enjoy the musical moment

So I'm once again sitting on the sofa watching stuff on TiVo. My current selection is the Jimmy Kimmel Live After Oscar special, which featured this year's celeb-studded viral wannabe Movie: The Movie (sorry Jimmy, it's no Handsome Men's Club) and a skit where Oprah actually allows herself to be made fun of. The show also featured a live performance from Coldplay, which is why I'm typing...

All throughout the crowd, there are hundreds of digital cameras and cell phones pointed at the stage, all with human beings attached, whose focus is clearly on the screen of their device, NOT the actual Grammy-Award winning band performing mere feet away from them for free.

I'm all for recording things for posterity and saving memories, but this practice has become far too common and addicting...especially when you are in the audience of a concert that is already being recorded... like for a national TV show you can watch and relive online whenever you want!

I'm totally guilty of it too. I spent most of U2's concert at the Rose Bowl in 2009 -- where I was lucky enough to have had a general admission floor ticket that enabled me to end up right in front of the catwalk surrounding the stage AND that was recorded for their 360 Tour Live DVD, btw -- with my camera out, recording video of my fave songs and trying to get perfect photos of Bono and Larry Mullen Jr. But I'm kinda bummed that I didn't experience more of the actual experience of being there... "stuck in a moment," if you will... in the FRONT ROW!

Luckily, the most recent concerts I've gone to -- specifically Foo Fighters at the not-so-fabulous-anymore-Forum in October -- have required that I focus on the music, not my camera. See, my camera broke at some point over the summer and refused to focus on anything. So any footage I would have attempted to film would have looked like a super-fuzzy mess. And while I wish I had clear video of Dave Grohl performing Everlong, I am kind of glad I don't. That concert was awesome and I remember huge chunks of the performances and how great the music sounded. I'm not sure that would have happened if I'd been too busy recording the show to actually enjoy the show.

go brownie! (but stay!)

Wish my party had been last night instead of a week ago ....

Dustin Brown's hat trick powers Kings to 4-0 win over Blackhawks

The Ice Crew picking up all the hats thrown on the ice after Dustin Brown scored his natural hat trick, as seen from section 206

Dustin is my fave player on the Kings. He's in no way the best player on the team, but I like him because he's scrappy. And -- as of his hat trick last night -- he's also tied for the team goal-scoring lead with some guy named Anze Kopitar. Dustin is the Kings' captain and their heart. He's also a huge giver when it comes to helping the community, which was recognized last summer when he won the NHL Foundation Award on his third nomination. Before last night's game, rumors were swirling he was on the trading block. There are 25 hours left before the trading deadline. Dean Lombardi better not do anything stupid...

breaking up with tivo season passes is hard to do

I admit it. I watch a fair amount of television (although not as much as some people I know (Hi [cough] Diana [cough]). And as I sit here watching Suburgatory, a perfectly charming sitcom that debuted this season on ABC, I am once again reminded of this, and the fact that I keep meaning to delete it from my TiVo season passes. I also need to delete the other shows I record every week but don't get around to watching for two-to-three weeks (Person of Interest, Hawaii Five-O, Californication). I could be reading a book or a magazine, or printing the photos off my computer I've been meaning to print for months, or -- here's a concept -- interacting with real human beings. But instead I'm constantly feeling pressure to watch tv shows I don't love that are taking up space on my TiVo hard drive.

So I hereby vow that if I don't love a show, and don't actually a) know when it's on and b) look forward to watching it every week, it's getting the boot. Time is too precious to be spent not being entertained :)

happy national margarita day!

Who knew there was a National Margarita Day!?! I didn't till right now, and unfortunately, I'm already a glass and a half into a bottle of wine. However, I had a big margie on Monday night and have plans for another one tomorrow night, so I'll just be celebrating my own personal National Margarita Week :) And till tomorrow's goblet-o-lime-and-te-kill-ya goodness, I'm just going to stare at these pretty pictures:

The Best Margaritas in Los Angeles
(Note: I'm surprised the Casa Vega margarita isn't on there... one of those will knock you out! Although I have had the one from the El Paseo Inn on Olvera Street, and it ain't too weak either ;)

things that make me smile

I heard this weekend that my favorite Friend is joining my favorite drama!

Matthew Perry joins 'The Good Wife' cast

For those who have never seen Chandler's alter-ego in a drama, you're in for a treat. Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip was an amazing show that didn't get the chance it deserved, and he was amazing in it. And he's actually been nominated for three Emmy Awards for dramatic work on The West Wing and in The Ron Clark Story. I can't wait to see him go head-to-head with the amazing Juliana Marguiles, Josh Charles and Christine Baranski on The Good Wife. I love that show!!

my "suite" birthday confluence of friends

Since late 1999 when the Los Angeles Kings moved into Staples Center, I have always wanted to watch a game from one of the luxury suites... it's actually an item on my bucket list -- or as a friend suggests I should call it to be more upbeat, my "Leap List." 

