not a big fan of but it was cool to see some different options. I stuck to the orange vodka and soda but kicked it up a notch with the Hangar One vodka, which is probably the best mandarin/orange vodka I've had (topping even the mighty Grey Goose).
Trying to have a dinner party with more than six or eight people is always like herding cats. However, there was a massive mix up at the other end of the table with the bill somehow coming out to be something ridiculous like $700 for five people. This whole situation led to shouting and some guy threatening to leave without paying while leaving his card in case the restaurant wanted to sue him. I'm not sure exactly how it turned out; our half of the table settled up and my friend and I ran out of there before things got ugly.
However, the whole situation reminded me that dinner parties with large groups are generally never pleasant when the bill comes. Splitting it up is such a hassle for that number of people and splitting it evenly isn't a good choice because light eaters and drinkers end up subsidizing the guy sucking down five Crown and cokes and ordering the 44 year old aged steak. With all the stress and waiting involved, I'm definitely sticking to dinners with four or fewer parties. Yikes.
Trying to have a dinner party with more than six or eight people is always like herding cats. However, there was a massive mix up at the other end of the table with the bill somehow coming out to be something ridiculous like $700 for five people. This whole situation led to shouting and some guy threatening to leave without paying while leaving his card in case the restaurant wanted to sue him. I'm not sure exactly how it turned out; our half of the table settled up and my friend and I ran out of there before things got ugly.
However, the whole situation reminded me that dinner parties with large groups are generally never pleasant when the bill comes. Splitting it up is such a hassle for that number of people and splitting it evenly isn't a good choice because light eaters and drinkers end up subsidizing the guy sucking down five Crown and cokes and ordering the 44 year old aged steak. With all the stress and waiting involved, I'm definitely sticking to dinners with four or fewer parties. Yikes.
Another Day in Paradise...
For those of you currently scraping ice off your windshields in the morning (shout out to Elle Belle), consider this: if you move to San Diego you will be enjoying 80 degree days in late October. Yesterday during my Saturday morning run, I was very distracted by all the surfers at Windansea Beach and had to stop running to lay in the sand, watch them and enjoy life. This weather doesn't get old.
After making an inaugural trip to BevMo! (www.bevmo.com) to replenish my go-to Absolut Mandarin and doing some shopping at Vons, I headed back to the beach to listen to the waves and relax. Below are the sights I enjoyed. Another great thing about October here - most of the tourists have gone home and if you find the right spot, it is like having your own private beach. Life is good.
Posted via Pixelpipe.
After making an inaugural trip to BevMo! (www.bevmo.com) to replenish my go-to Absolut Mandarin and doing some shopping at Vons, I headed back to the beach to listen to the waves and relax. Below are the sights I enjoyed. Another great thing about October here - most of the tourists have gone home and if you find the right spot, it is like having your own private beach. Life is good.
Posted via Pixelpipe.
A Perfect Sunday: Brunch at Goldfish Point Cafe
It's been a great Sunday out here in San Diego. I kicked the morning off right with some weight lifting and cardio kickboxing at La Jolla Sports Club. I've done many sports and sports classes in my life, but this cardio kickboxing class could be one of the toughest hour workouts I've been through. Outside of 120s, cones and supersets during the days of Carolina soccer, I'm not sure when I've been so exhausted after a workout. Maybe it just means I'm getting soft in my old age. Going out for an hour run is definitely easier.
After the workout, I met up with Judy for a lovely brunch at the Goldfish Point Cafe to enjoy some food and the view and update the blog, of course. The Hawaiian Hazelnut coffee here is pretty amazing. I'm not even a big coffee drinker (I love Tazo Green Tea in the mornings), but the HH coffee at Goldfish is alright. Check out the menu (and views) below and put it on your "To See List" for the next San Diego visit...
Posted via Pixelpipe.
After the workout, I met up with Judy for a lovely brunch at the Goldfish Point Cafe to enjoy some food and the view and update the blog, of course. The Hawaiian Hazelnut coffee here is pretty amazing. I'm not even a big coffee drinker (I love Tazo Green Tea in the mornings), but the HH coffee at Goldfish is alright. Check out the menu (and views) below and put it on your "To See List" for the next San Diego visit...
Posted via Pixelpipe.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
The Official Californian Anthem by MGMT
I love new music. With any luck, I might be heading to see Pinback this week and the big Coldplay concert (for which I have seats in section 104) next month in Anaheim.
A friend of mine happened to be listening to some pretty cool laid back music. I checked it out on iTunes and I think I have a new favorite song - "Electric Feel" by MGMT. If I ever leave Southern California, this song will always remind me of cruising on the 5. Very cool. Their other popular song "Time To Pretend" has some pretty amazing lyrics - several verses are cited below:
"Let's make some music, make some money, find some models for wives"...
