Adventures in LaLa Land (the Sequel)

Okay, so I am finally remembering to take pictures with my phone, for posterity sake and this blog.  I am still a novice at this, but at least I remembered folks...

These are pictures taken on our recent trip to SoCal.  No tourista photos, pics of Mickey and friends, or standing in front of a somewhat famous theater with hand and foot prints at the entrance...y'know highlights.  No just a few from the mall in Newport Beach and the dumpling place in Koreatown.  I will be putting up a photo album soon of pictures I have been accumulating for past posts.  Hopefully it won't take me long....at least in this decade.  Any-hoo....

Adventures in LaLa Land

So recently hubby and I were in LaLa Land (also known as Los Angeles) on business ....his not mine.  And technically speaking we will be in the OC not LA, but I digress.  I was just tagging along cause, well, why not take advantage of a perfectly nice hotel room in a perfectly nice hotel???  Now I am not much on the SoCal scene....too many young ones with great bodies, tanned skin, and white teeth.  Ugh, makes one feel like Fred Flintstone having a bad hair day and unsightly bloating!  But I decide I can grin and bear it because I am in desperate need of a change of scenery....

We head on down the highway, in my zippy zippy car, with the top down and tons of sunscreen on.  Beautiful day in Cali.  Rolling hills and oak trees, grape vines and blue skies...does it get better than this?!? Well, yeah, it can. And then it happens....just past SLO, the highway comes back out to the coast and we get our first glimpse of the vast Pacific.  It is sparkling in the sunshine.  Wide open beaches with gentle waves...very different from NorCal, with it's rocky coastline and crashing waves, but nonetheless, beauty.  A quick snack stop in gorgeous Santa Barbara and we're "on the road again" (uh cue Willie Nelson please...thanks). A couple hours later and we enter driving hell.  Oh well, it was fun for a while anyway.  Zooming in and out of the legendary LA freeway traffic, we end up in Irvine for hubby's meeting.

The hotel was situated in a business area of tall buildings and fine dining so it's not too bad.  However...hubby is tired after the long drive and wants to eat in.  This is code, for him, meaning lets check out the concierge lounge treats.  Okay, I admit it was VERY nice.  They had a bar set up and steak bites, grilled veggies, caesar salad, assorted crudities, cheeses, breads, etc.  We order drinks, wine for me of course and surprise-surprise hubby orders a cocktail...very unlike him as he is usually the DD, but we sample everything and are no longer hungry so that was my meal.  Actually it was relaxing and delicious, sitting there looking out at the city lights and talking.  Oh and here's the best part...they close down the appetizers after a couple of hours and set up a dessert bar!  SCORE!!!

The next day hubby heads to his meeting and go out for a "girl" day.  I drive over to Newport Beach and the Fashion Island mall.  Nirvana for retail pros like myself.  First I decide to go get my hair done at the Drybar.  Totally LA.  This place is really cute and they do blowouts only...no other salon type services like cuts or color.  After you get your complementary drink (yes please) the stylist will wash your hair and then set about getting your hair to look just like their menu.  It was a lot of fun and would be a great thing to do with a buddy.  So after my hair is bouncin' and behavin', I set about shopping.  This mall is really nice...and has an ocean view to boot.  I find a couple of things and have lunch in their version of a food court.  It was really nice, but small though there were some delicious options for an inexpensive lunch.  I have a sushi plate, but in true LA fashion, it is arranged on a plate of salad with the most scrumptious lemon ginger dressing....one of the best dressings I have ever eaten!  Seriously good.  After some more browsing and shopping...more browsing than shopping at this point, I sit down with a cappuccino and enjoy the people watching.  It is a beautiful,warm sunny day.

Heading back to the hotel, I get a text from the hubby saying he is finishing his meeting soon and for me to get dolled up for dinner!  He was excited to try this Japanese restaurant and I didn't have the heart to tell him I HAD sushi for lunch...no biggie because it is all about being together, but I will say he is darn lucky I like Japanese/Asian food. Just sayin'

Before we leave LA, hubby wants to cross off something on his bucket list. See a while back, he saw Anthony Bourdain do a food tour of Korea-town on an episode of his CNN series. So hubby, being of partial Korean descent, decides he has to eat in the dumpling place. After much in and out and stop and go traffic, we exit the freeway in to a very, er uh, "depressed" neighborhood. Welcome to the big city. We manage to (finally) find the place and proceed to have a fantastic meal. We get a couple of to-go orders for RL, our daughter, and merge into speeding traffic. Driving back home is not a fun as the drive down, we are tired and ready to park it at our little hacienda.  And in a few hours we are doing just that....climbing into bed for some much needed shut eye.

What a fun little quickie...

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas....YIKES!

Omg....Halloween just passed and I saw on the news this a.m. That Walmart is going to be starting their black Friday specials. WHY????

Now, we have all become accustomed to retailers "sneaking" in holiday items onto their shelves beginning in October.  Then, in the last few years, stores began opening earlier and earlier on black Friday, otherwise known as the day after Thanksgiving, some had opening times like two or three in the morning!  But Walmart seems to push the retail envelope first. They tend to be the first retailer to open super early, and in fact, were open last year ON Thanksgiving...which I find downright ridiculous. Let your staff be at home with their families for goodness sakes. If people want to shop on turkey day, they can do so ONLINE from the comfort of a La-zy-boy in their living room.  Reopen on Friday, at a more decent time like 7:00a.m., for those that feel the need to be trampled and jostled at a mall, while buying a 50 inch TV for $59.99 (look for the flashing blue light folks!).  No thank you.

