things than make me smile: pandas playing in blizzards

my favorites of 2015

Quotes 

I'm sure this quote is not from 2015, but 2015 is when I saw it on the Word Porn Facebook feed, which I also love...



And for my new personal mantra... expanded this year as I've become of lover of more teas than just chai (shocker, I know, but "Mauritius is delicious" ;)

Memories of loved ones lost, in my happy place (aka my garden)

Lucky's painted rose

Granny's Cactus' Flowering

Entertainment: 

Music...

Truth. It's the thing this introvert goes to when I need something no one else can give... time with my thoughts.

... or when I need an amazing communal experience. I saw a lot of concerts this year. But these three by my two fave bands were the most amazing.

U2 i+e Tour live @ The Forum 

Foo Fighters #brokenlegtour + Love Ride 32

Adele "25" 
The new album I (and the world) had been waiting four years for made me feel happy, sad and sassy. It's amazing and has been on repeat in my car and office iTunes for weeks. And her promo appearances on SNL, her NBC special and this Tonight Show Classroom Instruments performance with Jimmy Fallon and The Roots made me love her and the album that much more.

Movies...

Brooklyn
I new very little about this film when I put the screener in the DVD player. It made me laugh, cry, swoon and cheer. Great performances. Great screenplay by Nick Hornby. A great emotional movie experience. 

The Martian
I didn't see this in the theater, but rather on my TV via screener on a sick day, months after everyone I know had already told me how great it was. I wish I had seen it on the big screen. It's big, bold, exciting and magnificent. Great performances. Great special effects. And a great STORY. I haven't seen everything yet, but right now I think this is my pick for Best Picture.

Most 

Most Pleasant Surprise ... (in that this was really good, but most definitely not pleasant)

The Revenant
I had no desire to see this movie. Every time the trailer came on in a theater I counted the minutes till it was over and a "better one" came on. But about week ago, I started to read the reviews. Then one night I decided to put the screener in to see if they were true. Wow. It's brutal, beautiful, sweeping, sad, enraging and excellent. Leonardo DiCaprio could finally win his Oscar for this amazing, heartbreaking performance (as long as the Academy refuses to give Eddie Redmayne two Best Actor Oscars in a row... he's Leo's only competition in my mind right now.)

TV...

This is the year I became a true binge-watching aficionado. I started the year finishing Breaking Bad, started summer with Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and have spent the fall and winter with Mad Men -- I have four disks left with Don Draper. As f'ed up as he is, that makes me sad.

This is the year I also decided to no longer waste time watching shows I don't love... so I added exactly one half hour of new television this Fall, and deleted "How to Get Away with Murder," "Sleepy Hollow," Once Upon a Time" and "New Girl" from my Tivo season passes. My "Should I add a new show?" rule this TV season was: "Will I enjoy this as much as or more than another episode of Mad Men?" If not, then I didn't bother.

In the New Year (after Don and I say farewell), I will be focused on reading the pile of unread books I've accumulated in the last two years. (Anyone want to start a Book Club so I'm forced to do this? ;)

things that make me smile

So I've been lazily cleaning out my personal emails today and following up on random things I need to do (print Groupons so I remember to use Groupons, making reservations, organizing bills, etc) and I found an email from U2.com with a 25% off coupon that I get every year when I renew my subscription (to guarantee awesome pre-sale concert ticket priority and therefore seats.. example below..)

I never use the coupon because I don't need more concert t-shirts. But out of boredom, I decided to go check out the online store today.

They have a lot of expensive lithographs, one of which is from the 360 Tour show at the Rose Bowl on October 25, 2009.... a.k.a. the concert they filmed for YouTube and a DVD release. Oh, and also a.k.a the concert where I was one person away from the barricade at the foot of the front left stage "leg" and had the most awesome (if not painful) concert experience of my life. 

