WanderLust

Finally

2012-01-30T00:01:00.004-07:00

SSSLLLLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP.

LA Eats This Week

2012-01-27T12:39:00.001-07:00

All I did last week in Phoenix was eat. I came back to LA and started the week off by lots of eating again.

First up, Bryndee and the gang from NYC were in LA on Monday morning, so we hit an LA classic - The Griddle Cafe in West Hollywood. Even on a rainy Monday morning, the place was packed. Soon, our stomachs would be packed full of dessertish breakfast dishes. Way. Too. Sweet. Says the girl with the sweet tooth.

Order of red velvet pancakes for the table. With cream cheese frosting, it tastes just like a regular dessert. Even 6 of us couldn't make a dent.

Thankfully the waiter told me I could order a single pancake for my own dish - the Bluesberry, topped with blueberry sour cream and powdered sugar. I think Rustin ordered The Golden Ticket - pancakes filled with banana, streusel, walnuts and caramel, and topped with whipped cream and more caramel and streusel. He had three bites and he was done. Ugh, my stomach hurt just looking at it. This place is delicious, but you gotta prep yourself. And order some bacon, to balance all the sugar.

A couple hours later, it was LA rainy day Korean porridge time with Jihan. We've been meaning to get together for weeks, and stars aligned on Monday. Mountain Cafe is tucked away in a little strip mall in Koreatown, open 24 hours, and a gem of a place. Abalone porridge, ginseng chicken, and some stuff to mix in, and we were set for a a health-filled comfort meal. I swear it cured my headache.

Phoenix Weekend

2012-01-26T15:46:00.001-07:00

Back to Phoenix for the weekend recap.

Grandma was going to make taco soup cause I always eat tons of it when I'm there, but Grandpa took her out to dinner Friday night, so I hit the Taqueria.

I tried to take a little nap after dinner to prepare for a night out, but I was too excited.

I was about to see my favorite DJs in the whole wide world. Yes, Above & Beyond came back to Scottsdale. I have no idea where I picked up my love of trance, but I am slightly obsessed. I listen to their podcast every week, follow their record label and try to see them whenever I can. If you don't understand this, it's okay. Just watch the video for a little slice of the energy and happiness it brings to millions of people around the globe.

Luckily, Chris gets this obsession. We met at an Above & Beyond show a couple years ago and decided that since none of our friends are into dancing all night to the best music ever, that we should become friends and see DJs together. Our friendship still thrives. Reunited! Bonus points to the white boy who can dance.

He snagged us VIP tickets so we didn't have to deal with the riffraff. And we danced and danced and danced, until 2am or so. Totally worth braving the Scottsdale club scene. Ick. Though the people watching is stellar.

Saturday morning I planned to swing by Chantal and Meg's again for brunch and thrift shopping on my way out of town. Except after staying out all night, I wasn't really alert enough to drive 6 hours home. Oh, signs of aging. I can't stay out all night anymore.

They didn't have to try too hard to get me to stay another night, especially since it meant more time with them. I wish they'd both move to LA.

Brunch at Breakfast Club. The best french toast ever.

Then we hit Goodwill. I need to learn to shop at these stores. There are some treasures to find. Like tapes from Oasis. Still one of the best albums ever made.

Chantal and I found some books that might help us navigate the muddy waters of dating and marriage and religion.

Since I was in town for another meal, we tried to get back to Windsor, cause the brown bag chicken sandwich always calls my name. An hour wait however, led us down the road to Hula's.

But then back to Churn for dessert. Cause it's awesome.

I went with the classic choice: Madagascar vanilla ice cream, pretzel cone, salted caramel on top.

After another night in bed with Chantal, watching Downton Abbey, I was rested and ready to get back to Cali. Ugh, driving.

I Made LAist

2012-01-25T13:57:00.001-07:00

Good thing I took that afternoon run yesterday with camera in hand.

http://laist.com/2012/01/25/photos_did_you_see_the_sunset_last.php#photo-6

Game Time!

2012-01-25T13:27:00.000-07:00

Like colors?
Want to kill some time?

Go match some colors.

Phoenix Week

2012-01-24T16:59:00.001-07:00

I spent all of last week in Phoenix; it's been four months since I was there. I decided that optimal time to check back into the office is about two months, so I'm going back in March (for a food festival and Radiohead) and in May for my cousin's wedding. Oh, yeah, and to go into the office.

I feel like all I did was eat last week. Nearly every lunch or every dinner was scheduled somewhere with someone. Not that I'm complaining - I miss people and restaurants.

I started the drive on a Saturday afternoon after meeting a high school student in downtown LA and grilling her about why she wants to attend my alma mater. Just kidding - I'm nice.

Somewhere in the middle of nowhere. I was either catching up on This American Life or dancing to TATW.

I pulled up to Chantal and Meg's place and pretty much headed back out immediately to Postino with them. It turned into a night of bruschetta by candlelight and some ridiculously awesome quotes. Quick stop at the ghetto 24-hour Walmart afterwards, and yep, I was back in Phoenix.

On Sunday I attended my old ward, saw some familiar faces, and can easily say I'm glad I'm no longer in a singles ward. That afternoon I drove down to Coolidge to visit dad's side of the family.

Grandma always makes me play. In return, she cooks an excellent meal.

On Monday it was back to work. Kinda weird walking into the building, but at least my security badge still works. I'm always a little afraid that it's not going to give me the green light.

After work I paid Damian a visit at Snapdragon; my hair needed a cut. And it looks amazing, as always.

Then I met up with Kari Ann and Kelly for Mellow Mushroom in Tempe, which wasn't all that great and kinda pricey for a pizza joint.

Chantal and I needed dessert later, and when nothing else is open, Mickey D's just has to do the trick. Sorry, Sonic. You're still the best.

Tuesday, another day to work and another night to eat. Thankfully the dentist gave me the all clear on cavities in the morning, and my mouth was ready to chomp that night. I'd still never been to Cibo on their Pasta Tuesdays, so Shannon and I had a date. Cute bungalow house + romantic lighting + homemade pasta = excellent.

Prosciutto, parmesan, orange juice and zest, butter, and ricotta.

I opted for the gnocchi and fresh basil. I like the classics.

And of course, we didn't skip dessert. Crepe with Nutella and mascarpone, with homemade whip cream. Cibo confirms that it's still an excellent place to eat (especially when the line at Bianco is nuts).

I headed back to the grandparents' place in Mesa, and met up with Chantal who hadn't yet eaten. It was time for Filiberto's. Thank goodness for 24/7 Mexi places. I had zero room to eat, but I admired what she ordered - their carne asada tacos are the best.

Here's grandma's yard at sunset.

On Wednesday night I revived the gang for some trivia. The group kinda got a little big over the last year, but we had a serious group that night, which was good. I'm coming to win, not chat and eat. Keep your head in the game, people. The new location was a little chaotic, and we managed to place 2nd, losing 1st by only a point. If only someone knew how many quarts in a peck. We almost put the right answer, but changed it at the last second.

Half the table. Nate, Chantal, Jeff.

The other half - King, me, Marc.

Who I am to turn down dessert after? I always need a trip to Bahama Bucks while I'm in Mesa.

And I must drive by the temple. Lots of family history in this particular one.

Thursday - another crazy day at work, with some gelato with Nabeha afterwards.

Then a race to Postino (the other location this time) for an Anna and Robert reunion. I could eat a whole bruschetta board myself (prosciutto and fig, ricotta and dates are the best ones).

Quick stop at King's for documentary movie night - I caught the last bit of Conan O'Brien Can't Stop. Then back to Mesa for girl chatter with Kelly and Kari Ann.

This girl here just made a 'unicone' video at the McD's drive thru. I love her for that. Believe!

And Einstein. He loves me.

Friday was a work lunch. Clarissa wanted to hear my Mexico City tales since we'd swapped emails about it before I went. She's been several times and had lots of good suggestions. And of course we had to eat at the Mexico City restaurant of Phoenix.

Driving home on Friday afternoon. AZ still has the best sunsets of anywhere.

Musical Monday

2012-01-23T10:06:00.000-07:00

Me and Mraz, back in January 2003.

He played a tiny club in VA where they don't sell advanced tickets. I froze in a very long line (not yet realizing he was about to be the next big thing), but Jason came outside, we said hello, and eventually I got in to catch the last half hour. He's still one of the best performers I've ever seen. He'll always have a place in my playlists.

I think that was the night that we rode home with strangers in a truck (the subway was closed, it was freezing, and there were 3 of us - totally safe, right?). They were country boys, which was an unusual sight in suburban DC. I also think there were comments the next day on message boards about the girl who stood in line outside with her ear pressed to the glass during the show. That would've been me.

In any case, Mraz is back, after too long of an absence.

Arcade Fire + Local Natives = Dream Come True

2012-01-20T09:37:00.000-07:00

Something else I did in 2011.

Arcade Fire came to Phoenix in April (miracle), and they brought Local Natives with them. I was in love with LN's album last year and had been dying to see them for awhile (especially after missing their show with the LA Phil. Kicking myself still).

Local Natives were just as clear and wonderful on stage. I really hope they get some new music out soon. They're from LA - I should just go drive over to Silver Lake and ask what's going on.

Local Natives - Wide Eyes from L Dubbs on Vimeo.

I've seen Arcade Fire a couple times at Coachella, and both times, they were the standout performances over all the other bands that weekend. 2005 - sunset, mountains, palm trees, and AF. I'll never forget it. Definitely nice to see them on their own though.

Arcade Fire - No Cars Go from L Dubbs on Vimeo.

Really high energy set list. My three favorites of the night spaced out into one favorite from each album. Neighborhood #2, No Cars Go, and We Used to Wait.

But nothing closes quite like Wake Up. It's magic.

Arcade Fire - Wake Up from L Dubbs on Vimeo.

Campfire Confessions

2012-01-18T12:12:00.000-07:00

There are a couple events that I skipped blogging about in 2011. Here's one.

I'm not really a big fan of camping, but I'll go once a year, for a night. Maybe two. One time I survived three nights. This time Chantal did all the hard work and someone else drove, so I went. It was a job well done. I swear I'm not that big of a mooch though. We went north to somewhere east of Payson. This was about two weeks before I moved to LA, so I wanted QT with these people.

Tashina made some ridiculous cupcakes and Chantal cooked up a storm.

The gang. Dan and Katie didn't look at the camera in any of those shots.

Dessert.

Man doing manly things.

Sean did some card tricks. He was new to the gang and we made him audition for friendship.

We didn't stay long after we got up the next morning. Take down, drive to town. That's how I like it.

We made a stop at Tonto National Bridge since we were in the area. Katie had to catch a marshmallow in her mouth before we could enter.

Underneath the naturally formed bridge. It's pretty cool. I'd recommend making a stop if you're near here.

Chantal won't hold hands with people - she holds wrists only.

