Attacked!

Happy Monday! There’s not such a thing but one of these days I’m going to convince myself that a happy monday exists out there. I know I shouldn’t complain because I’m working a temp gig that isn’t challenging whatsoever but the sleep fairy was not on my side last night. I went to Barnes & Noble last night after dinner and read some magazines awhile because I’m cheap like that. I caught up on my celebrity gossip thanks to US Weekly —Jennifer Aniston is having a baby—whaaaaaa? And then I picked up an issue of Hello magazine and caught up on my British celebrity gossip. I recognized a few names here and there but others I had no clue about and couldn’t tell you who I read about if you paid me. But for some reason these strangers stuck with me in my dreams last night. I’m not talking some freaky freaky dreams, I’m talking violent-let’s-set-people-on-fire-and-shoot-people kind of dreams. All I recall is one of the rugby players I read about being the head honcho of some renegade hoodlum group. A renegade hoodlum group  who would go into banks and restaurants robbing people then murdering them. Pleasant right? The fact that they were all gorgeous, wore cowboy hats and had accents didn’t help either. Just another case of me liking the bad boys. Then I remember Bindi Irwin holding a koala in Outback Steakhouse while reciting a poem about how wonderful the Alice Springs Chicken is.

(source)

No, no thumbs up Bindi. What the hell is wrong with me? Why are my own thoughts attacking me in my dreams?

Not an ideal way to start off my Monday but at least I had a pleasing weekend. I took a stab at making green salsa. It’s been forever and a day since I made salsa so it was long overdue plus I’ve never made the green variety before but found a great deal on tomatillo’s at the swap shop. I picked out six of them and removed the husks and cleaned them off. It took a little longer than normal since they were sticky but once I did I chopped into quarters.

I also chopped up some cilantro, three deseeded jalapenos, one plum tomato and red onion. I threw that in my magic bullet along with some minced garlic and water and voila-green salsa!

I’m not sure why it came out so frothy but once it settled it was tasty and something different.  I made so much of it I wasn’t sure what to do with it. The original plan was to make chicken tacos but I really wasn’t feeling that. I racked my brain thinking of what I could make and brought back another oldie but goodie-nachos.

Oh cheesy nachos, you make me want to sing to the heavens. Nachos are the sole reason why I can’t keep tortilla chips in the house regularly since I could eat them every day without thinking twice. I attacked that plate as soon as it was done in the microwave, poor thing didn’t even have a chance. The next morning I spiced up my scrambled egg wrap by adding the green salsa to the wraps.

Saturday morning I woke up bright and early and ready to take on the day but unfortunately I didn’t have anything to do until the afternoon. I went to the gym and had a nice sweat session on the elliptical and some lower body moves.

I was shortly reunited with an old flame

 

I got the roasted pork with rice and veggies. I guess they consider the onions on top and peas in the rice veggies? Oh well, works for me. I miss Pollo Tropical so much and its one of the perks being back in FL. When I lived in AZ there was El Pollo Loco which doesn’t hold a candle to Pollo Tropical. Plus, cmon, I do not want to eat a crazy chicken. If I’m eating chicken, I prefer to think that he was a stable chicken with no mental problems.
Afterwards I hung out with the pool and that’s when the attack began. There were these nasty bugs in the pool. I am not completely afraid of bugs but once I see bugs with wings, I get freaked out. Pretty much anything with wings freaks me out and don’t even get me started on birds. When I see pigeons or crows, I cower away afraid that something out of “The Birds” is going to happen to me.

And I’ve never even seen The Birds but I can only imagine when it’s about and have visuals of crows pecking at my gorgeous face. Meh. And once again, ADD has taken over…..back to the story

I was in the pool, minding my own business when this creepy wingy bug swims over to me and jumps on me. I flip out, shriek, splash around and he is still on me. My dad was sitting on the patio reading and threw me a cup to get him out of the pool with. I finally get him in the cup, throw him on the ledge and kill him. I go back to where I was standing, reading my book in the pool. Bliss. No bugs and a good, fun read in my hands.

 

I’ve read this book twice before but love anything by Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez. If you haven’t read any of her books, please go out and read one of my favorite books of all time, The Dirty Girls Social Club. 

