thanksgiving 2010

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Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend! I definitely did. Even though it left me incredibly tired. I feel like I need a vacation from my Thanksgiving vacation. LOL.

Rob and I hosted Thanksgiving at our house for our immediate families so there was a lot to do! I took Wednesday off and spent most of the day cleaning. My cousin arrived on Wednesday night and together we spent all day Thursday cooking for Thanksgiving dinner. We decided on a traditional menu including a turkey, which neither of us had ever attempted to cook before. EEEK. Luckily, everything turned out fantastic and we STILL have yummy leftovers. I managed to take a few photos before we dug in to all the food…



The dinner table.



Dessert and drinks table. I made the pumpkin pie! The best part of it is the whipped cream on top. So good.



The buffet table (aka the kitchen island). Look at all that food! For only 8 people. Yeah, we cooked waaaayyyy too much.

Umm… I guess I got distracted by all the food because I totally forgot to take any family pictures. D’OH!

On to Christmas! 😀

minneapolis trip report

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I feel like I start all my blog entries like this but seriously… HOW IS IT ALMOST THANKSGIVING?! I don’t even know where the time goes (oh wait I do… it’s spent working… BLAH).

Last week I took a few extra days off so I could tag-along with Rob on his business trip to Minneapolis. I only had 2 full days there but I made the most of my time away…

We landed late on Saturday night (only had time to brave the cold and eat dinner) so we woke up early on Sunday to explore downtown. It was a beautiful day (and unusually warm for this time of year) so we walked down to the river to see…



… the Stone Arch Bridge. It’s gorgeous.



The bridge has pedestrian and cycling lanes so we walked a bit to check out the view of the Mill District…



… the Mississippi River…



… and the view of the downtown skyline.

For brunch we went to Hell’s Kitchen (so good!) where they have the most amazing homemade peanut butter (and marmalade). I bought a small jar of peanut butter to take home with me and LIKE AN IDIOT, I put it in my carry-on luggage. I did not know TSA considers it a liquid so they took it away from me at security. Waahhhh. Luckily, Rob was staying an extra day and bought me another one. Phew. So remember kids, peanut butter is a liquid (even though it’s totally not).



After stuffing ourselves, we walked down to the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden.



It was nice to be outside in the cool, crisp air. Especially since Orange County was experiencing heat in the upper 80s.



Of course we had to see the famous Spoonbridge and Cherry sculpture. Iconic.



For dinner we went to 112 Eatery where I had tres leches cake for the first time. OMG. It was incredibly rich and decadent. So good.

The following day was Monday and Rob had to work (hahahaha) so I was on my own. In Minneapolis there’s no tax on clothing or shoes so I decided to do a little retail therapy.



I started downtown and since the weather was cooler than the previous day, I took advantage of the Skyway system. This California girl loved the Skyways. They’re basically an above-ground, enclosed pedestrian walking path that connects various office towers, hotels, and shops. I didn’t have to go outside once! Ok, except to take this picture.



I even found this awesome bakery Cocoa & Fig. Their chocolate chip cookies were TODIEFOR. They even had macarons!



After lunch I took a trip out to the Mall of America. It was such an inexpensive (only $2!) and easy trip on the light rail from downtown.

I wasn’t originally planning to go to MoA but I figured that at least now I could say I’ve been there. It’s your normal suburban mall but amplified by about… a million. Not to mention that there’s a freaking amusement park in the middle of it all.



Craziness, right?

My 2 days went by in a flash. If I had more time, I would have loved to walk around the Uptown area, see the Lakes or even visit St. Paul. I guess there’s always next time. 🙂

first post of november

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How is it November already?!?

Work has been kicking my ass. The house hasn’t been cleaned and is a disaster. Laundry has been done but not folded or put away. TV hasn’t been exciting me (well ok, except for Hellcats, The Vampire Diaries, Chuck and sometimes Hawaii 5-0). And I seem to have hit a complete and total blogger’s block. ARGH.

BUT. I’m heading into a long weekend and tagging along on Rob’s business trip so maybe time away will be good. So I can recharge and relax like Diesel does every day of his life…



the weekend

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I like doing weekend photo recaps so even though I was sick and didn’t do anything exciting this past weekend, I took photos anyway.



There’s grass in our little yard now and it’s getting loooong. So Rob was on a quest to buy a lawnmower. YES, these are the things that we do over the weekend. We’re old and boring now. 😀



While we were at Home Depot, I couldn’t help checking out the faux Christmas tree display.



