Dating Dilemma - What is the most unusual date you've ever been on?

Sorry guys, I'm a bit late with this.  Got tied up with a fascinating music appreciation course from Yale open learning.


So the other day, while passing a cemetery, I had a flashback to a night almost 14 years ago, when I was out on a first date with the boy who would become my Freshman Year boyfriend.  After a lovely dinner at the Iowa River Power Company (one of the fancier restaurants in Iowa City) he asked what I wanted to do next, and me being a quirky ingenue (at least in my opinion) immediately suggested we pay a visit to the Black Angel in the local cemetery.  Clearly he liked me, as he obliged and off we went.  Although it wasn't the best date ever, its unique-ness made it memorable and something that comes back to me every time I pass a cemetery.


This week's survey question: What is the most unusual date you've ever been on?


HL:I was just supposed to go out to dinner with this guy and then he told me he forgot something back at his house and we drove far away to his farm and I had to meet his parents and it was like the 2nd or 3rd date.  It was so awkward, because I think his plan was for me to meet his parents.


NW: I instructed my annoying date to wait outside on a park bench while i shop at old navy for an hour.  (He waited, and yes, it was the first date, and yes the was the first time we'd ever hung out) and do you know that fool had the NERVE to ask me why i wasn't going to kiss him at the end of the date? and proceeded to call me days later asking why I didn't want to go out again?


LL: This isn't crazy for LA, but friends in other parts of the country find it weird to screen movies at a cemetary.  I did have a date to one of those.  Other then that it's been the pretty standard dinner and movie or an improv comedy show.


NJ: I once told a guy that there was a house for sale I really wanted to see, but that no one ever called me back when I left a message with the broker. So he hopped the fence, picked the lock and got me in the house. 

Another time in college I went cemetery hopping. From the outside it seems weird, but our school was known for them – so much so that History, Discovery and Sci-Fi came to do the very same thing on a regular basis. Still not really a conventional date though.



BS: I went on a third or maybe fourth date to a wrestling pay per view event.  I had tickets with a friend and he couldn't go at the last minute, so the girl I was kind of seeing at the time went even though she had never seen wrestling before.  She loved it!  WE sat next to an older couple who also were not wrestling fans, but had just come for something to do.  I filled everyone in on the storylines all night, and they kept buying us drinks.  It was a good time.

PocketFuzz visits the Arboretum...

One of my favorite places to visit on a quiet Sunday is the Los Angeles Arboretum.  I like to bring a book and a lunch and take my time wandering through the various gardens.  Sometimes I go to sketch flowers, other times I bring my buddy PocketFuzz, to help with some picture-taking.

Have you ever seen the butt of a peacock?  Me neither.

"Catawampus" by Patrick Dougherty

Random gadgets found at Marukai 98

I've been feeling a bit under the weather lately.   I think all the rain we have been getting is throwing me off balance.  I'm not used to cold, damp Los Angeles,  my body only knows hot, sunny LA.  But what can you do? My solution is to get a face mask to help prevent my office mates from getting my germs.  So I went to my favorite Japanese store to see what they had in stock for me.  

Although there were many different masks to choose from, I decided this would work best.

At least my co-workers are spending more time discussing my accessories and less time talking about my cold.

Dating Dilemma - What are the best/worst pickup lines you have used/heard?

I was out with the girls at El Chavo, last Friday night, celebrating Eric's birthday.  After the restaurant closed, he took over the space, brought in a DJ and had a big dance party.  It was a lot of fun AND the perfect opportunity for us to meet new people.   Unfortunately, we had to siphon thru a few drunken DBs before meeting some quality, new friends.

Upon introducing himself to me, one of the drunks proclaimed, "What kind of work do you do?  You must be a model, because you are HOT!"  Stinky beer breath and slurring words aside, there was no way I'd ever fall for a line like that from this middle-aged hot mess.  As I quickly ducked out of his sight (trying hard to dodge the bullet of having a longer conversation with him), I started to think about all the great and horrible pickup lines I had heard over the years.   So this weeks survey question is: What are the best/worst pickup lines you have used/heard?