ADD, right……

Soon enough I  see another creepy crawly swimming in there but coming right towards me. I didn’t freak out as much this time around but I got him in the cup and had a repeat session of the first victim. And what do you know, again, another ones comes after me. I think it was their dad or something trying to avenge their death because he attached myself to their bathing suit and would not let go. I finally got him into the cup and put him onto the ledge to meet his demise. And the effer was smart because he got away. He played a game of cat and mouse for 10 minutes and then he escaped for good. I thought I was just being dramatic at first about the bugs following me but my dad even admitted it was a bit odd that they were going after me. I don’t know where he is or where he is hiding out but I have a feeling we will meet again. When I walk out onto our patio area, I keep scouring the pool for him. I am afraid of this little bug for some reason and the next meeting, I’m not going to be so nice.

 

Once the bug drama was done with, Mickey came in the pool to float around for a few minutes. Seriously, how cute is this dog? He’s not as agile as he once was but I’m hoping Mickey hangs in there for another year. He can’t hear or really see anymore but doesn’t appear to be in pain. I feel bad for Lincoln because Mickey is the OB (original baby) and I coddle him like there is no tomorrow. Whenever I walk in, I say hi to Lincoln and give him kisses but quickly pick up Mickey, hold him like a baby and rub his belly and ears. Lincoln has bigger fish to fry though, like avoiding being attacked by grandma. Lincoln goes in her bed every night to cuddle with her. But I walked in the other night and saw him pinned down, not being able to move from the force that is grandma’s thigh.

I guess we are all being attacked over here, physically and mentally.

Do you remember your dreams?  I tend to have super weird ones like last night or can’t remember anything at all. One of my favorites was when I came home drunk one night and dreamed that Alec Baldwin was the leader of a cult and tried to kill me. I tried to escape him but he was on the mission to have my murdered and tried to get me via speedboat chase, a run through the jungle and chasing me in a case on a winding road. Thankfully he never caught me but when I woke up the next morning, I turned on the tv and The Hunt For Red October was on. Freaky.

What’s your favorite salsa?  Do you buy it or make it? If you make it, please share your recipe!

Housesitting

In honor of Matilda, Neyal sent me a link about a monkey rescued from a thrift store, just like Matilda! well except the whole sadistic monkey thing like Copernicus. I read the post while at the library and had to leave because I was crying from laughing and fear of peeing my pants at the library.

And I know, there’s been a lack of Matilda lately (which you may be happy about since some think she is creepy) Although South Florida is a mecca for retirees, she doesn’t like the humid, hot climate here. While I’m in the pool each day, she just sits yearning for a dirty martini.

Maybe her shenaningans will ensue again, who knows.

 

Not a lot going on here though, I housesat for one friend this weekend. It was great-I got to enjoy HBO, wireless and be by myself again. After living alone for so many years, I’m used to silence and doing my own thing. I can handle other people but sometimes a girl needs her own space you know? I’m housesitting/dogsitting today for another friend while she is away for the day. She is coming back tonight but I get to hang with her cute pups who I am wining over with string cheese.

And she even gave me a nice gift for doing this.

She really didn’t have to but I will never turn down a bottle of wine.

Also, it’s been avocado madness lately!

The avocados my friend gave me are finally good to go so I’m starting to use those bad boys up. I made a salad yesterday topped with Tyson Grilled & Ready Chicken. It was on sale for $6.99 at Winn Dixie and I had a $1 off coupon so this was the perfect time to buy plus I haven’t had any since I used to make pasta salad.

Then at night I made a Mexican casserole with pork, black beans, onions, peppers, black olives, mushrooms, cheese and enchilada sauce. I was so excited to find El Pato since I haven’t been able to locate it at the grocery stores down here. I found this huge can of it at Big Lots so I used some in this recipe then froze the rest for future use.

I didn’t have enough tortillas to crisscross for the top layer but I made due. I then topped the vegetable, black bean and pork mixture with enchilada sauce and cheese and let bake for 25 minutes at 375 degrees

Avocado was the perfect topping for this! I mean really, how can someone not love avocados? The flavor, the richness, the fat—oh yeah!

There were still avocados to be consumed so today I made a guacamole knock off. I didn’t have my recipe with me so I just mixed the avocado with salsa and sour cream.

I’ve seen this chips before but I must go to Target and find them stat! Maybe all this Mexican food will boost my memory?

I finally finished The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets Nest today.

I felty like I’ve been reading it for awhile but it’s only been a week and a half, if that. If you haven’t read this serious, please go out and get the three books! This was the best series I’ve read in a long time and I can say each book was a true page turner.

