I own these, but you wouldn’t know.

Because they are still in their original shipping packaging. I am hoping that if I post about them, maybe… just maybe, I will get around to buying frames and hanging them up. On numerous Target trips, I have stood contemplating whether or not to purchase cheap, but still kind of expensive, frames. In the end, I always decide against it because of the poor quality. I want to get them professionally framed, but am conflicted because it will probably cost more to have them framed than it cost to purchase the art itself. We’ll see what happens. But for now, enjoy what should be hanging from my walls! :)

Fake Beard by Jay Ryan

Flood by Jaclyn Mednicov

Stacked Upon by Jaclyn Mednicov

Check out Jay Ryan’s store, The Bird Machine. Find Jaclyn Mednicov (and other cool artists) at the great marketplace of design: 20×200.

The Wok of My Life

My friend had told me about the stir fry she had made; the combination of pre-lunch hunger and the delicious ingredients she used only made me think “I NEED A WOK.”

Fortunately, they were on sale at Sur La Table! I bought a stainless steel 14″ wok for less than 20 dollars. I was so excited and equally as intimidated. The wok came with preparation instructions. Apparently, for shipping purposes it had to be coated with a food-safe lacquer that needed to be heated off. And then of course the wok needed to be seasoned. Thoughts along the lines of “what if I do it wrong?” and “TJ’s frozen meatless meatballs are easier to make” clouded my head and for a week my shiny new wok sat around the stove collecting dust as I lazily lived around it.

Along with laziness and cooking insecurities, I still had not found a recipe I wanted to use. I kept running into two different problems in my search: the recipes were complex and required expensive ingredients or the recipes would make me think “that sounds nice, but would I really want to eat that for 3-4 meals? So, I just bought the basics: oils, noodles, random vegetables and some precooked chicken (I wonder if this has a -phobia name with the definition: fear of cooking chicken and getting sick). With the much needed help of my roommate, I was taught the basics on how to make a stir fry. The whole idea of it reminds me of a creative art class. The wok is the tool, now do whatever comes to mind! Which is awesome, but I am still a naive beginner and also the boring girl that enjoyed drawing inside the lines required lines to color with (My coloring books were as creative and outrageously colorful as a Banana Republic catalog).

I used kelp noodles as a rawlternative to regular noodles, fresh vegetables from the farmers market and I also added some egg whites at the end to give it the chow mein feel. And of course a big spoon full of chili garlic sauce to add some heat. I loved this dinner so much that I have been making a stir fry every week. I am altering the ingredients and spices each time to find my perfect stir fry. I plan to bring more cash with me to the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market so I can buy some local seasonal vegetables to help me become more creative and confident cook. Any suggestions or tips are welcome! Wok on!

The Counter

One of the perks of living on the west side of Los Angeles is that we have the best burgers in the city: Father’s Office and The Counter. Any foodie will agree that these establishments make some amazing burgers. Unfortunately, FO is not open for lunch during the weekdays. Fortunately, The Counter is! And this is where my boyfriend and I went for lunch on Friday. We arrived there at around 11:45am, a little earlier than the lunch rush (which is anywhere between 12-1:30 in Santa Monica, the worst time to arrive being at 1pm), because parking is not always ample, and it sucks to be there when it is crowded and you have to wait to be seated. As usual, it was a great and filling lunch (we had to take most of it home because there was so much food!

The way The Counter works is you can either sit at the counter and be waited on by the bartender/person behind the counter or you can order at the register and sit down and be seated (they might have implemented table service, but I’m not sure). I prefer to sit at the counter. The menu encourages you to make your own burger, but they also have a set menu that includes signature burgers, of which I have never tried. It is not strictly red meat, you can also order turkey, chicken, or a veggie burger. Also, anything can be put on a salad. On the create-your-own, four toppings of your choice are included (if you want to add more you get charged a little extra). Also you can choose one cheese, one dressing/condiment and the type of bun you want for your burger: white, wheat, or English muffin. For side snacks they have french fries, sweet potato fries, onion rings, and fried dill pickles!

This is an ideal restaurant for my boyfriend and I because we have very different palates. He is very simple in his tastes and does not like to try anything new. His order is consistently a turkey burger on a white bun with barbecue sauce on the side. No lettuce, no tomato, no cheese, nothing! My order is constantly changing. On this specific day, I ordered the vegetable burger. These are not pathetic boca/soy-esque burgers, but instead made from scratch with rice, beans, vegetables, and even some cranberries for sweetness. I ordered mine with onion, roasted chilies, roasted peppers, tomatoes, and a Tillamook cheddar (Oregonian cheese, not the Dog Artist). I also chose the spicy sour cream as my side condiment. It is was delightful.

