Yard sale 2012

Ah, summer. The days are longer and hotter and hotter.

I guess I like summer...as much as I can like a season that turns my hair into a gnarly frizzball, makes sweat pour out of my glands as soon as I step out the door, and makes me turn as red as a cherry tomato unless I slather every inch of exposed skin in sunscreen.

Summers were a lot more fun when I was a kid; when the days were filled with alternating trips to the library and the pool and I could stay up until 3 in the morning reading or hanging with my friends. Oh, and there were slurpees! Now summer means having to slog six blocks from the metro station to the work in oppressive humidity and trying desperately to fall asleep in a stifling bedroom when the air conditioning goes out.

But there is one thing about summer that I really love and that's the annual Riley family yard sale! Since my grandmother passed away a few years ago, my Aunt has done an amazing job on working to clear out their house, which let's be honest, was pretty much stuffed to the gills. That means that there is plenty of stuff to put in a yard sale every year, and when we get the rest of our family and friends in on the action we are talking about a truly epically sized sale.

This was our second year of the sale, and it was even bigger than last year! We had the same large cast of helpers, but I think we had even more people come out and even more stuff got moved. The people tend to come in waves, and I was of course still shocked about the cheapness of people (no you cannot have that $500 armchair for $20 you FOOL). Of course the haggling and meeting new people--especially the cute guy who moved across the street from my Aunt--is fun, but the best part is hanging with your friends and watching all your old crap move out the door.

And I didn't get sunburned. VICTORY. 

 Now all we need our customers.

Ah, there they are!

 The yard sale helpers relax in the shade!

 Me and Selvi

 Mark your calendars for the first weekend of June 2013--the third annual Riley family yard sale!

Summer cake and BBQ

I've always loved baking, and since I remodeled my kitchen a few years ago, I have been trying to cook more as well. I've decided to make more of an effort to post about the recipes I try, pass along any tips, etc. Don't worry about this isn't turning into a cooking blog--but I figured someone out there would be interested in hearing about my culinary successes and failures. And trust me, there have been a lot of failures. But that's part of the process!

Last weekend, my good friend Chris had a barbecue party to celebrate the completion of his new backyard deck. It was quite the party; there must have been over 20 people there and there was a ton of food to be had. I decided to make a small contribution by trying a new cake recipe and a new technique--slicing the undecorated cake into three layers.

I chose the "chiffon cake with strawberries and cream" recipe from Martha Stewart (of course). It seemed like a good choice for a cook-out; not too sweet or rich, and not too unhealthy, especially since it does not use any butter or heavy cream. The cake itself is something like an angel food cake (which is very low in fat), but a little more dense so it's easier to slice. It's baked in a tube fan also like an angel food cake, but only gets tricky in that you have to slice the cake into three equal layers.

The trick is not to slice through the entire layer in one go, but rather to work the knife through the cake a little at a time, turning the cake as you go. This helps make sure it turns out even. I think mine turned out mostly successful, though the top layer was a little thicker than the others. Still, practice makes perfect! I also cheated a little by using pre-made whip cream rather than making it by scratch. This makes for a healthier (since I used cool whip) and easier alternative. I mean, I appreciate Martha' recipes, but come on. I don't have time for all this whipping shit.

 Assembling the cake after the layers have been sliced.

 The finished product! The recipe is at the bottom of the post.

The cake was a big hit at the BBQ, since there wasn't a lot left at the end of the night. But I have to confess that it paled in comparison to Caroline's contribution which was a gorgeous chocolate cake with about eight wafer thin layers. I still can't believe that I had the willpower to resist having some (I am trying to stay away from the baked goods).

As for the party itself, it was super fun and the new deck is gorgeous. I was not entirely convinced that Chris would be able to pull it off since he built it himself along with his Mom and Stepdad, but it turned out beautiful and strong. There was delicious food, good company, oh, and some Rock Band for good measure.

 Enjoying the new deck!

 The master chef.

 Caroline takes an...unusual approach to slicing the cake. When in doubt, use a broadsword.

The remains of the day.

