So here's my women's basketball media guide!
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Women's Basketball Media Guide!
My work for the past three months is finally done! And I CANNOT believe that college basketball season is here this week already.....
So here's my women's basketball media guide!
So here's my women's basketball media guide!
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
GOO-lay.
In the spirit of the upcoming holiday this weekend, I've begun my decorating project.
Cobb webs now adorn the entry way by my ceiling, my cut-out window from the kitchen to the dining room and the mantle over my fireplace. (Maybe I'll post pictures soon??) For the front entry hall, I've cut up black garbage bags and made streamers and light blockers to make the entrance all spooky :)
Then I've added plastic spiders/rats and test tube vials of candy goo filled with gummy eyes, brains and fingers. I think tonight's finally the time for pumpkin carving!
As for the costumes (for the party I'm hosting this weekend)... it's not quite the same thing, but here's a video hint of what J.D. and I are planning ("A little inside, I know"):
Monday, October 26, 2009
G'day
I was pleasantly surprised to find out that sending mail to Australia cost me less than $2.
Sweet! I was expecting to fork out over $5... sending a package to New York almost cost me $6. What the heck??
I like this international mail deal.
Sweet! I was expecting to fork out over $5... sending a package to New York almost cost me $6. What the heck??
I like this international mail deal.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Six-Word Memoir
Have you heard about the Six Word Memoir project?!
Here is mine: This Restless Soul Longs To Travel.
What's yours Photo Geek, Una Notta delle Stelle and Jennie en France?
**After you write yours, pick three random blogs from your list!
If I didn't tag you, leave your six-word memoir in the comments section, or better yet, make your own post about it! I'm also in love with vintage travel posters. At some point in my life, I'd like to decorate my house with these!!
Here is mine: This Restless Soul Longs To Travel.
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What's yours Photo Geek, Una Notta delle Stelle and Jennie en France?
**After you write yours, pick three random blogs from your list!
If I didn't tag you, leave your six-word memoir in the comments section, or better yet, make your own post about it! I'm also in love with vintage travel posters. At some point in my life, I'd like to decorate my house with these!!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Home sick for a second day
I think I tried to get back into the eating game too quickly last night. My stomach was feeling much better, so I resumed my eating habits as if I'd never been sick before and as if I wasn't on an empty stomach.
Waking up this morning was a nightmare, I felt like I'd be throwing up all over again. So I slept it off. And then I slept it off. And then I slept it off again, and I'm feeling sluggishly better now. I'm easing my way into soups and snacks. I'm not going to go overboard this time.
But being in bed for the past two days has given way to a lot of television and a lot of Internet searching.
Without further ado, I present to you my holiday wish list! (Too soon?)
Waking up this morning was a nightmare, I felt like I'd be throwing up all over again. So I slept it off. And then I slept it off. And then I slept it off again, and I'm feeling sluggishly better now. I'm easing my way into soups and snacks. I'm not going to go overboard this time.
But being in bed for the past two days has given way to a lot of television and a lot of Internet searching.
Without further ado, I present to you my holiday wish list! (Too soon?)
A real, digital camera. With an actual lens. I'm over my little point-and-shoot cameras. These are much higher quality. Doesn't even have to be a Cannon!
New running shoes (and also shoes I can wear to outdoor events like soccer and baseball, since heels aren't so good on muddy and gravel surfaces). I really want some Nike Shox, in black :) These are the Navina +4 series.
Diesel Fuel for Life (Her). I bought this when I was in France and trying to blow through all my leftover Euros on hand. I bought this at a cute little fragrance boutique in Vieux Antibes. But now I've run out. I'm ready for a restock!
Wii Fit. Duh. I have a Wii. All I need is the Fit board and software :)
The HP dv3t series. I've spec-ed one out already for my cousin who works there. It's about $700... a bit pricey for a Christmas present. Maybe Christmas and birthday?! :) Or maybe I'll charge it to my credit card at the end of the year and make a purchase like this all on my own.
Maybe Baby fragrance. Aimee got this for Christmas one year and I love it! It smells like roses. If I get one, you can use a bunch of it Aims, to take back what I've used from yours :)
New running shoes (and also shoes I can wear to outdoor events like soccer and baseball, since heels aren't so good on muddy and gravel surfaces). I really want some Nike Shox, in black :) These are the Navina +4 series.
Diesel Fuel for Life (Her). I bought this when I was in France and trying to blow through all my leftover Euros on hand. I bought this at a cute little fragrance boutique in Vieux Antibes. But now I've run out. I'm ready for a restock!
Wii Fit. Duh. I have a Wii. All I need is the Fit board and software :)
The HP dv3t series. I've spec-ed one out already for my cousin who works there. It's about $700... a bit pricey for a Christmas present. Maybe Christmas and birthday?! :) Or maybe I'll charge it to my credit card at the end of the year and make a purchase like this all on my own.