Sean passed the friendship test with this drawing.

Life According to my iPhone

2012-01-17T10:18:00.000-07:00

Afternoon run

Another reason to love my iPhone

No need to pay for a gym nor trainer

Five Guys

Goal - more time in the kitchen.

iPhone + Pandora = changed my life

Egg salad time

The non-Kindle reading pile

The egg salad lunch

Our apartment had a blonde moment and a dish scrubber with soap in the handle was placed in the dishwasher. Many suds on the floor later...cooking oil + salt = no more soap.

Dinner

Tapenade

Musical Monday

2012-01-16T06:28:00.000-07:00

This has been all over the internets in the last week - Devour, Reddit, and even got mentioned on the Today Show - but Stephen in my old ward made this synthesizer in his kitchen last fall. I've sat at the kitchen table many a time.

You should watch.

PS - It's totally fake, but Stephen is a musical genius.

A Resolution of Sorts

2012-01-15T13:42:00.000-07:00

I think I'm resolving not to globe-trot so much this year. I've done eight countries on four continents in two years. That's pretty solid, right? Especially after setting a goal awhile ago to do one new country per year.

There is London 2012 and my 10-year reunion of Salamanca Dos Mil Dos Epic Party Crew in Spain happening. But I don't want to commit right now. I think I should work on growing some roots. Somewhere. And spending less money.

I am committing to three Phoenix trips and one East Coast trip. But that's it (I say, as we're only a couple weeks into the new year). And maybe a work trip back to Mexico City (fingers crossed I get to go on someone else's dime).

But here's my top ten, for whenever I get around to it (in order):
1) Argentina/Chile/Brazil
2) Baltics - Riga, Tallin, St Petersburg
3) South Africa/Namibia
4) Tanzania/Zanzibar/Uganda
5) Iceland - Northern Lights
6) Oman
7) New Zealand - South Island
8) Montreal/Quebec
9) Israel/Jordan
10) Iran

Honorable mentions:
Tokyo/Kyoto
Australia - Perth/Cairns/Melbourne
Maldives

The Rest of Mexico City

2012-01-13T07:12:00.000-07:00

Home, home, from San Miguel. Tim's a vegetarian and is already tired of fighting meat in Mexico, so he cooks a lot. We had stuffed peppers for dinner. I'm going to make them later this week.

Tim had the next couple days off from work, so we decided to hop some buses out to Teotihuacán, aka the pyramids. The bus he takes to work goes down Reforma to Indios Verdes, where we could catch another bus to the pyramids.

We got to Indios Verdes and there are about 293 buses to choose from, going in all sorts of directions. We asked multiple people, wandered through lots of markets, and finally found a bus going to the pyramids. Via the highway (the fast route), said the driver, but he lied. After paying 5 pesos for the first bus (and that's the expensive local bus), we balked at the 35 pesos for the bus to the pyramids. A whopping $2.60. Eventually, we got there.

This place was built in 100 AD by a yet unconfirmed civilization.

The Pyramid of the Sun is the third largest pyramid in the world (first two in Egypt), and of course we climbed it. Try hiking that at altitude - good thing there are rest areas built in.

There's a nice little museum at the site.

Creepy!

I hope you don't have dreams about your teeth falling out tonight.

After a couple hours, we'd had enough and it was getting hot. There was a good restaurant nearby, but since the entrees started at $10, we decided to wait until we got back into the city to eat. We are cheapskates now. The police guy let us sit under his tent while we waited for the bus. Which eventually stopped for a security check. Tim and all the dudes had to get off the bus, and I got my bag searched. And then more people boarded to sell us things for 10 pesos. I really did almost buy the 3-part wallet plus calendar.

The bus dropped us out at the Autobuses del Norte station, we grabbed some donuts, and walked to the metro station at the La Raza. Next stop - Zocalo.

Star gazing in the metro station.

We jumped off the train at Hidalgo and walked towards Zocalo.

Finally - time for food in Alameda Central.

Tacos al pastor. I only got a little bit sick later. Worth it.

On to Bellas Artes

Torre Latinoamerica

People, people everywhere. There's only 22+ million of them around.

There was a gorgeous art exhibit (free) in this building and they wouldn't allow photography anywhere. I couldn't get any art, but I snuck a couple of the inside. It was great.

We stopped for Yogurtland.

Finally, Zocalo! The lovely, massive cathedral. Construction started in the late 1500s, and a couple cathedrals have been built on top of one another. They're starting to excavate.

The Palacio Nacional was about to close, and Tim has already been a zillion times, but I decided to leave my bag with him and run inside for a few to see the works of Diego Rivera. We decided to meet back up in this crowd.

Twenty minutes later I came out a different door around the corner from where Tim and I decided to meet; thankfully he was nearby. No way we would've found each other. And he had my bag, cell phone, money, etc.

It's hard work being a tourist. We went home at sunset on the rush hour subway (which was entertaining beyond words), made miso carrots and something else delicious and watched Midnight in Paris. I need to go back to Paris.

On Wednesday it was time to tackle Turibus again. People were back at work and it wasn't super crowded. I got on board at 1pm, planning to transfer to the southern route that goes to Casa Azul, where Frida and Diego lived. And then I could hang out in that neighborhood, etc. I'd heard it would take 3.5 hours or so to make the full bus route.

I didn't get to Coyoacan and Frida Kahlo til 4:30. I still had half of the southern route to finish and basically all of the central bus route. There would be no getting off the bus, unless I wanted to get home at 10pm! Which I didn't. I just made lots of notes so I know where to go next time.

The famous Casa Azul. Which reminds me to put Frida in my Netflix queue.

Back on Reforma.

I finally had to leave the open air deck of the bus and get inside cause I started to freeze.

Back to Bellas Artes.

And Zocalo

Where this woman took her love of animal print to a new level.

A building I wanted to go into, if I had gotten off the bus.

By this point it was 730 and I was ready to go home. And I even got off the bus before the tour ended. Thanks, Turibus, for showing me all the places I should just go directly towards, next time.

Tim made dumplings and miso soup for dinner, and Nestor topped it off with homemade kettle corn using one of these. I gotta get one.

Thursday was my last day in DF - Tim went back to work, and I went to work too. The perks of having an international job - you can pop into local offices wherever you are. I just started working with our team in Mexico, and I figured I'd start the year off right with a face to face meeting. It just makes work so much easier. Insert photo of office building in Azcapotzalco here.

They called me a cab around noon so I could get to the airport on time. I had no idea how much time it'd take in traffic, then factor in standing in line to check a bag, except, oh wait, I just hit elite status on American. No line to check in , priority security, and a first class upgrade. Thanks, AA. I got there way too early.

Hasta luego, Mexico City. Let's make that hasta pronto.

Feliz Año Nuevo - Mexico Style

2012-01-12T07:15:00.000-07:00

Next up - getting into San Miguel de Allende. The GPS kept telling us to turn down a cliff. Um....

Our place - cheaply rented via Airbnb at the last minute when we decided that a beach trip to Zihuatanejo wasn't in the cards. Those couches - super comfortable. San Miguel is a fairly small city, but 15-20% of residents are foreigners, mostly Americans and Canadians. How they all ended up here, I don't know, but it makes for a mix of international cuisine and shopping. Not why I came to Mexico, but it's also a beautiful town.

Our street (on the edge of town, it seemed, with very few houses on it, but somehow all the taxi drivers knew it. Which is awesome because we had to walk up a loooong hill to get home).

Time to venture out and explore. We took the long, scenic route into the city, as described by our hippie host. I don't think she really knew what she was talking about, and she definitely didn't get the names of restaurants correct, though she's been there for almost 30 years. I also didn't get the impression that she speaks any Spanish other than 'gracias.'

This post is mostly going to be photos, cause there's not necessarily a lot to do here. You just come here to see the place. And to celebrate NYE, cause it's the best place to be in all of Mexico.

If I ever open a store anywhere, I'm totally calling it Miscelanea "Lauren."

Parque Juarez

The main cathedral - I don't know the name. There are about 7 really awesome ones in the center of town and after awhile they all run together.

Of course, a Starbucks break....

Nestor was 'Wendy.'

Courtyard of a nice hotel. Totally staying there next time.

We found a great Italian place on this street for dinner, except we decided to see what else was around before committing. And by the time we got back, it was closed! Or, it was full, and they locked the door. That's a common practice, we would soon find out. No taking of names, no waiting areas. Just rope off the entrance or lock the door until people leave.

We had Thai instead.

And while eating Thai, those pretty blue skies turned to gray and started to POUR. Yikes. We can't celebrate New Year's in the rain!

Thankfully it cleared up after an hour, we made it home to put on warmer clothes and get ready for the night.

Walking back down the hill into the center....

The plaza was full of people that came to ring in the new year . Music, food, dancing, fireworks, and sparklers!

The band planned to play til 6am. Whoosh!

Tim made us buy a ridiculous amount of sparklers. Of course we went through them all before midnight and had to buy more.

Finally - the big moment!

We had some corn after midnight, first snack of 2012. But without the glob of mayonnaise on top.

New Year's Day - more wandering around.

We decided to get breakfast at this churros place - every single time we walked by this place over the weekend, there was a crowd of people outside. And yep - the door was roped off so no one else could even get inside. Every now and then a girl would come out and take names, but we realized we weren't moving up the list at all. Everyone was such a hoverer.

We eventually jumped the rope and made an order to go.

Not quite as good as churros in Spain, but it'll do.

We bought gum from boys on the street. Clorets - my grandma's favorite.

We jumped on the historic tram tour, since there wasn't much else to do. It took us to a lot of places we'd already been.

The tour guide was hilarious.

He made everybody sing a song. Tim and I were the only non-Latins on the bus. We definitely didn't know it.

Back at the best lookout point.

There are public wash areas in a park. The tour guide grabbed my camera and made me wash clothes to demonstrate to the group.

There's a lady actually doing it.

We went home for a nap (cause naps are awesome) then back to the same place where we'd had breakfast, except this time we sat on the roof.

We saw someone order the pizza at brunch, and it looked delicious. We ordered it for dinner. It was pretty terrible. Like, really disappointingly awful.

We left early on Monday so we could get back to the city before dinner. There was grocery shopping to be done (at the Whole Foods of Mexico, with valet parking. Bring lots of tip money).

I drank alpura yogurt every day. The green one.

There's a few more DF adventures to be had - stay tuned.

Hola, DF!

2012-01-11T11:15:00.001-07:00

I decided to go to Mexico City to visit Tim so we could revive our New Year's Eve tradition. And revive we did - 5 years strong! With one day home after Utah Christmas, I threw some things in a suitcase without paying any attention, got in a Super Shuttle at 5am, made it through LAX to DFW, and voila!

Hola, DF!

I had zero idea what to except (though I've been in Latin American plenty of times) and did very little research about what I was going to do while there, but that's sometimes it's better that way.

