Kudos and Boos - December Update

Hellooooo out there!

Rather than say sorry about not blogging, let's go straight into Kudos and Boos. It's Sunday after all. So without further ado...

Kudos to Disneyland in November. After Thanksgiving, most of the fam took the Monday after Christmas off and we all headed to Anaheim. Yes I am talking about all something from wayyyyy back in November, but moving on...we went there to celebrate Nonni's birthday which was two weeks before. And just to add a little extra kick, it was an awesome day to go since we practically walked onto almost everything. Actually, most of the people were all setting up shop in the brand spankin' new Cars Land at California Adventure. Nonni desperately wanted to go see it, so her granddaughters took her over there (we're so good to her) and took her on the ride then hopped back across the way to Disneyland to meet up with the rest of the fam. It was a great way to spend a Monday and Nonni LOVED the whole day.
Boos to all of the recent tragedies. All I am going to say is that I'm keeping all the victims, their families and communities affected in my thoughts and prayers. There's not a whole lot more to say than that.

Kudos to Claire for getting into Fordham! As she's in the middle of her senior year, she got pretty awesome news a couple of weeks ago. It was her first college acceptance and I am sure she'll hear from many more, but I totally remember my first college acceptance - what a relief. So proud of her!!
Boos to end of Gossip Girl. An end of an era if you will. Tomorrow we'll find out who Gossip Girl really is, if Dan and Serena will make up, and if Chuck and Blair will finally be together. Ahhhhh so many questions will need to be answered in the two hour finale. And I am sure most of you are on the edge of your seats because I know I am. Kate and I are preparing for the end today and watching Season One on Netflix. It's only the nice thing to do.

Kudos to Silver Linings Playbook. Kate and I saw this yesterday morning (special shout-out to the first movie matinee pricing!) and we both walked out of the theatre thoroughly entertained and without one bad thing to say about the movie. It's kind of flown under the radar, but getting a lot of press since it's up for some SAG awards and Golden Globes. But the story line was enjoyable and the acting was phenom. And I have to say, yes Bradley Cooper and Robert DiNero were great, but Jennifer Lawrence was fantastic. I cannot recommend this movie enough. Go see it!
Boos to the Bev Hills Housewives bombshell. So many questions are unanswered but thats what happens when legal matters take over a reality show. For those of you who don't watch the show, Monday night a bomb was dropped but Bravo eliminated the entire thing so we only know that something terrible was said, but not what it is. We may never know, well until the case is closed, but goodness we need some answers before the end of the season. You better believe we've got a list of questions going.

Ok, I'm going to try to blog this week. I'm hoping to at least. But maybe I'll be inspired since I've got 5 days of work until Christmas break. That's some exciting news right there.

#IGotToFinishXmasShoppingASAP

And Now the Conclusion...

And on to Phase Three...

 

Hallejulia! We woke up to no emails from VIrgin America on Wednesday, but rather a determined "we must make up for lost time" mentality. But what day would be complete without a call to Virgin to see if Carly and I could change our flights to Thursday night and send out some work emails? Eventually, we were headed towards the Newseum since our tickets were still good. We picked up right where we left off and spent a few hours in there. Towards the end we were going a little crazy, not only because we were hungry but also because there was so much information it was overwhelming. But still a must-see if you can get it.

 

We then went across the street and went to the National Gallery. Something that was at the top of both Sarah and Carly's lists. So we went to the East Wing and saw the Lictenstein exhibit and the Modern Art exhibits, bought some posters, and then before we knew it, the museum closed. So we headed back to our hotel.

 

The next day it was finally Thursday. The day we were headed home. So after we packed our bags, we dropped them in the lobby so we could galavant all day. We started off with renting bikes again and rode to the National Gallery. But before we got our art on, we made a pitstop at the White House. We had a very special message to deliver to President Obama from my dad.

We then spent a majority of the day in the West Wing (actually most of the day) and before we knew it, it was time to FINALLY head back to Dulles Airport. We weren't convinced we were heading home until we cleared DC airspace.

All in all, it was a great trip (focusing on Phase 1 & 3, of course), and it makes for a great story. Who would have thought that three California kids (four including Tom over in New York) would be stuck in the middle of a Hurricane? Maybe I'll think twice the next time I decide to go visit Michael. Just kidding, Michael. Just kidding!

The Birth of Pain and Panic

And now onto Phase 2. A very delayed Phase 2...

It really started with Carly’s email first thing Sunday morning from our dear friends at Virgin America telling her that her flight Monday night was cancelled. Let’s get a tally going, this is flight numero uno. So staying calm, cool, and collected, Carly spent the next three hours on hold with Virgin where she jumped on a flight with Sarah and me scheduled to leave on Tuesday afternoon. Well, Carly snagged an extra day! And at this point, we thought they're just being extra cautious. But when Sarah and I went to the local supermarket/7-11 to stock up on waters and snacks, the patron told us we should get out ASAP. We both looked at him, said thanks for nothing, sir, and went back to our home away from home.   

 

So, with that in the back of our minds, we then moseyed back to the Eastern Market where we stocked up on all of the cool treasures we passed on the day before. I picked up some art, Carly and Sarah got some jewlery, and we snacked on apple slices. We were pretty much the last people there, since people were starting to retreat for the storm, but this didn't phase us. We stopped at a french restaurant for lunch and when we saw that they were still advertising that they were open on Thanksgiving - we joked that we would have some place to go if we were still stuck. Hahaha, we were so funny. So we then walked over to the Newseum where we were instantly overwhelmed and out of the seven stories (no pun intended) we only got to half of the first before it closed. But no worries, our tickets were good both that day and the next. When I asked the lady at the desk if they were going to be opened the next day (the supposed "worst day" of the storm), she told me, "Unless the government is shut down, we're open" Hahahahahaha I thought, these people have senses of humor.

 

Seeing as it was past 5:00, we looked for a historic bar where we could get a drink and found the Intercontinental Hotel. Well, this had history wrapped all up in it. This bar, the Round Robin, was in the hotel where Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote, "I have a Dream" where President Taft would sit in the lobby and politicians would come up to him, trying to get him to support their bills, and as a result, the term lobbying came into existance. Michael met up with us at this point and was able to soak up all the history. 

We then went to dinner at the Old Ebitts Grille where we feasted on porkchops, lobster and jumalaya. As we were laughing and pouring glass number two or three, almost as if we were in a movie, our waiter told us that they were closing the metro tomorrow, and then we were slapped back to reality. Not too long after we heard that the government was shut down for the next day. That meant all the museums were closed. Michael was jumping around like a little kid cause his classes were cancelled. We on the other hand were not as gleeful.