Here's the lithograph image... Bono and Edge reaching out to each other across the bridges:

photograph by Otto Kitsinger

So as I'm looking at that, I think to myself, "That image seems very familiar... I wonder if my hand is one of those hands below them." But as I'm thinking that, I don't remember there being two bridges near me.. just one. They kind of flew out from each corner / leg, into the middle where the main stage was.

So I go back to my rather large collection of photos from that night and -- low and behold -- it's familiar alright, just from another not-so-great angle (unless you like looking at The Edge's butt.. LOL).

Photogragh by Me :)

If I can't be a professional photographer, at least I know I have a professional photographer's eye for capturing amazing concert moments... from hilarious angles :)

Now I might actually have to buy that lithograph, and print my photo out the same size to hang next to it, just because this thoroughly cracks me up.

welcome home

I came home from my four-day mini-vacation in Oregon late last night. This morning, I went outside to water my poor, parched plants and this is what I found....

SIX cactus flowers blooming! Apparently my blog reaches heaven :) Hi Granny. Love you too!

happy birthday granny

Today would have been my Granny's 86th birthday. It's been six months since she passed away, and I miss her so much. But I'm also constantly reminded of her by some of the most random things, which always make me smile. I like to think those reminders are her way of telling me "hi" :)

Watering My Cactuses
My cactus farm started with one tiny cactus Granny gave me when I was 12, and we were leaving El Paso to move to Connecticut. That one tiny cactus survived in Connecticut (inside the house, obviously), and then came to California, where -- especially since I've moved into my house and have a ton of outdoor space -- it has multiplied and multiplied and multiplied into more than 30 cactuses living in planters and pots and now permanently in the ground in my front and back gardens. I call the original cactus (below) "Mama Cactus," even though some of her "babies" are now bigger than she is. If you even need some plants that don't need a lot of water, let me know. The "baby" cacti are multiplying now too :)

I also love that the bigger members of the cactus family bloom in the summer ... as a pretty pink-purple flower. Purple was Granny's favorite color. The blooms only last for one day, which I think makes them even more special. Here's a bloom from the cactus in my front window-box from late July:

Mixing Ketchup and Mustard

When I'm running errands in Northridge, I am sometimes tempted to stop at Wienerschnitzel across the street from my alma mater CSUN for a corn dog (and the best french fries on the planet!) When I was a little kid, Granny taught me to mix my mustard with my ketchup. It's a little sweet, and a little spicy. In other words, the best condiment ever! And the one time I've been to Wienerschnitzel since February, I had the mustard ketchup mix on my corn dog, and thought of her.

Looking at the States on the Back of Quarters

Granny was not a coin collector. But I do think she was trying to find all 50 states on the quarters at some point in the late 90s-early 2000s. And while I don't think I ever gave her any of my quarters, I do subconsciously always flip them over to see what state they have etched on them before I spend them.

Her Purple Tea Set

I've only had tea from her purple-flowered china tea set once (because I'm a klutz and don't trust myself) but I see it when I open that cabinet and always think of her. The dress I picked to wear to my cousin Josh's wedding in June had purple flowers on it that reminded me of this tea set, and therefore Granny :)

Hummingbirds

Granny loved hummingbirds. When she moved from her apartment into assisted living, she dispersed her huge mug collection amongst all the family members (filled with candy) that Christmas. I got her "New Mexico" hummingbird mug... mostly (I think) because it was purple. But I have that sitting out on my counter, still filled with candy. And whenever I catch an actual live hummingbird out at my feeder, it makes me think of her.

Happy Birthday Granny! I love you!   

love wins

Yesterday was a historic day in our country. The Supreme Court legalized gay marriage, legally recognizing that love knows no boundaries of gender... love is love. As someone who has friends and relatives in LGBT marriages -- some legal, some not until yesterday's ruling -- this makes me very happy. :)

From Justice Anthony Kennedy's closing statement:

And landmarks around the nation lit up like rainbows last night to celebrate. So beautiful :)

best. news. ever.