BS: My friend, the degenerate, likes to use the line: "Nice shoes, wanna fuck?"  It's a great ice breaker and tends to get the girl talking.
JB: The cheesiest/silly lines usually get the girl to talk to you, although if the girl actually falls for any of them, she probably isn't very smart. "Is that Windex in your pants because I can see myself in them."  Or the guy grabs a girl's shirt from the back and she asks, "What are you doing?" And he responds, " Looking for the made in Heaven tag."
JH: "You look bored."  (If she says she is, you're in!  If she says she isn't, you walk away, and didn't actually hit on her.)
HL: "I like your dress!"....The guy that said it to me made me want to find him and talk to him.
MS: The worst Match.com headline I ever saw: "A boy can love a million woman but it takes a man to love a woman a million ways." - Yuck!
BS: I don't use pickup lines, but my I've heard guys use the "my friend thinks you're hot!" line.
AA: Best Line (disclaimer I saw this on Jay Leno, but think it is great) "Do you know how much a polar bear weighs?"  Answer: "Enough to break the ice!"
Worst Line: "Want to get a schnitzel and go back to my bungalow?" (courtesy of a backpacker in Thailand.)
NJ:Best (maybe I just loved it because I got such a good laugh or because the guy was so handsome he literally glistened):
Boy: "Hey NJ, how ya been?"
Girl:"Good, but tired.  You?"
Boy: "Tired, too.  Maybe we should sleep together some time."
Worst lines: - Man, there sure are a lot...
Guy in a bookstore: "Hey baby, I'd sure like to flip your pages." (I gave him a dirty look) "I guess I'd better check myself before I wreck myself, huh, sweetie?"
Guy in a bar: "Are you looking for a man who's extraordinary in every way?  Because you just found him."

My favorite things from this week...

-Solstice Canyon, perfect for a rainy day hike with Ray...we went to splish splosh through the puddles and creek!

-The Kitchen in SilverLake.  Everytime I eat there I feel completely satisfied and comfy, like I just ate a really good home cooked meal.

-Thai Elvis: cheap, delicious, entertaining!
-Nana: my favorite Japanese Manga series.  The girls are cool, the clothes are cute, and it makes me want to be a rockstar.
-Rain...I love curling up to a good book when its pouring outside.
-Academic Earth!  I love that I can listen to Yale and Harvard professors lectures in my PJs.
-Strange Maps may not help my wanderlust, but it does make me smile.
-Betsy McCall paper dolls (because I love all their cute outfits!)

Random gadgets found at Marukai 98

Although there are many, many places where I love to shop when I visit Japan.  My most favorite, is the 100 yen store.  It's a bit like the .99 cent store on crack.  Thousands of things, you never knew you needed, all for the bargain price of US$1.05.  And lucky for me, I don't have to go all the way to Japan to shop at my favorite store.  Torrance and Gardena are both home to Marukai 98,  America's imported version of the 100 yen store.  Granted, everything starts at $1.89, and some things are even more expensive, but the junk you never thought you needed is the same, which is why I like to visit the store on rainy days to test out random gadgets for entertainment purposes.

Take today's amazing product:  The Star/Heart hard-boiled egg shaper.  Here we go....

Simple enough instructions.  Take an egg, boil it, then peel it.

Stick it in the mold, buckle the side latches, let it sit for 5 minutes.

Voila! You have a 3D Heart or Star shaped egg.

Cut in half and serve in salad or make cute deviled eggs.

Not to be a downer, but...

About 6 years ago, my family was vacationing in Thailand when the tsunami hit.  Luckily, at the time we were in Chiang Mai, which is in the northern part of the country.  As we watched the BBC footage from the safety of our hotel room, my mother recognized the balcony of one of the restaurants they had just visited, 2 days before the tsunami.  As we watched that balcony became engulfed with water, my family wondered about the fates of all the nice people they had met only a few days before and we counted our blessings that we had been fortunate enough to be in a safe place.

So now, when I hear of horrible natural disasters, such as the recent earthquake in Haiti, I am reminded of that trip to Thailand.  And I take a moment to count my blessings and realize how fortunate I am to be in a safe place. Then I try to donate money or time to help with the relief aid, because you never know when or how something catastrophic will effect yourself or your family, and if you are like me, you want to believe that someone out there will be available to help.  So, today instead of posting a random blog entry, I thought I would put up a list of links to reputable organizations who have vowed to help with Relief Aid in Haiti:

Oxfam America 
American Red Cross
Food for the Hungry
Doctors Without Borders
International medical Corps

Indiefixx is an awesome blog that is doing a silent auction where 100% of the proceeds will go to the Red Cross response fund.  So you can shop and donate money (I love multi-tasking!).