Rob decided he wanted the new iPhone 4 (and was going to buy me one too!) so we headed to the Apple store. Crowded as usual but we got our phones in record time. So far I LOVE it. It’s so much faster than my old 3G and the screen looks impeccable too.



Aside from those errands, I stayed home most of the weekend nursing a cold (still am, which suuuucks). Lucikily, I had all my October/November magazines…



… and Diesel to keep me company.

🙂

holidays on the brain

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I haven’t been posting much lately. There’s nothing much going on with me that’s worth committing to the blog. But I’m sick this weekend (runny nose and sore throat, yay!) so here I am.

After my birthday passes, my brain automatically goes on holiday mode. I add my holiday playlist back to iTunes and become one of *those* people who squeals when they see holiday displays in stores. Rob can only roll his eyes and steer me away in silence before I start adding unnecessary items to our cart.

First up is Halloween. We rarely do anything and this year probably won’t be any different. BUT I wonder if we’ll have any trick-or-treaters! I hope so. I haven’t seen many kids in our neighborhood besides our neighbor’s kids across the street, though. Oh, well. I’m still super excited to buy a huge bowl full of candy just in case anyone rings our doorbell. At least we’ll have extra candy around for me to eat if no one does. Heh.

For Thanksgiving it looks like my family has nominated us to host this year. Umm… yay? I’m mostly excited not to go anywhere (what can I say, I’m lazy) but am starting to wonder what we’re going to eat. Hmm…

Then finally Christmas. My favorite. I’ve started sending out wishlist requests. I’m looking for personalized cards to order (possibly with a photo of Diesel, not sure yet). I’m contemplating the purchase of a faux Christmas tree (I love the smell of a real one but dread vacuuming up the needles). And I’m throwing around the idea of having friends over for a Christmas party. Could be fun!

So yeah, those are my holiday plans so far. What about you guys?

Just for kicks, I feel like sharing my absolute FAVORITE gif of the best Sesame Street character ever…


funny GIFs - For me? You shouldn't have
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Look how happy Cookie Monster is! AWESOME.

birthday weekend

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So I celebrated my 31st (!!!) birthday this past Monday. Same day as my celebrity boyfriend Matt Bomer. And Luke Perry too.

I decided to give myself a nice long weekend and took Friday and Tuesday off from work for an awesome 5-day break. Too bad I ended up working for a few hours each day anyway. Oh well. It was still a fab weekend.

It started off with a wonderful gift from Rob…



The Kindle 3! WOOHOO. (LOVE it so far — I’ll write a proper review in the near future).



Then a quick trip to Disneyland for lunch at the Carnation Cafe where I tried the awesome baked potato soup for the first time. AMAZING.

Also had a few visits from family. First my brother-in-law and in-laws, then my cousins, and finally my dad. Lots of eating out and quality time. I’m so spoiled.



On my actual birthday, Rob took me to my happy place aka Anthropologie and treated me to a mini-shopping spree.



And we ended the day with red velvet cupcakes from Sprinkles.

I love birthdays. 🙂

the social network

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When I heard a movie about Facebook was being developed I’m pretty sure I rolled my eyes. I thought the idea was ridiculous. I imagined it to be a teen flick about friending, status updates, etc. I had absolutely no interest in the movie at all.

Then a few months back I learned that Aaron Sorkin and David Fincher were attached to write the screenplay and direct the movie, respectively. Hearing this gave me pause. I’m a huge Sorkin fan (The West Wing is one of my favorite shows and A Few Good Men one of my favorite movies) so I knew my first impression was mistaken. Not to mention that based on Fincher’s filmography (Zodiac, Fight Club, etc), this wasn’t going to be just another teen movie. It was going to be original, compelling, substantial…

And it was! I convinced Rob to see it last weekend!

THE SCRIPT IS AMAZING. From the opening scene, I was in awe of Sorkin. The dialogue is his trademark rapid-fire style that’s crisp, smart, and witty. It’s intelligent without losing its sense of humor. And it expects the audience to keep up — it’s not weighted down with any unnecessary expository dialogue.

