Going for a ride.

Every now and then we all need a break. I need a break. I think I need a break from lots of things... but I am going to take a break from writing for the rest of May. I'll be back on June 1st. I'll get to spend more time reading your blogs... and maybe doing some things for myself. Be back in eleven days.

Need Some Tiki Time.

I am in need of some Tiki time. I need a few tasty Tiki drinks with little umbrellas, huge pieces of fruit, and two straws... of course two straws. I love the Tiki bars. I cannot afford to fly off to some island whenever I want (bummer), but I can always get that fix by going to a good Tiki bar.

I am in need of some Tonga Room time... which is my favorite Tiki bar. The Tonga Room is in the basement of the Fairmont in San Francisco. They have two fantastic things there:
1. A little lake with a boat on it which a band plays on. Over the little lake they have rain storms. It's so great!
2. They have a drink called a "Lava Bowl for 4" and it is fantastic! Two will put four people on their ass. If you have the guts to steal one... they make an excellent water dish for a house pet.

Chicago use to have a Trader Vic's in the basement of the Palmer House (why are Tiki bars in the basement?)... but that has been gone for over a year now. There is talk about a new one opening in Chicago soon, but so far no address has been given out.

Any tips on good Tiki bars?

Brooklyn Roads.

This week was the first time I pulled out my bicycle this Spring... this year. After forgetting how to put air in the tires (there is a trick to my bike) and swearing at it for a few minutes (OK, maybe more than a few minutes) I finally got the tires pumped and ready to ride (OK, the next day).

I love riding bikes through the neighborhood streets. I am not the best person to ride with (just ask LP) since I like to go at my own pace (fast), but I can slow it down if need be. The way I learned how to slow my bike riding down was by doing it with one had (and put a drink in the other).

When I first moved to NYC (in my 20's) I lived for a few weeks with my two of friends (we're not friends anymore which is a big bummer) who had an extra room for me to crash in. Jeff and I would spend summer evenings riding around Carol Gardens and Red Hook with a gin & tonic in one hand and the handle bars in the other. We would ride around for hours getting tipsy and singing "Big Girls Don't Cry" from the top of our lungs. Who knows why we chose that song, it just seems very Brooklyn. Maybe we should of been singing "Brooklyn Roads" instead. This was not the smartest of activities... we did break a few glasses (maybe more than a few), and I did run right into a light post (and a fire hydrant).

I miss those summer evenings... but this summer I am ready to make some new drinking and riding memories in Chicago. Who's in?

Bye Bye Lorelia & Rory (200)

Today is significant to me for three very different reasons:

The first is that tonight is the series finale of The Gilmore Girls. Yep, this is the last time I'll be writing about one of my favorite television shows. Sure, the past two years have not been the best - but this year it has come around well enough to end on a high note. Sadly The Gilmore Girls never got the recognition it truly deserved... it got passed off as a chick show. Sure, it might be - but this show has had some of the best writing television has ever seen. The fast paced dialog mixed with pop culture references reminded me a lot of Moonlighting (for those who can remember that show). Writer/critics always loved the show... and the television industry always ignored it. So the ending is here, and as ReckenRoll would say... Sadcakes.

The second is that today is my good friend LJ's 30th Birthday. Wishing I was there to celebrate with him in PDX today. Happy Birthday LJ!

The third part of today's significance... this is my 200th post. Thanks to all of you who read and post... especially since I've been slacking on reading other blogs the past few weeks.

White Castle.

I love White Castle. Actually I love the idea of White Castle more than I love an actual White Castle burger. The proof is that the last time I went to a White Castle was the summer of 1984. Yep. Almost 23 years ago. But the last three weeks it has been in my head, and in what comes out my mouth (the words, not barf).

Last week was an all around crummy week for me, so LP decided to drive me to White Castle this past weekend. Holy Crap! White Castle is all that and a bag of chips! I got the four little burgers with fries and a Coke. Delicious. So small, but so tasty. So greasy. So perfect. All my problems and crankiness went away. All I could focus on was the heavenly taste of meaty (or meat substitute) goodness.

White Castle, I am sure I'll be back again... at least once in the next 23 years.

Learning Australian.

The Australian thing I learned this week...

In America some people call this a "boob tube."

In Australia people call this a "boob tube"... which make more sense I think.

No, I'm Your Next American Girl.

On my walk from the L to my doctor's office to get drugs for my allergies (which I did, and they are great) I walked by the American Girl's Place. If you do not know what an American Girl doll is you should count yourself lucky (that is why there is no link). Outside the closed America Girl Place was a huge line... super, enormous, gigantic line. The last time I saw a line like that in a big city was for the opening of Star Wars, Episode I.

