Flourescent Nightmare

It's been a few years since I've gone to a nail salon for a pedicure. I have no problem doing my own nails. And I'm cheap. But a few weeks ago as I was straining to reach my toes, I decided that next time I was going to be paying someone to reach them for me. "Next time" was on Thursday.

I've got to hand it to those nail girls... it's a job I'd never want to have. Unfortunately, most of them are a little hard to understand. This was the case on Thursday. And gosh who knew this was a sales job! The girl kept pushing me to upgrade to the Deluxe or even the Supreme Package. Nope, just the basic pedicure. That's all I want. But somehow during the 30 minutes or so I was sitting there she must have tricked me into agreeing to something extra. Sure the massage and all that is nice, but all I really wanted was to have my toe nails trimmed and painted. $30 later I walked out with soft, smooth feet and perfectly manicured nails.

But wait....

How did I end up with this awful color on my toes? Did I pick this? I promise it looked much better in the bottle. And I think the lighting in the salon made it look different too. (The picture actually looks better than the real life version too.) So now what? I have flourescent pink toes that I paid $30 for! That day I abandoned my flip flops and wore shoes for the first time in months. When I took them off, my worst fears were confirmed. The first thing Charlie said to me was "that color is AWFUL!"

What should I do? Pay to have them re-done? Try and reach them myself? Or just live with this flourescent nightmare for the next few weeks until I can finally bend at the waist again?

4th of July

Charlie & I started out our holiday by waking up early for the Woodbridge 5k/10k run. This is just one of the many fun activites that our community hosts for the 4th of July. We decided that we'll do the run every year as part of our holiday tradition. (I already checked for next year and they do allow jogging strollers on the course!) Charlie ran the 10k while I walked the 5k with my pregnant friend Christy and her husband Tennyson. Aftwards, we went to their house for a yummy breakfast.

Later in the afternoon we met up with my family at my aunt & uncle's house in Anaheim Hills. The kids all went swimming and we had a BBQ with lots of good food. We decided to bring Cracker with us because we felt bad leaving him alone all evening and were worried he'd freak out during the Woodbridge firework show. We are becoming "those people" who bring our dog with us everywhere we go! But everyone seemed to like having him at our 4th of July gathering. And he enjoyed crawling around under the table eating any crumbs that happened to drop.

Just before dark we headed over to the park to watch the firework show. We thought we had a great spot, but as the show got started we soon realized that the show didn't have much height to it. About half the show was hidden behind the trees! And poor Cracker was terrified by the fireworks.

We had a nice 4th of July and enjoyed having a day off of work!

"Cracker, how do you plead?"......"Not Guilty!"

Welcome Home Cracker!

We finally got our little dog. He is a 4 year old miniature dachshund named Cracker. We think he's adorable! His owner was sent to Iraq and the wife moved in with her mother. The mother didn't want Cracker, so they took him back to the breeder where they originally got him.

He is such a good dog! He is very well behaved and affectionate. We think he's feeling a little attention starved after being abondoned by his owners. He had been back at the breeder for three months, living with 130 other dachshunds. Poor little guy.

Now he is home with us. He absolutely LOVES Charlie. He follows him all around the house. I think he likes me too, but Charlie is definitely his new best friend.

The Next Best Thing...

...to Sprinkles Cupcakes would have to be the Barefoot Contessa box mixes.

Yesterday I decided to stop by Sprinkles to pick up a few Father's Day cupcakes for Charlie. I figured the store would be busy, but as I pulled into the parking lot I realized that "busy" was a major understatement! After finally finding a parking spot clear on the other side of the shopping center, I made my way to the store and took my place at the end of an incredibly long line.

The last time I had seen the Sprinkles line even close to this long was on Valentine's Day - and even then it was only half as long as what I was facing yesterday. After about ten minutes I threw in the towel. I knew I wouldn't be leaving with cupcakes anytime in the next hour or more.

But then on my way back to the car I decided to stop in Sur La Table. Lo and behold the Barefoot Contessa cupcake mixes!!! Charlie and I had tried the chocolate ones before and they were fantastic. This time I went for the coconut. I made a second stop at Bristol Farms to pick up a few ingredients. $14 (these mixes aren't cheap) and 10 minutes later I was on my way. I glanced at the Sprinkles line again as I drove past... the guy in the green shirt who had been in front of me hadn't moved an inch.

Making the cupcakes myself probably took just about as long as I would have spent standing in line at Sprinkles. And for $14 I now have a dozen cupcakes instead of just 4. They are worth every penny. These things are to die for. If you'd like to try one, just stop by before we finish them all off!

The Impossible Rescue

For the past month, we have been trying to adopt a dog. What we thought would be a quick and easy process and turned out to be very frustrating and disappointing.

In case you were wondering.....we did not get Buddy (from Carrie's post below). The owners never called us back. We don't consider ourselves too picky....we want a medium sized dog that is not a puppy and is somewhat well behaved.

