Shower, Spa, Artwork, Sunsets, and a short visit

Well I seem to be slacking off on the ole blog lately....shame shame. I have however been really busy and am trying to keep my head above water while planning events and such.

This last weekend my Mom, Sister, and friend Nicole came to visit. The time went by so fast when they were here. Work hosted an incredible shower for Jon and I that completely overwhelmed the both of us.....we are still a little shell shocked. We received so much stuff and now I actually have a "grown-up" kitchen....which means I should probably start cooking more things.

Saturday was spa day which was wonderful even though I completely burnt my calves the day before on the beach. We are talking at least a 2nd degree burn.....and it is so noticeable how straight the line from my capris are on the back of my legs. Note to self: Stay away from the sun altogether. We ended the evening by going out to eat at Petros in Manhattan Beach: a really nice Greek restaurant where I feel I could actually start a more Mediterranean diet. We ended the evening by having drinks at Shade Hotel...where you can watch the crazy mating habitat of the overly moosed and the overly perfumed.

Sunday, I dropped Shannon and Nicole off at the beach to bake a little longer and Mom, Jon and I went to check out the Watts Towers. Amazing sculpture artwork that was done over 20 years by a small Italian man. They showed a film about the towers in which you can see him climbing up on his structure with a small pail of cement and bits of broken pottery to decorate with. It was pretty cool even though we could not walk into the structure since it was under construction. We walked around the outside and piered in through the fence.

On Sunday, we capped off the night with Fusion Sushi and then drove up to the Whale watch on the peninsula and watched the sunset before we took Shannon, Mom and Nicole to the airport for their redeye back to the midwest. I hope they enjoyed their time out here even though it was sooo short. :(

Museum Birthday Fun and relaxation

So, Friday was my b-day and I decided that I wanted to go to the First Fridays that they offer at the Museum of Natural History in Los Angeles.

On the first Friday of every month they open the museum later into the evening, feature a concert and DJs spinning in a couple of the animal display rooms and they have a bar and a little bistro serving food. It was awesome! One of their new exhibits is a "how do they do it" display on how they clean, catalog and put together a dinosaur display. The dino is named Thomas and their exhibit on the second floor had people working into the night on Thomas's femur bone while people could walk by and check it out. They also had someone dressed up as a Thomas the T-Tex who cruised the concert and bar area....with guides because the person inside the suit could not really see anything. Maybe they were correct in having the dino be a little blind....how could such a large beast see with such little beady eyes. In the second picture, Thomas did smack me with his tail....ouch

Jon and I had dinner at the little bistro and were pretty impressed with the food. We had curry chicken breast over a cous cous salad....it also came with a brownie (that filled in as my b-day cake). In the room where they served the food they had the DJ spinning records. I kept laughing at the fact that the DJ was right in front of the buffalo display and he kind of blended in:

The Akron Family and the Dodos were the bands that played at the museum that night in the opposite room from the DJ. They also displayed the band stage on projectors out in the main lobby. Kind of cool to see the band right beside the large dino display.
We left around 9:30 which was perfect because we left the downtown area early and had no problem with traffic. On Saturday, we chilled out in the morning and then drove down to Long Beach to check out the American Diabetes Assoc. Conference. We arrived kind of late to catch any of the discussions, but walked around the trade show floor and checked out the latest in technologies there. I was a little surprised at some of the booths....they had a rice booth. White rice is really high in carbs and not really a good choice for most diabetics. I could not get close to that booth to see if they were talking about low carb rice or something because they were giving away samples of rice and it was insanely crazy...cause people LOVE samples. That evening, Jon went off to have a manly day with some of his friends and I got together with my friend Michelle and we went to Color Me Mine (she took me there for my birthday) and then had dinner at Fushion Sushi...yum.

Sunday, we tried to get some chores around the house done. The key word being TRIED. This is what the dynamic duo looked like most of the day:

