DJ AM

One of the best dj's, DJ AM, just died of an apparent drug overdose. Such a waste. I've seen him spin in Vegas twice--once at the Pussycat Doll Lounge with Lancer, and recently at Rain (**personal picture above**) when we were in Vegas for Jo-Jo's pre-wedding party and girl's weekend.

I was at the Doctor's recently, and a Michael Jackson song came on. I told the nurse at the desk how sad it was about him dying, and she crisply said "yes, well, he was a drug addict--and all drug addicts die early and in a tragic way. I see it all the time." Sad, but true.

I'm so sad to see yet another talented individual die from addiction. He was so talented, and seemed like a truly nice and down to earth guy. The music world has definitely lost a bright star.

I know it's Wrong...

..but I just can't make myself get rid of this one-armed Michael Vick bobblehead.

In my defense, it was my first tsotchke I got on my first job, which means it's legitimately from Mr. Vick. It was all fine and dandy until he was exposed as a dog-killing freak. Then people started questioning the figurine. I know I should chuck it, but I don't have the heart. Plus, I think if it as a good luck charm. Dobbie doesn't approve.

I guess I could always say that a dog ripped his arm off--that's less offensive, right?

PS...I wonder if there's a market for old, one-armed Michael Vick Falcons Bobbleheads??
Probably not.

PSS...Why does he look so much like Ray J??

SF & Braggery

We've spent a lot of time in the city in the last few weeks. Every time we go up we always chastise ourselves for not going up more. Here's what we have been up to:

Our lovely friend Amy looked up a bunch of Chez Panisse recipes, and created this tasty gourmet dinner for our friends using local food from the farmer's market. It was as delicious as it looks--especially the chicken. Lancer said it best--"that chicken was so moist and juicy, it was like turkey." Well said my love. We feasted on lemon stuffed chicken, summer corn soup with garlic butter, and a summer salad with tomatoes.

Not to be outdone by the dessert of hot stone fruit, vanilla bean ice-cream, and homemade caramel. I was inspired--I am going to try and do a gourmet meal once a month. I just bought the latest issue of Gourmet for inspiration. I love me some good food.

Back to the burbs, where Dobbie ate the face off his favorite stuffed piggy. No, really.

Back up for dinner and dancing with the ladies. Our friend Mal looked up some good GF places to chow, and we settled for Zadin. IT WAS AMAZING. The chef has a bunch of celiac friends, and learned how to cook Vietnamese food without wheat. Most of the menu is GF, including calamari, onion rings, shaking beef, and a cucumber salad. I FINALLY GOT TO EAT ONION RINGS AFTER 5 YEARS!! Most of you take this for granted. I do not.


Back up to SF. Lancer and I needed t blow some hotel points before they expired, so we hit up the W. It's a fun and funky little boutique hotel near Union Square.

The view from our room

Chillin by the window

Oh, right. This thing. I wrote an incredibly rude letter to the occupants of room #1810 and left it by their door. It may have mentioned the word skanky and suggested that if they are either too drunk or stupid to remember who has the room key, they should designate one person to have the key at all times. This way, they won't have to wake the whole floor at 3 am while trying to get into their room.

Stopped in at Taylor's again. I got the same thing I always get--pulled pork sandwich, sweet potato fries, and a choco shake. Heavenly.

Hung out in the Ferry Building, checking out the local goods

Some great shots of the city, courtesy of Lancer and his mad photography skills. More on this in a second.




When we got home, Lancer got an email from a company asking if they could use his photo of the Westin in Frankfurt, Germany. He had posted it on Flickr, and someone from the company found it. He said sure, and now you can find his work here. The best part is that I am in the photo--if you enlarge it, you will see me, passed out in a pool chair, jetlagged beyond belief. I don't know why my face looks like bright red tomato, though. We're famous again--not since our fake wedding (that's us on the right) have I been viewed so many times by random people. I kind of like it.

Things I am Excited About

At Zao Noodle tonight, I was telling Lancer that I love having a list of things I look forward to. This keeps my life exciting. People always say things like "you're always having so much fun!" Life can be a non-stop party, but only if you really work at it. Here is my current fun list, big and small.

Getting a smartphone, cuz my current phone is a dummy.

Deciding on costumes for our Halloween party

Side note--not sure I can top this get-up from when I was dating Lancer. He proposed a few months later. Coincidence? I think not. PS...I had about 10 additional inches sewn on the bottom and it still worked its magic. The original dress was MAJOR Skanky-town.