We broke through the clouds upon landing, and whoa, hazy, smoggy air quality.

Caught a cab to Tim and Nestor's place, and found their grand staircase.

The view from their balcony in Polanco. I think we took a walk through Parque Lincoln that night, got some groceries and caught up at home. I hadn't seen Tim since our February reunion, and I hadn't yet met Nestor, so we had lots to say.

The next morning Tim went to work, and Nestor and I hung out for a bit. I'd planned to take Turibus around to get a sense of the city and decide where I wanted to spend more time, but whoa. Mexicans take their tourism really seriously and since it was a holiday week, those bus routes were packed! They weren't making any hop on/hop off stops and there was no switching to the other route, so they could accommodate everyone. No thanks.

Plan B - Nestor and I decided on the special exhibit from the British Museum at the Anthropology Museum.

The line for the permanent exhibit was ridiculously long, so I skipped it. I know, I know, it's one of the best museums in the world, but sometimes my museum tolerance is low (especially when it's lots of sculpture-type things). I'll have to go back for my dose of Mayan and Aztec life.

We were hungry afterward, so we ate these.

I forgot what a low tolerance for spicy I have. The rest of my family got the spicy lovers gene; I did not.

There were some voladores.

Nestor decided to head home, and I continued my exploration of Chapultepec Park. I really wanted to go to the Modern Art Museum, but for some reason it was closed. Instead, here's the Niños Héroes monument.

I walked up the hill to the castle, formerly a presidential home, now the National Museum of History.

Standing in line to enter museums, you'll soon realize there's something 'Mexico' about the process (I say that in a loving way, because DF didn't hate me as much as Cancun did, that was a terrible trip). I saw a security guard going down the line asking people something. As I got towards the front, I realized that the price of admission for all these places is 51 pesos - but almost no one has 1 peso coins and the ticket office doesn't have change. The security guard asked everyone in line (at every single place I went) if people could pay using 1 peso coins. Um, try changing the price? Make more runs to the bank? Efficiency in payment is not one of their strong suits. But that's okay. Next year the price goes up to 57 pesos. Let's see how that works next time I'm there.

Back to the exhibits.

The place is pretty big. I spent a solid couple of hours walking around. Anything you want to know about the history of Mexico, you can find it here.

Mexican Independence Day (same as my birthday!)

This room below was really hot and smelly and I didn't stay in it.

Looking down Reforma.

Okay, enough of that. Sun was starting to go down a little, I was cold, so I started the walk back home through the park. In all the things I packed, light jacket was not one of them. But I think I did have 17 shirts. Not kidding.

I could totally eat that Christmas tree, sponsored by Ferrero Rocher.

Chapulín! Not an edible one, thank goodness.

Okay - dinner time. Tim knew a couple other DC people who were around, so they came over for appetizers, then we headed towards Condesa for dinner at Sobrinos.

I had tacos milanesa. Solid.

Afterwards we met up with Tim's work crew on top of Hotel Condesa. Embassy staff live together, work together, play together. It might be a little much.

We're old now, so no staying out to 4am like we used to. Instead we went to bed at a respectable hour so we could start our drive to San Miguel early on Saturday. Well, by early we mean 11am.

We did not stop at Tako's for food the next morning, because Tim says it's gross.

But Polanco has nice bakeries.

We snagged some empanadas for the road trip.

Walked by Biko on the way home, one of the world's 50 best restaurants. Maybe next time?

Okay - time to get in the car and drive towards San Miguel de Allende. On the 'beltway.'

The Satelite Towers. Nestor, the architect, told me all about them.

The sky was pretty gorgeous that morning.

Next up - NYE in SM!

Click Your Heels

2012-01-10T16:28:00.000-07:00

And go to your home in the trash bin, dear shoes that I have loved. It's time to say goodbye.

I'll miss you especially, maroon-ish pair of heels. People always stopped to talk to me when I was wearing you. And I've never quite found a suitable replacement.

Musical Monday

2012-01-09T11:46:00.000-07:00

Turkey - Part IV - Back to Istanbul

2012-01-08T14:48:00.000-07:00

Back to IST - jumped the Havas bus to Taksim Square and set off to find the apartment I'd rented through Airbnb. We got a little lost, but eventually found this modern jewel of a place. I really want to go back and just stay in that apartment for a week. MCB had a reservation via couchsurfing to stay with a couple Turkish girls, but he had to kill some time until they were out of work.

Killing time in the apartment meant using the bathroom, accidentally hitting the bidet spray button, and completely soaking himself, his clothes and the bathroom. When he emerged from the bathroom, man, I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. He was not amused, but I sure was! I think I got out the blowdryer to try and help in between fits of laughter.

A few minutes after MCB left (late, due to the wet pants situation), my darling friend Rob showed up at the door. Rob's living in Ankara for a year, studying Farsi there since he couldn't get into Iran, and took a 9-hour bus so he could come see me for 24 hours. Oh, and to get out of Ankara since it's cold and he's sick of Turkish food.

It was Thursday - Thanksgiving Day! And to celebrate, we had Chinese food since Rob can't get any international cuisine in Ankara. It was a great meal, even if not authentic in any way.

Rob lived in Istanbul for a few months in the summer, so he was an expert navigator. And he navigated us to a wonderful dessert place where he made me try this - tavuk göğsü:

Looks pretty sweet, right?

Except it's made of chicken breast. And yep, it takes like chicken, masked in sugar and cinnamon. See the stringy chicken breast parts? It was....interesting. It's okay, Turkey. You get a break since you have so many other wonderful things to eat.

Bedtime chatter involved catching up on our mutual DC/Georgetown friends and dating/relationship talks. Cause isn't that what everyone talks about?

Friday - a day of exploration to the Asia side!

Walking through Taksim.

Ferry token.

Galata Tower.

See the seagull.

Kadıköy

The Asia side is much more residential and full of small businesses. Goal - find Turkish towels. We made a pitstop at Starbucks to warm up before venturing out through all the markets.

I want to bathe in a vat of olives.

While on a fruitless search to a towel store (thanks a lot, Google maps), we passed yet another amazing dessert store. We bought several random things that would later turn out to be one of the best decisions I've ever made. Look at these options!

The shop owner even threw in some extras for us. I'll never turn down more dessert.

I'd given up on finding towels, but knew I had to find Ciya for lunch, since everyone talks about it.

And, success!

I ordered bozbas.

And Rob ordered the sour meatballs. We swapped plates halfway through. Delicious!

Drag queen Fritos?

We decided to hop back to Europe and hit the Grand Bazaar and Spice Market. Really, you could spend days in there and not find your way out nor see everything.

We debated the price of Iranian saffron, the most expensive spice in the world.

I bought little lanterns.

And I couldn't resist these silk pillow covers. Then I found a towel shop! Super soft, super large, and I bought seven. Family Christmas presents, check.

I also had to buy another suitcase to get it all home.

More markets.

Fish restaurants on the water.

We stopped off at Rob's friend's house to pick up some books that Rob had left there over the summer. Then back to Taksim to drop off our goodies before dinner.

Dinner at Konak Kebap on Istiklal.

We got smoked out at the end and had to quickly leave before developing lung cancer. We bought more dessert - chocolate baklava this time.

What we saw on the way home (traditional Turkish dancing?):

And finally it was time to jump into those desserts. See that chocolate thing on the right? IT IS THE BEST CHOCOLATE DESSERT THING I HAVE EVER EATEN. EVER.

Inside is a mousse/cake blend. Outside is a dark chocolate fence.

On top are roasted and glazed hazelnuts and pistachios.

You can find this at Pasifik Pastanesi. The neighbors probably thought we were doing something inappropriate, based on the noises we made while eating this. It was incredible. I think it cost a whole 2 dollars. I promise it would be worth the trip to Istanbul just to eat one of these.

Pretty soon it was almost midnight and Rob had to catch his bus back to Ankara, and I had to cram everything my bags before my morning flight home.

The next morning a couple Turkish guys were right outside my apartment, and one of them took one of my two suitcases and walked the 15 minutes with me to the Havas bus stop. Thanks, mister! I shed a couple tears as the bus rolled out of Taksim. This was a great trip.

Airport security was insane - no less than 7 checkpoints for flights to the US. I texted MCB that he'd better hurry and get there, though he had managed to show up early. I ran into Jihan again in line - she was supposed to fly back the day before, missed her flight by ten minutes due to all those silly security checkpoints, had to buy a new place ticket and was now on my flight after a night in a sketchy hotel. Seriously, what's the point of showing your passport to someone, walking 3 feet, showing it to someone else, then walking 4 ft and showing it to someone else? All while in a single file, long, crammed line after you've already been through scanning machines and immigration? I don't get it.

I survived the 14-hour plane ride back to LAX in a middle seat while listening to two families fighting over a crib they'd both reserved with the airline. Seriously people - it's an airline, not a 5 star hotel. You think that confirmations actually mean something?

A couple meals and several movies later, I was home. Turkey - you haven't seen the last of me. Thanks for a great time.

A Separation

2012-01-08T02:32:00.000-07:00

Saw this last night.

It's solidly good. The opening scene sets the tone - lots of family and legal drama. I didn't know where it'd take me, but I enjoyed the ride.

New Love

2012-01-07T19:49:00.001-07:00

I haven't even had my iPhone for 24 hours, yet I am officially in love.

Why, oh why, did I hang onto my Blackberry for so long? Contract, yes, fear of touch screen typing (I seriously hated it when I tried to use other peoples' phones), and I don't know what. Loyalty?

So far, this is the best decision I've made in 2012. Let's hope it doesn't remain that way, nor the best relationship I have in 2012. Siri makes it EASY though.

My new case, on the way from Zazzle:

Don't worry, I haven't just played on my phone all day. I did scrub the bathroom like I said I would. And I gave my hair a hot oil treatment.

And Welcome Back...

2012-01-06T15:13:00.000-07:00

Hello, 2012!

I suppose I feel a sense of renewal and fresh start and all that, but after traveling for 3 weeks, I'm pretty much overwhelmed at what 'getting back to real life' is going to entail.

I'd rather go to Disneyland tonight. Instead, I'm making the responsible choice.

Maybe this is why I'm always in a funk in January?

I have about 3 suitcases worth of clothing to unpack. Thankfully most of it's clean since I hijack friends' washing machines whenever I have the chance. Seven months in my place and I've only had to succumb to the quarters laundry system twice.

I want to deep clean my bathroom (my mom probably just fell over).

I have mail and bills to sort through.

I need to finish my 'best of' music mix. Friends are starting to think I've left them off the distribution list. Nope! Just haven't had time. It's becoming irrelevant the longer I wait.

I have ZERO food in my kitchen. And after cooking delicious things with Tim last week in Mexico, I want to start recipe planning and cooking deliciousness a few times a week. I need some new kitchen appliances. I hear Macy's has a sale on Saturday?