Martha Stewart's Chiffon Cake with Strawberries and Cream (my changes and comments are in italics)

Ingredients For the Cake

o 2 1/4 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
o 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided
o 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
o 3/4 teaspoon salt
o 1/2 cup safflower oil
o 7 large egg yolks plus 9 large egg whites
o 3/4 cup whole milk (I substituted skim milk with no ill effects)
o 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
o 1 whole vanilla bean, split and scraped, or 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (fuck the vanilla bean, use the vanilla extract)

For the Berries and Cream 

o 2 pounds strawberries, hulled and halved or quartered (about 5 cups), plus more for serving
o 1/2 cup granulated sugar
o 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
o Pinch of salt o 2 cups cold heavy cream
o 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for sprinkling

(Or you can do it like me and just use Cool Whip; you can also use all kinds of berries, I think a mix of strawberries and blueberries would by yummy)

Directions 

1. Make the cake: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Whisk together flour, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, the baking powder, and salt. Whisk together oil, egg yolks, and milk in a large bowl. Whisk flour mixture into egg-yolk mixture.

2. Beat egg whites with a mixer on high speed until frothy. Add cream of tartar and vanilla seeds or extract, and beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 3/4 cup granulated sugar, beating until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 5 minutes. Whisk one-third of the egg-white mixture into batter. Gently but thoroughly fold in remaining egg-white mixture with a rubber spatula.

3. Transfer batter to tube pan. Bake until top of cake springs back when touched, 52 to 55 minutes. Let cool upside down (over a bottle or on tube-pan feet) 1 hour. (I was concerned about cooling upside down, but it really worked! Make sure you grease the pan really well, and then a run a knife along the sides before trying to remove it from the pan)

4. Make the berries and cream: While cake is baking and cooling, combine strawberries, granulated sugar, lemon juice, and salt, and let sit, stirring occasionally, 1 hour. Just before assembling, beat cream and confectioners' sugar until medium peaks form.

5. Slide a paring knife around edges of tube and side of pan; release cake. Cut cake horizontally into 3 layers with a serrated knife. Transfer bottom layer to a cake plate or platter. Spread with half the berries, and drizzle with juices. Spread half the whipped cream over berries, then top with middle cake layer. Spread with remaining berries and whipped cream. Top with remaining cake layer. Refrigerate cake 1 hour. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar, and serve with berries.

Carrying the Banner

Remember when I was in Costa Rica? I traveled there in January with a friend and his parents, and his Mom and I really hit it off. It turns out we both have a love for musicals, and since she lives in New York we decided it would be fun for me to come up sometime and we would go to a show. As you guys know, I'm not really one to just make plans in the abstract (I figure if you are going to do something, just do it), so when Peggy (the mom) got an email about advance ticket sales for the new Broadway show, Newsies, we decided just to go for it!

So last Saturday, I took the bus up to NYC for a day of music, dance, good food, and great company. First I met up with my friend Sarah and we had lunch at the famous John's Pizzeria in Midtown right off of Time's Square. Not only does it have delicious thin crust brick oven-baked pizza, but the restaurant is in a really cool old church. With stained glass windows and everything. We got there right when it opened at 11:30 and there wasn't too bad a crowd, but by the time we left the place was packed with tourists and townies alike.

John's Pizzeria--notice the stained glass window!

By that time, it was only a bit before the show so I said farewell to Sarah (at least until my next visit) and met up with Peggy outside the theater. Newsies is playing at the Nerderlander Theater, which has existed since 1921 and was where Rent opened and ran for 12 years. There was quite a crowd for the performance and the line to get in stretched around the block even before the doors opened. While we waited they sent out one of the guys in the chorus in his full Newsies regalia to sell programs--which were super cute and designed like newspapers.

Outside the Nederlander

When the doors (finally) opened, we entered the theater and realized our seats were pretty kickass--fourth row! While this was awesome because it meant we were super close for all the dancing action, it also meant we were really close to the actor who plays Davey and is apparently unable to speak emphatically without spraying spit all over the place. I seriously thought the people in the first row should have some kind of plastic sheeting like at a Gallagher show. I could. not. handle it.

Other than the waterworks from Davey, the show was excellent. It was very much an old-school musical like from the Golden Age of Hollywood. Just fun, solid singing and dancing--LOTS of dancing which is something I feel is missing from modern musicals. Oh, and there wasn't any tragedy or deaths or anything heavy like that. It was entertaining as hell, and as an added bonus, the cast was full of some of my favorite dancers from So You Think You Can Dance. There were a couple changes from the movie, but for the most part I thought they were all smart. And the new songs were catchy and non-offensive to a fan of the source material.

 Those are some limber newsies.

 After the show, Peggy and I wandered around looking for a place to have dinner that wasn't loaded with tourists, and on the way we came across the HBO shop. That particular adventure is documented on the tv blog, along with pictures of the awesome costumes that were displayed in the store. After shopping and dinner it was back to the bus (which was late OF COURSE) and the ride back home.