I went to the library today to pick up some Italian cds I’ve been waiting on—holy crap-in just about a month I will be going to Italy! I need to learn the basics stat! I found this gem while perusing the titles in the new arrivals aisle:

Yet another reason why I love the library here. In Charlotte, it would have taken me months to get this book but here I can get it right away but only for two weeks. Perfect motivation for me to read it quickle! We’ll see how this book is. I wasn’t overly impressed with her last book but who knows, this is a different take so it may be worth reading.

I’m trying to limit my workouts at the YMCA since I can only go a limited number of times each year, instead of month but had a great workout yesterday

I’ve also been swimming which is going quite well. I’ve been doing anywhere from 50 to 60 laps on my swimming days along with some breaks to tread water for two to three minutes. I’ve also been doing lunges in the water and that has been kicking my butt. The best part is that I feel no pain in my knees which is a welcome relief since I always have pain in my knees after a workout.

And of course, hanging out with my pups

Linky is way dirty. I need to get him in the tub and give him a bath, especially since one of my parents dropped ketchup on his nose but they won’t tell me who did it.

Sigh, I love my dirty dog.

So yeah, that’s about it. Not a lot to write home about but just waiting for the days to pass until it’s time to fly off to Europe. One of my friends is a recruiter here so I’m hoping she can help find me some part time work……if not, maybe I will try some more housesitting?

Read any good books lately? Please share with the class!

Do you ever housesit for friends/family? I love how it seems like a mini vacation, even if I am just down the block!

Tempting Tapatio

Sup homies? So, the last few days have been anything but exciting. They’ve been pretty boring so here are the highlights:

#1. Operation eat leftovers is still in tact

Leftovers of enchiladas that I made on Friday

Taco salad with leftover chicken than I made on Saturday

I spiced it up by adding my homeboy Tapatio. At first, I picked him up the other night in Wal Mart and wasn’t going to take him home. But fate had a different plan. See, what happened was that I picked up one bottle and dropped it on contact. All. Over. The. Place. I’m talking my flips, capris, legs, toes-the Wal Mart floor was covered in Tapatio. It was quite nasty and I feared that there would be a midget who was craving the hot sauce around to lick it off my toes. So I walked up and down the aisles of Wal Mart searching for just one employee but couldn’t even find that. I found some paper towels around so I could de-Tapatio myself off but the entire night I reeked of it, even after showering, Even though he is a slippery bitch, I still got nothing but love for him.  I love the heat he brings to the table and how cheap he is. What more can you ask for in a man?

#2. I’m legit and got a library card here!

They have a huge selection of books plus I found these. When I lived in Charlotte, I would have had to wait a month or two for these. I’m especially excited about The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets Nest In since I’ve been searching for the free or cheap version everywhere but can’t find it. Plus I only have it for two weeks and it’s a little over 500 pages.

#3 The YMCA sucks here. I found out that I can only go 14 times in one year not 14 times in one month as I thought. They have the basics there but I am used to more variety in a gym. They have a small cardio area but older versions of machines and mostly treadmillsI went yesterday and had a less then stellar workout.

So I am going to attempt to the scam the system and go to the one here then go to the one in the county over since it’s only 15 minutes away.

#4. I’m going to start swimming. I used to be a huge swimmer and oddly enough, that was when I was in my best shape —a long, long time ago. My parents have a pool and even though it’s obviously not an Olympic size pool, I can do laps, not have to worry about bumping into anyone else and now feel like I can be serious about it since I got some goggles after the Great Tapatio Mess of ‘11.

#5. Operation make food at home is still going on as well.As mentioned before, my parents go out to eat all the time. I told them I would be more than happy to cook for them to save some money and eat at home. Tonight I make breaded chicken cutlets and Triple Tomato Sauce penne from Food + Wine. I didn’t have a few of the ingredients on hand so I used what I had and make my own sauce, my revisions are in red:

1. 1 pound penne
2. 2 medium tomatoes (5 ounces each), cut into 1-inch dice one can diced tomatoes
3. 4 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained 1/3 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes
4. 2 tablespoons tomato paste 1/4 cup
5. 4 large basil leaves 1/4 cup chopped parsley
6. 1 garlic clove  about three tablespoons minced garlic
7. 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
8. Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

I mixed the ingredients in my magic bullet then put it on the stovetop on low and threw in some sautéed mushrooms. I pounded two chicken breast then made smaller cutlets out of them. Then dredged the chicken in flour, eggwash and breadcrumbs with oregano and pepper mixed in then fried on the stovetop in vegetable oil.

Only three of the four burners on my parents stove work and of course every time I try to cook something, I forget which one it is so cooking in this house is super fun. However, I was quite impressed that my parents had some organic whole wheat penne on hand

And they scored it for $.99-nice job parents!