I just figured the line must be for the release of some new American Girl doll. But this line seemed different. Since I was waiting at a red light to cross the street I had a few minutes to gawk. It seemed like every little girl in the line was holding a doll that perfectly matched what they were wearing. Each little girl seemed to be wearing make-up... and these girls were too young to be wearing make-up. The parents in line all looked a little on edge, and all wear were their Sunday best. What the hell was going on?

Later in the day I found my answer... it was a casting call for the next American Girl movie. Kit Kittredge: An American Girl Mystery is the name of it, and if you did not know Kit Kittredge is a girl growing up in 1934 during the Great Depression. This movie is going to be in theaters... it's not a straight to DVD kind of thing.

I'm always bitching about my career, or lack of it, and I did not put two and two together to get myself in that line. Sure, I know I would not get picked for Kit - but maybe her Uncle that dances and sings (there must be an Uncle that dances and sings).

Allergies.

I am dealing with allergies. Sneeze Sneeze. I'll be back when I get them under control... hopefully tomorrow. Sniff Sniff.

A Yahoo Bummer.

I have had the same Yahoo email address for almost ten years. In the past month I just started getting spam. Such a bummer. I know that every day this will only get worse. More and more crappy little spams will creep into my In-Box. Grrr. It will get so bad that I will have to get a new email address. I know, I know, it's a free email address - but I have had it for almost ten years. Poop. I hate spam.

This Spam is actually better than email spam.

Mike Sanders.

Last night I was out drinking with some friends in the Loop. There is a music convention in town so there were tons of schmoozy people out and about. The nice part was free drinks (and yes I did write down how many I had... and no, I'm not going to tell you).

When I got home Late Night with Conan O'Brien was on so I sat on the couch, inhaled some water (yes, I counted those too), and ate some left-overs that were in the refrigerator. I rarely watch Conan since it's on when I am sleeping. This week the show is taping in San Francisco, and to remind you... I was born in the Bay Area so it had my interest. Well something crazy happened. One of my best friends in high school was on the show. There was a segment where Conan goes to George Lucas' Industrial Light & Magic, and I know that Mike Sanders has worked there a while so I was curious to see if he would be in the segment. And the BAM! He was. He did this whole part with Conan were he made Conan put on this techy-space-suit and he was able to animate characters on this huge screen just be moving his body. It was classic! I have not seen Mike in years, but I'd like to say... Way to go Mike Sanders!

I fell asleep on the couch soon after that. I woke up at 3:30am... and I was wide awake. I turned on the TV and I really could not stop thinking about Mike Sanders being on Conan. It was not so much that he was on Conan... it was more that he has a solid career doing something pretty fantastic. Not me. My career is non-existent. I just have a job. I would not call it a career. I really want to get a career... but it does not seem to be in the cards for me lately. I fell back asleep and woke up this morning still a little bummed out.

My Little Black Book.

I have a little black book. It's not what you think it is. It's just a notebook that I keep with me in my messenger bag. Yep, I'm one of those people who always seems to have a bag with me. But, for the record, I do not wear a white belt, nor do I ride a fixed-gear bike. Back to the little black book... I use it to write random things that pop into my head. Things like band names, two or three words to describe an idea for the blog, a restaurant to check out. You get the idea. There are no secrets in there, just lots of random words. It's useful.

This month I am using my little black book for a new use. This month I have decided to keep track of what I drink. Not everything I drink, but most things. I consume fluids so quickly it's not good for me. I am not just talking about alcohol. Some times I don't realize that I just drank three Cokes and my stomach feels like an explosion for a reason. So my little black book will help me keep track of everything. I eat too fast too, but I've been working on slowing down.

What I am keeping track of:
1. Alcohol Units: I know that "units" sounds so Bridget Jones, but I don't want to separate bottles of beer from glasses of wine from shots of booze... although I really do not drink hard alcohol.
2. Pop: I am trying to embrace the Midwest term "Pop." So any soda, pop, coke, fizzy can or bottle or fountain of whatever. I don't drink that much of it, but I might be surprised that I drink more than I think.
3. Water: Something I need to increase, so I want to see how much I really do drink.

What I am not keeping track of:
1. Coffee: I only drink 1-3 cups a day. I am not obsessed with it, so why track it.
2. Slurpees: It's not warm enough for them, but if I keep doing this tracking I might need to put them in the "Pop" category.
3. Juices: I drink at most one small glass of juice a day... I tend to eat fruit instead. So it is pointless to track it.

I will hopefully give you all results at the end of the month. I know, I know - you are all so excited you cannot control yourselves.