Maybe Baby fragrance. Aimee got this for Christmas one year and I love it! It smells like roses. If I get one, you can use a bunch of it Aims, to take back what I've used from yours :)
That's about it for my holiday wishlist. Maybe when I'm bored at home all day again, I'll think of some amendments to the list!
Monday, October 19, 2009
Day 2
Yesterday was a bad day. Today is slightly better, but still a struggle.
Our women's soccer team played at UC Davis (about 18 minutes from Sacramento, which is only 40-45 minutes from me) at noon, while J.D.'s men's soccer team would be playing at Sac State at 1 p.m. So my game plan for the day was to forgo the team bus ride up to Davis and drive both J.D. and myself up there. After his game, the two of us were going to go to the mall in Sacramento or Roseville and use my Macy's gift card, make a Target run and then have dinner at Cheesecake Factory afterwards, since his parents gave us the gift card to Cheesecake and Sacramento's the closest one to Stockton.
10:12 a.m. I make a stop at McDonald's for J.D. to grab some breakfast (bleh) and grab a vanilla iced latte and some yogurt myself.
10:30 a.m. During the drive up to Sac State/UC Davis, I took two Excedrin Extra Strength when my TMJ headaches began to bother me. I didn't want that affecting my drive or my ability to pay attention at the soccer game.
11:05 a.m. I begin having panic attacks, accompanied by slight chest pains during the drive, before dropping Mr. Fox off at Sac State around 11:15.
11:42 a.m. I arrive at the UC Davis campus and make my way to the athletic facilities, trying to take deep breaths and calm myself down. We're up 1-0 at halftime and I eat the (soft PB&J) sandwich I made myself earlier in the morning. That's the extent of what my jaw will let me have.
2:13 p.m. I write my game story from my car (it was freezing and sprinkly and all I brought were shorts and a tee-shirt with a jacket). As I finish 20 minutes later I pop two more Excedrin, after my head and jaw continue bothering me, in order to make the drive back to Sac State.
2:58 p.m. I arrive at Sac State and wait in the parking lot for J.D.'s soccer game to finish in five minutes and for him to let me into his office. After waiting for two minutes, I sprint into the basketball/volleyball gym in search of a restroom where I compose myself and hope not to vomit.
3:03 p.m., heading back towards my car, I see J.D. in the hallway and he takes me to his office, where I plop down on a couch and apparently shiver/tremble/hyperventilate for the next 20 minutes, while he worriedly tries to finish up his story. I make two trips back to the restroom to throw up.
3:30 p.m. We go to the student center to try and find me some food, I cannot walk much faster than a crawl, worried about my twisting stomach. Luckily, Round Table Pizza and the student center are open, so I grabbed some bread sticks, goldfish crackers and Sprite. I eat it all slowly, feeling a little better.
4:15 p.m. I ask J.D. to drive my car back home and apologize for ruining our evening plans. After making all 38 minutes of the drive free, I pop my head out of the car and empty the contents of my stomach in the street, less than 10 feet from our complex.
4:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. Without much luck, I try consuming soup or carbonated beverages. I make six or seven trips back to the restroom. Until J.D. gets scared enough to do some research on Excedrin and allergies and overdoses. At 9:30 p.m., he fears I might have overdosed, due to my jittery spasms, panic attacks, heart rate and irritable stomach.
10 p.m. We get to Kaiser's urgent care facility, which is not an emergency room at all, but a specially-open late-night appointment center. I find out that I've consumed way more caffeine than my body could handle over the course of the day, and that I may be allergic to that combination of aspirin and caffeine. She says there isn't really anything for me to do but drink Gatorade or Pedalite to replenish the electrolytes I've lost throughout the day. If I continued vomiting through the night, then I should go to the nearest ER to get an IV or something.
11:15 p.m. after taking very small sips of Gatorade, I have to go one last time. It is at this point that I decide being dehydrated or low on electrolytes is the lesser of two evils. I have absolutely nothing left in my stomach and am throwing up bile at this point. If drinking/eating induces this, then I will not do it anymore until my stomach can handle it. I'll replenish in the morning.
All night long: I toss and turn, sweating, stomach irritated and in a severe twisted knot, praying that I won't have to vomit anymore.
11 a.m. October 19, I finally get out of bed and take a bath, nauseous when standing or walking. I resume drinking Gatorade in small doses.
12:30 p.m. Brave enough to try to eat again, I make the trip downstairs. My body won't hold down the bread I try to eat, nor the orange lemon (caffeine-free) soda I try. I still feel queasy and sick.
12:45 p.m. I sleep for over three hours.
