My dad took me to my dentist appointment this morning (it was just a cleaning, I haven’t had a cavity in at least 20 years), and he went to the VA while I was there and wasn’t back by the time I was done, so I walked to Coffee Bean and had a cold brew latte while I waited. This girl walked in while I was sipping my cold brew with my sunglasses on because I didn’t want anyone to talk to me LOL, and she asked them if they had “decaf expresso.” In my head, I was like, “No, but they have decaf espresso.”
An hour passed after my appointment was over, and I was super annoyed because I had to get back to work and my dad wasn’t answering his phone. My mom could’ve just driven me if he had plans. Anyway, I get a $50 uber back to the house (my dentist is by my sister’s old apartment in Carmel Mountain), and my mom tells me she doesn’t have a key to the house because my dad drove her car, so he has her keys. My dad calls my mom when he’s done at the VA, but we’re already in the uber so I just tell him to drive straight home. The VA’s in fucking La Jolla, so we get to the house before he does and have to wait outside for 10 minutes because we don’t have any keys.
Anyway, this has been my judgy, annoyed face all morning.
I did some retail therapy and bought this cat headband to cheer me up.
Also, I would hope guns aren’t allowed anywhere, not just at Nordstrom Rack 😅
Update: I’m wearing my cat headband and I’ve taken my prozac, so I’m in a much better mood now 😸
KD’s first communion is coming up, so I got her this cute prayer box, an amethyst to bring her inner peace (she loves crystals just like her auntie), and a chocolate cross (because what 42-year-old 7-year-old doesn’t like chocolate?).
My sister’s husband sent me this IG reel of Coldstone’s new flavor – Going Bananas for JELL-O Pudding – because he knows I love, love, love banana pudding. We doordashed some, and it came with a free mix-in, so we added roasted almonds.
Me: Mmm, it’s good with nuts. Pammie: See, even you like them. Me: I only like nuts when they’re roasted. I don’t like it raw. Pammie: Well, there goes your social life.
My sister is the most technologically challenged person I know (right behind my dad), and one time we were up at my apartment in LA for a doctor’s appointment, and my wifi wasn’t working, and she had like a million zoom meetings to attend that day. I’m like, “Just use your phone as a hotspot.” “What’s a hotspot?” she says. I showed her how to use her phone as a hotspot, and I’m like, “Welcome to the 21st century!” LOL
I have a wireless laser color printer in my room at my sister’s, and I’m at my parents’ house right now, so I asked her to print some pictures of my parents’ bathroom for their remodel. I was surprised she was able to figure it out on her own.
Another time, Shi was helping me with this wedding invitation order and she was using a corner punch to round all the corners. She was like, “All done!” I see a sharp, unrounded corner, and I’m like, “What’s this little guy?” We were at the cafe inside Borders, and we couldn’t stop laughing, we were so loud.
I woke up with a tickle in my throat. I’ve literally only gotten one cold since the pandemic, and I’ve never gotten covid. I used to get sick all the time, but that was when I would go into the office every day, and I’d pick up everyone’s germs. I don’t know how I got sick, when I don’t go anywhere or see anyone. Maybe one of my doordashers was sick LOL. Anyway, it’s raining, so I’m just gonna stay in bed all day if you wanna come be the big spoon.
Nori still goes into the office, so she keeps me updated on the food spots we’d go to for lunch. I miss going to the mall just to get Cinnabon 😅 Or walking by some skanky outfit at Forever 21 and asking Nori if she’d wear it for $3 🤣
Does anyone want to go to a Dodgers game to eat garlic fries in a helmet, Shake Shack, a doyer dog, hot honey chicken tenders, korean short ribs, chili cheese tots and a churro sundae in a helmet see Shohei Ohtani play?
I won’t be happy ’till I’m with you
Home for me is where you are
I sent Shi this post on IG that made me think of her, and we were chatting about Us the Duo breaking up. I mean, I’m unwell, but def not as sad as I was when Michael Jackson or Prince died LOL.
Is anyone else set up like a Buffalo Wild Wings??? 🤣
I went to SDSU for a year before I went to art school, so I have a little bit of Aztec pride. Just a little bit, though. Most of my memories of going to state weren’t good ones LOL. SDSU is a party school, and I wasn’t about that Greek life. I could never find parking, so I bought a trolley pass because I worked at AAA at the time, and there was a trolley stop in their parking lot. I remember I parked one morning and was getting out of my car as the trolley was pulling up, so I missed it. I had to wait fifteen minutes for the next trolley. As I was waiting, I realized I forgot something in my car, and as I was walking back from my car, I missed another trolley and had to wait fifteen more minutes. I finally got to school, but the trolley dumps you in front of state, and the art department was all the way across campus in the back of the school. When I finally got to class, there was a note taped to the door that class was canceled. Son of a! 😅
Donna was telling us how she had the famous turtle soup at Commander’s Palace in New Orleans, and she told her friend (who loves turtles), and her husband was like, “Why would you tell her that?” and she was like, “Because the name of the dish is cute. Turtle soup.” And he was like, “You just told your friend who loves turtles that you just ate turtles.” She was like, “No, I didn’t. The description didn’t mention turtles. It said, ‘The authentic Louisiana favorite with veal fond, egg and crushed lemon. Finished tableside with a splash of aged sherry.’ I thought I was eating veal.” #1 I would never eat veal (I don’t eat baby animals LOL) and #2 it says ‘turtle’ in the name! She was like, “A lot of dishes have animals in the name, and doesn’t contain those animals.” I was like, “Name one dish.” And she couldn’t think of any 😂
I went with my parents to a showroom this morning because they’re remodeling their bathroom and wanted my opinion on materials. My sister’s husband was like, “That’s what you get for being so stylish,” and my sister was like, “Notice they didn’t ask me to come.” 😅 My sister’s the kind of person who buys the model home so it’s already fully furnished and decorated, whereas I’m really particular about what goes in my studio, and it’s just a rental. I tried three mattresses before I settled on one. I once made my family drive me to the West Elm in Solana Beach because I just had to have this mid century nightstand, and they were the only location in SoCal that had it in stock. Every year, I say I’m gonna enter Apartment Therapy’s Small/Cool Contest (my apartment’s only 450 square feet!), but the contest always happens when I’m really busy at work. And every year, when they announce the grand prize winner, I’m always like, “My apartment’s cuter than that.” When I helped my sister paint her last condo, we went to Lowe’s and she picked a color within minutes. I was like, “Wait, don’t you want to look at all these paint chips (for a few more hours)?” She was like, “Game-time decision, Mayan!” And I’m like, “I don’t understand your sports references.” ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Anyway, since they made me get up butt crack early, I had them stop by Mcdonald’s for breakfast. I was waiting in the lobby for my food, and this old lady hobbles over to this other old lady with her cane and asks her how she’s doing and I thought she knew her, but she asked her name and told her she had a beautiful smile. Then the other lady asked her how she was doing, and she said, “I’m alive and able to walk on my own two feet. It’s a beautiful day!” And I cried into my vanilla iced coffee and drank my tears 😭
Don’t mind my emo ass, I think I’m getting my period 😅
Update: The red devil is, in fact, in my belly. I’d stay away from this hot mess express for the next 3-5 days.