It's a long day to NYC and back and I end up spending 8 hours on the bus and only 8 hours in the city...and yet it's still worth it. All cliches aside, there is just something about the Big Apple that is exciting, inspiring, and makes me giddy. Maybe it's all the history...or just the huge masses of creative genius that it houses. Either way, I'm going to keep seeing it all...one day at a time.

Fight the power, yo.

It doesn't seem like there are a lot of opportunities to strike out on your own and change your life as an adult. Sure, you can get married and have children, but you kind of need another person to make that happen. And when you're a kid, it seems like interests and dreams are in one day and out the next; when I was a kid, I was convinced I was going to be a dancer, actress, aerobics-instructor, princess. I swear to god, that was an actual goal.

But once you graduate college and lock down a career path, it becomes way more difficult to make changes. And not just for practical reasons, but for emotional ones as well. Change is hard. It's violent, scary, and chaotic. It's much easier just to stay where you are...even if where you are makes you unhappy.

Which is why I am so proud of my friend Carly who has recently made a big change in her life and has sought on a new business opportunity. She has become a Mary Kay consultant.

Now I know what you are thinking. How is selling make-up a big change? Well, for her it's going into an entirely new business, sacrificing a lot of free time on the venture, and as they say "putting yourself out there." Mark Kay doesn't sell itself, so it means Carly will be talking and selling to friends and strangers alike at parties, pampering sessions, and in even less formal settings. Basically, I respect the hell out of her for the willingness to make the change and take charge of her life. Snaps up and a big "you go girl!"

And having a friend who sells Mary Kay isn't without advantages. I get to attend a lot of the parties and get samples and tips. For example, I participated in Carly's first pampering session a few weekends ago, and the results were pleasantly surprising.

Before picture:

 

 After picture:

Facial features are now easily recognizable! Seriously though, if I am not wearing make-up, I am so pale that all you see are two eyes and some curly hair. The rest of my face is barely distinguishable from a white background.

So good luck, Carly! And if anyone out there is looking for some make-up or skin care items...I got your hookup.

Piddle, Twiddle, and Resolve

When I was a kid, my Mom instilled in me a love of music through the soundtracks of classic musicals. I remember riding in the car with her and listening to cassettes of various shows as we both sang along, me taking the soprano parts and her the alto. Cats, The Mikado, The Music Man, and 1776 were among my favorites. Of course, looking back now I feel sorry for my brother, who was trapped in a car with the two of us constantly singing...but that's what happens when you are the only dude in a family of ladies.

The point of this reminiscing is that I was very excited when a friend sent me an email asking if I was interested in seeing a production of 1776 at Ford's Theater. For those who are unfamiliar, 1776 is a musical about the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the Continental Congress. The main character, future President John Adams, wheels and deals and by force of will alone manages to convince Congress to declare themselves independent from England. Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson are also along for the ride.

I don't think I can understate the importance the movie version of 1776 had on me as a kid. And yes, I realize confessing that makes me a GIANT NERD, but hey y'all already knew that. Basically, the movie got me interested in history and paved the way for a history major in college. And speaking of college, the whole reason I went to William and Mary was because of 1776 and the following exchange:

John Adams: Mr. Jefferson? It so happens that the word is UN-alienable, not IN-alienable. 

Thomas Jefferson: I'm sorry, Mr. Adams, but "Inalienable" is correct. 

John Adams: I happen to be a Harvard graduate, Mr. Jefferson. 

Thomas Jefferson: Well, I attended William & Mary. 

Oh, snap! Colonial style.

The point of this diatribe is that I have very strong feelings about 1776. And I am pleased to say that seeing it live was thrilling, fun, and amazing. We are very fortunate here in the DC-area to have amazing local theater companies. In fact, the only thing about the evening that wasn't perfect were the annoying 8th graders sitting in front of me and the fact that I find Ford's Theater kind of creepy.

And this is the famous Ford's theater and that box is where the greatest man in American history had his brains blown out. See? CREEPY.

If you haven't seen 1776 yet, I suggest you immediately go to Netflix and check it out. The more I learned about the actual history of the colonial era, the more I learned how weirdly accurate the movie is in terms of how all these men related to one another and were forced to compromise to lay the foundations for the country we have today.  You'll also come out of it with even more appreciation for Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and especially John Adams.

Oh, and it has Mr. Feeney (from Boy Meets World)! And Gwyneth Paltrow's Mom.

 

You can keep your Paul Giamatti and whatever other lame John Adams you want to throw at me. William Daniels is the one and only. Trust.