This: Foo Fighters’ ‘Sonic Highways’ Is Definitely Coming Back for Season 2 « Radio.com

And if you don't already know why that's the best. news. ever, read this now.

things that make me smile

My 60+ year-old next door neighbor arriving home from playing tennis, blaring AC DC's "Back in Black" out his Porsche's open windows.

a few of my favorite things....

Inspired by the 50th Anniversary of "The Sound of Music" this year, and the fact that I need to get back to blogging (no matter how short and sweet), here is a quick hit of a few of my favorite things lately:

Foo Fighters: Sonic Highways HBO Series

This was actually one of my favorite things of 2014, but I never got around to writing about it. So here, in honor of it being released on DVD April 9, is why I love it:

1. It's directed by Dave Grohl, who can do no wrong and is quite possibly the coolest guy on earth.
2. It stars Dave and the rest of the Foo Fighters.
3. It tells the story behind every song on the Foo's Sonic Highways album. Watching the series, which takes place in each of the eight cities the album was recorded in, you literally see and hear the songs being born. Each of those cities was chosen because they are part of the history of music in America. And now, as I listen to the album, I'm reminded of each of those stories. It was just an amazing, inspiring and educational premise.
4. There is an episode set in the French Quarter of New Orleans. 'Nuff said.
5. Because Dave interviews Dolly Parton in the Nashville episode, I was able to trick my mom into watching an hour of Foo Fighter awesomeness.... and she liked it! 

Live Music

This is and always will be one of my favorite things. There is nothing like being in the presence of people who can take instruments and make magic come out of them.

I kicked off my 2015 concert series last night with one of the most amazing musical magicians around, Jonny Lang, who started off in 1997 as a blues-guitar prodigy with a deep, soulful voice coming out of a scrawny blond kid from North Dakota. He's now a veteran at 34 (ha!) and last night at The Canyon in Agoura, he and his band made some amazingly awesome sounds come out of beautiful guitars.

Coming up on the concert calendar:

• Fleetwood Mac  @ The Forum to check it off the concert bucket list since this will likely be the last time they're all together
• Bette Midler @ Staples Center (Mom's Christmas gift)
• U2 @ The Forum -- I'm only going once this tour, I swear!
• Foo Fighters @ The Forum 
• Idina Menzel @ the Hollywood Bowl -- GNO with Erin and JZ
• I will also be going to the Bowl to hear the score of my favorite movie performed live Labor Day weekend. I'm so excited! 
• And there is also the chance that I will cave and buy a last minute ticket to Maroon 5 @ The Forum this Friday.

(FYI, The Forum is NOT one of my favorite things, yet I sure am going to be there a lot this year. Ugh.) 

Wild

This was my favorite movie of 2014. I was crushed that it was not nominated for Best Picture by anyone. I don't know if it was the hiking, the beauty of nature, the being away from everything, the searching for something, the writing in a journal every day, the anger at disease striking a beloved mom or all of the above, but this movie spoke to me. I'm now reading the book, because BKF said I should. (If I ever finish it, I'll let you know ;) The movie comes out on DVD/Blu Ray this Tuesday.

My Garden

It's in full bloom and the weather is great. Next weekend, I'm uncovering the patio furniture and filling up the grill's tank and going to buy a lounge chair. I want to spend the summer out there reading (when it's not 100 degrees ;).... and maybe even writing more. We'll see.

a rosy spring

It's definitely spring in my rose garden!

Back in January, when I was pruning and feeding my 25-ish rose bushes, I also laid some fresh soil around each of them for the first time in about 5 years. And can I just say, Miracle Gro does not lie! Their rose soil is amazing! I mixed the Bayer rose food I give them every six months in the fresh soil and it seems like my plants started leafing within a week and buds started to grow shortly thereafter. 

