Sometimes I feel as though I write about the same thing all the time, and occasionally wonder if people think, "Really? Again with the birthday? Again with SoCal?" But then I remember that this is the space where I leave so much of what rumbles around my head, and so be it if it happens to not include much variety.
(Incidentally, I do think about lots of things all the time. Like how irritated I was that Comcast was hacked last Thursday and for six hours my emails went into a black hole, but Comcast didn't notify me of that, Typepad did when I complained that I wasn't receiving my comments in my inbox.
Or how I was generally excited that the Oregon primary meant something, and how exciting it was that today's South Dakota (!!) primary meant something even though it didn't actually mean anything to me since I am not a registered Democrat.
Or how just tonight a guy that I do not know tried to become my friend in Facebook, and it felt very highschoolish to hit that "Ignore" button, but really? Sure, we went to high school together, but he was a mean guy three years younger than me who bullied other kids around school and his profile picture doesn't appear like he's changed his ways too much.
Or how I am excited beyond measure that So You Think You Can Dance is back on tv for the summer, and it is seriously one of the best talent competitions. Ever. I am not just saying that.)
Anyway, back to non-parenthetical writings...I just have to finish writing about my trip to visit my sister in Pasadena because it's like my dad says: "If you don't take a picture, then it never happened." For me, if I don't write about it, then it never happened. Or something.
My favorites...
- Walking around Old Town Pasadena
What a fabulous downtown area Pasadena has! You can even pick up a very handy map in the Old Schoolhouse parking garage, which Andrea and I used for our afternoon adventure. Sure it's easy to just stick around the main street there, but venture off the path. The library, the old capitol-ish looking building, the little hidden alleyway full of gorgeous purple flowers and beautiful artwork--all worthwhile destinations.
- Having lunch at Cafe Santorini (check out their website for cool pictures)
Thanks to a recommendation from Alida, my sister and I had lunch here where I ate the best salad I have ever had in my life. My sister had pizza that was dripping with chunks of delicious mozzarella cheese. I'm so hungry right now for that salad.
- Pinkberry. Swirly yogurty goodness that causes me to look off to the heavens in delight whilst wandering the aisles of The Container Store.
- Going to see Wicked.
My sister surprised me with tickets to the show, and I was blown away. Blown away, I tell you! The review outside the theatre said I'd laugh, I'd cry, I'd think. And what do you know, all those things were true. As a random sidenote: my sister told me that our destination for Friday evening was at Pantages Theatre, and I speculated that whatever entertainment was going down involved Pandas. From the ages. Fighting Pandas of the Ages. Yikes.
Fortunately, Wicked was way better than even the fiercest panda bears. Lynette asked in an earlier comment if I saw it with Megan Hilty and Eden Espinosa, but Espinosa had been replaced with Caissie Levy, who had been recently replaced with Teal Wicks, who did a remarkable job. Ah, but it was Megan Hilty's performance that I found so brilliant and hysterical. Loved her. Want to see it again. If you ever get a chance to see it, I highly recommend it. If you live in SoCal, why haven't you seen this show yet!? Go! And then go again! And then tell me all about it so I can be green with envy.
- Hanging out at Venice Beach and Santa Monica pier.
In case you missed that adventure, let me direct you to this post.
- Going to The Getty
Sure, sure, museums may not be your thing, but the view...my gosh, the view! It's spectacular. Admission is free, but parking is $8. Amazing gardens and sculptures abound. And peculiar sculptures too.
There was a lot we didn't bother seeing, but I had to check out the Monet paintings, since the impressionists are just my favorite. So pretty and blurry and full of pastels. Kind of like a great deal of my life.
- Dinner at the Black Cow Cafe in Montrose
After The Getty on Sunday, my sister and I had some free time, so I searched Sunset for any SoCal recommendations. Found a clever little article espousing the virtues of Montrose, and even though most of the shops were closed on Sunday, we still were lucky enough to have dinner at the Black Cow Cafe, where we were thoroughly entertained by our server, Victor. Just as the article mentioned, the Mexican hot chocolate really is something else.
A hike to the falls at Eaton Canyon, a visit to a park in San Dimas, and movie viewings of Death at a Funeral (hilarious) and Dan in Real Life (just okay) rounded off my excellent trip down south. There's more I could write about--how everybody drives so fast down there, left-hand exits off the freeway (what!?), the night scene in Hollywood (not my scene), wishing we could have eaten at the Armenian restaurant near my sister's apartment--but I'll just have to keep all that to myself.
Most of all, it was nice to hang out with my sister. Even though we are certainly at different stages in life, and even though we have quite different personalities, we still laugh at the same things, enjoy doing a lot of the same things, and generally like hanging around each other. That's what the trip was all about, and that's what I got to do. I won't be seeing her again until Christmas, so it was definitely cool to spend some sisterly bonding time together. Very, very cool.
(c) Creature Bug 2008. All rights reserved.