I need to get back in the work groove. Emails and projects are piling up!

No more clothes shopping for awhile - it's closet clean out time.

And probably right when I get back into the LA groove, I'm gonna go to Phoenix. See you soon, Megs and Chantal. And Katilda. And King. And Josh (I'm finally getting in iPhone - let's do a tutoral). And roommate. And you, too, Emily!

And if I'm going back to PHX, I need to schedule a hair cut and a teeth cleaning, cause I still haven't searched for good ones in LA. That's the pain of moving.

I've got two or three draft blog posts from 2011 that I should finish.

Apparently I need to start watching Downtown Abbey? I've got a full DVR to clean up, too.

All that, and I'm gonna go edit my Mexico photos (I managed to take 1000. Eeeek).

Apologies in advance if I'm a hermit this month.

Adios....

Turkey - Part III - Cappadocia

2012-01-04T00:22:00.000-07:00

I left Selçuk in a dolmus, thankfully arranged by Osman. He took me out to the road to help me catch it. An hour ride for 4 bucks isn't a bad deal at all. Then the bus stopped on the side of a highway near Izmir and I got out to notice a taxi stand right in the middle of the major highway. A man ran across towards me to grab my bag, and I ran after him and got in his car. He didn't speak English and I finally figured out how to indicate 'domestic terminal' in Turkish.

I had to settle on Burger King for lunch (somehow, still my travel food of choice - gross, I know). I landed in Istanbul with an hour before my flight to Kayseri, but after deplaning on a bus, running through a terminal, hitting a bathroom, going through security again, almost leaving my precious carpet on a bench, and realizing that my next flight boarded 50 minutes in advance because we had to bus to the plane - eek! I almost didn't make it. I jumped on that bus right in front of MCB, who'd just come in from Serbia. Usually I'm the one thinking he's not going to make the flight.

We landed in Kayseri, where the temperature was 0 degrees Celsius. I could've worn a tank top in Ephesus - double eeek! Our hotel was offering a free shuttle arrangement from the airport, so once again I got to feel important as I got off the plane and saw a dude with my name on a sign. This time they got the gender correct - I was Mr. Lauren in Istanbul. All is forgiven, since I can't figure out the gender of Turkish names either.

An hour later we were in Urgup. Let's try that with umlauts. Ürgüp.

I'd picked a cave hotel, because that's what you do when you're in Cappadocia - stay in a cave. We stayed here in the Roman Cave. Collen runs the place, and she welcomed us into the cold night with tea and a cozy, spacious cave to sleep in. With heated bathroom floors and towel racks, dual showers, and an upstairs room. Yeah, not too cave-like. It was lovely.

Apparently I only took room photos with my phone, not my real camera. Ah, well.

I had done zero planning for the Cappadocia portion of the trip, so when Colleen asked what our plans were, we gave her blank stares. Thankfully she had lots of maps, car rental suggestions, and offered to make calls in the morning to find us a tour if we wanted. The only thing I had arranged in advance was a hot air balloon ride, because that is also the thing you do in Cappadocia. We'd be picked up at 5:20am, so it was off to bed right away.

Waking up at an hour that starts with a number lower than an 8 really isn't my thing, especially not with freezing temperatures, but this was an adventure! Wool socks and capilene, check.

We jumped into a van that looked like a disco inside, picked up a few other people, and got dropped off in the dark middle of nowhere.

Pretty soon balloons began to fill, while we had hot apple tea and biscuits.

Our pilot. There were ten other people in the basket, btw. It was sectioned off so that 2-3 people were in each section.

Slowly floating upwards....

Down in a valley.

Above them all....

Cold, but happy.

Enjoying some cherry juice and cookies, just after we got a signed certificate saying we completed a balloon ride. It's official. This is one of the coolest things I've done on the planet. Definitely worth waking up and spending some $$.

Back to the hotel, where MCB pretended that the door was really small. Except that it's not.

We were back by 8am. Mmmmm, breakfast.

No time to rest, it was off to a tour that Colleen was able to find and book for us. All day tour around part of the region with lunch for fairly cheap was a much easier option than renting a car and trying to figure out crazy Turkish roads over a very large area. After getting up at 5am, I wasn't much in the mood for that. We used this company and had an enjoyable day.

First stop, Mustafapasa, which is pretty fun to say. It's a little Greek town with some traditional stone houses.

See the black area over the hole in the middle of the photo? That was some lady's kitchen, up until pretty recently. That house/cave is livable!

This was a traditional Greek house that's now a hotel, I think.

And there's a cat. Because they're everywhere in Turkey.

Back to the Greek house.

Down the road was Keslik Monastery, in another cave, of course. The area below is where you sit and eat. Looong tables.

And some old mosaics.

One of 3 words I remember in Turkish.

We made a couple other stops at small ruins, then our bus dropped us off for a 2 mile hike in the Soğanlı Valley. We wandered up to the Church With Snakes. Doesn't really sound like a church I'd want to join, but they had cool frescoes.

Hiking....

Miraculously, when we got down off the mountainside, there was a restaurant to greet us! Good thing, cause there is absolutely nothing else around. It's pretty much the middle of nowhere.

Lunch was delicious.

Our last stop (well, almost) was at the underground city of Kaymakli. The region is full of them, so you can have your pick. Or spend a few days going to several of them. They're layers deep, miles wide and full of crazy tunnels. People who couldn't fight in the battles going on outside would stay in these caves for months. They had stables, kitchens, living spaces, churches, wine presses, storage areas and ventilation shafts.

We crawled around in there for a couple hours.

Our very last stop was at a jewelry/pottery/craft vendor place, of course, but no one bought anything except for maybe the really cute young Turkish couple on the tour who was on their honeymoon. They took adorable, ridiculous pics all day while the guide was explaining things to the English speakers.

Finally at 5pm we were on the way home. We drove through Goreme to drop people off at their hotels, and I think next time I'd stay in there over Urgup. They're close, but it's cooler scenery.

After a nap, MCB and I ventured out for dinner. It was pretty late at this point, in a very small town in low season, and not too many options. We settled on one place that was open, with a weird fish tank built into the corner. And terrible lighting. And no menu. MCB was intent on trying Iskender k ebap while in Turkey, so that's what he ordered. There are entire restaurants devoted to Iskender throughout the country.

It was terrible. I hated it. The only bad thing I ate in Turkey.

The next morning we had a couple hours to kill before catching the airport shuttle. Not a whole lot to do in that amount of time without a car, so we walked up the big hill in Urgup to see what we could see.

Cold weather and dogs, mostly. I wanted to do some souvenir shopping but didn't really find anything worthwhile. Low season = not much going on. Next time I'm in Cappadocia, I'll plan on 3 days, warmer weather, rental car, and hiking.

Airport shuttle finally came, we beat a bunch of Japanese tourists in line to check in for our flight, got emergency row seats, and made it back to Istanbul. Final chapter, coming up!

Twenty Eleven in Twelve

2011-12-30T09:01:00.000-07:00

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

June

July

Aug

Sept

Oct

Nov

Dec

A Utah Christmas

2011-12-28T19:18:00.002-07:00

I survived the cold and 8 whole days in Utah. I thought it'd be too long, but it turned out pretty great. It was the first time in four years that our immediate family was all together at Christmas - the last time was during our ski adventures. Good thing I didn't try to cram in my ski clothes, cause the only snow I saw was the first morning, just a brief dusting that was gone by afternoon.

I think Max liked it.

He and I hung out for the first couple days while Taylor and Courtney worked, and everyone else wasn't there yet.

He's so black it's hard to get a photo - he's like a black blob, or way too shiny if you use a flash. Surely there's a way around this.

I worked out on the bike from 1983.

We ate BBQ twice at The Smoking Apple, which is pretty delicious. Courtney and I wrapped tons of presents.

We also got up one morning and ran part way up a mountain. I did my best to be tough.

My cousins came over on Thursday night, and there was a schnauzer face-off, between Max and Ralph.

Tanner imitated the Brawny Man.

I started a puzzle of San Francisco, but got sidetracked. Good thing everyone else was interested.

Max got comfy.

Corey came over and joined in some family home video viewing. He says he's serious about the fact that he enjoyed it.

I know he at least enjoyed the part where cousin Ryan started telling one of my favorite stories ever (coming home from judo class in his gis, getting attacked by a burrito, and successfully retaliating by getting the exploding burrito back into the fugitives open car window). It's always a riot when he's around. I need to find the police report he sent me a few years ago, which he wrote up after carrying out a citizen's arrest.

Family photo.

Corey photo.

On Friday we got in some shopping, then headed to Park City for my mom's Christmas surprise. It was going to be cold, so I had to put on my capilene in the bathroom before venturing out. I am a weenie in the cold - totally weenie. Years in AZ and CA have made me soft. East Coast, I long to visit you soon, but you have winter, so it's going to have to wait until April.

We went to the bottom of a ski lift and pretty soon we heard jingle bells on horses - they were coming to pick us up in sleighs!

Taylor - in the middle - didn't get the memo that we would be outside for awhile, so he didn't bring a coat. It was freezing. And the 'blankets' on the sleigh were really just large tarps. The horses move at about .5 mph, so it takes awhile to get up the hill.

Courtney got on the horse once we made it to our destination - The Snowed Inn.

We grabbed our mess plates for some grub - I had trout. Everyone else had prime rib.

Nice, cozy atmosphere. Way to go, Mom.

The next morning I drove up to see Erin, Todd and fam - they were blessing baby William at home with all their extended family.

And then Christmas Eve was at Courtney's Gram's house.

It's their family tradition to play lots of games. I had crap Bingo cards.

But we played Minute to Win It, and I managed to win the whole thing. Jenna did a great job of putting all the games together - like Face Cookie.

And toilet paper mummy races.

Balloon bouncing.

Stacking nuts with chopsticks.

After games and our white elephant exchange, I walked away with a few good things. I even scored a bag of Lesa's amazing Rocky Road Popcorn. It's legendary.

Finally - Christmas morning! Max was ready for presents.

My bros got gummy vitamins from me. I care about their health.

Tanner also got a bubble calendar that arrived at 4pm on Christmas Eve, despite being shipping on Dec 5. Christmas Miracle.

Mom got some stuff from Turkey.

So did Courtney.

And we all pitched in and got Mom a Wii. She's excited.

Courtney knows I'm obsessed with candy from Spain, that is unfindable anywhere other than Spain. Except now it's at Williams Sonoma. Let me tell you - money can buy happiness for $12.95 + tax. I am giddy over this stuff.

All the kids got signed copies of Pres Monson's biography, which I have been wanting to read.

Here's the rest of my pile.

We took some family portraits after church.

Even got Max to pose.