I have one giant red rose bush that always shoots up to around 5-6 feet tall. But this spring, there is another rose bush on the other end of the garden that's giving it a run for its height supremacy. (It hasn't bloomed yet, and I can't remember what color it is, but I'm hoping for pink :)

Overall, everything seems bigger and healthier and the flowers are budding like crazy! Even my little annuals that are in the garden near the roses are thriving vs. dying, which is a miracle considering how hot it's been and how few days I'm allowed to run the sprinklers these days.

I love my garden! It's my happy place :)

things that make me smile: the tv edition

One singer into the season premiere on the Tivo delay, and I already love Pharrell Williams and Gwen Stefani with my fave bro-mance bros, Adam and Blake. 

YAY The Voice is back!!

things that make me smile

This being played at the Hollywood Bowl on Labor Day weekend :)



I also love seeing this every year when the Star Wars theme is played. (But one note to many of the lightsaber-carrying audience members in attendance Friday night: The theme from "Superman" is not a "Star Wars" song ;) 

the morning after... things to save for posterity :)

Thanks to SI.com for this great wrap up of coverage of last night's win, including a 2 minute, 55 second video nicely summarizing what happened over 80 minutes and 28 seconds of play last night.

But here's the most important thing that happened:



Then this happened, which was the BEST thing:



I can't wait for the Kings "Stanley Cup Moments 2014" video series to start rolling out!

things that make me smile

Getting lots and lots of hockey tickets from the Fed Ex man :) 

things i love: summer cocktails

One of the best things about sunny summer days and warm summer nights is sitting around with friends sipping cool, fruity cocktails. Here are some of the concoctions I've enjoyed this summer (in addition to my go-to Cape Cod, of course ;) :

Elephant Bar's Skinny Mango-Fusion Mojito, which claims to be less than 165 calories. I say claims because, while this drink was very good and refreshing, I didn't taste any of the mango that is allegedly in it. And if it weren't for the floating mint I'd say this was a margarita. In fact, that's what I accused the waiter of mistakenly bringing me when he first set it down. Oops.

Seasons 52 Mandarin Orange Cosmopolitan. That silver shaker next to it holds 2-3 more cosmos depending on how full you can fill your martini glass without spilling it all over yourself as you sip from it. (Not that *I* did that. Nope.) This drink definitely wins the 'best value for your money' award so far this summer!

Benihana's Strawberry Cucumber Spritz with Tito's Handmade Vodka from Texas, which I drank in Encino :)  This was de-li-cious! Very refreshing, which is great when you're sitting in front of a giant metal grill. 

 

Spark Woodfire Grill's Pink Grapefruit Martini, also made with Tito's Homemade Vodka, which I have a bottle of in my wine fridge (which is where I keep my vodka since I don't have a lot of white wine). This was also yummy and refreshing. And it looks really cute and girly in a frosted martini glass ;) 

A classic mojito from El Torito Grill, where I've found myself a lot this summer due to its proximity to the Arclight Sherman Oaks. I have also started making some of these at home now that my mint plant has exploded in the recent humidity. But drinks are more fun to drink when you don't have to do any of the work to make them ;)

things that make me smile: summer fruit

When I was a toddler, I had a red splotch on my back that my mom and grandma swore looked like a strawberry. As a result someone bought me a cute dress with a strawberry on it that I think all of my living relatives own a copy of and that my mom decided to sketch out as a big piece of art ... which she then decided should hang in my house in the exact spot in my bedroom where the previous owner also had a sketch of a young child. 

I tell you all of this because in addition to (or maybe in spite of  ;) the above, I LOVE strawberries! They are not only my favorite fruit, but quite possibly my favorite food on the planet. So summer (aka strawberry season) is a faboo time for my sweet tooth and taste buds. 

But strawberries aren't the only summer fruits I adore. Here's a peek at what is currently taking up at least a quarter of the space in my fridge right now (thanks to a trip to the Costco refrigerated room today ;) 

Why can't these be in season all year like boring apples are?

