Nori and I went to Chick-Fil-A for lunch, and this child was screaming bloody murder inside. Straight up screaming and his mom was gentle parenting the shit out of him.
We were like… What the???
Anyway, when we got our food, there was a free cookie on our trays. Not sure if they were apology cookies for having to listen to that devil child, or if the server thought we were cute ๐คช
One of my project managers emailed me that the art was approved for one of my jobs, except he mustโve been in a rush because he said that my fart was approved instead, and now I have cold brew all over my monitor ๐คฃ
My boss, Gaye, has been in in-office meetings all day, so she left me in charge and I’m Gaye today ๐ I haven’t even taken a proper lunch, because people have been asking me questions all day, and I’m trying to get all my presentations done before I go on vacation.
I got this e-mail that there’s a listeria outbreak amongst donuts after eating an embarrassing amount of donuts last week (it was Valentine’s Day, get off me), a notification that my monthly rent is going up by $125, and a jury duty summons in the mail for fucking Inglewood ๐ What next?!
At the last two Harry Potter Padres giveaway days, each house had their own item, so Pammie had to fight trade people to get all four houses ๐
It looks like there’s only one hat this time, but a flag pin for each house. I’ll just be at Hodad’s eating a single bacon cheeseburger while Pammie sorts that out.
Nori and I go to Randyโs Donuts at least once a week (after eating salads at Tender GreensโGet off us). Their donuts are always fresh, so the donuts we got were still warm. I got chocolate on my hands and Nori was like, โChocolate or poop?โ Thereโs this scene in Baby Mama (that I reference to my sister at every opportunity I can) where Maura Tirney asks her kid if what he has on his hands is chocolate or poop, and she licks it and confirms itโs chocolate ๐ I canโt believe Nori knew that reference. Who needs a man when you have friends who get you???
Christine doordashed me a breakfast burrito this morning. If that’s not love, I don’t know what is…
Update: I had to delete my message in my work slack saying I was going to watch Babygirl tonight, because I knew it was raunchy, but had no idea it was that raunchy, and my team doesn’t know me like that ๐ The whole time I was watching Nicole Kidman loudly having sex, all I could think was, ‘Can Gloria hear this shit?!’ ๐ณ She’s this old black lady who has lived next door to me since I moved in 13 years ago. Save your money, guys. I have this movie illegally downloaded on my laptop if you really wanna see it. Or you can just watch free porn online ๐
When I went to Sugarfina for some Sugar Lips candy, the cashier remembered me from when I bought a bunch of Mistletoe Kisses for my Christmas gift bags. ‘You’re so sweet and generous!’ she said. Duh ๐๐ปโโ๏ธ Giving is my love language, lady ๐
Three of my dear friends have been diagnosed with breast cancer just in the past five years. Jessie and Christine luckily didn’t have to do chemo (they were able to kick cancer’s ass with surgery and radiation), so this is uncharted territory for us all.
Alicia was recently diagnosed with Stage 2 Breast Cancer after a routine mammogram, and she starts chemotherapy soon. She sent me flowers when I was in the hospital after the stroke, and it totally brightened my day, so I sent her flowers from all the girls we went to Joshua Tree with. She said she felt so loved when she received them ๐ฅฐ
I want to make her as comfortable as she can be during this difficult time, so I got her a few things:
UpNature Peppermint Essential Oil Roll On – Nausea is one of the most well-known chemotherapy side effects, and hopefully this peppermint roll on can quell some of it.
Anti-Nausea Acupressure Wrist Bands – My sister gets seriously sea sick whenever she rides a boat (Caborette Booze Cruise 2015, anyone?), and no amount of ginger pills, essential oils, wrist bands or prayers could keep her from getting sick, but hopefully these work on Alicia ๐
Simply Mints – Mints are supposed to help with nausea, too. They had ginger mints also, but when Alicia and I worked at AAA (we started the same day and first met on the elevator!), this lady, Betsy, would always offer Alicia ginger candy, and she hated it! We knew we’d be best friends when we realized we hated a lot of the same things ๐
Pill Organizer – I take medication 4x a day, and sometimes I forget (despite the 4 alarms that go off on my phone every day). It’s just easier to remember when you have a pill organizer.
Since we work remotely, and it’s our team’s first year switching to the Digital department from Advertising, most of us haven’t met in person since it was our first time attending this Digital Summit, and none of us use our real photo on Slack ๐
Most of my coworkers stayed at the hotel, because even though they live in LA, they still live over an hour away, and our days started @ 8:30am and last night, we didn’t get back to the hotel till after 10pm! The hotel is only 8 minutes away from my apartment, so I drove each day. Except the first night, I had too much to drink at dinner and took a $10 uber home ๐
Nothing says LA like a Taco Bell Cantina and an injury lawyer billboard on Hollywood Blvd.
We took a ‘City of Lights’ bus tour of LA, even though most of us live here. We went to LACMA, the La Brea Tar Pits, Urban Lights, Hollywood Stars, Sunset Blvd. and the Promenade.
It’s been raining all week. Sucks for everyone who came to town hoping to escape the cold ๐ฅถ LA really needed the rain after those devastating fires, though. During the tour, our guide got an evacuation alert for mudslides near his house ๐
It was Shi’s birthday weekend and she wanted to do a sound bath at The Integratron. Chel and I have done it before, but it was Shi, Pammie and Alicia’s first time.
Shi loves Friends, so we got her a bag of crap for her birthday!
It was filled with Friends Bum Bumz! Something I knew Shi would love, but she’d never buy for herself.
This was the perfect place for Shi, because no one loves space like she does (as evident by the picture of her aboard the Starship Enterprise inside her closet in her old bedroom at her parents’ house) ๐๐ผ
The Integratron is built on a vortex and is supposed to be a point of concentrated spiritual energy, so of course I had to buy some crystals and palo santo from the gift shop.
While waiting to have dinner at Pappy & Harriet’s, we explored Pioneertown.
We stumbled upon The Rusty Nickel, where you can find ‘Art, Rust, Souvenirs & Dust – Free dust with every purchase!’ It was a weird little shop with oddities. When I was paying for my horror stickers, the lady ringing me up was like, ‘Has anyone ever told you that you sound like Jennifer Tilly?’ The stroke altered my voice, so I’m really self-conscious about speaking aloud. I’ve been told I sound like Marge from The Simpsons, but never Jennifer Tilly! Chel was like, ‘Who’s Jennifer Tilly?’ Uhh, The Bride of Chucky? AKA the highest of compliments LOL.
Without betraying our safe space, I will say lots of tears were shed and we all needed this wellness weekend. It’s easy for me to say what I want to say on this blog, because I know only like one person reads it (Hi, Shi LOL). But I have a hard time talking about my feelings or crying in front of other people. Chel is my cousin, so she’s seen me cry at family funerals at least, Pammie is my sister, so she’s seen me cry and made me cry since I was a baby LOL, Shi is my heart twin and has seen me at my absolute worst, so we’ve both seen each other ugly cry, Alicia thinks I’m perfect and has never seen me cry before this weekend or even heard me fart LOL. If only she knew what a gassy mess I really am.