If you’re good enough, you’ll find a way Maybe you could cause a girl to change her ways Do you think about it night and day? Maybe you could be the one to make me stay
This song was co-written and co-produced by Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker, so of course I like it 🖤
I remember being at a concert with a boy I liked and waiting in line in the bathroom ruminating over all the bad decisions that led me to that moment LOL and wondering why I wasn’t enough for him and I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and was like, “You look really cute today.” And I thought, “If he can’t see that, then it’s his fucking loss.”
Anyway, sometimes you just need to remind yourself that you’re a bad-ass mother who don’t take no crap off nobody! 😅
This cute coffee shop opened within walking distance to my sister’s house, so I got up, put on a bra, and worked for my iced Mexican mocha this morning.
I couldn’t find the skull pan I wanted to use, but luckily I have two.
I only get to bust out my skull pan twice a year—Halloween and my morbid ass twin godchildren’s birthday (it’s a well known fact that chocolate cake tastes better when it’s shaped like a skull).
Happy 7th birthday, Dominic and Elijah! Ninang loves you weird little fuckers 💀🥳
I’m in an LA mood
I don’t wanna talk to you
She said, “Give me a day or two”
I go ’round and ’round
Satellite
Spinning out, waiting for ya to pull me in
I can see you’re lonely down there
Don’t you know that I am right here?
We got some merch at Justin Timberlake’s resto in Nashville to wear to his upcoming shows. We also got Christine (JT’S #1 fan!) a 12/30 Club bomber jacket that I might have to keep for myself, because this shirt’s kinda snug 😜
Whenever my work signs a new athlete, I never know who they are. I only know who Tony Romo is because he used to date Jessica Simpson LOL. And who the Cleveland Browns coach is because he’s fine as hell 🔥 It’s a good thing I don’t play fantasy football, because I’d pick my team based on how cute the players are. Jimmy Garoppalo would be my QB, so I’d def be dead last 😅
Yeah, you know I was blinded by my heart
Sinking from the start
Should’ve never followed you this far
Now I’m in the deep end
And you let me drown
You didn’t even try to save me
You let me drown
You didn’t even try to save me
But sometimes
Sometimes I sit and fantasize
Maybe sometime in another life
We could’ve got it right, got it right
The more I listen to this album, the more I love it 🖤
Most of my friends are girl bosses who manage teams, but I have never had the desire to climb the corporate ladder. I don’t even like when our web director (whose name is Gaye) puts me in charge when she’s out because I’m the most senior designer after her. I don’t like having to tell people I’m Gaye 😆 I just want to do my 9 (ish) to 6 (ish) and be on my way…
I’m staying at my parents’ house right now, and as I’m eating my stupid oatmeal and working from home, my mom comes in and is like, “Can you doordash me and your dad some Mcdonald’s breakfast?” What a bunch of assholes 😆
I’m usually weary of places I travel to where I don’t see any other Asians, and even though I literally didn’t see a single Asian there (except the Koreans who worked at the Bowl & Roll at the Farmers’ Market LOL), everyone was so nice to us. I love that everyone said, “y’all,” and called me, “baby.”
Our airbnb was in East Nashville (or “East Nasty” as the locals call it LOL), and it was Dolly Parton-themed.
The SEC College Basketball Tournament was going on this weekend, so Broadway was packed. I didn’t know they called Nashville “Nash Vegas.” It was that lively, but much cleaner. Also, they have an open container policy like Vegas does (I saw a bunch of signs at the airport that guns weren’t allowed past the TSA checkpoint, so they must be open carry here, too). Someone spreading the word of the lord on a megaphone handed me a pamphlet on the street, but I was in a hurry on my way to Justin Timberlake’s restaurant LOL. Plus, I’m beyond being saved 😅
I heard you taste like cotton candy, baby, I’m just tryna see I heard you wanna leave with me, if so, I do agree You heard that I could get your body where it needs to be Uh, look, you have no idea But if you’re really curious
I promise that the real thing It’s better than your imagination
JT’s new album came out this weekend, so it was only fitting we hit up his restaurant (@ The Twelve Thirty Club)
The food was amazing. The rooftop bar had bubble machines. The girl singing in the live band sounded like she could be a recording artist.
The drink I ordered was called the Basic AF Mule LOL.