 

Thus began the longest day...

 

When we woke up that morning, all three of us received an email saying that our flight was cancelled. So we called our friends over at Virgin and got on a flight for later Tuesday night that would take us to SFO, and Sarah would get on a flight Wednesday morning to LA. Ok fine, we can live with that. That took up most of our morning so we hopped on over next door to FoBoGro and picked up more supplies (Champagne, wine, and sandwiches) and then played cards, watched West Wing, found we had a cancelled flight (again), and stared at each other. This was around the time when Carly nicknamed Sarah and I, Pain and Panic and herself Hades. We had two meals down at the hotel restaurant but at least we got a change of scene. When we were downstairs talking to the hotel to extend our stay, we asked them striaght out - is everyone just overreacting? The bell hop (knowing we were suckers) said, "Oh no. This is for real. I mean look outside, the wind is literally pushing the car backwards up the street!" Carly and I whipped around, shrieked in horror and thought ok, maybe the Mayans were right. Turns out that the car was just reversing. Did i mention it was a very long day?

 

We spent the entire day waiting in anticipation for the "worst" of the storm to hit. But they pushed it back to Monday night. Apparently all three of us slept throught it. So in true us fashion, we called our "friends" over at Virgin and got on flights Thursday night (for Sarah) and Friday morning (for me and Carly). Desperate for fresh air, we tracked down the only open movie theater in town (over in China Town) and called Michael so we could meet up. We went to lunch around the corner, and the temp had officially dropped 30 degrees and our little California bodies couldn't handle it. So, on the way we stopped at Macy's (for warmth as well as shopping) and then met up with Michael and his friend for Argo.

 

Quick side note on this movie - AWESOME. Even though I had read an article about it in Entertainment Weekly, I was completely enthralled and didn't look at my watch at all for the entire two hours (a total victory in my book). And i was on the edge of my seat the entire time. HIghly recommend it.

 

Ok back to DC...we then went to dinner and had some delicious pizza and were happy to be amongst the living. Michael thought it was so funny that we now would be in DC the same time as his mother (set to arrive Thursday night). We didn't find it funny at all.

DC - Phase One - All Sunshine and Rose Petals

On Thursday afternoon, Carly and I boarded the Virgin America flight bound for Dulles. This was game 2 of the World Series and luckily the plane was satellite TV enabled so we were able to watch. This was awesome because most of the plane was also watching it and cheered - have i mentioned I'm a sucker for comradery? And not to mention the flight itself was super smooth so it made it go by extremely fast (and in 4 hours and 40 minutes). So when we landed, let's just say we were all about Virgin America.

The next day we decided to walk to the Capitol since we were having lunch with Michael on his break. We were staying in Foggy Bottom, and if you've ever been to DC, or looked at a map, Foggy Bottom is on the west side of the city and the Capitol is way over on the east side. Our hotel was only a few blocks from the Mall so we started walking East. Michael kept asking where we were and I kept telling him, Michael, we're close, we see the Washington Monument, and the Capitol is right after it. we'll see you soon. He kept telling me no, we still had a ways to go, and i thought, my goodness Michael, don't you live here? Well, an hour and a half later, we made it. And as it turned out, he did know what he was talking about. and we were wrong. Side note, when looking at a map, also take a peak at the distance key on the map. Apparently we accidently walked five miles. Whoops. And believe me - our dogs were barking.

Once we finally caught up to Michael, he took us on the super secret Senator subway that goes to the Capitol from all the congressional buildings (we took the one from the Russell Building since that's where he works) and on a tour of the Capitol. But since we were a little late, it was a super fast tour and then we bid adieu until later. Carly and I then walked over to the Supreme Court building, learned a little and stopped to watch a movie on the history, which almost put us to sleep so we decided to call Uncle and go back to the Foggy Bottom (via Metro) nap before Sarah got there. It was then that we first heard about a storm that was brewing.

Michael had told us about this flea market that is over by the Capitol so on Saturday morning, we went to the Eastern Market where we did our duty to go shopping, buy some cool prints, and saw a lot of cute crafts. We stopped in to this restaurant next door with $5 Mimosas where we had some brunch (best chocolate chip pancakes, ever), later we went to the Library of Congress where we saw Thomas Jeffereson's personal library, and eventually made our way to the Smithsonian American History Museum (the Star Spangled Banner - well worth it). 

All day we had seen people riding bikes from "Capitol Bikeshare" and we kept saying, oh that would be cool. And low and behold we actually went through with it. This service let you pick up a bike from a kiosk and then return it to any kiosk in the city (and they were all over the place!). We  made our way though the National Mall and then through the Tidal Basin over to the Thomas Jefferson Memorial. It was the perfect timing too since it was evening time and people were fleeing the city due to the storm so we didn't need to dodge people. I highly recommend doing this, it's the best way to see the monuments. 

And to round out the night we expanded our horizons and went to U Street and stuffed our faces with Ethiopian food. This was delicious. I have no idea what we ordered but holy toledo, it was good. 

So we got our fill of sights and filled our tummies...a perfect way to end Phase One.

My October Post

Hello out there. Hello to the few people who still have faith in my blogging abilities. It’s been quite a whirlwind the past few weeks, so here’s a quick recap in a top 5 form (cause who doesn’t love top 5s) in no particular order:

1.       I’m a quarter of a centry. That’s right, baby Julie hit the big 25 on Oct 6. I’m usually a big promoter of birthdays and as my family and friends will tell you, I’ll remind them till I am blue in the face. But with this one, I was a little more reserved (about as excited as normal people get for their birthdays which was completely foreign to me). But it all goes back to hitting a milestone. I would have days when I was completely ok with it. Thinking positively about where I am in life. Then the next I would be freaking out, throwing my hands up in angst wondering what to do next. This, thanks to my rollercoaster of emotions, caused the day snuck up on me. I didn’t have a birthday list, I didn’t have a plan for a celebration, NOTHING. Who was i? But the day arrived and the sky didn't fall and it still hasn't. But the day was solid - see #2, and Lisa decided to come up for the weekend to help "celebrate" but it was the first time that she's been home since she left in June! We kept the celebration a-flowing till monday when she came by my office to meet me for lunch. What a good sister :o)

2.       I’m living on my own. This was another good distraction from my milestone. I spent the day moving! The time has finally come for me to move out of Debbie court and start living like a 25 year old. Unfortunately, move in day was on my actual birthday so I was alive, awake, alert and "enthusiastic" at 6 am when my alarm went off. But it was the best of all worlds. I got to tell people what to do and they had to listen to me since it was my birthday AND since i was up so early, I really got the most out of the day.

