Water Rations

California - home of the celebrities, sun, surf, mountains. California - home of the 10% unemployment rate, budget defecit, and now...water rations. CA is running out of water. In fact they say, "No Californian should act like there is an infinite amount of water." Check out the article, here.

Tent Cities

I watched an episode of Oprah and it is scaring the crap out of me. It is about Tent Cities which is essentially communities of tents where people live because they lost their jobs & home. These are middle class people who made $50,000+ salaries, couldn't pay their mortgage, lost their jobs, and were forced out on the street. This could happen to anyone.

If you lost your job, could you still pay rent/mortgage, buy food? For how long? Suddenly, spending money at the bars and buying clothes seems absolutely ludicrous to me.

After watching this show, I want to not spend a single cent on anything. Because....you never know.

Wicked

So, Wicked was so so so good! The story, the music, everything was great.

Friday

Yesterday, work was sooooo busy at work. I didn't leave til 6pm and normally we leave at like 4pm. After that, Cristin and I went to our favorite little cafe for $1.50 beers. It was packed! People were sitting, standing in the corners of the place. Sign of the times!

We ended up going out last night, too. We came home to make tacos and then went out to DANCE. We went to 2 bars that had DJ's and danced. It was fun.

Almond Butter

Almond Butter is one of the most amazing foods on the planet. It's SO good and nutty & buttery. I can't believe I haven't been eating it my entire life. Too bad it is like $10 a jar.

Crazy of the Day

My bus driver on the way to work yesterday yelling at some guy to 'Cover Your Mouth' when he was coughing. This is the same woman who yelled at that guy 'Get off My Bus!' a few months ago.

Meet the First Dog

Well, the Obama's have chosen a dog....a Portuguese Water Dog. I guess they are getting it in April. This is a pretty easy going dog which is good for young kids. I think they are trying to rescue one, too. If it's a rescue, they can't count on the easy going aspect. As we know, my rescue dog has a screw loose. haha.

(THis is not the actual dog)

iPhone

I got my iPhone. Whenever you get a new phone, you don't know how to use it for a few days & that is me right now. This thing is pretty cool. Just the screen alone and how you can see legit web pages is awesome. Flip the phone on the side, and you have a widescreen.

Plug your headphones in and you can hear your phone call so much clearer. There are a million applications you can put on your phone. You can download a level and use your phone as a level if you are doing a project. Crazy.

The phone also doubles as an Ipod. I just dragged my songs on it and now I have an ipod, too.

Well, so far, I think it's cool and I am glad I got it!

Soda

Oh man. I am watching Biggest Loser and they said by drinking soda you increase your risk for some metabolic syndrome & belly fat. Gross. It makes me want to stop drinking it yet Diet Dr. Pepper is so freaking good!!

WICKED

I am so excited!! Tomorrow, I am seeing Wicked! Yippee. First, we are having dinner at this Chinese restaurant called Heaven's Dog (weird name!) and then......Wicked. Can't wait.

Wine Guide

Real Simple has this cool wine thing on their site now. You tell them what you are eating, if you like white or red wine, and what kind of flavor you like your wine to have(ex. full bodied). You plug this all in & then it recommends a type of wine for you.

Dentist

Today's dentist visit was exciting. First, the hygenist told me that I have a moderate amount of GUM DISEASE. Luckily, she said this can be reversed with a lot of flossing. She also said that everyone pretty much has some form of gum disease whether they know it or not.

Next, she told me I should be using an electric toothbrush because it is a better way to clean your mouth. Luckily, the dentist office sells them at COST. I got an Oral-B Triumph for only $65! If you even tried to buy this on Amazon, it is $120. Amazing.

Finally, I told the dentist how I take my mouthguard out in the middle of the night. Turns out I am grinding my teeth on that thing now & despite the hard plastic, have work part of that down too. I am going back next week to see if he can alter it so I can't do that anymore. But, basically, I have to wear it or else I will grind my teeth into stubs.

So, I left the dentist with a new toothbrush. Thank God for Healthcare Flexible Spending!

Hockey

Erik's hockey game last night was really good. It was a playoff game. They played a really good team that scored in the first 30 seconds but the Bulldogs(Erik's team) came back and won the game 9-6. I love high scoring hockey games with fights & that is what we saw last night. Afterwards, we went to the team bar and had a few beers. It was fun. I'm glad that he joined that team & met those guys because hockey is a huge part of his life.

FREE Quizno's Sub

Quizno's is giving out coupons for a free sub. Go here.

Tuesday

Ugh I have to go to class tonight since I am seeing Wicked on Thursday. I am pissed. I want to go home, eat dinner with Erik, and go to this hockey game. Now, I have to go to class til 830 and then drive to the rink after. Wah!

