My Big List of Goals for 2012

As I already began to mention it in my last post...let's establish some goals for the new year.

First, a review of my 2011 goals:

• Get a "real job"
  Success?  Though I'm not in my ideal career field, I was promoted from part-time hourly to a full-time, salaried position at work.
• Learn Spanish
  Obviously, this wouldn't be an overnight thing, but I bought the software, made the flashcards, bookmarked some educational websites...and never really did anything with them.  Fail.
• Finish reading War and Peace
  Fail.  I'm 136 pages into my brick-like copy.  I blame this mostly on the job situation—I transferred offices at the beginning of February, then the promotion, and busy, and not wanting to commit to it after work (I'm in the office by 5:30am and go to bed early)...  Plus my copy is truly the shape and size of a brick. Not very convenient or portable.
• Photo-A-Day
  Success, mostly.  I have the photos, but sometimes I'd get a week or two (or three) behind in uploading and organizing them by date.  But the daily images exist.

New goals for 2012:

• Really, actually finish reading War and Peace
  I do want to read it. I enjoyed Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. I think I just need to actually schedule time for myself and this book.
• Really, actually work on re-learning Spanish
  I did well in high school, and still remember a lot of grammar and verb conjugation rules...but I've forgotten most of the vocabulary. Seriously, I need to do this. I'm now a year behind where I should be now, had I actually been serious about this in the past year.
• Become a real adult.  Or at least act the part.
  Again, see this post.
• Continue my Photo-A-Day
  I really like having a visual reminder of each day. Sometimes it's an event, sometimes it's just food...but it's something tangible for every single day.
• Run a Half-Marathon
  Something big to mark my next birthday.  I still really hate running.
• Do more worthwhile and noteworthy things
  I want to do fun and exciting things.

Goal for 2012: Adult Things

Please allow me to introduce you to Adulting. (You're welcome.)

This shall be my goal for 2012.  I need to "adult" my life. Steps 1 and 2: assemble an "emergency box" for my car, and organize recipes somewhere that's not my laptop and is easier to use in the kitchen.  I also need to organize (majorly), upgrade, and otherwise classy-up my life.  Little steps, as the blog suggests. Personalized stationery. Actually writing thank you notes. Handling things like an adult.

Alexa, I'm dragging you into this too.

Another Frederick's of Hollywood party!

Tonight was another Frederick's of Hollywood flagship store party.  After seeing how busy it got last time, I decided to leave extra early and arrive as doors opened.

Excellent idea.  I got there right at 6:00 and that was such a great decision.  I dressed up more this time: short dress, black stockings, and heels. And it was cold outside.  I'm glad I only had to wait outside long enough to have my ID checked and name found on the guest list before I got inside.  No line, no real waiting.

They were doing manicures this time, so I went right upstairs to that station and waited behind just three other girls.  Within minutes, the line had grown to at least ten people behind me. (Ha!  I win!) I always do my nails red, so this time I went for an awesome taupe color...and already began to ruin it as I left the chair and grabbed my bag. Oh well.  I am not meant to get manicures—the last time I tried, I ruined that one too, even after waiting.  At least it already happened before shopping.  Now I didn't have to worry about them anymore.

Just like last time...discounts!  I got a cocktail, went right to the party dresses, and found two great ones...plus an excellent plaid Christmas corset.  I actually asked the dressing room girls to talk me into it.  I picked up a few more things and accidentally ended up spending half my rent.  Oh well.  Totally worth it. I love Frederick's, and that is why I'm a shareholder.

And again, like last time, I got a gift bag with all sorts of goodies.

Lucy Day at The Hollywood Museum

Today was Lucy Day at The Hollywood Museum.  They've had a large Lucy collection there for a few months already, but today was their big symposium including a panel of Lucille Ball's friends and colleagues. I got there as doors opened so I could spend enough time in the actual museum and see all the displays.