I really loved the sauce and it took no time to make. In the past I have used diced tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, wine and various spices but I haven’t used tomato paste all that often.

Another great thing about this recipe? It made a crap ton of food which means lots of leftovers-looks like I’ll be eating this the rest of the week.

#6 This living with my parents thing is not going to last long. I already had one freak out session so let’s hope I can make it to October without us at each others throats. I will be out of here for most of September however I have August and the early part of October to get through. I’m going to try to look for some temp work for the month of August so I can get out of the house and earn some money and of yeah, keep my sanity.

#7 As frustrated as I am, I still have the fur babies to keep me company

If you’re a fan of the heat-what’s your favorite hot sauce?

Have you ever lived with your parents as an adult? If so, how did you keep the peace or was that not an issue?

Home cookin’

So, I’m home alone.

(source)

Sans red bib, although I’m not opposed to it. Thankfully I’m not fighting off burglars (and hopefully no peeping toms). When I got home on Friday I thought my parents were going to be there that evening from traveling to the west coast of Florida. But then they told me they wouldn’t be in today and was instantly elated. I had the house to myself, could do whatever I want, throw a party (not so much) and just have some me time. After living alone for five hours, I’m used to being alone and have my own schedule. However the last month has thrown a wrench in my normal schedule since I’ve been crashing with my friends the entire time. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing but love for them but by the end, I just wanted to get back home, to somewhere familiar and have some me time.

And another thing I was looking forward to? Some home cooking! When I pillaged through my parents kitchen, I saw not only was the entire thing a complete wreck with items in random places and no real order but there was also no food. My parents are notorious for going out to eat just about every night so I wasn’t surprised. I already told them that we are going to have a talk about that and then told them we are going to take about the organization or lack thereof of the kitchen space. But I soon realized that I’m now in South Florida which means I don’t have my go to supermarkets that I had back in Charlotte. I did a search online to see what we have here and then soon realized that none of the stores offer double coupons. I’ve heard that before but figured that there has to be one right? Um, no. None of them do, thumbs down friends.I scanned the weekly ads and ended up at Winn Dixie since they had a decent BOGO sale going on. I saw that they also offer Fuel Perks just like Bi-Lo in Charlotte, so for every $50 you spend, you get $.05 off your gas bill. Doesn’t sound like much but it definitely adds up after awhile. I picked up a bunch of groceries including my staples such as chicken, cheese, tortillas, frozen veggies and greek yogurt.

Ok and some new-to-me beer

All my parents have on hand is Baileys and other after dinner drinks. I’m sure I could make some kind of interesting concoction but when it’s near 100 degrees and humidity like no other, I just want a cold one.

The first thing I made was black bean and spinach enchiladas. But of course I forgot the key ingredient-enchilada sauce. Perhaps it was because I was distracted by the fact they didn’t carry El Pato enchilada sauce and I didn’t want to pay $2 for Old El Paso sauce. So like I do with anything, I winged it.

I mixed chopped onions, black beans, cooked spinach, jalapeno seasoning, salt and pepper with shredded cheese

Then I nuked half a block of cream cheese and added the melted goodness to the mix

Spread on a tortilla. I usually dunk the tortillas in chicken broth but, surprise, I forgot that as well.

Due to the lack of enchiladas sauce, I spotted some diced tomatoes in the pantry. I added garlic, red pepper flakes and pepper to them then spread over the enchiladas and topped with cheese.

13 minunutes later, my belly was growling and I had an audience that was apparently hungry as well

Sorry Lincoln, you are half Chihuahua but no enchiladas for you!

Ah, how I miss a home cooked meal!!!

Saturday night I made bbq chicken with shelled edamame and roasted red potatoes

I had a coupon for Stubbs BBQ Sauce and being the bbq lover I am, was excited to see if it lived up the much heard hype. I tried a bit before I smothered the chicken in it and I really like it. It has a tangy kick to it that gave it a little bite but also a bit of sweetness.

I marinated the chicken in that for three hours then cooked on the stovetop while the roasted potatoes cooked in the oven. I made a random little mix of pepper, salt, ground mustard and jalapeno seasoning to coat the potatoes with and it was excellent! The best part is I have leftovers of both throughout the week to nosh on instead of going out for something and spending more money than I need to.

So, yes, even though the last few months has been restaurant fest, you are going to start seeing less on here. I’ve been spending way too much money on going out and we will see if I can change my parents spending habits at all. I love to go out to eat but it is not doing anything for my figure. Plus, cmon, who doesn’t love a home cooked meal?