If I were to ever move to Nashville, I’d live in the 12South neighborhood. It reminded me so much of North Park, where every craft house had a porch, and everyone had a dog.
We spent Saturday morning here. We had coffee and biscuits with chorizo sausage gravy at Frothy Monkey, donuts at Five Daughters Bakery, cookies at Christie Cookie Co (they supply the DoubleTree Hotel with all their chocolate chip cookies), and did our own walking tour of all the murals.
We did the Chef’s Choice menu and loved everything (@ Butcher & Bee)
My favorite dish of the weekend was the Avocado Crispy Rice, but everything they brought out was sooo good. This restaurant was also across the street from our airbnb, so we were able to walk there and roll ourselves home.
IDK if it’s because Asian don’t raisin, but I got carded everywhere I ordered a drink. This drunk girl at the table next to us was talking to us at dinner because she said she and her sister were the only ones drinking in their group and she thinks her friends were tired of them LOL. She was in her 20s and refused to believe we were in our 40s, so Donna showed her a picture of her 26-year-old son, who Donna had when we were in high school. That girl thought Donna’s son was cute (his dad is half white and half filipino and looks mexican, so his buddies call him, “Chino” 😆) and coincidentally lives in the same town her son lives in. She was like, “Tell him to go to Hawkers and I’ll take care of him!” Ha. Thanks for making me feel so young, Nashville 👧🏻
Self-care Saturday.
After dinner, our 42 and 43-year old asses were tired after being out all day (we woke up at 6am!), so we went back to the airbnb and did some Korean face masks and under eye patches.
A great way to show me you know nothing about me is to invite me to watch the sunrise at the butt crack of dawn 😆 There were two other couples at this lookout point watching the sunrise, and I was like, “Never once have I gotten up this early to watch the sunrise with a boy, let alone two married women.” LOL. They’re both super type A, and I’m really disorganized and not a morning person. My old coworker and dear friend is also type A, and we got along swimmingly. She never minded that I was so messy. She once told me, “You make concessions for the people you love.” 🥹 So I will get up at the butt crack of dawn for the people I love LOL. But I will not use packing cubes or fold my panties. That’s where I draw the line 😆
Donna loves Husk in South Carolina, so she said we had to try the one in Nashville, and it didn’t disappoint (@ Husk)
She also made all of our reservations, and everywhere we went, she told them we were celebrating my birthday 🥳
I’m just here for the kettle corn. And the baby goats. And the grumpy dwarf rabbit named Tito (@ Lucky Ladd Farms Tulip Festival)
I don’t usually like Indian food, but I couldn’t go to Nashville without trying one of Maneet Chauhan’s restos (@ Chauhan Ale and Masala House)
Maneet is a staple on Food Network, and she even won season 2 of Tournament of Champions (her TOC belt was at the resto!). I ordered the Tandoori Chicken Poutine which was life changing. Pammie’s favorite dish of the whole trip was here—Lamb Korma. As a rule, I don’t eat baby animals (just adult animals who have lived a full life LOL), so I didn’t try it, but it’s their most popular dish.
We spent our last night in a Dolly Parton-themed bar on top of the Graduate hotel (@ White Limozeen)
It probably wasn’t a good idea to do champagne jell-o shots when I had a 6am flight the next morning, but when in Nashville, darlin’ ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Till next time, Nashville ✌🏼
Even though I ate everything I wanted to, I didn’t get a single high glucose alert on my phone. It’s because we did so much walking. My calves burn with the fire of a thousand suns, and I’ve been rubbing massage oil into my legs since we got back. My sister and mom get notifications when my blood sugar is too high, so having sore stems was worth not getting hassled about what I’m eating.
My sister’s husband picked us up from the airport, and he was like, “You look fatter. Not your body, just your face.” I’m like, “Uhh, thanks?” #1 How dare you? #2 I’m the skinniest person in this car #3 I will punch you where I stand and #4 I would never tell someone they looked fatter, even if they did. If anything, I would lie and say they looked skinnier, even if they didn’t! Excuse me while I go starve myself and cry into my green juice and drink my tears.
Nashville’s only two hours ahead, but I’m still jetlagged as fuck for some reason 😅
Hey little mama
Ain’t gotta ask me if I want to
Tell me, can I get a light?
Roll you up and let it run through my veins
‘Cause I can always see the farthest stars when I’m on you
I don’t wanna ever come down off this cloud of loving you
Me: (looking for my Original Berf shirt that fell out of my overstuffed suitcase) Donna: Do you use packing cubes?
Do I look like I use packing cubes? Why are you asking questions you already know the answer to 😆 I am who I am, guys (and that’s disorganized as fuck).
Donna sent me this video, and I told her my nostrils will be flaring five seconds into this 30-day plank challenge she’s convinced us to do while on vacation. I was able to last a full minute last night, partly because I was resting on my elbows, but mostly because I didn’t want to look like a little bitch! Ha.
Also, I’ve been up since 6am this morning, because my sister and Donna both work today, and Donna’s work day starts at 7:30am North Carolina time, which is 6:30am Nashville time, which is 4:30am pacific time (3:30am if we’re counting daylight savings!). She was like, “Just go back to sleep,” but I can’t sleep once everyone’s up. Plus, I’m one of those people who only need a few hours of sleep and I’m fine. Pammie was out till after midnight with her coworkers last night, and she is hurting this morning getting ready to meet these same people who are all probably still hungover.