We were hoping to adopt a Dachsund named "Brownie". His owner is a Chinese woman in Garden Grove who worked too much and no time for him. After two weeks of emails, phone calls, and cancelled meetings, she decided to give Brownie to a family member. We liked him and were sad when we didn't get him. Here's a picture of Brownie:

Later, we found another dog on the internet. His name was Buddy. He is a black dachsund, that is 3 years old, house trained, and a little overweight. (this Buddy is not to be confused with the original Buddy in a previous post). We called the animal rescue, spoke with the adoption coordinator many times, filled out the applications, our references were called, and we set up an appointment on Friday night to go to Pomona on Tuesday for the final interview and adoption. We received an email from them today telling us they gave Buddy to someone else! We were very angry and disapointed. Over the weekend we went out and bought a collar, leash, dog bowls, toys, crate, and special diet dog food.

Our serach continues for a dog.........we didn't think it would be this hard. We'll keep you posted.

Buddy Needs a Home

Charlie & I have been wanting to get a dog for a long time. We figured it would be best to wait until I stop working so that our dog won't have to be home alone all day. So we have been counting down the months until the baby comes, and are looking forward to two new additions to the family.

We want to get a rescue dog rather than a new puppy. I don't know that I could handle a new baby AND a new puppy. Occasionally I browse Craigslist or Petfinder.com, just for fun, to see all of the cute dogs that need homes.

Last week I found Buddy. Isn't he adorable?! We were planning to wait a few more months, but when I saw this guy I changed my mind.

"Buddy is an addorable, loving mix. He is three years old, has been lovingly cared for and is in perfect health. He is well trained, does fabulous tricks, loves running and playing with other dogs."

Sounds like the perfect dog! Plus, his headline says he is kid friendly. PERFECT!!! Charlie is sold too. I e-mailed his owner a few days ago... still no response. I just tried calling her. No answer. Could it be that she has already found a new home for Buddy? I'm heartbroken!

You might be a foodie if......

you can correctly match the word to its correct definition:

Foie Gras (pronounced Pho Graw)
a) A German pork sausage
b) Fattened Goose/Duck Liver
c) A type of sushi hand roll
d) A type of lettuce used in French salads

Beef Tartar (pronounced Beef Tar-Tar)
a) Filet Mignon served medium rare
b) Raw Ground Beef served in a special sauce
c) Beef prepared in a special tomato based sauce, usually served with sautéed onions and mushrooms
d) Build-up on your teeth resulting from eating too many hamburgers

My first job out of college was selling gourmet cookware to the rich and/or famous of Los Angeles. I spent long hours in specialty and department stores in the Westside of Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, and Pasadena trying to convince consumers to spend $400 on a cookware set. It was actually much easier than it sounds. Because of the brand and product I was pushing, consumers assumed I was a gourmet cook or foodie. The truth is, I was a much better actor. As they told me about the delicious paella they cooked last weekend or their search for the perfect tagine pan, I nodded my head with perfect understanding. And during that first job, I became what I call a wanna-be foodie. Certainly I have appreciation for good food made from the finest and freshest ingredients, but I think my equal enthusiasm for both Del Taco and Nobu’s restaurant eliminates me from membership in the foodie scene.

At work, I manage a marketing budget that includes a small amount of money we dedicate towards consumer advertising. Fine Cooking Magazine (FCM) is one of the magazines we advertise in. This past week, while at a trade show in Orlando, my colleague and I, went to dinner with an account manager from FCM. Knowing FCM and trying to avoid a four hour, five course meal at a French restaurant, I told her “We don’t need anything super fancy,” in the email I sent a few weeks prior to the dinner. The day of our dinner, I learned our spot for dinner that night. It was at ‘Norman’s” at the Ritz Carlton. Unless ‘Norman’s” was their pool side grill, I knew it was a destination for a true foodie.

As I looked over the menu, I was pleased to find that I recognized most of the dishes on the menu. For appetizers we shared foie gras, beef tartar, and ceviche,. I was embarrassed to ask, “what’s beef tartar?” After tasting a small bite, I was disappointed as I concluded that I really didn’t like it. In fact I had a hard time swallowing it and quickly reached for my sparkling water to rinse it down. Between appetizers and the first course, I thought, “I think this means I’m not a foodie. I knew I didn’t like raw oysters or caviar or foie gras, and now I don’t like beef tartar.”

After a full week of many delicious gourmet meals, I found myself craving “normal food”. I think this must be a sign that I am not a true foodie. For breakfast on the morning of our last day of the trade show, we jumped in the rental car and I announced, “we’re going to Cracker Barrel.” While I devoured my two eggs (over easy), biscuits and gravy, two strips of bacon, and sausage patty, I realized……it’s ok not to be a foodie. A wanna-be foodie enjoys the best of both worlds….and certainly never goes hungry because of it.

By the way….the answer for the questions above is B.