Speak Up for the sake of Burlesque, Pie, and Women Everywhere!

The following happened during a fun night on the town when me and my girls hit H street to see Epic Win Burlesque. It's burlesque so it's all sexy and fun, but then it's nerdy burlesque so it doesn't make us seem too cool--though there is never much danger of that.

You're probably wondering what makes something nerdy burlesque. Basically the costumes the ladies wear (and then remove) are pop culture/fantasy/sci-fi/video-game themed. So I am delighted to tell you that I have seen Seven of Nine, Lara Croft, the Joker, and a Honey Badger remove their clothing in a sexy manner. One lady also came out dressed as Pennywise the Clown from Stephen King's IT, but please believe me when I tell you it was very much on the scary spectrum rather than sexy.

After the show we wandered down to Dangerously Delicious Pies because 1) that's what you do on H street in DC and 2) watching ladies take off their clothes makes my friends want pie. Rachel and I decided to wait outside the shop since we had already had our pie and we didn't want to wait in the long line.

(enter drunk college assholes, stage left).

Drunk College Asshole 1: OMG, I am so drunk and I want pie.

Drunk College Assholes 2 and 3: YEAH PIE DUDE I LOVE PIE!

Drunk College Asshole 1: Hey, look! There's a giant bell over next to where that ginger girl is harmlessly texting and chatting to her friend!

(Drunk College Asshole 1 staggers over to the bell and begins ringing it loudly, and then manages to elbow ginger girl (me) in the head)

Me: OWWWW.

Drunk College Asshole 1: Oh, sorry the bell is so loud!

Rachel: I think it was less the bell ringing and more the fact that you ELBOWED HER IN THE HEAD.

Me: Yeah!

Drunk College Asshole 1: Oh, I'm sorry!

(Drunk College Assholes 2 and 3 see the commotion and teeter on over)

Drunk College Asshole 2: You hit her in the head, you should say you're sorry!

Drunk College Asshole 3: Give her a kiss to say you are sorry!

(Drunk College Asshole 1 moves to take Me's arm...and I don't know, try to kiss me? Pat me? Whatever. At this point Me remembers reading a most excellent blog post from years ago by Sarah Bunting about how women are trained to keep quiet and not raise a fuss, which usually works against them in situations where men feel they can paw/grope/assault/rape and otherwise take advantage of them. So Me decides in that second that NO WAY IN HELL is something like that happening in this circumstance. BTW, isn't it amazing how much information your brain can process in less than a second?)

Me: Do. Not. Touch. Me.

Drunk College Asshole 1: I just wanted to say that I was sor...

Me: GET AWAY FROM ME.

Drunk College Asshole 2 and 3: We just....

Me: GET AWAY FROM ME NOW.

(Drunk College Assholes run away down the street, the pie forgotten).

And scene.

I think I did pretty well with no exaggerating that exchange there, though Rachel will have to be the objective judge.

Now let's be clear: I wasn't afraid these guys were going to actively hurt me. We were standing on a crowded street with lots of people walking by and my friends standing about 5 feet away. And they were clearly just drunken college assholes who were in command of maybe 33% of their mental facilities. But you know what? These guys did not have the right to hit me in the head, try to grab my arm, or otherwise hassle me and my friend. And sometimes you need to just speak up. People who know me would probably say that I never had trouble speaking up, but I think it's true that most of the time people (and by people I mean women and by women I mean me) don't want to make a fuss or a scene. Nothing was probably going to happen and the probably would have just wandered away on their own after a few more awkward attempts at conversation.

But that doesn't really matter. Because I don't need to put up with that and neither do you. Don't ever be afraid to speak up.

Throw Momma from the casino.

I travel a lot, but I usually travel with friends. Sometimes I will take my Mom somewhere or go with her to visit my brother in LA, but I don't think I ever gone anywhere with my friends AND my Mom.

There's a first time for everything.

It all started when Chris and I were having a gchat conversation about how we needed to go to Atlantic City. We go about once a year for a weekend of slots and relaxation. Our casino of choice is Harrah's on the Marina, home of the large indoor pool with luxe cabanas available for rental. For a reasonable fee (that includes all your food and alcohol (!!!)), you can lounge poolside with a personal television, iPod doc, and servers at your beck and call. Now that's the way to live.