And now here I am, back with jaw pain, but restricted from any pain medication whatsoever for the next 24 hours. My jaw has me limited to eating soft, liquid foods, but my stomach will only allow for bland tasteless foods.
I'm just hoping this has run its course and I'm now at the end.
Our women's soccer team played at UC Davis (about 18 minutes from Sacramento, which is only 40-45 minutes from me) at noon, while J.D.'s men's soccer team would be playing at Sac State at 1 p.m. So my game plan for the day was to forgo the team bus ride up to Davis and drive both J.D. and myself up there. After his game, the two of us were going to go to the mall in Sacramento or Roseville and use my Macy's gift card, make a Target run and then have dinner at Cheesecake Factory afterwards, since his parents gave us the gift card to Cheesecake and Sacramento's the closest one to Stockton.
10:12 a.m. I make a stop at McDonald's for J.D. to grab some breakfast (bleh) and grab a vanilla iced latte and some yogurt myself.
10:30 a.m. During the drive up to Sac State/UC Davis, I took two Excedrin Extra Strength when my TMJ headaches began to bother me. I didn't want that affecting my drive or my ability to pay attention at the soccer game.
11:05 a.m. I begin having panic attacks, accompanied by slight chest pains during the drive, before dropping Mr. Fox off at Sac State around 11:15.
11:42 a.m. I arrive at the UC Davis campus and make my way to the athletic facilities, trying to take deep breaths and calm myself down. We're up 1-0 at halftime and I eat the (soft PB&J) sandwich I made myself earlier in the morning. That's the extent of what my jaw will let me have.
2:13 p.m. I write my game story from my car (it was freezing and sprinkly and all I brought were shorts and a tee-shirt with a jacket). As I finish 20 minutes later I pop two more Excedrin, after my head and jaw continue bothering me, in order to make the drive back to Sac State.
2:58 p.m. I arrive at Sac State and wait in the parking lot for J.D.'s soccer game to finish in five minutes and for him to let me into his office. After waiting for two minutes, I sprint into the basketball/volleyball gym in search of a restroom where I compose myself and hope not to vomit.
3:03 p.m., heading back towards my car, I see J.D. in the hallway and he takes me to his office, where I plop down on a couch and apparently shiver/tremble/hyperventilate for the next 20 minutes, while he worriedly tries to finish up his story. I make two trips back to the restroom to throw up.
3:30 p.m. We go to the student center to try and find me some food, I cannot walk much faster than a crawl, worried about my twisting stomach. Luckily, Round Table Pizza and the student center are open, so I grabbed some bread sticks, goldfish crackers and Sprite. I eat it all slowly, feeling a little better.
4:15 p.m. I ask J.D. to drive my car back home and apologize for ruining our evening plans. After making all 38 minutes of the drive free, I pop my head out of the car and empty the contents of my stomach in the street, less than 10 feet from our complex.
4:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. Without much luck, I try consuming soup or carbonated beverages. I make six or seven trips back to the restroom. Until J.D. gets scared enough to do some research on Excedrin and allergies and overdoses. At 9:30 p.m., he fears I might have overdosed, due to my jittery spasms, panic attacks, heart rate and irritable stomach.
10 p.m. We get to Kaiser's urgent care facility, which is not an emergency room at all, but a specially-open late-night appointment center. I find out that I've consumed way more caffeine than my body could handle over the course of the day, and that I may be allergic to that combination of aspirin and caffeine. She says there isn't really anything for me to do but drink Gatorade or Pedalite to replenish the electrolytes I've lost throughout the day. If I continued vomiting through the night, then I should go to the nearest ER to get an IV or something.
11:15 p.m. after taking very small sips of Gatorade, I have to go one last time. It is at this point that I decide being dehydrated or low on electrolytes is the lesser of two evils. I have absolutely nothing left in my stomach and am throwing up bile at this point. If drinking/eating induces this, then I will not do it anymore until my stomach can handle it. I'll replenish in the morning.
All night long: I toss and turn, sweating, stomach irritated and in a severe twisted knot, praying that I won't have to vomit anymore.
11 a.m. October 19, I finally get out of bed and take a bath, nauseous when standing or walking. I resume drinking Gatorade in small doses.
12:30 p.m. Brave enough to try to eat again, I make the trip downstairs. My body won't hold down the bread I try to eat, nor the orange lemon (caffeine-free) soda I try. I still feel queasy and sick.
12:45 p.m. I sleep for over three hours.
And now here I am, back with jaw pain, but restricted from any pain medication whatsoever for the next 24 hours. My jaw has me limited to eating soft, liquid foods, but my stomach will only allow for bland tasteless foods.
I'm just hoping this has run its course and I'm now at the end.
Friday, October 16, 2009
The Never-Ending Saga
So my TMJ trials continue. Currently, my physical therapist doctor has limited my jaw's range of motion by restricting me to "soft foods" and liquids only.