Brrrrr...desert trip and lots of hot tea

Last weekend we treked out to the desert for another camping trip. Jon had some friends who wanted to check out the Mojave Trail, so we all packed up and headed out late on Friday to the desert...stayed at a creepy casino hotel and then hit the trail on Saturday morning.
The weather during the day: Fantabulous! The weather during the evening: Horrendous! Below is Hiromi and I with the convoy of trucks. This was at the trail head, which we took out of Laughlin, NV. Hiromi had to read the map that we had...which was not really a map, more like a book that stated in novel form where you should go.Following the directions we knew we were on the right track as we passed cairns of rocks stacked next to the trail and the highlights that we were looking for popped out of nowhere. Here Les and Jon are contributing to the penny tree. You have to place a donation of one penny in the beverage can tied to the joshua tree with a coat hanger when you pass...and if the can is full...add another can. :)The area is so desolate that when you do see a structure it really stands out. This interesting building was part of a cluster of buildings that I have a feeling were created for a group to come out and have a good time. There was a "saloon" and a beat up old partical board house next to this tiny chapel.One of the first places that we stopped was an old Fort (Fort Piute) that was set in between two hillsides to overlook and protect the passage through the desert. There was an old foundation where the lookouts slept side by side with their horses....gotta keep the horses inside so no one steals them....they had that happen a few times out here I believe. These petroglyphs were found near the fort in an area that was covered in these rocks...they even had a small structure that used some of the rocks with petroglyphs to build the corners. We took pics of the rocks, tried to stay away from the weird red/black bugs that were all over and then stayed for lunch before we headed out once again.
One of the highlights of the trip and later we found out a "rare treat" was to spot this little guy. Hiromi saw him in the distance and thought it was a toy at first until he started moving. These desert tortoises are rare and hard to find out here. We got up really close and I did the unthinkable and touched him, which I later found out is not good...as they are a protected species...but I figure I am ok with this pic since I did not know until later that you are supposed to stay at least 10 ft away from them.It is hard to believe that anything could survive out in this desolate place. It is hot during the day and freezing at night. The wonderful thing about this season is that there are tons of flowers that bloom before the horrible HOT HOT HOT months. The desert floor was covered in these brillant pick flowers along with tiny white, yellow and purple looking daisies and other paintbrush type plants which made driving along the mojave trail a lot more interesting.Late in the afternoon we set up camp near the rockhouse which is shown below. It was on top of a hill which I am not sure was the best location for us. Let's just say...the desert can create some serious winds....serious nasty winds...which made me declare several times that I no longer EVER want to camp in the desert. I do not think anyone slept that night. It was freezing and the howling winds kept the tents nice and noisy. Jon and I had our mummy sleeping bags which really helped keep us warm...but I guess not warm enough because I woke up on Sunday with NO voice. nada nothing....total hand signals the rest of the day from me along with a hacking cough and fever. It is Friday today and I am still stuffed up a bit, but I am definitely making it to the gym tonight....must forge on....must get rid of extra weight I am carrying around.

Message to all who go to the desert: Pack for cold weather as well...it can happen and it can be brutal!

I hate cars and found a new food love

So, yesterday I had some ups and downs. In California you must get your car checked for smog every two years. I took my trusty Volvo to the smog place yesterday and it did not pass. I was utterly bummed and pretty frustrated since I had just put some money in it to fix the check engine light in the hopes that I would pass the smog test.
Now I have to put more money in it, take time off of work to wait at the auto mechanic while they fix it, and then go and get it retested. Right now I hate the California government. Many people that I have talked to have gotten very loud about what they think of this whole smog test thing...it really doesn't help our emissions all that much around here....we are still a VERY poluted area.
This time I am on my own about it as well. Jon has left me to my own defenses on this one. I think he has been a little testy lately and when I ask him for favors he often turns me down now....is that what happens once you get engaged?? I guess so.
In better news, last night I think I had one of the best dinners that I have ever had. Our friend Craig took us out to dinner to a place in Torrance called Kappo Seafood. They have Kobe Beef on the menu. We are not talking about the "americanized" kobe beef, we are talking about "Kobe-niku" the cows who get daily massages and beer or sake in Japan.
I now know what all the fuss is about. It was unbelievable. It melts in your mouth like butter and has the most wonderful taste. It is not cheap, at $14.00 an ounce, but well worth it and I hope not to become too addicted. I may spend all my money on kobe beef and have to join an addicts club. Hello, my name is Erin and I am addicted to Kobe beef.
We also had an amazing little bowl full of custard that had seafood in it....I know, doesn't sound so appetizing, but it was delicious and the tiny little stone pottery bowl it came in is now on my wish list. As we were eating it we were wondering how many of these little bowls end up in purses leaving the restaurant. No...I left mine on the table-thank you!
Well, today at the office I hope not to be bogged down with too much. I am still working on golf and things are going along ok...I guess. I think as a non-profit we are a little worried on losing donations due to our sad economy....and the price of kobe beef.