3.       Throw in a quick trip to LA. What month would be complete without a trip south? We went this month for our family friend Flora's birthday which was celebrated on Lady Di's birthday. So typical turnaround - down on Thursday night, fly back Sunday afternoon - and lots of random adventures smacked in. No celebrity sightings though. Dammit.

4.       I’m becoming a “chef” and I am using this in the loosest sense of the word. Last week I made some Chicken Shawrma which consists of marinated chicken and then a yogurty sauce on a pita. All made from scratch and damn it was tasty. Then  really just and then this week I roasted some veggies. I don't want you to think that I was Top Cheffing it up - more like tackling some basics. One meal at a time. 

5.    Thursday, I'm headed to Washington D.C. to visit Michael Bonino-Britsch with Sarah and Carly. He's doing his semester "abroad" there and we decided to swoop and use it as an excuse to plan a trip. This trip also snuck up on me since I keep thinking it's a couple of weeks away, but thank goodness it's this week. I'm ready for a vacation! And with a couple of travel books on hand and a simply patriotic "local" we're ready to go. Sarah and i want to do a video blog but i highly doubt that will happen. I think we're really looking for some nice photo for the blogs. That's really all i can "promise" but i'll aim for it!

OK,Washington DC...here...we...come!

#novemberbloggingwillbemybitch

Kudos and Boos

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday. Here we go for Kudos and Boos...

Kudos to the German Tourist Club. On Saturday, Kate and I journeyed up PAST the Golden Gate Bridge and ventured into Mill Valley, a place I have only passed on 101 on our way north! Who knew a place like that existed? After driving a few miles up and then down one windy ass road, we got to the bottom of Mt. Tam and parked with the rest of the Bay Area about a mile away. So we ventured up the trail (see Boos right below) and we managed to eventually find our way to the German Tourist Club where we were able to quench our thirst (and man it was a thirst) with a beer and replenish ourselves with some Kettle Chips (sinfully delicious). This place is so well thought out - beer on tap, beautiful views, and even board games if you're interested! And in typical Kate and Julie fashion, we're already planning the next time to go.
Boos to the hike to get there. Not the whole hike, just the first part. Holy hell, this gives your glutes a serious workout. You're essentially on a stair master for 25 minutes. Both of us were completely winded but maybe that was the heat and it had nothing to do with us being in shape ;-)

Kudos to Jimmy Fallon at the Emmys. His interview on the red carpet was pretty hilarious. He told Lara Spencer (at least I think that's who it was): "I am so happy to be alive. Amanda Bynes drove me here and that girl just breaks the rules." That's right, I laughed out loud. Then he talked about a Honey Boo Boo afterparty. If you can I highly suggest YouTubing it. Then he had a cute stint in the actual show when John Stewart won for the best Variety Show. I should really start watching his show. He did after all come up with the "History of Rap" with JT and that was pretty phenom.
Boos to Amanda Bynes falling off the wagon. Who knows what's going on with her, but she just cannot catch a break. But maybe she should start looking into catching a cab for a while. But who knew the girl from classics like She's the Man, the Amanda Show, What a Girl Wants (that's right, all classics) would do a stint with c-ra-zy!

Kudos to Modern Fam dominating the Emmy's tonight! As they should. Cameron and Claire brought home their own awards and I think they got one for writing and then the major one for Comedy Show. And their bit with the little girl who plays Lily being a crazy fame-crazed star was also solid! And it's coming back this week - yeah ya!!
Boos to Parks and Rec losing! They are phenom and deserve an award, I mean did you see the season premier this week? Maybe next year, maybe next year.

And a slow clap shout out all the shows coming back for fall! And no, I cannot wait to watch How I Met Your Mother tomorrow night :-)

#lookatmebloggingontime#winning
#that'srightihashtaggedahashtag

The Eating Tour of Laurel Street Continues...

Well it's been a while, but Lady Di and I were able to get back to our Friday lunch dates this week. So we hit up the new trendy place on Laurel - one of the many - Limone. This is owned by the same owners as Positano (literally right next door) so there's the same modern aura bleeding from this place. The menu is a focused more on lunch and breakfast and I imagine that they really shine on the weekend brunches for one reason only...bottomless mimosas. They offer bottomless mimosas every day as as much as I would have loved to try it out on Friday, I still had to work, so that will be another adventure for another day.

So back to the lunch menu. I had a chicken spinach salad with raspberry vinagrette. Pretty tasty, not a whole lot to it though. And really how can you screw up a spinach salad?! But I was definitely full when i left. When you compare it to the gorgonzola salad I had next door though - this was lame sauce. Lady Di really did pick the winner though. She had a Kobe (is it Kobe as in Bryant or Ko-bay? This is a question that has plagued me for years) burger and no she did not share (well besides one bite and I did steal a couple of fries when she was looking away).

The atmosphere in this place was pretty awesome. It's long and narrow, but ULTRA trendy. There's an enclosed "patio" that might be used only for a waiting space, but i could imagine a group sitting out there drinking their champ! Its very cute though and i can see this place catching up in good time and be the place to be soon enough. AND there are champagne bottles everywhere in decoration, where can you go wrong in that?

All in all, tasty with a lot of potential!

The important things I learned from this lunch date:
1. Bottomless mimosas will make a regular patron out of me
2. Kobe (bryant or ko-bay) burgers are always the right choice
3. Parking on Laurel Street on Friday at lunch time is downright awful. San Carlos is officially too trendy.

#iheartchampagne

Recapping with Kudos and Boos

How has it that i haven't blogged since July? Well, there was vacation and then lots of shit hitting the fan so time started to fly. I'll do an extended kudos and boos (yes, even though I am a day late) and fill you in on the hip hop haps.

Kudos to Lisa in LA. That's right, Lisa who was doing a six week stint in Los Angeles when she got a job at Immaculate Heart as a substitute teacher, has officially relocated and is the Registrar of IHHS. And she's loving life down there. I was down this weekend to visit and she's living with my St. Charles compadre, Julia in Pasadena and their apartment is ridiculously cute. She sounds just as busy as ever, running all over between school, friends, and just driving in Los Angeles. When I called Lisa on Thursday afternoon on my way down to check in on plans for the weekend, she was telling me that Friday night she had to chaperone a dance, then Saturday she had to have CPR training and then Sunday she had a football game to watch. Well ex-cauuuuuuse me! But, I'll be back down in a couple of weeks so I've asked her to pencil me in. How quickly they forget!
Boos to solo drives to LA. Well, let me set the stage, I left on Thursday afternoon right after work, and while it was a super good idea a couple weeks prior, I was exhausted before I even left the office. And once I got on the freeway, I was greeted with tons of traffic, but I found my groove eventually then I didn't mind it - especially when I was rocking out to my playlist and able to sing at the top of my lungs without judgement.