In the diagram below, you can see exactly what the jaw muscles are. My TMJ joint is off track. Thus causing the jaw bones to rub against each other and crunch and pop out of place. Apparently, this is something that's never going to correct itself or go away; essentially I have to live with this my entire life. (Unless they refer me out to surgery, which I'm hoping they do at some point because this is getting unbearable).
So with all that going on, my Temporalis Muscle is working way overtime to try and make up for that. The muscls are pulling away from my TMJ joint and causing a severe amount of pain/strain right where the muscle meets the joint. My remedy for this has been to massage and exercise the muscle right where it meets the joint. However, the instant I barely touched the muscle, shooting pains went through my entire head.
I can't do it.... it's way too painful. So I'm trying in small doses. And hoping it gets better. But with the Temporalis Muscle working overtime, the lower, Masseter Muscle is working hard to pull in the other direction to correct my jaw strain.
All this just leads to a big old mess of lower jaw pain, excruciating pain located where my TMJ joint is, and gnarly pressure headaches at my temples, where the Temporalis Muscle meets the TMJ joint. Imagine everything you use your mouth for.... it's something I'm always constantly aware of, I can't just shut it out. And the headaches are getting so intense, that I can't focus one entire day. By the late afternoon, I can't do anything at all because the headaches just make my want to lie in bed and not move. When I get home from work, I plop down on the couch and can't do anything at all.
This is my life, with advanced TMJ.
Awesome. I can't open my mouth more than two fingers high (how high they are stacked up on top of each other, not lengthwise). So I'm stuck to eating oatmeal, soups, Jamba Juice, PB&J sandwiches, flaky fish, rice and meals made in the slow cooker...
Does anyone I know specialize in oral surgery who might be able to help me?! :)
In the diagram below, you can see exactly what the jaw muscles are. My TMJ joint is off track. Thus causing the jaw bones to rub against each other and crunch and pop out of place. Apparently, this is something that's never going to correct itself or go away; essentially I have to live with this my entire life. (Unless they refer me out to surgery, which I'm hoping they do at some point because this is getting unbearable).
So with all that going on, my Temporalis Muscle is working way overtime to try and make up for that. The muscls are pulling away from my TMJ joint and causing a severe amount of pain/strain right where the muscle meets the joint. My remedy for this has been to massage and exercise the muscle right where it meets the joint. However, the instant I barely touched the muscle, shooting pains went through my entire head.I can't do it.... it's way too painful. So I'm trying in small doses. And hoping it gets better. But with the Temporalis Muscle working overtime, the lower, Masseter Muscle is working hard to pull in the other direction to correct my jaw strain.
All this just leads to a big old mess of lower jaw pain, excruciating pain located where my TMJ joint is, and gnarly pressure headaches at my temples, where the Temporalis Muscle meets the TMJ joint. Imagine everything you use your mouth for.... it's something I'm always constantly aware of, I can't just shut it out. And the headaches are getting so intense, that I can't focus one entire day. By the late afternoon, I can't do anything at all because the headaches just make my want to lie in bed and not move. When I get home from work, I plop down on the couch and can't do anything at all.
This is my life, with advanced TMJ.
Awesome. I can't open my mouth more than two fingers high (how high they are stacked up on top of each other, not lengthwise). So I'm stuck to eating oatmeal, soups, Jamba Juice, PB&J sandwiches, flaky fish, rice and meals made in the slow cooker...
Does anyone I know specialize in oral surgery who might be able to help me?! :)
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
2009 Basketball NorCal Media Day
We hosted the inaugural 2009 Big West Baseball NorCal Media Day at The Old Spaghetti Factory in Sacramento yesterday. My boss and I made the 45-minute drive North and helped set up, then partook in the event from 2-3:30 p.m. and headed back to Stockton for the final 25 minutes of the work day.
In attendance at our media day were UC Davis, Sacramento State and my employer, Pacific. Each school's head women's and men's basketball coaches had about a five minute talk to the media (including TV!) and the student-athletes were there for one-on-one questions with the media. I was just there to help moderate and facilitate interviews with my players and the media. Our beat writer put up his story on the event here.
I was at my photographing ways again, so here are some more pictures as I continue to try and supplement my sports writing with my own photos ha.
In attendance at our media day were UC Davis, Sacramento State and my employer, Pacific. Each school's head women's and men's basketball coaches had about a five minute talk to the media (including TV!) and the student-athletes were there for one-on-one questions with the media. I was just there to help moderate and facilitate interviews with my players and the media. Our beat writer put up his story on the event here.
I was at my photographing ways again, so here are some more pictures as I continue to try and supplement my sports writing with my own photos ha.