Nesting Instinct

Def: Around the fifth month of pregnancy, the "nesting" instinct can set in. This is an uncontrollable urge to clean one's house brought on by a desire to prepare a nest for the new baby, to tie up loose ends of old projects and to organize your world.

I now feel slightly less crazy when stating that the highlight of my weekend was scrubbing the kitchen sink. Sure, my weekend was a little on the dull side (I have a cold and Charlie is out of town), but I really did get a thrill out of this sink scrubbing.

If you've never heard of a little wonder called Bar Keepers Friend, I suggest you give it a try. This is no ordinary cleanser! As their website says: "Once Tried, Always Used! Bar Keepers Friend will be your "cleaning friend" for life!" I'm sold.

The kitchen sink in our new place was pretty nasty looking. It was covered in stains, scratches, knicks, and paint drips. Since the previous owner had the whole place professionaly cleaned when he left, I assumed the sink was a goner. I'd tried cleaning it once or twice already but it still looked pretty much the same. Then my nesting instinct kicked in and I was suddenly inspired to start scrubbing! Add a lot of arm muscle, a hearty sprinkling of Bar Keepers Friend, and an hour later our once nasty old sink now looks brand new! (Well, "new" with a few knicks out of it.) I was truly amazed at the transformation. I wish I had some before and after pictures.

Favorites of a Road Warrior

I have spent the past 24 hours in dreary New Jersey. This trip can be very typical of my life on the road. I wake up early (4 AM), catch a flight across the country, arrive in destination, sleep, meet with customers the next day and catch a flight back home. My hotel in NJ was sandwiched between two interstates and my room had a perfect view of the Manhattan skyline about 10 miles in the distance. It was torture being in NJ and not in NYC.



The trip has made me think about how New Jersey has got to be one of the worst places for a business trip. So I've complied a short list of my favorite and least favorite places to travel on business. Here they are:

My Favorite Places for Business Travel

1. Italy - It's tough selling Italian made cookware (really- it is) but annual visits to our factory somehow eases it a bit.
   
2. New York - Great city but very expensive - it's always nice when the company pays the bills


3. Bentonville, AR - Home of Wal-Mart- I feel like an anthropology student in rural Arkansas. Hillbillies wearing bib overalls driving old Chevy trucks are for real! The picture below is the corporate office of the world's second largest company!

Honorable mentions go to Costa Rica and Miami- both places with great food, color, and life.

My Least Favorite Places for Business Travel

1) New Jersey - I think the state lacks character and has confusing highways and unfriendly people

2) Las Vegas - Too hot, too crowded, and unexciting, but unfortunately the place of many trade shows.

3) Portland, OR- (Sorry Mikael) Everytime I am there it's raining. Three years ago I arrived during the worst snow storm in a decade. The "gorge" froze over and I was stuck in an airport hotel for 3 days!

On Saturday I'm off to Orlando. I've only been there one time for less than two days. It was not enough to make a judgement. I'll have to let you know if it makes either list.

And the Winner Is.......

Carrie and I are huge fans of the Food Network. We love all the stars (Rachel, Emeril, Giada, Paula, etc) and all the shows (Unwrapped, Iron Chef, etc)

In case you missed it, the Food Network had it's first ever Food Network Award Show. They named the best "Artisan Confectioners", "Inroads in Ice Cream", and "Fast Food with Character" among many other categories.

Well we have decided to give out our own awards. They are:

Best Local Indulgence: Sprinkles Cupcakes, Newport Beach, CA

Best Cheap Eat in Irvine: SuperMex

Favorite Mexican Salsa: El Pinto Salsa (New Mexico's Finest)

Best Promotional/Seasonal Treat: McDonald's Shamrock Shakes

Favorite from the Frozen Food Aisle: Marie Calendar's Mac & Cheese

Favorite Cereal: Kirkland Cranberry Macadamia Nut Crunch

Favorite International Food Destination: Italy

Favorite Domestic Food Destination: Atlanta

Best Nachos: Rubios Baja Grill

Favorite Healthy Snack: Trader Joe's Hummus & Pita Bread

Beverage of Choice: Diet Coke & Crystal Light

Favorite Sushi Roll: Spider Soft Shell Crab Roll

Favorite Pizzeria: Pizzetta- Kauai, HI

Favorite Sonic Drink: Diet Cherry Limeaid Slush

Best Fast Food Item: Taco Bell's Enchirito (back after 10+ year absence)

Favorite Airplane Travel Snack: Peanut M&M's

Best Bottled Water: Fiji

Best Room Service: Surf & Sand- Laguna Beach, CA

Would This Pay the Bills?

Both times I have come to Hawaii, I can not help but think......how can I live here? It's absolutely beautiful and leaving is painful.

Because I do not think there is much of a demand for Sales & Marketing Managers for Consumer Products on these islands, it would probably require a career change. But that's ok....aren't we suppose to change carrers 4 to 5 times during our life? So maybe it's time for my first change?