Kudos to Michael in DC! He is also living the life out there and today he posted on the book that he got an internship with Senator Olympia Snowe. I am not up to date on this lady but that's pretty awesome! I'm hoping to get out there in October to go for a visit but he may be running the place at that point. And here's his blog (now you have two Bonino blogs to follow): http://bbtodc.tumblr.com/ check it out!
Boos to Lady Di's celeb sighting whilest we were in San Clemente. The day that I was leaving to come home, she and Marko were driving me to the airport and this was the very last thing that I said to her: "Mom, you best not see any Real Housewives of Orange County now that I am leaving." So I walked into the airport and went through security and as I was sitting down at the gate, I got a call from my Mom saying, "You will never believe who is at Big Five with me." And low and behold it's Alexis. Buying shoes for her kids. And I was at their airport waiting to fly home. Just my luck!

Kudos to Pool Parties in Downtown LA. This past weekend we also celebrated Sarah and Tom's birthdays in Downtown LA. Sarah turned 30 last week and Tom's birthday was just a few days after so they rented a room at the Marriot and had some friends over for a pool party. It's really the way I am supposed to spend my Saturdays. AND I got to see all of Team Wedding, some who I haven't seen since the actual wedding so that was just an added bonus.
Boos to bidding summer adieu. While the weather will try and fool you (especially in LA since it was friggin hot down there this weekend), we're beyond Labor Day so we're in "fall" but I think we can still sneak in a couple of weekends to layout in there.

Kudos to construction. It seems like it has been going on for forever, but we have the furniture back in the downstairs and things are slowly but surely starting to come together. They're supposed to be done in just a few weeks, which makes Marko extremely happy. And me too so that they'll be out of my bathroom!
Boos to construction. It seems like it has been going on for forever. I'm over it.

And one for the celebrity world...
Kudos to Matthew Perry returning to TV. America really screwed up by not keeping Studio 60 on the air - I think Carly, Kate and I were pretty much the only people who watched that show. So all you other fools really stepped in that.
Boos to some of my fave couples calling it quits, like Adrienne Maloof and Paul Nassif and Amy Poehler and Will Arnett. What's going on Hollywood?! It's almost as if they don't last!

#ipromisetoblogmorestartingnow
#maybeonedayilltweetmoretoo

Kudos and Boos...

Here we go for some kudos and boos...happy sunday!

Kudos to the Olympics! I love the summer olympics. The Pomp! The Circumstance! I'm a sucker for it (especially the swimming and diving). I watched the Opening Ceremonies on Saturday, so rather than watch it for 4.5 hours, I was able to watch it in about an hour and it was pretty awesome! The whole ring creation and not to mention the fireworks were pretty spectacular. I have been watching them all weekend and even last night when we were in downtown Palo Alto, the bar we were at was playing the men's gymnastics. The whole bar was fixated on it and it stinks that the whole nation is working for the next two weeks so we can't just sit and watch it. But, thank goodness for the internet so I can catch up on all the highlights!
Boos to the Kristin Stewart fiasco. Where to start, where to start? Here's where...the public statement. What was she thinking - actually, scratch that, what was her publicist thinking? Have they ever heard of deny, deny, deny? Not to mention that she's barely recognized the fact that she and Rob were together these few years and then once those pics surfaced, she's showing emotion and admitting they're in love. And even her director boyfriend released one too - boy these people are new to the Hollywood scene. Then, there are the photos that caught them red handed. In my opinion, they had it coming. They are both super loaded, so why did they not think to sneak around to maybe a hotel where they were away from any cameras? Oh no, they thought, oh let's go tootle around town in my mini coop and just park it, no one will see us. Well, that's not true because they were caught. Now, it's all over the news that she's devastated, blah blah blah. This whole thing could have been avoided if they even just drove to the valley, away from any paparazzi. We'll see how this plays out but hopefully it'll fade away...quickly.

Kudos to Kathy Griffin! Kate and I went to the Nob Hill Masonic in San Francisco and saw her show. We saw her last year and decided it's going to be a "whenever she comes to town" deal and as usual, she did not disappoint. She had some good material (thank you Kristin Stewart and the Jackson family drama) and was up on stage for a little over two hours, all well worth it! AND after the show, Kate and I booked it to the elevators and even saw another celeb - Steve Wozniak! We essentially cut a bunch of people and took some people out so we could get closer, but he hopped in an elevator super quickstyle and vanished, well until we got in the car and sat there trying to get out of the parking structure and he was a few cars ahead! But, add it to our celeb sighting list, thank you very much.
Boos to Footloose. Not the original, but the remake. I got it on my Netflix this weekend and I heard it was good, but very very similar to the original. So, when I watched it today I was finding new things to do so that I didn't have to just sit and watch it. I was organizing anything and everything (even blogging - whoa, I know) and I was not impressed. This movie was almost identical, so in my opinion, why remake it?

Kudos to the Dark Knight Rises (let's just focus on the movie itself - nothing more). But this movie was awesome. SO good. Although it was definitely long - 2 hours and 45 minutes, yes it tested my patience - but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Let's just say Joseph Gordon Levitt was phenom, I liked Anne Hathaway as Catwoman and well Christian Bale was legit as always.  
Boos to waiting for vacation. That's right - it's five days away so I spent most of my day making lists of all the things that I need to do between now and then, all of the errands I should run, and ways to make this week go by even faster. Now I just need to get through the next five working days and HELLO SAN CLEMENTE (yes, I already have a list of things to do).

And can we take a moment to recognize the length of this Kudos and Boos?
#slowclap

Food Tour of Laurel - Stop Number 2

Lady Di and I have a new Friday tradition to go to lunch at a new place on Laurel. We started it a couple of weeks ago because she wanted to try this Thai place that I was raving about and she knew Marko wouldn't go with her...so enter Julie. And what a perfect opportunity for a blog series, right? Hopefully it will help me blog more than once a week :o)

Since she was completely satisfied with Siamese Kitchen (the mentioned Thai place), this past Friday, we hit this one spot that has been open for about a year or so - Positano. It's channeling the Italy feel with the small restaurant space with lots of tables, but with a splash of trendiness. I ordered a grilled chicken gorgonzola salad and Lady Di opted for the vegetarian panini. Well Lady Di's plate was all well and good but mine was definitely the superior dish! It was so tasty. It had grilled chicken (obviously), gorgonzola dressing, rasins (a surprising element), apples and butter lettuce. If it were appropriate to lick my plate, I would have this was so good. In fact, I would be okay with going back every day and have that salad.