New jerseys for our "Stockton Showcase" game downtown against Cal in December.
Old Spaghetti Factory
UC Davis women's head coach Sandy Simpson
Simpson
UC Davis men's head coach Gary Stewart
Stewart
Sacramento State women's head coach Jamie Craighead
Craighead
Sacramento State table
Sacramento State men's head coach, Brian Katz
Pacific men's head coach Bob Thomason
Coach T and our new Stockton jerseys
Pacific women's head coach Lynne Roberts (this is the team I will be traveling with in the winter)
Coach Roberts
Davis and Pacific tables
Setting up for the event at 12:30 p.m. yesterdayFriday, October 9, 2009
I realllllllly want to be a Mommy :(
Like right now. I'm tired of waiting!!!!
Whoa, whoa, chill out. Before you jump to any conclusions.... I'm talking about adopting a puppy.
But, again. Space is limited in our house and dating a boy who's never had pets before does not easily lend to immediately getting a puppy. I have the money and space for a small indoor dog. So I feel like I've been waiting long enough. I've wanted one ever since I finished college in 2007. But it is a big responsibility, and I didn't really think I could have handled it until I got a place of my own this May. So for the past five months I've been yearning for a puppy of my own.
And it's getting so hard. I feel like no matter where I look, everyone has a dog!! I'm so pathetic, I sometimes strategically make sure my evening walks are past the dog park near my house, and smile at other peoples' puppies and try to imagine myself in there with one too.
It's kind of like that feeling when you know you're hopelessly single and it seems like everyone around you is in a happy relationship. Well, I'm hopelessly puppy-less and everyone's getting a new dog!!
See examples from the past four weeks:
My friend Brian's new dog, Buster
I think this is the most jealous I've ever been in my life! It's also killing me to turn away THREE of my friends who in the past month have known people looking for homes for puppies a friend of a friend had.
Maybe when I move and get a job with free nights and weekends and a house with a yard. Sigh....
Whoa, whoa, chill out. Before you jump to any conclusions.... I'm talking about adopting a puppy.
But, again. Space is limited in our house and dating a boy who's never had pets before does not easily lend to immediately getting a puppy. I have the money and space for a small indoor dog. So I feel like I've been waiting long enough. I've wanted one ever since I finished college in 2007. But it is a big responsibility, and I didn't really think I could have handled it until I got a place of my own this May. So for the past five months I've been yearning for a puppy of my own.
And it's getting so hard. I feel like no matter where I look, everyone has a dog!! I'm so pathetic, I sometimes strategically make sure my evening walks are past the dog park near my house, and smile at other peoples' puppies and try to imagine myself in there with one too.
It's kind of like that feeling when you know you're hopelessly single and it seems like everyone around you is in a happy relationship. Well, I'm hopelessly puppy-less and everyone's getting a new dog!!
See examples from the past four weeks:
My parents' new dog, Lilly
My college roommate's new dog, Pip
My friend Brian's new dog, Buster
I think this is the most jealous I've ever been in my life! It's also killing me to turn away THREE of my friends who in the past month have known people looking for homes for puppies a friend of a friend had.
Maybe when I move and get a job with free nights and weekends and a house with a yard. Sigh....
Thursday, October 8, 2009
My Photogrophorial Debut
Not even sure if that's a word.
But here are some of the pictures I took during the Baseball Alumni game at our field last weekend and it was super fun!! If only we had a decent lens with better zoom...
But here are some of the pictures I took during the Baseball Alumni game at our field last weekend and it was super fun!! If only we had a decent lens with better zoom...
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Has it really been 9 months?
Time flies when you're having fun busily working.
After the Pacific baseball alumni game yesterday afternoon, J.D. and I finally had a chance to celebrate our nine months! Yeah, it sounds weird, but we try to do something fun and cute/romantic on the third day of every month. It's so fun!
Well he's lived here a while now, and I've always wanted to go wine tasting in Lodi (think Napa Valley but more rural/agricultural).
Ultimately we wound up going to the tasting room at Michael David Winery, of 7 Deadly Zins and 7 Heavenly Chards fame. It was so fun, we were given as many tastes as we wanted free of charge! They also have a cute cafe/restaurant, family farm where they sell home-bottled jams, vinegars, oils and fresh locally-grown produce. Not to mention the AWESOME pumpkin cake and orange zucchini bread they had to sample. Long story short, we decided to buy their Symphony blend white which is a sweet mix of grapes that lends itself to a sweet, fruity wine with hints of apricot/nectarine. It was so tasty!
After we finished tasting there, we had about an hour to kill until dinner time. So we strolled the streets of Downtown Lodi and perused little mom-and-pop shops. Then we found a tasting room we'd eyed every time we came into Lodi for dinner, called the Cellar Door. There we each got six tastes apiece for $5 each. It was a nice way to unwind and relax before making our way off to grab some dinner.
