Soul Mates

Hey friends, just thought you should know I'm off the market. This weekend I found my Mr. Right and he just happens to own a sweet little place in Malibu. I may move in with him. He's my soul mate.

Jets vs Sharks

In a cross-town rivalry to, well, rival that of the Jets & the Sharks, I'm proud to say that Clifton Middle School--my alma mater--kicked butt against Santa Fe (known as 'Santa Flushers' when I was at Clifton) in the last game of the girl's soccer season. Bailey (aka. Soccer All-Star Girl) rocked it like she always does.

Go Clifton Cubs!..........................................................Coach Kyle (a childhood friend of mine)

Bailey in action. She's got the longest legs that leap across the field.

With friends

In other family news, Samuel tried spinach today and Kirsten tried a new hair color. (I love it, Kir!)

Tibetan Personality Test

I recently received an email, which included a link to a "Tibetan Personality Test." I'm a sucker for personality tests; have been for years. What amazing tools of new & interesting discoveries! And self-knowledge! And narcissism! Gotta love anything where you get to think about yourself, answer questions about yourself and read about yourself, right? Fun stuff! I have no idea what Tibet (about the country of Tibet, or the people of Tibet, or the geography of Tibet, or the food of Tibet, or, the fashion of Tibet or, well, you get the picture) has to do with cutting edge personality tests, but in case my professors in Personality Theory haven't heard about this latest development, I'll be sure to pass along the link.

So of course I took it.

From the test I learned that the ranking of a list of animals from favorite to least-favorite offered a direct correlation to the order of my priorities resulting in the following (from top priority to lowest):

Family, Love, Career, Money & Pride.

Hmmm...Ok, that's interesting. If you'd asked me seperately, I would've ranked money a lot higher. (I kid, I kid!)

Next up was a list of 5 things (dog, cat, rat, coffee, the sea) that I had to assign a single descriptive word to, which then correlated to how I view 5 other things. Resulting from question 2 I apparently view my personality as loyal, my significant other's personality as calm, my enemies as dirty, sex is interpreted as invigorating, and my life is refreshing.

Again, hmmm...Ok. I'll guess I'll accept those results.

Question 3 asked that I match certain colors with names of friends I think fit one of five colors. That can had the potential to be interesting but the result was lame, telling me how based on one friend/color match, I'd "never forget them" whereas with another friend/color match, I would "always remember them"... Two lucky friends are apparently my "twin soul" and "a true friend" so I'll leave you guessing which of you are which. (It's you, I promise!)

The final question promised to be the most revealing of all. My favorite number and day of the week told me how many people (4) I should forward the test on to and then by my favorite day of the week (Saturday) I'd have untold riches and love, or some such deep, spiritual truth. But have no fear, I'm willing to accept the lack of love or spiritual truths so as not to piss four of you off. Feel free to thank me in Nordstrom gift cards. (And instead I'll make all of you read about it here. Again, feel free to thank me in Nordstrom gift cards.)

In my expert opinion, I suggest you rush out and take the test so that you too can have a deeper understanding of who you are. And then come back here and tell me how I am your "soul twin" or the person you'll always remember and never forget.

(Image via Kaylie-Kaylie)

2 Items of Business:

#1 For those of you interested in keeping up with what Hugo & I Spy... but who don't want to have another blog to check daily only to find out there is nothing new, note the latest feature/image at the top left of the main page. When I've added something new, I'll put up an image from the set & the title of the latest post so you'll know if you've already seen it. That will surely save you at least 10 seconds of page loading & mental processing time. You're welcome.

#2 And this is serious...When I was younger I never used to spread butter or margarine on my toast when I had something else on it, such as jam or honey or peanut butter. It was one of those things I didn't feel added anything to the flavor except calories that I didn't need. But lately, there is almost nothing better than a slice of whole wheat & flax seed toast with butter and raspberry jam. The butter adds a different layer and depth of flavor that only enhances the tartness of the jam. I'm now addicted to butter on my toast.

Whew! I just had to get that out there.

You are now free to resume your Thursday.

(Image via Corbis)

E's 30th Birthday...Bluezz style

A group gathered at Red White & Bluezz last night to celebrate my friend Esther's arrival to the 30-something club. (Familiar faces may include Charlyn and her boyfriend Adam, and of course Esther & her hubby Scott.) She reached this milestone with poise, wit and sass, as is customary for this NY transplant.

Welcome to the club, E, and wishing you a wonderful 30th year to come!



PS. I loathe flash photography (at least most of the time) so please embrace the dim, slightly-blurry photos for the moments they represent.
PPS. The white chocolate beurre blanc sauce on my chicken was AMAZING. As was the sorbet trio I had for dessert. YUM.
PPPS. In case you hadn't noticed, the above image is the first photo of a slide show, which you can view by clicking on the thumbnails below the larger image, and then the numbers to change the page for more photos.

"The art of the bow & arrow"

A while back I got a wild hair to investigate whether there were any archery clubs in the area. (This may or may not have been following an Emma viewing--Gwyneth Paltrow version--I can't be sure.) Through my searching I found the Pasadena Roving Archers that offers free classes to 1st-timers (equipment provided, $5 donation for subsequent classes attended) at the Rose Bowl on Saturday mornings from 9-11am.

I am SO going to do this!

(Image via The Geek Blog)

Snug as a Bug in a Rug

Anyone else fall in love with the Moorish Tile Rugs featured on the cover of the latest PB catalog? Oh my. I can't decide which I like better: Clementine or Pineapple.