I think I always thought of crying as a weakness, because my mom is so strong. Whenever she’s been hospitalized, she didn’t even tell her siblings because she didn’t want them to see her like that. She broke her wrist last month, and just casually mentioned it to me and my sister a week after it happened like it was no bigs.
You never know what someone is going through or what they’re struggling with. This weekend taught me that it’s okay to be vulnerable around the people you love…
It’s hard for me to say, I’m jealous of the way
You’re happy without me
On my way to my nail appointment today, I was listening to my ‘Liked Songs’ playlist on Spotify of just random songs Iโve liked over the years. This cover of Labrinthโs Jealous sung by the Vanderbilt Melodores came up, and I donโt know if it was because it was raining, or because of the dulcet tones of the all-male a cappella group led by a Korean dude, or because I got my 12-year work anniversary certificate in the mail + a voucher for a free pair of shoes today LOL, but Jesus, I got emotional ๐ญ
The new Ministry of Magic inside The Wizarding World of Harry Potter opens at Universal Orlando this year, but I hate Trump more than I love Disney or Universal Studios (I barely even go to the ones we have in SoCal), so you won’t find me in Florida or any other red state in the foreseeable future.
I used to use the Swarm app, where you would check in to the places you’d go. I used it partly for posterity’s sake (it would tell you the last time you were there), but mostly because I was the mayor of Crab Hut for years ๐
While I was using the app many years ago, this guy I used to mess with hit me up after he saw I checked into European Wax Center. I no longer use the Swarm app, go to Crab Hut, or fuck with fuckboys from Hollywood, but do I need to put a Brazilian on the books? At my age? ๐ต๐ป๐
It’s getting harder and harder to get together with the girls with 4 kids between us (none of which are my own ๐ ), work trips (Pammie just came back from SF, Christine is going to Belgium in a couple weeks, and Pammie has to go to Scottsdale and the Philippines next month), vacations (Jessie’s going to Hawaii next week and Pammie and I are going to Japan next month), and California being literally on fire. We’ve had dinner at Fort Oak on the books for a while, but my car has had this thing dragging under it since earlier this week, and I thought I should get it checked out before driving back to LA in the rain last night. So we had pizza at Jessie’s instead, while Abe and his head lamp fixed my car LOL, and we played with Baby Isaac and loved on her pups, Koda and Milo. I left with my tummy full, my car fixed, my heart full, and absolutely covered in dog fur.
We were talking about a friend who drinks to the point that they black out, and Iโm like, โIโve never drank so much that I blacked out,โ to which Jessie and Christine listed all the times I got black out drunk in my 20s ๐ Does it count if it happened over 20 years ago??? Apparently it does, and I could never play โNever Have I Everโ with these Bโs ๐ Are you even really friends if you donโt call each other out on your shit???
Since we were celebrating Pammieโs December birthday and Christine and my January birthdays, Jessie got us pizookies from BJโs! ๐ช
Jessie: Did you know you can get it raw at BJโs? Everyone: ๐ณ๐ณ๐ณ
If it wasn’t clear, I’m Team Justin (Baldoni, Timberlake, Bieber LOL).
I first saw him when I came across this post from Jane the Virgin‘s final table read, and I was like, ‘Who is this guy?!’ I binge-watched all five seasons and have watched everything Justin Baldoni has been in or directed since.
I’ve gotten bad vibes from Blake Lively since before Gossip Girl, when she was in TheSisterhood of the Traveling Pants (20 years ago!). Plus, how trustworthy can a person be who chooses Taylor Swift as the godmother to her children??? Like, have you not one closer friend? ๐
I switched my CVS Pharmacy from SD to LA to get all my prescriptions up here. The CVS closest to me is up the street inside a Target, and the line forms down the aisle that sells condoms and male incontinence diapers. Like, there isnโt a more uncomfortable aisle to wait for my antidepressants in ๐
Iโd switch to another CVS, but I had a bad experience at the other one closest to me. Many, many, many years ago (in my wild youth), I was buying some Plan B. You have to get it at the pharmacy, but itโs over-the-counter, so they send you to the front to ring you up. While Iโm up there, the guy gets on the intercom and was like, โPrice check on Plan B? Price check on Plan B?โ I looked at him like, โAre you fucking serious right now? Is this a dream?โ
Jessie was checking if I meant to follow Trump and Vance. I realized I was still following @potus and @vp from Biden and Kamala’s administration literally 3 days ago. You guys, I’m hardly on social media. So much so, that I tried to do the Top 9 once, and I couldn’t because I didn’t even have 9 posts that year ๐ Who knows how long it would’ve taken me to realize I was following those idiots.
Please check your social media accounts! And if you meant to follow these fools, why are we friends???
Dennis gave me these countdown blocks for my birthday, partly because he and my sister have this Harry Potter Block Calendar at their house and to remind me of them at home, but mostly because I didn’t wear pants a lot when I was staying with them for a year after the stroke ๐
I once accidentally ordered the ‘narrow calf’ version of these boots, and when I got them, they were super snug, so I wore them around the house to stretch out the leather. My sister’s husband walked in on me washing dishes in the kitchen only wearing these boots, a bathing suit bottom and a baby tee ๐ He was like, ‘What’s happening right now? Why do you look like Woody from Toy Story?’ ๐ค
I think the last time I saw Deane was on a zoom happy hour during covid!
I had the stroke after that, and she was a digital nomad living out of the country last year when I came back to LA. Now she’s back in LA, too, and living in Koreatown. We both have January birthdays, so we celebrated with Nori at Soowon Galbi, followed by dessert at Sul & Beans near her new place in K-Town.
Who wore it better??? We used to work together, and we bonded over work trauma, our love of live music, good food and no dietary restrictions ๐
We used to go to Ocean Diner in Hermosa Beach for lunch all the time, but we started noticing people would get fired after we ate there. It happened three different times! So we haven’t eaten there in years ๐
One time, we were at the Hollywood Bowl, and she leaned over and was like, ‘Can we go eat after this?’ ๐
We would leave shows early all the time to go eat (@ Bootleg Theater)
Our favorite place ever was Ramekin in Los Feliz. It has since closed down, but our friendship has outlasted all the restos and music venues that have closed since I met her. She’s the coolest girl I know in LA โ๐ผ
I spent my morning in urgent care to make sure my wound wasn’t serious and my leg isn’t going to fall off. I spent $50 and an hour in a waiting room full of sick, crying children (my worst nightmare!) for the doctor to tell me that my leg is healing properly. She also prescribed me some preventative antibiotics. I e-mailed my boss earlier to let her know I’d be out today and attached a picture of my bloody leg. She was like, ‘Why are our legs the same color? Work-from-home white!’ Way to kick me when I’m down ๐
Afterwards, I had lunch with Nori at Northern Cafe. We were supposed to go to Mendocino Cafe, but I missed a turn ๐คช
Clearwater at South Bay is accepting donations to help those in need during the LA fires, and Torrance is much closer to me than where I was originally gonna drop off at the Y in Koreatown, so I dropped off my goods there. They were amazed at all the dog and cat food I gave. I felt like Cher in Clueless ๐
I’m also a monthly donor to the ASPCA. The animals need me!