We sat outside (since it was such a pretty day) so we got to get in some solid people watching - sidenote: Laurel Street is one hell of a popular place on a Friday afternoon for lunch. People were all over the place and almost every restaurant had the hustle and bustle. Where all these people were coming from, I have no idea.  But i digress...so if you find yourself on Laurel Street, try this place out and get this salad. You will be completely satisfied!

Kudos and Boos

Don't look now, but here's kudos and boos!

Kudos to Burning Love! This show is, in a word, awesome. A parody on the "reality" show, the Bachelor, this web series on Yahoo has never disappointed. Sarah showed it to me (I believe it's one of Tom's shows) and it had me hooked from the first episode. Each is only about 8 minutes long, and it will keep you laughing the entire time. Mostly because the main bachelor, Mark is a doofus and really deserves an Oscar for this show. Don't even get me started on the guest stars! I shouldn't be surprised though, it's Ben Stiller is a producer. Watch it now!
Boos to 4th of July on a Wednesday. Note that I am not saying Boos to the holiday itself - but more so because of the middle of the week holiday. And believe me, I am a proud supporter of holidays! I just have issues when it breaks the week into two mini weeks and then have to deal with a full week starting tomorrow. Why must five days seem so long?

Kudos to Revenge. I have been staying away from this show since it premiered - never really anticipating it to make it very far. And while people have been telling me till their blue in the face that I need to watch it, I have been blowing it off. So the other day I finally sat down to watch the pilot and to say I was hooked, well, that's a bit of an understatement. I signed up for HuluPlus (free trial period of course) just so I can catch all of the episodes. Thank you summer hiatus for letting me get my fall viewing schedules in order!
Boos to the already bitter and greusome Tomkat divorce. It's been about 20 minutes and we're hearing all about the Scientology, the custody, the who's got what. Believe me, I am all for a scandal, but how many times can we hear that Scientology is cray cray?

Kudos to almost vacation. We just hit the 4 weeks to go mark and I've had multiple, "Mom, this time in four weeks we'll be (fill in the blank)." I've already started making a list of all the awesome things I'll plan on doing in the blissful San Clemente, now if it will only come a little faster.
Boos to four weeks till vacation. That's four weeks of work standing between me and the beach. Come on let's have time fly just a little faster!

Oh and side note: A July goal is to tweet more. So follow me on twitter @juliebonino

Check it out fools, kudos and boos...on time.
#winning.

Watch Out World, Here Comes Clannie!

It's me! Yes I have been MIA lately, but it's summer time. But what better way to kick off the blogging spirit than with a video? I have been talking about doing this for a while, and I have always been perklumped on how to load videos to blogs but BOY it's amazing what google will teach you.

Anyways, last year at Sarah and Tom's wedding, the multi-talented Clannie (a nickname for Claire and Anne Marie, coined by their loving older brother) brought the house down with a song during the ceremony. And even though it was over a year ago, it still brings me to tears every time.

Disclaimer! Before watching, you should know this is Marko's footage. For the first bit, you'll get to truly examine the fabric from Nonni's dress as well as see her hairline throughout the song. And this is much better video than the rehearsal dinner. Yes, Marko should keep his day job.

Not going to lie, the original Elvis version is somewhat mediocre now.

#GOClannie

Kudos and Boos

Remember when I said I was going to blog more? Well, I've been a little busy so here we go with Kudos and Boos (short version cause I am tired)...

Kudos to David graduating! We went to LA this weekend to celebrate David's b-day and graduation this weekend! What a day! But who the heck cares, woohoo David!
Boos to the short lives of running shoes. They say every 3-6 months you're supposed to change them out, others say for however many days a week you wear them, that's how many times a year you're supposed to change them. Either way it's way too often for how expensive they are! But today I sucked it up and got a new pair - branching out of my typical brand and going for nike's - and boy I am going to wear them till they fall off my feet!

Kudos to Lisa getting a J-O-B. She got a job at Immaculate Heart summer school - and officially moves to Nonni's next weekend! Well, she moves to Nonni's for the next 2 months...and then TBD and who knows what will happen next! I think it's a good idea and a great next step!
Boos to the painfully long third installment of "Girl with the...fill in the blank" actually, in this case, it's "Girl who kicked the Hornet's Nest" now I was ALL about the first book - well from page 200 on - and the second was ok but left with a serious cliff hanger...not I am 200 pages in with what feels like a million to go. And it's official, this writer is obnoxiously meticulous with every detail. Just tell me the sky is blue and move on!

Kudos to another celebrity sighting! As we were walking out of the Americana on Friday night, Lisa told me to turn around and walk back to confirm the celeb she spotted - none other than Adam Scott from one of my favorite shows, Parks & Rec. At first I told Lisa to shut it, it wasn't him. Then after a confirmation from Sarah that it was, I had to go back for one last look and apologize. Woohoo!! We saw Adam Scott!
Boos to fast weekends and full weeks ahead. I don't want to go to work tomorrow! But I need to put my time off request in for San Clemente - Holler!!

I hope to blog more this week! maybe a farewell series to lisa moving out. I can't promise anything though.

Hello June!

Today is June 1st, so that means summer is finally here, a new set of goals commence and it's my dear compadre, Teresa's birthday!!!

So let's start on summer...it's about time. And I get to officially partake in one of my favorite past times - laying out in the sun all weekend. It usually takes me all summer to get a decent tan but oh well, I welcome the challenge. And what an enjoyable challenge it is - especially if it involves a sit-n-float.

As for new goals - that's right, I'm all about my monthly goals. So here we go (1) befriend the one thing I hate most on this planet (besides sea creatures and lizards) - Pushups (2) Blog more (3) start the JK movie review - more on that later (4) accessorize more (5) start watching Revenge (that's more for Teresa and Kate) and (6) Tweet (follow me@juliebonino). I hope to do some weekly checkins on this with my kudos and boos (aren't you stoked you read my blog? One of my goals last month was to start Downton Abbey so I knew what people were taking about and while I went in thinking I don't want to like this - BOY was I hooked. Another one of my goals was to quit Jersey Housewives cold turkey and I am happy to report I have succeeded. I only watched the first episode and hasn't seen an episode since. That's strength, pride and determination all wrapped into one goal.

And finally, June 1st is my girl Teresa's birthday! I have to give her a shout out (a huge perk of having a blog!) so HAPPY BIRTHDAY T! And to work towards a goal - I just tweeted about it (CHECK!). I am unstoppable!

#ImmakingJunemybitch #watchoutworld
(I also think i am getting the hang of hashtagging)

Kudos and Boos

It's been a while so here we go for Kudos and Boos...