I’m just over here bright eyed and bushy tailed about to take a shower and doordash some Biscuit Love. It’s nearby, so I was gonna walk my ass over there, but it’s raining today and the sun hasn’t even woken up yet 😅
I doordashed some hot chicken, because Pammie’s at a work event and Donna’s flight doesn’t come in till later tonight. Hot meat in a hotel room? I’ll take it…
My sister’s been here for work all week, and Donna is meeting us from North Carolina, so I flew solo. My family was really worried about me traveling by myself, since it’s my first time since the stroke. It’s like when I moved to LA, and my grandma wanted to come with me so she could teach me how to cook LOL. Maybe I should’ve taken her up on her offer, because she’s no longer with us and I still can only cook like five things 😅
I had a whole plan to enjoy a farmhouse breakfast sandwich from Einstein’s, but I had a different gate and had to get a stupid bagel and schmear from Peet’s instead. At least their ice machines were working this time, so I was able to get an iced latte.
I checked my bags since I checked in so late (on my last flights, they ran out of bin space by the time the C group boarded) and because I didn’t have anyone to help me lift my carry-on into the bin LOL.
I’m always C-group status when I’m traveling by myself 😅 Oh, well. Now I don’t have to worry about my luggage and boarding early. I’ll just make friends at the airport bar while I wait.
Kolohe Kai’s gonna be at the Del Mar Fair this summer. Does anyone want to go??? I used to not like Hawaiian music, but I had such a good time in Kauai, and my paradise playlist has been on rotation ever since. Plus, my friend would always listen to Hawaiian radio when I worked in the office, and every time I’d go to her office, a Hawaiian version of Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me” would be playing, and I’d be like, “Is this our song?!” 🤣
I went here today to get my eyebrows threaded, and Super Brows is still here, but Rosie (who used to thread my brows 20 years ago) isn’t 😅 I also used to work here with my ex’s sister Sheryll at Afterthoughts in our twenties. Our coworker pierced our cartilage one night with the piercing gun, and mine was fine, but Sheryll’s got infected. She ended up getting this huge growth that had to be surgically removed. I remember she named him “Wilbur” 🤢 Ahh, memories…
Donna is a planner, while I’m more of a “let’s keep the day open so whatever happens happens” kinda girl. She has planned our itinerary down to the minute so we can do everything we wanna do and maximize our time there. Including 7am plank challenges 😅 I tried to tell her that that’s 5am pacific time (4am with daylight savings!), but she’s really gonna make us work for that Nashville hot chicken…
I was listening to Hoobastank on Spotify LOL and came across this Latin version of The Reason! I used to think the mark of a good zumba class was if they played Pitbull or Marc Anthony, but I would go fucking loca if they played this song 🤪
A few people sent me this reel of this new BBQ spot in OC. It looks so good, but I haven’t had BBQ since it made me sick in NYC my birthday weekend 😅 I wanted to check Peg Leg Porker off my BBQ Bucket List in Nashville next weekend, but I don’t want to ruin the trip by getting sick again…
A few people also sent me this reel of this Corgi Cafe in the Philippines. Do my friends know me or what??? Also, I need that corgi butt bread.
Pammie was telling me about some up and coming young NBA player who knocked up some video vixen from Basketball Wives LA twice his age who already has two kids with two different baby daddies, and her oldest son is the same age as her current boyfriend.
I googled her, and was like, “She looks puffy. She should get a lymphatic massage.” And Pammie was like, “She needs to do some gua sha.” LOL we’re haters 😆
When we were in Arizona, Pammie was doing her gua sha routine at the hotel, and I was telling her about this video I watched of Dove Cameron’s skincare routine where she does gua sha, but I was so high, I forgot why I was talking about Dove Cameron’s skincare routine halfway through my story, so I stopped and was like, “Why am I talking about Dove Cameron again?” 🤣
Phoenix TSA confiscated her rosehip oil that she does gua sha with, because they said it was over the liquid limit. They even tested my mucuna powder, because they thought I was trying to sneak some cocaine on the plane. I’m like uhhh, don’t check the rest of my luggage, that’s where the real drugs are 😅
Update: Donna, who’s obsessed with K-dramas and BTS, says she would totally get with Jungkook (BTS’ youngest member), but he’s only a year older than her son. I’m like, “What about the fact that you’re married?” 🤣
Lately, I’ve been inundated with people asking for help for their kids’ fundraisers. Jog-a-thons? Gift wrap?? Cookie dough??? I’m about to create a gofundme so these same people can help fund my upcoming vacations for all I’ve donated 😅
Deftones are playing a music festival in Spain when I’ll be there, but I’ll be 8 hours away from Barcelona that day. I don’t think I’ll be able to swing it, but I love going to concerts when I’m traveling 🖤
Donna was a bad influence on me when we were kids, and it looks like she’ll still be a bad influence in the afterlife! Ha. If my sister and I were running late to class in high school, we’d skip first period and hang out at Donna’s apartment instead (I have never once gone to lockout. I guess this is why when I was late for work when I used to work in the office, I would text Nori, “What do you want from Coffee Bean?” 😅 What’s a few more minutes if I’m already late…). Donna dared me to jump off a cliff into the kids’ pool at the resort we were staying at a few years ago in Hawaii. She jumped first, but she’s also a foot shorter than me! I’m pretty sure my tailbone is still at the bottom of the keiki pool, you guys.
When I die, I just need someone to clear my browser history and play Young the Giant at my funeral.
Who needs luck with all this charm? Just kidding (give me all the luck!).
Since I know Donna loves chocolate (so much so that she had ‘HERSHEY’ emblazoned on the back of her dance sweater in middle school, while my sister had ‘BABY LONELINESS’ LOL. I wasn’t in dance—I was still traumatized from the time I played the glow-worm in our class production of James and the Giant Peach in the second grade and had to wear a turquoise leotard in front of the whole school and pretend light was coming out of my butt), and I’m seeing her next weekend (she’s meeting us in Nashville), I made a St. Patrick’s Day goodie bag for her 💚
This tracks. I used to drive down from LA to SD, and every time I’d fill up at the gas station before heading down, I’d pick up a Ham and Swiss Lunchable (plus a bag of Hot Fries and an Arizona Green Tea. And if I had any cash on me, a Powerball lottery ticket). I hate pumping gas (I always wait till the fuel gauge hits “0 miles” before filling up), but I love gas station food LOL. We stopped at the gas station to fill up before going to my sister’s house from my parents’ house, and I was like, “Do we need snacks?” and she was like, “This ain’t a road trip! It’s a 10-minute drive.” 😅
Last year, we we’re poppin’ bottles, and this year Jessie is poppin’ baby bottles. But I sent her some champagne, so she could still pop some adult bottles.
When Jessie was still looking for a surrogate, I was like, “I’ll carry your baby. You can live in the casita, and my pregnant ass will stay in the main house with your husband.” Needless to say, she went with a surrogate in Bakersfield instead 🤣
Happiest birthday, bb! Also, please don’t talk to me till I’ve had my morning coffee ☕
Since they’re not bringing people around the baby till he’s had all his vaccines, we instacarted her some champagne, sent her balloons from Party City, and are gonna doordash her some lunch later. Last year, we were celebrating her 40th birthday downtown and I was throwing up in the bathroom (it was the first time I drank after the strokes). How quickly things change around here…
I tell myself you don’t mean a thing And what we got, got no hold on me But when you’re not there, I just crumble
When I worked in the office, my office was next to my boss’ office. She would hear all the sad music I’d listen to through our shared wall and be like, “Is everything okay?” LOL. Occasionally, she’d pop in to make sure I wasn’t hanging from my mouse cord (just kidding, my mouse was wireless). Since she knew I loved depressing music, she introduced me to this song years ago, and it recently came up on my spotify 🖤
IDK why my dad has so many batteries. When I need one, I just take it out of my smoke detector 😅 Considering I’ve almost burned down my apartment, I should probably take some of these batteries home…
This is like when I first started at my job, and my boss was like, “Show it to Loren, the art director.” And I was like, “Where does she sit?” and she was like, “Loren’s a guy.” And another time, she was like, “Ask Jamie.” And I was like, “Where does she sit?” and she was like, “Jamie’s a guy, too.” And then another time, she was like, “Give it to Deane.” And I was like, “Where does he sit?” and she was like, “Deane’s a girl.” When she told me to show it to Christina, another art director, I was like, “Is Christina a man?!” 😆 God forbid I use the wrong pronoun when addressing you 😅
I have a flight to Nashville from SD the next morning, so a concert the night before in LA isn’t ideal, but I will rally if I win ✊🏼 Christine will be my +1, partly because she’s the biggest JT fan I know (she had a JT-themed birthday party when she turned 30 LOL), but mostly because she can drive my ass to LA (my sister will be out of town for work that week).
Deftones are gonna be at Coachella this year, but as much as I love live music, I think I would hate going to that festival. I remember a group of girls from my work went the year Tame Impala headlined, and I asked how Tame Impala was when they came back, and they were like, “Who???” 🙄 People just go to this festival to be seen and wear cute outfits…
I’d be this happy, too, if I was doing skin-to-skin with Jessie’s husband LOL.
Luckily, we live in a state where IVF is still protected instead of backwards-ass Alabama where the practice is threatened after a recent court ruling (and abortion is also banned!). After Jessie survived breast cancer, her surrogate got pregnant with her and Abe’s very last embryo, so Isaac is truly a miracle baby 🥹
This rainy weather is domesticating the fuck out of me.
I made some chicken soup, banana nut bread, and even walked on the treadmill while watching the Game Show Network. I don’t even know who I am right now. My mother? Yikes 😬 Someone get me this Rifle Paper Co. x Hedley & Bennett Apron from Anthro to complete the look.
Things I found in my old room at my parents’ house:
My Girl Scouts vest. I would always forget who was hosting the meeting every week, and would have my dad drive me to the wrong house 😅 (Was it Amanda D., Amanda E., or Amanda W.’s house?! JK, my sister’s troop was the one with all the Amandas). I don’t remember how I got any of these patches, or that chili pepper pin, and I def don’t remember being a junior aide. Is this my sister’s vest? LOL.
My P.E. shirt from high school. I think I was wearing this the last time I did the sit and reach.
Old uniforms. I had a lot of jobs before I became a graphic designer! My dad made me get a job when I was 15, and I’ve been working ever since.
My Hoobastank shirt LOL. I wish I found this before I went to their 20th anniversary show a few months ago!
A magazine from June 2000 with *NSYNC on the cover. I just posted about Justin Timberlake last month. I haven’t changed.
An old checkbook from 2005.
A bar on a weeknight and jello shot accoutrements??? I used to be fun…
Update: I posted my Hoobastank shirt to my IG stories, and Hoobastank liked and reposted it 🤩
I’m not worried about where you are Or who you go home to
I’m just thinkin’ about you
I had tickets to see Harry Styles, but they rescheduled his tour because of covid, and I opted for a refund instead. He played 15 sold-out shows in LA, and I didn’t go to a single one of them. It has been my #4 regret in life ever since (#3 is running into Milo Ventimiglia at an otherwise empty NYC subway station in 2005 and not asking him to father my children. Don’t ask me what the first two are—I’m taking them to my grave!). It’s raining today, so it’s a good time to bust out this album and ruminate over all of my life regrets.
I’ve tried snowboarding thrice now and each time I somehow did worse than the last 😅 And this was before the stroke, so my balance is way worse now. I’ll just stick to charcuterie boarding, thank yew.
They’re opening a Common Theory within walking distance to my sister’s house. I was wondering what they were gonna put in this space, because we saw them wheeling in commercial stainless steel tanks one day on our walk. It’s right next to David’s condo (David is this asshole dog that barks at me whenever I walk by his balcony. IDK his real name, but I call him “David” after David Bogdanov, a convicted murderer I watched a docu of on ID who fled to Ukraine after he killed someone (the dog’s pawrents had a Ukrainian flag on their balcony LOL). Anyway, now I can get my steps in before drinking my weight in beer 🍻
Update: My sister walked by Common Theory to see if it was open and David was on his balcony wearing a pink ass collar. He might be a she! My whole life is a lie.