On my way back home, I saw this guy in my rearview driving behind me smiling taking a picture of the back of my car. These bumper stickers make me laugh, and I love when they put a smile on other people’s faces ๐
I thought it was a made up # on the ‘How’s My Crying?’ bumper sticker, but I googled it and it’s the White House’s #. How apropos ๐
Get you a work bestie who makes you shrimp ceviche, gives you grain-free tortilla chips because she cares about your health, chops up celery because she knows you hate cutting vegetables or doing any meal prep, and makes you get hydrogen peroxide on your lunch break so you can properly clean your wounds ๐
My phone died last night after my sister and friends went back to San Diego, and I fell asleep at 8pm ๐ต๐ป Pammie can’t track me or get my blood sugar readings when my phone’s dead, so she thought I was dead when she couldn’t get any readings. To be fair, I lost a lot of blood after I fell at the beach LOL. She was about to call Nori to do a wellness check! ๐ Nori was the one who took me to the hospital after I had my stroke, and my sister is happy I have someone looking after me in LA. I’m lucky to have such a good friend โจ
Shi couldn’t celebrate my birthday with me this year, so she doordashed me some breakfast from King’s Hawaiian ๐๐ค๐ผ
I like to spend my birthday surrounded by wieners, HBU? (@ Puppies & Yoga)
I live at least an hour south of any of the fires burning in LA right now. You can’t see the smoke from here, but you can smell it in the air, and my car’s covered in ash. We didn’t see any smoke on the way up to West Hollywood for puppy yoga, but we did see this injury lawyer billboard ๐
We ate at Food Networkโs Brooke Williamsonโs beachside restaurant, Playa Provisions. Proceeds from their fish tacos went to wildfire relief, so of course that’s what I ordered. It was delicious!
Pop-prosecco? Yes, please.
I hardly ever go to the beach, even though I live literally 2 miles from the ocean on Manhattan Beach Boulevard. Donna & David happened to be in town for a wedding this weekend, and as San Diegans who moved to the east coast after high school, they like to go to the beach whenever they’re back in California.
‘Go to the beach,’ they said. ‘It’ll be fun,’ they said.
Pardon my ashy white legs LOL, I had a little accident and slipped on some rocks ๐
Fun Fact: I’ve always wanted to be Miss Argentina from Beetlejuice for Halloween.
I instacarted some non-perishables and necessities for families and pets who have been displaced due to the fires. The YMCA in Koreatown is accepting donation drop-offs.
Pammie collected money from the girls and got me an awesome Moo Deng shirt that I wore to puppy yoga, and had leftover money, so I said to just donate it to one of these major organizations accepting monetary donations for the wildfires: LAFD, American Red Cross, Direct Relief, World Central Kitchen, or the Salvation Army. They need it more than I do. Please give what you can ๐ฅบ
I used to hear a simple song
That was until you came along
You took my broken melody
And now I hear a symphony
I was going to kick off my birthday weekend by crying downtown tonight (what else is new?), but the concert I was supposed to attend has been postponed due to the state of emergency in LA ๐ฅบ
I just got a Teams invite for a 1-on-1 performance review meeting with my new VP next week. Guys, I haven’t had a performance review in over 10 years. In the advertising department, they would just give us annual raises and bonuses without telling us. When I was on medical leave for 6 months after my stroke, I just happened to be looking at my bank account and I’m like, ‘Where did all this money come from?’ and it turns out I got a raise and a bonus and I didn’t even know. I just recently looked at my profile on Workday, and saw that my salary is way more than I thought it was, so I thought maybe I already got my raise? But doesn’t that usually happen after your performance review in the regular corporate world? I only met the VP once at a departmental meeting last year, so I’m nervous.
Also, a few of my coworkers are out because of the fires, and I just ate a Factor meal for dinner, but I doordashed some Pinkberry because I’m stress-eating.
Jeffrey’s dad was evacuated from Altadena (north of Pasadena) early in the morning yesterday. Luckily, he’s okay, but I can’t say the same about his neighborhood.
LA is huge and the most populous county in the United States (nearly 10 million peopleโits population is greater than that of 40 individual U.S. states!). I’m very far from any of the fires ripping through LA right now, so I’m okay. This is like when my mom asks me to bring home a dozen potato balls from Portoโs when I visit SD. She thinks that since I live in LA, Iโm close to everything in LA. It takes me an hour to get to the closest Portoโs after work on a Friday night! Sheโs lucky I love potato balls her.
Actual footage of me driving through this ‘life-threatening’ wind storm in LA today:
Update: OK now I feel like an asshole because this wind storm is causing devastating fires across LA ๐ It’s a good thing Steve Guttenberg was in all those Police Academy movies ๐
Update: Thanks to everyone for checking on me… even just to make sure that I’m not secretly fucking someone in the Palisades ๐ You have a secret lover for five years once and no one ever lets you forget it ยฏ\_(ใ)_/ยฏ
My old ass didn’t make it to midnight on NYE, so I didn’t see this until today. I immediately sent it to my friend and was like, ‘What in the default font is this bullshit?’
Earlier today, I just told one of our web designers to change the font they used on an email they designed, because it looked like a default font like Myriad. You never choose that font on purpose, it’s like it defaulted to Myriad because they didn’t have the font it was supposed to be instead.
I was catching up on my DMs, and saw that another friend of mine sent me this same video because they know I’m a typography nerd ๐ค
After a relationship ends, even the most mundane objects can become painful reminders. At the Museum of Broken Relationships, everyday stuff was submitted anonymously and exhibited as art along with each object’s story of betrayal or loss. The result was a moving collection of heartbreak.
This guy met a girl in a graphic design class, and she used a ridiculous font, Davida, for her first project. He started seeing this same ridiculous font used everywhere from El Torito, to Cafรฉ Du Monde packaging to a barbershop in Santa Monica. He couldn’t escape it. It became a game in their relationship, and they started collecting items they found using Davida font. They’ve since broken up, but he still sees Davida everywhere and knows all the streets he could drive down (or avoid) in LA to see signs using Davida font. He still thinks about that girl and what could’ve been.
It’s been nearly a decade, and I still think about this exhibit ๐
People at work kept messaging me ‘Happy Birthday’ today, because they have the date wrong on a department flyer that went out on Teams. It is not my birthday, but it is my 12-year work anniversary today ๐ตโ๐ซ Whoever made this flyer mixed up the dates. See the shit I’ve been dealing with for the past 12 years? ๐
During the pandemic, I got the squirrels in my parents’ backyard a little picnic table and set up a video camera so we could watch them eat the unsalted nuts we’d leave out for them. Aside from Tiger King, it was my quarantainment ๐
I got my dad a Birdbuddy (a smart bird feeder with a camera and solar roof) and a bag of bird seed for Christmas, and we set it up yesterday. We got our first visitor today ๐ฅฐ
My sister’s husband heard me losing my shit over the bird videos, and he was like, ‘Please get a dog already!’ I applied to adopt this pup last week at The Labelle Foundation (a rescue in LA). His post has over 5,000 likes, so I was probably one of hundreds of applicants. I haven’t heard anything back ๐
My boss, Gaye, is on vacation, so I’m Gaye this week ๐ She always puts me in charge when she’s out because I’m the most senior designer after her.
