Book Giveaway!

NotNessie over on Today's Adventure is having a book giveaway! I discovered her blog today and noticed that the 3 books she is featuring are all on my "to read" list. Besides, you know I can't pass up the chance to add to my imaginary future library.

If you would like the chance to win one of these books head on over! This could be you!

Only, you know, without the oscar. Or the super fancy dress. Or the prestige. Or the million dollar pay check. But you'd win a book and thats pretty darn cool.

Amoeba Music, Hollywood

This is one of B's favorite places. This is Amoeba Music. Do you like music? Any kind of music? Do you like movies? Do you like people watching? Do you like records? Do you need a place to find music you can't get on itunes or in Best Buy? Are you looking for suggestions of music you might like but have not yet heard of? Would you like to enter an independent record store so large it has its own map?

Well then Amoeba is the place for you!


Its hard to take a picture to get a scope of the place. B are you out there? B and I usually split up at the door. I tend to wander and B has already compiled a list of music to search out. I come up here to track him down.


This view is from the balcony of the movie section upstairs. Do you see that stage at the back of the picture? Its very, very tiny. Here B saw Sia and was quite impressed. We've seen her in concert and she has an incredible voice.. she could fill up a venue without a mike. Her recorded music doesn't compare to hearing her live.

Norah Jones played on this stage but we both had to work :(

What you don't see is the other 50% of space... yes this is only half. This is only the rock music.


Amoeba sells music collectibles and music only released over seas or other hard to get things of the music variety. It reminded me that somewhere I have a Michael Jackson doll and a MJ record player from the early 80's. I hope we kept all that stuff.



I love the records. No, I don't have any use for them. But I love them anyway. I feel sophisticated browsing thru the records.



I also love looking at the posters. Oh, if I could go back in time and go to these concerts.



I prefer the listening station in the Jazz room. Its much more quiet than the main one and there are hardly ever any people in this one. Now don't go run and tell all your friends. It'll be our little secret.

The music in Amoeba covers every interest. You can find Country, Christian, African beats, R&B and chanting from a far away monastery.


Have you been searching high and low for the Barbarella sound track? Search no more!

Amoeba also puts out a free booklet called Music We Like in which the Amoeba staff from the 3 stores list... the music they like. You didn't see that coming, did you? This booklet will keep B busy for weeks. He will read it thru and thru spending countless hours listening to the music suggested to find something new.

In about a month I'll ask him to list the new bands I'll like. He knows my taste and I get to skip the searching part.



Check out this poster. Its an original poster featuring The Grateful Dead as one of the bands playing in San francisco. Charge at the door $2.50. This poster is $1000.

Unlike that poster, the prices at Amoeba are fantastic. Majority of the stores inventory is used but guaranteed to play well. I picked up an Etta James CD for $4.99.


There are DVDs galore. Looking at the TV section is like taking a stroll down memory lane. I used to love Bewitched. Does anyone remember the TV show Beauty and the Beast?


The outside of the building is painted in a beautiful mural.

Amoeba is also known for their community outreach, push to be green and relief efforts. The staff and customers are as varied as the music they carry and that is one of the reasons I love it so much.

Philippe The Original (French Dipped Sandwich)

On Saturday we were in Los Angeles and decided to stop by Philippe's. In all the time we lived in LA we somehow never went in. It could be because its always busy.

But it is a Los Angeles landmark and the claimed originator of the french dipped sandwich.

Legend has it that one day the owner accidentally dropped the roll into the juice from the meat. The police officer he was making the sandwich for said he would eat it anyway. He liked it so much he brought more people in to try it... and so the french dip was born.


These lovely ladies are your order takers, your sandwich makers and your cashiers. By the happy look on their faces you would never know the restaurant looked like this.....


Look at that crowd! It was a Saturday in the afternoon... but I did it for you guys. I'm sure you appreciate knowing the background of the french dip.

So, if you look closely there are tables amongst the crowd. Long family style tables separate 10 lines. Some people sit and eat at those tables. We sat in another room. Amazingly the line moves quite quickly.


Many of the staff have been here for decades and they still maintain the same recipes, standards and service as they did over 100 years ago when they opened.

About this time my mom looked up and realized they served Silver Oak by the glass. Any winos out there? Silver Oak for pete's sake. They had a wine menu that was really impressive... at a french dip sandwich shop.