I hope that The Social Network can overcome the reputation as “that Facebook movie” because the creation of the site is just the means of exploring the larger themes of friendship, ambition, motivation, and betrayal. The movie cuts back and forth between the present-day and flashbacks and tells the story from three different perspectives — Mark Zuckerberg (creator/co-founder), Eduardo Saverin (co-founder, original CFO before his ownership was reduced to nothing), and the Winklevoss twins (who had the idea for Harvard Connection and believe that Mark stole their idea for an exclusive social networking site). I found myself sympathizing with and understanding where everyone was coming from, especially Eduardo. If there’s a tragic party in this story, it would be him. He was just way out of his depth in the whole situation. I know the movie is a dramatization and I’m sure the creators took liberties (I’ve read that the character of Erica Albright doesn’t exist the same way she does in the movie — she’s essentially the reason Mark was motivated to create the site) but it’s so interesting to me how the basic facts of the story are true. How one young person has the ability to change the face of modern communication and bring so many people from different parts of the world together. And does so while simultaneously pushing his own friends away.

The performances from all the actors are also noteworthy. Particularly the two leads. I’ve never seen Jesse Eisenberg (Mark Zuckerberg) or Andrew Garfield (Eduardo Saverin) in any of their previous roles but I’m definitely looking forward to their next projects. Especially the latter who has just been cast as the new Spider-man. I was even impressed by Justin Timberlake (playing Napster co-founder Sean Parker)! I’m a fan of his music but haven’t thought much of his acting (being funny on SNL doesn’t really count) until now. Seriously, everyone was at the top of their game.

GO SEE IT. Highly recommended.

I’m putting some of my favorite quotes under the cut just in case you don’t want to be spoiled. I got a kick out these. 🙂
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premiere week – new shows

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The heat has been unbearable these past few days. BUT it gave Rob and me the perfect excuse to stay home, indulge in some air-conditioning, and watch all the TV that accumulated on our DVR while he was out of town.

Quick comments…

Hawaii 5-0
Total fluff. But I liked it. Mostly for the group camaraderie.

Lonestar
ARGH. I really liked this. Reminded me of old school night time soaps like the original Melrose Place. Sadly, it tanked in the ratings and this is FOX sooo… I’m not holding out hope that it’ll last longer than a few more episodes. Anyway, I actually found Bob really likable. Even if he is a conman with 2 different lives. His life in Houston intrigues me (yay Adrianne Palicki!) but I can’t say the same for his life in Midland. Is it terrible that I was actively rooting against his girlfriend Lindsay? I don’t know if it was the character or the actress but I didn’t care about her. I wonder if this show would have had better luck as a mini series instead?

Undercovers
Again with the fluff. I liked it well enough but the pilot was severely underwhelming. It wasn’t as clever or engaging as I’ve come to expect from JJ Abrams (see: Lost and Alias). The only thing I did like was that the leads are already married so we won’t have to deal with any “will they or won’t they” storylines (I hope).

I also checked out a couple of shows that weren’t on my original “To Watch” list…

The Event
Hated it. I think I’m over these types of shows (see: Nine, Lost and FlashForward) where something catastrophic happens and we’re trying to figure out what caused it and why. I didn’t even find Sean & Leila’s romance compelling. And normally I’m a sucker for that. But not even they or Blair Underwood could save this. Won’t watch again.

My Generation
This show sounded interesting enough but at the end of the pilot, I did not like a single character — Anders annoyed me because he is so obviously still in love with Brenda even though he married someone else, Brenda was too cold, Kenneth strikes me as creeeeeepy when I think he’s supposed to come across as naive and endearing, Caroline had no right to judge Steven for not meeting his son when she was the one who waited 10 years to tell him he was a father… etc etc etc. Another thing that rang false is how so many life events affected these characters (9/11, the 2000 election, Enron). Way too Forrest Gump for me.

Not really a great track record. :/ We’ll see how these shows hold up in the next few weeks.

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fall TV 10

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Rob’s been out of town these past few days so I have barely watched ANY new TV this week. I can’t wait for the weekend so we can catch up. YAY.

So I finally had the chance to read through my Fall TV Preview issue of Entertainment Weekly so of course I had to put together my TV schedule for the year (it’s jam-packed as per usual)…

MONDAYS:
Chuck @ 8pm (NBC) – One of my favorite current shows. It’s a great blend of spy action, romance, and geekiness!
Lonestar @ 9pm (FOX) – This show sounds like it has so much potential (I have yet to watch the premiere). For a season at least. Too bad it tanked in the ratings.
Gossip Girl @ 9pm (CW) – This is one of those shows where I enjoy the characters so much that I could care less what kind of antics they get into. Even the whole mess with Chuck and Blair. But their implosion did lead to a wonderfully romantic scene in the latest episode.
Hawaii 5-0 @ 10pm (CBS) – I wasn’t sure if I was going to watch this show (I mean, really CBS? Alex O’Laughlin AGAIN?) but over the past few weeks heading into the premiere, I’ve seen many articles praising the quality of the pilot so I’m going to check it out. Plus, Daniel Dae Kim and Scott Caan rarely disappoint.