One of our project managers had to ask the retouchers to do a small edit. Their director e-mails us back, and CC’s our boss, saying we need to include the original file in future requests. First of all, we had to do some digging for the original file, because the designer is also out today on bereavement leave. Second of all, give the project manager a little grace, it was her first time e-mailing you, and you didn’t need to CC her boss. Third of all, how dare you? ๐
Another time, the requestors were openly talking shit about one of our designers, and even though I agreed she was a horrible designer LOL (who no longer works here), it was like when someone talks shit about your family, like I’m allowed to, but you’re not! I will go mama bear on your ass. I ain’t the one ๐
Shi wants to spend her birthday sound bathing at the Integratron, so we’re gonna spend a wellness weekend in Joshua Tree next month. I haven’t been to this place in nearly 8 years, and I can’t wait to go back โจ
It’s Filipino tradition to consume 13 round fruits on New Year’s for prosperity.
Christine also told me that it’s Filipino superstition that if I go to bed with my hair still wet from taking a shower, I’ll go blind LMAO, so IDK what to believe ๐คฃ
At our last holiday party, my 18-year-old cousin’s boyfriend was excited to see what desserts I made. He told my cousin, ‘She’s the one who made the cinnamon rolls at the last party!’ and she was like, ‘How do you even know that?!’ I’m hoping to start another fight with these Golden Grahams s’mores bars ๐
One of my earliest memories is of my grandma making mochi on NYE. It’s an Asian tradition that’s supposed to bring good luck for the year to come. I made some this year in her memory โฅ๏ธ
I found out that the party I’m going to tonight doesn’t start till 8pm! Last year, I celebrated NYE east coast time and was in bed by 9:30pm.
Actual footage of me, my sister and her husband @ 9pm PST:
I remember one NYE, I was throwing up well after midnight into the morning at my friend’s house after drinking too much whiskey and I thought I was gonna die. I used to be fun ๐
When I do go to church (CEO status – Christmas and Easter only), I go with my family to Bonita Valley Community Church. Itโs a lot more entertaining and livelier than the catholic churches I went to as a kid. Iโve seen a rotation of singers throughout the years, but thereโs an older man whoโs been there since we started going. He has a beautiful voice and plays the guitar also. I noticed he wasnโt wearing a wedding ring, and I leaned over to my sister and was like, โHeโs not married. Do you think heโs gay?โ Then I was like, โIs that what people wonder about me when they find out Iโm in my 40s and not married???โ And Pammie was like, โI donโt think anyone has ever mistaken you as gay.โ
Anyway, Merry Christmas from this strictly dickly old broad ๐ต๐ป
Nothing humbles you more than a 2000s themed 21st birthday party where everyone was born after you graduated high school. Pammie wore her *NSYNC shirt, and I was gonna wear my old New Found Glory or Hoobastank shirt from the early 2000s, but thought Iโd further date myself with this Oregon Trail shirt.
It took me a while to get my life together in LA. I had to make sure I had everything I needed before Christmas because I’m planning on staying in SD till New Year’s. By the time I started heading down, it took me 4 hours to drive down to SD. I was too tired to go to the party, so I just doordashed some Taco Bell and fell asleep with half a chalupa next to my face ๐
Pammie said a lot of the guests were wearing Juicy Couture tracksuits, something I never wore, not even in the 2000s. It did remind of a funny story when someone I knew wore Juicy Couture track pants out, and didn’t realize she had them on backwards, so the big ass ‘JUICY’ was emblazoned across her vageen instead of her butt ๐คฃ
On Late Night with Conan O’Brien, he used to have a segment called ‘In the year 2000‘ where he and his guests would make predictions for the future (i.e. they predict that in the year 2000, the Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox will meet at the World Seriesโฆ up in the bleachers where theyโll have a great view of the Yankees and Braves LOL). He continued to do this bit after the year 2000, and this was peak Conan.
We get itโyouโre rich. The spoiled kids that go to the high school I drive by every day in Manhattan Beach have better cars than me: Teslas, Mercedes, BMWs, Audis. When I was 16, I drove a third generation Toyota Camry on its last legs. My sister drove it before me, and my mom before her. My parents had money, but were big believers in you earn what you get. My dad made me get a job when I was 15, and Iโve been working ever since. I can afford to get a nice ass car now, but Iโd rather spend my money elsewhere, like vacations and flying first class โ๏ธ So Iโll just keep driving around in my 10-year-old Mazda hatchback until Iโm forced to get a new car.
Whenever I see a light gray car, Iโm like, โUgh, I hate that color.โ One of my exโs would rather work on cars than spend time with me, and the color reminds me of primer and itโs triggering ๐ I really donโt care what kind of car you drive. Iโd prefer you drove a stock, unassuming car that no one pays attention to. If I ever got hit by a car, Iโd probably just be able to tell you what color it was and thatโs it. I wouldnโt be able to provide you with the make or the model, because itโs not something I care about. Iโd make a horrible eye witness ๐คช
Remember that show Are You Afraid of the Dark? on Nickelodeon in the 90s? My sister and I would always reference this one episode and say, โIโm coldโ just like this dead kid from the show. I was hanging out with Alicia maybe 10 or more years ago, and she said, โIโm coldโ just like the dead kid and my eyes got big like saucers. โIs that from Are You Afraid of the Dark?!โ Iโd never met anyone before that got my reference. It was in that moment that I knew weโd be best friends for life LOL.
Anyway, last full moon of the year tonight and itโs called โCold Moonโ ๐ฅถ
Baby boy had his first chicken adobo last night, and I wanted to be just like him, so I made some for dinner, except I ate it with hella rice (it’s raining today and I’m carboloading to keep warmโis that how it works?).
You’ll be the saddest part of me A part of me that will never be mine It’s obvious Tonight is gonna be the loneliest
I do a lot of things by myself and it usually doesn’t bother meโI live alone, go grocery shopping alone, go to John Mayer concerts alone LOL.
I flew by myself once on Valentine’s Day, and when I was already seated, the flight attendant was like, ‘Are you flying alone?’ I was like, ‘Uh, yes’ and he was like, ‘Do you mind sitting over here so this couple can sit together?’ I’m like, ‘First of all, yes, I mind, and second of all, it’s a fucking 45-minute flight. I think they can manage sitting apart from each other for an hour.’ JK, I totally moved, but only because I was in a middle seat and I was promised a window seat ๐
Over the weekend, I had dinner with my sister and her husband + the bestie’s family for her daughter’s 21st birthday. There was 9 of us total, so 8 of them got the chef’s special (soup, a shared appetizer and an entree). You can only order the chef’s special in pairs, and I was the odd man out as usual, so I just ordered off the regular menu.
