Panic on the streets of San Diego

I’m not so big on staying out late on a Sunday night – I usually like to use my Sunday evenings to prep for the week ahead. But that’s no fun, particularly when a band that I really like is in town, and playing a couple of miles from my house! So on Monday, I bought the tickets, and off we went last night to the House of Blues.

If you’ve never been to a show at the House of Blues, I highly recommend it. The space is very small, standing only, and really, no seat is a bad seat. We had a prime view of the stage from the upper bar area. I attempted some pictures, but with the light show and dark of the rest of the room, they came out pretty ick. Oh well. Lots of people spent the entire show filming or taking pictures, and that’s cool, but I prefer to just sit back and enjoy the experience.

Panic at the Disco put on a great show, with plenty of lighting and theatrics. And I was pleasantly surprised to see that my husband and I were not, in fact, the oldest people there! Mainly because it was parents that had brought their teenage kids! :oP. It got me thinking, that when/if I have kids, will I take them to concerts? I really, really hope that I do.

Have a happy Monday everyone!

10 things that I’d miss about San Diego

(if I were to move back to Maryland)

Reading David Lebovitz’s blog, I came across an entry about things that he would miss if he were to leave Paris. Now, I know that San Diego doesn’t really compare, but I thought that I’d compile a list of things that I would miss. Of course, his list considers cultural differences and such, but I just thought it would be a fun thing to list what I would miss.

1. Good, inexpensive wine. Seriously, the state of California is the 4th largest producer of wine in the world, following such giants as Italy, France, and Spain. Wine is plentiful here, and the ability to find good, cheap wine so easily is something that I’d miss.

2. Fresh rosemary. Rosemary is one of the best herbs to use fresh, not dried. It’s completely different when dried – prickly, and pretty dangerous to eat. Rosemary seems to thrive in arid climates, and is available wild, everywhere, in Southern California.

3. Sushi – I have to say, being right on the Pacific Ocean makes for some great sushi. Not Japan-good, but pretty good.

4. Dry heat – So much easier to cope with than humid, sticky heat back East.

5. Good grocery stores – There are so many wonderful grocery stores out here. Big, clean, and containing ingredients that are hard to find in many other cities. Plenty of organic markets and Asian specialty stores, which I adore.

6. Ease of finding my car in a crowded parking lot. Just look past the Porsche, monster trucks, and line of Lexuses, and there’s my humble little Matrix. Easy peasy.

7. Never having to deal with weather. Sure, I miss snow and rain, and the gardens on the East Coast can’t be beat, but it is nice that weather is usually not a factor in planning outings. Halloween in shorts is awesome!

8. Disneyland and the SD Zoo. I know that Disney is corporate evil, but I feel like a kid when I hear that opening park music. And man, I heart that zoo, even though I'm kind of anti-zoo. It confuses me as well.

9. Avocados, citrus fruits, and strawberries – So fresh, and the season is so long out here! Can you believe how much of this list is about food?

10. San Diego ComicCon – Sure, I could still go if I moved away, but I’m not much of one for travel for an event. So it’s sure nice to be able to drive up the street and hit up the best comic convention in the US.

And there you have it folks. Believe me, I could compile a list of things that drive me crazy about SD, but I prefer to focus on positives. I could also compile a list of things that I miss about the East Coast, as well as things that drove me batty there (um…crime, severe weather?). I'm not looking to move back anytime soon, but I do miss the East Coast and my amazing friends.

Desert Flowers!

Yay! Happy Friday! I’m so ready for some resting and play this weekend!

Spring is definitely here in Southern California. Determined to enjoy the flowers and San Diego’s famous great weather, we ventured out to the desert garden section of Balboa Park, and just look at what we found!

Gorgeous, vibrant deep pinks and orange!



Have a great weekend everyone!

One year....

Today marks one year that I have lived in California. I can hardly believe it. The year seemed slow at times...incredibly fast at others. I wrote more here than I've written since grad school, and it has been nice (although I have been terrible about updating my blog!). Two subject-based blogs came out of a New Year's resolution and lack of activities (namely, a job) for the first 6 months. It's been an amazing year, full of exploration, cooking, excellent food and wine, and fun.

I went to Disneyland three times.
I went to Paris.
I went to San Francisco.
I really went to LA (had been there before, barely).
I ate tons of sushi.
I cooked bread like my grandma.
I got in shape.
I cut out processed foods and sugar almost entirely.
I enjoyed a pedicure for the first time (had gotten a terrifying one before!)
Tried many new wines.
I explored two wine countries.
I hiked in the desert.
I went to Comic Con!
I went to so many beautiful places that I never thought that I would see in real life.
I adjusted to Pacific time.

I'm looking forward to year 2!