So... on Saturday, February 18, 2012, in celebration of me becoming officially old, some of my oldest and dearest friends met in Luxury Suite E-8 as the LA Kings attempted to score at least one goal against the Calgary Flames... and failed miserably. (They lost 0-1... again.) But we still had a blast!

The night was extremely special to me because each year, I do small birthday things with my different groups of friends... all separately. A dinner here, drinks there. But this year, I decided to go big and have everyone -- all the distinct groups -- together in one spot, for one night of fun. Thanks to everyone who attended for making my birthday so special!

When you splurge for a suite, you get to go into Staples Center two hours before game-time, before the common-folk are allowed in. It's super-cool (literally and figuratively) and kind of spooky quiet.

My Poker Peeps surprised me with a champagne delivery and toast during the first intermission! Thank you guys!

My pal Diana not only bribed someone at Staples to let her bring in dessert (vs pay THEM for dessert), but she also slaved away all afternoon to bake and decorate these delish chocolate and vanilla sprinkled cupcakes that we ate during the second intermission. I love the boxes they came in. So cute!! (Diana also brought me a purple-jeweled tiara to wear all night that I love!)

Cupcakes (and the cute purple box) get their close-up!

birthday dinner in old hollywood

Today I am officially old. So to celebrate I decided to go to the oldest restaurant in Hollywood for my birthday dinner with the 'rents. Musso and Frank Grill has been around since 1919 and is about as old-school as you can get. Old red leather booths complete with coat hooks on the aisle, two old wooden phone booths in the back where movie deals were probably made in the '50s, and employees who have been working there longer than I've been alive (so they're really old ;)

Musso and Frank claims to have the world's greatest martinis. So of course that's what we ordered. However, since I don't like to taste my alcohol, I ordered the fruity version, aka a Cosmo. True to their old-school-ness, the martinis come in tiny glasses, with the overflow in a vase on ice for you to pour when you're done with the first tiny glass. 

I was tempted to order spaghetti and meatballs (I think it was because the red leather booths also invoke that Italian restaurant vibe...) but since I'm old, I decided to go with the more mature meal of Filet Mignon, medium. It was good but could have been a little less pink... or I suppose I could have asked for it medium-well. Oh well...potato/potatoe... which reminds me, I had it with french fries instead of a baked potato because it's my birthday and that's what I wanted :P

My dad had the New York steak -- with a baked potato. It photographs better than my filet did. Dad enjoyed it... then proceeded to eat my fries. 

Mom had one of the specials: roast duckling. I don't eat duck. I have a very strict "no eating baby animals (veal or lamb) or cute animals (rabbit, duck, deer)" policy. Tonight at Musso and Frank I learned that I, therefore, could never have eaten dinner with Charlie Chaplin. His fave meal on the Musso and Frank menu was Grilled Lamb Kidney with Bacon. No thanks. And no thanks to roast duckling too, although Mom said it was yummy.

So the entrees all got a thumbs up. But the desserts left something to be desired. For one thing, they don't have creme brule. I therefore had to order pie (because I didn't want cake, ice cream, pudding or tiramasu). My apple pie was cold -- I would have preferred it warmed -- and the crust was thick and not at all flakey. In fact between the thickness and the cold, it was kind of hard to cut. The 'rents split New York Cheesecake. I don't eat cheesecake either, so no taste-test for me. They seemed to enjoy it, although Mom said the layer on top was "interesting." 

love is...

My 84-year-old grandpa in New Mexico sends a lot of email forwards. Many of them spout political propaganda that I immediately delete. However, some are gems of beautiful and/or funny photos, or wise words to live by.

One last week kind of falls into the "wise words" category.

I thought it would be perfect for Valentine's Day. Enjoy!

-----------------------------

A group of 4-to-8-year-olds were asked What does "love" mean? Their answers were broader and deeper than you'd imagine:

"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands get arthritis too. That's love." - Rebecca, age 8

"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth." - Billy, age 4

"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs." - Chrissy, age 6

"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired." - Terri, age 4

"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK." - Danny, age 7

"Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss." - Emily, age 8

"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen." - Bobby, age 7

"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it every day." - Noelle, age 7

"During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore." - Cindy, age 8

"Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken." - Elaine, age 5

"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day." - Mary Ann, age 4

"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget." - Jessica, age 8

great grammy's

For once, Grammy voters last night agreed with me! The awesome Adele won in all six categories she was nominated in! Foo Fighters won five awards and played twice, in addition to Dave Grohl (I love him and his blue Gibson guitar!) joining Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen and Joe Walsh for an awesome jam session at the end of the show. There were also great performance from Adele, Springsteen + the E Street Band, Katy Perry and Bruno Mars (can't believe I just typed that).