I was hanging out with my Mom on a typical Wednesday evening (before having dinner at my Dad's), and I mentioned that we had planned an Atlantic City trip for the end of April. Mom crossed her arms, got that wistful look in her eyes, and I knew a story was coming. Turns out her mom used to the kids to the Maryland shore on the weekends where they could slip some coins into the slots. Apparently the casino didn't enforce the age restrictions in the good old days. Mom waxed poetic about how she used to love the slots as a kid...and before I knew it, she was coming up to Atlantic City with me, Chris, and Kent for an early birthday weekend!

I wasn't really concerned about it--I know that Chris and Kent adore my Mom and she loves them just as much...but still. We are silly and crazy and I wasn't sure if Mom would appreciate our brand of humor or find it all a little much to handle. Turns out, she thought we were hilarious (and also silly and crazy) but pretty much rolled with the punches. I think it helps that we're not exactly party animal and were in bed by 10:00 each night so it's not like we tired her out.

Pauly D (I think from MTV's Jersey Shore *gag*) was performing at the late night pool club the first evening we arrived, so the casino was packed to the gills with trashy Jersey types and their gold chains, hooka heels, and vast amounts of hair gel. An ill-timed thrown match probably could have sent the whole place up. But we certainly got a lot of comedic mileage out of mocking them. Sometimes behind their backs, but most often to their face.

I don't think Mom was particularly impressed with the new type of slots. Apparently most of the draw for her was putting in the coins and then pulling the handle--and you can't do that anymore. It's all automated and the machines only take bills. Plus, the casinos still allow smoking in most of the areas, and she's pretty sensitive to that. But we still played our $10 and had a good time. We didn't hit the big payout, but playing for almost an hour on $10 is nothing to scoff at! Well, fine you can scoff at our cheapness but whatever.

I think the most fun was the cabana rental, nothing makes you feel more posh than lounging poolside with a cocktail in your hand. Chris and I were determined to make the most of our drink credit, and were both drunk by 11 in the morning on Sunday. To her credit, Mom didn't judge at all and seemed to enjoy how I staggered off to the restroom. And we got sucked into successive bad movies on TNT (after Law and Order ended of course) to keep us busy.

What? We were on a mini-break!

As the end of the day approached we still had some money left on our bar credit, so we enlisted the aid of our server to find deserving people around the pool to treat to drinks anonymously. We thought of ourselves as benevolent gods looking down from high and blessing the plebeians with free alcohol. We got two honeymooning couples (whom we could see by peeking through the curtains around the cabana were thrilled to get the drinks) and an older couple who also seemed excited. Our server, Lauren, also got into it and scoured the pool deck for people who seemed nice. No Jersey douchebags were getting our charity!

It was a fun two and a half days and I think a nice change of pace for Mom. Sometimes you just need to get away to a change of scenery, you know? And it certainly made me appreciative to get back to Virginia, a land where most people know how to properly apply make-up, button their shirts, and not overly tease their hair.

Maggie vs. The Jellyfish

It turns out that I got a little distracted from my Costa Rica blogging. First, my uncle (Dad and Aunt Kim's brother) got really sick and I had to drive up to New Jersey to do the whole hospital-waiting thing. Side note--I HATE the hospital-waiting thing. It looked like he might pull through, but unfortunately he passed away about two weeks after the initial scare. It was very sudden and I didn't really feel like posting about vacations at the time.

I also go distracted by another trip, this time to California to visit my brother, my sister-in-law, and my new nephew, James! That is the subject of another post and now that things are finally starting to calm down again...back to Costa Rica!

When you last left this intrepid explorer, I had been traveling around Costa Rica's northwest coast going to beautiful beaches. And guess what? This post is more of the same! You would think after a while you would get tired of beaches, but it turns out each one has it's own little pleasures and is different from all the others.

For our next sojourn, we decided to stay a little closer to home. Playa Hermosa (meaning "beautiful beach") was only about 5 minutes from our house and thankfully not crowded. I wouldn't say that it was strictly the most beautiful beaches of all the ones we visited, the sand was kind of coarse and grey colored, but it wasn't crowded, and it has the distinction of being the first place I have ever kayaked!

That's right, I, Maggie of the infamous poor balance, went kayaking! Here's the thing--it was a lot easier than I expected. I envisioned kayaking as when you have to sit in those long canoe things that cover you up to your waist and if you tipped over you could drown if you couldn't right yourself. Needless to say, I was never really interested in kayaking.

I was, however, assured by my traveling companions and by the folks at the water sports rental place that there were other kayaking options. In fact, there are very nice open dual kayaks that require little or no skill (perfect for me!) so I decided what the hell and went for it. Turns out I wasn't too shabby, and it was really fun. Especially the parts where we went fast. I like going fast!

You know the difference between you and me? I make this look good.

