changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes

Me and my pops at the show

I am fortunate to have a dad who has good taste in music (well...mostly) and who raised me to have a deep appreciation for music as well. Among other artists (The Beatles, Paul Simon, Steve Miller Band, The Temptations, etc.), Jimmy Buffett albums were on heavy rotation at our house growing up. Instead of "Old MacDonald Had a Farm", songs like "Margaritaville" and "Cheeseburger in Paradise" were my childhood nursey songs instead. So when I saw that Jimmy Buffett was coming to the Bay Area for a concert, I immediately called up my dad and said, let's go! He has seen Jimmy perform many many times when we lived in Colorado but surprisingly had never seen him here in California. And since I became a Jimmy fan because of my dad, I figured it would only be fitting to go to my first Buffett concert with him. So we got some tickets off Craigslist and put May 19th on the calendar.

Last night was the show and it was the only concert at a large venue I've been to where pretty much everyone was standing up and dancing throughout the show. I knew that Jimmy Buffett fans (aka Parrotheads) can be pretty hardcore, dressing up in full Hawaiian luau garb and it was entertaining to see the variety of grass skirts and coconut bras (many of which were worn by men). The atmopshere at the concert was lighthearted and playful, largely due to all the margaritas being consumed, but also because Jimmy Buffett songs can transport you to a tropical island mindset where there is not a care in the world. There was only one new song that brought the crowd back to reality called "A Lot to Drink About" (alluding to bailouts and global wars), but even this song had an upbeat twang to it.

All in all, it was a fun evening and I am glad I've finally seen Jimmy Buffett live!

Grass skirts and Hawaiian shirts galore

Parrotheads know how to party

My dad on his second grossly overpriced margarita

Mixing work and pleasure: Part 2

Friday night's dinner plans with Ashley and Mark begins with Ash making reservations at an Italian restaurant in Irvine called "Z Mario" that she said had moved locations but was an amazing Italian place. Ashley's friends, Tawny and Jeremy, join us there and as we walk in I notice two things: the decor of the restaurant is very minimalist and modern (doesn't feel like any Italian restaurant I've ever been in) and the restaurant is completely empty. COMPLETELY. The hostess leads us back to our table in the back of the restaurant and we walk by a dance floor and a bar...hmmmm. When she gives us the menus, everything is over $30 an entree, and there is nothing remotely Italian offered. It turns out that the owners of what used to be "Z Mario" decided to turn their cozy Italian restaurant into a trendy lounge/uber expensive place to eat. We quickly decided to pick up and leave and find an actual Italian restaurant and ended up at Villa Nova in Newport Beach. Apparently, this is the spot where Joe DiMaggio took Marilyn Monroe on a blind date, pretty cool stuff. I ordered the manicotti and it was delish!


After dinner, Ash and I talked the night away and made a late-night run to YogurtLand. Again, I found that SoCal has a myriad of awesome frozen yogurt places and if I lived there, I would make a point to visit a new one each week! The next morning, Ash displayed her domestic skills and made a hearty oatmeal and scrambled eggs breakfast before we headed out to do some serious shopping. Actually, I did some serious shopping and Ash was my lackey, helping me find cute summer work outfits and making sure I did NOT buy more tank tops. I scouted out some great deals at Old Navy (50% off stuff already on clearance!), H&M, and Forever 21 and ended up with 5 cute tops and one classy skirt for $60.00.
We then drove up to Westwood, where I was going to meet up with Rachel. We stopped at Diddy Riese, a classic dessert place near UCLA that offers their famous ice-cream sandwiches for $1.50. You get to choose two fresh baked cookies and your flavor of ice cream and the result is a sweet tooth's dream!


The rest of my weekend getaway was spent with Rach in Santa Monica. The last time I had been in Santa Monica was for a college spring break trip with ADX when we stayed in a motel where homeless men were using the windows as mirrors to shave. Let's just say staying in Rach's apartment was quite a step up from that. We took a coastal drive to the Malibu area and gawked at the ridiculously huge mansions that people live in. For dinner that night we went to the Third Street Promenade and ended up at Barney's Beanery. This place has the most extensive menu I've probably ever seen....they have everything from chili bread bowls to fajita plates to burgers to pasta dishes to meatloaf. And for those that love their potatoes, they have 25 different kinds of potato skin options. Needless to say, it took quite a while to decide what to order. After dinner and strolling around the Promenade, we went back to Rach's place and ended up watching "Little Women" (what girl doesn't love Christian Bale as Laurie?) on her laptop in her comfy bed before dozing to sleep.
It was so refreshing to sleep in until 11 the next morning, it's a foreign feeling to wake up feeling well-rested! Rach then suggested a brunch destination that she had tried before, called Jack and Jill's. A restaurant that has a name derived from a nursery rhyme is enough to catch my interest so off we went. Another delicious dining experience. What I liked the most was that you get the option of these mini-blueberry cakes with your meal and they were so good! After stuffing myself yet again, it was time to head back to Sac. I am so grateful I was able to visit with so many close friends during this work trip...many thanks to UCD and taxpayer money =)

Mixing work and pleasure: Part 1

Although UC staff haven't gotten cost of living increases or merit increases in a while, there is a huge perk to being a UC adviser: the 3 day UC Advisors conference that happens every spring. Basically, the department pays for its advisers to stay at a nice hotel in a nice location in order to mingle with other UC advisers and go to adviser workshops with titles like "How to Charm Students at The Door and Not Keep a Flask in Your Drawer" (no joke). This year's conference was hosted by UC San Diego so we were put up at the Hyatt Regency in La Jolla.....ca ching! I enjoyed my king bed, my comped meals, and being able to have an excuse to not check my work email (the hotel did not have free internet) and instead use any free time to dive into reading "Angels and Demons" or watch random television (including the Biography Channel which had an interesting segment on Christian Bale). Unlike last year's conference, most the workshops I went to this year were rather interesting. The most useful seminar was about the topic of the low-income student experience at UC campuses and how to best serve this student population. Our keynote speakers at breakfast and lunch were also entertaining, including a professor of music who proceeded to play the maracas for 10 minutes at the end of his talk which he said was a metaphor for being able to improvise in any life situation....haha.
Since the conference was in La Jolla, I was able to visit Krystle and Dan during both nights. They took me to Yogurt World the first night which has the most amazing cake batter yogurt....it is unlike any fro yo I've had. Then we watched (and discussed) Wednesday's episode of LOST which was fun since they are fellow LOST fanatics. On Thursday night, I was able to practice my MarioKart Wii skills at their house and I have to say, I'm a little tempted to buy a Wii again. I'm a little ashamed to say I never came in first, but at least I got back to a decent level of MarioKart competency. Krystle (who moonlights as a Starbucks barista) also made me a wonderful peppermint hot chocolate on her new espresso machine....yum!

Evidence:




Since the conference ended on a Friday, I had decided to extend my SoCal stay and visit Ash in Orange County and Rach in LA since UCD was paying for my airfare anyway and it would be a great way to see them both in one weekend! So after bidding the Hyatt adieu, I navigated my way through the San Diego public transit system and got to the Solana Beach Amtrak station to get to Irvine. Amtrak is a nice way to travel and if I had to commute, this would be my preferred mode of transportation. The seats were comfy, plenty of leg room, and the view of this particular route was very calming: all along the ocean. Listening to my iPod and traveling along the coast always makes for a good combo. Now I'm in Orange County and look forward to a night on the town with the Rickmans!

My sweet ride to Irvine: