Staycation Lunch Day 5: The Backyard

This week I went to a bunch of new places. I spent some time in the heart of OC, Hollywood, Huntington Beach, Venice, and Santa Monica. Doing all of this in the span of four days left me pretty tired. For today's lunch, I decided to stay local and actually stuck to the plan. I made myself a DiGiorno pizza and had a few Heinekens in the backyard by the pool. Relaxing by the pool never gets old.

As far as vacations go, this has probably been one of the most enjoyable I've ever had. It went exactly the way that I planned, which is to say that I planned absolutely nothing and it was great! I probably spent less money this week than I have on any other vacation. Aside from lunch I also bought myself a couple new shirts, some dvds, and a new cd. I got to visit with a couple friends who I haven't talked to in a long time and hopefully will get to see them again in the near future.

Getting back to the money issue, my vacation really didn't cost me anything. For the past couple years I've been a big poker fan. I don't play much anymore, but when I did I would go to the casino every weekend to play some low limit holdem. Between that, and some low buy-in tourneys I made a good amount of money. This vacation is the newest item on the list of things paid for by poker. I might have to start playing more so that I can do this again.

Staycation Lunch Day 4: Subway???

Yeah, Subway. Lunch today wasn't spectacular, but the day in general was a lot of fun. I wasn't planning on doing much today because I was pretty worn out after yesterday's fun in the sun. But I ended up being invited out to Venice Beach by Natalie, so I went! We picked up her friend Matt and stopped for Subway sandwiches before heading out to Venice. I had never been to Venice Beach before today and really didn't know what to expect but I knew that it would be an adventure

We got lucky and found great free parking about 20 paces from the beach. After that it was straight to the boardwalk to check out all that VB had to offer. We passed by muscle beach and saw some guys working out. They really need to wear more clothes. Some outfits leave nothing to the imagination. Then we passed by the basketball courts from the classic movie White Men Can't Jump. I was then asked to sample 3 different hip hop cds by unknown artists, but refused.


There were some rather interesting "performers" on the boardwalk. There was the Worlds Best Wine-O who had a shirt that said "Jingle Bells! Jingle Bells! Help me get drunk today!" He also sang it. There were some homeless people with funny signs like "At least I'm not your kid" and "Kick my ass for $1." Then there was a guy playing guitar on roller skates with a portable amp who would follow people around as they were trying to make phone calls. He made for some great entertainment while I enjoyed a strawberry banana smoothie.


From Venice, we headed up to the Santa Monica Pier to check out things there. Again, I'd never been to the Santa Monica Pier before, so I was stoked to check it out. I snagged a slice of pizza and a soda for a quick bit of energy (very healthy, I know) then we cruised down the pier to check things out. I fought the urge to pay $6 for a picture of me with a wood cut out of Van Damme and watched some kids at the trapeze school on the pier. We saw a band playing a concert and a couple break dancing crews then headed back to the car.


It was prime traffic time, so we decided to not go straight home yet and stopped at Amoeba Music in Hollywood first. This place was the third first for me today! As I walked into Amoeba, I was just in awe of the massive selection in front of me. Racks and racks and racks of new and used music, dvds, and even VHS tapes! (For anyone under the age of 20, those are movies) There was even a free live concert in the store. The Sa-Ra and Creative Partner gave a 25 minute performance that was being filmed by MTV2.


After spending an hour in Amoeba Music and picking up 6 or 7 cds and dvds I ended up buying only 3. I bought used dvds of Fight Club and The Prestige as well as a cd by The Faint. All three for under $30. That's one great deal! I'll definitely have to go back there when I have an actual shopping list so I'm not so overwhelmed. Maybe tomorrow I'll stick to my plan of staying local. We'll see.


Since I didn't really eat anything worth taking a picture of, I'll show you guys the sign we saw while walking back to our car in Venice Beach. I can't decide if it's a clever way to meet a girl or just a pathetic attempt. You decide.

Staycation Lunch Day 3: Fred's in Huntington Beach

Originally I intended my lunch tour to be me visiting places I'd never been before. But when the weather is so nice and I'm on vacation, how can I not go to Huntington Beach for a day?

Today I went down to a familiar place called Fred's on Main Street. Fred's has great mexican food and margaritas which I've had in the past. Today I felt like a big mug of Shock Top. It's a great tasting beer which has become a new favorite for me. I'm not sure if that's because it tastes so good, or because I discovered it at Dodger Stadium. Either way, I like it and I'll keep ordering it whenver I can.