Kudos to Lady Di and all the moms out there (but most specifically Lady Di)! In case you live under a rock, today is Mother's Day. We actually celebrated all weekend because the prodigal son flew into town and Lady Di wanted to be with all the kids. So he flew in on Wednesday night and on Thursday 4 of the 5 Bonino's headed south so Christopher could take a Paramedic test at UCLA and we spent the weekend down there. And today Lady Di spent some QT with Lisa and I in the car for 5.5 hours while we drove back home. Then she spent the day watching her favorite HGTV shows. All in all, I'd say it was a perfect day - but I am not a mom, so what do I know :o)
Boos to Desperate Housewives ending tonight! It's been real Wisteria Lane.  Actually to all of my shows going away for the summer. Although I do love sweeps week.

Kudos to Claire! Today is her 17th birthday and she is celebrating it with all the other moms. Actually she's having a pretty solid day since she's been celebrating all weekend. On Friday night, Sarah cooked a awesome dinner for everyone where we celebrated Claire, then Saturday we had a surprise party for Claire at the park, and today she spent the day at the beach (a usual tradition for the SoCal Bonino's on Mother's Day).
Boos to all Snow White and the Huntsman...didn't we just have a movie come out about Snow White?

Kudos to celebrity sightings! That's right, I spotted a new celeb this weekend. Let me set the stage - we were stopping at the Coffee Bean bright and early Friday morning to conclude our walk - a Commonwealth tradition. So we are chilling in line and I see this guy (who's back is turned to me) and notice his huge arm tattoo. When he turns around I yell (to myself) David Silver! Now who is that you ask? Well Brian Austin Green that's who! And still nothing yet? Well he's married to Meghan Fox. And he was on Desperate Housewives this season (maybe or last?) Anywho, Lisa, Mom, and Sarah are all not paying attention and getting distracted by shiny things while I yelled at them to get their shit tight and realize we were in the midst of a celeb! And yes I spotted him and that never happens!
Boos to a full new week - I could go for another day.

Kudos and Boos...

Here we go for Kudos and Boos...

Kudos to Mud Run 2012. Well, it's official, I'm a badass and so are Carly and Kate. Yesterday we ran in the NorCal Mud Run in the scenic town of Lathrop. It was a 5K and our wave time was at 3:00 in the afternoon, oh did I mention it was 90 degrees? So with some 50 SPF on, we bolted into a series of mud pits and said adios to clean clothes. Just with the first mud pit, we all got mud in our eyes, were soaked in mud to our necks someone ripped her pants (the identity of that girl shall remain nameless). We all survived without a broken body part (unlike our fave OC housewives) but learned some valuable lessons like, hats are key, goggles are genius, those toe shoes although in the real world seem silly, could change lives on a run like this. And who knew there were so many consistencies of mud!? and
Boos to Jersey Housewives. We watched the season premier tonight and with confidence I can say that I can walk away from this show, cold turkey (although they will be in SF/the bay, so with loyalties I must watch) but the pettiness and walking in circles is a waste. Lisa said it best, it's going to be like New York Housewives, and it's going to self implode and they'll have to clean house. So here's my declaration...it's over Jersey,  I'll stick to OC and Bev Hills.

Kudos to this new fitness high after the Mud Run. And just in good time too since summer is around the corner. I've been falling off the radar but we're hoping to do some more Mud Runs so we got to stay in training. Let's hope this enthusiasm will stay with me when I need to get in the car to go to the gym tomorrow.
Boos to Kim Kardashian's latest adventure...the mayor of Glendale. Her plan is to buy a house and run in 4 years. God help us. I hope that if she does run, my favorite Glendale residents will do what they need to do and, in the words of Liz Lemon, shut it down.

I don't have two more, so mi dispiace. But here's to a new work week...let's hope it's quick and painless!

Recap - Easter

I feel like I've been doing a lot of recaps lately. Lo siento, but work's been a little crazy and I value my sleep. So let's play a little catch up...

Lisa and I flew to LA on Holy Thursday (Marko and Lady Di drove down that day) and were there for Easter. Saturday morning we went to see Sarah's tour at FIDM where we saw somecostumes from 2011 movies. Who knew there was so much to costume design? Not me,that's for sure. And my, that's a perfect segway to Sarah's blog post on the FIDM website. As the docent coordinator for FIDM, she wrote a blog post about the exhibit...so if you know what's good for you, you'll click here!!!

Also on Saturday, we celebrated Michael's 20th birthday with a trip to the Pantry (no not our own pantry for Bisquick mix, a restaurant in downtown where we waited in line for 40 minutes for what could be the best French Toast (and I am all about anything French Toast). Then after some manual labor at Nonni's and soaking up some Vitamin D, we had a delicious dinner, complete with included story time of our favorite Michael stories.

Marko telling his fave Michael story of when Michael was creaming Marko in tennis when he was probably 14. When Marko was bitching about it, Michael simply told him, "once you find your enemy's weakness, exploit it."

This is just a cute pic of me and Sarah

Everyone just so excited to hear more Michael story

And Michael with Claire's birthday gift...the MUPPETS! Complete with the 40% off and price tag still on...she really is Marko's god-daughter.

And then Sunday we went to Gina and Gary's for brunch and dinner and what a lovely day it was!

This seems to happen whenever we take photos. The parents all take the same photo at the same time and when we try to look at only one camera at a time, somehow we still end up with photos with wandering eyes.

And a group shot to conclude the holiday celebration

Sadly I had to hop on a plane bright and early Monday morning with all of the commuters and man was that a long day. And oh hey! I became a full-time employee! Woohoo! Monday's my first official day as a full-timer and today marked my last "work from home" Friday. Alas it was fun while it lasted...so let's see how this goes...

No Big Money Big Money

Well as I am sure you've guessed, I didn't win the lotto. I know, me and about a zillion other people. But I really thought I would win, I had a feeling! But alas, $11 in tickets and not even a megaball number. If only I was at those stores in Kansas, Massachusetts or Illinois.

But why dwell on something I really really wanted and didn't get it and focus on what's ahead, like a weekend in LA for Easter and you know what that means...the possibilities of more celebrity sightings. Although Kate has been racking up the celebrity sightings, with Icky from the fave radio station and then seeing the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (with husbands no less). So send me your good thoughts and maybe I'll score an A-lister!

#thiswasbriefbutimtired

Trying My Luck at the Lotto!

With the lottery up to $640 million, I decided that now was asgood a time as any to try my luck at this game of chance. What could it hurt right? In fact, I see no bad side effects, only a $640 billion positive one.