Corey came over again, and I kicked his trash at Wheel of Fortune. We also watched a lot of Saved By the Bell, cause that show is still awesome. We had 'Terrific Lady Day' at the movies, because I needed to see Moneyball and Hugo 3D. I was super excited over $3 movies and $3 large popcorn, even if I had to go all the way to Spanish Fark. Another Christmas miracle - the ability to see 4.5 movies in Utah for the price of one in LA.

Adam came over on afternoon and didn't die on the Indo Board.

Max laid on him the entire time.

Last day in Utah, dropped the parentals and little bro off at the airport, and the rest of us went to eat some excellent sushi at Takashi. It's one of my favorite sushi places ever.

Derrick, a fellow Hoya, was in town visiting his fam and came to eat and shop with us.

Pretty good Christmas, even if it was in a cold place. Utah, you're not so bad!

LA's White Christmas

2011-12-28T00:27:00.000-07:00

There's no snow in Utah right now, in case you're wondering.

But I did have a White Christmas a couple weeks ago at the ward Christmas party. Since I'm fairly new to the congregation, they threw me into the Christmas Party committee so that I could get to know some of the characters around. And boy, there are some.

I guess when you have old school Beverly Hills ladies in charge, this turns out to be a fairly classy event as far as church parties go. This ain't no potluck.

One guy brought in his Wedgwood china. And apparently there's always a cozy fireplace.

See those ribbons on the back of the rented chair covers? Yeah, I put on and tied about 100 of them. We spent 3 Thursday nights in a row decorating for several hours, plus a 3pm arrival time the day of the party for last minute touches.

I had dish up duty in the kitchen with about ten other people, plus the youth who were the waiters. We had catered beef brisket au jus, latkes, green beans and rolls. And heaven forbid we put a tomato without a green stem on one of the 165 plates. Disaster!

Napoleons for dessert.

The mint leaf, berry and chocolate sauce had to be placed appropriately or the plate couldn't leave the kitchen.

Christmas is a little more fun when you see kids get excited about Santa's arrival (there was a full winter wonderland scene around this, which I didn't capture though it took several hours to assemble - we don't mess around).

That Sunday during the church Christmas program I finally felt like I was in the Christmas spirit, as I was quite moved by the hymns we sang (partial credit to our amazing organist. Glad it's not me up there anymore).

The opening lines of Oh, Come, All Ye Faithful reminded me that I want to be counted as one of the faithful, who can say Yea, Lord, we greet thee.

Wise Men still seek Him. Here's to gaining wisdom....

Late Delivery

2011-12-23T22:11:00.001-07:00

I'm so not even close to finishing my Best of 2011 Music Mix, but in the meantime you can check out some tracks that are runners-up for King's Chrismix. He's got good taste.

BTW - I want a copy when you're done, Sorensen.

Brrrrrr.....

2011-12-21T10:10:00.000-07:00

Today's Work From Home Companion

2011-12-20T11:02:00.001-07:00

Mr Max

Is it Christmas yet?

2011-12-19T09:30:00.001-07:00

Last week I went to Disneyland AGAIN. This is getting ridiculous. But all my friends with passes want to see the Christmas decorations before our passes get blocked out for busy season. And hey, I could take a half day off work so.....Pinky promised myself I won't go back til March.

This time I saw a bunch of reindeer. This one kept his head buried in that food trough.

And I convinced Becca to split a Monte Cristo with me. It's basically like eating a Krispy Kreme hamburger, but probably more delicious. Just had to try it once, no need to clog up the arteries again.

They gave us extra jam. Yum!

I rushed home around 5pm (as much as one can rush during LA rush hour) so I could get things situated for Shaun and Blake's visit. They just got back from the Great Barrier Reef, and we decided to swap travel stories. Hooked up the computer to our 51-inch TV and had a little slide show.

I made rosemary sausage balls as part of dinner, which didn't turn out super great. It smelled good though.

Another day I visited MCB's new place that's .5 blocks from the beach. The sunset was blazin'.

And then I met Jami in Redondo for some Indian food and to catch up on the last 4.5 years of our lives because it's ridiculously been that long since we saw each other.

There's a nearby neighborhood that goes all out for Christmas, so we took a stroll to work off that food. What pressure if you move into this 'hood. Kids sell hot chocolate and popcorn, even providing direct car delivery to the hundreds driving through.

And the last thing I ate over the weekend - some delicious fig dessert from Manchego that they gave us after I left my phone there and had to go back. Ah, the taste of Spain.

Now, time to pack for UT....I am going to freeze.

Where Can I Learn to Do This?

2011-12-16T08:46:00.000-07:00

Probably in my own kitchen.

Nevertheless - happy almost Friday before Christmas!

December in LaLa Land

2011-12-15T08:50:00.000-07:00

In between writing about Turkey and laundry/unpacking, I've been livin' large in LA lately.

First up, Taylor and Courtney came to Disneyland for 3 days. My brother's boss flies the whole company and their families down for a few days each December. Nice boss, right? I bought a pass and went to Anaheim to hang out for a few days. I spent Friday morning working from their hotel room, and I was able to catch a photo of them as the went on the roller coaster outside the window. It's a terrible pic, but it's them! I went on rides later, don't worry.

My intro to Disneyland started with them, and before I knew it, I went back twice the next week. First, with Erin, Todd and the munchkins. The littlest munchkin decided to explode like a volcano while we were there, so we had to buy him new clothes. He was a super cute little thing in his new striped Mickey outfit. Too bad I have no photos.

I also returned to Disneyland on Friday night with every other Mormon in LA who also has an annual pass. Well, maybe not every one, but eight's a good number. Isn't the castle kinda Christmas magical?

It was freezing outside, but I needed a Dole Whip. I'll probably eat my way through Disneyland before getting through all the rides. I need to try a Monte Cristo (who wants to split that?), a turkey leg, a sourdough bread bowl, cream cheese pretzel, a fried chicken dinner, and skewers from Bengal BBQ. So far I've only hit the corn dogs and churros. Fair food always has a place in my heart. Though hopefully not in my gut.

We waited in line for an hour to see Small World because it's Christmas. Worth it? No. Totally hokey. When are they gonna update that thing? We got off the boat at midnight and I got home at 3am. Worth it? Sure!

I was up early the next morning to get to Pasadena to meet Liz at the Huntington Library. Other than Disneyland, this is probably her favorite place on earth. I'd never been and I hadn't seen her in months, so double bonus! I will definitely be back here soon.

Doesn't that look like the scene from the Wedding Planner?

Keanu Reeves was also there.

I had to stop and smell the roses.

These trees branches - totally fake. They're cement.

The grounds were beautiful, despite most of them being closed due to that crazy windstorm a couple weeks ago. Pasadena got the worst of it.

Lunch date at The Luggage Room, which I'd been dying to get to since I miss my beloved LGO down the street in Phoenix. This place is in the same restaurant group, and I was relieved to see so many of my favorites on the menu. Only downside - they don't let you do half and half pizza types at this place.

As much as I wanted to order The Padre (figs and prosciutto), I had to go with The Gladiator. Karen, that was for you. I thought about you with every bite. Celisse, you get a shout out too.

Liz and I parted ways and I raced back to the Westside to meet up with Kirsten so we could drive south to Long Beach to see the Calls. All four of us knew each other in DC, but I probably hadn't seen Neal and Lindsay in 5+ years? Cheers for reunions! And east coast people!

Kirsten and I played in a boat while we waited for them to arrive.

The Queen Mary! Some lady died there last week?

And an amazing full moon that I couldn't actually get a good pic of, cause I didn't have my tripod. Curses.

Ridiculously, I did not take any pictures of Lindsay, Neal or adorable Addison, despite the fact that we talked about how I was the only one with a camera and need to document the experience. Guess we'll have to get together again soon, guys! We had a lovely walk around the harbor area, topped off with some dinner, and I chugged multiple Dr Peppers. Love that stuff.

On the way home, I knew that the Grilled Cheese Truck was in Long Beach that night, and the one thing that I had wanted to try was going off the menu in a few days. I love how the universe lined up that night.

The line was about an hour, but hey, food makes me happy and Kirsten was a willing accomplice. The thing I needed to try - a dessert melt. Vanilla Mascarpone with summer berries and Nilla wafers on apricot pistachio brioche.

Kirsten got the S'mores melt (marshmallow creme, Nutella, graham crackers) and I think it might've edged out the other one for the win. Glad I got to try 'em both. The truck will be in my 'hood for lunch on Friday, and there's one more thing I absolutely must try. Menu description: Gruyere with French Onion Soup onions and a Parmesan Crust. Comes with Soup Broth for dipping! I can't resist the gruyere....

Earlier this week I had a delicious dinner in Chinatown at Yang Chow. Slippery shrimp and string beans with pork and a side of steamed pork dumplings - uh maz hing.

Then a little trip to the Arclight to see this little gem, The Artist.
I hope it's playing near you, cause you should see it. #consideruggie

J Cruisin

2011-12-14T19:42:00.000-07:00

Realized yesterday that I had a $25 rewards card to my favorite store that was only good til Dec 15. Despite the online sales, I have learned that store discounts are usually greater.

Today I scored:

All for under a hundred bones. Nice work, LDubs.

Turkey - Part II - Ephesus

2011-12-14T00:46:00.000-07:00

Phase two of the trip, off to Selçuk (the funky ç is a ch sound) for a couple days alone, exploring the ruins of Ephesus and whatever else I could find.

The flight from Istanbul to Izmir was only 45 minutes, but Turkish Airlines managed to serve us a meal and drinks in that time. How's that for service?

To see Ephesus, cruise ships come into Kuşadası and Izmir has the airport, but I'd decided to stay in the town of Selçuk, which is the closest city to the ruins. It was about an hour journey from the airport and since it would be after dark and I'd be alone, I paid the extra bucks to have the hotel arrange a shuttle. The hotel owner himself, Osman, picked me up in Izmir and off we went, driving through the dark Turkish countyside while Katy Perry accompanied us. Me and an older Turkish man alone in a van - high awkward potential, but it was totally fine.

I settled into my little room for the night at Hotel Nazar (I'd recommend it) and caught up on all those Kindle books I'd downloaded from the library. Next morning I went downstairs where Osman and Asim were cooking breakfast for the handful of hotel guests that were around. Turkish breakfasts are excellent. Not that they eat anything that we don't eat, but the foods are eaten a different hour and their produce is really fresh. Tomatoes, cucumbers, a variety of olives and cheeses, bread, cherry jam, eggs, and apple tea.

My tour group was supposed to pick me up at 9am, but the guides are friends with Osman and called his cell phone to let me know that they were running late. I love how tourism functions in small places - everyone knows each other. I headed upstairs to the hotel roof deck to read and see the city.

The hotel is apparently the only one in town with a swimming pool. Totally wanna go back in the summer months and enjoy it.

