San Diego: Part I

Friday, we got on the road shortly after 3 o'clock. Four and a half hours later we were pulling into El Indio for dinner. El Indio is one of our favorite spots for Mexican food in San Diego. We couldn't wait to dig into our tamale, taquitos and California burrito. It was good to be back! We checked into our hotel for the night, Seven Seas Best Western on hotel circle. We didn't want to pay the price for the gaslamp knowing we'd be getting in late - though, we did arrive earlier than we anticipated since Frank and I were able to leave work early.

The Best Western was a bit nicer than I expected. With the exception of the bathroom it was newly remodeled. It smelled like fresh carpet. Parking and wifi was free and our room had a fridge. Well worth the $49, thanks, hotwire.com!

Frank napped and I read a bit. We headed about about midnight. We thought we'd check out the Pacific Beach Shore Club that was featured on Drinking Made Easy. Gold fish races are only on Wednesday nights so we knew we'd miss those, but a scooner of Pacifico lured us over. When we got there the line a mile out the door turned us away. Leaving we were stopped at a DUI check point. It was nice to be able to say we hadn't had a drink in the last 6 hours. We were quickly on our way.

We went to Los Panchos in the Gaslamp for Cadillac Margaritas. We knew it wouldn't be too busy, still, finding a place to park was a major task. Fortunately, we found an open meter a couple blocks away. Frank ordered a Tapatio burrito and I had fish taquitos for a snack, but it was the margaritas that hit the spot. Last call was already upon us so we headed back to the hotel to rest up for the fun ahead.

Saturday we checked out of Seven Seas and headed directly to Con Pane Bakery. Its been seven months since we had the sweet taste of their goodies. They did not disappoint. An Italian and cinnamon roll. The perfect brunch.



Our bellies were beyond full, it was time to walk off some of that carby goodness. We drove up to La Jolla and we checked out a couple spots that a friend (who grew up in La Jolla - lucky!) recommended. The first was a Coastal Reserve mainly frequented by those studying at UCSD. It has a short trail and stunning views. Including one of the house that will someday be mine. I just need to scrape together 15 million.















After the Coastal Reserve, we stopped at another overlook. It too was gorgeous, but I preferred the cliffs on the beach.









Our next stop was downtown La Jolla. We were going to grab a bite at Whisknladle only they were serving brunch and we have previously had most of the offerings. Plus, I really wanted a Thunderweizen, but it was taken off the rotation. We grabbed a beer at Karl Strauss instead. Then, walked to El Pescador Fish Market. We split a dungeness crab cocktail and it was delicious. On the way back, we stopped at Bibby's Crepe Cafe. We shared a banana nutella crepe. It was delicious.



We walked back to our car and headed back toward San Diego. The car found its own way back to El Indio. We'd be eating dinner late so we shared taquitos and I tried Morditos which are broken taquitos topped with nacho cheese and jalapenos. Eh, the taquitos on their own are way better.



We checked into the W which is was our home for the next two nights. I booked for $98/night on hotwire. There wasn't as great of value here though. It was real nice on the surface, but little things added up so it never wooed me. The bed was real comfy. That's all that really matters. But it was annoying that they wanted $14.95 for internet, $35/day for parking, and the location was further out from the Gaslamp than I would have liked. The walk back to the hotel later that night seemed pretty sketchy. Anyway, we napped a bit and then got ready to meet up with friends from Vegas that were in town too.

We had reservations for six at 9 o'clock for the Oceanaire Room. We met our friends outside and grabbed beers at the Blarney Stone around the corner beforehand. I had my first Smithwick's it was far lighter and smooth than I imagined. Back at the restaurant, it took a while to be seated and service was pretty slow. At least the food was tasty. I had Snapper with lump crab and Frank had the Yellowtail dirty and black and blue. Which meant it had some kick and it was topped with blue cheese butter. One of our friends had a monster plate filled with 2lbs of king crab and a lobster tail. Other entrees were stuffed shrimp, Swordfish and mixed grill. We were all happy with our selections. The sides were a bit weak. The au gratin potatoes were the best out of the bunch. We finished up with a comped baked Alaska since service was sluggish. It was really good!