"Yeah it's overwhelming but what else can you do? Get jobs in offices and wake up for the morning commute"...
This second point makes me wish I was musically inclined. Then maybe I wouldn't have to wake up every morning at 5:30a to run before heading into the office to watch a computer screen all day long...the Sunday night blues have me pretty bad tonight.
A friend of mine happened to be listening to some pretty cool laid back music. I checked it out on iTunes and I think I have a new favorite song - "Electric Feel" by MGMT. If I ever leave Southern California, this song will always remind me of cruising on the 5. Very cool. Their other popular song "Time To Pretend" has some pretty amazing lyrics - several verses are cited below:
"Let's make some music, make some money, find some models for wives"...
"Yeah it's overwhelming but what else can you do? Get jobs in offices and wake up for the morning commute"...
This second point makes me wish I was musically inclined. Then maybe I wouldn't have to wake up every morning at 5:30a to run before heading into the office to watch a computer screen all day long...the Sunday night blues have me pretty bad tonight.
The Dealmaker
I feel like I have officially arrived as a San Diegan.
My friend and I met a couple of dudes out on Thursday evening. I was invited boating the next evening. Let me preface this by saying the guy I spent quite a long time chatting with on Thursday night was very nice, witty and a musician. And by musician, his band is legit and apparently just got signed. I did the due diligence and checked things out and was actually pretty impressed by their music.
Although I had high hopes I was surprised when the whole thing worked out and my friend and I headed out to PB to meet up with him and his buddies for an evening cruise on Mission Bay. I knew there are magic in the air when the boat's name was "The Dealmaker." Hilarious. It was actually a great night for a cruise on a boat and we checked out a place called Barefoot Bar - which the guys claimed was at a dock called "Pleasure Point." The real name of the dock was "Paradise Point" but they were pretty close.
Okay, so let's recap - hanging out with a guy in a band who moved to L.A. to be a musician on a boat called The Dealmaker cruising to Paradise/Pleasure Point. This is what life as a Southern Californian is supposed to be!
My friend and I met a couple of dudes out on Thursday evening. I was invited boating the next evening. Let me preface this by saying the guy I spent quite a long time chatting with on Thursday night was very nice, witty and a musician. And by musician, his band is legit and apparently just got signed. I did the due diligence and checked things out and was actually pretty impressed by their music.
Although I had high hopes I was surprised when the whole thing worked out and my friend and I headed out to PB to meet up with him and his buddies for an evening cruise on Mission Bay. I knew there are magic in the air when the boat's name was "The Dealmaker." Hilarious. It was actually a great night for a cruise on a boat and we checked out a place called Barefoot Bar - which the guys claimed was at a dock called "Pleasure Point." The real name of the dock was "Paradise Point" but they were pretty close.
Okay, so let's recap - hanging out with a guy in a band who moved to L.A. to be a musician on a boat called The Dealmaker cruising to Paradise/Pleasure Point. This is what life as a Southern Californian is supposed to be!
Q: When Is a Sleeve Not a Part of a Shirt?
A: When you live in Southern California and it is a tattoo on the arm.
Yes, this is another blog about all the tattoos in San Diego. I previously mentioned my surprise at their frequency, their size and the people that have them. Not just the typical fringe folks, pretty much anyone and everyone in Southern California has them. Apparently when you get a really big one on your arm, it's known as a "sleeve" or a "half sleeve" if it doesn't occupy your entire arm.
I learned this over breakfast when one of my friends was talking about how cool our server's sleeve was. I almost replied that he had a short sleeved shirt on which I really didn't see anything special about and then I saw the large tattoo on his arm. Apparently, if you are going to be a waiter or bartender in San Diego, you are required to have unusually large and ornate tattoos, which - for San Diego - is a pretty big challenge...
I'll keep my eyes peeled for a strong sample of a sleeve to post to the blog.
Yes, this is another blog about all the tattoos in San Diego. I previously mentioned my surprise at their frequency, their size and the people that have them. Not just the typical fringe folks, pretty much anyone and everyone in Southern California has them. Apparently when you get a really big one on your arm, it's known as a "sleeve" or a "half sleeve" if it doesn't occupy your entire arm.
I learned this over breakfast when one of my friends was talking about how cool our server's sleeve was. I almost replied that he had a short sleeved shirt on which I really didn't see anything special about and then I saw the large tattoo on his arm. Apparently, if you are going to be a waiter or bartender in San Diego, you are required to have unusually large and ornate tattoos, which - for San Diego - is a pretty big challenge...
I'll keep my eyes peeled for a strong sample of a sleeve to post to the blog.
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