HOLIDAY HIGHLIGHTS

Merry Christmas! It was a fun day filled with family and food. However, all of the fun started on Friday night. That's when Charlotte "Chubby Wubby" Stewart came in to town. Let me begin by saying she is the CUTEST baby EVER. Not only is she cute looking, she also has a sunny disposition, so she is so much fun to have around. She even tries to have a conversation with you. Anyhow, Friday night I went to visit her at her grandma and grandpa's and she totally entertained. She smiled, she drooled, she "talked" to me.

Saturday night, she came over with her mommy and daddy. While her mommy played with my wii and her daddy played with my blackberry, she kept me company and we had a great time. She showed me her rolling skills, laughed at my jokes... what else could you ask for in a house guest?

Sunday I went down to San Diego and saw Laryna and her family. I think the kids were extra excited to see me since they weren't going up to LA this year for Christmas. They were assured at least one gift by my showing up. Little Kaleo is still a sweet little sleeping baby. I think he does his best given the noise level with the other kids present.

On Christmas Eve, we had our traditional Christmas Eve dinner... lots of food and four bottles of wine. They had me get my wii so various relatives took turns. It was so cute to see the grandma's playing. I got to beat up my cousin in boxing which was fun since it was a pretty close match.

Today at lunch we went to the Christmas gathering for my dad's extended family... Lots of kids and two babies born within weeks of Charlotte. They took a group picture even. Afterwards, we went down to Laguna for dinner. Linley was hilarious. As soon as I walked in, she was yelling my name and telling me how Santa came in and ate her milk and cookies. So adorable! She also looked very cute in her new dress and braids. I was waiting for her to yodle me something. =P

FATTY

That's me. All I did was eat this weekend. Let me give you the skinny on the restaurants:

Friday night - Talia's - Manhattan Beach: we didn't have any entrees here - just four appetizers, two salads and a dessert. The dessert, the chocolate espresso souffle rocks. The salads were pretty good (beet salad and a pear walnut). The appetizers: black and white ravioli, crab cakes, calamari, and the tiger prawns. I liked all but the calamari. They were all long and overly breaded and the wasabi aiolli was too overpowering. It actually went up my nose and made me sneeze. I like it when it's light, not too greasy, not to much breading. Anyhow, if anything, go, sit at the bar and have dessert. Or have an entree and tell me how it is. I've eaten at their sister restaurant Mangiamo (shrimp fra diavolo) and their food is pretty good, so I'm assuming it won't be too much different.

Saturday night - Mi Piace - Pasadena: Calamari appetizer, Osso buco entree. Vuong had the chilean sea bass and Annie had the parpadelle (sp?). My osso buco was so good, as was the mushroom risotto it came with. (I think I had the best dish). Annie's pasta was good too. Lots of flavor. Vuong went with the chilean sea bass, probably because it had the least calories in her mind, and it did.. especially after it made her barf and have diarrhea at 3 a.m. Although, we all had a piece of it and we were fine, but I guess she had the most, so that's why she was the only one that got sick. After dinner, we tried a bar across the street, but it was too smokey for me.

Sunday night - Clay Oven - Irvine: had the chicken tikka masala, the egg plant, naan, yogurt, veggie samosas and the kulfi. All of it was excellent and the chicken was excellent again when I had it for lunch. And that kulfi... light yet tasty. Almost guilt-free dessert, if you ask me.

BRRRRRR

Winter is here! Man, it is coooold. I wake up early in the morning, thinking I might get up and work out, but it is so cold, I just can't do it. I need to stay warm and comfy, engulfed in my flannel everything. I know, really, our weather isn't all that bad. I was in New York last week and THAT was cold.

Monday after work, Art and Mira took me out to dinner at an Italian restaurant, Inoteca on Ludlow and Rivington. Then we walked over to a nearby bar for some drinks. They actually had happy hour til 10! I'm all about heating from the inside out.

On Tuesday, it was even colder. Throw in that wind chill and I'm walking around in 18 degrees. Co-workers and I had dinner at Shanghai Joe's in Chinatown and totally pigged out on the dumplings. OMG, I thought I was gonna have to walk around with my jeans unbuttoned. After dinner, we actually walked around a bit and checked out the shop windows. It was funny because it was the first day of Chanukkah and there were these Mitzvah Tanks driving around town. Essentially big RVs with Jewish people inside announcing stuff on a loud speaker or bullhorn and offering to take people uptown. =P

On Wednesday, I could have sworn that our cab driver was falling asleep as he drove. He would occasionally be in between lanes or driving slow for no reason. At one point I thought he might hit the center divider. Luckily, we made it to the hotel safely. After we dropped our stuff off, and I changed into jeans (you don't want to walk around NYC in a dress in this weather), we walked two blocks to Little Italy and had dinner at Il Palazzo. The food was great. So great I couldn't eat my entree, which was one of the specials (sesame encrusted chilean seabass with lobster ravioli). Yep, I filled up on the calamari and lobster bisque so that I could only take a couple of bites. What a shame. I was so stuffed and only blocks from Ferrara's bakery. What a bummer.

We got home early Friday morning to rain. Booo. Here I was looking forward to 78 degree weather we'd been having all week, only to come home to rain and cold. Still, it's better than the crazy cold snap they're having in the midwest and east.

On Saturday, we went to Justin's 1st birthday party. He is such a cutie! And Susan's really lucky, since she had come down to LA early and missed the hurricane force winds they had up in Portland. After the party, it was pretty much all errands, and nothing too exciting. Another week closer to 08!