Daily Ramblings: May 2006

This morning we had an appointment scheduled with the vet for Sydney's every two month nail trimming. I think Sydney had an inkling of this (maybe the appointment reminder message left on the answering machine clued her off) because she was being especially difficult this morning. When it was time to leave for our appointment, Sydney conveniently went to hide underneath the bed. I was able to lure her out with some treats, but she promptly ran back underneath the bed once I was done dispensing snacks.

We started to move the bed, so Sydney came out, ran out of the bedroom and went to hide underneath the chair in the living room. I was able to pull her out for under the chair and carry her into the foyer where her carrier was waiting for her. Of course, she was kicking and screaming as I was trying to get her into the carrier. Her tail got all puffed up and she tried unsuccessfully to run back into the living room. I kept blocking her way and finally was able to pick her up and shove her into the carrier.

Usually I feel bad when Sydney is in her carrier and she is crying, but today I didn't feel bad. She was being damn difficult.

Things I did yesterday:

• Walked along the Redondo Beach Pier


• Ate my first cheeseburger "animal-style" at In and Out Burger


• Threw a very exclusive (four people, including the celebrant were in attendance) graduation barbecue party for BH (complete with Class of 2006 decorations)


• Went to a second BBQ in Hermosa Beach and tried to ignore the really drunk chicks, while hanging out with GG and J

Things I've done so far today:

• Tag-teamed with NB to cook breakfast


• Went to a Dodgers-Angels game with NB and her adorable cousins

Things I'll do later today:

• Get dinner with SS and her girlriend at a Mexican place in Hermosa

Things I'll do tomorrow:

• Fly home and finally see my girlfriend and my kitty. Hooray!
  

I had a wonderful day in West Hollywood with BH and NB. We had lunch at the Saddle Ranch where I had a rather tasty steak sandwich and a huge baked potato. Although there was no riding taking place at lunch, I got to see the famous mechanical bull.

After lunch, NB went to an interview at UCLA, so I stayed and hung out with BH. We went on a lovely walk around the neighborhood. We decided to stop into The Abbey. I very much enjoyed sitting at an outdoor bar, sipping on raspberry mojitos.

NB returned from her interview and we decided to have dinner at this place called La Boheme. They had a happy hour that consisted of $1 an oyster, $5 for a pound of mussels, and $3.50 for draft beer! It was fantastic. BH's boyfriend JP met up with us and we all totally pigged out. Mmmmmm...

It is really nice to hang out with some old college pals. It is also funny to hear them say that I have toned down quite a bit. Could that mean that since we last saw each other six years ago, I've actually grown up?!

So I'm finally here in Redondo Beach. My body is slightly out of wack and has no concept of what time it is. Plus, I miss my girlfriend already.

I sat next to these adorable little old ladies on the plane. One was 91 years old, and the other, her daughter, was probably in her late 60s. I guess the daughter lives in Los Angeles and flew all the way to Boston to bring her mom back with her. They were totally cute and offered me crackers when they heard I was hungry.

I ended up shelling out $4 for a snack box on the plane. My snack pack consisted of some spreadable cheese, crackers, a stick of summer sausage, goldfish, dried fruit, nuts and cookies. It's kind of sad when an airline can't even afford to give you a tiny complimentary bag of pretzels.

NB picked me up at the airport and we went directly to dinner. We went to this place called Japonica and had sashimi, maki, tofu, tataki... YUM.

Now I need to sleep.

Good night all!

It has been raining non-stop since last Tuesday. So pretty much we've had six straight days of rain. Yuck. I'm tired of having to use my umbrella and I'm tired of having wet pant legs.

Even though the weather was crappy on Saturday, SC and I participated in DB's "Hot Librarian Pub Crawl with special guests New Tilt." It was certainly an interesting night.

My personal highlight was banging the big gong on our way out of Pho Republique. Let's just face it. A gong hanging in the middle of a bar is just asking to be hit. SC's personal highlight was having the whole bar stare at her after I hit the gong and ran out the door.

I have decided to become an oyster connoisseur, very much like a wine expert or cigar aficionado.

SC and I decided to head to B&G Oysters even though DB bailed on us. I had never seen so many types of oysters available in one place. This evening, they had twelve varieties available so of course we ordered two dozen oysters — two of each kind.

It was a great oyster tasting feast and I think that I really seem to enjoy the varieties from New England — Wellfleet and Duxbury. I am not as crazy about the Washington Kumamoto, nor the New York Blue Point.

I'll keep everyone updated on my oyster tasting adventures.

This evening we attended a David Sedaris reading at Symphony Hall. As always, he was fantastic and funny. The most exciting part was that it was a benefit for an organization called Helping Hands. This organization trains monkeys to assist quadraplegic people. The monkeys go to school and learn how to microwave lunch, give baths, brush hair and all kinds of other helpful tasks. It's actually quite amazing.

So at the end of the reading, a woman from Helping Hands came out for the Q&A session with her monkey. The monkey was so damn cute. There is even a whole foster parent program for the monkeys. I wonder if my condo association allows monkeys. I mean, just think of all the possibilities. I could teach the monkey to pet and play with Sydney. It could even scoop the litter box. Sydney would probably be scared of the monkey at first, but I'm sure once the monkey learned to feed her treats it would be all good.

Where do I sign up?

Tonight I initiated the end of my six year relationship... with my cell phone provider.

Goodbye Sprint PCS. In a few days, when my new phone arrives from Verizon, we shall break up. It was great while it lasted. I really wasn't expecting this. We had all these flawless years together, but the past few weeks have been rough. I just don't think I'm going to be able to get over all this patchy service I've been having lately in my condo. What happened??? Things were so great until then.

Anyhow, I wish you the best. We'll always have the memories.