Leap Day

I wasn't planning on blogging today...partially because I have nothing interesting to say. However, today is a Leap Day and I figure I should try to put something together so my archives will have a post logged in for today. I don't know why that matters, but it may be something I might care about in the future. Crazy stuff, I know.

Sooo...what should I talk about...? Anyone...? Anyone...?

Anyway, where was I going with this blog...? Oh yeah, it's a leap year and you know what? I figure today is an extra day in the year and doesn't really count, right? So, hey, here's to all of us doing something stupid today...and pretending it doesn't count. I won't tell if you won't. :-)

Eating Out

Ugh…I’ve spent every meal this past weekend eating out. Granted, four of those meals were sushi-related…but still, as enjoyable as it was...it was eating out nonetheless. Haha. Why eating out, you ask. Well…why not? Eating out is what happens when I meet up with people and try to have a social life…I have to go out and eat (and also spend money). Ugh.

So what does this mean? This means that I need to hit the gym and…stop spending money. I will be hitting the gym every day this week and next to get myself back to where I want to be. And I plan to not make (too) many plans that require me to spend (too) much money in the coming weeks. It’s gonna be fuckin’ fantastic. Wish me luck. :-/

Snow Please

Ok people...despite having some really awesome plans these next couple of weekends (yes, I really do have some pretty kickass plans)…I still have some complaining to do.

Since there has been literally no (real) snow up in the mountains lately, we've had to cancel/postpone 3 trips up to Tahoe this winter season...and you know what? It really sucks. I've been itching to head up to Tahoe for the last couple months and sooo ready to throw myself down a mountain. Haha. I mean, how can we be in late February without any traces of real snow up there? It's an outrage and completely unbelievable. Snow damnit!

Now it's been almost a full year since I've had any sort of practice up on the slopes and I know the first couple runs will be absolutely painful...but I'm totally ready and willing to take that risk. I miss the cold. I miss the slopes. And I miss the rush. I just need to head up to Tahoe, hit the slopes and ride my board...it'll make me feel better and then all will be right in the world. I don't mean to complain...but I think it's just all this nice California weather we've been having lately. It's just really bumming me out. Yes, it has been a nice couple months and yes, I do love being able to enjoy the nice weather...blah blah blah. But shesh, I've been feeling a little too smothered by sun. I need a cold weather front. I need snow. I need a freakin' Arctic chill. But nooo…what does the weather forecast look like this upcoming weekend/week…sunny and warm. Damnit. Haha.

Anyway we've made some plans (again) to head up to Tahoe in the coming weeks and I'm hoping that it will start dumping buckets soon. Very very soon. You hear that Mother Nature...dump buckets. I've had my gear all ready, my boots laced up and my board freshly waxed...for weeks. I'm ready to go and super excited to head up to the mountains...so it just needs to happen soon. But I guess until then...I have little choice but to sit and wait for snow. Ugh. I've never been good at waiting. :-/

Valentine’s Day

Yes, today is Valentine’s Day…and yes, I still don’t care.

I looked in my archives to see what kind of snarky Valentine’s Day posts I’ve blogged about in years past…and the few that I found (I thought there were more) are pretty dead-on. I hate Valentine’s Day…and always have.

Why do people feel the need to celebrate their love/affection/infatuation for someone on a holiday declared by Hallmark? Why not any other day than Valentine’s Day? There are plenty of other good days in the year that people can choose to make special, and their own, besides Valentine’s Day. I mean, any day you deem worthy and unique versus celebrating on a made for profit holiday…would be much more special and meaningful, right? Anyway it baffles my mind and always leaves me perplexed, confused and annoyed.

So I choose to not celebrate Valentine’s Day…and instead will celebrate cheap-candy-after-Valentine’s-Day-sale tomorrow. You are more than welcome to celebrate with me.

Jelly Beans and Beer

Is there anything better than candy and beer? Of course not. What kinda crazy ass question is that? Haha. It was a trick question, people...a trick question.

I spent some much needed time away...distracted, entertained and happy...with jelly beans and beer. :-) Yesterday, I was up in Fairfield touring the Jelly Belly Factory and the Budweiser Brewery. And, oh man, talk about heaven. Over the course of the entire weekend...I probably ate about a pound of jelly beans and drank about a gallon of beer (hahaha…just kidding, Mom...just kidding). And you know what...? It was completely awesome and a super fun time. And in between all the candy and beer...we paid a visit to Chick-fil-A (my first time to the chicken establishment) and Olive Garden (man, it's been forever-and-a-day since I've enjoyed a meal at the Garden...hahaha). Some would call my super Saturday...a "white trash Saturday"...I wouldn't, but some would (yes, you know who you are). But nevertheless, it was a pretty awesome way to spend a Saturday. :-)

The Jelly Belly Factory tour was not bad. Considering it was free and only a short distance away from the Budweiser Brewery (yes, I was up there specifically for the Budweiser tour), it was a good way to kill the morning hours. However, I should highlight the best part of the Jelly Belly visit was buying Belly Flops. Now ok...I'm probably the last person on the planet who didn't know what a "Belly Flop" was (it's those irregular Jelly Bellys that they sell for half price)...but when I walked into the gift shop and saw the piles and mounds of irregular jelly beans...I knew I had found the purpose for my trip...no, it wasn't the tour...and it wasn't even all the jelly bean samples...it was for those half priced irregular Jelly Bellys. Oh man...load me up some more of those. So good and so cheap. Yummy.