Last night, I had a pair of tickets to finally see Chino at The Observatory North Park, but I couldn’t find anyone who wanted to go with me. Usually I’d rally and go by myself, but it was a Sunday night, and I had to drive back up to LA after. I work from home, so I could’ve stayed in SD, but I like working in my underwear being in my own space.
I remember when Shi’s husband was talking to my sister’s husband at a party, taking in the craziness around him, and he was like, ‘I wished I met Shi sooner. So I could have had all this with her longer.’ When we told Shi what he had said, she was like, ‘He could’ve had all this sooner!’ ๐คฃ She liked him for years before he asked her out. Years, y’all. He just wasn’t ready yet.
Anyway, my life is not a movie, and Iโve come to terms with the fact that it may not be in the cards for me. Iโd rather be alone than be with someone who treats me like shit or someone mediocre who doesnโt light my heart on fire โ๐ผ
Actual footage of me waiting for the lion ๐ ๐
If you thought I was gonna make cookies for National Cookie Day, you weren’t wrong. It would’ve been easier to grab some cookies from Crumbl, but I wasn’t into their selection this week.
I followed this recipe and they were the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve made yet. The sea salt and chocolate combo is *chefโs kiss* ๐ช
I am much too sensitive to do this Suspect Challenge, but I love watching other people get roasted. I can name a few people who would absolutely roast my assโmy sister’s husband, my dead grandma on my momโs side (ok, on my dadโs side, too LOL), and Christine’s kid, Zoey. She once told our friend (who’s a girl), ‘I like your mustache!’ so I always make sure my shit’s threaded and on point if I know that crazy 6-year-old is gonna be there ๐ She really knows how to humble the shit of you.
They call me โSalami Mamiโ (JK, no one calls me that LOL).
My friend told me once that giving birth to her kids ruined her tits and her nipple to breast ratio. I was like, โAre they like a pepperoni on an english muffin?โ and she was like, โMore like a salami on a Ritz cracker!โ ๐ So now I canโt make a charcuterie board without thinking about her big ass salami nipples ๐คฃ
I love Rice Krispie Treats. I used to pick up a Marshmallow Dream Bar whenever I’d go to Starbucks and wash it down with a venti Pink Drink. Nowadays, Nori makes me get an unsweetened iced green tea from Starbucks after splitting a donut from Randy’s. What has become of my life???
Pumpkin pie hack: I got a big ass pumpkin pie from Costco, used a biscuit cutter to cut out individual servings, and topped them with whipped cream and a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice. Adorable!
My sister’s husband braved Costco, and I instacarted everything else I needed.
Whether it’s Thanksgiving, Grandma’s birthday, or a Thursday, I always make Furikake Chex Mix.
I will always pick a regular potato over a sweet potato, except when it’s baked into a casserole with candied pecans and covered with marshmallows.
My cousin’s wife’s name is ‘Kass,’ and she says it’s short for ‘Kassandra,’ but he tells people it’s short for ‘Casserole’ ๐คฃ
My cousin threw a pool party for her 11-year-old son’s birthday today in San Diego. I spent the morning gathering all my shit because I planned on staying in SD for the week for Thanksgiving. The party started at 1pm, but I didn’t leave LA till 2pm, so didn’t get there till 5pm. I showed up 4 hours late wearing my bathing suit and ready to jump in the pool. The sun had already gone down, and the kids already went swimming (apparently I didn’t get the memo that none of the adults were swimming ๐ ). They heated the pool for me, and the kids got to go swimming a second time. Since I was the only adult in the pool with the kids, I made sure they all knew how to swim first before enjoying the jets and hard seltzers in the jacuzzi ๐
The bestie asked if she could call me this morning, and I knew something was wrong because she never calls, always texts. I think the last time we spoke on the phone was when her grandma died a few years ago. She calls me and tells me she got diagnosed with breast cancer ๐ She is my third good friend that has gotten breast cancer in the past five years. We used to joke that there was something in the water at our high school (my two friends who got breast cancer went there, and we know some other classmates who have also gotten various cancers) but Alicia didnโt go to my high school. Iโm starting to think the common denominator is me ๐ Anyway, please keep her in your prayers ๐๐ผ She has an appointment this Tuesday to discuss stage and treatment. Iโm hoping they caught it early, and she beats this just like my other dear friends who kicked cancer’s ass ๐
They found the lump during a routine mammogram, so please get your breasts checked regularly. I had my first mammogram last year, and when I saw my primary care physician this year, I asked her if I should do it annually. She said that my breasts were squishy and not very dense, so it was very easy to see there was nothing wrong during my first screening, and I don’t have to do one every year. So yay for squishy bewbies ๐
I have no debt and no kids, and my job allows me to afford the lifestyle I’ve grown accustomed to ๐ In the end, you can only depend on yourself, and I’ve never wanted to be financially dependent on someone else, especially a man โ๐ป
I havenโt had soda since the stroke, but I used to drink three cokes over an hour lunch with Nori, followed by a venti Pink Drink from Starbucks that I would finish before even going back home. Sugary drinks didnโt used to affect me back then. Nowadays, if Iโm not drinking water, Iโll have an iced coffee or alcohol (only drinks with a purpose LOL). We were having lunch earlier this week, and of course I just got a water. We split a combo which came with a drink, so Nori got a soda. There was a beverage station next to us with various lemonades and fruit punch Kool-Aid. I was like, โIf I were you, Iโd get some of that Kool-Aid and add a splash of Sprite!โ She let me smell her cup before she drank it ๐คช What has become of my life???
Before my department joined the Digital group and had a Teams meeting last month, I hadn’t had a meeting since 2020. I haven’t even met most of my web team because they started after the pandemic. I want to make a good impression at our in-office meeting tomorrow, and my anxiety is through the roof, so I’ll probably take an extra dose of Prozac ๐
I’m really self-conscious about my voice. My speech was altered after the stroke. I worked with a speech therapist for a few months, but it wasn’t covered by my insurance, so it was $100 out-of-pocket per weekly session! I definitely sound better almost two years later, but my speech is still delayed and some people have a hard time understanding me. After the stroke, I sounded like Marge from The Simpsons, but now my voice sounds something more akin to Squirt from Finding Nemo ๐ Other than my voice, you can’t really tell I had a stroke. I have a hard time writing by hand and opening jars LOL, but I can still walk, drive, type, photoshop, etc.
Most people don’t know I had a stroke, and I always feel compelled to explain why my voice is like this when I meet new people or haven’t seen someone since before the stroke.
I have a friend in public health who has been WFH since 2020 (with the occasional in-office executive meeting), who got a new VP who believes face-to-face is better. She’s being required to go in 3x a week now (people managers 5x a weekโher old boss quit as soon as the new VP announced the requirement). She’s allowed to pick which 3 days she’s in office (which tells me being in-office is arbitrary, because her team won’t all be in-office on the same days), and people who live too far to come in (whether they moved or got hired after the pandemic) will be out of a job and given a severance package, but must continue working there for the next few months to get that severance until the requirement is in effect. She’s a high performer, but the reason she’s so good is because she WFHโshe’s able to attend zoom meetings at 6am with Europe and 6pm with Japan, all while being supermom to her three young kids. Another friend of mine works at UCSD and has a hybrid schedule, so has to go in a couple days a week and had to hire a nanny to watch the baby she had last year. My friend who works in the print department at my work has to come into the office every day, and she lives in OC! So me having to go into the office once a month for this digital summit is no bigs.
