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Monthly Archives: March 2010

mission statement

March 27, 2010 Posted inAdventure is Out There!,Backyard Adventures,Get in my Belly,Gourmet Living10 comments

Over spring break Christie, Kristen and I went on our 2nd annual thrifting excursion in the mission. Our first time was back in August 2008 and it was pretty successful for all of us. I bought this purple skirt from Thrift Town that I hemmed which I love and should wear more than I do and some belts at Goodwill for $2-$3 that I still use on a daily basis. Christie got black oxfords for only $5 and Kristen scored a couple of Ferragamo’s there too. Photos from that day seem to be part of the lot that was wiped out when my old laptop crashed.

This time we first met up at Pancho Villa Taqueria to fuel up for our thrifting. I had the super nachos with carne asada & a watermelon agua fresca which was very generous and I really liked the melted cheese. Kristen got the vegetarian super nachos & Christie – the super burrito. We knew the rest of the day would be super. (Just had to.)

Our first glass knob sighting of the day:)

and that is why they call it Thrift Town

for my own amusement

Kristen found a real Dooney & Burke bag for about $7! We have now crown this Goodwill a magical place.

As you can see I was very excited about this find. I saw the gloves in the display case of Buffalo Exchage right as we were about to head out, tried them on and fell in love.

I really adore my friends.

Chile & Cilantro Uttapam! Not bad but a little pricey for my taste. I lovvved the chips! Very light and the spice -which I asked the waitress what is was but now have forgotten- was really interesting.

Above: I totally thought that looked like Kevin from The Office but on closer inspection it was not – very curious.

I finally got a chance to cross off my first item on the 7×7 Big Eat List (2009, 2010) : #35 Salted Caramel Ice Cream from Bi-Rite Creamery. I paired it with a scoop of Orange Cardamom & brownie bits (which was overpowering – I shall eat sans toppings next time). The salted caramel was really rich and the first time I ever heard of the flavor but now I’m starting to notice it at other creameries. I wish I was the kind of person who would take their time tasting every single flavor but I’ll just have to make multiple trips then. Maybe lounge on the lawn of Dolores Park.


Above are my final purchases: a picture frame from Thrift Town for $3 that I needed to finally give Neil for our one year anniversary gift, desert rose suede gloves from the magical Goodwill $3 & brown leather gloves  from Buffalo Exchange for $9 which I desperately needed especially biking around Davis.

Below is a map of almost all the places we went to save for a few stores we popped in. Check em out for yourselves! All and all a successful thrift day:)


View Larger Map

la med + ici

March 24, 2010 Posted inAdventure is Out There!,Backyard Adventures,Get in my Belly,Gourmet Living1 comment

After walking and driving past La Méditerranée multiple times I finally got to go with Christie for dinner. We miraculously got parking right across the restaurant thanks to someone pulling out right when we reached our destination. I ordered the Mediterranean Plate to get a taste of everything: a cup of lemon chicken soup, chicken cicilia (Christie ordered a bunch of these), grecian spinach & feta, levant sandwich and chicken pomegranate with rice. It came with a bit of pineapple, orange and slice or some cheese. I’ve never had Mediterranean food so this was a treat to try something new and a must since they always say their diets are one of the healthiest. The lemon chicken soup was pretty good – I’ve only ever had Chinese lemon chicken which is really sweet but this soup was sour and the pieces of chicken were hearty. The chicken cicilia was stuffed thick and the chicken pomegranate was so tender and fell right off the bone. Lots of chicken! I was expecting there for the drumstick to be in a sauce of pomegranate but it was more of a glaze. That’s all I finished include the fruit and cheese. I should have just taken a bite of the rest but that’s OK, my family was happy to have my leftovers. I definitely want to go back and get the Mediterranean Meza with someone…maybe my family! I love the dim lighting at night, so cozy. Would be a great place for a date as well. It was lovely to catch up and plan what we’d like in our own Happiness Project. I’m very grateful to have a friend like her to talk about personal development.

Afterwards we went a few doors down to Ici for a frozen treat. Even in the cold there is always a line for this place as everything is homemade with local organic ingredients fresh every day. Their flavors change daily and are displayed on the walls in beautiful frames hung by bow. Christie took me here for the first time a few years ago. I had a scoop of orange blossom in a cone and – wow! – I never knew a flower could taste so good. The second time I went with my family shortly after and got an Earl Grey sandwich which was OK but did not live up to my first experience. This time around I got a scoop of rosemary-pinenut praline which was good. Christie got the chocolate-chip mint toffee. I don’t think I could ever recreate how amazing my first time at Ici was but it’s fun going back and seeing what they’ve come up with utilizing what’s in season. Their cones are divine – like a thick fortune cookie with a chocolate bottom inside. A yummy end to the night ♥

PYT in NYT

March 1, 2010 Posted inUncategorized3 comments

Hooray, Christie is quoted in the New York Times for the paper she co-authored that just got published on how the way movies are cut has evolved to match the same function of the human attention span.

Funny how studies see the light of day years after being conducted. They need to be reviewed, reviewed, reviewed when being considered for publication. Ahh, the world of research!