The food comes on separate cardboard plates and we ordered a variety of things. A few cold beers and a lemonade and we were ready to feast. B was sad to find out there was pigs feet that he didn't see on the menu. As a general rule I don't usually eat feet. I don't bite my own nails.. let alone something elses nails.

Oh and watch out for that mustard! Its very tasty used in small amounts. Too much and it'll completely clear out your sinuses. Its so popular that its now bottled and sold. They ship it across the country.

There were house-made pickles (sweet and dill) and pickled eggs.


We had both the beef and pork french dips. Oh and we can't forget the traditional sides of which we had the macaroni salad (heavy on the relish), coleslaw and potato salads.

Whats that you say? Does it look like a slice of cherry pie on the table? Well that must have belonged to a different table. I would never order cherry pie knowing we were going to an ice cream shop later that day. Who would want dessert twice in one day? Not me, thats for sure.


This is the brick wall the lines the staircase. I didn't have much time to stare but I did notice dates back to the late seventies.


I thought this was really charming. I realize the picture has lights glaring all over it but I have no idea what to do about that.

This, friends, is Charlie L. Sample. The picture was taken in December 2003. Charlie had been eating at Philippe's since 1919. I'm sorry... did that say 1919? When the picture was taken Charlie was 100 yrs and 3 months old!

I looked around for Charlie but I didn't see him. And what have I learned? If you eat at Philippe's on a diet of french dips, mayo-based salads and pie, you'll live a long and happy life.

Hey, if its good enough for Charlie, its good enough for me.

2 Letters & a Muffin Top (the diagnosis- finale)

Holy sh*it I'm going to get diagnosed with breast cancer.


I call my mom and explain the conversation I had with Voice of Doom. To be honest I can't remember exactly what she said. She asks me if I wanted her to go with me and I say no. I was going to be fine, I can handle it. But I'll come by after the appointment.

When I tell B he is softly supportive but not overly worried. After all, it could be anything. I tell Chrissy and a friend Marie who are at work with me. Marie, the sweetheart that she is, gives me a list of explanations that don't include cancer. I feel much better but on the inside I know. I knew the way you know about a good melon. What?

Then I realized what will happen if my mom doesn't come with me. I will have to go home and look my parents in the eyes and tell them I have cancer. And they will wonder how on Earth this can be happening. They will think about my paternal grandpa and my maternal grandma and what is was like as they fought and lost. I can't even imagine how it feels to have your child be in harms way like this. I don't want to see the pain on their faces. So I call her back and say I will pick her up on my way in.

~Fast forward to the doctors office~

We were in the office waiting. I'm not positive how long but I'm pretty sure it was close to 302 hours... give or take 15 minutes. I was sitting on the chair/table and mom was standing off to the side just slightly behind me.


I wonder how this is going to feel. Will I freak out? How long until the panic sets in?


And then She came in. Was she a doctor? A nurse? A volunteer? She was wearing the white coat but something seemed wrong. Hmmmm, what was it? Oh wait, I know! Its her inappropriate manner of dress! Her coat was open, wide open and underneath she wore jeans 2 sizes too tight and a shirt 2 sizes too small. Her shirt was high enough to expose her midriff and all its contents. Behold the Muffin Top.


Now I'd like to say that I understand the existence of the muffin top. Believe me, I really, really do. I've worn the too tight jeans and I know the spare tire feeling. But in a professional setting do you not agree the muffin top should be covered?

Oh my GOD! This woman is going to tell me the news that changes my life and all I can see is her muffin top.

I glanced over to make eye contact with mom as if to say.. Do you see this?! But she was focused and waiting for answers. As the doctor/nurse walks over I try hard not to stare at her belly button. But in my mind I can recall it perfectly. Don't ask me why I was so fixated on this. In fact, it was the last thing I remember being focused on before I heard...


"I don't know what else to say you have cancer"


The verdict was in. Delivered by the muffin top in one run-on sentence that lingered in the room. It was echoing in the room. "I don't know what else to say you have cancer"


My first thought? How am I going to tell B?


It took me a second to realize the doctor/nurse was talking to us. "Do you need a tissue?" "Do you need to sit down?"


I heard an odd sound behind me and realized it was mom. She was trying not to cry and she was leaning against the table. She sat down and the nurse handed us tissues.


I'll have to spend more time thinking about this because I remember very little about what happened after. I asked what the next step was. We made conversation as they wrote down references for doctors. Earlier in the week they had told a 16 year old girl she had breast cancer. 16. How do you deal with this kind of craziness in high school?


