Showing posts with label shopping. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shopping. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Learning From My New Hood: More On Moving!

We finally bought coffee today so I have a feeling that means good things for my neglected blog. 

I have learned a few things about moving this time around that never have been an issue before. No two moving experiences are the same; moving back to my hometown (well the next town over) has been a very strange experience. Let me explain (for a little background click here).

In the months before leaving the Kootenays I learned an important lesson, one that you should learn from watching one episode of Hoarders; that buying lots of crap is the enemy. This time around I am not bringing anything into my house that I don’t want long term, this is annoying the hell out of my relatives/anyone with things they want to get rid of and give away. Yes, it is important to get things together in your living space in order but this time I am putting my foot down and waiting it out.

We have picked up some important things for the apartment from my family like a bed and mattress; we bought a couch, TV, fridge and oven but other than that things are pretty bare bones around the house.

The strange thing is I have no desire to buy anything large. I would like a new dresser and vanity but everything I want right now is small. I have a new obsession with decorating that I have never had before. No, I have not been spending hours on end on Pinterest (I actually just set my iMac up yesterday and have been spending barely anytime online).  

Joss & Main has become a weird love of mine as well. I could spend every dollar I make for the next ten years on that website. Seriously, I welcome all housewarming gift card gifts.

My question for you is what is the first thing you bought for your house? Did you get excited about it?

The first thing we bought for our new house was a set of dishes that made me as excited as the boys were that day when they bought their new toys (Kev’s new car and Butter’s new motorcycle). It was a great call then and I am still very happy with it now. My first BIG buy for the house was the couch and reclining chair. I was happy that I managed to get it delivered to the house and set up before the boys got home in time for our weekend guest. Folding chairs were not cutting it. 

What is your favourite thing about moving?

Clearly for me it is looking at the walls and the space and all the potential we have for decorating and making our little cookie-cutter lodge our own. Seriously, it is like being in elementary school and getting to decorate baked goods for Halloween.
What is your least favourite part of moving?

Mine was waiting for things to arrive (specifically my car). Honestly, I am not sure that I would ever ship my car again. For the first couple of weeks I felt like I was back in high school. No car (well other than my parent’s mini-van). No space. No freedom. I am so happy that is over!

Life still feels like a vacation (kind of) at this point. It is weird to think that this is what real life is like. Everything is coming together slowly, the boys are settling into their routine with the Air Force and summer is coming to an end.

On a happy note, the neighbourhood kids are back in school now so the hours that they are screwing around on our lawn have been cut down. I sound like a horrible person saying this but it is so nice to have kid-free afternoons. Generally they do not speak to me (I do not make eye contact) but they love the boys. The neighbourhood children would follow them into the house if they could. The posse of children seems to know exactly when we are coming and going during daylight hours and always greet us. Toys appear on our lawn (sometimes intact), other times large sticks and other children’s debris show up too.

If I ever go missing it maybe because of a children’s reenactment of 2008’s “The Strangers”. You may or may not remember this classic Liv Tyler film that basically comes down to the following:


Anyway, I think the coffee will help with focus for the next blog. This one has been all over the place. There is so much to talk about! I know I skipped over some great events and happenings here in Nova Scotia on the blog and I am hoping to be more diligent in the future. I have to update my social profiles to my newly out of the radio world details so the blog maybe a work in progress for a little while.

Now to drink my embarrassingly bad cup of coffee without cream and sweetener, I may have the appliances to do the job but nothing else is clicking right now. After two years using k-cups my ability to brew a pot of coffee at home leaves a lot to be desired. Struggles.

Saturday, March 1, 2014

San Diego Part Four: Rainy Day Eating and Shopping

We had a great, slow day yesterday. Throughout the day it rained steadily in La Jolla so we were scratching our heads trying to figure out what to do with the day.

Whenever I go places I like to make a checklist of sorts of things to do so that I do not forget and one thing that is always on my list in California is to hit up In-N-Out Burger. This legendary spot is home to one of the biggest secret menus I have ever encountered. Yes, from working for McDonald’s I do know of some semi-secret menu items that are more cult classics than officially secret menu items; at In-N-Out Burger there is the actual (not so secret) secret menu.

We knew about the secret menu last year when we visited, but we did not really order from it. It left us wondering what all the hype was about. With our low-carb lifestyle we appreciated the “Protein Style” burgers wrapped in a lettuce leaf rather than in a bun; but we did not know about “Animal Style”. So, when we visited yesterday we took full advantage of the secret (ish) menu with our orders.

The menu you see at In-N-Out Burger.

I had the “3x3 Protein & Animal Style” burger. This burger was so much better than my last In-N-Out Burger! As you can see these burgers are not photogenic, but some of the best food is not charming to look at. This picture is actually way better eye candy than the mess that came after a few minute. The burgers left saucy goo left at the bottom of our tray and on our hands, but it was worth it!

Next time you are in California you have got to stop at In-N-Out Burger! If you eat fries make sure you try them “Animal Style” too!

In-N-Out Burger was just a quick stop on our way to shop at an outlet mall on the border of Mexico. I was pretty happy with my haul, I bought a beautiful Banana Republic dress for $30 from $100 and a bunch of gym clothes for cheap at Adidas. With the exchange I spent about $100. Kevin also bought me a beautiful birthday gift at Coach.

Not pretty, but very tasty! 
On the way back we were treated a show on the I-5. The rainy day turned into a torrential down pour. We watched the lines form to get to the border crossing; it extended way past our exit to La Jolla (a good twenty minutes at least of our at pace driving). Storm drains were so backed up that the interstate was flooding, we watched a beautiful Mercedes hit a lake of water and stop full on (bye-bye engine). Sports cars lined the highway, we saw a couple of accidents and people pulling off simply because they could not see. It was like a white-out on Canadian roads but with water.

We pitied everyone trying to get away to Mexico for the weekend, typical wait times for end of work day on a Friday are minimum 85 minutes, I bet it was MUCH longer yesterday.

We had a little bit of time back at the condo before our supper reservations at The Hake. We had show-and-tell with all of our new things and then drove down to the restaurant. The rain was still drizzling normally we walk to and from supper.

After a great supper at Whisk and Ladle on Sunday, the Hake had a lot to live up to. Whisk and Ladle is a La Jolla favourite, it always delivers. I tried beef cheek for the first time there on Sunday and it was amazing. Embarrassingly, I had never eaten an olive before either and tried olives for the first time from their cutting board. Lets just say I enjoyed the beef cheek much more than the olive.


The Hake was fabulous! They had a wide range of seafood and land dishes. I tried hamachi for the first time and I loved it. I am a big fan of calamari and octopus as well. I had a little bit of everything, I ordered the rib-eye lettuce wraps to start and the calamari and shrimp appie as my main. It was amazing! I would recommend it if you can’t get a reservation at ‘George’s at the Cove’ above (perfect for a rainy day!).