Update: I was anxious over nothing. The meeting was only an hour and a half, and the VP took the web team out to lunch at North Italia afterwards. Since some complained that the presentation shown on the TV was too small, the sound wasn’t loud enough, and parking sucked, the VP suggested the next monthly meeting be held in a private event space up the street at Topgolf! Now that’s a meeting I could get behind…
Hey, do you wanna come over
I got a record to play ya
Like back in the day
311 dropped their new album today, and I haven’t listened to them since I’d make custom Nokia ringtones to their songs in the early 2000s ๐
What I can appreciate about a band like 311, is that, like Red Hot Chili Peppers, they haven’t changed their sound since they were popular 20 years ago. I heard this new title track on KROQ today, and I couldn’t tell if it was an old or new song.
You live too far away Your voice rings like a bell anyway Don’t give up your independence Unless it feels so right Nothing good comes easily Sometimes you’ve got to fight
Random Fact: Nick Hexum (311’s lead singer) dated Nicole Scherzinger for 4 years and wrote Amber while he was with her.
I read some other unsavory details about Nick when I went down the google rabbit hole. Never google your heroes, folks.
311 was at Innings Fest this past year, but they were on earlier in the day, so we missed their set. I’ll be out of the country during Innings Fest next year, so I’ll have to miss Incubus, Fall Out Boy, The Black Keys, Beck, Neon Trees, Gary Clark Jr. and The Kills, among others (all of whom I’ve seen live before, but it’s been at least 10 years for most of them).
Coffee in a skeleton cup because I brought my Starbucks cup back to LA with me and forgot it up there.
We got our covid and flu vaccines a few weeks ago and it took both my sister and her husband out, but I had zero negative side effects as I usually do with any vaccines or drugs. When Pammie was like, ‘IDK why Mayan never feels anything after vaccines,” Dennis was like, ‘It’s because she’s dead inside.’ I mean, he ain’t wrong ยฏ\_(ใ)_/ยฏ
Welp, I’ve got no kids, and the unsweetened almond milk I put in my cold brew every morning is shelf-stable.
We (just barely) survived the four years Trump was elected before, we’ll survive the next four…
If not, I have a friend and old coworker who’s a digital nomad. She works completely remote (like I have for nearly 5 years now), so has spent the past year living abroad. The only downside is she has to work US (PST) hours, so depending where she is, her schedule could be completely out of wack. I looked into countries with digital nomad visas. Thailand seems the most lucrative with their visa being good for up to 5 years. Being out of the country for the duration of Trump’s entire presidency, plus I get to see Moo Deng??? Win-win โ๐ป
…or me doing an everyday task and thinking about the roadkill I saw on the freeway last week.
me: OMG! That was a dog! Pammie: Are you crying??? me: No ๐ญ Pammie: (trying to make me feel better) I think that was a raccoon… me: But I like raccoons ๐ญ๐ญ๐ญ
After the stroke, I was staying at my sister’s and Christine came by to walk with me. I was still rebuilding my stamina, so we paused on the way back at a bench around the corner. This big ass raccoon came out of nowhere. He looked like Rick from Shirt Tales, and I’m pretty sure he waved at me. I’ve never seen Christine run so fast ๐
Sometimes when I’m sad (all the time), I make myself sadder by watching this video of a raccoon trying to eat cotton candy:
Also, on this one episode of Chopped, one of the secret basket ingredients was a whole ass suckling goat, and when they took that baby goat out of the basket, I changed the channel and cried LOL. I still think about it from time to time and get misty eyed.
But thereโs a place where weโre together
Thatโs what Iโll keep on telling myself
I was supposed to see Kevin Garrett tonight at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. He’s one of my favorite artists and that’s one of my favorite venues. He was the first concert I went to after the stroke and the last concert I went to before everything shut down because of covid. I usually try to catch him whenever he’s in LA, but I sold my tickets, because my cousin who also lives in Redondo got a nose job today and needed a ride to and from the hospital. LOL ok it was a procedure to correct her deviated septum, but still a nose job ๐คช
I took her to the ER once, and we were there till two in the morning laughing and eating vending machine pop tarts. She told me I’m great company, because I took her mind off of being at the hospital.
Anyway, even though I was having a shitty day doesn’t mean that everyone else should have a shitty day. My cousin’s surgery was pushed till after 5pm and she couldn’t eat anything for the whole day before it, so I got her her favorite food from Jon & Vinny’s, her favorite ice cream from Jeni’s, blueberry pop tarts and homemade molasses cookies for when she could eat afterward.
I woke up today to the news of Trump winning, and I got my period, ironically. It’s like my uterus was revolting against Trump’s stance on reproductive rights and abortion. How anyone could vote this convicted felon, rapist, sexist, racist, and misogynistic narcissist back into office is beyond me ๐คฏ
I was driving behind this idiot Trumper last weekend who had the sticker โProud American, Embarrassed Californianโ (among others) on their car. Iโm about to cricut a โProud Californian, Embarrassed Americanโ sticker for my car. So disappointed in America today, but especially you, Nevada, Arizona, Georgia and Pennsylvania ๐
Anyway, I might move to Spain for the next 4 years and work on a sunflower farm, IDK.
I see you want a taste,
But don’t wanna wreck your life
I think you know the game,
So go ahead and take a bite
The stars have aligned, and Chino’s side band, Crosses, announced a show at The Observatory North Park. Crosses’ music is softer than Deftones, but still fronted by Chino ๐ Just bought my tickets this morning. See you next month! โ๐ป
Update: Originally had tickets to the Saturday show, but the bestie wants to have dinner that night, and I haven’t seen her once this year! Just bought tickets to their Sunday show ๐
Just sold my GA floor ticket to the (sold out!) Dia De Los Deftones festival in San Diego this weekend on Stubhub, because I donโt know anyone on this lineup except the Deftones (among other reasons).
I was hoping to catch them on tour next year, especially with The Mars Volta opening (a band I havenโt seen live since 2008 @ SDSU!), but theyโre gonna be in LA the week Iโm in Japan. Pammie has to be back in the US after that first week for a work conference in Scottsdale, but I might extend my trip a few days to go to Thailand to see Moo Deng ๐
Deftones – Risk
I know what to say to take you
Higher, higher
No one else can take you higher
But I will try
The Mars Volta – The Widow
Freeze without an answer Free from all the shame Then I’ll hide ‘Cause I’ll never, never sleep alone
When your sister’s a Potterhead and you love Halloween โก
We always go whenever the Padres have a Harry Potter theme night ๐โพ๐โพ๐โพโค๏ธ
This door cover from Spirit was perfection ๐ฏ๏ธ
It’s a bit much, but so is this house. Also, I don’t half-ass anythingโI always use my full ass ๐
Pammie gave me full creative control over the Halloween decorations at her house, as long as it was Harry Potter themed.