After dinner, we walked over to Bub's for another round of drinks. Which was a pretty cool bar. It was just a shame it was filled with drunks that were obliterated and douchy. I guess that's the risk you run when hitting a bar so close to last call. We were all pretty beat so we called it a night and said good-bye.

We took the trolley over but service stopped so we were stuck walking back which wasn't bad, but it was annoying since we paid for round trip fare. I never would've thought the last train would be 12:55 on a Saturday night.

Photo a Day: Week 7

February 12, 2012 ~ Played in the snow at Mt Charleston


February 13, 2012 ~ The start to many yummy dishes... onions and celery.


February 14, 2012 ~ For my valentine.


February 15, 2012 ~ I CANNOT wait!


February 16, 2012 ~ In no way is flat out pizza as satisfying as the real thing.


February 17, 2012 ~ Ahh! Cadillac Margaritas. It's good to be back.


February 18, 2012 ~ We found our future home. Now to win several lotteries...

Slop Sloppy Joe

I'm coming up on a month of meals at home. Gosh, it's exhausting. I'd much rather choose whatever strikes my fancy off a menu, have someone else prepare it and leave no dishes behind for me to clean up. I miss dining out.

But enough of my whining. I've been trying to work in new recipes to keep things interesting and tonight I had a winner.

Turkey Sloppy Joes



1 tbsp EVOO
1 diced onion
1 diced bell pepper
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 lb ground lean turkey
1 c pureed tomatoes (I used whole tomatoes and pureed them in the food chopper)
1/4 c BBQ sauce
2 tbsp ketchup
2 tbsp vinegar
2 tbsp Worcestershire
1 tbsp spicy brown mustard
1 tbsp chile garlic sriracha

Cook onions and peppers in EVOO until soft, add garlic and turkey cook until done. Stir in tomatoes, BBQ sauce, ketchup, vinegar, Worcestershire, mustard, and sriracha. Simmer until heated through.

I typically do not like sloppy joes but these I enjoyed. The turkey was loaded with flavor. It wasn't too acidic or greasy... my usual complaints. I barely got a bite before Frank and my brother devoured the sloppy joes. I'll definitely be making this again, but next time I'll double the recipe.

My Heart is on Fire

I love, love, love my Kindle Fire.

I ordered it from Amazon, it came a few days later via USPS. The packaging was a breeze to open. No clam shell to combat. How wonderful!?! I had it out of the box and connected to our wifi in 30 seconds flat.



I don't think it could get any easier. Truly. I initially wanted an ereader, but then thought how convenient it would be to no longer travel with the laptop. I researched my options since Christmas, ultimately, choosing the Fire because I didn't want to spend a lot of coin and I really only wanted an ereader with the ability to browse the web. Frank will pick up a tablet later with all the bells and whistles. He's waiting to see what Google comes out with before pulling the trigger. Meanwhile, we have this awesome new toy that is capable of doing more than I imagined.



I have a handful of sites I check daily and they all load great... various message boards, google reader, pinterest, yelp and of course, Facebook. Frank was thrilled that his fantasy football site loaded without issue. I downloaded free books the first day. And quickly found the collection of movies and tv available to Amazon Prime Members. I watched Vegas Vacation the first night. The picture was crystal clear and it streamed beautifully. You get a free month a prime with your Kindle Fire purchase. A small detail I didn't know. This allows you to get a book a month from the lending library, my pick was The Hunger Games . I'm nearly half-way thru it. I adjusted the background color from white because the contrast was too much for me. With the sepia like tone, I've found no problem. I can read in the dark without a light, it's quite nice.



After a few days I knew a case was a must. I knew it was an accessory I would buy, but I waited until I got a feel for what would suit my needs best. I chose a $44 case on Amazon, it's a bit more than I intended to spend, but it acts as a stand, it has a thick elastic band to make it easy to handle in the hand and it has a thin elastic band closure. It's not bulky and it offers a fair amount of protection. I'm happy with it. My hands are too arthritic to hold the Fire for long so the built in stand is very nice. Even the elastic band keeps my hand from cramping if I do choose to hold it in my hand.