We got back to the house and I paced the sidewalk while making calls. We have very bad reception in the house so this was the logical thing to do. I really didn't want to be inside when mom called dad at work. I tried to formulate in my head what I would say on my phone calls. I still had the tissue in my pocket in case of mental breakdown.


How do people in the movies do this? Have I read any books that have characters who tell people they have cancer? Nothing. Think. Think. Think. Should I even call everyone now? I'm going to ruin everyone's work day.


A little background: I am the baby of my family. Seriously, the baby. I am 10 years younger than the youngest sibling and 17 years younger than the oldest. So I grew up with siblings/caretakers/second parents. Things like this just don't happen to the baby.


The conversations I had were such a perfect representation of my siblings. It just completely mirrored their personalities and I laugh when I think about it. All the conversations started with a series of "No way" or "Seriously" or "You're kidding". I called my oldest brother who told me to lean on him no matter what. He wanted to make sure I understood he would be there for me. Then there was the conversation with my other brother. I couldn't even tell you what we talked about because we were on the phone for like 30 minutes. We talked about the lady who lived down the street from him who had breast cancer. We talked about how young I was to be diagnosed. We talked about what kind of treatment I might have to have. It was kind of like having any conversation. Even then I thought it was funny how we casually chatted. Don't get me wrong, he was concerned but neither one of us were overly emotional.

Looking back there were two conversations that stand out. Telling my sister, Debbie and telling B.

I knew my sister was going to be a hard one because she had lost a friend to breast cancer months earlier. She saw first hand how ugly things could get and it was still fresh in her memory.

Debbie: Hey!
Me: Hi, I just got back from the doctors. I had a biopsy done a week ago..
Debbie: And.....
Me: And I have breast cancer.
Debbie: Nuh uh.
Me: Uh-huh
Debbie: No way.
Me: Yeah.
Debbie: Are you serious? ~voice starts to crack~
Me: Yep, I have breast cancer.
Debbie: Oh my God ~sniffle, shaky inhale, sniffle~
Me: ~eyes tearing up~
Debbie: But you're not going to look good all bald!
Me: OMG I know! How weird is that going to be!

The conversation went on from there. We discussed important matters like... what if I have a grossly misshapen head? And how I once knew a guy who we thought had wavy hair but who really had a wrinkly scalp. We talked and we laughed. I can honestly say that we laughed through the entire experience. Oh there were hard times and tears were shed but there was always laughter.

And then there was breaking it to B.

B: Hi!
Me: Hi. Um, what are you doing right now?
B: I'm in the car with __.
Me: Oh, I can call you back later.
B: No, no thats OK.
Me: So, I just got back from the doctor.
B: Yes?
Me: I have breast cancer.

B: Oh my God we have cancer.

It came out like a whisper, soft and sweet. And then I smiled. We had a short conversation and I told him I had to call my siblings to let them know. But what I really remember from that conversation is that I knew we had to be together. I knew I loved him. We'd been separated for a few months just prior to this and any confusion that was there before had vanished. OK, I knew how much I loved him when he was first thing that popped into my head after being diagnosed. But the man was right there with me. I melt into a puddle just thinking about it. It was the we that made the difference. Two little letters changed the day.

The Time Traveler's Wife

First off, I will be posting the final installment of the diagnosis by approximately 8:24pm Friday night. I've been meaning to but the week has been full because I had to attend another fancy dinner (Dine for the Cure) and I needed to sort through my mounds of pictures from high school and I have to go see Harry Potter tonight. It cannot be helped. Sometimes the tedious tasks of my life get in the way of my priorities.


Speaking of Harry Potter... another book I loved, The Time Traveler's Wife, has been made into a movie that will come out next month.

The story is about the love and life between Clare the beautiful artist and Henry the handsome librarian. The difference between this story and the many other love stories out there? Henry is a time traveler. He has a "Chrono-Impairment" which whisks him away from the present time without a moments notice. He doesn't know where or when he will end up. Mostly he travels to his past and sometimes to his future always wondering what situations he will find himself in. He leads his life out of order but always, always gets pulled back to Clare.

When Clare and Henry first meet she is 6 years old and he is 36. What do you do when you meet the love of your life at only 6 years old? What kind of life do you live when your husband could disappear in the middle of dinner and not return for days? How do you know he is safe? Will he return to you?

Theirs is a love that truly trancends time.