After my huge caloric intake yesterday at Pink's Hot Dog stand, I decided I'd better run. So when I arrived at Fred's with my stomach growling I wasn't surprised. I ordered some chicken taquitos to go with my giant beer. Not a huge meal, but I knew that the beer would fill me up. The taquitos had some melted shredded cheese on them as well as a good helping of guacamole. My stomach was thankful and stopped growling.

After lunch, I cruised around Main Street and bought a couple new RVCA tshirts. One was on sale, the other just looked to good to pass up. Then I rented a bike and apparently thought I was Lance Armstrong because I went on an 8.8 mile ride. The bike that I rented was a beach cruiser which means riding home against the wind is hard as hell! My legs were burning for the last couple miles.

The workout was good preparation for the night though. I met up with Michelle, who lives in HB, and I got to hang out with her and some of her friends for the night. We had a few drinks, talked about her birthday celebrations, and laughed it up at a cool dive bar called Suds. It was good being able to catch up some since we hadn't hung out in over a year.

Today took a lot out of me. So I'm probably going to stay closer to home tomorrow and just relax by the pool. Gotta work on my tan some more, you know?

Staycation Lunch Day 2: Pink's Hot Dog Stand

Today I decided to throw caution to the wind and calories too! Pink's Hot Dog stand in Hollywood has been around for 70 years. I've only been around for 28, but I still had never visited. This iconic eatery needed to be visited this week.

I gathered a few friends to head out there with me today which was nice. Thanks again Jeff, Brandon, and Tracie. Like Jeff said, "There's nobody I'd rather be stuck in traffic with than you guys." It's a good thing we like each other, because getting home from this place took about 2 hours. The long car ride home was worth it because the hot dogs were amazing!

Every different hot dog on the menu sounds amazing! We all had a tough time trying to pick just one to order. I bounced around between the Mulholland Drive Dog, LA Philharmonic Dog, the Bacon Chili Cheese Dog, and the Planet Hollywood Dog. You will have plenty of time to study the menu and flip flop orders because there is always a line. We waited in line for about 45 minutes before placing our orders.

I finally settled on the Planet Hollywood Dog. It's a polish sausage (mild or hot) with grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, 3 strips of bacon, and nacho cheese sauce (pictured above). Pair that up with an Orange Crush and you've got a meal!

The rest of the gang ordered the Mulholland Drive dog (10" stretch dog with grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, 3 strips of bacon, and nacho cheese), the Bacon Chili Cheese dog, and the America The Beautiful Dog (12" jalepeno dog, bacon, pastrami, lettuce, and chopped tomatos). Everyone was full after finishing their hot dogs but I'm ready for dessert. If you're going to eat bad, you might as well go all out. I need some ice cream now!

Staycation!

It's been another long time since I last posted anything here. This week I am on vacation. I'm not going anywhere, so it's a staycation. My goal for this week, to cure my boredom, is to take a lunch tour around Southern Cali. Yesterday it began and I wrote about it on my facebook page. Just thought I'd share it here now as well.

My SoCal lunch tour has begun. Today I woke up not really knowing where I wanted to go for lunch but for some reason prime rib popped into my mind. Not wanting to break the bank on the first day of my staycation I decided to go to the Carvery.

I head down to South Coast Plaza a little after lunch time and start wandering around the mall in search of some prime rib. I don't usually come to this mall and I'm starting to remember why. On my way to lunch I see the following stores: Rolex, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Coach, D&G, Versace, Cartier, and Prada. Needless to say, I don't stop in any stores while visiting for lunch.

Arriving at Lawry's Carvery, the restaurant is fairly empty. I order the Lawry's Prime Rib Original sandwich. It's 6 oz. of prime rib with au jus, horseradish and Carvery potato chips served on ciabatta bread. It was prepared very quickly. I didn't have to wait more than about 3 minutes. There's not much to say about the sandwich, it's pretty much amazing! The sandwich tasted great dipped in the au jus sauce or with a dab of horseradish. Even the chips were good with a little horseradish on them.

I finished my lunch faster than I had anticipated. But then again, it was prime rib and I'm not a vegetarian. I'd definitely recommend this place to anyone up for a good prime rib sandwich with a side of eye candy (you too girls, I saw a few metro looking guys there today). But I would suggest leaving your ATM and credit cards at home, just in case you decide to browse around the mall.

Happy 4th!

Yeah, I realize that today is the 5th of July, but I was busy yesterday and I couldn't post. Friday, the 3rd, I went down to San Diego with a couple friends for the day to enjoy the great weather and watch the Dodgers play the Padres at PetCo Park. Friday was also the first game back for Manny Ramirez after his 50 game suspension.

