tequila and i are no longer friends

do you remember that meme going around at the end of 2019 that was hell bent on celebrating the fact that 2020 holidays fall on the perfect days, like cinco de mayo on taco tuesday?

and then lockdown started and it all went to shit.  heh.  but that's okay, because drinking at home means you don't have to worry about catching a ride when the party's over.  right?  there's always a silver lining.

since it's been a full week+ now, i can go ahead and share how my cinco de mayo went.  it all started out so nicely - being the day after star wars day (may the fourth...you know), it was "revenge of the fifth."  and so i threw on an appropriately-themed shirt for my zoom barre class:

then i changed the background on my screen, because why not:

it was very well received by my instructor (and a few of my fellow barre-bies).

while the virtual class is only 3/4 as long as in-studio classes, they always manage to squeeze as much torture into those 45 minutes.  i'm just as sweaty and sore and tired at the end of it as i usually am, which is a good thing.  now that i think about it, i'm not exactly sure if it really is extra hard, or if i'm just out of shape.  huh.  oh well, it's still pretty awesome to be able to take classes during lockdown.  and to be honest, i kind of prefer it this way because i can just log on a few minutes before it's time instead of hopping in the car 20 minutes beforehand.  i can wear mismatched clothing, my hair is all wacked out, i always have the best spot in the room and i can collapse on the floor in an exhausted, sweaty mess and get up whenever i feel like it.  it's actually pretty fantastic.

for the special occasion, the local club was offering 32 ounce margaritas for curbside pickup, and the flavors of the day were jalapeño pineapple and watermelon.

because i'm a dork, i poured mine into my star wars cup.

and before long, i'd made my way into the pool, sitting in one of our beach chairs under an umbrella with my drink and a cup full of cheez its.  you know, to soak up the alcohol in my belly.  yeah.

here's where it started to get a little fuzzy.  i'd only had a lunchable that day, along with those cheez its, and while i thought i was doing just fine sipping on that margarita i was very, very wrong.  i found this on my camera roll later, which i'd obviously drunk posted in my instagram stories:

and i remember doing laps in the pool.  kinda.  really, it was more like me flailing from one end of the pool to the other atop a floatie and giggling the entire time.  and i have the hub to thank for this photo.

the bean has some pretty embarrassing videos of me too, which will NOT be shared.  yikes.  i do remember using her as a crutch at some point as i stumbled from the pool over to the couch, all the while slurring some unsolicited advice:  "babe.  don't ever drink tequila.  tequila is baaaaaad.  just don't do it."  oy vey.

when the spinning started i remember just flopping down and turning over and over, like a rotisserie chicken.  i fell asleep, which is my usual reaction to alcohol, but i knew it was bad this time.  the one thing i remember as i felt the puke coming on was muttering "where's the bean?  she can't see me like this."  and i could've sworn when i was handed my instant pot liner (!!!!) to barf into that it was already dark outside, but this photo (also thanks to the hub) proves otherwise.

man...i never did get any tacos that day.  that sucks. and i felt like shit the whole next day.  AND the bean swears i flipped her off at some point, which i guess isn't completely out of the realm but is really terrible.  blarg.  would that be worse than seeing me plastered or watching me puke it up?  i can't decide.  i was telling the hub that i don't think i've gotten that trashed or barfed as a result in probably 20 years.

i finally got the watermelon smell out of my star wars cup, thanks to the magic eraser and leaving it out in the sun for a full day.  and all of the bottles of tequila and margarita mix out in the back yard are now safe from me.  mimosas never do me dirty like that...all they do to me is put me to sleep.

lesson learned.

dinner and a show?

it's not often that we get to do a date night with another couple, especially one we enjoy spending time with.  actually, this evening was supposed to include a third couple, but with the holiday party season in full swing they went through not only their regular sitter not being available but their second, third AND fourth backups not coming through.  both couples are folks we actually met because of the bean - they're her BFFs' parents.  and while we don't really have a regular sitter of our own, she was able to spend the evening at her friend's house, giving us the chance to carpool to the restaurant.

we'd opted to try a restaurant none of us had been to before - alexander's steakhouse in pasadena.  i'd heard nothing but good things about it and it has a bazillion positive reviews on yelp.  i didn't really take any pictures of the restaurant itself, but there really wasn't much to show you anyway.  it's pretty simple and modern, with all the waitstaff dressed in full suits.  it was kind of a funny contrast to the handful of tables we passed that were occupied by folks in much more casual ensembles.

the menu told us before our server did that it was a fusion of japanese cuisine and traditional steakhouse fare:

we ordered some edamame, warm and coated in truffle butter and lime.  the hub wasn't a fan, but i couldn't get enough of it.