After filling up on candy and greasy chicken (yes, Chick-fil-A, I called your ass greasy)...we made our way to the Budweiser Brewery (cue heavenly music). After a 2-hour tour, we enjoyed (enjoyed seems like such a simple word to describe the heartfelt joy and excitement that I felt) a 5-flight tasting of beer. And oh my god...talk about heaven. We tried a bunch of beer that you just can't find in stores...and it was so amazing. I know...I can't believe I just said that about Budweiser beer. Budweiser is not my favorite beer, but if the beer that I could get in stores tasted remotely like what I had at the brewhouse...I would be a lifetime member of the "I love Budweiser" club. Haha. As for the tour itself, don't get me wrong, it was pretty informative and highlighted the brewery in Fairfield...but it was nothing (seriously, nothing) like the big factory and brewery in St. Louis. Taking the beermaster tour in St. Louis (at Busch headquarters) was nothing short of amazing. It was like going to Disneyland...and you just wanted to pay homage to beer all day long. But hey Fairfield, nice try...and not bad.

We ended our day with a hearty, carb-loaded meal at Olive Garden. Haha…and yes, we waited for about half an hour just to eat at the Garden. It was totally worth it if you ask me. Totally and completely worth it. You know, back in the day, Olive Garden was my go-to place for really good Italian food. Back when I had no idea what real Italian food tasted like…and back when my pallet didn’t know the difference between great food and mildly mediocre food…Olive Garden was mind-blowing. Haha. And now…it’s just funny and a “special” treat to get to enjoy a meal at the Garden. Hehe.

Anyway check out the pictures from my super Saturday. And again I ask...is there anything better than candy and beer? Nope...not one single thing.

Long Weekend

After a physically and mentally draining week, I'm excited for the long weekend ahead. Like really really excited. I need time away. I need time to relax. And, more importantly, I need time to clear my head. I have a lot of things on my mind and some decisions that I have to make...I need to find a way to process the whirling thoughts rolling around in my head and try to make sense of it all again. Ugh. :-/

The weather should be decent this weekend and I hope to enjoy it as best as I can. It will be great to be out and about and be able to enjoy the nice weather of our California winters. I know, can you believe the weather has been so nice lately? Man, I love California.

Anyway, here's to a nice long weekend.

DMV

A few weeks ago I had to make my way to the DMV to renew my drivers license. Since I have renewed my license by mail the last 2 times it was set to expire, they required that I renew (and update my picture) in person. And since I haven't been to the DMV since my first initial trip to get my license almost 15 years ago (omg...15 years ago...moment to absorb that please), it was about time I make my appearance back there.

Anyway, before I even set foot inside the DMV, I encountered plenty of drivers who made my blood boil, tested my patience and caused me to curse up a storm. But I guess when you think about it...it makes sense. Where do all the terrible, stupid and clueless drivers go and have to congregate...? The DMV, of course. Duh. :-) I mean, seriously, as I was pulling into the parking lot, I encountered a driver going down the wrong way of a one-way street (so stupid), a car that literally had to do a 3-point turn to park in a drive in parking spot (omg...so frustrating) and then a driver I had parked next to who wanted me to move my car so she could back out of her parking spot (no joke, this lady was nuts). Oh man...it was a crazy test on my patience and I'm surprised that I made it out alive (or better yet, everyone else made it out alive). Haha.

The only reason why I'm bringing this up now is because I got my new drivers license in the mail last week and noticed that they didn't update my height (psh they updated my weight though...hahaha). My friend suggested that I go back to DMV and have them correct it. My response to that...yeah right. I will happily keep my license and stay as far away from DMV as I can...for as long as I can. And for those of you short on patience, I advise you do the same. Stupid DMV. Ugh. Hehe. :-/

Giants Weekend

It was all Giants...all weekend.

Yesterday was SF Giants Fan Fest at the ballpark. Tickets are now on sale for this upcoming season and I'm so excited. I have a couple games in mind that I have to get tickets to and since I'm gonna be missing Spring Training for the first time in 5 years this March (I know, can you believe it?)...I'm gonna be chomping at the bit to head to the ballpark in April. Giants all the way this year…c’mon baby!

And, of course, today is Super Bowl Sunday. And yes, the NY Giants won the Super Bowl...but damnit, it shoulda been the Niners! Yes, I'm still disappointed about that and bummed that I didn't get the chance to throw down thousands of dollars to go to Indy to see that happen. Ugh. Mr. Harbaugh...next year, ok? Next year.

As for the game today, eh...it was not bad. The first half wasn’t all that exciting, but the second half made it totally worth it. Overall, it was an ok game. There was nothing really memorable about the commercials this year (m&ms, doritos and etrade brought their A game and earned some laughs...but that was about it…Budweiser and Bud Light, what happened to you guys?). There were trailers for some upcoming movies that looked really cool…the Avengers (I’ve been waiting for this one since like…forever) and G.I. Joe 2 (which might be kinda cool to see). So I gotta mark my calendars and make sure I check those out. And lastly, the halftime show was definitely less than impressive. It wasn’t nearly the best halftime show I've ever seen…and didn’t really even come close. Sorry Madonna, but I think it could've been much cooler.

Overall, the Super Bowl wasn’t that bad today (to all my sports challenged friends: check out the Foxtrot comic strip below…so funny...Hehe). Oh but on the upside, if anyone saw Aaron Rodgers during the pre-game show earlier this afternoon, I have to say Mr. Rodgers, you clean up pretty good. Hellllooo. :-)

Foxtrot (Feb. 5 2012)