 Mac and his Mom are ready for kayaking adventure.

Oh, and it turns out the hardest part of kayaking is remembering which part of the beach holds the rental place. It kind of all looks the same from 200 yards out. Good thing someone in our group was paying attention.

 

 Check it out, I am kayaking!

Playa Hermosa

After our kayaking adventure, we sat on the beach for a while and then went in the water for a dip. And then it was MAGGIE vs. THE JELLYFISH. There I was, in about waist-deep water, minding my own business and BAM! Something whipped across my leg and it burned. Oh, how it burned. I ran out of the water to get a look at the damage, and I already had the beginnings of a large welt across my entire right thigh. Luckily we had some "after burn" style treatment that I put on it and while the pain never got too bad, it was a constant burning reminder of how nature can sometimes REALLY SUCK. Oh, and it turns our aloe (like you would put on a sunburn) is awesome at treating jellyfish stings. And it's a good thing too since in another two days we had a big horse-riding and zip-line adventure planned and I kind of needed my thigh.

 I think the Jellyfish won this round. And I am not all that eager for a rematch.

 Is it possible that there are more beaches that we haven't visited? Would my leg heal in time for horseback riding? And who is Rosita and why did I want to smuggle her home in my bag? Stay tuned for the answers!

California Gurls

You guys aren't going to believe this, but I think I might be a baby person.

Well, let's not get carried away. I'm a baby person when it comes to babies in my family.

Finding this out was something of a surprise for me; I never thought I had any kind of affinity with or towards babies, in fact I just don't have much experience with them at all. I'm the youngest person in my immediate family and haven't spent a lot of time around my friends' children. I always thought of babies as something that were utterly adorable in the abstract, but a major inconvenience in reality. I also figured I would be like Miranda in Sex and the City: I would love my own children to bits, but other people's kids would just get on my nerves.

Well, after spending a week with my nephew James I can say that sharing DNA with the kid appears to make all the difference because I became a baby-lover for sure. I wanted to hold him, feed him, read to him, play with him, basically everything except change the diaper because that's what parents are for, amiright?

 Aunt Maggie and James!

 And the most surprising part: he seemed to like me right back. He would coo and smile and would let me hold and feed him without a fuss. I was also shocked by how "with it" he seemed for six months. He loved to reach and grasp things and kick and try to move around. He has a huge noggin so he wasn't quite ready to hold up his own head, but it was clear he was a three year old trapped in a three month old body. I could tell that James just wanted to jump up and run and dance and color and read....but he's just not quite there yet.

'Sup world.

But don't think that I went all the way to LA and only played with the baby (thought that was the clear highlight). I'm fortunate to have a bunch of friends that ended up in the LA are so my brother moving out there was very convenient as it guaranteed I would get out there a couple times a year and be able to catch up with peeps from high school, college, and even people I met after I started working downtown.

Saturday night we all gathered at a bar in Universal City (near Universal Studios, of course) and had some drinks, food, and some impromptu dancing when Footloose came on. I mean, it's Footloose. You can't just sit there, right? And then I had the brilliant idea that we needed to get a picture of us all jumping in the air which turned into kind of a disaster.

But we FINALLY got one of us all in the air!

 After chilling at the bar, we went back to my friend Patrick's place for some good old-fashioned Saturday night B-movies. You thought I was going to say something different didn't you? The SyFy channel is always there for you when it need it, and we enjoyed Swamp Volcano and Stonehenge Apocalypse. You should actually look up Stonehenge Apocalypse. It's kind of amazing.

And the fun didn't even end there! My sister-in-law Amanda's brother and his wife flew down from San Francisco for the weekend so we could go to a small club on Friday night and see Felicia Day (from Buffy and The Guild) and her improv group perform. Not to sound like too much of a nerd, but it felt like kind of a quintessential LA thing to do and the show was pretty funny. We even liked the opening act, a group called Lost Moon Radio, that had a truly epic rap about the awesomeness of Jane Austen.

 Hammer Improv

 Felicia Day, sadly out of practice at Improv.

 Me and Katie outside Torrance High School where Buffy the Vampire Slayer was filmed. We're giving out best slayer poses.

 In the end, I was sad to leave but I was reassured by the fact that I would be back in about 7 weeks when Mom and I got back to LA for her birthday in April. More family, friends, and beautiful weather...yay!

Party Bus MOTHERFUCKERS!

We interrupt your regularly scheduled Costa Rican vacation coverage (which I swear I am going to get back to soon) to bring you this important news update:

I AM NOW 32 YEARS OLD.