Do you make meals at home or go out to eat the majority of the time?

Reunited and it feels so good

I picked Lincoln and Mickey up on Friday morning and I seriously thought Lincoln was going to have a heart attack when he saw me. He wouldn’t stop convulsing or hyperventilating and after about five minutes, he finally calmed down. I’m so happy to be with my pup again but it’s weird having him right by my side since I’ve been Lincoln-less for the past month. He looks smaller then he did before and it’s just great to see him again! So this weekend I will be spending some quality time with the pups and tackling this hot mess

Happy weekend everyone!

Music, dirt and gigolos

Allo! The drive up to DC was an uneventful one. It’s about seven hours from NC but no good stories or anything. One of my biggest concerns is that I’m going to be bored with my music selection which is one of the reasons I long for XM Radio. But then whenever I think I want it I think about how I’m not in the car that much for me to justify getting it. With all this driving happening though, that may change soon because you can only listen to a cd so many times in one sitting.

A few of my favorites this time around were:

Mushroom Jazz 2

I just discovered this cd at my friends place and surprisingly liked it. I never considered myself much of a jazz person. Mostly because anyone that I know who likes jazz is old but this cd is great! It reminds me of the type of tunes you hear in an independent coffee shop and had a lot of funk tones to it so it wasn’t just straight up jazz.

If I Were a Carpenter

 

This cd reminds me of freshman year in high school. Yes, high school. I still have a bunch of cd’s from those days and refuse to throw them out. I remember buying this cd on a trip to NYC with my parents and anytime I listen to it, it takes me back to high school. It’s a cover cd of The Carpenters songs featuring  artists like Shonen Knife, Cranberries,Sonic Youth, Sheryl Crow and more.

Luke’s Hall of Fame

This is another cd that reminds me of high school and one that I haven’t listened to in ages. I listened to it for about an hour on the drive up and really listened to the lyrics. One question-why the hell did my parents let me listen to this stuff? Can we say vulgar?!

As soon as I knew it, I was in the DC area. I’m staying with Neyal for the next week and a half and excited to spend time with her. I’ve known Neyal forever (10+ years) so crashing her place for this long of time is totally acceptable (at least I like to think so) and told her I will cook and clean in exchange for room and board. Plus, I get to hang with Riley so that’s a big bonus.

Sigh, Riley and his ASPCA commercial eyes.

When I got to her place we caught up and  made dirt for dessert.  Basically, it’s crushed oreos (we added a few chocolate chip cookies since we are adventurous like that_, pudding and cool whip. You layer all three together and let chill then you have a fun little dessert to have. She was telling me when she makes it for a party she puts it in a flower pot, adds gummi worms and other cute stuff like that.

This stuff is absolutely amazing and I could have had it for my meal.Instead I stuck with a little bowl and had a conventional “meal” for dinner. We feasted on leftovers and hung out, it was a perfect night in.

Another random thing?

I learned about Gigolos on Showtime

Neyal told me about this show and we watched  a few episodes the other morning and all I can say is WOW. This show is graphic yet I can’t look away. But after four or five episodes I had to since it’s pretty much like watching soft core porn. The show follows five straight male escorts in Las Vegas who are the best of the best. They show a lot of their day to day gigs and  people who hire them and I’m somewhat surprised with that. I’m kinda waiting for the day that I watch it and see someone I know on there. Who wants to see their co-workers on there buck naked bumping uglies with one of these guys? That wouldn’t be a tad bit awkward at all. Yeah, it’s a reality show but it has an emphasis more on  “what” they do rather then what’s going on with their lives, the business, etc. Supposedly the second season is premiering tonight and I have a feeling that like any good wreck, I won’t be able to look away.

Have you ever made or ate “dirt”?

What’s your take on the Gigolo show? Have you seen it?

Around Lakeview

Thursday was a free day for me since my friend who I stayed with had to work. I slept on their ultra comfy couch and played with their cute pup before making my way around Lakeview.

Seriously, how adorable is he? If I move to Chicago, him and Lincoln are going to be besties.

They had a french press but I’ve never operated one of those before and I’m always afraid that if I mull around other peoples homes, I’ll break something or something will catch on fire.so I got dolled up and made my way to stop #1 of the day.

Do I even have to say where that was?