the item that kept popping up in those yelp reviews were the hamachi shots.  our server described them as deconstructed sushi, meant to be taken in one shot out of the shot glasses they were served in.  each order contained a 6-pack of them, which worked out as only three of us were interested in them anyway.  so you pick up a glass, stir the contents together and then shoot it - but i've never been good at taking shots, so i ate mine with a seafood fork in about three different bites.

the yelp reviews didn't lie, by the way.  they were really good, and i kind of want to just go back and eat these all night long.  heh.  i'd also ordered a "gordon's cup," which was their version of a pimm's cup, and it was really tasty and delicious.  i was feeling pretty good by the time the bread service arrived, so i couldn't tell you what kind of bread was in the basket besides one made with squid ink and another one that had some sort of cheese in it that looked like a cinnamon roll.  and it came with four different spreads, one that was like a honey butter and served in what looked like a bone.  and another that had some sort of meat mixed into it.  i don't even remember - i just know i tried them all and they were all yummy.

the charcuterie arrived not long after that, and it gave me flashbacks of the paté i'd tried at bouchon on thanksgiving.  that's not a good thing, by the way.  the server did explain everything else on the board - i heard things like cherry compote and liver and coriander, and i swear he said "intestine" or something like that.

it was while we were exploring these items that we noticed the older gentleman who was sitting at the table next to us with what i'm assuming was his wife getting louder and more animated as time went on.  i'd seen him served at least one martini, and he was sawing into his steak like he was trying to do some woodworking.  anyway, i noticed him lean over to pick up the napkin he'd dropped on the floor, but he became disoriented and lost his balance, falling all the way to the floor in what looked like slow motion.  three of us at the table jumped up, with the hub making it over just in time to keep him from slamming his head against the table leg.  waitstaff and managers came rushing over as everyone helped him climb back up onto the bench seat, where he stretched out and waved away any offers to get medical assistance.  my friend, who's a nurse and had already had an adult beverage of her own, leaned over to take a look and said to me "he's fine!  just wasted."  hahahahahaha!

despite his quiet protests, the local fire department arrived with medical gear and a gurney within a few minutes (likely called by the manager immediately to make sure the restaurant didn't end up liable for anything).  they asked him what he was feeling, took his blood pressure, tried to keep talking to him as he drifted in and out of consciousness, and eventually took him away on that gurney.  his wife seemed as concerned as my friend, and she left the restaurant a few minutes after he was wheeled out.  we had what seemed like the entire restaurant staff come over to see if we were okay after the trauma of the evening, and we ended up having a round of drinks comped for the table.

main courses, anyone?  this was the 8-oz filet mignon that three of us ordered:

while the 12-oz prime rib looked like a side of freaking beef on a plate in comparison.

the brussels sprouts were really good:

as were the sautéed mushrooms.

there were mashed potatoes too, but those don't really photograph well and you know what they look like anyway.  everything was super tasty, and the dessert menu offered things like a peanut butter souffle:

guava cheesecake (which was deep fried and added a fun texture):

and a fun chocolate dessert that was served with gold flakes and popcorn sorbet.

mignardises:

and later at home, two of those gordon's cups had obviously had quite an effect.

best sleep i've had in months.  hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.

you're drinking mimosas...at a kid's birthday party

the october birthday party train just keeps chuggin' along.  this time, it was for one of the bean's friends who she first met way back in our gymboree play & learn classes who ended up being in her transitional kindergarten class and has been her classmate almost every year since then.  his family always throws a kick ass party, and when we got the invitation and i saw that they were doing it at the local country club, i knew it was going to be a good time.

i was apparently so dazzled by everything that i neglected to take a lot of pictures.  oops.  it happened to be a cloudy, drizzly day - which isn't a bad thing.  and when we pulled into the parking lot the first thing we saw was the giant bounce house squeezed in underneath the entrance to the club.  definitely looked like party central.

inside, we found a lot of our friends already there, and while we'd already lost the bean at the bounce house, it didn't take long for her to find the extensive craft table.  there were fun things to paint and color and glittery tattoos and snacks, and it was quite the minecraft-themed wonderland.

there was a DJ/announcer/performer who alternated between playing prerecorded music, jamming on his guitar with covers of popular songs, and organizing the kids in some fun activities.

meanwhile, the old lady and i discovered the mimosas.

and there was a photo booth.

the food was really good, too.  there was a create-your-own-omelette bar, a salad bar, several hot entrees, and a whole table of kid-friendly grub like pizza, mac & cheese, chicken fingers.  good thing too, because i'd been sitting down while i drank that mimosa and then remembered that i hadn't really eaten when i got up to find some sustenance.  heh.  i made myself a nice plate of food and then figured i was good to go with round 2.