I hate exercising, but I’m competitive as fuck. I once won a Survivor pool without watching a single episode and almost won a March Madness pool at my work (I had the #1 bracket up until I lost the final game) even though the boys had to explain to me what a seed was 😆 I’ve also joined and won several biggest loser challenges (the only thing I lose is pounds!). Anyway, when Chel suggested we keep ourselves accountable by tracking each other’s daily steps using the Nike Run Club App, I was wary at first. My mom and sister already follow my blood glucose monitor readings (they granted themselves access while I was sick, I would never allow such an invasion of privacy otherwise), so they get notified if it’s too high and hassle me about what I’m eating. I’m just like, this ain’t social media. Stop following me! Let me eat this Crumbl cookie in peace 😅
I doordashed a pizza for dinner, and I got it with no mushrooms (even though I love mushrooms), because it flares up my sister’s husband’s gout and I’m thoughtful as fuck.
I’m reminded of the time one of my ex’s and I broke up, but we still had mutual friends and he was dating someone new. We were at dinner and he was sitting across from me with his new girlfriend, and as if it wasn’t awkward enough, he proceeded to eat mushrooms off of my plate without even asking while his new girlfriend and I looked on in horror. They’re both married now (to other people!), but I still think about that mushroom moment every now and again. He wasn’t thoughtful as fuck like I am 😅
My friend dm’d me this today, and this is me as fuck. The effort it takes to put on a bra, walk down four flights of stairs to the garage, and then wait half an hour in the drive-thru line is well worth the additional $84.61.
Our design director was checking in on presentations, and my coworker (whose name has been redacted in case he ever stumbles upon this blog) said he was sending his “monetarily” and I’ve been laughing for a million years. Is he sending money with his comps? 💸
I don’t know him like that, so I didn’t say anything snarky to him, but I forwarded it to my other coworker and was like, “Did you see this shit?!” 🤣
I will use any excuse to make a charcuterie board.
The 100th episode of The Rookie airs tonight, and my charcuterie and I are ready. Here’s some snaps from my last watch party (The Rookie has a relatively small fanbase, but I promise there was at least one other person at this party LOL):
He’s so tall and handsome as hell
He’s so bad, but he does it so well
And when we’ve had our very last kiss
My last request is
Say you’ll remember me
Standing in a nice dress
Staring at the sunset, babe
Red lips and rosy cheeks
Say you’ll see me again
Even if it’s just in your wildest dreams
It’s two in the morning I don’t need nobody else But you’re my tragedy
Young the Giant is always a good idea.
Rolling in hella deep, headed to the mezzanine Dressed in all pink ‘cept my gator shoes, those are green Draped in a leopard mink, girl standing next to me Probably shoulda washed this, smells like R. Kelly’s sheets (piss) But shit, it was 99 cents
Macklemore was surprisingly entertaining and brought attention to what’s happening in Gaza.
I will not ask you where you came from I will not ask, and neither should you
Honey, just put your sweet lips on my lips We should just kiss like real people do
And it’s worth it, it’s divine
I have this some of the time
I forgot that I put this place on my list because the pastry chef at this restaurant was recently nominated for a James Beard Award, and I ended up ordering a mimosa and steak and eggs 😅 (@ Valentine)
I dropped this oatmeal whoopie pie and I had to keep explaining that the stains all over my leggings were whoopie pie cream and not some other white stuff 😅 (@ A Flour Shop)
I’ve had Polish sausage before (I’ve also had kielbasa LOL), but I’ve never had any other Polish food. It was sooo good! I highly recommend the cheddar and jalapeño pierogi. I thought it was gonna be “white people spicy,” but it actually had some heat! 😅
This Ike’s was within walking distance to our hotel. There’s an Ike’s up the street from my apartment in LA, and one in SD, but their “Going Home for Thanksgiving” sandwich on dutch crunch bread will change your life (@ Ike’s Love & Sandwiches)
The ice machines were down at the airport this morning, so they couldn’t serve iced coffee anywhere. I had to pick up some overpriced bottled bullshit from Hudson News. Then I got the window seat in an aisle with no window on our flight LOL. Hopefully the rest of my weekend goes smoother 😅
I’ve always heard that “heaven is a place where all the dogs you have ever loved run to greet you.” IDK if that’s true or if I’m even headed to heaven LOL, but it’s a nice thought. Today, my aunt put her last pup down. I looked after her when her moms went on vacation, and she was the sweetest girl.
I hope she’s in doggy heaven playing with Rocky and Myko in the matching Baja Ponchos I got them for Christmas 🥹
I received the sweetest gift from my dear friend, Heather.
It came at the perfect time, because I had just gotten an email with our presentation assignments due by next week and a blackout period where we can’t request any time off at work. I was hoping presentations and catalogs were canceled because we’re usually blacked out on the calendar by this time, and I even got approved for time off next month for Nashville.
Plus I had a pretty shitty day today. They refilled my prescription at the wrong CVS by my parents’ house instead of my usual one near my sister’s, so my parents had to pick it up for me since my sister had to go into the office today. Since they were here, I had them drive me to the bank. I was originally planning to take an uber, because I don’t like asking anyone for help. I don’t have a house key, because I don’t drive yet so I don’t go anywhere without my sister. So I just ran out the garage door as it was closing. When I got back from the bank, I kept ringing the doorbell and my mom called my sister’s husband fifteen times, but he was taking a nap, so he didn’t answer the door or his phone. My parents just brought me back to their house, and my sister had to pick me up when she got off work that night. Then I had to work some more when I got home, because my project manager was asking for a bunch of shit, but I didn’t have my computer with me. I haven’t even started my presentation yet, and I was hoping to have comps done before my flight tomorrow morning.