I have uploaded a good collection of music. Files were transferred easily via usb. although, I do wish it was capable of connecting wirelessly to our networked external hard drive. The hardest part to get accustomed to is the touch screen. It's my first touch device. I love my qwerty keyboard on my Blackberry, I've been reluctant to make the switch. I'm still not sold on touch screens, but I'm getting better with it the more I use it. The keyboard is fine for short emails or posts, but anything lengthy you'll find me reaching for the laptop or PC. That is really my only complaint. And really, it's more of a preference than anything.

I cannot wait to travel with the Fire. It will take it's first trip this weekend to San Diego.

Where snow belongs

Friday and Saturday it was gorgeous here in the valley. The warm sun delivered temperatures in the 70's. I was chained to my desk on Friday, so I didn't get out to enjoy them until Saturday. Frank and I went to the park to enjoy the fresh air and get some exercise playing disc golf. I even managed to get a wee bit of sunburn. Just another reminder that the Sun doesn't love me as much as I love it.

Frank and I had the day together on Sunday, too. Storms were due to roll in so we thought we'd head up to Mt Charleston. I've been wanting fresh fallen snowy photos. But we got up the mountain too early. The snow had only begun to fall. Still, there were plenty of kids having a ball sledding and the ski resort was quite busy. The snow was pretty frozen over, still, Frank was able to get enough together to throw a snowball at me. We had a good time on the mountains...

























As long as the snow stays in the mountains, I'm one happy girl. Gimme the desert any day.

Photo a Day: Week 6

February 5, 2012 ~ Go whatever team will win me money!


February 6, 2012 ~ Forget summer, it's winter you can't get through without a ton of moisturizing lotion.


February 7, 2012 ~ Hmmm.... Probably, a bit of both.


February 8, 2012 ~ Nine years ago, I said, "Yes!"


February 9, 2012 ~ It's here! And I'm in love.


February 10, 2012 ~ Lost in the details.


February 11, 2012 ~ Finally got out to play and it was a beautiful day.

The Banh for Me

Banh Mi has been my latest obsession. Saigon Sandwich in San Francisco totally started it. Chewy bread, crunchy sweet and spicy veggies and savory meat. It's a flavor explosion. And I love a good sandwich.

Here, at home, I'm yet to find the banh for me. I've tried Mr. Sandwich a couple times. Their bread could be better, but they stuff their sandwiches with a fair amount of goodies. I wasn't a fan of the house special, but their grilled pork is decent.

Being on our latest health kick, meals out have been rare, but we did grab a quick bite at Lee's Sandwich for dinner. We tried the grilled pork and pork meatball banh Mi. Their bread is fantastic! They are very light handed with the meat and veggies that fill it. I like a good ratio of meat, veggies to bread and Lee's fails here. The veggies didn't have the snap I like and the pork was pretty bland. It's a shame the filling fell short because the bread was so scrumptious the potential was there. Lee's is cheap, and open 24 hours so it does have that going for it.

Grilled Pork



Pork Meatball



"Sigh," my search continues...

Now, We're Talkin'

Football is over. My days of being a weekend widow have come to an end. We survived another NFL season. I won zip on my squares. A few bucks on prop bets, and no money changed hands for the gatorade side bet, since it was purple and no one picked it. Mike faired a bit better with the NY Giants win. And my mom hit it big on a $30 square paying out $1300 for the final score.

I thought the game was pretty anti-climatic besides that odd safety and the last 30 seconds or so. My favorite commercials were shown in the first quarter. Audi led the pack by incinerating vampires with its LED headlights. I hate all things vampire, too bad the Twilight and True Blood crew weren't at the party. The naked M & M turned obscene with the wiggle, wiggle, wiggle. But the best was the Chevy commercial. Score one for GM!