Why the rush???? Fighting for every available dollar I guess.

Well...not me. Count me out.

Oh, don't get me wrong. I like shopping.  I like seeing the pretty holiday decorations.  I enjoy watching the children visit with Santa in his "workshop", usually near a food court or the merry-go-round, or whatever is the center of your local mall. But I do 90% of my holiday shopping online. At three in the morning, when other post-menopausals are up because they can't get back to sleep. It all comes to me, usually free shipping, via our nice UPS or FedEx person. I don't have to fight for a parking space two acres from the mall, I don't have to deal with rude or obnoxious retail amateurs, and I don't overspend, surprisingly enough.

Of course, I do venture out to do some shopping in stores, but they are the small, mom and pop places in our town. It is nice to go in to a boutique or specialty store and chat with the owners about the holidays, what merchandise they offer, and just plain visit. That type of experience "feels" like holiday shopping...not the mass market, seeing the 'earlier and earlier in the store' displays, and people just seeming so frantic because there is a SALE!

I used to be one those people...the ones who shop in the mall on black Friday, had all of the holiday cards done by the beginning of November, started my craft projects weeks and weeks before Christmas, and had the house 'hosed' down in decorations and poinsettias!  And I was a smuggy-smugster about it too. I would let everyone know...oh yes, I was "done" with my holiday preparations I'd say.  But that was wrong of me. If I did that to you, my loved ones, I am truly sorry. Christmas is not about the prep, or the gifts, or the mall, or any of it.  It is about being with those you love and care about....even if you are not able to be together in one place.

So now I still shop for the family, with a budget in mind, with thought and purpose, though I do like getting the little ones toys...well just because.

I hope I don't sound "Grinch-y" about the holidays because I'm not really. I feel like corporate America has made the season, well, just not fun anymore. It's only about how early they can grab your money....and if you buy earlier and earlier you'll spend more because there are more of those "sales" right???

So amid all the hustle and bustle, and jostle and pushing, card writing and cookie baking, or whatever your preparation and celebration, remember this, in the words of the venerable Barbara Walters, "...take some time to enjoy the view..."



Postscript..
Okay after all of 'that'...I did order ONE holiday thing waaaaaayy early. I bought a handmade Santa to add to my collection...din't judge...he's a handsome fellow just waiting to join the other guys!  But not until after we've enjoyed our turkey day dinner. Adieu mes amis!

Please, Thank You, and the Lost Art of Manners

It is amazing to me that we, the collective "we" not to be confused with the "Wii", as a society have seemed to forgotten our manners!  From "please" or "thank you" to opening a door to offering a seat to another person, there is this feeling that people, in general, are not respectful of others and display a lack of  consideration of those around them.

Is it a failing of our society...and we are all to blame in some way or another??  I do feel as though todays parents are the most at fault I suppose. Good manners seems to have fallen by the wayside, a relic of the past.  And even when you raise your own children to be respectful, to be polite and appreciative of others, it is not reinforced by society.  Sometimes even our mannerly little ones turn into adults who seem to forget 'where they came from' and the lessons they learned as a child, and they can be rude like many of those around them.

What to do? What to do?

Look at ourselves first...that is step one for sure. Do you interrupt when others are speaking? Maybe you are texting at the dinner table and seem to be ignoring everyone or thing around you? Are you even eating AT A TABLE for meals? Do you kindly say "thank you" or " please"  or "excuse me" to others?  The buck starts/stops with ourselves...so if you aren't an example how do you expect others to reciprocate???  It is easier to reinforce the concept of manners and mutual respect with family because, well, they are family. You have some leeway and freedom with them that you wouldn't have with others,  just don't criticize, belittle or embarrass your loved ones when broaching the subject.   You are not Emily Post or Miss Manners, or any other expert on etiquette, so don't judge people. Be an example of kindness and respect to family, friends, coworkers, and yes, even THAT woman...you know...the dreaded MIL (code: mother in law).

One tip I taught my son and daughter, when they were old enough to go out with friends or on a date, was how to order in a restaurant. Mind you, I explained to them that you should always be polite, but not afraid to be yourself...especially for my daughter since many young girls these days don't want to eat in front of a guy.  Anyway, for my son, I told him to always be prepared to pay for everything.  Don't take a date to a place way out of your budget...you could be sorry.  For my daughter, I have always told her to first ask her date "what looks good to you?" when you sit down with the menu. That way she might be able to determine HIS budget, if he is paying, and he won't be embarrassed.  I mean, if you are at a pricey steak place, but he is going to have a burger, maybe he didn't anticipate the costly menu and is a bit 'financially' challenged.

~  *  ~

I wish the lack of manners was not so prevalent today. I find it sad that so many people behave so poorly toward others, and I would be bothered by the negative feelings I had about this state of affairs.  But I'll " keep on keepin' on " so to speak.  Attempting to be a good example of the old saying...

" Do unto others...as you would have them do unto you."

Toodle-oo!!