If there was a Buckies, yo I’ll find it. Ok, not really difficult since there are everywhere but I used my Buckies Sense to find it.  I sat outside, people watched and tried to warm up since it was a bit chilly out. The view of Wrigley Field didn’t hurt either. I imagine there’s a lot more going on there during a game day but it was fun to see everything up close.

Even the field, it was right there.

Just me, the pigeon and Wrigley

 

I consulted Yelp to find somewhere for lunch and found a place with cheap lunch specials-Asian Mix Cafe.

 

 

 

 

 

When I read they had lunch specials, I was a bit skeptical. But turns out they do have cheap lunch specials. And I’m talking cheap—not only for my budget in Charlotte…..but also in Chicago! $6.50 gets you soup or salad, a mini appetizer portion and lunch entrée. I went with my safety dish of chicken pad thai along with soup and vegetable pot stickers.

I was the only person in this place and everything came out quickly. So quickly, the soup, vegetable pot stickers and pad thai all came out together.

Seriously, all that food for $6.50 and tax? Sign me up! Also sign me up to start reading signs by the cashier register that say you need to make a $10 purchase to pay with a card (which I later learned establishments aren’t allowed to do that hmmmm)  I had to bring my tab up so I got something completely new to me- a strawberry bubble tea smoothie

It was good but I was confused about the little dark things floating in it. I asked the lady and she said that they were tapioca pearls. Interesting. I chewed on a few and did not like it. I’ve never chewed on flesh but I imagine that is what flesh would chew like. If you have chewed on flesh, please do not comment, I really don’t wanna know.

I made my way around the area, taking it all in. I love the Lakeview area and with the El being right near me, it reminded me of a mini NYC.

Soon, I found my next stop at-Emerald City Coffee

No munchkins, sigh. I sat, enjoyed their somewhat slow Wi-fi, drank my coffee and watched the people go by. Breath of fresh air is the best term that I can think of. I absolutely adore the diversity of people here. No one looks the same, I haven’t seen one man in khakis, there’s handfuls of crazies, languages I’ve never heard before, people of all ages, nice people, not so nice people, etc.

And the men? GOOD LORD the men! I haven’t seen this many hotties in awhile and again-breath of fresh air.

Yes, Lakeview, I think we will be seeing each other very soon……

When on vacation, do you go out and explore on your own or like to have a set plan of things you want to see? I’m not one who abides by a schedule, I love to go out on my own and explore!

Have you tried bubble tea?

Pancakes, stank and parfaits

Some of you commented on my last post that my sister and I look alike which I find hilarious since everyone says that but I just don’t see it! Oh well, she is cute, so I will take that as a compliment My second day on the west coast of Florida was a much needed beach day.  Before that, my sister made breakfast-chocolate chip pancakes! Now that’s what I’m talking about. The fact that they were Mickey Mouse shaped made it even better.

We left the dogs to their sunbathing to do some of our own.

We made our way over to Manasota Key to rest, relax and get some sun. However before any of that, the first mission was to find coffee. My sister and her boyfriend don’t drink coffee, which is a completely foreign concept to me. They had soda at their house but soda just doesn’t give me the same jump as coffee does. Seeing that on a normal day I have two to three cups in the morning, no coffee in my system is not a good thing nor does it make me a happy camper. My sister went to Places on her phone to see where we could get some java goodness and soon found a Dunkin Donuts and all was right in the world.

I almost made her stop at this shopping center when I saw the sign

 

Then we arrived at the beach, it was serene and had a good number of people but it didn’t seem crowded at all. And what the hell is up with the creepers on the west coast of FL?As my sister and I were getting our stuff out of the car, this old man walked past us and said “Hope you girls brought your bikinis’” We just smiled and did a nervous laugh but I really wanted to say “No, creeper, I didn’t bring my bikini. I think I’m being nice by not doing so because the amount of cellulite on my ass would give you a heart attack!” In the first ten minutes we were there, we saw a group of people crowding around watching the water. At first I thought it was a situation like on Seinfeld where the whale washes up on shore with a golf ball stuck in its blow hole but no go. We soon found out that a dolphin was swimming near the shore—it was so cool to see one up close!

The water was more shallow and calmer that on the East Coast of Florida not to mention cooler. It wasn’t blistering hot yet, which made for an enjoyable day at the beach. After that, we went to The White Elephant Pub.