Finally, I was off on the tour with a handful of Americans, a couple Brazilians, and an Italian girl. First stop, the House of the Virgin Mary. The Apostle John was entrusted with her care after Christ's death, and it's believed that when he came to Ephesus, he brought her along with him. A German nun had a vision about this house, someone else wrote about it, and eventually when the ruins were discovered, they compared them to the vision. Is this officially her house? No one knows for sure, but it's visited by Christians and Muslims alike, as the Mother of Jesus is the only woman mentioned by name in the Koran.

The house is now a Catholic church, and there's a wall of paper where you can leave a wish. I declined.

We drove down the hill towards the ruins of Ephesus to get into the meat of the tour.

Ephesus was an ancient Greek city, founded in the 10th century BC. During the Roman period, it peaked at a population of maybe 400,000 and was a major port city and center of Christianity in Asia Minor. The Apostle Paul spent some good time there, John may have written his Gospel there, right right.....Only 15% of the city has been excavated, and I could've easily spent a full day exploring the site. It was probably a pretty cool place back in the day. It's been through lots of earthquakes, so who knows how many times these ruins have fallen and been put back together.

Walking into the site, it's mostly ancient plumbing.

And then you get to the Odeon, which functioned as a meeting place of the Senate or city councils.

And then here's a bunch more stuff that was cool to look at and learn about, but I'll spare you the details.

Because I know you just want to see the Library of Celsus from the early 2nd century. Earthquakes and fires have destroyed most of it, but the facade has been restored and is about 70% original. It's the most famous part of this place.

Here's the view from the top of Curetes Street.

But before we get to the library, there are the Terrace Houses, where the aristocrats of Ephesus lived.

They had nice mosaics out front, and clay pipes to carry hot air through the houses to keep them warm.

Across from the terrace houses is the Temple of Hadrian, dedicated to the Emperor, who was one of the Five Good Emperors (Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius, in case you were wondering). Have we ever had Five Good Presidents in a row?

Finally, we reach the library! Notice that there's no one in the photo? Yay for low season travel.

And now there are 3 people in the photo.

As Miley would say, it's pretty cool.

This is looking down Harbour street, which used to lead to water. The sea is now 5km out. I'd like to watch the sea movement in time lapse satellite view. Google, get on that, will ya?

The Stadium held about 40,000 people and was used for sports, ceremonies, and later gladiator stuff and throwing Christians to the lions. Elton John and Sting have both played there, too. Kinda wild.

We drove back into town to pay a visit to the Ephesus Museum which is small but worth a quick visit. There's the Ephesian version of Artemis.

And Domitian, rocking it out as Emperor from 81 to 96 AD.

All the stuff in this museum is pretty old. And it's just out there in a room, no protective coverings or anything. I could just go pat Domitian on the head if I wanted. Isn't that not how museums are supposed to work, in order to preserve this stuff? I guess if it's been around this long though, it doesn't matter?

We left the museum and trekked over to the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World. Oh yeah, check one of those off my list. It was rebuilt a lot and crumbled a lot, but one of the first reconstructions started in 550 BC. That's old. There were 127 columns at one point, but only a single one stands today.

Done with the ancient stuff and with a delicious lunch that was included. One of the 'perks' of being on a tour is getting to visit all the artisan shops so you can easily buy souvenirs. First up, the leather factory. We were ushered into a room with a few rows of white chairs along a shiny black platform that went down the middle of the room. Can you tell this is shaping up to be Ephesus Fashion Week?

The shop owner welcomed us and told us they had a little fashion show for us. I thought a couple people would just come out with some leather coats, he'd talk about them, and that would be that. Nope! The lights were dimmed, Lady Gaga came on, and as soon as those beats hit, it was spotlights and strutting. Full hair and makeup. I think we were all laughing really hard inside. How does one get this job? Do they really want to be models? Or do they know it's a joke like we all did? One of the funnier experiences I've had. A girl would walk out, followed by a guy who'd rip off her jacket, then turn it around and put it back on her, because it is reversible! Hilarious acting. I should've taken a video. Magical moments for sure.

Despite it being the owner's birthday and 50% off for everyone that day, the coats were still really expensive. I don't need a 700 euro jacket, thanks. But I absolutely loved the next stop - watching ladies hand draw and paint these gorgeous ceramic bowls. I wanted all of them.

Last stop of the day - Turkish carpet school! I came to Turkey thinking I wanted to buy a rug, but I knew I'd have to be prepared to walk away. I had no idea what I was doing in terms of materials and pricing, and I'm terrible at negotiating. I just knew they were expensive and that I'd probably lose at the Grand Bazaar.

But here at the carpet school, I'm going to pretend I learned enough to understand why these things are so expensive. Of course my eye is drawn to the gorgeous silk ones (vs the wool ones) and naturally they're the most expensive. You start with a vat of hot water that kills all the silk worms. Since a single silk fiber isn't strong enough alone, they're twisted up with a few others to make a strong silk strand. Then they're dyed. Then the weaver ties knots. Lots and lots of knots. I think a wool rug has something like 170 knots per square inch. A silk one - three or four times that. Crazy! To make a normal size wool rug it takes 3-4 months, but a silk one can take 2-3 years. And that, my friends, is why rugs are expensive.

Unlike my rug view experience in Morocco (I ended up in a little room, separated from my friends, drinking strange tea and being pressured into naming a price when I was a poor college student), this was one was pretty relaxed. They just showed us different styles and materials of rugs, and mentioned that they've now refined cotton in a way to make it look like silk, without the silk price. My ears perked up at that thought.

Minutes later I was sorting through a huge stack of smaller size cotton rugs, while a guy ran into another room to get even more. I was determined at this point to get one. They gave me the off-season price, and after understanding the whole production process, I thought it was totally worth it. Behold, my little rug:

I think it's kinda perfect for a starter rug, and I'm sure there will be more purchases on my next trip to Turkey!

I had dried apricots and chips for dinner that night, since there were no tourists around town and literally every cafe/restaurant was full of Turkish men, puffing away on their cigs. I didn't really feel like hanging out in that after a long day of touring.

I had another half day in Selçuk, and while I could've probably made it to the little Greek town Şirince the next morning, I decided to stay in town and see a couple other things. I borrowed a travel guide from my San Diego friends at the hotel and set off up the hill to the Basilica of St John. I didn't get too far when one of the shop guys called out to me (first in Turkish, of course) and we started to chat. Before I knew it, I'd accepted his offer of some apple tea, and he pulled out some benches for us to hang out. Şehmus was pretty captivating, not gonna lie. We chatted and flirted and 45 minutes later I promised to return after I toured the two sites. But only after trying on some hats.

To the Basilica of St John! Built in the 6th century, it stands over the believed site of John's grave. Except hmmm.....

While wandering the grounds, a guy came over and asked me if I wanted to go up and see the fortress, which I'd heard was closed for renovations. He assured me that he had keys and could get me in if I really wanted to go. Um, no thanks, dude.

Down the hill is the Isa Bey Mosque, aka the Jesus Mosque.

I made it inside the courtyard, just as the call to prayer started. Only two people went in.

Back down the hill I started, to hang out with Şehmus a little more before catching the bus to the airport. If only I'd met him a day before, he said. He'd have taken me to dinner, talked with me, and maybe I'd fall in love and marry a Turk. He was amazed that I don't shack up with a boyfriend and don't drink, so hey, maybe he'd be cool with a Mormon girl.

Next stop, Cappadocia from a hot air balloon.........

Musical Tuesday

2011-12-13T14:14:00.000-07:00

Robyn on SNL.

But not what you think.

Turkey - Part I - Istanbul (not Constantinople)

2011-12-08T22:18:00.000-07:00

The months between booking and departure were finally whittled away and I was on my way to Turkey. So much had changed since making those plans, and at one point I even questioned if I should go anymore. Two days before leaving, I hadn't even finalized places to sleep for half the trip. I could stand to lose the $575 it cost for my plane ticket (yes, be jealous of that price. LAX to IST. Roundtrip WITH taxes). But I stayed up late and packed and wrapped up work and went.

I got to the airport plenty early on Thursday morning for a noon flight. I thought I did a pretty terrible job of packing, since I did most of it that morning I managed to get it all in a carry-on (miracle!) and only took a skirt and a pair of leggings that I didn't wear. Bravo.

I figured MCB wouldn't show up til last call - turns out he beat me to the airport. We left LA on a beautiful sunny day, stopped in Chicago where it was 32 degrees, and I was dying to find a slice of pizza before the long haul. By the time I switched terminals, checked in again for the Istanbul flight, and went through security at the crappy terminal, there was not much time for pizza and absolutely none to be found anywhere near our gate. Boo. I ate a very expensive crappy sandwich instead.

As I stood in line to board, voila! There was the lovely Jihan. I knew she was going to Istanbul during Thanksgiving, but we didn't realize we were on the same flight over. Her friend Mark was joining her from Seattle, so the four of us swapped hellos and our dreams of Turkey while boarding. We were all split up on the plane and I was a little glum when I realized I had a middle seat. Uh....yeah, I only do long flights in business class, remember? I settled in next to a Russian lady who spoke little English, and was very confused with the video screen and menu options. She ended up in the video games section, stuck, looked at me and said 'out! out!' I helped, of course.

Turkish Airlines is apparently the best airline in Europe, and while I didn't particularly enjoy the movie selections (I'd seen most everything and wasn't able to make a dent in my Netflix queue), the food was excellent and the lip balm is still being enjoyed. I survived without getting up from my seat once.

Friday afternoon we stumbled out the plane, deplaned onto a bus, and went to figure out the visa situation. which turns out to be a ridiculously easy thing to do. You walk to a booth (short line), hand them a $20 bill, and they give you a little sticker to put in your passport. Takes all of 10 seconds.

Walking into the arrival area with tons of people smashed on top of each other waiting for friends/family was a little overwhelming, and it took us a bit to find the man with my name on a sign. Mr. Lauren, it said. I couldn't figure out gender of Turkish names before I went, turns out the reverse is also true. I'm glad I had arranged a shuttle in advance because 1) Turkish is really, really hard and I hadn't even mastered saying hello at this point 2) public transport on the subway would've required a transfer or two and walking through an area with twisty turny streets. I'm sure I would've figured it out, but I didn't want to take 2+ hours to do it. Turkish words are so foreign, there's no way I could've remember subway stop and street names without staring at written directions the entire time. I looked at the word for 'street' a gazillion times while I was there, and I definitely couldn't tell you what it is, even what letter it starts with.

One man with the sign in the airport took us to another man who drove the van, who took us to another man who had the keys to the apartment I had rented in Sultanahmet, from another man. It wasn't a bad little place, despite being pretty cold (no central heat) and a heater only in the bedroom part. Normal room temperature for the heater setting - 22C. I think I had it cranked to 30C the whole time. Getting out of the shower with wet hair in a non-heated room - almost my worst nightmare.