But last night was not only totally entertaining, it was also informative. For example, I learned that Adele is one cool chick. Listening to her music, you'd think she's this sad, demure, heartbroken girl. But in watching Anderson Cooper profile her on 60 Minutes (secretly one of my fave shows... I watch with the 'rents every Sunday after family dinner), I REALLY like her. She is funny, real and has a great 'tude to go with that amazing voice. (Plus, she's not afraid to acknowledge snot coming out of her nose on a live, nationally-televised awards show as she's accepting her 6th award of the night :)


 

brunching at bottega louie

I've been to the fabulous Bottega Louie in Downtown LA twice for dinner, drinks and dessert, but have always wanted to try their breakfast menu. So when my friend Diana asked to take me to brunch to kick off my birthday week, and mentioned going somewhere special (aka somewhere other than Hugo's or 4n20), I picked Bottega, and I'm so glad I did (even though I've been in a food coma all day). 

Here's the deliciousness we devoured:

I started with a chai tea latte (shocker!) and fresh squeezed orange juice. The chai was small and just sweet enough. The juice was thick and pulpy and good. Diana had fresh pinapple juice. 

We ordered raspberry beignets as a "starter." These are not like the beignets I've had before from the world-famous Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans (which actually did not live up to their hype). These are covered with normal sugar, not messy powdered sugar, and were lighter..just like a sugared doughnut. The raspberry compote was great!

Diana had the Breakfast Flatbread for her entree, which consisted of Bottega's pizza dough (fresh out of their giant pizza oven) covered in prosciutto, mozzarella, baked egg, arugula and a house arrabiata sauce she said was really good.

I had a really hard time deciding what to order for my entree. I almost got the french toast, but decided that'd be bread overload after the beignets. So I ordered the spinach and goat cheese quiche, served with a side of frisee salad and pear tomatoes. It was pretty great. My one recommendation would be to add another layer of spinach lower in the quiche. It was all up on the top layer, which was crispy. 

After all that (plus the yummy Bottega bread they bring for breakfast too, but with jam!), we were stuffed. However, I'd already decided I was stopping at the patisserie on the way out for Sunday night dessert with the 'rents. Here's what I took to-go:

A giant piece of tiramasu, that made my mom decide she wants to start making tiramasu. This isn't my fave dessert, but the bite I had was pretty good.



Creme brule -- this IS my fave dessert! And Bottega Louie has three flavors. I ate the normal vanilla one, surrounded by raspberries, with some green garnish that I never figured out sprinkled all around, and sitting on a crisp, sweet base.

Dad got the chocolate creme brule. He didn't share so I don't know what it tasted like, but I assume it was good since he devoured it pretty quickly. The third flavor they have is hazelnut, which I'm not a huge fan of, but I'm sure it's good to people who like hazelnut.

things that make me smile

Super cute Valentines -- with hand-drawn pictures and temporary tattoos -- arriving on my doorstep (both in person and via the mailman) from my psuedo-nieces and nephews :)

Thanks Harry and Lily and Kiera and Dane :)

things i'm looking forward to this weekend

1) Spending most of Saturday in auntie-mode... hanging with my cool psuedo-niece and two of my cutie psuedo-nephews + going to a baby shower to celebrate the coming-arrival of psuedo-nephew #6


2) Spending Saturday Night laughing at stuff like this...




3) Hearing this song...



(played on that awesome blue Gibson, my favorite guitar on the planet!)

And this song....



And/or this song...



... LIVE on the Grammy's Sunday night!

AND watching both that rock band and that beautiful woman with that amazing voice win a boatload of little gold gramophones!

planning adventures in my own backyard

Last Saturday, I decided to make my "Mom's Awesome Italian Tortellini Soup" (yes, that's its official name + photo at right to prove I "cook" ;) and invite some friends over to watch screeners. But instead of movies, we got to talking over the last two issues of Los Angeles Magazine -- February's Classic LA and January's Best New Restaurants. We've actually been talking on and off for eons about all the things we want to do around LA that we never actually get around to. People from all over the US come here to vacation and experience all the cool things this town has to offer, and we really take it for granted most of the time. So we decided to actually make a list of all the things we want to do. It goes like this...