The halftime show was dreadful. I couldn't help but wonder who thought that was a good idea? Madonna could be RedFoo and SkyBlu's mother. Sexy and I know it? My brother thinks the LMFAO/Madonna remix should be "60 and I know it - Jiggle, jiggle, jiggle." Though, I don't she knows she's nearly there. Don't get me wrong she looks great for her age, but at her age, you shouldn't be gyrating all over the stage. If this was the halftime show over 20+ years ago, it would be another story.

Anyway, with football behind us, we can focus on important things... like baseball. Specifically, my White Sox. There are lots of changes this year and quite a few opportunities to see them play: Spring Training in Phoenix, at A's, two series at Angels and one at Dodgers. Let's play ball.

Photo a Day: Week 5

January 29, 2012 ~ Actually got a Yahtzee while playing Yahtzee.


January 30, 2012 ~ Winter blooms, though, I cannot wait for Spring.


January 31, 2012 ~ Curled up with a good book.


February 1, 2012 ~ Time to dust off the elliptical and get back to it.


February 2, 2012 ~ Prop bets make the Superbowl when you care none what team wins.


February 3, 2012 ~ The closest I've ever been to a Presidential candidate.


February 4, 2012 ~ Sitting at the DMV. Good times... or not.

When I Wasn't Here

As much as I'd like to catch up, I've realized it may never happen. So, with hopes to get me back on track this is stuff I did when I wasn't here...

We went to a Wranglers game at the Orleans Arena. I learned I have little interest in hockey, but our club seats were great.

Frank and I signed up for the Las Vegas Color Run on February 25th. It's a 5k that benefits my favorite local charity, Three Square. I won't be running, but just walking will be a good test for my ankle.

We went to a viewing party at Red Rock for a UFC fight. Man, them Fertitta's are making a killing! I've watched a half a dozen fights and I still don't get it. Gimme Boxing, any day. Now, if Manny would only get in the ring with Mayweather. Instead, May will bring us a bout with Cotto. Whoopedy doo.

We stuffed ourselves silly with our favorite eats before we jumped back on the healthy eating train. Which is going well, by the way. No derailments. Though, I miss good beer. A lot!

We planned another trip to San Diego. It's only a couple weeks away. Remember, calories don't count on vacation! To say I'm excited for this getaway is an understatement. Friends from Vegas will be visiting the same time, and we'll meet up with our friends in Oceanside. Our buddy Bill has orders to Afghanistan for a year. He's supposed to leave in May. This might be our last hurrah before he's shipped off. After so many tours in Iraq you'd think he'd be done, but nope. So much for bringing our troops home.

We've actually been enjoying the winter. As much as can be expected, anyway. It is winter after all. And I loves me some summer like nothing else. It's been very mild and I feel like I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I actually see the sun these days, it is only during my commute (during sunrise and sunset) and it blinds the hell out of me, but I'll take it. Although, it doesn't change the fact, I still complain about being cold on a near daily basis.

Mike saw Kid Rock at the House of Blues, meanwhile, my mom and I bet the horses - sigma derby, that is - at MGM Grand. Three hours of play on five bucks. I love it. They added a change machine near the game so it's more convenient than ever to play. We grabbed dinner at the Victorian Room inside Bill's. I wanted my mom to try their shrimp fried rice. She loved it! It's been a long time since I've been in I was pleased to see it's still as good as ever. Mom had a comped room at Imperial Palace. I quickly recalled what a cluster the place is and how much I hate the parking garage. To make the experience even more annoying I locked my keys in the car. There's a first for everything. Fortunately, it only took a ride home from my mom to retrieve the spare set. Her room in the 5th tower was pretty nice. It had new mattresses that were pretty comfy. Definitely, an upgrade since the last time I saw a room there.

We attended the meet & greet with Ron Paul at American Shooters. It was neat to be a part of the hubbub and be within steps of a Presidential Candidate.

We participated in our first Nevada Caucus. Previously, we've been registered Independents and we could never take part. Our precinct turnout was low. So low, we won delegates seats by unanimous decision. We'll be attending the CCRP Convention on March 10. Frank also had to fill a chair because our representatives didn't show. I'm not sure I like the caucus, I'd prefer a primary, especially since 24 hours after the caucus only 51% of Clark County has reported.