Attention!

We all know Walgreens sells everything under the sun. Well they have a few new additions....introducing, Snuggies & ShamWows to the aisles of Walgreens!

Next Bachelorette?

I predict Jillian will be the next Bachelorette. Although I sort of wish she wouldn't be because I like her & want her to find REAL love not TV love that ends 2 mos after the show. If you watched last night, you saw how people from different seasons of Bachelor/ette are friends and 2 people from different seasons are actually dating. It was really cute.

Next Bachelorette Prediction: Jillian

Bachelor Tonight!!

Bachelor is on tonight: Women Tell All Special. Next week is the mega, finale week. Woohoo!

New Phone

Well I just used my upgrade and got an iPhone. As I mentioned, I am horrible with phones so...I got a refurbished iphone. this is perfect for me. It says that refurbished phones are phones that someone had for 30 or less days & there was either something wrong with it or they didn't like it & returned it. There is even a chance the phone has slight scratches on it somewhere. Now, I won't feel as bad if I scratch it. Just to be safe, I got a HARD case for it. I do want it to last & will try very hard not to drop it. yippee.

Mardi Gras

In celebration of Mardi Gras, here is a great meal from Real Simple of Jerk Chicken!

Shop the Gap & Support TNT

The Gap brand stores are having a promotion in mid-March. Use the coupon to save 30% and they will give 5% to Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. This is what TNT raises money for & what I ran my half-marathon for!


(Click me for the coupon!)

Win $250 to Marshall's

Want to win a $250 gift card to Marshalls? Click here.

Milk

I am so happy Sean Penn won best actor last night. I haven't even seen Milk but I have seen clips and read a lot about this movie. I really appreciate that they made this film - I only wish it came out in October before Election Day. Maybe then, we wouldn't have passed Prop 8. Marriage shouldn't be a privelge for men & women. All people should be able to marry. Look how good male/female marriages work out anyway - a divorce rate of 50%!

If two people want to get married, let them. Why should anyone stop them!?

Films

While I sit here and watch the Oscars and all of these well made FILMS, I checked my Blockbuster account to see what movie I am getting next. Oh yeah, it is....


AYyeyeyeyeyyeyey!

How sad...

...was it when Heath Ledger's sister got up to accept his award and said "I remember you & I talking about being here together". Then, she dedicated the award to 'his Matilda'. Choke up!

My Oscar Predictions

Here are my Oscar predictions:

Lead Actor: Mickey Rourke (I was WRONG and I am happy because I wanted Sean Penn to win!)

Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger (Right!)

Lead Actress: Kate Winslet (Right!)

Supporting Actress: Marisa Tomei (Wrong!)

Animated Film: Wall-E (Right!)

Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire (Right!)

Bachelor Spoiler!!

This year's Bachelor has a lot of internet buzz around it. If you watched the very first episode of the season, you saw that ABC showed the ending - and you can pretty much see who Jason picked. People on the internet even took it so far to keep each episode on their DVR and match up body parts to that winning girl in the 1st episode to see who it was. Well, since there is just a blonde and a brunette left - you can figure out who won already.

However......last week, the Bachelor host said there is now going to be two 'After the Final Rose' ceremonies because of something 'so dramatic' happening.

Well, I love spoilers and wanted to find out what was going on and I did....If you want to go know what is going on, you can read all about the finale on RealitySteve.com This guy has the inside scoop and seems pretty reliable. I guess we will find out on March 2nd though to see if he was right.


Is he who we think he is???

Annie

While home sick on Friday, I found the movie Annie on demand, for free. Of course, I watched it because I love that movie. I must have watched that movie hundreds of times growing up. I love the songs.

It's funny how you watch a movie a million times when you are younger and then when you watch it when you're older, you see different things in the movie. For instance, when Grace is at the orphanage picking out an orphan for Mr. Warbucks:
Grace: "How about this little girl?"
Ms. Hannigan: "Annie? You don't want Annie."
Grace: "Why no?"
Ms. H: "She's a drunk!"

She's a drunk? I mean that is hilarious. Anyway, it's free on demand so if you love it, watch it!

Citizen Cake Review

Last night, Erik & I went to Citizen Cake. It was pretty empty in there which I think was a sign of the economic times. Citizen Cake is not cheap & they have a limited menu. We started with soup & salad. Erik had the soup and I had salad, which was a huge portion. For dinner, he had the crab risotto and I had the scallops. His portion was not that big and didn't really fill him up. My scallops were very good. I only like scallops when they are cooked well. These were carmelized in a brown butter sauce so I really liked them.