Again, another place I've been eyeing in Lodi is the Rosewood Bar and Grill, mainly because of its cute black and white diamond tiled flooring.
There I enjoyed a Cherry Drop Martini, which is probably the best thing I've ever tasted as far as cocktails go! For dinner I ordered the macadamia nut-encrusted halibut with a side of parsley-butter marinated asparagus and coconut mashed sweet potatoes. For dessert, we topped off the night with a Strawberry Napoleon: three layers of puff pastry filled with Grand Mariner-infused whipped cream, Nutella and strawberries.
To die for!
Afterward, we met up with a small group of friends and went bowling in Stockton. I got a 125 and 107.... haha bowling in a dress is kind of difficult.
I had such a fabulous night. And now I'm in the middle of enjoying a lazy Sunday complete with house cleaning! If you want to see the pictures from our evening out, check them out on this Facebook link!
After the Pacific baseball alumni game yesterday afternoon, J.D. and I finally had a chance to celebrate our nine months! Yeah, it sounds weird, but we try to do something fun and cute/romantic on the third day of every month. It's so fun!
Well he's lived here a while now, and I've always wanted to go wine tasting in Lodi (think Napa Valley but more rural/agricultural).
Ultimately we wound up going to the tasting room at Michael David Winery, of 7 Deadly Zins and 7 Heavenly Chards fame. It was so fun, we were given as many tastes as we wanted free of charge! They also have a cute cafe/restaurant, family farm where they sell home-bottled jams, vinegars, oils and fresh locally-grown produce. Not to mention the AWESOME pumpkin cake and orange zucchini bread they had to sample. Long story short, we decided to buy their Symphony blend white which is a sweet mix of grapes that lends itself to a sweet, fruity wine with hints of apricot/nectarine. It was so tasty!
After we finished tasting there, we had about an hour to kill until dinner time. So we strolled the streets of Downtown Lodi and perused little mom-and-pop shops. Then we found a tasting room we'd eyed every time we came into Lodi for dinner, called the Cellar Door. There we each got six tastes apiece for $5 each. It was a nice way to unwind and relax before making our way off to grab some dinner.
Again, another place I've been eyeing in Lodi is the Rosewood Bar and Grill, mainly because of its cute black and white diamond tiled flooring.
There I enjoyed a Cherry Drop Martini, which is probably the best thing I've ever tasted as far as cocktails go! For dinner I ordered the macadamia nut-encrusted halibut with a side of parsley-butter marinated asparagus and coconut mashed sweet potatoes. For dessert, we topped off the night with a Strawberry Napoleon: three layers of puff pastry filled with Grand Mariner-infused whipped cream, Nutella and strawberries.
To die for!
Afterward, we met up with a small group of friends and went bowling in Stockton. I got a 125 and 107.... haha bowling in a dress is kind of difficult.
I had such a fabulous night. And now I'm in the middle of enjoying a lazy Sunday complete with house cleaning! If you want to see the pictures from our evening out, check them out on this Facebook link!
Friday, October 2, 2009
Why does this always happen to me?
As I said earlier, we had our road trip to kick off Big West Conference play this week. Our Pacific Tigers took on Long Beach State for the conference-opener, and we actually won! (Yes, I wrote that story... that's what they pay me for) We haven't beaten the 49ers since 2003, but they finally did it. And that part pretty much makes the rest of what I'm about to say almost irrelevant. So here's my 36-hour trip to Long Beach:
Wednesday afternoon: We're set to leave for noon. Or so I though. The timeline said noon, and it also said "get lunch at 12:30," so I assumed that meant leave as a team and get lunch.
Oops, I was wrong. As soon as I packed my stuff on the bus, I realized that everyone else was scrambling to get food at 12. So no worries, I'll just go to my car, drive to Subway and grab a sandwich. It wasn't until I went back past my office that I forgot I didn't drive that morning. J.D. drove me to work so my car didn't have to sit in the lot for two days. With only 15 minutes left until departure, I told my boss about the mistake and luckily he had peanut butter and bread, so I made myself a nice little sandwich.
Which was not long enough to hold me over until dinner. We were set to check-in the hotel at 8 p.m., so I was thinking we wouldn't eat until after that. But luckily we stopped at the Macaroni Grill after passing through the Grapevine and I was able to eat at 5:30 p.m. But I was feeling very uneasy from 12:30-5:30, since I only had a banana for breakfast.
Wednesday night: Upon arrival to the Holiday Inn in Long Beach, the night staff has no idea where our room keys are. We had about 15 rooms and 25 people waiting in the lobby at 9 p.m. for their room assignments. So they swipe and re-key 25 new keys and hand them out to us. Once we checked in at 9:30 p.m., I realized I had a room all to myself! This was going to be awesome, since I didn't think I'd ever get a room to myself with a soccer trip. I always did with baseball since I'm the only female they travel with, but there are several roommate options on the soccer team. But I got lucky!