A sample of some of the collection

After a good amount of time in the exhibit, I went upstairs to where they panel would be held.  There, the first thing I saw, was Michael Stern's booth.  He's known as "Lucy's #1 fan" (given the title by Lucy herself).  He signed my copy of his book, and maaaybe I spent a lot of money on an autographed Stone Pillow limited-run posted. (Hey, this was my chance to get a guaranteed authentic Lucy autograph.)  There were several other tables with old magazines and collectibles too.

Bob Schiller, during autograph line

The main event was the discussion panel, and the meeting/autograph line following that.  A few people weren't very talkative (or were busy having conversations with each other, just going through the motions of "meeting"/signing for us...), but there were a few highlights.  Frank Gorey (Lucy's driver/household manager) loves my red hair.  Jimmy Garrett is a top-notch dude. (I hope he or his family Googles him and sees this.) Carole Cook is hilarious and a sassypants and now I want to be her when I grow up.  She said I can be.  Bernard Weitzman (Executive VP of Desilu Productions) was super informative during the panel, and came prepared with extra documents and photos to share—he showed me the first photo of him and Lucy together on his first day of the job.  And Bob Schiller (I Love Lucy writer) was adorable and reminded me of my grandpa, which I told him. "But was he wonderful?" (making sure it was a positive comparison!) Quiet, but so fantastic to have met him.

After going through the autograph line, I hung around to sneak a few more photos.  We couldn't photograph during the panel, so I got what I could after it.  The panelists began to clear out as the lined died down.  Carole Cook was the last one remaining—so I approached her again and asked if I could get a photo with her.

Super exciting day, and some of the inspiration I've needed lately.  I need to be more interesting like these fine people.

I filmed Mythbusters again!

Yeah, that's right, again.  In January 2010, I did a crazy 21-hour roundtrip drive to San Francisco to film an episode of Mythbusters at the workshop.  It was excellent...but really not a super smart idea to do it that quickly, essentially pulling an all-nighter-and-a-half.

This time, I planned ahead.  I got confirmation on a Tuesday for a Thursday (September 29) shoot day, and immediately booked a cheap motel room in Oakland for Wednesday night.  I drove up to SF from LA after work on Wednesday evening, and made it easily by 10:00pm. I got to sleep this time!

Driving up in the evening wasn't so bad

My classy, classy motel room matched my bags

On Thursday, I did a little exploring before meeting the crew on Treasure Island.  I drove over the Bay Bridge and found a television icon.

The Full House house!

View of SF and the Bay Bridge from Treasure Island

There were eight of us invited to film...and we did a lot of waiting.  They took us two at a time, apparently a men vs. women experiment.  Those of us left behind kept trying to figure out what we were going to have to do, based on some of our survey questions earlier. Or maybe it was mainly me who was trying to figure it out.  I was impatient.

There's been some press already on the episode, but I still can't talk about the details until the episode airs.  Boo.

Because we wrapped relatively early, and it was still pretty light outside, I did even more exploring.  I tried to find Lombard Street's craziness and the Golden Gate Bridge.  Yeah, should've researched an address or something earlier.  Found 'em eventually, though!

I DROVE DOWN LOMBARD STREET

I finally headed home after that. I got back really late, and probably could have left two or three hours sooner, but I'm so glad I did a little extra exploring this time.

I Hate Running

I seriously hate running.  I've done two 5Ks with my friends within the last year and a half (Warrior Dash and Spartan Race)...but I was in it for the obstacles.  And the beer at the end.  That is the way to motivate us: hijinks and beer.  But even on those "fun" courses, I remember asking (several times), "Why am I running? No one is chasing me..."

Here's the thing: I will be turning 25 next year. Twenty five.  That's a grown-up age.  I need to do something big to mark the occasion.

So I'm going to run a half-marathon.

The Disneyland Half-Marathon is held in September.  I don't want to run a random course just for the sake of running, because I hate running.  But I love Disneyland.  The timing and location are perfect.