So today I went to a hole-in-the-wall liquor store that I pass on a daily basis in Redwood City and bought my tickets. Now I know little to nothing about the lottery, so with $11 dollars and guidance from Lady Di (“I just do quick picks”), I walked into the store that will change my life forever (positive thinking--when has that ever been a bad thing?). I decided on $10 of quick picks and 1 “custom” ticket—I’m sure there’s a more precise name for it, but like I said, I know nothing about the lotto. And they weren't kidding with "quick picks" I think I was in there for 2 minutes total, spending 1.75 minutes picking my custom numbers and 15 seconds getting my quick picks. I was cautious to memorize the other faces of the people before and after me, you know, just in case they win the big money.

So with my fresh tickets in hand on my way home, I did think about all the things that $640 million will buy (well more like half when I go for the lump sum and after taxes). Here are my top 5, in no particular order...

1. Find a pilot with the best track record (most likely a former Air Force One Pilot) to be my personal pilot so I can travel. In fact, I might add a ballerific plane to the detail.

2. Invest in some property, although that sounds so boring, but it will help me roll in the dough later on. But I'll pick some sweet places like Maui, the Caribbean, Italy, someplace in California (I need a home base of course).

3. Hire a personal chef who will double as my grocery shopper--this could be perhaps my least favorite activity. Actually, just creating a personal entourage in general is acceptable.

4. Retire at the young age of 25 (I would continue to work for the next six months…just to stay grounded, but as soon as I turn 25, retirement, here I come).

5. Have my own talk show on Bravo, yes Bravo. While I wouldn't be techincally retired, this has been a dream of mine (and Kate's) since the Real Housewives franchise started with the reunion shows. To be honest, I'd be satisfied with doing just the reunion shows - sorry Andy Cohen, Kate and I will take it from here - and that way, I could still be in retirement.

I am not going to be stupid and tell you what numbers I picked, mainly because I don’t particularly want to share my winnings, but I promise I’ll explain my thought process when I’m interviewed for the news. Let's hope the 1 in 172 million odds are in my favor.

#ComeOnBigMoneyBigMoney!

A "Brief" Detour

Now this is a typical Carly/Julie adventure story. And it could have been prevented in so many ways.

On Sunday morning, fresh off our Disneyland high, we were heading north to get back to reality, but with a stop in Pasadena to see Julia's new apartment. She gave us directions from Disneyland (hop on the 57 N to the 210 W) and then we would reconvene and then get brunch. Simple right? WRONG. So Carly's in the driver's seat and we head onto the 57, debreifing the weekend and I didn't think to whip out my phone to look at the map since the directions were so basic. So there we go driving and driving and had a few dialouges sounding like:

25 minutes into the ride:

Carly: My sense of direction is so off, it feels like we're going just east.

Julie: I know, but we are supposed to take the 210 West so this makes sense. Oh look, Chino!

Probably 10 minutes later:

Carly: Oh, Indio, that's where I'm going for Stagecoach next month.

And about 5 minutes later:

Julie: Ontario Airport? That's where we fly into for Palm Springs. That's weird, there must be a smaller airport and then the larger one. That's so dumb, they should have picked another name, that's confusing.

(So I pulled out my phone)

Julie: Hold up. You're going to want to turn around

Carly: Now?

Julie: Yes, immediately.

Well turns out, we were well on ourway to Palm Springs. About 40 miles back, there was a 57 - 60 split and we unknowingly headed to the 60 (we blame being in the carpool lane). And it was probably three minutes after we were heading back in the right direction, that we got a call from Julia asking where the heck we were. Ooops sorry, we were almost in Palm Springs, we're going to be a while.

Yes, this is the route that we took on accident, and it took us about 1.5 hours. Not what we were really hoping for when we had a solid 6 hour drive ahead of us.

So what lessons were learned in this adventure?

1. ALWAYS look at a map

2. Be cautious of the Southern California carpool lanes

3. Southern california needs to think about relabeling some of their signage on their freeway.

#ImalwaysreadyforatriptoPalmSprings

An object at rest will stay at rest...

At approx 10:00 on Saturday night, we decided to wait in line for Autotopia, one of my favorite rides as a kid. Now let me set the stage, we're in our second set of clothes (thanks to our costume change earlier), but we're not completely dry since we went on Splash Mountain (not our smartest idea but it was fun) and when we got in line, you could actually see stars...the first time it wasn't cloudy all day.So we're in line and Julia whips out her phone and tells us that at 10:00 her hourly weather report says that there's supposed to be 100% chance of rain. And since it's clear, we all immediately start bashing Apple's technology...well Steve Jobs was getting us back because not 10 minutes later, as were about ready to tell the cast member that we need three cars, I fet a drop. Then, another, then it was a bonafide downpour.

So, immediately, cries break out for everyone to whip out their ponchos. Carly, Julia and I were trying to get our fresh plastic bags out and fumbling under pressure, while the mass amount of people behind us have already succeeded, and even had their children covered (another clue that I am not ready for children). It's now our turn to hop in our individual cars and the previous passengers are getting out to let us in, and they're soaked, since they're hip and cool convertibles. So I jump in, and start to go the speedy 6.5 miles per hour, holding my steering wheel through the plastic of my poncho...my hands were so cold...and realized that these cars were so much more comfortable as a child. But it could have been worse because others, mainly Carly, had to sit in a huge puddle.

So there we are cruising through the ride, and I approached an "overpass" and the car infront of the car in front of me was broken down so two cast members were trying to jump start the car. One guy was between the two cars and one was off to the side holding a flashlight. So I released my foot on the pedal (since there are no breaks) and stopped.Meanwhile Carly's driving her car (she's behind Julia) and she's not really having it. She's got one hand holding her hood cause mind you it's still raining cats and dogs, and the other peaking out of her sleeve in a claw-like fashion. So back to me, I was stopped waiting for traffic to start a flowing for maybe 15 seconds when I heard a crash! Then felt a bump, then went into the car in front of me.

While these noises were occuring, the cast member who was standing between the two cars heard this as well and talk about a drama queen, flipped out so he wasn't between the two cars and flailed his arms around. Then, the fool holding the flashlight yells out: PEOPLE PLEASE PAY ATTENTION! You could have killed us. I think all three of scoffed in unison. Really sir? A car that goes 6.5 miles per hour with a track between the it can kill someone? I think the most you could walk away with was a stubbed toe! Don't get mad at us since you're standing in the cold rain! Within seconds you could hear Julia laughing and yelling Carly's name, but poor Carly wasn't too impressed. And she was ready to kick this ride to the curb.

As soon as we got off of the ride (and it magically stopped pouring of course) the first thing she told us all she kept thinking was,"Why the *bleep* are we on this? We can drive and we all have our own cars!"

I suppose some people can't find the magic on every ride.