I know, shocking right? How did this happen? I guess 32 years went by when I wasn't looking.

There's only one way to celebrate such a momentous occasion. PARTY BUS, MOTHERFUCKERS!

That's right! This past Saturday night we loaded up a Kegbus (delightfully tacky) with 20 or so peeps and hit the mean streets of DC. The bus came complete with a sound system, cooler and sink, and dance poles--though the company dubbed them "safety poles." HA, yeah right.

Selvi had the brilliant idea of making a scavenger hunt for us, and our first stops were by the Washington Monument and Jefferson Memorial. We took some fun pictures and enjoyed some beautiful scenery before we made some more stops at a pub and Ben's Chili Bowl. By that point, the scavenger hunt had kind of broken down, so we just spent the rest of the night driving around downtown and dancing on the bus. As God intended.

I can't remember having a funner time; what could be better than rocking out with your best friends to Lady Gaga, having people lick alcoholic whip cream off you all night (seriously), and watching your friends rock the "safety pole." Special shout out to Carly and Mike for their sweet pole moves. Not a euphemism.

But a picture is worth a thousand words, right?

 On the bus and ready for action!

 On the outside it looks like a regular school bus, but don't be fooled....

There might be another job in Mike's future...

 Someone really liked that whip cream...

Dancing and hanging on for dear life! 

The danger made it all worth it.

Playa de Coco and Playa Conchal

Our second full day in Costa Rica dawned just like the previous one, with a bright sun and a strong breeze. Well, to be honest, our first day dawned with more of a gale force, but according to the locals it can get really windy during the dry season and thankfully the second morning was much more manageable.

Rather than laze around ALL day, we decided to only laze around MOST of the day, and after making my way through most of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (I can't imagine a better way to spend a vacation), we headed down the road to Playa de Coco, a larger town and beach than the closer Playa Hermosa.

I was pleasantly surprised by how developed the town was; there were several shopping centers and a huge grocery store that we managed to visit every day. As we got closer to the beach, the street became lined with souvenir shops and run-down dive bars. There were tons more locals than tourists, in fact, during our entire visit I was surprised by the low number of tourists. It was nice to just mingle among the Ticos (Costa Ricans) and pretend to fit in. As much as a pasty white ginger can fit in around Costa Rica.

Self-portrait at Playa de Coco

The main square of all Costa Rican towns is comprised of a soccer field across from the Catholic Church. In Playa de Coco the church was a bright green and there was a make-shift parking lot next to the soccer field. A local man told us he would "watch our car" for a small fee, so we gave him some dollars and crossed our fingers. It seemed safer than NOT paying him, after all. 

We wandered along the main drag ducking into various shops and comparing prices. All the prices were in dollars and all the shop-owners spoke passable English, so shopping was as easy as falling off a log. And for me that is very easy indeed.

Playa de Coco's main street

 

 The green church!

After about an hour of walking around the town and on the beach, we headed down a side road that paralleled the beach to our dinner spot, Cafe de Playa. It was attached to small but nice hotel, and after a short walk through some lush tropical plants, we emerged to an open restaurant and bar. We had appetizers and drinks on some couches right next to the beach, and watched the sun set behind the hills sheltering the beach. Then we moved "indoors" for our meal which I am happy to report was delicious.

 

 

 Appetizers on the lawn/beach!

 

 Sunset at Playa de Coco

The next day is when the real adventure began--we took our first day trip to the slightly hidden beach of Playa Conchal. I say hidden because you can't actually reach it by a real road. You have drive to another beach town (Playa Brasilito) and then find a narrow road (i.e. path) that takes you across the Brasilito Beach and over a steep rocky incline. And then BAM! You have arrived at Playa Conchal--a beautiful white beach that is made of a mix of sand and soft crushed shells.

Set back from the beach under the trees were locals providing all kinds of touristy activities; water sports, horseback riding, ATV tours, etc. My friend Mac and his father, Paul, got some horses and took off for a tour of the beach and surrounding area while Mac's mom, Peggy, and I relaxed on the beach.

After the boys got back, we went back over the hill and went swimming at Playa Brasilito. The water there was much calmer than at Playa Conchal, and the guidebook warned that Conchal can have a bit of a rip-tide. I'm almost as afraid of rip-tides as I am of jellyfish*. For the most part, Brasilito was very nice to swim in; the water wasn't very cold, though not exactly warm, and the bottom of the ocean was smooth and sandy. Except for the ONE patch of jagged rocks that a wave managed to knock me onto cutting my toe. Thanks, ocean.