It was author Audrey Niffineger's debut novel and I will definitely be reading more of her books. Did you read it? Let me know what you thought.

And here is the trailer for The Time Travelers Wife

Who wants to see it with me?

Discovered Treasure: Avalisa

I happened upon this site in one of my pointless searches for art/furniture/imaginary things for imaginary rooms. It was in a section of the late Domino magazine about buying things that give back to the community. I should buy this art because I am a great lover of the community. What community? Mine, yours, his, and hers to be exact.

Avalisa is fresh, clean, modern and whimsical.



The designs make me feel calm and excited at the same time.



Pink tractors anyone? Each picture comes in a variety of colors.



Can't you imagine all the fun combinations that could go up on the walls? Someone please find me a nursery to decorate.



A child's imagination could run wild.
And by "a child" I mean "me".

Many of these pictures also come in patterns.



And there are rugs. Your sweet keikis need to grow up playing on this rug.



I realize this chair isn't for everyone. But I love it. Did you see it in blue in the first picture? Modernica allows you to customize your chair... for a pretty penny. But considering the fact its going in my imaginary home.... I'll take it.

Watermarc Restaurant

Earlier this week B asked me out on a date... but he wouldn't tell me where we were going. I made sure not to ask any questions because he can't resist telling me his plans. By Thursday he had already told me that we were going to Laguna Beach. By Friday he told me to wear a dress and save my appetite.


We parked behind the restaurant and walked through this alley. How sweet is that! The lighting dripping from the trees and the smell of the chocolaterie was perfection.

And then we arrived at Watermarc Restaurant. We tend to gravitate to places with extensive and interesting appetizer menus. It also featured a few things we've never had before and we like to share as many dishes as possible so we can try as much as we can.


These little gems are the Warm Blue Cheese Pear Tarts with Red Wine Syrup.


I could eat 45 of these as an appetizer and 22 as dessert. I'm just sayin'. The crust was flaky, the filling was light and creamy. What is that filling? It didn't taste strongly of blue cheese and was smooth and decadent. They were topped off with a pear compote, garnished with a mint leaf and chunks of gorgonzola on the plate.

Can someone please create a recipe for these and send it to me?!

This was so tasty! Pictured here is just the Steak Tartare. You don't see the white truffle potato chips because I couldn't get it in the light without moving everything around. You take a chip and put a little tartare on it and enjoy. It was only the second time I've had steak tartare and this one was sooo flavorful.

By the way, if you ever order this, know that its raw. Try it anyway. Believe me, I'm not the type of girl that normally eats raw beef. It does sound odd. Get over your mental block and try a bite.


The lighting in this pictures are a bit off but there was one light over our 2-top table and I had to work with it. Besides, the table wasn't built for people who order as many plates as we do.

This was the Seafood Sausage with spicy white beans and fluffy mustard melting over the top. I was incredibly impressed by this seafood sausage. I wasn't sure how the texture and flavor would be. I must say it was firm like you would expect of a sausage, perhaps just a tad softer than a chicken sausage. It was juicy, it had your traditional sausage seasonings such as fennel seeds and the beans were perfect with it.

Why is it whenever I say "such as" I think of that poor pageant contestant?


Ah, the Pistachio Crusted Rack of Lamb with brussel sprouts, pancetta and a bing cherry demi glace. The garnish of fried leeks was a bit of a mess as we had already tasted them. This lamb was cooked perfectly and the sauce had just a touch of cherry without being overly sweet.


We must have been on a pistachio kick. The Frozen Gran Marnier and Pistachio Souffle was a must try. Frozen souffle? I'm still unclear about the definition of a souffle but I had thought it required baking. Someone enlighten me please.

This was more like an ice cream with a thicker custard base. Oh and they are serious when they say Gran Marnier, that little bowl of deliciousness had some punch. And the tiny morsel off to the side was the orange chocolate truffle, yum.


This is a shot from below of the upstairs area that we dined in. Yes, I know its blurry. My apologies but what would you expect after a martini, 3 courses and some dessert wine. I can't hold my camera still on a normal day. Well, don't stare at it, just look really quick to get the idea.


To top it all off, I was speaking to our fantastic waiter Kevin who informed me that they've only been open for about 2 months. That just blew me away because there were absolutely no kinks in service or presentation and the place was packed.

I've got to be honest.. B and I can be tough critics. We both previously worked in fine dining as he was in the kitchen and I was managing the front. This place exceeded our expectations.