Cherries! Love them! Hate that they cost so much :(

Green grapes. Red grapes. As long as they're seedless, I don't care :)

Nectarines! I always forget how much I love these till I buy them. 

PS: I'm also a huge fan of plums, but don't have any to take pics of right now. Boo.

PPS: My LEAST favorite summer fruit is kumquats... if you've ever been to my backyard you know why.

things that make me smile

... Reliving the LA Kings' Road to the 2012 Stanley Cup.

This is a great retrospective video series they've been showing during intermissions at games this season. I'm mostly posting it here for me so I can watch them all in one place whenever I want to, but hopefully the hockey fans amongst you will enjoy it too :)

Stanley Cup Moments Episode 1: Stoll's OT Winner

Stanley Cup Moments Episode 2: Penner's OT Winner

Stanley Cup Moments Episode 3: Scuderi Hit

Stanley Cup Moments Episode 4: Daryl Sutter Hired

Stanley Cup Moments Episode 5: The Trade Deadline

Stanley Cup Moments Episode 6: Brown Hits Sedin

Stanley Cup Moments Episode 7: Kings Sweeps St. Louis

Stanley Cup Moments Episode 8: LAX Arrival

Added 3/30/13
Stanley Cup Moments Episode 9: Kopitar's OT Winner

Added 4/5/13
Stanley Cup Moments Episode 10: Carter's OT Winner

Added 4/8/13
Stanley Cup Moments Episode 11: The 5-Minute Major

Stanley Cup Moments Episode 12: The Final Minutes

Added 4/12/13
Stanley Cup Moments Episode 13: The Stanley Cup

Added 4/16/13
Stanley Cup Moments Episode 14: Looking Back

Added 4/20/13
Stanley Cup Moments Episode 15: The 16-4 Playoff Record

Stanley Cup Moments Episode 16: Quick Wins the Conn Smythe

Added 4/23/13
Stanley Cup Moments Episode 17: Champagne Shower

Added 4/26/13
Stanley Cup Moments Episode 18: Championship Parade

"raindrops on roses..."

I love the fact that it's December 1st and my ginormous rose bush is still blooming. I cut this beauty and brought it inside so I can enjoy its lovely smell just after I finished putting up my outdoor Christmas decorations this morning. Gotta love Southern California, even on a rainy weekend :)

things i love: afternoon tea in pasadena

I don't like coffee. In fact, I hate it. So I drink a lot of tea instead. Normally I've got my Starbucks Chai tea latte with me on-the-go. And at home, I brew Twinings English Breakfast or Stash Double Spice Chai.

But every so often, a girl just needs a fancy afternoon out with friends and finger sandwiches (not to mention scones with strawberries and clotted cream!). And one of my favorite places to go for such fancy afternoons is Pasadena, home to three establishments offering great, yet distinctly different afternoon teas.

This past week, one of my oldest, dearest friends came to visit from Portland with her 7-going-on-30-year-old daughter, who I adore. So we decided to go out for ladies afternoon tea at Pasadena's Chado Tea Room, which is located in Old Town. (So not only can you have tea, but you can go shopping afterwards at fabulous places like two of my fave stores -- Pottery Barn and The Container Store -- that are only a block away, and decked out for the holidays :)

Chado is one of the first places I ever had afternoon tea and it's a great starter place for people who fear a tea experience that's too fancy -- like those with young daughters.... or guys. (My mom and I have taken my dad here and he survived!) Part of the reason it's great is it offers things on the menu other than the traditional afternoon tea. Chado also doesn't bring your tea in delicate china teacups. In fact, Chado specializes in tea leaves. They have a whole wall of canisters packed with loose leaf tea, blooming teas and their own special blends. It is essentially the equivalent of a great, non-commercialized coffee house, but with tea. And when you order the "afternoon tea" you receive a 10+ page tea menu to peruse and order your individual pot of tea from.

