Today I Ate...

I just started (like literally today) writing down all that I eat. I've tried doing this in the past and have failed miserably, but there is so much research saying this is a good practice to keep your eating in check so I thought I should give it a whirl again. I have friends who have whole blogs on what they eat, so it should be totally easy for me to do this on my own, right? I'm not going to jot down for you what I ate today because a) I'm not even comfortable yet with writing it down for myself and b) seriously, my eating habits are not that exciting. It is amazing though how even now, at just 2 pm, I totally forgot about some of the stuff I ate-like trail mix in the office pantry! I did leave out the M&Ms though so that's something. I leave on a business trip tomorrow so it will be interesting to see if I can even keep this up for a few days.

What about you? Do you write down what you eat and if so, does it help?

That's how I started my Friday?!?

Yesterday I stopped for gas at 7 a.m. on my way to work. This guy pulls up on the other side of the pump and he keeps rolling his car back and forth and is staring me down. I wondered if it was because I had left my car door open but there was plenty of room to go around. I look back and he's still staring. He finally said something but his car was on and I couldn't really hear him. I said, "What?" And he replied, "I just said I think you're pretty." I said "thanks" in my normal, "I'm really uncomfortable" deadpan and he goes, " You wanna have sex or something?" Okay, it is too early to deal with this kind of stuff. I was so tired I just said, "No" and turned back to pumping my gas. He then drove off, but not before saying, "Too bad, I had an hour slot free."

I can't believe someone actually said this to me. Totally creepy, yet he was so calm about it my friends and I have decided he's done this before and it actually worked. Yuck. This is one of those "only in L.A." type things that make me sad.

Bacon Wrapped Dates

My cousin made bacon wrapped dates as an appetizer on Christmas Eve this year. While I've had them before, this time they really struck a chord with me. The last few weeks I've actually been making them for dinner or putting just 2 in the broiler and having a decadent little snack. When you're no longer allowed carbs or sugar it's amazing what becomes okay to eat! You can find the recipe for these wonderful, salty/sweet treats on my cousin Cheri's blog Adventures in the Kitchen.

(Photo is courtesy of Cheri's blog!)

Thai Massage

One of my favorite ways to splurge is by getting a Thai massage. I got one for the first time last July and I loved it! I'm not big on Swedish massage. Actually, after the last Swedish massage I had my muscles tensed up so badly I thought I had the flu. Thai massage is different. They kind of press on you in different areas, and crack your back, and stretch your arms and legs all over the place. Oh, and they walk on you. Well at least, they might. I so far haven't had anyone walk on me, but a few of my friends have. They said it was kind of weird at first, but the after effects were worth it! Plus, the beauty of Thai massage is that it's cheap. Unlike a massage at a spa that costs $100, Thai places seem to cost between $40-60. Even though that's still a splurge, it's better than $100+! There are Thai massage places all over L.A., but the one I recommend is Thai Sabai. I've only been to there Sunset location; the Westwood one I know nothing about! So, go indulge this week and relax with a nice Thai woman walking on your back!



Thai Sabai- http://www.thaisabai.com/

Frazzled

Do you ever feel like life is spinning a little out of control? I do and I realize that most of the time I have no one to blame but myself. I let things get away from me. I'm a master to-do list maker, but a to-do list finisher? Not so much. Lately I've let things like television and playing dumb games on Facebook get in the way of more productive activities, or even other fun ones like writing you all here!
When I am responsible and actually do what I was supposed to I feel so much better. This weekend I finally picked up my apartment. I even vaccuumed which I absolutely hate doing. Once it was done though I was so much more relaxed and I could actually enjoy reading a magazine or watching a movie instead of feeling guilty about not doing what needed to be done. I guess it's really all about getting your priorities straight. This is something I definitely need to get a handle on now because in the coming months I have a lot going on and am realizing I will need to use my time wisely.
So my questions to you are, how do you waste time and what have you done to be better with how you use your time?

Umami Burger

So apparently when I say "tomorrow" I mean a week later! But, here is my review. Umami Burger is the hip, relatively new burger trend in L.A. They have 3 restaurants and a food truck that hangs out in the Santa Monica area. Basically, "umami" is the fifth taste after sweet, sour, salty, bitter. At least, it is according to the Japanese. Personally, I did not eat my burger and go, "Oh wow! Totally umami!" but it was good.

My friend and I went to the central location in Hollywood a week ago on a Sunday night. It's tucked into that center on Cahuenga that has the Urban Outfitters in it. We walked in and the girl said sit anywhere and the only table left was the huge cafeteria style table for 8, but still, she said sit anywhere so that's where we sat. Well, 10 min. passed and no one gave us menus. After a while a waiter came over and asked if we were alone and we said yes, but this was the only table available. Well, right then Mark Ruffalo (yes, that Mark Ruffalo) left his smaller table so we said we'd move there once it was cleared. It took them another 5 minutes to clear that table. Still had no menus by the way. The waiter just stared at us. Finally I asked the girl who we first talked to if we could have menus and she handed some to me and said, "Sorry, apparently I'm the only one working tonight." She was right. As the night went on she really was the only one doing anything. But she did soften to us and was really nice about explaining all the choices.
I ended up going with the Truffle Burger, protein style. Mary chose the Diablo Burger and Onion Rings. The onion rings come tempura fried and are delicious with the aioli they pair it with! They were a bit greasy for me, but still worth a try. My truffle burger was a sirloin burger with truffle cheese and truffle sauce. Oh My Gosh! I love truffle! It was amazing. I've actually dreamed of it since! I had a bite of Mary's burger and it lived up to it's spicy name. That sucker was HOT! Too hot for me actually. We also tried the two Cake Monkey Ding-Dongs they had that day-red velvet and peanut butter and chocolate-and while I'm glad we tried it, I probably wouldn't order either again. I'd rather get one of the ice cream sandwiches they have delivered from Milk.

Also, it's worth mentioning that they have these "meals" which depending on the combo are a burger, fries or onion rings, and beer or wine. And they were all well priced for what you got. All-in-all, while I didn't have a new taste experience, it was a good burger in a chill atmosphere and I would definitely recommend giving Umami a try!

Umami Burger- http://www.umamiburger.com/