February 11, 2014
Once in a blue moon’s blue moon, we have a perfect weekend. It takes all kinds of variables coming together, half of which are rare birds: lovely weather, good friends, delicious (and affordable!) food, time and most of all, energy. This was one of them.
I kicked myself for forgetting to use a 2 for 1 tasting coupon but otherwise the weekend was amazing.
We haven’t been to Napa in more than 5 years, despite being just a relatively reasonable drive away, so we relied on the advice of friends and a fair amount of research. I always forget that it’s not a 2.5 hour drive, more like 1.5 which is nothing by LA standards. By SF standards, it feels like a half day commitment.
Our friends who said that no one should cram more than 2 vineyards into a visit really knew what they were talking about. Taking your time, packing a delicious charcuterie picnic lunch, and moseying from Vineyard 1 to Vineyard 2, and relaxing at each is really the best recipe.
There’s truly something to be said for exploring your own backyard!
:: What’s a local attraction you’ve enjoyed? Close to your home, I mean.
April 7, 2012
As our feet feel like they’re just touching the ground, we’re back off to the races!
We have a brief day and a half trip planned to visit family for Easter which, though we’ve known about it, we’ve had no time to get the prep done ahead of time requires: a car wash, a dog wash, a dog’s laundry washing, a cooler packed and meals made ahead all in the span of 3 hours this morning. Also, still need to buy hosting beer for the friends who are kindly offering us a room so we don’t have to stay at a hotel.
While I love the idea of catching up with a friend I’ve not seen in 4 years (but we didn’t know each other that well) our husbands have never met so a tiny part of me wonders, is this a great idea? Perhaps paying 25,000 points and a $50 pet fee might have been worth the quiet and peace of mind at the end of a long road trip ….
We need a gift to send back to SoCal with PiC next weekend for our really good friends so that has to be done now.
I have to send a set of books back to SoCal to another friend, so just remembering that I need to pack that now to see if I can’t send it back with Easter family to get it all the way back home. Spare PiC the extra baggage next weekend.
A friend’s wedding is at the end of the month: we missed the booking date for the blocked room rates so I had to get online to see what the extra cost was. Found that the “savings” weren’t, really. Booked using points instead as it fortuitously turned out that there were rewards rooms available. We’ve been bleeding cash of late. This helps.
Their gift: I spent two hours on the registry last night agape and aghast. Finally placed the order this morning as I was determined to check the gifting off the list. Found a combination of things that were reasonably good quality and still affordable without totally breaking our budget. Funded half of it with my Company Holiday Gift Card. Thank goodness for gift card hoarding and not using them on myself anymore. It should ship direct to them and arrive in advance of the wedding. (Two and three hundred dollar serving ware pieces? For students? I … don’t even know.)
It’s nice to get most everything out of the way but it feels like a whooosh of compressed air being let out all at once. LOT of pressure. Still, I will be grateful not to be worrying at the last minute about it, I know. This month (year/life) will only get busier as we go along.
And it’s going to be hot where we’re going this weekend. So very very excited to be warm. You have no idea how much I’m looking forward to that. I am jigging.
August 3, 2010
aka The Poor Hostess.
We had friends over the other weekend. By “we” I mean, PiC said they could come stay for the weekend and then took off on a previously planned trip. I kid, we both agreed it’d be great to see them but he had plans he couldn’t change on the same weekend so that left me with them. And I was fine with that, they’re great fun. But I realized that I’m not only a less than social creature, I’m not a great hostess.
I have this personal definition or image of a good host: you always have fresh linens on the bed, you have all kinds of goodies in the fridge, cook every meal and clear up afterwards letting your guests be entertained at their leisure. Kind of like the best dinner party slash sleepover ever, right?
But realistically, how on earth does a single person DO all that?
I definitely presided over the cooking/kitchen, there were certainly clean linens for the air mattress, fresh towels in a newly cleaned bathroom and I set it up for them but they helped me with the dishes, used their own towels, and fought with me over every bill.
2 to 1, I was bound to lose some of those fights. And let’s be honest, I’m not really comfortable with the predominantly Asian contact sport known as Give-Me-The-Bill-Or-I’ll-Throw-An-Elbow on a number of levels.
Looking at it from the other side, my cousins, for example, have hosted me (I’m nearly the youngest in that grouping) and they paid for everything, took care of everything, and chased me away from the dishes in the long ago past. That’s where I imprinted the idea of good hosting. Then again, when I’ve stayed with friends, I’ve done their dishes (and their roommates’), cleared up any messes, and chipped in for meals and household supplies that I used.
So is this a generational thing? Or am I taking advantage of free labor?
What do you consider good hosting habits?
July 25, 2010
There was always supposed to be some scheduled posts but that didn’t happen, obviously, so here I am, dashing off a quick note on my last night in San Diego to let you know that my spending proves I’m still alive and kicking.
Sunday Confessional
I’m totally out of shape and am barely making it out this year: my feet are blistering in protest of the miles of con floor walking and dashes to panels, and the astronomically long lines while carrying 20 pounds of comics.
I bought 20 pounds of comics.
Only half of them were gifts.
That and 2 other gifts cost all the cash I brought down with me and then some ($173).
Am packmuling home ten t-shirts (9 freebies, 4 from the Scott Pilgrim Marketing Bonanza, 1 gift for a friend).
I’m still online because I’m watching my inbox for an email from a stranger with an attached photo of me with Adam Baldwin. (!!!)
And now I’m going to pass out and dream-brainstorm good thank-you gifts for the gracious owners of the condo in which I stayed for free. Flowers? Food? (Food’s too hard.)
July 18, 2010
PiC does stand for Partner in Crime, for those of you who were asking. I think it’s fun but he would like it to be known that we are “strictly on the up and up” with every bit of “legit”ness possible. 😀 This is why he cracks me up, he takes the oddest things literally. And it’s true, we’re totally legit around here.