CC is known for their desserts since the chef did write a dessert cookbook. However, we weren't in the mood and Erik wanted a crepe from a place near our house, anyway. We probably offended our server by saying no to dessert but oh well.

I'm glad we tried this restaurant since we've been wanting to go for awhile however, I would not go back. I wouldn't recommend this restaurant to anyone either since there are plenty of other, cheaper restaurants in the city which are better.

Win Shopaholic Prizes

NY Daily News is giving out daily prizes in conjunction with 'Shopaholic' movie. Click the picture to enter to win & go back daily to enter for new prizes!

Spamalot?

Spamalot is coming to SF in May. I hear its very good but I'm not sure if I want to go. Has anyone seen it & do you recommend it?

Crazy of the Day

SnuggiePubCrawl.com

What: A pub crawl in San Francisco wearing Snuggies™
You must be 21 or older to attend
When: Friday, March 20th
Where: To-be-announced, but there will be multiple bars, entertainment, bands and drink specials
BYO-Snuggie™: Snuggies™ will not be provided, you mooch. Purchase your Snuggie™ now -- no, right now! -- so that it will arrive before the big day.


(www.sfist.com)

Home Sick

I stayed home sick today. I plan on laying on the couch and sleeping all day. Oh I used the nasal rinse last night & slept through the night perfectly. I woke up without any congestion. Then, it started again. you can use that thing 2x per day so I will do it again today.

Another sickie...

Evie. I don't know what is up with her but she puked a HUGE pile of puke today. It was all dog food. It was gross. I've never seen so much puke. If she does it again or has diarrhea, might be giardia (again). With all of the rain & mud, its bound to happen. The Vet said she has been seeing a ton of giardia cases, too. Great.

Michelle Obama

Did anyone see the video of Michelle Obama hosting the 200 students yesterday for Black History Month? She was so good with them. She is so cool. She was like "Welcome to the White House - how cool is this?" She was like, are you guys having fun? One kid was yawning & she called him out on it "Well, you are yawning over there so I don't know about you." and they all laughed....It was cute.

MoAD

MoAD is FREE this month!

H&M Coupon

Want another coupon from H&M? Visit hm.com to download it.

Buy 3 things and get 50% off one item.

Sick

I have a sickness. I think it might just be a cold, not the 'Erik Sickness'. I have a stuffed nose, sore throat, tired, etc....I am working from home today & wish I could just sleep, not work.

A sleepy pig

Here is Evie this AM, NOT wanting to get up

The Dreaded Bus

The bus this morning was hell. Here's why:

1. It was late
2. It was packed & the driver kept packing people in
3. People were shoved up against me. If I do not know you, I don't want your butt resting up against me.
4. I was hot
5. I was hungry
6. I had no ipod

Citizen Cake

I'm so excited. We just made reservations for dinner at Citizen Cake! We've been wanting to go here for so long. The Executive Chef is Elizabeth Falkner who has been on Iron Chef & has been on Food Network competitions. It should be good!

Down the street from Citizen Cake is Absinthe, where Top Chef contestant Jaime Lauren is the Executive Chef. Unfortunately, I think that restaurant smells and they have crappy service.

Crab & Pappardelle

Tonight, I am making Tyler's Ultimate Crab and Pappardelle (minus the artichokes). Looks good...we'll see how it comes out!

**UPDATE: Don't make this. It wasn't good. It was bland and just not good. Make crab cakes instead.***

Sharpies are handy

So, I have this bad habit of getting the bleach spray out to clean the kitchen with clothes that I like on. You will find bleach stains on sleeves of sweatshirts, tshirts, and sadly a good shirt now & then(rarely). However, I went to wear a shirt today that is blue with black designs on it. I realized, I had done it to this shirt. It was on the bottom in a couple little spots.

So. I fixed it.


Yes, I colored in the bleach spots with a sharpie & it looks fine and no one knows & I saved the shirt!

Would you like some &^%$@ with that?

How funny is this? Some people hacked a Taco Bell drive through so that the drive through speaker was yelling swears at customers. Can you imagine? You just want to order a burrito & the speaker starts swearing at you.

Taco Bell drive-through hacked to scream obscenities at customers

Quite a few Taco Bell customers probably wanted to run away from the border this week!

Someone hacked into a Taco Bell drive-through radio system in Sedalia, Mo. and then shouted obscenities at consumers, ABC15.com reported.

ABC15.com also reported:

Authorities are speculating that for the hackers to have interfered with the radio frequency, they must have been nearby the Taco Bell.

Taco Bell employees plan to press charges if the pranksters are found.