I’m about to take a bath with this lavender/chamomile/vanilla shower steamer and light this chai latte candle so I can fucking relax 🤪
I saw this video on instagram and had to try it with my plant-based spam. It was sooo good and a healthier alternative to my favorite Sausage Mcmuffin with Egg from Mcdonald’s. Even my sister’s husband (who loves spam and SMEs) thought it was good! The highest of compliments! 😆
I made some spaghetti squash casserole and roasted vegetables to try to eat healthy this week in preparation for all the bad decisions I’m gonna be making in Phoenix this weekend. And Nashville next month. And Spain soon after that 😏
Chel is leaving for Hawaii tomorrow, and one of her sons was all like, “Please pray for all the hurt people on the plane.” And Chel was like, “What plane???” And he was like, “The plane we’re taking to Hawaii.” 😳 He’s always had a sixth sense about things. He sees his grandma all the time who used to live in that house and died long before he was born. This kid both amuses and terrifies me 😅
Sending all the positive energy their way for safe travels ✨
Shi just wanted to go hiking and have some kid-free QT for her birthday. I would only get up this buttcrack early on a Sunday and exercise for this girl ❤️
Actual footage of me waking up before the sun this morning:
And me in the car while Christine drove my sleepy ass:
Thanks to Shi for picking a relatively easy hike that was mostly flat and paved and being so mindful of my fall risk status 😅 I actually loved this little walk around the bay, and we all have birthdays in the winter, so I wouldn’t mind doing this again during the cooler months! They also do yoga on Sundays, so I’ll have to try that one of these weekends.
Sidenote: This girl ran past me on the trail and she was like, “Behind!” I moved over and wanted to say, “Yes, chef,” but I didn’t think she’d get the reference 😂
I doordashed Korean short ribs to grill from H Mart on Super Bowl Sunday, but the dasher accidentally got me bulgogi instead. Doordash refunded me $90 for the incorrect item, and I got to keep 6 pounds of bulgogi for free! Usually I love free meat LOL, but I’ve been eating bulgogi tacos (Kogi-style) on carb balance tortillas for days now, and dis tew much 😅 I gave Christine 4 pounds of bulgogi and she just dropped off Nothing Bundt Cakes. My sister’s husband looked in the bag and was like, “These aren’t beef ‘n’ cheddars.” 😆 I love this little food exchange we’ve got going on. So far, we’ve traded sinigang, zuppa toscana, fusilli alla vodka, Greek pearl couscous salad, Dunkin’ Donuts, Arby’s and now bulgogi and Nothing Bundt Cakes! Have I mentioned how much I love living so close to the Lansangs??? ❤️
My parents are going to Portugal and Spain this Summer, and Spain is on my fuck it bucket list, so I invited myself 😏 I jokingly said I’d only go if we fly first class, so my dad has been looking into it. The difference between my dad and me is that he’ll do anything to save a buck (like book his flight through a cheap travel agency that makes it impossible to deal directly with the airline when you need to make changes, whereas I will always pay extra to not have to deal with any of that). He’s been sending me flight itineraries to see if they’re legit, and one google search revealed they were a big ol’ scam. Needless to say, I’ll be booking our flights for this trip 😅
The other day, one of the directors who works in the office messaged me on teams saying he had something for me asking where he should mail it. I thought it might be my 10-year work anniversary pin, (even though my 11-year anniversary just passed last month) or maybe a termination letter (even though I just got a raise and bonus 😅), but HR has my apartment in LA listed as my mailing address, and they would normally be the ones sending things of that nature, so I didn’t think it was HR-related. He was being really cryptic about it, so I had no idea what it was. It’s all my white puffer jacket that I left in the drawer of my old office. JK, Andy, who sits in my old office probably wears it. It’s a women’s jacket, but he’s v petite 🤣
This is like the time at my old job when they announced a mandatory meeting and we were going crazy wondering what it was about—Were they laying people off? Did they find out that my coworker Jesse drank that unclaimed Red Bull in the fridge? Were my yoga pants too casual for Casual Friday??? It turns out the meeting was a break from work where we got to play Taboo, and we won so the customer service team had to make us coffee for a week!
Hopefully it’s something good! I’ll keep you posted…
Update: I got it, and it was just a certificate congratulating me on 11 years with Skechers and a voucher for a free pair of shoes 😅 HR must’ve interofficed it to the advertising department thinking I worked in the offiice. No old coworker’s heads here!
I should probably take down this post, but only a couple people still read this blog (hi, Shirley May!), so I’ll keep it up for posterity’s sake. And so I have receipts when I say, “Remember when you said ‘so and so’ on February 14, 2024?” 🤣
My sister’s husband heard me huffing and puffing up their stairs and he’s like, “What you got there?” and I was like, “Target delivery. I bought all this candy for Valentine’s Day.” And he’s like, “You making gift bags? You’re such a good friend doing this every holiday, but I’ve never seen someone send you a gift bag!” I’m not the kind of person who gives expecting something in return ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Giving is my love language, y’all ❤️💕 Well, BBQ is also my love language (I’m hella lingual).
Valentine’s Day may be a made up holiday, but these goodies are very real 😋
I also made these matching “On Godric” shirts for my sister and her husband. I’m not hood or a Potterhead (so I’ve never said, “on God,” and def have never said, “on Godric” LOL) and IDK what the fuck this dude is saying, but Pammie and D like him 😆
I order everything online and I refuse to pay extra for shipping. I only needed one $2 sparkler at TOPS Malibu, but I didn’t want to pay $18 for shipping, and they offer free shipping on orders over $50, so I bought 25 sparklers LOL. I once ordered bedding from Anthropologie, and spent over $300 and they still charged for shipping! And to make things worse, I ended up burning the duvet I got from Anthro in The Great Fire of 2014, and it was discontinued so I couldn’t even replace it 😅
…or me waiting outside for my March and Ash delivery, even though weed is legal in California, and I’m pretty sure my sister’s neighbor is a drug lord (who else buys a million dollar home and only lives in it part-time because he has a “job” that keeps him in Mexico most of the year? 😅).