My first glimpse into Turkish TV - a gazillion music video channels. I saw the Turkish Lady Gaga and Turkish Ricky Martin. There were no English channels to be had, despite a plethora of news from Azerbaijan and Georgia. Does anyone even care about these places? I do now.

We ventured out into the night, aiming to aimlessly wander and not get too lost. After some twists and turns and hassles at a marketplace, we came upon the Blue Mosque.

And some gorgeous street lamps (smaller versions are for sale everywhere in Turkey, and I could've bought a million. I love them).

And the Hagia Sophia.

And chestnuts roasting on an open fire (or under heat lamps).

And the first of many, many amazing dessert shops.

And cats. Cats are everywhere in Turkey.

I think I took a hundred shots of the Blue Mosque. It was dark, beautiful, and very few people around. I guess that's the plus side of traveling during winter. I think I'd hate it with thousands of people angling for the same photograph.

We ducked into a little cafe on the walk home for hummus and hot chocolate, which turned out to be a thicker drinking chocolate.Score!

Has anyone else seen this set up? You plug the iron into the board and the board into the wall? I guess that solves any cord problems, but I've never seen this....random.

The call to prayer woke me the next day (wailing bright and early at 530); I survived a shower in a cold room with wet hair and it was time to set off. My DC friend, Robin, was also in Turkey for an 11-day tour and she had that day free in Istanbul. We met up near the Blue Mosque and got started on the tourist checklist. First stop, back at the Blue Mosque.

The construction of the Blue Mosque happened under Sultan Ahmed in the early 1600s. The inside has more then 20,000 handmade ceramic tiles (another thing I could've bought a million of) and 200 stained glass windows. I overheard a guide say that they used ostrich eggs in construction to repel spiders. Next time you've got a spider problem in your house, you should try that.

This is still a working mosque, so the visitor area is roped off, hence the photos with no people in them. It wasn't prayer time, and even if there was, I don't think there'd be many people actually praying there. It's really beautiful, but not much to tour.

Moving on!

At this point, MCB left us to go catch a flight to Serbia for a few days. Robin, Jill and I continued to the Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom). From the outside, I was like - eh, it's okay. It's hard to compete with the Blue Mosque next door. However, little did I realize how much I'd love it when I entered.

It's old. And religiously significant. And that's all very fascinating to me. In case you don't remember history class, today's structure was completed in 537 - it was the center of the Eastern Orthodox church for almost 1000 years and the pinnacle of Byzantine architecture. It was pretty beat up by earthquakes, fires and sieges, so when the Ottomans rolled into Constantinople in the mid-15th century, the Sultan overhauled it and converted it to a mosque. Ataturk made it into a museum in 1935.

I opted for the self-guided audio tour, so I split from Robin and Jill. I could've spent hours in there, though I kept it down to two.

I wen through this door, even though it was emperors only at one point.

Here is the spot where Emperors were crowned. I didn't stand on it.

Up the ramps to the upper floor, where most of the mosaics are located.

This place is massive. And gorgeous. I really could've looked at it for hours.

The Deësis Mosaic is a traditional depiction, with the Virgin Mary and John the Baptist on either side of Christ.

The Virgin and Child is from the 9th century, with archangels Michael and Gabriel no longer present.

Bottom line - you should see this place.

I grabbed some Pom juice to go - fresh squeezed. It's delicious and plentiful.

Next stop up the road, Topkapi Palace, home to the Ottoman Sultans, their harems and courtspeople for 400 years, starting in the mid-15th century. It's almost 200 acres, overlooking the sea.

Some of the best parts of this place didn't allow photographs, and with the single-file line viewing and the overbearing guards, I didn't even get any stealth photos in.

The Treasury had some major bling and ridiculous thrones, like this one, and clothes of the sultan (my one stealth photo). Emeralds, glittering swords, an 88-carat diamond, Chinese vases, the wealth went on and on....

I have a couple questions about this place - they claim to have the Staff of Moses. Really? It's on display, but really? Also, there is a footprint of Muhammad. How does one save a footprint from the early 7th century? And know that it was his? There's a sword and a tooth of his there too. Perhaps those are a little more plausible. Add this to the list of things to ask when I die. Right next to OJ Simpson.

Entering into every guy's favorite part of the palace - the Circumcision Room....

Looking out towards the Galata Tower, pretending to be a ruling Sultan.

The pom juice really stoked my appetite, so it was time for lunch. Lamb stew, lentil soup and delicious bread - yes, please! We sat inside by the fire, and enjoyed a perfect cozy winter lunch.

Jill had heard that we were supposed to see the Basilica Cistern. I hadn't even read about, was kind of tired of paying admission fees at this point, and almost skipped it. That would've been a big mistake. This might be the coolest thing in Istanbul.

It's underground, it's dark and slightly creepy, and there are MEDUSA HEADS. It's apparently one of many cisterns underneath Istanbul, but definitely the best known.

There's still a couple feet of water at the bottom, now home to fish. It's pretty huge, so you could spend at least 30 minutes walking around it.

No one knows exactly why these two Medusas were used, but hey, they're kinda cool.

On to shopping!

I didn't realize just how enormous the Grand Bazaar really is. You could get lost for days. I'm glad that both times I went I was with other people, otherwise I never would've been able to find anyone there, or get out on my own. There's 21 gates, plus sections for leather, gold, silver, textiles, carpets, antiques and even belly-dancing costumes.

I got a taste of the action, but resisted any purchases since I had to haul my stuff through the rest of Turkey over the next week. Smart move.

As the sun and temperature started to drop, Robin, Jill and I walked towards the university and parted ways. Thinking back, that would've been the time to visit a hammam, but I wasn't yet smart in my Turkish ways.

I walked back home towards the touristy area again, and stopped to get information on the Hop On, Hop Off bus (hoho!) that I could take on Sunday before my afternoon flight to Izmir. I was alone at this point, and figured it would be a good way to see more of the city and give direction on what I wanted to do upon my return to Istanbul at the end of the week.

Lucky for me, one of the guides offered me a discount on the trip and promised to take me to lunch after my tour the next day. A little sketchy? Nah. Lunch with a local is great, and the discount doesn't hurt either.
Barış had lived in the US for awhile, and I'm sure he only wanted to practice English with me. I promised to come back the next morning for their first tour at 930.

I also stopped by a travel agency to book an airport shuttle the next day and ended up booking a full day tour in my next city of Selçuk, because I hadn't done any planning for that leg of the trip. Travel agency > internet in most cases in Turkey, just so you know. Find one on your first day in the country and they'll hook you up. Saves you a lot of time trying to figure out airport transfers to a tiny hotel that doesn't do online bookings and doesn't speak English. Take the easy road and save yourself some headaches. Have a Turk make some calls for you. It works well.

I made a grocery store trip and scored two bottles of water and a candy bar for one dollar for dinner.

I was up again at the crack of down in my cold little apartment, grabbed a sesame bagel and pom juice to go, and sure enough - Barış was waiting for me like he said.

I paid my discounted bus fare and braved the cold winds on the upper deck of the bus. We left from the Hagia Sophia (isn't it still lovely)?

Crossing the Galata bridge, which spans the Golden Horn, not the bridge that goes from Europe to Asia. It is chock full of fishermen and fish restaurants, which I didn't make it to. Next time!

I had decided to jump off at the Dolmabahçe Palace for an hour, then catch the next HOHO bus through the rest of town, which would put me back for lunch at noonish, which gave me plenty of time to eat, go back to my apt and get my bags, then make my airport shuttle. That's not exactly how things turned out.

Dolmabahce is a guided tour only which I didn't realize and takes a little over an hour, which meant I'd miss the bus that only comes 'round once an hour. To do it or not to do it? I was already off the bus and on the grounds, so I went.

It is stunning. Really. Don't miss this if you go to Istanbul.

I guess the Ottomans got tired of Topkapi in the mid-1800s, and they moved a little ways up to this place. It is Turkey's answer to Versailles. It's also the place where Ataturk died, so it's sacred to the Turks.

They didn't allow photos inside, and since I was in a small group with a guide and there were guard people in every single room, I didn't get away with any ninja camera tricks. But here are a couple photos from another site to give you an idea.

The last room of the tour - The Ceremonial Hall - is ridiculous.

I wanted to stay and gawk for awhile, but it was right at the hour point where the bus was probably coming by, so I ran out of there. Literally ran. And it started to lightly rain. Made it to the bus stop and I waited for 20 minutes, until I realized I'd totally missed my bus for the hour and couldn't wait for the next one, because it still would've taken me another hour to finish the tour and I had to get back, lunch, and get to the airport.

I started to walk until I found a tram station, realized it's the one that goes right back where I needed to go, and after watching a couple people use the token machine, I figured out how to do it myself and get on board.

Barış was right there working and told his buddies he was taking off for a lunch break. He took me to a little restaurant up the road and ordered us some delicious kebabs and bread and stuff. I should've taken more pictures of that food and of him, but I didn't. The picture of the hot bread will have to suffice.

He's very nice, we had good conversation, and it wasn't so weird going to lunch with a complete stranger.

After lunch I headed back to my little apartment, gathered my things and went to wait outside the travel agency for my airport shuttle. They invited me inside to wait and shoved more apple tea down my throat (it's delicious!) until the crazy young driver showed up in van to haul a bunch of tourists to the airport. I got stuck in the middle front seat and was sure I was going to be thrown out the windshield when we wrecked.

Stay tuned for the rest of Turkey tales. I promise more pictures than words from here on out.....

Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-07T13:05:00.000-07:00

Intro to Turkey - Miscellany

2011-12-06T22:27:00.001-07:00

I'll blame jet lag and getting back into real life for the delay in writing about my trip (oh, and a couple days at Disneyland, too), but I think I'm just overwhelmed at the amount of stuff in my head, history I want to research more, and a ridiculous amount of photos to pare down.

Turkey is magical.

This trip is one of the best I've taken, and I've been to a decent number of places around the globe.

Would you have the same magical trip if you go to Turkey? Perhaps. A good portion of the excellence is due to the interesting things to do, see, feel, eat there. The part I couldn't plan - meeting up with friends I hadn't seen in years who happened to be there and being on the same flights as an LA friend - fell into place so perfectly, I couldn't have made that happen on my own. Lots of my friends asked how it was to travel with the former boyfriend, with whom I'd booked this trip before our split. I'd been really worried how it was all going to play out.

I had nothing to worry about. We didn't even spend the majority of our days in the same town, and when we did, we got along like old friends (because we are). Meeting up with DC friends and traveling alone for a few days were the best things that could've happened. The universe was clearly on my side in everything.

It helps that I look Turkish, apparently. I didn't get hassled walking by restaurants and shops when I was alone. I wasn't afraid to be a little adventurous and talk to people on the streets - mostly all men. Where were the women in this country?