We had some lunch in Old Town San Diego with a couple of excellent and LARGE margaritas. Then we spent some time by the pool of our hotel which was amazing. Pool on the 5th floor with a great view of the ocean and the downtown buildings. I didn't put on any sunblock, and got a little red. We didn't notice because we had a cooler full of beers next to us. Oh well.

After freshening up, and a quick stop at the hotel bar, we got a cab to the park. The place was covered with Dodger Blue everywhere! I had a feeling that a good amount of Dodgers fans would make the short trip down to San Diego, but there were much more than I had expected. I'd say at least half the stadium was filled with Dodger fans. Manny went 0 for 3 with a walk and came out of the game in the 7th. But the real highlight of the night was the Friars 5 for $5 deal. This deal got you a soda, cookie, peanuts, popcorn, and a hotdog! To make it even better, you could substitute a draft beer for the soda and still get the whole thing for only $10! It made the entire trip worth while.

For the 4th I had some friends over for a potluck and margaritas. We also had some nice weather here so some people jumped into the pool. With the potluck, we had 4 different types of chicken, but they were all good. We didn't set off any fireworks, but we heard them going off all around us. Legal and illegal fireworks. It was definitely a fun night and I think everyone had a good time. Hope your holiday was fun too.

Options are good.

Having options is always good. If someone walks up to you and says that they want to take you to a baseball game, but gives you three different dates to choose from, that's good! It's definitely better than a tuesday night game when your favorite show is on.

So recently I've had the humbling experience of being able to sit front row at a baseball game. But not just one, I have the option to sit front row at three different games if I want to. I've been lucky enough to meet a guy who has the ability to provide me seats front row to the Mariners, Milwaukee Brewers, and the Los Angeles Dodgers. It's really a great deal! I'm definitely taking the Dodgers tickets. The Mariners tickets may be next but I'm not so sure about the Brewers tickets. They are kinda far and I'm not a big fan of the midwest.

I'm very grateful to have this guy and I plan to put him to use. Updates may follow. We'll see how things turn out.

Me? Exercise?

Being newly single can really change your outlook on your life. When I had a girlfriend, I really didn't have any free time. Pretty much every free minute I had was spent with her. Now that isn't necessarily a bad thing, we usually had some good times. But being single has given me a lot of extra free time now. Being single has also motivated me to use that free time for something good. I used to be extremely lazy whenever I had free time. I still can be, but I've turned a new leaf.

I've started working out and running at least 3 times a week. I've been on this routine for about 4 months maybe more. There are times when I get lazy and don't run or I take a week or two off, but for the most part I've stuck to it. I've definitely noticed a difference in my arms and chest from the workouts which is also motivating. Most days I try to run at least 2 miles, sometimes I run 3 miles. I run on a treadmill or outside some days depending on the weather and if the Lakers are on tv. Treadmill with the tv on when the Lakers play or it's too hot outside.

Even though I've noticed my pants fitting a little looser, I still haven't gotten rid of my slight gut. The problem is that I have a major sweet tooth and love all kinds of fast food. I don't drink too much soda anymore, but I can't pass up a frosty cold beer or pizza. That's why I keep running. To make sure I don't blow up. =)

Quick Hits!

I've neglected my writing duties for a few weeks. Sue me. Here's a few short notes about what's been going on since I last wrote.

• My last Vegas trip was a lot of fun. I didn't win any money, but I did meet up with some girls I hadn't seen since high school. We went to club XS at the Wynn (girls $20, guys $50), hung out at the Venetian Pool (bikinis and high heels), and had some sourdough waffles for breakfast one day. Good times.
• My friend Damien was back in town from the east coast for a couple weeks. He's in the Navy and doesn't get to come home often so I spent plenty of time with him and the rest of our friends. I partially blame him for me not writing. We went to the beach and became pyros around a bonfire, had a pool/wii/bbq party, went to his mom's graduation party and got plenty hammered. Actually, I was drinking for about 2 weeks straight after I got home from Vegas. Met up with a couple other girls I hadn't seen since high school because of D as well. More good times.
• I bought tickets to see Blink 182, Taking Back Sunday, Weezer, and Asher Roth for September 17th at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater. Didn't get pit tickets like I had hoped, but I'm just excited for the fact that I actually got tickets at all. Now I just have to figure out who I want to take as my date. I saw Blink 182 once my freshman year in college at San Diego State. They put on a great show and I had a blast! But that was almost 10 years ago now. The band had been on hiatus for the past 4 years, so being able to see them again is going to be a real treat.
• Over the last two weeks I also got a couple of new cds. I got the new Eminem cd titles Relapse. He is back at it again and just as good as ever. Of course if you didn't like him before, this album probably won't change your mind. But I'm a fan of his, so I enjoy it. I also got the new Taking Back Sunday album. I figured that if I'm going to see them in concert I better know their new stuff. I've got their other 3 albums, so I'm sure I'll have fun anyways. They are going to be the surprise hit of that concert, IMO.