My drivers license is expiring this month and I had no choice to go to the DMV to renew. I haven't been there since Vegas was booming. the upside to our downfall? Waits are much shorter now. Yesterday took an hour. When I changed my name in 2004 it took four.

I struggled with my vision test at the DMV. It's time to go back and see the eye dr. I got a pair of glasses a couple years back, but I could never get past the headaches. Many years ago, I had contacts but they were a complete waste since I couldn't get them in and out of my eyes. My eyes have gotten worse, I can't ignore it. I must find a solution.

I've been researching tablets and ereaders since Christmas. After weighing the options for weeks, I finally pulled the trigger and ordered a Kindle Fire. It should arrive in a couple days. I wanted an ereader with the ability to browse the interwebs. It should be a good fit. Frank will be getting a tablet later this year. He's waiting to see what Google releases before making a decision.

We went to LVH formerly the Hilton to make props bets. Maybe they should've kept the Hilton name? It was a ghost town. Majority of bets had more value at Boyd or LeRoy's, plus LVH had $10 min on prop bets, so we left and bet at Gold Coast. That book was packed! I made my favorite prop bet again this year... Player to score the first touchdown using Scrabble points for their last name. I bet over 15. C'mon, Gronkowski! We have a stack of others, plus money on the Pats. My brother is rooting for the Giants, though. I have two squares Giants 1-4 and 0-8. Not great, but maybe I can squeak out a win? We also have a side bet going for the color of gatorade dumped on the winning coach. My pick? Red or Fruit Punch.

I think that about does it. Eat and drink good stuff for me today, and enjoy the game!

February? huh?

Jeez, it seems like 2012 is moving even faster than 2011. It's been a whirlwind and I'm pretty pooped. I keep thinking my workload will improve as I get more comfortable and as the new companies get settled. My eye had been on February to finally see dust settle, but it's not happening anytime soon. I've learned quite a bit and the more I do it, the faster I'll become. But I sure could use that speed now. Acting as controller, I had the fun task of filing all of the year end taxes. Having the January 31st deadline meant much went on the back burner. I could've used those days I was on vacation, but I am really glad to have had the time off. It's amazing how just a few days can charge the batteries.

Enough about work, there's been changes on the homefront. Well, I guess it ties into work. My office was seeking a runner to make deliveries and pick ups between offices and jobsites, and my brother decided he'd stay in Nevada if he could find work. Things aligned and he started a few weeks ago. He's doing well, he's familiar with most of the valley now. He seems to like it. It doesn't make sense for him to commute from Pahrump so he's living with Frank and me during the week. Weekends, he goes to my mom's. He has plans to save for a car, and then an apartment. We're here to help and encourage him along the way.

It's been an adjustment, but it's working out. Frank and I were so fortunate to have Frank's gram put a roof over our head for the first month of arriving in Vegas, we have wanted to pay it forward. We've made lots of offers, but this is the first time anything has come to fruition. Mike's had some ups and downs over the years, I hope this allows him to move forward and conquer his aspirations... whatever they may be.

On the subject of family, a week after Mike returned to the job force, Amy was called in for an interview for a research firm in Chicago. She was hired part-time and the hours fit well with her schedule. Which was hugely important, since she visits with my father-in-law a few times a week and she takes Nicky back and forth to preschool; plus, she juggles her motherly duties and she checks in on our dad, and Nicky's great grandma. I haven't been able to chat with her much since she started, but she seems to like it. I'm really happy for her. I hope this opportunity leads to even greater ones so she can fulfill her dreams, too.

Frank and I jumped back into eating healthy as soon as we got back from San Francisco. I'm menu planning, again, having a plan seems to keep us on track. This past week has been vegetarian meals. I don't mind it, but I definitely prefer a balance. So, this week coming up will have a variety of meatless and lean proteins. It's nice to see the scale moving downward. I just need to find an exercise groove now. I've had little motivation thus far. I hope it comes quick.