As MCB said, Turkey is Middle East light. My first foray into a Muslim country, and I'm super fascinated with it. I really wish I could learn Turkish, go back and ask lots of questions about how religion, culture, life all intersect there. I have a long list of books queued up.

How many people actually pray every time they hear the muezzin's call? I saw a man pray in the airport, and of course plenty in the streets on Friday. What would it be like if people did that in the US, regardless of religion? Women who wear headscarves - what do they think of their friends who don't? Is that like comparing Mormons who've been to the temple with those who haven't? Does the Topkapi Palace really have the staff of Moses and a footprint of Muhammad?

I came home with a long memo in my phone called "Turkey - Things to Google." And another one called "Turkey - next time." I didn't even make a dent in this place. I'll be back.

Cheesy Yum

2011-12-05T22:56:00.001-07:00

It finally got cold in LA (and by cold, I mean 50 degrees), so that means it's soup weather.

I found this lasagna soup recipe on Pinterest awhile ago, and I've been waiting for a cold night to make it. I was pretty hungry by 630pm, still had to go to the store for most of the ingredients, and then it takes awhile to make, but hey - the cheesy yum part made it worth the wait.

Next time I make this though, I'm opting for all crushed tomatoes vs diced ones, cause I hate cooked tomato chunks.

2 tsp. olive oil
1-1/2 lbs. Italian sausage
3 c. chopped onions
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
2 T. tomato paste
1 28-oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes
2 bay leaves
6 c. chicken stock
8 oz. mafalda or fusilli pasta
1/2 c. finely chopped fresh basil leaves
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

for the cheesy yum:
8 oz. ricotta
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. saltpinch of freshly ground pepper
2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add sausage, breaking up into bite sized pieces, and brown for about 5 minutes. Add onions and cook until softened, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute. Add tomato paste and stir well to incorporate. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the tomato paste turns a rusty brown color.

Add diced tomatoes, bay leaves, and chicken stock. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add uncooked pasta and cook until al dente. Do not over cook or let soup simmer for a long period of time at this point, as the pasta will get mushy. Stir in basil and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

While the pasta is cooking, prepare the cheesy yum. In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmesan, salt, and pepper.To serve, place a dollop of the cheesy yum in each soup bowl, sprinkle some of the mozzarella on top and ladle the hot soup over the cheese.

Musical Monday

2011-12-05T09:58:00.000-07:00

I tried, unsuccessfully, to grab tickets to this little show.

Girlfriend can sing.

Uh.....

2011-11-29T19:09:00.001-07:00

Jet lag OWNED me today.

I really thought I was fine, especially since I've been able to stay awake pretty late instead of crashing at 8pm. Despite hitting the hay around midnight, I was up at 430am. And since I had meetings from 6am to about 8:30, eh, I stayed awake.

And then I crashed until 2pm. Ooops.

In my hazy state, I purchased a season pass to Disneyland. What?

My bro and his wife are headed to CA tomorrow for his company's annual Disneyland trip; I figure I'll jump into that party for a couple days. Haven't been to the Happiest Place on Earth since about 1986. I hope I don't find it ridiculous.

Musical Monday

2011-11-28T08:12:00.000-07:00

Back from Turkey. Sad about it. You'll read about it soon, once I'm done editing my 1200 photos.

In the meantime, enjoy this tune from Red Kite.

Gratitude, Day 18

2011-11-18T14:04:00.000-07:00

I am proud and grateful to live in the good ole US of A.

I especially love that my US Passport gets me into a lot of countries without having to get a visa in advance.

Merhaba Türkiye!!!

Gratitude, Day 17

2011-11-17T19:54:00.000-07:00

My mom took these photos out at our little Oklahoma farm a few days ago - I am missing Fall! And my dog.

Now that I'm out of small town America, I really appreciate where I grew up. I had it good. And it's nice to go back from time to time, to be reminded of a place where everyone knows you, neighbors wave when you drive by, and everyone's just as friendly and nice as they were in high school, even if the years have changed us a bit.

It's pretty there. Even if I don't want to live there, it's nice to visit. I'm thankful to have grown up in a little place in Oklahoma.

Weekend Recap

2011-11-17T01:59:00.000-07:00

Megs took TONS of photos with her new camera when she visited this last weekend; I'm sure you can see them soon.

But here's the run down.

Watching the most intense episode of Grey's ever
Late night chats about boys (good and bad, of course)
The Misfit - green chile mac and cheese, bbq ribs and roasted squash
Shopping on Abbot Kinney, to find the perfect cake plate
Fell in love with furniture at Plantation
Vanilla Bake Shop - cupcakes galore
New boots in the rain
Persian dinner in real life with an online friend (it wasn't awkward)
Jim Bianco put on a show at Hotel Cafe
Fabric finding in the Fashion District
Lunch in Little Tokyo
Shopping in Silverlake
More cupcakes
Wardrobe mishaps/changing clothes a zillion times
Red lipstick
Singles wards service auction
Sorry!
Cafe 50s for Meg's birthday with the best shakes ever
Primary Program at church (Larry King sat in the row in front of us, and we had a Dr 90210 sighting in the foyer)
Lasagna lunch
Sad goodbyes, completed with best indie radio stations to listen to on the way out of town

Gratitude, Day 16

2011-11-16T16:51:00.001-07:00

I think it only hit me a couple years ago that if I want to buy and eat Fruity Pebbles, I can, because I'm a grownup.

Fruity Pebbles didn't hit the breakfast table often at my house growing up, but when they did, they were gone in an instant. I think my brother and I competed to see who could get the most into one bowl, despite knowing that we'd eat two or three.

I'm thankful to be a grownup, so that I can eat what I want, when I want. Cause today I've really only eaten sugar cookie dough, and it's awesome.

Gratitude, Day 15

2011-11-15T15:57:00.001-07:00

Today I watched last week's 20/20 with Gabby Giffords.

Get your Kleenex.

I'm thankful that I can walk down a flight of stairs to the mailbox without any problems to return some Netflix.

Gratitude, Day 14

2011-11-14T22:59:00.001-07:00

It's hard blogging every day, btw.

Even though the rain has stopped, there will be more of it this winter. And thankfully FedEx was quick with my shipment and I got to enjoy these new boots over the weekend. Puddle jumping is great.

Plus - they're aubergine.

Love 'em.

Maybe now I can properly attend Glastonbury.

Gratitude, Day 13

2011-11-14T20:55:00.000-07:00

Last night I was digging out some things for my trip this week (this week!! I am going to Turkey!!!) and realized that I should probably grab some books on my Kindle for the trip.

And you know what? The whole magic Kindle Amazon Library loaning program finally started recently, after being announced months ago. I finally figured it out, and a few clicks later I was set.

I am super thankful that I could fill my Kindle with enough books to last me the trip - I checked them out last night from the Phoenix library for 14 days, which is exactly when I'll be back. And amazingly, I was able to get plenty to read from my long list of 'to read' even though some aren't available on Kindle format at all, and many other have long waiting lists.

Technology is a blessed thing. Thanks, Amazon. And public libraries. And my Kindle gifter. I shall be plenty entertained, even if the movie selection on the plane sucks.

Gratitude, Day 12

2011-11-13T21:49:00.000-07:00

A million thanks to King, for coordinating and securing tickets to the one band I have yet to experience live - the all amazing Radiohead.

Countdown to March 2012. See you soon, Thom.

Gratitude, Day 11

2011-11-13T20:37:00.001-07:00

I've been having too much with with Megs these last few days to blog, but I'm still thankful for things, don't worry.

I spent a little time one afternoon this week with a high school student who has applied to my alma mater. Alumni interviews are part of the application process, and I've spent the last 5 years or so, volunteering to meet with a handful of students each year, talking to them about Georgetown, and then writing a nice little report about them for the admissions committee.

As much as I want to be intimidating and ask obscure questions, I can't.

But it's nice cause to reflect on my college days, and I'm really thankful for my education. There are lots of ways to be educated in today's world, and not every path is right for everyone. But for me, being able to attend college was a great blessing. I know that many struggle with options on where they can attend college or how to pay for it. It's a privilege that I was able to go without too many hurdles (oh yeah, student loans still loom over my head a bit, but still worth it).

And where I went to school is probably one of the best decisions I've made in life so far. For me, it was perfect. I am still sometimes amazed that I was accepted from a middle of nowhere town to this place with interesting people from all over the world. But I was, and I went without question, and I had the time of my life. It's taken me a lot of places and created great friendships, and I wouldn't change a thing about it. Except maybe I should've studied more.

Gratitude, Day 10

2011-11-10T23:34:00.001-07:00

CLEAN SHEETS ARE THE BEST.

They smell nice. I've finally succumbed to finding quarters and doing laundry at my own place. Even if I have to drive to a bank to get quarters, cause the couch cushions are empty.

I will rest well tonight in my comfy, clean bed.

Em Eighty Threeeee

2011-11-10T16:29:00.001-07:00

Remember that time a couple years ago when I was driving back to Phoenix after spending the weekend in LA, not totally realizing that M83 was playing with the LA Philharmonic right then at Walt Disney Concert Hall?

Well, I remember, and it stings a little. Finally last night, redemption! A new album, great material, and fairly cheap tickets.

I first came across M83 as part of my 2005 pre-Coachella crazy research for optimal festival experience downloading. Strangely, I don't remember actually seeing M83 at Coachella, but I'm sure they were there. And I've liked 'em ever since. Saturdays = Youth? Best part of 2008. Hurry Up We're Dreaming, close to best of 2011.

I had high hopes and I wasn't disappointed. There were a few lulls in energy and as Randy J would say - parts of it were a little pitchy. But overall, pretty excellent. The place was packed with a hot crowd.

Pleasantly surprised to hear an old favorite - Teen Angst, which kinda summed up how I've been feeling this week, as things have gotten a little stressful. We Own the Sky was glorious, and segued perfectly into Steve McQueen. The young dude on guitar looked like he was living the ultimate rock star dream whenever he sang. I was jealous.

I was surprised to see Skin of the Night on setlist. Keep the studio version for your makeout sessions.

The LA Weekly did a more extensive review here (for all 4 of my friends who listen to M83).

And this guy wants to sing with M83. Hilarious.

Gratitude, Day 9

2011-11-09T23:49:00.000-07:00

I'm glad that someone invented gummy vitamins and calcium supplements.

I sure do love ice cream, but I've never been a milk drinker. I'm on my way to getting old and I don't want osteoporosis! Two little gummy drops just now, and my bones are on their way to staying healthy. Right?

Fingers crossed.

Gratitude, Day 8

2011-11-08T23:44:00.000-07:00

I'm thankful for friends who come visit me, especially since it's motivation to clean my room, put away all my clothes, get organized, finally hang stuff on my wall, etc.

We'll see how much of that I actually complete, but I am motivated!!

Oh, and it's a great excuse to eat out for every meal and go shopping and be a little bit touristy.

See you soon, Megs.