In other news, I’ve been thoroughly irresponsible this weekend thanks to an unexpected houseguest. An old friend gave me a call on Thursday asking if I happened to have bedspace, which we do, and made a serious drive over to visit. He’s been housebound for a while so he was in the mood for a lot of city livin’ – which is so very much not me. As it turns out, we compromised pretty well.
We had a lovely dinner out in the city with his old friend which cost $23 each for the traditional 7 courses of beef. I didn’t know there was a Pagolac in the Bay Area – I used to dine there with my family as the ultimate treat for big big things down south. I know now that it’s not really that costly in comparison to gourmet food but it was pretty serious stuff for my fam. We rarely ever ate out so for that lifestyle, that was a splurge. Honestly, I still appreciate the simplicity and still feel a touch spoiled when we eat that meal.
Saturday dawned late with a little bit of sleeping in which was lovely. We cruised the Farmers Market, picking up salami cones, quarter pounds of cheese, the most excellent bread, and a couple of really expensive peaches. We got lost, taking the wrong freeway, and ended up munching our way through all that food watching the waves crash on the rocks of Treasure Island. Best thing? We avoided having to pay the toll for taking the wrong bridge! Lunch, snacks for later: $24
Later that night, we discovered a fantastic Thai restaurant in Oakland, Sabuy Sabuy, that the nearest multiplex cinema had the worst parking structure set-up ever, paid $2 for the privilege of parking for 3 minutes to not see a sold out movie, and THEN paid $10.50 each for a movie ticket at another theater. *smh* Unfortunately, I completely forgot that I had a Regal Cinemas ticket voucher – could have saved a bit of cash.
Today was going to be errand running but we got a late start and after feasting on the leftover peaches, frozen hash browns and other carbs, I’m settling in to finally get some work done. Ahh….leftovers for dinner tonight!
There’s something incredibly refreshing about hanging out with friends of old. I’m not terribly social, nor that trusting since college, so it always takes more effort to spend time with people who I’ve not been acquainted with all that long. It’s been lovely catching up with these friends more frequently but I definitely need to find a more economical way to do it. “They’re worth it” is the first step on a pretty slippery slope! And on the eve of my trip down south, I should be more conscientious about spending.
July 3, 2010
One of the hardest things about having moved away from family and friends is that there’s no way I can swoop in and visit whenever someone’s ill, depressed or distressed. That was probably the best thing about being unemployed/freelancing: when situations came up, I could be there for people.
In fact, the way people tend to hermitize when they’re going through rough times (which I’ve been doing myself for three months, so I’m not throwing stones), I’m not even likely to know that they’re having a bad time of it until well afterward.
I’m attending an old friend’s wedding this weekend and it happened to put us in the right place for once. PiC’s sibs were expecting and their wee one was born early in an emergency situation. We’ll be able to visit them in the hospital and help out over the weekend if there’s anything they need.
My fingers are crossed that the health situation resolves soon and they can enjoy their new addition without this extra concern soon.
Hope you all have a wonderful weekend and an extra day off for those who have Monday off.
June 20, 2010
Weekend “Best Of” List
Best line: “I need to jump at least one curb.” (driving a 2-person surrey holding 3 people)
Best laugh: Watching as my friend decided to “rodeo” the wooden horse mounted on a spring, and sl-l-l-ooowwwwwww-ly tilt and fall off the side. She was parallel to the ground, hanging on for dear life, until she lost her grip and *thumped* gently down that last inch.
Best food: Lunch at a completely empty sushi restaurant. Delicious food, great portions and 100% service from the only person working ($75).
or wait, maybe it was my asparagus risotto with Creole shrimp with roasted potatoes and onions next to a green salad! That was pretty darn good and only $15 for three meals.
Best pain: Sore bums after hitting the race slides built for kids half our size. Best 5 out of 7 for the privilege of paying for groceries.
Best view: Staring off the coast toward Sausalito and the GG Bridge to watch two intrepid swimmers making their way out to sea.
Best adventure: Renting a surrey for an hour ($20), offroading said surrey, crashing downhill at unsafe speeds. Taking the surrey off the proscribed paths to the Academy of Sciences, discovering free Ben and Jerry’s, chatting with strangers, petted three dogs, having our picture taken by the B&J employee because we were “cute,” and getting free flash drives for taking pictures with their cows. Oh, and getting my pants stuck to the surrey while sitting on the front basket bars.
Best new food discovery: Cinderella’s Bakery has authentic Russian food served by what I’m convinced are authentic Russian People. They were excellent and so was the food ($32).
Best laugh at other people (not my friends): Wildlife volunteers at a preserve were treed by a baby skunk.
Best realization: I think I’m ready to settle down a bit. Not stop traveling and become a total hermit, but settle down and accept this as my home for now. And that means I. Want. A. DOG. (Most particularly mine, but if she can’t tolerate this weather, I won’t do it to her.) Visiting the humane society reminded me of how much I miss having animals in my life and even if I can’t have one dog to bring home now, I’d like to start volunteering.
Also, the idea of marriage (and maybe even a teeny-tiny wedding of some sort) doesn’t send me into dry heaves or a panic attack. Huh.
It wasn’t the cheapest weekend but mostly for my friends. I fail at beating these friends to the check most times because they’re bigger than me and paying any meal checks has become a contact sport. I did manage to pay for most of the groceries, only just, but they got me back by sending a $100 SpaFinder gift certificate. *eyeroll* What the heck, people? I’m hosting you! Let me do my thing! But I made them delicious breakfasts and one dinner, that’ll show them! Right? Right?
There were some excellent photos but not on my camera. Must finagle.