Taco Bell is a restaurant chain based in Irvine, California. It specializes in Mexican-inspired fast food.

Pigalito

Here is a picture of Evie yesterday in Alamo Sq. She is mid-shake since she was drenched in mud.

Singin' In The Rain

I am watching...Singin' in the Rain. How appropriate considering we have had a ton of rain. I don't think I have ever seen this movie. However, I feel like I have because I know all of the songs and little blurbs from my Mom. This movie is pretty funny.




Watching this reminded me of when VW made the commercial of this movie and used 'Singin in the Rain' with Gene Kelly. They used special effects to have him dance differently.

Evie's Diagnosis

Today, we went to the vet for that weird scabbiness on Evie's head. The doctor said it could be A)Fungal B)Ringworm. Ringworm is weird because dogs typically get that from cats & she is not in contact with any cats...So, we wait to hear.

The sun finally came out so I took Evie to Alamo Sq. There was a lot of mud so she ran and jumped in it. She looked like a little piggy. Then, she got her bath & went to sleep. Sleepy May is my favorite.

I am watching a Paranormal State Marathon. I wish I could visit the Warren museum when I go back to CT. It may have closed since Ed Warren died b/c I can't find it on their web page. spooooky.

70% off Restaurant.Com

Restaurant.com is having another major sale...70% off. I picked up 2 $25 gift certificates for 2 restaurants: Choquet's & Osaka. They were only $3 each!! I just paid $3 for $25 dinner. Unreal.

Monday

Tomorrow, we are closed for President's Day! It is going to be raining...again. Evie and I will be at the vet for a vaccine, to check out her scabby head, and get her butt glands done. Disgusting, I know. I also printed pics from 2007 so I can do my scrapbook.

Going Home

We are going home in a few weeks. It is Erik's bday so we are going to go home for about 5 Days. I already have plans made so that I can see everybody & do everything I want to do. I am super excited to be going to NYC to see Mamma Mia. Whoopeeee! I talked to my best friend (from kindergarten!) today and she is going to come up to see us when we are home, too. It BETTER not snow though.

Cooking Today

Today I am making 2 things

1. Rachel Ray's Baked Potato Soup


2. Tyler's Ultimate eggplant rigatoni(I just don't put in the sausage)

I've made the eggplant Rigatoni before and it is very good.

It is rainy & windy here today!

Miss. Pettigrew & one boring movie

Don't bother with this movie. Although I love the two actresses in this movie, it was boring & I couldn't pay attention to what was going on. I think Miss. Pettigrew was Amy Adams assistant and helped her keep all of her 'men/affairs' in order. Whatevs. Don't bother with this one.

Tis the season....

...flu season, that is. Erik has been sick since Wednesday. He had a fever, chills, a cough, super tired, etc. We tried to go to a walk-in on Friday but the "really nice woman" there said they didn't take his insurance which I didn't entirely believe. On Saturday, we just went to the ER. He either has bronchitis or the flu, or both. So he is on meds & feeling better already.

We had really great plans for V-Day. We were going to go down to a winery in Half Moon Bay with 2 of our friends, have lunch, have a chocolate tasting there. Instead, we were at the ER, Safeway picking up perscriptions, and I went to Target & food shopping. Oh well....it is only an hour or so away & we can another time!

I am hoping Erik feels better very soon though & I don't get it!! I lysoled the house and cleaned and changed the sheets and everything to keep everything clean. I don't want germs around.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Friday

Well one my new years 'goals', I'll call it was to try to go out every other Friday. Fridays are so hard. You are so tired and just want to go home and eat and fall asleep on the couch. Ok well that is what I do. So, I decided I wanted to try to go out some Fridays.

Last friday, I did happy hour. This friday, I had an awesome dinner with Amy. I just want to point out that is 2 Fridays in a row people. I'm off next Friday aka staying home! Anyway, we went to this awesome sushi place, Umami. I had never been there but had heard it was great & they had this 'amazing' dessert involving cookie dough.

Here is the menu:


We had the Buttercup, Geki-Kara, Three Samurai, and the New York. All were to die for. We also had dessert which is essentially a cookie dough & vanilla ice cream sushi roll. The outside is cookie dough, inside ice cream. Yes, it did feel like I was eating spoonfuls of cookie dough and it was GOOD. I cannot wait to go back here. I would put this in the top 3 sushi places in the city along with Domo and Ozumo.

Gangrene

Ok we were just talking about the pricker pull out at work. Then it turned to gangrene. Google Images gangrene. You are in for a treat. Sick!

Prickers

Last week at Sweeney Ridge, Evie got herself into a little bush and i had to sort of step into the bush to get her out. Well, my lower leg got scratched. Last year, the same thing happened except I got scratched by some weird plant and it was puffy, purple & I had to go on antibiotics.