and then the kids started playing that stupid bottle flipping game - they literally take a half-full bottle of water, toss it in the air to flip it and watch it land, hopefully upright.  i suppose this is a good thing though...it keeps them entertained for a long ass time, no electronics or screen time involved.  but still...lame-o.

while they did that, we discovered the rice krispy treats and cookie decorating station.

the party raged on for a few hours, and then they wrapped it up with a karaoke session.

our house is literally down the street and around the corner from the club, so we could easily have walked home.  you know, since i'd managed to take down 2.5 mimosas.  but by the time we finally got outta there, i'd eaten more stuff and drank a ton of water.  and so we scampered through the rain and into the car and drove the 45 seconds home.

i'm dying to see how these parties evolve as the kids get older.  i hope mimosas continue to be part of the program...for the parents, at least.  heh.

spa, sauna, schnapps

since we originally started planning the paso robles trip, one of the wives found out that she was pregnant.  so with me not being a huge wine drinker anyway and her not being able to partake at all, the hub asked me to work on finding a local day spa that we could visit instead.  with a little research via yelp, i settled on the spa central coast.  while it wasn't a resort-type spa where you can relax in robes and hang out in pools and saunas and such, they did offer reasonably priced packages.  so i made reservations for both of us and that was that.

we planned our day so that we could get a mani/pedi somewhere in the morning, meet up with the group for lunch at whatever local winery they were at, and then head to the spa.  i was a little annoyed when no one at the spa could give me a single recommendation for a good nail salon, so i turn to yelp again to find one.  the first one that popped up with a lot of great reviews was this one:

it looked really nice, but of course since it was a saturday morning they were fully booked until the afternoon.  the second place on the list was this one:

they were fairly close by and had a good number of happy customers based on the reviews, so despite the janky, cheesy exterior we decided to go for it.  it was nowhere near as nice as the first place, but they were available and we were running low on time.

i thought immediately of the bean when i spied this cute little kids' spa pedicure chair:

and okay, the free boba milk tea was a nice perk.

i was satisfied with my pedicure too, so i suppose it ended up being a win after all.

after a quick glance at the group's schedule, we hopped into the car and headed about ten minutes away to find them here:

except that most of them were already done eating and ready to head to the next stop.  we got to hang out with our husbands for a few minutes while we ordered some food from the window:

my spinach salad, topped with grilled tri tip, was really good.

after the group left, we took a peek around the place.  it was really pretty there.

after doing a little browsing through a cute dress shop, we made our way to the spa.  we were led into the waiting area to fill out a form and wait for our therapists to pick us up:

and then we were led down this hall to our rooms.

because i'd opted for a sea salt exfoliation treatment, i got to wear this.  sex-ay.

it was lovely and my skin was super soft and smooth afterwards.  the massage was lovely, as was the facial.  i was led into another room for the infrared sauna, which kind of reminded me of a coffin as i slid into it and pulled the lid over me.  now i'm not really a sauna kinda girl, because i'm not really into the idea of voluntarily entering a heat chamber.  i know, i know, good for the skin and melts fat and blah blah blah.  i don't care.  i'm not a fan.  but since i was there and it was part of the package, i gave it a shot.  i was scheduled to lay there, sweltering and sweating and literally melting away for 20 long minutes, but i only made it to about 15 before i just couldn't stand it anymore.

now that i think about it, i kinda got screwed over - that spa package was supposed to include a 30-minute spa foot treatment, and that didn't happen.  ugh.

by the time we got back to the hotel, the rest of the group was just pulling up in their party bus.  they all looked sleepy and a little tipsy, and everyone retreated to their rooms to get a little rest and sneak in a nap.  for dinner that evening, we decided to just walk over to the bbq restaurant next door.

it was really cheesy looking, and for some reason they couldn't figure out how to seat us all together despite the fact that the place was damn near empty.  so we split up into two tables, situated next to the "jail cells."

i decided to go for it and have an adult beverage - some concoction with rum, watermelon liqueur, and sweet & sour mix served in a boot.

oh yeah...the place was called "big bubba's."  heh.  whatever.  i ended up getting a refill in my boot and built up a fun little buzz - which was a little anti-climactic since everyone was all done with alcohol for the day, leaving me the only one doing any drinking (aside from a few who halfheartedly ordered beers).  and then when dinner was over, we walked over to the 24-hour starbucks.

i kind of don't even remember taking this, so there you go.

and then i went back to the room and passed out cold on the bed while the hub enjoyed a cigar with the guys by the pool.  muahahahahahaha.  i'm a terrible drunk.