Places to Eat

• Church and State
• Hungry Cat
• Musso & Frank
• The Original Pantry
• Osteria Mozza
• Pizzeria Mozza
• Yamashiro

Places to Visit in LA

• Angel's Flight
• Art Deco Tour of LA
• Daryl's Tour of LA 
• Forest Lawn Museum (as in art, not dead people)
• Getty Villa in Malibu
• Gold Coast iPic Theater in Pasadena (with the reclining chairs and waitress service)
• Griffith Observatory (to actually look at the stars, not just the view)
• Lake Hollywood
• LA Library - Ansel Adams Exhibit

Places to Visit in CA

• Big Bear
• Carmel
• Hearst Castle
• Lake Arrowhead
• Lake Tahoe
• Ojai
• Palm Springs
• Paso Robles

Places to Visit Near CA

• Grand Canyon
• Yosemite

Do you have suggestions for yummy food places, historic/unique places to visit or beautiful nature spots to experience? Leave a note in the comments and maybe I'll add them to my list :)

my new obsession

So at the end of last season (like literally the last two weeks of the season), I started watching The Voice. I thought the talent was pretty amazing. But little did I know -- or learn in those two weeks -- that I'd missed the best part of the show! I'm now watching the beginning of Season 2, and these blind auditions are awesome!

The suspense of waiting to see who, if any, of the four coaches will push their "I Want You" button to turn their super-Star Trek chair around and keep the auditioning singer on the show is killer. It's heartbreaking when none of them buzz in. But it's hilarious when more than one of them do! If more than one coach buzzes in, the contestant gets to pick whose team he/she wants to join, as the coaches "campaign" for themselves/against each other. And I am now in love with Adam Levine and Blake Shelton! Watching them fight over contestants, insulting each other, and sometimes helping each other out against the other two coaches -- Christina Aguilera and Cee Lo Green -- is great television! The four coaches, while battling for contestants, actually seem to really like each other and being part of the show. And they appear (at least in the case of Adam, Blake and Cee Lo) really genuine. Christina Aguilera has always bugged me/seemed fake, and her sitting there flashing her big, fake boobs is doing nothing to change my opinion of her, but that's okay. The others make up for her. In fact, watching Adam pick on her, is quite enjoyable. ;)

Apparently, I'm not the only one who's loving the show. Last night, the show earned the biggest non-sports TV rating in six years as it premiered after the Super Bowl. Yay for it! (And NBC... they really need a hit ;)

yummy discoveries

Yesterday morning was errand time. I went to the ATM, to the vet to pick up more fluids for my sickly cat, and then walked over to Starbucks. One thing I love about Starbucks -- other than the Chai tea lattes (of course!) and the awesome staffs at both the Starbucks across the street from my office and the one near my house -- is how the arrival of "the red cups" in late November signals the start of the holiday season. Well, now Starbucks is celebrating Valentine's Day via their cups too! Check out the photo at left -- it's so cute and cheerful, with words completing phrases that include "love" shooting into the heart via little arrows. It made me smile when the cashier handed it to me. :)

From Starbucks I went into the grocery store and was in the cheese aisle when I remembered that I've been meaning to post about some yummy foods I've discovered I "love" recently. (I love it when a blog post comes together ;)

The first is smoked gouda cheese (which I bought yesterday while in said cheese aisle ;). I have never been very adventurous with cheese. It's expensive, so if you buy a new kind and it's gross, that's a waste of dinero. But I was introduced to smoked gouda at a focus group facility last year (the awesome one in Costa Mesa that also makes us fresh, warm-out-of-the-oven chocolate chip cookies) and I loved it! It's a hard cheese, yet also creamy and -- as its name suggests -- a bit smokey. It's a definite new fave that will be a Hollywood Bowl picnic basket staple this summer.

Another new discovery is English Breakfast tea. For many, many years I have been strictly a chai tea gal. But in the tea shop in fake England at EPCOT last October I decided to try something new and bought a box of English Breakfast. Granted, it's also a black tea, so it was a fairly safe experiment. But it was still a nice discovery. It's less spicy, more smooth and is super-relaxing in both the morning and evening.

The last food I now like -- that I previously thought I hated -- is almonds. I've been anti-almond for I don't know how long, or why really. If I had to guess, I'd say it's because of its association with disgusting coconut in Almond Joy candy bars. But last summer, as part of my diet and attempt to stock my kitchen with healthier snacks, I bought the Costco bucket-o-mixed nuts, which contains delish pecans, cashews, macadamia nuts... and almonds. I couldn't just leave the almonds to settle to the bottom of the container until all the other nuts were gone, so I tried one... and I liked it. I really liked it! (But I'm still not eating an Almond Joy. My hatred of coconut is non-negotiable... we'll get into that some other time.)

i hate beer, but...

 I LOVE this commercial!



Thanks to my Canadian, hockey-loving/playing co-worker Scott M. for sharing :)

five rules of happiness

More words of wisdom from my new favorite site-o-lists, Marc and Angel Hack Life ....


1. Don't Hate 
2. Don't Worry 
3. Give More 
4. Expect Less 
5. Live Simply


I need to work on #2 a lot more... especially this week. Oy. (That's actually my word of the week :)