I kinda-sorta started going to the gym to take spin classes with my roommate (maybe I've only done that twice), and sometimes I get on the elliptical machine.  Last Friday, I got on the treadmill and ran 2.1 miles in 22 minutes, and on Sunday I did 1.6 miles in 16 minutes. So I'm like one-seventh of the way there already.

I know I should be running outside for real terrain, but it's so easy for me to stop then. I can't as easily stop on the treadmill because it's moving. And people will judge me for walking on it.  So until this becomes a habit, I'm sticking with the moving treadmill in a judgmental environment.

I'm heading over to the gym again now.  And I really, really hate running.

Muay Thai fight

Last night, my friend Patrick had his second muay thai fight.  We used to train together in Krav Maga (he even came in to beat me up in the sparring on my Green Belt test last year), but his passion was always more for the fight than the self-defense element.  He left our training over the summer and went to a muay thai academy to focus more on that.

He won his first fight a month or two ago, and last night, he won his second.

Frederick's of Hollywood party

On Wednesday, I received an invite for a special event at the Frederick's of Hollywood flagship store in Hollywood.  As this store has taken a lot of my money (alllll those shopping trips), I had to go: Cocktails!  Discounts! Gift bags!

Emphasis on discounts!  Time for a shopping trip again!

I arrived about a half hour after it started, and there was a line from the door around the corner.  I did not expect that.  I also did not expect the girls in line to be dressed as if they were going into a club.  Little party dresses all over...making my long sundress look lame by comparison. There were a few people in "regular clothes," so that did make me feel a little better.

On all my other trips to the store, there were a handful of other customers, but never anything overwhelming.  Employees were always on top of things and offered assistance, dressing rooms, "let me hold this at the register for you..."—but last night, it was busy.

The staff was definitely doing the best that could, though.  I had a drink in one hand, a few items in the other, and several times I was offered help in finding a size so I didn't have to juggle a way to look through the clothing rack.  The line for the dressing rooms was insane, but the staff there also was good about running out to grab a different size if necessary.  It was very well-organized...just busy.

After an hour and a half, I spent far more money than I should have. (But I'm a shareholder of FOH stock, so eventually they may pay me back...right?) Whatever, I got some fabulous stuff and felt all fancy at the store party/event, so I win.

My shopping bag + gift bag (and all the gift bag goodies)

An evening at La Descarga

Last night, we celebrated a friend's birthday at La Descarga, a Cuban rum and cigar bar in Hollywood.  So.much.fun.  It was a classy affair—ladies in cocktail dresses and men in jackets. And of course, I enjoy any chance I get to feel a little Lucille Ball-esque...redhead at a Cuban rum bar, close enough connection to Lucy/Desi.

First of all, when you get into the door, you're led upstairs to a little room...and enter the main bar room by walking through an armoire, pushing a few hanging guayabera shirts aside. You step through onto a raised platform that reminded me of a theater catwalk, then down the metal spiral stairs to the main floor.  We were a large party, so we had a reservation for a table and bottle service, and we were escorted to our corner.

So.  Bottle service.  It's a Cuban rum bar, so of course we went with rum.  A $300 bottle of rum.  Fancy glass pitches of soda and a glass of limes were also delivered to the table, but the rum was so smooth (with hints of vanilla and cinnamon) that most of us drank it on the rocks.

Every hour, there was a short burlesque performance, and the dancer can really move.  I was so impressed with her quick footwork and swinging of her hips.  She was obviously a trained dancer.  We sneaked off to the cigar lounge after the first performance, and though I didn't partake in that, it was quite a sight to see another retro room filled with dressed up people.

After we finished the bottle, there were a few more cocktails and a lot more fun with friends.  It was such a great group of people, and of course we ladies took turns dancing to the latin music with our birthday boy.  So.much.fun.  We already were asking who has the next special occasion so we can have an excuse to return. Because, you know, you kinda need more reason than "just because" when you order a $300 bottle.