My other sister has been here before and said the food was good but the atmosphere was gritty. I said hakuna matata for I love bar food. But bar food  in a beach atmosphere? It’s go time! We walked through the indoor portion of the restaurant and found a table on the patio. But that I found out what my sister meant by gritty—- it smelled like some concoction of hot trash, bad cheese and homeless. Yes, all three co-mingled together in a funky harmony. No matter what I didn’t I couldn’t escape the smell and it just reeked.
As unpleasant as the odor was, the food was great! They had a sweet selection of seafood baskets and entrees, burgers and appetizers. I got the fried grouper finger basket which came with a generous portion of crinkle cut fries and cold slaw.

White Elephant is not all about saving the earth as they don’t have condiment bottles at the table–just packets.My sister and I went to town on them!

And if you don’t think I swiped any, you would be wrong. The food plus the view we had definitely outweighed the negative of the stink in the air. Peep the gorgeous view we had from our table!

By the time we left, it was really starting to get hot out. I told my sister I wouldn’t be opposed to stopping by a Dairy Queen for a cool refreshment. Sadly, the Dairy Queen went out of business but we found something even better—a locally owned establishment called Swirls-N-Curls Ice Cream!

They had pretty much everything any other chain place can offer such as ice cream, soft serve, their version of the blizzard, shakes, parfaits, etc. I got the strawberry parfait and it hit the spot! Seriously, how delicious does this look?

I kept digging into it and it seemed endless and then bam-it was done. Sadface. Parfaits make everything right in the world and anyone who doesn’t like parfaits is a communist in my book. They have a cute little patio area with chairs, tables, games with oldies music playing in the background. The fact that they are doggie friendly and serve doggie ice cream treats made it all the better.

 

The rest of the day was very relaxing-I took my obligatory nap after being in the sun, had dinner then hung out and watched tv. You would think that after a day of being in the sun, I was tired but nope, Lincoln appeared to be even more tired than I was by practically perching himself on my shoulder.

 

 

Right before I went to bed, I found a plain, gold band sitting on the kitchen counter. I know they are planning a wedding but I thought it was weird to see one sitting out in plain sight. So I did what any 31 year old single girl would do and tried it on.

Felt very constricting, hmmmmm…..

What’s your favorite summer time treat?

Beach: Love it or hate it?

Flop it like it’s hot

I packed up on Wednesday to go to the west coast of Florida. Even though we moved to Florida when I was seven years old, the west coast is pretty foreign to me. We vacationed there a few times and I remember it being more mellow than the southeast coast of Florida with not as many NY/NJ people and not as much to do. My sister recently moved to the west coast of Florida and I wanted to see her before I trekked back up to Charlotte so on my way I went. While I was making multiple trips back and forth between the house and car (with a lot more stuff than I remembered bringing), I saw this huge turtle sitting up my car.

And when I came back he was gone. At least I have visual evidence he was there and that I’m not losing my mind. I had to make sure I had all of Lincoln’s stuff packed up and treats ready to go.

I had to say my good bye to this guy

Oi vey, that face. Mickey is going to be 13 this summer and I don’t know how many more times I will see him since he his health isn’t what it once was. This is one of the saddest good byes I’ve ever had to say. I know he is a dog but in my family, dogs are family. He has been there with me through college, mini, breakups, happy times, sad times, etc. I held him in my arms, rubbed his belly and said good bye. It was so emotional that I had to put Lincoln in the car beforehand so I could have some time with my Mick.

After that heartbreaking scene, we were on our way ready to go west side. It only seemed appropriate that we jam to Tupac not Biggie

 Like his momma, Lincoln is all about the east coast and not west,. RIP Biggie Smalls. Mental note to self: Must download Get Money by Junior Mafia, that used to be my job!

I got to my sisters place is no time then we took a drive over to Punta Gorda

 

 

Yes, I most definitely think I need to move to a city near the water. I miss it so much! What I don’t miss? The sketchy creepers that come with the beach. As my sis and I were walking onto the pier our dresses were flying everywhere with the wind and this creeper in daisy dukes walked past us andleaned over and whispered “Beautiful dresses” then walked to the end of the pier. We were in the middle of the pier at that time and we stopped there to take pictures because we didn’t want to become a CSI episode.

We stopped by a few stores and shopping centers, tried samples of fudge and perused shops

We stopped for a drink at the Wyvern Hotel roof top bar, which had an amazing view of the water. Give me a nice view, cold drink and cushioned seats and I really don’t need much else in life!

We had a great bartender who was quick with a pour (or twist of a cap) and gave us the 411 on the Punta Gorda area with solid restaurants and spots to check out and others to stay away from.

One of his recommendations was Asuka Japanese Steakhouse in Port Charlotte.