TUESDAYS:
No Ordinary Family @ 8pm (ABC) – Sounds like Heroes without the unneccessary drama. And Autumn Reeser’s in the cast. Love her.
Glee @ 8pm (FOX) – I’m not as enamored with this show as I was when it premiered. Overall, the first season was a mixed bag for me and I have real problems with several storylines (fake pregnancy, almost everything Mr. Schuester related, and the general way female characters are treated). Buuut, I’m a sucker for the music and the actors sooo… here it is.
One Tree Hill @ 8pm (CW) – Guilty pleasure.
Life Unexpected @ 9pm (CW) – Actually, I’m on the fence. I spent the past few days watching the last half of the first season and was really disappointed with the way it ended (love triangle culminating in a finale where Baze rushed to the church only to see Cate & Ryan get married). UGH. Enough with the love triangles. There’s so much drama they could mine without it.
The Good Wife @ 10pm (CBS) – YES. SO looking forward to this season. Definitely one of my new favorite shows.

Looks like V is premiering sometime in November but I probably won’t watch anymore. Snoozefest.

WEDNESDAYS:
Undercovers @ 8pm (NBC) – I have a feeling the promos are sexier and flashier than the actual show. But it’s a JJ Abrams show and I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt.
Modern Family @ 9pm (NBC) – The only sitcom I watch regularly.
Hellcats @ 9pm (CW)
The Whole Truth @ 10pm (ABC) – Will probably watch on and off. Only watching to begin with because of Rob Morrow.

No more Cougar Town for me. I watched the first half of the first season and kinda forgot about it. I think 1 sitcom is enough for me.

THURSDAYS:
Bones @ 8pm (FOX) – Last season was disappointing. Hoping this season will be better…
The Vampire Diaries @ 8pm (CW) – Another one of my current FAVES. The characters are awesome and all the storylines are important and relevant. Seriously, this show is amaze-balls.
Grey’s Anatomy @ 9pm (ABC) – I didn’t watch the last half of season 6 but I did catch the finale and it doesn’t seem like I missed much. The finale was completely over the top (and probably only done to thin out the cast) but that’s why I like this show.
CSI @ 9pm (CBS)
Nikita @ 9pm (CW)

FRIDAYS:
Smallville @ 8pm (CW) – I barely watched last year but since this is the final season, I’m going to watch regularly. I hope. AND OMG Teri Hatcher will be playing Lois Lane’s mom. SO AWESOME. I’m also crossing my fingers for Michael Rosenbaum to return as Lex Luthor. While I’m at it — maybe Kristin Kreuk too?
Supernatural @ 9pm (CW) – Another show that was disappointing last season but I love the Winchesters so much I can’t give them up… yet.

SUNDAYS:
CSI: Miami @ 10pm (CBS)

My cable shows are on hiatus so it’s all network TV for now. I think that’s it. BWAHAHAHAHA.

I’d also love to check out Castle, Parenthood, Dexter and Fringe but I feel like I need to watch the previous seasons first. Maybe someday.

So… what are you planning to watch this season? 🙂

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photo dump

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Sometimes I randomly take pictures with my iPhone and never do anything with them. So… photo dump! I thought it would be a fun little glimpse into my life these past few weeks.



Now that we have a mortgage, Rob and I are trying to be better at cooking at home instead of buying take-out all the time. We attempted to make margherita pizza. It’s not pretty but it sure was YUMMY.



We also made some amazing (if I do say so myself) chocolate chip cookies. Thank you, Martha. This recipe is a must-try!



Around the house. In our office, we bought this awesome Expedit to house our toys and books. Can you spot Diesel? Hehe.



We’re getting our yard landscaped at the moment. The motorcourt in front of our house is lined with pavers.



Here’s the current state of our yard. They framed the area where the pavers are going to go and have started to lay the foundation for the rest.



And finally, this week’s flowers. Beautiful yellow mums from Trader Joe’s. Because everyone needs some sunshine in their life.

🙂