I got a bunny!

I got my first bunny from the fair when I turned eight (my sister got one at the same time too). I got my second (the family's third) in 2002 or 2003.  I moved away for college in 2005, leaving my bunny with my family...but as soon as I was able, I wanted one again.  I've been the official bunnysitter/godmother to my friends' bunnies for the past two years, taking care of them when my friends go out of town.  And now...I have a bunny of my own once again!

Los Angeles Rabbit Foundation hosts an adoption event every Saturday, where they bring in their rabbits from foster homes and show them off so they can find new permanent, loving homes.  I finally really asked my roommate if we could have a bunny (beyond "I want one..." and actually talking logistics), and getting the OK from her was much easier than expected.  So a few weeks ago, I emailed my adoption application and went to go look.

Meeting bunny at the adoption event

Lots of rabbits, mostly big ones, but then there was this one in a cage on their main table.  They said she was from a shelter and "needs some work," but "has potential"—she apparently came from a bad environment earlier (and she got left at a shelter!).  Once they put me in the gated pen with her and she sniffed around, I couldn't leave her there.

So she came home with me that day! I locked her in the bathroom while I ran to Target, three Petcos, and Home Depot to set up a nice, safe home for her.  The organization called her Cocoa, but now she is my little Ellie.

Naptime, all the time.

Today I went to a craft store to get wooden beads and twine so I could make a little chew toy for her...and found a few other goodies.  She's my spoiled little child.

She figured out how to play pretty quickly.

She's lived with me for three weeks now, and she's wonderful!  She's an excellent little explorer and roams around with a lot of hopping and dashing and sprinting.  Then she puts herself away in her litterbox.  The only thing "wrong" with her is that she won't sit in my lap and runs if I approach her to pet her...but she's a prey animal, and I am much bigger than her, so that's okay.  I'll just keep trying to buy her love with treats and toys.

Recess for grown-ups

Last night, a group of my friends got together to watch the UFC fights...and afterward, Dave suggested we go play at his gym.

I promise, this was more fun than it initially sounds.

Dave's gym is Monkey Bar Gym, and it is like playing at recess in elementary school. Except we're grown-ups...playing with monkey bars, oversized tires, and other fun toys.

Gym?  Or playground?

Hula hoops!  Like recess!

Music in the Zoo

I like music.  I like the zoo.  Therefore, I like Music in the Zoo!

The L.A. Zoo hosts an annual after-hours event with several band stages throughout the zoo, and you can wander from stage to stage...and exhibit to exhibit, since many animals were allowed to "stay up past their bedtimes" for it!

Naturally, we stopped at my seals first.

With the lazy, sleepy seal

Hollywood Sign again

I went back to the Hollywood sign again on Sunday. I love that I can do that. It's a nice, easy "hike" with enough people to take away the murder mystery thought (see Temescal), but not super touristy crowded.  It probably took me an hour and a half round-trip, including some time spent at the very top—there's a little dirt hill next to the tower that I had never climbed up before.

I love this hike, and I love living by Hollywood.

A Belated Happy 4th!

Wow, I'm late with this. So, um, Happy Independence Day!

I LOVE the Fourth of July.  From the time I was fourteen or so, until I was eighteen (and no longer in the area in July), I'd spend the holiday in Washington, DC—right on the west lawn of the US Capitol.  We'd always get there super early (9:00am?) to camp out for a spot just to the left of the stage they set up for A Capitol Fourth.  Most years, we'd also go the day before for the rehearsal.  During the full day of waiting around, my sister and I would disappear elsewhere on the lawn to take pictures and goof around.

Rehearsal day - July 3, 2005

Now that I'm an "adult" and live on my own (and not on the east coast), I've had to find other things to do. This year, I started the day off with a stop at a friend's pool party in Calabasas. After two hours or so, I left with another friend to meet a third friend for a beach day.