I used to doordash Mcdonald’s for breakfast every morning, even though they’re literally across the street from my apartment. Now, I only treat myself to this meal every few months after some routine blood tests 😅 Or when I’m happy to pay $300 to get my car out of a tow yard because I initially thought someone stole it (a Mcdonald’s breakfast is celebratory. Fight me).
P.S. I’m so excited to see Phantogram at Innings Fest, even though I’ve seen them live a million times since I first saw them at Outside Lands in 2011. I’ve actually already seen a lot of the bands that will be there (Young the Giant, Hozier, Jimmy Eat World, Red Hot Chili Peppers). What can I say, I’m a repeat offender ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
This urgent low blood glucose alert on my phone woke me up at 10pm last night. Yes, I was already sleeping at 10pm 👵🏼 I eat dinner at 6pm and sleep soon after, because the earlier I eat/sleep, the less of a chance of me having a fourth meal or snacking (you can’t have a midnight snack if you’re not awake at midnight LOL).
This bodes well for my upcoming blood tests later this week. This, however, does not bode well for anyone around me. I’m not eating sugar and I’m on my period right now. You should probably avoid this hot mess express for the next 3-5 days. I’m sorry for anything I said while my blood glucose was low 😅
I get my coffee iced no matter how cold it is outside, my landlord fixed my leaky ceiling years ago, I don’t own an umbrella, I check if mercury’s in retrograde whenever something bad happens, and if it’s raining on a Friday, I wonder if my favorite vendor at the Hermosa Beach Farmers Market is okay 😆
My cousin was recently diagnosed with thyroid cancer, and she’s having surgery today. She’s only a few years older than me, and her mom (my dad’s little sister) died of cancer when she was only 34. It was 1989, and we were just kids. I got her this amethyst crystal because of its healing properties, and she believes in this same woo woo bullshit that I do 😅 Sending all the healing energy her way ✨
I was good today and had a salad from Mendocino Farms for lunch. The closest Mendo is downtown next to Blue Bottle (my favorite coffee shop), so I picked up a New Orleans-style Iced Coffee, too (I had oatmeal for breakfast and lettuce wraps for dinner, I think I deserve a little caffeine and sugar. Plus yesterday, my sister and her husband chowed down on Mcdonald’s Sausage Mcmuffins with Egg and hash browns while I cried into my steel cut oats with potassium-rich bananas and anti-inflammatory cinnamon).
We’re part of a very special set of people (O.I.N.K. – one income, no kids) that do whatever the fuck we want like buy VIP tickets to Justin Timberlake’s show in LA and floor tickets to his show in Vegas 😆
I had Food Network’s Worst Cooks in America on while I was working, and this was one of the contestant’s descriptions. I guess all the contestants are nepo babies, and this particular girl has an NFL dad turned restauranteur who spoils her. I can’t with these contestants 😂
I also buy two tickets even though I don’t know who I’m going with yet. Unless it’s for John Mayer and I buy a single ticket off stubhub for $300 an hour before the show, because I decided last minute to go and know no one else would pay $300 (or any amount of money) to see John Mayer 😅
I tried to be healthy today and ordered a salad from Mendocino Farms, but my sister accidentally ate mine instead of hers. I would’ve eaten her order, but her salad had raw kale in it, and I hate raw kale. Oh, well. I’ll try again tomorrow 😅
I heard this song on Chel’s instagram post about her stay at Jacumba Hot Springs Hotel, but I thought they were saying “chainsaw daydreams” instead of “chase our daydreams” LOL. I’ve been listening to too many true crime podcasts 😅
I had a doctor’s appointment this morning, and I’ve gained a few since I last saw my PCP in person almost a year ago. Granted, I last saw her a couple months after the strokes when I had dropped a ton of weight because I was scared to eat a carb, plus it’s after the holidays now! I’m still skinnier than I was before the strokes, but she didn’t see me till after I lost all that weight. I planned on eating my way through Phoenix and Nashville in the next couple months, but she scheduled another appointment in the beginning of May to check on my progress. She said I should be doing at least 150 minutes of exercise a week. I’m like, “But that’s 150 more than I normally do.” 😅
Welp, it’s officially EOD in NYC, and I didn’t win tickets to Justin Timberlake’s free show. I guess I’ll be an adult and go to my doctor’s appointment and work tomorrow 😅 I think because we had to put our zip in when we entered, they didn’t think a girl from the west coast would go to a show in NYC at a moment’s notice, but they doubt my commitment to Sparkle Motion Justin Timberlake.
…or my pops being extra and changing into this outfit after the Niners won tonight’s game LOL. I was only rooting for Detroit because I wanted to see a real lion on the field at the Superbowl.
I had a fraud alert this morning (some asshole tried to buy $200 worth of stuff with my credit card at easybesttoystore.com) so they canceled my card and issued me a new one. I was trying to pre-pay for my prescriptions at CVS, so I had to use another credit card, which I never use. I still had to activate it, so I went to do that on Chase and so I logged in and was like, “Why is there so much money in this account?” I looked at my transactions, and I guess I got a raise and bonus on Friday 😅 I wasn’t expecting anything since I was on medical leave for half of last year.
Waiting until the eleventh hour to check in to my doc appointment in case I win tickets to Justin Timberlake’s free show in NYC that day and have to cancel it 😅