For review purposes (heh, right) I had to order the fried dill pickle chips, and the fifty-fifty fries (regular and sweet potato). The fries are addictive and filling, so I advise moderation because they come out before the burgers and are easy to fill up on fast. The sweet potato fries come with an almost chipotle sour cream (different than the spicy sour cream that I ordered with my burger). It works well with both fries, but definitely pairs best with the sweet potato fries.

I find the fried dill pickle chips to be a clever idea. You can fry just about anything, and you can pickle just about anything, so combining fried and pickled just seems to make sense. At first bite, I was surprised to find that the integrity of the pickle’s crunch is not compromised during the frying process, making them delightfully special. I do not always enjoy or desire pickles, but I will admit that they are little buttons of happiness. They are paired with a sweet and sour sauce, which works well with the pickled taste of brine, vinegar, and dill.

Note: The only other veggie burger in Los Angeles that I’ve tried and compares to The Counter is the vegetable burger offered at Houston’s restaurant.

The Counter

2901 Ocean Park Blvd # 102
Santa Monica, CA 90405
(310) 399-8383

Freakishly tall, like a Gorilla

This morning I went to see Pineapple Express at Arclight, Sherman Oaks. Yes, I went to see a movie at 11am. I also ate candy and soda before noon, too. I think some people might call me lazy because I went so early to avoid big crowds (it was practically a private screening in there; I felt like I was making too much noise and distracting the other 3 people in the theater when I was eating a Red Vine), not deal with traffic, and not do other work, but really I was not being lazy at all. I had to wake up pretty early to get myself over there in time.

When the movie was over, I turned on my phone and saw that I had received a voicemail from my mom during the movie. In the message, she told me that a pair of shoes has arrived for me in Pennsylvania and that they both fit her and my dad. I was shocked, embarrassed, humbled, and amused when I heard this message.

In a few weeks I am going to be in a wedding. One thing about me, that is pretty apparent if you already know me, is that I rarely dress up. I sort of wear the same clothes everyday: pants, t-shirt, a North Face Hoodie, and sneakers. I’m fashionably predictable like a cartoon character in the sense that my outfit is the same everyday. The advent of the wedding and being part of a bridal party has caused quite the commotion in my life; I have to buy nice shoes to wear to the events (bridal shower, dinner rehearsal, wedding itself, etc.) I don’t own the appropriate shoes already because it is such a tedious process for me to find shoes that fit.

I have big feet. I’ve slid through life just buying men’s sneakers and have a pair or two of business/professional shoes somewhere lost under my bed. Unlike most people, I cannot go to any store and find shoes that fit. They never have my size and probably never will. I have to search online, which you would think makes it easy in this day and age, but you are wrong. All I can find on the internet is either grandma/nurse shoes, or 8-inch plastic/vinyl stilettos. Neither of which are very practical for me. I can’t wear grandma sneakers to a job interview, nor can I wear 8-inch heels. Since I am teetering on the edge of being 6 feet tall, I can barely handle wearing 2-inch heels without coming across as a tranny hot mess. I am sure that the people who make the heels in sizes that fit my feet are targeting people that do fall under the tranny hot mess category, but that is not my deal. I just want some professional, tasteful, fashionable, and not ridiculously expensive shoes to wear for all occasions.

So I have been ordering a bunch of shoes online, in sizes I think that will fit my feet, but sending them home to Pennsylvania instead of here in Los Angeles (this is just so I don’t have to deal with packing them and paying extra money to check in luggage). My parents have received two pairs in the mail. The whole situation is especially amusing to me because I never asked my parents to open the boxes for me, nor did I ever suggest that they try them on for me, especially my dad. But, that is what is great about my family; we do what we want. Haha, just kidding… They are just looking out for me and my best interest. Or, my dad really wants to try on women’s shoes and my mom enjoys watching him do it.

In the end, it sucks to be a girl and have big feet. However, Paris Hilton has big feet, and she’s running for President…

Late start.

Nothing is worse than sleeping in, but still waking up tired. I’ve recently, as of a day ago, started writing a To Do list on my wipey board (not a technical term). It definitely helped for the first day. But, day 2 doesn’t seem so exciting to barrel through. Maybe I am making the list too hard and not as rewarding or fun. Maybe I should just put easy things on it like:

1. Drink coffee
2. Get massage
3. Write birthday wish list
4. Take a stroll
5. Go to Pinkberry Bigg Chill
6. Sit and ponder
7. Have a glass of wine
8. Nap

Type for the Very First Time…

It’s up and running! I am hesitant in deciding what to write about in my first entry. These first few words are going to set the tone for the whole blog, so I feel there is a lot of pressure to at least sound mildly entertaining and interesting. Who am I kidding? I know it’s going to be “tots” awesome.

Originally, I had planned to use this site as a forum/website for people that live with anosmia (lack of olfaction; absence of ability to smell). I guess laziness has prevailed, because I have settled upon using it just as a platform to write about my own experiences in life. Or something.

(thank you JFQ!)