We cut through the canyons and ended up at a nice little spot in Malibu.  Veronica specifically chose this stretch of beach for the seafood restaurant across the street.

  

After our late lunch, we laid out in the sand for the rest of the evening. The plan was to stay until it got dark, and watch Santa Monica fireworks down the coast.

We brought out Apples to Apples and played a never-ending round, which resulted in some awesome pairings.  As the tide came in, Veronica and Jeremy claimed to see a seal not too far out...but I swore it was just the rock we had seen protruding from the waves earlier. (I wish I could say I knew it was a seal, because I love seals!) We ended up calling it a day around 7:00pm, as it was getting colder and we could no longer see very far down the coast.  Fireworks-viewing wouldn't be successful.

However, when I got home, I went to my rooftop and saw over 180° of fireworks shows across the horizon.  There was a big one close by, as well as other shows farther in the distance, all across the valley.  I even synched up Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture from my iPod during the finale of the big nearby show.  Super fun "chill out" day.

Hollywood Forever (and ever and ever!)

Movie nights in a cemetery: brilliant, or fantastically brilliant?

Hollywood Forever hosts summertime movie screenings, and it is amazing.  Bring your blankets, bring your snacks, bring your booze, and hang out.  Two years ago, I went with a friend (and her friends) to see Jaws on the Fourth of July.  A week later, I went with another friend for The Bride of Frankenstein, and maybe two weeks after that, we returned for Some Like It Hot.  I didn't make it to any screenings last summer, but I'm determined to not let it slip by again.

Sunday evening was Ghostbusters.  Though neither of us was sure if we'd even previously seen the movie all the way through, my roommate Lisa and I were excited for movie night.  I made guac, packed a cooler, gathered some blankets, and we were off to fight for some grassy space.

We ended up scoring an awesome spot right up front and slightly to the side.  It was slightly obscured from our view when walking up to the screening mausoleum, thanks to my new buddy Douglas Fairbanks and his elaborate resting place.  We laid out the blankets, dug into the snacks, and waited.

"Wait, I wanna be eating guac in every picture!  It'll be my thing!"

The movie itself was improved by the crowd.  People sung along with the theme song and all "Ghostbusters!" chants, and even got into yelling, "Noo, don't! Ahhhh!" at times.  Super cool atmosphere.  And, bonus!  At the end, as we got up and walked out, the DJ immediately played "Thriller"...so I had no choice but to get my Leo Strut on.  If my hands weren't full with a cooler and bags, I probably would have needed to rock out the "Thriller" dance (like I did on Jaws night).

On the drive home, I decided to take us down Sunset Blvd, rather than the normal, less scenic route.  I pointed out the Hollywood Palladium, Hotel Café, fun billboards, and finally the "real" Sunset Strip.  Lisa had never been to the Roxy, or Key Club, or anything down that way.  Eventually we hit Beverly Hills, and I really turned into a high-class tour guide.  "And on your right, we will soon be passing a classic Beverly Hills neighborhood sign." I tried to throw in a lot of fun facts and tidbits, communicated in a sweet tour guide announcer voice.  Or maybe I sounded like a game show host.

I decided to take a minor detour, and we turned on to Roxbury Drive so I could show off Lucille Ball's former house, "and next door, you'll see Jack Benny's house! Oh wait, is that a dude in Lucy's door??" Yep, there was a silhouette of a man standing in the glass doorway as we drove by...so I sped up a little to not be that creepo who's driving by super slowly.

I also tour-guided our way past Bel Air and UCLA sorority/fraternity houses, then we were dropped onto our northbound route home.  I suggested a final detour: the Jackson family home, conveniently located within (long) walking-distance of our house...or a short drive.  I told her about my evening outside the gate the day after Michael Jackson died and everyone created a nice memorial, and seeing a family car drive out and be mobbed by reporters.