Today, I'm heading out to the Dodgers game with my brother and my neighbor. I'll be sitting in the Loge section today. Loge 165 if my memory serves me correct. Today's tickets come with a free reception complete with Dodger Dogs, cheeseburgers, chips, peanuts, sodas, cookies, and other goodies! Later tonight I'll be heading to a friends house for some beers before he gets shipped off to Korea. Who knows when I'll be back again, but hopefully it won't be 3 weeks again.

Post Vegas/Pre Vegas Part 1

This past weekend in Las Vegas was loads of fun! Friday morning I drove up with my neighbor who was visiting her pregnant friend. We made good time, getting into town in about 4 hours. I dropped my neighbor off with her gal pal and headed to my condo. Dropped off my brother's new wheels at our place in Henderson and made myself some lunch, then headed to the strip.

I met up with my friend and his family at the Miracle Mile shops. Some of them wanted to walk around and shop (lame!) so we headed back to the hotel room for a quick drink and to head down to the pool. After some sun and an AMF we decided to do a little gambling. With a new batch of AMFs quickly made up and a little food in our stomachs we headed to Planet Hollywood to play some video blackjack and wander around a bit. I lost $20 on blackjack and penny slots in about 15 mins so I decided to move on to Roulette. I played for about 15 or 20 mins and made my money back plus a little more. About $45 in all. Remember the $20 bet increments from the last post? Anyways, a win is a win.

We moved from there to staring at the girls in The Pleasure Pit, all very attractive. After a little bit of gawking we decided to play some poker. My favorite. Unfortunately, the cards were not very kind to me. I didn't win my first hand for over 2 hours! After that beat down we headed back to the hotel where my buddies girlfriend had finally arrived. She had to work, but flew in after a long day and was ready to party.

We ate some dino chicken nuggets (they are the best) had some redbull vodkas and a little Patron, then decided to walk towards the strip for a bit. We started walking at around 1:30 am. On our walk, we decided that a midnight swim in the 24 hour pool would be a more fun idea. We got changed and headed down to the pool with more redbull vodkas at 2:30am. The pool was surprisingly not empty. Plenty of people had the same idea that we did, and a few people partied too hard. We saw one person passed out on a pool chair. Drinking at the pool always leads to interesting times and tonight was no different. I ended up making $20 to swim naked across the entire pool and back. It was, by far, the most exciting way to earn a quick Jackson. My buddy and I convinced his gf to do it too. Since she had never been skinny dipping, we figured this was as good a time as any. Plus he said he would cover her $20 skinny dipping debt to me.

Saturday "morning" was spent down by the pool again for a couple hours. Really it was about 12:30pm when we finally got down there. My buddy and his gf had a wedding to go to, so I got changed and headed out to make a bet on the Preakness horse race. I had a couple exacta boxes and bet on three different longshots to win just for the hell of it. Nothing panned out for me, but I won some money back on a quarter wheel of fortune slot machine, so it was all good. After that I walked to MGM Grand and played some poker for a few hours. Got a couple beers and made a little money there too. Chilled in the pool for a while saturday night, no skinny dipping this time. Got back to the room around midnight and started watching Eagle Eye. A really entertaining movie that I should have watched sooner. My buddy also made some awesome cinnamon rolls. After two of them, I called it a night.

Sunday morning, my buddy and his family all took off at 5am. I slept in until 9. I checked out, packed up, and headed back to my condo to load up a couple things to take home. I thought about gambling at Green Valley Ranch, then I thought about laying out by our pool. I ended up staying home and playing some Rock Band for a couple hours before picking up my neighbor and driving home. Made pretty good time getting home and had a good chat with my neighbor. When I got home, I pretty much just relaxed and got ready for the new work week.

You may have noticed that the title says "Pre Vegas" as well as "Post Vegas." It's pre Vegas because I'm heading back out to Sin City again this weekend. I'm not taking friday off this time, but I do have the holiday on monday, so it will be another three day weekend in the desert for me! This time I'm heading out there for my brother's birthday so I'm sure we'll have plenty more to drink and loads of fun. I don't think I'll get my good steak, but I'm sure I'll have some other stories for you next week. See ya back here then.