Cinnamon Candles

Tights and leggings:

A Sugar Ray concert in SF next month. A truly fun and entertaining live band. I've seen them 5 or 6 times.


New Moon. Oh, RPatz. I've missed you. I'm totally throwing a New Moon pre-party--it's going to be killah.

These totally cute items from PBK. I've tricked myself into thinking I can make them for cheap. That canopy can't be that hard, right?


My 5th annual cookie exchange. Competition is fierce. People are already dreaming up their entry.

Cider

Chuck Bass (shamefully)

Back to school. Sculpting the minds of the future, one vowel at a time.

Hay bales!!

Hot boots. I want these Loubies. Yeah, right. Maybe I should pull this trick again?

Cocoa. Much more exciting than cider.

Gourds! For eating and decorating. Especially those mini pumpkins.

Fall produce. Crisp apples, juicy pears, hearty pumpkins, tasty squash.

Stews, soups, and chili.

There you have it. The things I daydream about on walks and as I fall asleep at night. I love fall.

Brown Baggin It

I like the idea of this weird stainless steel bento box for lunches. They sell them at the Kyo Po Korean market in my hood, but the food on the box makes me barfy, so I always pass. I just like how all of the little containers stack up for easy travel.

I have a problem with lunch in that I rarely eat it. I usually eat breakfast at home, starve all day, and then pig out at dinnertime. This is a pattern I'm not wild about, so I decided to mix things up. I went to the Container Store and got the following items:

A cute black lunch tote that's nice and insulated:

This cute baby thermos, perfect for hot soup, chili, pasta, or other warm sundries. I love that the lid holds a little spoon and fork.

A set of these 3 little stackable containers for fruits, veggies, and snackies:

And my favorite part--the little "one stop" lunchbox that holds a large treat on the top, and 2 divided compartments on the bottom for smaller delights.

And, to keep it all cool, a reusable ice mat that wraps around the food.

I'm trying to think of good ideas for quick lunches, and this is what I have so far:

Tuna/chicken/egg salad
Soups/chili/stew
Sushi
Pasta
Baked chicken with BBQ sauce
Rice crackers and cheese
Fruits--grapes, nectarines, plums, banana
Veggies--celery, carrots, bell pepper, cherry tomatoes
Apples and peanut butter
String cheese
Cottage cheese
Baked cheddar puffs
Corn chips and black bean dip
Hummus and rice crackers/veggies
Yogurt
Think Thin Bars
Chicken Quesadilla with sour cream and salsa
GF waffles with peanut butter and jelly or banana
Nachos with chicken, cheese and black beans
Tacos

What do you guys like for lunch? I would love to hear what you chow down on, and what you pack up for your shorties.

Tale of Three Wives

We have The Bad Wife--note the pizza, Thai, sushi, and chinese food containers. Notice low level of milk and prominent can of frosting.

Here we have The Better Wife. She spent many an hour in Target and Safeway.

And, last but not least, we have The Good Wife.

The End.

Dave Gahan Will **NOT** Be Reaching Out And Touching Me

Remember how excited I was for this business back in March?? March, people! It's August, and I have been waiting for Depeche Mode since March when I bought the tickets. And, oh, what tickets they were. Great seats snatched up with our Amex pre-sale status because I finally have money and can buy real seats. And how does DM re-pay me??

They.Freakin.Cancel.The.Freakin.Show.The.Night.Before.

UGH. I am so mad I feel like throwing myself on the ground and crying. I love this band--and you know how my allegiances run in that department. I have been going to their concerts since 1993, when I roadtripped up to Minnesota to see them. Nitzer Ebb opened, and it was awesome. This was followed by 5 or 6 more shows over the years, the last one for my 30th birthday.

Their music speaks to my soul--this is a phrase often used by the Warner girls. You know who you are. "But does the music really, you know, speak to your soul??" they will ask. The answer is yes. It does. It always has. It's dark, and strange, and sexy, and brilliant, and insightful. And I love it. DM 101 is the greatest live album of all time...Peter Frampton fans can jump off a cliff.

I guess I will have to find something else to be excited about this month. Maybe its National Brussel Sprouts Day or Adopt a Dumb Tree Day this month. One can only hope, since that's the only thing that will quell my deep anger and sadness.

BOO.

PS...It's totally canceled. As in refunds in the mail, not to be re-scheduled. It's a lost cause. Sigh.