Nights like that remind me exactly where I live.  For my first 2+ years in Los Angeles, I was stuck in a little bubble surrounding my apartment due to lack of car (and low-quality public transportation).  Getting to Hollywood and Highland took a bus transfer to a train, about a half hour from my door to tourist central.  It's not that I would forget where I live, but I didn't realize how close I am to all the cool stuff.  Now I am mobile and able to explore. And I love Los Angeles.

PS: I just asked Lisa, "If I was on Yelp, how would you rate my tour guiding?" and she said she liked that I knew where things were, and I was very lively.  So there you go.  Hey tour guide companies, I'm willing to learn your route and tour highlights.  Also, I am likable and energetic and available for hire!

Sushi challenge preparation #2

Woo-hoo, three day weekend!  I had a good day at work, the weather is finally summer (seriously, 70° in June wasn't quite enough...85° is more like it!), and I have plans lined up for the long weekend.  I was in a good mood this afternoon, and I was ready to take on my next step of spicy sushi challenge preparation.

Back to Yagumo for a #7 and #8 roll.  Last time, I did a #5 and #7.

Pretty presentation again (shifted a little on the drive home), with nicely labeled #7 and #8

Close-up detail on the #7

My strategy is to devour the rolls as quickly as possible.  It's going to burn anyway, so why drag it out?  Both were gone in about 2 minutes...but the deadly burn lasted longer.  I downed a shot glass of half-and-half, which did very little.  Back to two shot glasses of coffee creamer, and a giant glass of water.

After ten minutes, my lips were still tingling and I still felt the heat, but it was tolerable.  Ten minutes after that, I was good...until about forty five minutes after eating, when I started to feel sick.  I think that's due to the spicy and coffee creamer combining in my stomach.  I might not "train" for this challenge anymore and just jump into it next time—I have a plan and a technique for the actual eating, and I'll just have to handle the afterburn consequences.

Surviving Temescal Canyon

Today was a great day for summer weather to finally return (seriously, 65°F last week was dumb), because today was also a day off from work.  I've been meaning to go "hiking" (AKA walking on a canyon path) for awhile, so I looked up Runyon Canyon.

Yeah, no.  Runyon is known for being dog-friendly, and I am not.  Not going to hike at an off-leash dog place.  What other canyon have I heard of?...Temescal is the winner!

After lathering on sunscreen (I don't mind getting sun, but I do not want bad tan lines from my shirt) and driving all the way out there, I arrived just after noon.  I tweeted my location and choice of path, because maaaybe I watch too many 48 Hours Mystery about women who go missing as they go for a solo run, and are found months later all murdered and buried.  This way, they would know exactly where to send a search party in a few hours.

ANYWAY.

I'm kind of new at this whole "canyon trail" thing, and even though I read suggestions on Yelp, I didn't exactly know where to go when I got into the park.  I just kept walking straight, until the paved roads turned into a dirt path option.  There were a few signs for different paths, but I didn't know what they meant.  I just followed the arrow to the waterfall path.

The rest is best told through photos...

Random cool thing of the day

I saw the Google Street View car today.

Dos chicas walk into un restaurante salvadoreño...

Yesterday at 7:30am, my roommate sent me a text to ask if I wanted to go to a Cuban restaurant for dinner. Let me repeat: she asked me about dinner at 7:30am. (Answer: YES.)  I was looking forward to it all day, even eating a small lunch to leave maximum hunger for the ropa vieja con arroz y frijoles I planned on ordering.

Flash forward to 7:00pm, and the restaurant we had in mind was unavailable.  Thanks to some quick-thinking (and a smartphone), we soon found ourselves en route to a Salvadoran restaurant within three miles of our original destination.

We entered through a little hidden back entrance, which we thought was incorrect, but turned out to the the only way in.  Immediately, we could tell this place was authentic.  We were possibly the only English-speakers in there.  Our waitress came over and asked, "Spanish?" ("No...poquito...") I spoke enough Spanish (I can speak food) and she spoke enough English for us to order, after I helped my roommate figure out what the (100% Spanish) menu offered.