I always get a black tea, since that's my fave. This week, I chose "Reena's Chai," which comes steeped with milk and sugar. It wasn't the best tea I've ever had there, but it was good. As for the food, it was delish! Each person gets four finger sandwiches -- a great open-faced smoked salmon, chicken with cranberry sauce, egg, and a watercress and goat cheese.

Then there are the scones... I love scones! I shouldn't but I do. They come with strawberries and cream. How could I not?

And finally, cookies and cake. All super yummy deliciousness! And only $18 a person, which is pretty cheap for a dining experience that lasts 1-2 hours and stuffs you before you're finished.

Another historic Pasadena place for afternoon tea is the Tiffin inside The Langham Hotel, which used to be The Huntington... which used to be The Ritz Carlton, and is still a tea-time fave of the famous Red Hat Society, who I actually saw here once for tea about 10 years ago, back when it was the Ritz. 

Being a fancy hotel, the afternoon tea here is more fancy than Chado's. So three of my friends who love fancy things + tea and I went here back in September on a Saturday I dubbed "Being Cultured and Stuff Saturday." (Before tea, we experienced culture dating back to the 14th century at the "You see it on TV every New Year's Day as the Rose Parade floats by it, but have you ever bothered to go inside?" Norton Simon Museum, which has an amazing collection including more Degas "Dancers" than you can point a toe-shoe at and Claude Monet's beautiful "The Artist's Garden." Highly recommend this museum... well at least the side to the left of the main entrance. I could do without all the older, religious art to the right.)

Anyhoo, back to fancy tea! One example of why The Langham is fancy: You don't pour your own tea here; the waiter/waitress does it for you, always making sure your tea pot (that doesn't even rest on your table) is full of the flavor you ordered. However, there are fewer tea choices here than at Chado. But, what they lack in tea choices they make up for in food! While I can't remember exactly how many sandwich options there are, the dessert choices are out of control! We couldn't even get close to finishing them all. The scones on the bottom of the three-tiered dessert tower were delish. And the custard filling these gold-tipped cones on the top-tier were an amazingly-wonderful surprise.

Then there was the middle tier, which came loaded with two of my favorite things -- cupcakes and creme brulee'. Sadly, the cupcakes were chocolate with a not-good fruit filling. And the mini-creme brulee' cups were just okay (they did have the brulee' though, so bonus points for that ;) But it didn't matter. There was so much food, we were stuffed by that point... and did I mention how amazing the cones on the top tier were? (Traditional Tiffin Afternoon Tea is $39/person.) 

Finally, if you love fancy British things and personalized service, then Rose Tree Cottage is the tea establishment for you! I went to Rose Tree with two friends for afternoon tea on New Year's Eve's eve almost a year ago and loved everything about the experience. 

Rose Tree is located in a beautiful old house in Pasadena and, while a bit crowded at the entrance, has a lovely old English feel once you are seated in the tea room. There are three seatings for afternoon tea (1pm, 2:30pm and 4pm) and Edmund and Mary Fry, the owners, greet guests at the door and are extremely friendly. Edmund seats everyone personally, and helps you open your holiday popper (an English tradition). The service is excellent... I was asked if I take milk in my tea once, and then everyone who came back to refill my beautiful china tea cup throughout the afternoon knew how I liked it. 

Afternoon tea starts with a delish non-alcoholic, fruity wine prior to the English tea being served and the food coming out. All of the finger sandwiches were yummy (I couldn't pick a favorite) and the scones with cream + a house preserve were AMAZING! (Note, you can purchase these in the gift shop and take some home too!) I'd show you photos, but Rose Tree has a strict no cell phones policy, which adds to the old English, relaxing and extremely enjoyable environment. I will definitely be going back there for tea and bringing my mom, as I promised Edmund... she's gonna love it :) 

things i love: my red roses

My ginormous red roses bloomed again today! I've been waiting for them to open up since I got home from Hawaii almost two weeks ago, back when they were just little buds at the top of my 6-foot tall rose bush. They are beautiful and smell ah-maz-zing! Love!!