Or I thought I did....
When I opened my door, I put all my stuff on the floor and went to go wash my face in the powder room area. Then I realized I heard water running in the bathroom, so I went to check it out. And my toilet was overflowing from the top part where the flusher mechanism is. The water was seeping out quickly, flooding the entire bathroom floor and into the powder room area/hallway. So I try to call the front desk desperately hoping for someone to pick up. They never did, so I frantically grabbed all my belongings and went downstairs to the first floor. They gave me a new room without any problems. I went to get ready to meet a friend from the area for my "second dinner" since I only had pasta, chicken, a small PB sandwich and banana to eat all day. As I make my way down into the lobby about 30 minutes after switching rooms, I noticed that there was a large flooded area down on the first floor, with caution cones.
The problem wasn't actually a leak, but that FLOODED TOILET dripping down from the third floor and into the lobby. I looked up and noticed that the lobby ceiling tiles had crumbled onto the floor and water was leaking from them. So that means that room had leaked down into the second floor - someone else's room - and into the lobby. Only in Long Beach....
Thursday afternoon: Our women's soccer team beat Long Beach 1-0. In high 80ยบ weather, despite reports claiming it was going to be mid- to low-70s. I had originally packed pants, but realized after we grabbed lunch it was going to be too hot for pants. So I took out my khaki shorts that I thought I had washed a few days before. But I was wrong, they were still dirty from my last home soccer game, when I somehow got rust all over the bottom of them by rigging up the electricity lines to our extension cable for internet and power. So I hand washed the shorts in the bathroom sink. And had to sit in damp shorts during the bus ride, since the hairdryer wasn't powerful enough to dry them completely. But luckily it was hot enough that they dried out in the first 10 minutes I got to the field. And then with 30 minutes left on the pre-game countdown, I was sweating profusely. And continued to do so throughout the remainder of the game.
Thursday night: After the huge victory, the team decided to celebrate by dining in Long Beach near the campus so all the girls' parents could stay and catch up. We also got a little bit of extra spending money for dessert too! About halfway through our dessert (and the three-hour dinner) my friend Lisa called me to say that she heard there was a massive oil spill on the Grapevine that closed most of I-5 down. Once they had started cleaning up the mess, the closure had blocked traffic from two hours south down the road. One of our players' parents drove back up immediately after the game and said he'd been sitting in traffic for nearly three hours - the same amount of time we'd been eating dinner.
So it actually turned out to be even better that we won and took our time with dinner, otherwise we'd be stuck! When dinner finally finished around 8 p.m., we took an alternate route... 405N to figure out which would be the best way - go three hours out of the way and take 101 N through Santa Barbara/San Luis Obispo and then try to reconnect with 5, or just take 405N to 5N and pray that it'll be open?
Our bus driver kept radioing people and heard that the Grapevine was back up and running, so we decided to take 405N to 5N. It was fine on the 405, but once we got to the Grapevine we encountered a bit of traffic. And at that point I think I realized I had drank too much water.
Early Friday Morning: So I tried to fall asleep on the bus, but couldn't beacuase it was too uncomfortable and I didn't have a pillow. I kept tossing and turning and by 2:30 a.m., woke up to realize we were getting off at the school's exit. So I called J.D., waited for him to come pick me up, went home, brushed my teeth and passed out after 3 a.m.
My boss told me not to worry, get some sleep, and come in at noon on Friday for work in the office.
Friday afternoon: Instead, I slept through my alarm and woke up at 11:45 a.m. on Friday. I showered faster than I ever have before, got ready and make it to work by 12:15 p.m. And now I'm exhausted. Can't wait to go home and pass out.
Anticipated Friday Night Plans: Make pizza with J.D. and then maybe go out! Because....
THIS IS MY FIRST FREE WEEKEND!!!!! Hopefully we'll go wine-tasting tomorrow and do some house-cleaning on Sunday.
Have a good weekend everyone.
Wednesday afternoon: We're set to leave for noon. Or so I though. The timeline said noon, and it also said "get lunch at 12:30," so I assumed that meant leave as a team and get lunch.Oops, I was wrong. As soon as I packed my stuff on the bus, I realized that everyone else was scrambling to get food at 12. So no worries, I'll just go to my car, drive to Subway and grab a sandwich. It wasn't until I went back past my office that I forgot I didn't drive that morning. J.D. drove me to work so my car didn't have to sit in the lot for two days. With only 15 minutes left until departure, I told my boss about the mistake and luckily he had peanut butter and bread, so I made myself a nice little sandwich.