Our entertainment for the evening

Right in the corner behind us, there was a mic/karaoke setup—apparently Friday nights are live music nights.  The table just to the left was full of guys drinking and having fun, and they'd sometimes come up and join their friend at the microphone, singing what seemed to be well-known Spanish songs.  It was all very lighthearted, and they'd get up and laugh and dance.  Super fun atmospheric addition to the little thatched huts over the tables.

I ordered five pupusas (a combination of revuelta and queso y loroco), while my roommate eventually decided on pollo asado con arroz.  Um, delicious.  The curtido and tomato sauce were also perfect.  I've attempted to make pupusas at home before, and I know I'm doing something wrong—mine are still a good meal, but I'm obviously not making them like this.

Right before we asked for our check, the singing guys' table sent our waitress over to offer to buy me a drink!  We were the table right in front of their corner, so of course they would have noticed us paying attention and applauding.  So much fun.

It was a small place, and you could tell that a lot of people in there were probably regulars.  Our waitress was super nice with our attempts at each other's languages (lots of "Good?  OK?" and "¡Sí, gracias!"), and I ended up tipping her really well.  Thanks, La Fonda de Don Cuper!  You are excellent.

Sushi challenge preparation

I have been watching a lot of Man v. Food on Netflix over the last week or two.  Usually I'll stream an episode or two while eating dinner/snack...and consequently eat way more than any one person should.  You'd think that a show featuring such gluttonous portions of food would maybe help you eat less, as some of the selections are quite ridiculous (twelve pounds of burger and fries? five and a half pounds of pizza? triple decker loaded sandwiches?)...but it all just looks so good.  All of the food on the show looks so delicious, and it makes me hungry.

Anyway, every episode concludes with a food challenge—eat this large portion in under an hour, eat this entire super deadly spicy meal, etc.  I need to do that.  A quick Google search led me to a list of a ton of challenges in Los Angeles.  I think a spicy challenge would be easier than a quantity-based challenge, and so I have chosen my first challenge: Yagumo's Number 10 Ninja Hand Roll Challenge.

Today I began "training" for my challenge. Their hand rolls can be made any level of spicy (1-10), and the menu recommends not ordering anything higher than a 5 if you haven't tried their spicy before.  I ordered a #5 and a #7 Ninja roll (and a #3 spicy tuna, and a tuna cut roll to round out my sushi feast).

Not the first time I've been given two pairs of chopsticks on the assumption that this quantity of food has to be for two people

I started with the #5 roll—not bad.  This could be my usual level for a good, solid "spicy." The heat did linger a bit, but I went right into the #7 next.  And...wow.  That's spicy.  I finished it easily, but the heat lingered even more than the previous roll.  I finished my glass of milk. went back to the kitchen for more, then resorted to a shot glass of coffee creamer, because nonfat milk wasn't cutting it.  However, after about six minutes, it was tolerable, and the pain was gone after twelve minutes.

I can do this.  Working my way to going in for the #10 challenge sometime this summer.  Next week: #7 and #8.

(Also, I think this qualifies as "sushi in the valley," as I picked in up in Van Nuys. Another "10 Things in L.A." completion!)

10 Things in L.A. - Third Street Promenade

After last weekend's partial attempt, on Friday I did Third Street Promenade for real.

There's actually not much to it, if you're not really looking to go shopping.  It's set up in a way that reminds me of Disneyland's Main Street USA.  Really, any closed-off fake street reminds me of that, though.

There's some cool intersections with a real street, where, on the crosswalk light, everyone mobs the intersection and walks right across the street (and not just the crosswalk).

But basically, it's a lot of shops in a row.  The real appeal I think is in the convenience and the "closed off" factor.  Otherwise, it's just an outdoor strip mall with your average Banana Republic, Chipotle, Old Navy, Forever 21, McDonalds, and other stores and restaurants.

But I did really like walking in the middle of the "street."