We started it last weekend, but needed to order more supplies, so we finished it this weekend. When I was leaving to go back to LA last Sunday, I was like, ‘Don’t finish it without me!’ and Pammie was like, ‘You had to twist my arm to help you while you were here, I’m def not gonna do it without you’ ๐
We followed this tutorial and it turned out so great!
It’s gonna be a shit show in LA tomorrow, and it’s gonna take a week to fix the gate in my parking garage (though when someone broke into our garage the last time, my car and my mango hi-chews went untouched LOL there were BMWs, Teslas and a Maserati in my garageโnobody was trying to fuck with my Mazda hatchback). I’m driving down to SD tonight and spending the week there anyway.
I was gonna drive down tomorrow morning, but there’s been a company re-org and now the web department reports to someone new and we have a teams meeting in the morning. You guys, I haven’t had a meeting since 2020 ๐ I don’t even know what half my team looks like because they started after the pandemic. Also, I haven’t spoken to any of these people (off Slack or email) since the stroke. I’m not even sure most of them know I even had a stroke! I was sure my boss told them why I was out for 6 months, but I was chatting on Slack with my project manager, and I made this offhanded joke about having a stroke, and she had no idea. I’m like, ‘What did my boss even tell these people about my 6-month absence???’ The higher ups knew and didn’t even send me flowers while I was in the hospital, so IDK why I expected my coworkers to know. It happened right before the superbowl, and my friends saw the big Snoop commercial and were like, ‘They can afford Snoop for the superbowl, but they can’t afford to send their employee of over 10 years flowers in the hospital?!’ Yes, I’m still bitter, and yes, I dried my tears with the raise and bonus they gave me while I was on medical leave.
Anyway, here’s some actual footage of me driving in LA traffic:
When I went to the dispensary to pick up gummies for the gift bags, I was like, ‘I’ll take 7,’ and the guy helping me was all, ‘Do you need something to help you sleep?’ and I was like, ‘Nah, these are for Halloween gift bags,’ and he was like, ‘Fuck! Can I come to your party?’ ๐
Get you a friend who gives you all treats not tricks for Halloween (It’s me. I’m the friend).
All the birthday girl wanted was to throw some clay with us at a pottery class in North Park (@ Teralta Art)
We had coffee at The Dojo Cafe before heading over to the workshop, so all the girls rode in my car. As Chel was putting her stuff in my trunk, she was like, ‘Why do you have a pair of heels back here?’ I was like, ‘Just in case I need them’ and Christine was like, ‘Need them for WHAT? Who you fucking?’
Nobody, damn! ๐ Can’t a girl just keep an extra pair of heels in her car?!
If youโve ever lost anyone to cancer, been in love, or if you have a pulse and are breathing, this movie will make you cry ๐ญ
They showed this trailer for Babygirl during the previews. It comes out on Christmas, but itโs def not a holiday movie Iโll be watching with my family. I will, however, download it illegally and watch it on my projector in the privacy of my own home ๐
โฆor me and Nori after we ate at the same Peruvian resto for lunch for the second time this week (we wouldโve gone yesterday, too, but it was National Pasta Day, so we ate at North Italia ๐) and the guy remembered our order (a Shack Sandwich with an extra plate because we split it, and a side of fried plantains). Papi takes care of us ๐
Cuz it’s you and me Like Sid and Nancy I can barely keep my head up It wasn’t meant to be It wasn’t meant to be It’s only in my dreams Make my bed go to sleep
I first saw them at Outside Lands in 2011. We were waiting for The Joy Formidable to go on, and Phantogram performed and I was blown away. I’ve seen them live several times since then, mostly at festivals and some small shows around LA.
They’re touring next year, but their last show in LA is while I’m out of town. They have an earlier show in SD, but it’s at SOMA (an all-ages, standing room only, non-alcholic converted cinema that I haven’t been to since I was a kid). Hard pass. Mama needs a seat and her alcohol ๐คช
My phone was blowing up with the news of One Direction’s Liam Payne’s untimely death today.
This was like when Prince died and everyone was texting me about it (except Shi, who was sending me corgi videos LOL).
So we play, play, play all the same old games
And we wait, wait, wait for the end to change
And we take, take, take it for granted that we’ll be the same
But we’re making all the same mistakes
IDK if it’s because I’m on my period or because I’m a teenage girl trapped in a 42-year-old’s body, but Jesus, I got emotional listening to this 1D song ๐ญ
We had plans to watch a movie with the girls tonight, but had to reschedule because we thought the movie came out last week, but it was limited release only. I have serious FOMO, so I was gonna stay in SD this week to watch the movie, but when we rescheduled to next weekend, I was like, ‘I gotta go home and water my plants. Plus it’s a full moon this week, so I have to charge my crystals.’ ๐
Anyway, tonight is the biggest and brightest supermoon of the year. Harness that energy, y’all! โจ
I woke up today with a headache. I used to get migraines all the time before the stroke (I would pop Excedrin on the daily!), and I only got one headache post-stroke (when I got covid). I took some acetaminophen, and the headache went away, otherwise I feel pretty normal. I also started my period again today. I just had it last week! I messaged my doctor like IDK what is going on with my body right now. She said go to the ER if the headache persists or if I have stroke-like symptoms again (slurring, double vision, any numbness), but I feel fine.
If you don’t hear from me, call the LAPD to do a wellness check, because I’m likely bleeding out alone in my apartment ๐
Nori and I were sitting outside Starbucks, and I was looking at the bank next door, and I was like, ‘How come nobody’s in there? Are they closed?’ This went on for a few minutes until I saw this big ass sign on the door that they were closed today for Columbus Day.
me: I thought Columbus Day was canceled? Nori: It’s been replaced by another day. In… Indi… Indonesian… me: Indigenous??? Nori: This better not make your blog!
I have trouble pronouncing some words after the stroke (vegetable and adhesive, among others LOL), but I can say ‘indigenous’ ๐คฃ๐คฃ๐คฃ
I have made the decision not to answer your calls ‘Cause I put everything out there and I got nothing at all
Another time, we were talking about both of us having seen Sam Smith live before, and we realized we went to the same show in LA before we knew each other. We were trying to remember who opened for him, and she was like, ‘That guy who sings that one song… Idaho?’ and then I remembered, ‘BUDAPEST! George Ezra.’
IDK how I got ‘Budapest’ from ‘Idaho’ but I got there ๐
Anyway, according to this article, Wal-Mart and Chick-Fil-A are both open today LOL.
Chel has this giant persimmon tree in her backyard that her mom planted when we were kids. Her mom passed away from cancer 20 years ago, and the house is Chel’s now. She doesn’t take care of this tree, but it continuous to flourish year after year. She always offers the fruit to my mom and our family, so we came over to pick some persimmons.