We sat at the sushi bar and when we came in there were two people making sushi then it dropped down to one right as the dinner crowd was coming in. Sushi chef was helpful but seemed a bit in the weeds cranking out the sushi. I don’t like when you go to a sushi place and there is a roll on the menu with no description—especially if it’s an obscure name that doesn’t give you any clue as to what it is such as the Snow White roll. WTF is a Snow White roll? Could it be white and black or full of seven dwarfy things? The sushi chef seemed a little irritated when we would ask him what something was then he finally got one of the waitresses to bring a menu. Annoying people is one of my strong points so push me to and I will. They had your traditional rolls along with special rolls for the evening. Most of their specialty rolls feature avocado which makes me shimmy since I heart omega three’s! I got the Chili Roll and Port Charlotte Roll—I love seeing both made right in front of me and both were on point with freshness and spiciness!

My sister go the Dynamite roll and a salad

I don’t know what’s up with Florida but the main thing that irked me was watching the sushi chef make all the rolls…..without gloves. Do food prep workers not have to wear gloves in Florida? I should know this but I have no clue. I saw him wash his hands a few times but it still skeeved me out.

How many siblings do you have? I have two older sisters but always wished I had an older brother.

Feels like the first time

We have a Whole Foods near my house however  I rarely go since when I’m back home I am usually without car. So when I’m without car, my parents drive me around like I’m 14 years old again which is lots of fun seeing that I’m over 30. To add to the fun of that, my dad got into a heated argument at WF last year around Thanksgiving or Christmas time and according to him “is banned” from that WF location so he is never down for going (parents getting me drunk, think I’m dating Samoans and this—do you see where I get my eccentricities from??) But this visit I am with car so I drove around to pick up some goodies. I was greeted by the wonderfulness that is Whole Foods. However after three or four minutes of being there, I went into overload. Did I want a salad bar, hot bar, sub, sushi, noodles? Can we say too many decisions and all look wonderful? As I was perusing the hot bar, I saw a dude walk by with a slice of pizza and problem solved!  However, I wanted a salad and knew a piece of pizza wouldn’t fill me up so I got the smallest size salad. I had nowhere to be so I dined outside with the salad and Honest Tea.

 

I feel like a legit blogger with my WF salad! I always see pictures on everyone else’s blog who lives in a normal city that has WF not in some podunk city like Charlotte. And I get a bit envious. Yeah, I can get salads somewhere else but there is just something special about a WF salad. Maybe it’s just me but this was just as good as the first time I tried their salad bar. I got some type of cole slaw on there so I didn’t need too much dressing but all in all in was delish.

I picked up some coconut water and Pop Chips as well then had my slice of Florentino pizza

 

All of that for $21, not too bad at all.

I had a little help from my guys while finishing the pizza so it went quickly

I don’t know why I’m tying in feeding pizza to the dogs with Jon Hamm but a few of you commented on how you will see Bridesmaids after I said he was naked. He was kinda naked, like shirtless but no full frontals–boo! However, he is furry on top so that was good enough for me! Didn’t want to mislead any of you.

After dinner, I stopped by Cupcake Couture for a sweet treat. I  went to Couture over Christmas and tried their Boston Couture but wanted to try something different this time around (ok and I was feeling lazy and not in the mood to crack open a cupcake)

They were recently voted Best Dessert so that was a reassuring sign to see sitting in their window. I love their cupcakes because they are a) massive and b) all named after designers. Some examples:

Oscar de la Raspberry

Jean Paul Peanutier

I’m not even a fashionista but I want to buy one just after hearing the names!

I ordered a latte and the Dolce & Banana cupcake—banana bread cupcake with banana buttercream frosting.

I was a good girl and saved it until I got home. Still pleasantly full from dinner, I had 1/3 of it just to see how it was and left the rest for the next morning because there is nothing like buttercream in the morning. The buttercream was the winner of the cupcake but I wasn’t too crazy about the banana bread portion, it was dry and lacked flavor.

Oh well, you can’t win them all.

I have to show some  blogger love here after reading the  Lazy Girls Guide to Men by the wonderful MelissaNibbles. She is dead on with all of the examples she uses and could not stop nodding my head while reading! If you haven’t checked out Melissa’s blog, I encourage you to do so. She is one of the bloggers that comes to mind when I think of people who truly speak their mind and doesn’t make everything seem like sunshine and butterfly farts.  Kudos Melissa!!!

Whole Foods-Heaven sent or evil empire? What are your must haves when you go?

Do you like coconut water? If so, what brands do you like?