So, I checked my leg over the week. Seemed fine. Today, I checked and there was a little red bump & looked like a pricker was in it. So I took tweezers and was trying to pull it out. This gross but - it wouldn't come out so I squeezed the skin and the pricker came sliding up and out. GROSS. But now I know I won't get an infection. ick!!

Crazy of the Day

OHMYGOD. There is a dog park in this park and we take Evie there. We have hiked here. ICK!

Dead Body Found in Corona Heights Park

from SFist by Brock Keeling

A dog walker picked up more than canine poop yesterday morning. Around 7:30pm, the pooch puller discovered a dead body at Corona Heights Park. According to reports, "there was no obvious sign of trauma to the body, and police are calling it a 'suspicious death.'" No word yet as to whether unidentified stiff died of natural causes

H&M Coupon

OK here is the last deal of the day.....20% off H&M good through TOMORROW. You can prob drag this to your desktop and print.

Madberries

I just found out about Madberries. This site gives away awesome prizes daily - jewelry, clothes, accessories. It's so easy, just make an account and click 'Win It' on what you want to win.

Go to the movies for free!

The deals are plentiful today!

Jeans Deal

....at American Eagle. (I also recommend Sweetheart jeans at Old Navy. They are around $30)

Need to print pictures?

Use this code when you order online(you can pick them up in a Walgreens to avoid shipping)

Gross

India to launch cow urine as soft drink


(Click Me for the article, MOOOOOOO)

Sneakers

I know Chuck Taylor's have been around forever but alas, I have never owned a pair. I have never really wanted a pair either. Then, Sarah said she loves her pair. Then, I saw these sneakers on a classmate today & thought they were so cute. She was wearing them with navy pants and a buttondown & cardigan. She looked so cute. They are a cute alternative to flats. Plus, they keep your feet warm on days like today when it is gray, rainy, and cold! I may be investing in a pair.

Boden

I love this store....Boden. Well, catalog. It is a store out of the UK and they have cute, well made stuff.

Espadrilles

Love these. New for Spring - Jcrew.

Weekend Forecast

Coupon Surfer

So this is my new favorite website - Coupon Surfer. There are SO many coupons on there. These are manufucturers coupons so they aren't just for one store. I had a stack of these last week when I went food shopping & saved us a lot of money.

Tuesday

I went to the core class today at lunch & took a shower at the gym. I feel good now. We are having fish for dinner tonight with leeks, carrots, and asparagus. yum. Also, Biggest Loser is on tonight. What a great night!

Crazy of the Day

CA to Release Thousands of Prisoners

from SFist by Brock Keeling

In an effort to ease prison overcrowding, a panel of federal judges "tentatively ruled that California must release tens of thousands of inmates." (Please release Susan Atkins! Please release Susan Atkins! Please release Susan Atkins!) Though a hard number will be decided on later, the plan is to significantly reduce the numbers of inmates in two to three years. According to AP, the judges went on to say that "no other solution will improve conditions so poor that inmates die regularly of suicides or lack of proper care." Released prisoners will be of the low-risk variety.

Sweet

The bus this morning was packed & hot. It is 'cold' and about 40 degrees here so the heat was on the bus. The windows were shut. Blah.

Anyway, I had 2 bags because one is for the gym. This really nice old woman was sitting in front of me as I was standing. She offered to hold one of my bags for me. How nice is that. I declined but thought was thoughtful of her.

I woke up this morning just tired & had a stomachache. I still don't feel that well but I want to go to my core class today. We'll see....

How Nice!

Check out what this restaurant is doing on Sunday to help out everyone who lost their job!

Happy Jetting

This Jet Blue Sweepstakes showed up in my mailbox. They have new prizes every day!

Righteous Kill

This weekend, I watched the movie, Righteous Kill. It was pretty good & I recommend it. I really only wanted to watch it because a tiny part of it was filmed in our hometown. Man, Pacino & DeNiro are getting old. Especially Pacino.

Phone

Well, I am up for an upgrade for a new phone at the end of the month. Great, soon I can stop using my Treo with the big black mark across the screen(from dropping it). But, I have no clue what to get. I like the Blackberries but they are so expensive. The iPhone is cheaper! But, I am worried if I had an iPhone, I would ruin it. I would drop it or scratch it. It is a cool phone though. I would have to keep the thing in a padded case. I guess I will wait til the end of the month and see what deals I can get before I buy anything!

Simple Dinner

Last night, I made this dinner of pasta, broccoli, garlic & walnuts. It was really good. Click the pic for the recipe!