Which was not long enough to hold me over until dinner. We were set to check-in the hotel at 8 p.m., so I was thinking we wouldn't eat until after that. But luckily we stopped at the Macaroni Grill after passing through the Grapevine and I was able to eat at 5:30 p.m. But I was feeling very uneasy from 12:30-5:30, since I only had a banana for breakfast.
Wednesday night: Upon arrival to the Holiday Inn in Long Beach, the night staff has no idea where our room keys are. We had about 15 rooms and 25 people waiting in the lobby at 9 p.m. for their room assignments. So they swipe and re-key 25 new keys and hand them out to us. Once we checked in at 9:30 p.m., I realized I had a room all to myself! This was going to be awesome, since I didn't think I'd ever get a room to myself with a soccer trip. I always did with baseball since I'm the only female they travel with, but there are several roommate options on the soccer team. But I got lucky!
Or I thought I did....
When I opened my door, I put all my stuff on the floor and went to go wash my face in the powder room area. Then I realized I heard water running in the bathroom, so I went to check it out. And my toilet was overflowing from the top part where the flusher mechanism is. The water was seeping out quickly, flooding the entire bathroom floor and into the powder room area/hallway. So I try to call the front desk desperately hoping for someone to pick up. They never did, so I frantically grabbed all my belongings and went downstairs to the first floor. They gave me a new room without any problems. I went to get ready to meet a friend from the area for my "second dinner" since I only had pasta, chicken, a small PB sandwich and banana to eat all day. As I make my way down into the lobby about 30 minutes after switching rooms, I noticed that there was a large flooded area down on the first floor, with caution cones.
The problem wasn't actually a leak, but that FLOODED TOILET dripping down from the third floor and into the lobby. I looked up and noticed that the lobby ceiling tiles had crumbled onto the floor and water was leaking from them. So that means that room had leaked down into the second floor - someone else's room - and into the lobby. Only in Long Beach....
Thursday afternoon: Our women's soccer team beat Long Beach 1-0. In high 80ยบ weather, despite reports claiming it was going to be mid- to low-70s. I had originally packed pants, but realized after we grabbed lunch it was going to be too hot for pants. So I took out my khaki shorts that I thought I had washed a few days before. But I was wrong, they were still dirty from my last home soccer game, when I somehow got rust all over the bottom of them by rigging up the electricity lines to our extension cable for internet and power. So I hand washed the shorts in the bathroom sink. And had to sit in damp shorts during the bus ride, since the hairdryer wasn't powerful enough to dry them completely. But luckily it was hot enough that they dried out in the first 10 minutes I got to the field. And then with 30 minutes left on the pre-game countdown, I was sweating profusely. And continued to do so throughout the remainder of the game.
Thursday night: After the huge victory, the team decided to celebrate by dining in Long Beach near the campus so all the girls' parents could stay and catch up. We also got a little bit of extra spending money for dessert too! About halfway through our dessert (and the three-hour dinner) my friend Lisa called me to say that she heard there was a massive oil spill on the Grapevine that closed most of I-5 down. Once they had started cleaning up the mess, the closure had blocked traffic from two hours south down the road. One of our players' parents drove back up immediately after the game and said he'd been sitting in traffic for nearly three hours - the same amount of time we'd been eating dinner.
So it actually turned out to be even better that we won and took our time with dinner, otherwise we'd be stuck! When dinner finally finished around 8 p.m., we took an alternate route... 405N to figure out which would be the best way - go three hours out of the way and take 101 N through Santa Barbara/San Luis Obispo and then try to reconnect with 5, or just take 405N to 5N and pray that it'll be open?
Our bus driver kept radioing people and heard that the Grapevine was back up and running, so we decided to take 405N to 5N. It was fine on the 405, but once we got to the Grapevine we encountered a bit of traffic. And at that point I think I realized I had drank too much water.
Early Friday Morning: So I tried to fall asleep on the bus, but couldn't beacuase it was too uncomfortable and I didn't have a pillow. I kept tossing and turning and by 2:30 a.m., woke up to realize we were getting off at the school's exit. So I called J.D., waited for him to come pick me up, went home, brushed my teeth and passed out after 3 a.m.
My boss told me not to worry, get some sleep, and come in at noon on Friday for work in the office.
Friday afternoon: Instead, I slept through my alarm and woke up at 11:45 a.m. on Friday. I showered faster than I ever have before, got ready and make it to work by 12:15 p.m. And now I'm exhausted. Can't wait to go home and pass out.
Anticipated Friday Night Plans: Make pizza with J.D. and then maybe go out! Because....
THIS IS MY FIRST FREE WEEKEND!!!!! Hopefully we'll go wine-tasting tomorrow and do some house-cleaning on Sunday.
Have a good weekend everyone.
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