Chel was at Legoland with her kids, but she left the side gate unlocked so we could access the backyard, and some water and ciders in case we got thirsty. Always the hostess with the mostest, even when she’s not home ๐
At Chel’s sister’s baby shower today, Shi and I played a game where I had to bottle feed her like a baby. She couldn’t stop laughing, so she kept choking on the bottle ๐
I usually kill at baby shower games. I once won a dirty diaper game by identifying 10 out of 10 melted candy bars (some without even having to smell them). Just let me have my weird ass flex ๐
I completed another StepBet challenge, but I still have 87 more miles to do by the end of October in this Nike Run Club challenge ๐ We donโt win any money, but bragging rights are enough motivation for me ๐
If you’ve ever messaged me anything in this lifetime, I don’t ever delete shit (my new phone holds 1TB, and my cloud has been full for two years). Anything you’ve said can and will be used against you if you ever betray me. Consider this your miranda warning ๐
Addendum: If your message incriminates me too, Iโll never use it against you ๐
The Padres lost big time at the last two games I attended against the Dodgers (last night in SD and a couple weeks ago in LA). I wonโt be at Fridayโs playoff game in LA, so weโll see if Iโm the problem ๐
Is it me? Am I the curse? ๐
This is the highest I’ve ever sat in this stadium ๐
It’s hard to go back to the 300 level once you’ve experienced padded club seats behind home plate and free food and alcohol at the Home Plate Club ๐
At least I can dry my tears with this souvenir towel they gave away at the playoff game.
When you weren’t anticipating going to a Padres playoff game while you were in SD, so you buy an extra Cricut and customize some gear.
After my dad’s birthday dinner last night, we were watching Game 3 at my parents’ house when my dad decided that he would like to go to a game now. My sister’s husband gave up his ticket, so my dad could go in his place tonight. Don’t give Dennis too many kudosโI bought our tickets, and my sister’s letting him go to Vegas without her this weekend ๐คช
Actual footage of me looking for Game 4 tickets on Stubhub:
Game 3 is on my dad’s birthday, and he already said he had the best seat in the house (on his sofa in front of the TV) and didn’t want to go to the game for his birthday, so I was hoping the Padres would win one in LA and there’d be a 4th game in SD.
Although, I was wearing my Rams shirt when I came home from the game the other weekend, and my neighbor started chatting me up about football in the parking garage. I have lived in this same apartment for 12 years, and he’s lived in this building for a decade, yet has never spoken to me before that night. He was asking if I went to the game with my boyfriend, and I tried to tamp down the urge to roll my eyes. When I was leaving for lunch last week, I ran into him again in the parking garage. He was already in his car, so I didn’t expect to have to chat, but he stopped in front of my parking spot and proceeded to talk to me from his car. I should have told him I went to the game with my boyfriend, but I’m a terrible liar. I don’t shit where I sleep, man (at least I don’t anymore ๐).
Pijja Palace is a sports bar on Sunset 10 minutes from Dodger Stadium, but I went there the night of a Padres/Braves game, so these Angelenos didn’t give a shit. I’m sure it’s much rowdier when there’s a Dodgers game on.
The only other restaurant I’ve been to on here is Guelaguetza, and I can confirm that you can still hear me over the live mariachi band ๐
When your boss’ name is ‘Gaye’ and you have the sense of humor of a 12-year-old boy ๐ I’m the most senior web designer after my director, so she always puts me in charge when she’s out.
Also, is this offensive to the LGBTQIA2S+ community? ๐ I was going to remind the team that Iโm Gaye on Monday, but now Iโm rethinking my approach…
My toxic trait is doordashing iced coffee every morning and not finishing it, then letting the cups accumulate and having to rinse them all out at the end of the week. Relax, I’m not a completely disgusting human being, I recycle ๐
I get my lashes done once a month by this lady who lives in Arizona. She lives part time in Tucson to help out with her grandkids, but she still has a lot of clients in SD, and she comes to my sister’s or Christine’s house so it’s convenient for usโYes, Christine and I have the same Brazilian waxer and lash artist. I’ve even gone to her eyebrow lady when I needed a serious threading in a pinch. If you don’t share the same estheticians, are you even friends? ๐
We were trying to schedule our October appointment at our last session, and I wanted my lashes to be refreshed for my Halloween costume, so I was like, ‘Are you available the week of Halloween? Will you be with your grandkids?’ and she was like, ‘Oh, I don’t celebrate Halloween. I’m Christian.’ ๐ณ
I also finally saw my neighbor today. Everyone else around me is still there from when I lived in the building before the stroke, but my next door neighbor moved in while I was gone. I smiled at her and said hello because I was coming when she was going, but she just grimly smiled at me and kept walking. She probably saw my Halloween decorations and was thinking, ‘Oh, so you’re the witch who lives next door.’ She’s lucky she’s quiet, or else I’d put a curse on her ๐
Update: Welp, I found out my next door neighbor is deaf and that I’m an asshole ๐
Champagne for my real friends, real pain for my sham friends
It’s Breast Cancer Awareness month, and today marks the end of Jessie’s treatment, so we are celebrating this weekend! ๐ฅ I am so grateful to have two of my dearest friends still with me after they both survived breast cancer ๐
I got this card from five dot post, who continues to promote cancer awareness after her husband passed away from cancer a few years ago ๐
After we went to the Rams game, we took the bus out of traffic because it was impossible to get a rideshare at the stadium. The last stop was in Playa del Rey, down the street from Chef Brooke Williamson‘s resto, Playa Provisions. We were gonna grab dinner there before heading home, but they had a private event that night and weren’t accepting walk-ins, just reservations! I forgot you either have to make a res or wait in a ridiculously long line to eat at a good resto in LA ๐
Anyway, I would never choose to have Indian for dinner, but I’m also easygoing and down to try anything (except baby animals and Highland cows LOL). I avoided all the lamb dishes, of course, but the malai rigatoni was def something to write home about (@ Pijja Palace)
It was like an Indian take on perfectly al dente vodka pasta. Maybe I like Indian fusion, because I really enjoyed the Tandoori Chicken Poutine at Maneet Chauhan’s restaurant in Nashville, too.
This place was also oddly a sports bar, so I got to catch the Padres playoff game during dinner. They won again and swept the Braves to win the wild card series!
People were asking me if I was gonna go to a playoff game at Dodger Stadium, but the last time I went to a Padres/Dodgers game at that stadium (last week LOL), Padres lost big time, so I don’t wanna jinx them ๐
The series is best-of-five in a 2-2-1 format, so game 3 will be in SD. I’ll be in SD next week, but game 3 falls on my dad’s birthday, so I’m hoping the Dodgers don’t sweep, and there’s a game 4 I can possibly go to in SD.
Also, I might have to go to a game if someone’s able to find me this cute ass Padres jacket Alex Morgan (SD Wave soccer player) wore to a game last month ๐ฅ
Because I’m still in love with you
On this harvest moon
After dinner, we went to Larchmont Village for Jeni’s ice cream and cookies from Levain Bakery, and this guy was playing ‘Harvest Moon’ on the sax on the street. It’s a Neil Young song, but I only know it because Lord Huron did a cover ๐
On the way home, we saw the coolest house decorated for Halloween in Highland Park ๐ค
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The Padres lost big time at the last two games I attended against the Dodgers (last night in SD and a couple weeks ago in LA). I wonโt be at Fridayโs playoff game in LA, so weโll see if Iโm the problem ๐