The boys on their horses.

 

  Playa Conchal: the South end

 Playa Conchal: the north end

And thus ended our first real adventure! We felt like trail-blazers having found a semi-hidden beach, although I can't really describe it as secluded since the Westin resort backs right into it and there were lots of people about. But still! We were adventurers!

Coming up next time: Maggie vs. the Sea Monster




*FORESHADOWING!

Pura Vida, Baby!

Greetings from Costa Rica!

Well, technically I should say "greetings from an airplane quickly carrying me away from Costa Rica."

As with most of my well-laid plans, my intention to blog during my vacation to Costa Rica quickly got lost in the ether of too much relaxation and pure laziness. So you're going to have to make due with my days later recollections. But I have my handy guidebook to help me with all the details and I promise to show you lots of fun pictures to make up for any lapse in memory.

This trip kind of occurred by accident--as much as a week-long vacation to Costa Rica can be said to take place by "accident." Basically what I mean is the trip wasn't a result of months of planning by me as per usual, but instead I was invited along with a friend and his parents. Turns out some friends of theirs had built a house in Costa Rice by Playa Hermosa ("beautiful beach") and they were able to rent the home at a great price. Since there were only three of them planning to go, they were kind enough to extend the invite to include me.

We set out on a freezing Wednesday morning from DC and after two three hour flights (with a connection in Miama) we arrived in Liberia, Costa Rica around noon. I spent most of those flights reminding myself of all the reasons why taking a flight at 6 in the morning had been a good idea. It was hardest at 3:45 in the morning when the alarm clock went off. But in any event, we arrived safe and sound, and the weather was a sunny and balmy 85 degrees. A strong breeze kept it from getting too hot and I liked this place already.

Before I get into details of where we stayed, how about some basic info on Costa Rica? The unofficial national motto is "Pura vida" which means pure life. It refers to taking enjoyment in every aspect of life, especially simple and relaxing things like a cold beer on a hot day or a goal scored by your favorite sports team.

Costa Rica is the most stable of all Latin American countries; it has no standing army (exxxxcellent) and has had a stable democratic government for over 100 years. It has a high standard of living compared to most Latin American countries. The people here are all friendly and really helpful, and at least in the areas we travelled, everyone spoke English. In fact, most of the restaurants and shops had prices listed in dollars and accepted American money. Basically, it's really easy to be an American tourist.

The area we stayed in is called the Guanacaste region (or Gold Coast) and gets its name from the large indigenous tree, the Guanacaste (duh). It's located in the north west part of the country, across the border from Nicaragua and has beautiful beaches on the Pacific Ocean. It also has a lot of volcanoes, and next time I visit (trust me, there will be a next time) I want to do some hiking in the volcanic national parks.

We traveled here during the dry season (November-April) and had no rain. In fact each day was pretty much the same; bright sun, little clouds, and temperatures getting up to 90--but with a strong breeze that kept you from getting too hot. It was perfect beach weather, and we took advantage of it by visiting five separate beaches.

Alrighty, now that you know some of the basics, let's talk about our house. It was called Casa de Viento (House of the Winds) and was built on a large hill-top overlooking Playa Hermosa, the Pacific, and Nicaragua. You could even see the chain of volcanoes in the distance, although their tops were shrouded in clouds.

The view from the front of the house

Casa de Viento!

The house was part of a gated community of similar vacation homes. It was about 30 minutes from the airport and only 5 minutes from the small town of Playa Hermosa. About 10 minutes down the road was the larger town and beach of Playa de Coco where we made almost daily trips to the large supermarket (auto merkado). Hey, you almost always need another bottle of wine or another box of Kraft mac and cheese, right?

The house was thoroughly modern, with AC, nice bathrooms, a two story back deck, and a nice little pool that was cold but felt amazing after being in the sun all day. Our first and last day we spent being completely lazy; laying around the pool, soaking in the sun, and reading. There was a nice tv and DVD hook-up, but to be honest we spent most of the time reading rather than watching tv. There were only about 4 english stations--but never fear, I managed to find Law and Order.

It was almost surprising how little time it took us to get acclimated to the laid-back lifestyle. Coming from DC where everything is go go go, you would think that we might need some time to learn how to slow down, but nope. As soon as we walked into the house it was like we all let out a collective sigh and immediately relaxed. When in Rome, er Costa Rica...Pura Vida!

Side view of the pool with some really neat cactus.

Sunset at Playa de Coco.

Coming up next: Playa de Conchal and Playa de Coco!