Easter Brunch & Golf

With BAM moving to Portland next month and me to Chicago this summer, we spent what will likely be the last Easter together as a family for some time. It required that we stuff ourselves at the buffet at Glendora Country Club, encourage our kiddos to get all the eggs in the egg hunt before the other kids, and of course hit a few golf balls.

Thanks to Mom & Dad for hosting us at the club! We all enjoyed the food and fun (and of course the not having to shop, cook or clean up.)

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Papa gave lessons on how to "putt for dough."

Lance demonstrated that he's not outgrown his obsession with touching hair.

It was a great Easter celebration with the family. You can see more pictures here.

Places to Go: Monrovia Street Fair

Before attending a Good Friday service with Denise & Matt at my childhood church COD, I roamed the Monrovia Street Fair. (Did you know it's the largest of it's kind in the entire state?)



With all the goodies one can come home with, buying only fresh Orange/Pomegranate juice, alfalfa honey & a funnel cake showed great restraint. And speaking of honey, have you ever done a honey "tasting"? It's amazing how different the honey tastes when the nectar is taken from different flowers. If you're ever in Monrovia on a Friday night, I suggest stopping by the Klause's Bees table and trying out the various flavors.

I think Easter candy is the purdiest of them all.

Wanna-be-a-cruiser

If you or anyone you know has a Beach Cruiser style bike for sale, I am interested!

My main requirement is that it have upright handlebars. None of those handle-bars that require me to hunch over please; that's uncomfortable. Beyond that, a few gears would be nice, but not essential. Color optional, though it'd be great if it coordinated with my fabulous bike basket. Open to men's or women's.

(Image of "Urban Lady 3-speed")

Walk, Dinner, & What Heaven Will Be Like

Last night I joined Denise & Matt for dinner with some friends in town from CO. While the guys were still out hiking Griffith Park, I made D and I some appetizers, and then we took Hugo for a walk.

D played with Hugo a little too.

Dinner at Gaucho Grill was followed by 21 Choices (aka. "What Heaven Will Be Like"). Oh, how I love 21 Choices! I suggest vanilla, fresh strawberries and lucky charm marshmallows. You won't be disappointed.

I need to work it, IKEA style.

I have both heard and seen first-hand that Chicago apartments are generally much smaller than ones in SoCal. That has only been reconfirmed in my online apartment scouting these past couple of days. A studio ranges from 300-425 sqft and a 1-bedroom around 400-500 sqft. To put things into perspective, my old 1-bedroom was at least 600 sqft with lots of cupboard space. FYI...I'd ideally like to have my own space, and am willing to sacrifice furniture for the privacy. As the cost of a studio is roughly the same as sharing a 2-bedroom, that's my first choice, unless of course I find a score of a 1-bedroom apt for around the same cost, or only a little more than a studio. Sharing a 2-bedroom would be my last choice unless it was an amazing place with a roommate that had almost no furniture.)

Friends, I'm in trouble.

Over the years I've accumulated a couple of pieces that I'm really loathe to part with, or have only recently purchased and would really rather not get rid of. But in the effort to simplify, purge and downsize, I'm putting things to a vote, reserving the right to veto any majority vote, of course. :-D

Photo 1: 3 pieces (from L to R)
#1 My steal of a deal of a leather club chair, purchased within the last year. No sentimental value, just a great addition to any room and not too large in size.
#2 Faux fireplace, a group gift from a several people a couple of years ago, I love both the look of a fireplace the cozy-ness of the flames as they spurt up from the cans of napalm that sit inside.
#3 THE chair--OFF LIMITS. :-)



Photo 2: pieces (L to R)
#4 Small sidetable, not particularly expensive or sentimental but a good by-the-front-door table to place keys, a vase of flowers, etc
#5 Antique red leather arm chair; not particularly sentimental and needs repairs to make sturdy, I've just always liked it and thought it a fun bright addition to a room
#6 8ft comfy couch, the perfect place to spend lazy Sundays or movie night. Also sleeps 1 comfortably
#7 Glass & metal coffee table, it's been a practical piece for both entertaining and daily dining. No sentimental value.
#8 Entertainment armoire, refinished & painted into French-country distressed style. Good space for storing (out of site) TV, DVD player, cable box, videos, textbooks, etc. Often complimented.


There are a couple other furniture pieces that must be mentioned/considered, but which I don't have photos of.

In the kitchen & living room:
#9 Antique kitchen table; likely too practical to consider giving up as the 2 sides fold down to make a console size table, easy to fit into a small space
#10 Kitchen hutch from the 1800's; my first antique purchase which I saved and saved for. I like both the rustic unfussy style, as well as the functionality of it, though it is rather tall and feels "large" in a small space.
#11 Wire microwave cart where I also stored misc. kitchen things, cookbooks, etc
#12 Mini butcher block kitchen cart, a recent acquisition from Molly's move. If I had to choose b/w #11 & #12, I'd prefer #12
#13 Console table in living room, used for decorative purposes mostly.

In the bedroom:
#14 Queen-sized headboard, which I love. Doesn't really take up much space
#15 Large-ish antique side table in octagon shape I found at a yard sale years ago. No strong attachment, just a funky rustic table that used to be my coffee table
#16 Antique trunk (that I can't even remember if I still have, if it's in storage or if I gave it away or sold it at the yard sale....) that was used for storage. No strong attachment, it'd be the first piece I'd choose to go.

So, there you have it. I welcome your thoughts on which pieces should go, stay, and any ideas on how things might be re-purposed for use in a small space. Also, if you have any great suggestions for different items I could buy instead of certain pieces, but which would be more space efficient, please share! Think IKEA magic; they always do wonders with small spaces.

(Also, if you'd be interested in buying or taking a certain piece on loan for an undetermined number of years until I can send for it again, let me know.)