Disneyland Recap

Well I started this blog on Sunday night, but have been fine tuning it all week so here we go...

I just got back from quite a weekend in Disneyland (see, told you I started it a while ago) Starting at the dark and early hour of 4:30 am on Friday morning (notice how I didn't say "bright" seeing as we didn't see the sun for 3 hours), Carly and I loaded up her Volvo and headed south. Seeing as most of the world was still sleeping we didn't hit much traffic and were able to make it to LA by 10 and then walking into the park by 11:36 am. That's right, Highway 5 was our bitch.

Of course we had a plan all set out, hitting Disneyland for the major rides first so when we walked through the gates, I am not sure who was more excited, Carly, me, or the six year old walking in next to us? We actually lasted a lot longer than I thought--but we couldn't go back to the hotel till 4 so we had to power through. Then we headed back to the hotel for "reading and resting" time, an essential element to a Bonino vacation and we opened some Shock Tops to quenche our thirsts. When we were feeling better, we decided to try our luck over at California Adventure. Sidebar: When we were walking in and spotted this guy holding a neon yellow cup with some foam at the top. Immediately Carly and I spotted this and said, "the rumors are true! They do have beer!" Then a second later, we both realized that the guy holding the cup was...Ryan from High School Musical! Now for those of you who aren't all hip and now in the High School Musical world, no this is not Zac Efron, this is the blonde guy. And for those of you wondering, yes, we did blast those CDs on our ride earlier that morning. But to see a disney star IN disneyland that isn't walking around in a plastic costume? What are the odds?! Anywho, we hit some rides in California Adventure (Tower of Terror mostly) went back to Disneyland to round out the day, and before we knew it we were walking zombees...you would be one too if you drove 500 miles at 4:30 in the morning and then walked all over...While we were just about to start dreaming of sugar plumbs, Julia (who drove down from Pasadena) met us so she could spend all day with us on Saturday.

Now the forecast warned us for rain, but we didn't know the extent of it. We thought it would be "Southern California Rain" which to us meant a light drizzle...but holy dounpour Batman, this was a legitimate rainstorm. So we prepared ourselves with Bloody Mary with breakfast (and to keep us warm) and had to come to turns with our ensambles and bought ponchos. That's right we were walking around in plastic bags for most of Saturday. I like to think we were fashion-forward. And no, we didn't look like fools because all of the smart people were decked out in them. And another sidebar: Who would have thought the rain would be painful? While we were on California Screaming, a nice rainfall combined with a super fast roller coaster felt like daggers hitting my face. My screams were a combination of terror (duh) and pain (ouchies). And getting back on track, Although we were walking onto ride after ride in the downpours mixed with drizzles and sprinkles, we eventually did have to call uncle and head back to the hotel for, you guessed it, reading and resting time. This was the perfect opportunity to dry off, ring out our clothes, and to bask in the glow of shelter.

When we headed back to the park that night, it was SO empty it was almost eerie. We kept walking onto rides, even got to stay on Splash Mountain without even leaving the seats since there was no one in line...when was the last time that happened? Never that's when. We were able to go back to California Adventure for the World of Color (blog post coming next) and then back to round out the night at Disneyland. And eventually, at 11:30 our dogs were barking and we had to head home, back to the Tropicana.

I tried to use a pedometer for Saturday on my phone but the App wasn't working, but I googled the average daily milage walked at Disneyland and some people said between 10-17 miles. I wouldn't be surprised if we were close to 17 (since we did go between the parks a couple of times and back to the hotel). Essentially we were ballers.

On Sunday, we packed up and headed north, with a detour, but that's another story for another blog post that's coming.

#whatareyoudoingyoushouldgotoDisneylandnow

Gyms can be dangerous

No one ever tells you about the life-threatening potential hazards of the gym. I’m not talking about the bullshit of twisting ankles, being crushed to death by a weight or falling over from exhaustion. I’m talking about the explosion hazards, a predicament I found myself in just last night.

Let me set the stage…Thursday night I was 20 minutes into my usual kickboxing class. I was at that point of my workout when I’ve passed the optimistic “Oh I am so pumped for this class” and sailing into the “I could die right here right now" (quick turnover time). So there I was, jab, jab, punch, knee, side kicking away and then a very potent, gassy smell hit my nose. Well that’s not normal, was my first thought, but I took a quick survey of the room and no one else was responding to it. So back to my jab, jab, punching when I heard the woman behind me ask the woman next to her if she smelled it and so naturally I whipped around and asked them myself (no need to be embarrassed about evesdropping). Then they both just passed it off, so I pulled myself together and got back to the jab, jab, punching when I noticed the instructor looking around the huge stereo at the front, sniffing. No luck there, then she looked up at the huge heater/air conditioner that hangs from the middle of the room, and nothing there either.

Internally, I was thinking, oh crap. Here it goes. No need to wait for December to see if the Myans were right. I should have listened to myself and opted out of class tonight. Death by gym class just seemed too obnoxious. In the midst of my personal conversation I spotted a woman who worked at the front desk dodging side kicks and jabs, and say that we all needed to get out and….well that’s all I heard. I swooped up my jacket, water bottle and keys and ran out the door. No need for pleasantries to let others go in front…every man for themselves in this situation and I wasn’t going to get blown up to smitherines in the gym because I let the older people pass.

Everyone started to congregate outside in front of the gym, and right by the door, which I thought was just dumb. Hello people! Move a little further away from the doors. In the event of an explosion, you’ll all get wiped out. It took a little longer than expected to get everyone out of the gym. You’d think that they have a system, like turn off all the tvs and make an announcement over the loud speaker, but instead the workers were trying to get everyone’s attention and tell them they needed to evacuate (mind you this time, I’m already outside, continually making the distance between me and the front door greater and greater).

Well, I stood there for about five minutes and then realized, this was a dumb plan. By the time they decided if it was safe to go back in, or if the fire fighters were the ones to decide that, we could be here a while. So really me standing here isn’t really doing much, and I should just call it a night.

At Crunch, there’s only a one lane entrance on one side of the building and then a one lane exit one the other side (and there’s also a Chinese food restaurant that’s attached to the gym—cruel, I know). So naturally, there’s a small traffic jam trying to get out. As much as I didn’t want to, I was just flirting with disaster. One spark and warren (my car) and I would have done some barrel rolls over Veterans Blvd and land in the parking lot of AAA.

Luckily, nothing happened, and I was able to drive away from Crunch in one piece. Phew. But I will keep my distance until I know it's been inspected and given the a-ok from the proper authorities.

#Iwillknockyouoverifyoublocktheexitinapotentialexplosion

#andifidiethenillcomebackandhauntyourass