wired to the web

I spent the day today emailing and calling contacts to finish my sourcing in LA. I was bad and didn't each much today- I had the remaining Twizzlers from last night and some smartpop butter popcorn for the whole day.

Finally decided i NEEDED to go get some food seeing as the bachelor pad didn't have any. Stepped out to run a few errands at Kinkos and ended up spending a fortune (relative to kinkos) before stopped at my old college hangout, Sak's. Reminded me of all those days we would go there because it was decent and cheap- and not some ol burger or pizza joint. Tasted exactly how I remembered it too. Had a spicy crispy chicken and beef teri steak combo, with enough left over for tomorrow's lunch. I was supposed to run 3 miles today, but didn't feel that well...probably because I hadn't really eaten anything until 10pm...

I also had a vitamin water to try and "make up" for any damage caused by today's diet.

Oh well. Tomorrow's another day.

Sak's Teriyaki (westwood village)
1121 Glendon Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90024
(310) 208-2002

go go go!

Yesterday I woke up bright and early for a morning lake run. Made sure to have a half turkey sandwich on wheat (protein, fiber, and carbs) to fuel for the run. Jogged a 5.35 mile run around the lake (not too bad, 59 mins/11min mile) with D, feeling the burn from yesterday's weighted walking lunges. hurt so good!

Raced home for a shower, had a Cliff Mojo bar and banana, then was off to appointments with a few designers. Fun stuff! I'm always a bit stressed until I see all of the clothing and accessories and have them in my hands. Munched on Vermont cheddar Wheat Thins in the car while driving around for the next 4 hours...what a lifesaver! I didn't actually like them very much (low salt is much better!), but I was glad to have something to eat!

Finished my last appointment around 4:30, then stopped at starbucks for an iced passion tea and roasted tomato and mozzarella sandwich before going home to take a nap. Had to make sure I was well rested for the long drive ahead!

Woke up 3 hours later and munched on some bento- chicken kara age, corokke, and rice while checking emails. Then packed the car full and was on my way to LA a couple hours later.

Gas stations and food/drink breaks are my saviours while driving. I look forward to them as the miles fly by. This time I finally got to have a McDonald's double cheeseburger mini meal- they've been advertising these mini meals for over a year now! Later had a Snapple peach ice tea- yes, the best stuff on earth IS even better now. It seems to have lost a bit of that "fake" sweetner/mix taste it used to have. And lastly snacked on some cherry Twizzler bits.

Arrived in LA accident free, safe, and on a sugar high. Oh well, at least I'm here.

boudin

Started the day with a cinnamon raisin bagel, then stopped over to see the progress of mom's custom shirt. Turned out beautifully! Then it was on to the mall to get some gifts (godiva or see's) to ship to people in Okinawa. Ended up getting a few boxes of See's Candy, with a few treats for me and mom. Scotchmallows are my favorite (marshmallow and chewy caramel covered in dark chocolate)- and dark butterchews fill sweet cravings as well. I have yet to find a chocolate maker who uses nice solid chewy caramels like Sees- much more my preference than the more usual runny caramels that fill most chocolate centers. I get so much satisfaction out of that solid chewy bite!

Had a Boudin combo of pesto roast beef sandwich and tortilla soup, while mom had the traditional clam chowder in a bread bowl. Was pretty tasty and filling- the soup was filled with shredded chicken, and I had a good mix of bread, veggies, and meat to make sure my workout would be adequately fueled for the day.

Later raced off to the gym to make the yoga/power stretch class, only to find that all the classes were canceled due to the holiday. Had a nice full circuit workout with light weights and finally fit in a few lunges as well. Felt good!

Was ready to eat again as soon as I got home. A good "leftover" meal of beef stroganoff made with the veggies from yesterday and remaining tri tip. Added in a few tangerines for freshness and veg for the day. Had my saved scotchmallow for dessert, and it was time for bed so I can be up early to go attack em!

Boudin

60 31st Ave, #217
San Mateo, CA 94403

(650) 638-1849

www.boudinbakery.com

See's Candies

312 Hillsdale Mall
San Mateo, CA 94403

(650) 345-7502

running on empty

Seriously! Today I was running on empty...

A single balance bar does NOT cut it for running (run/walking) 7 miles... (ick, 88 mins)! I did know better, but years ago was able to run 5 miles on a single balance bar, every day! I guess i'm out of shape- and this body needs more input! Didn't feel all that great while running and started cramping up a bit in the hip flexors.

Made a second bad decision to stop at the gym before going home to stretch out and pay a visit to the steam room, sauna, and jacuzzi. I then realized I had forgotten my post-run snack of a bagel and banana at home, but figured i'd make the most of my wind-down time at the gym. Bad idea! I was starving, verging on faint after my foam roll-out, steam, soak, and sweat. Raced home for dinner- hot dogs on rolls with peppers, onions, mustard, and relish. Add in some edamame and also baked beans, and I had a filling dinner that quickly satisfied my hunger!

mental note: make sure to eat a full meal AND digest before running longer than 5 miles!

santa ramen

Today there was a change in the sleep schedule- I got up early with my mom to visit her friend/seamstress. Since we didn't find previously find her reunion worthy top, we took a trip to JoAnns fabrics and found a sheer print that would work. Can't quite remember if I had breakfast, but if I did, it was probably a bowl of raisin bran crunch.

After exhausting the store for fabric options we were conveniently next door to Santa Ramen. It's the highest touted ramen (to my knowledge) in the bay, or at least the peninsula. This was my second time here, so I gave it another chance- but it was still no comparison to my LA standbys Shin Sen Gumi Hakata Ramen or Asa Ramen in Torrance. The noodles in my tonkotsu ramen were fairly thick but not too special. The broth was allright, but overall...just not my favorite. Definitely can pass in a crunch, but nothing I would ever crave...

There are still others I need to try...

Later at home, after a 4 hour nap (man, my sleep schedule is out of whack!) it was a makeshift "burrito" dinner with store bought pre-marinated tri tip, tortillas, mixed veggies, salsa, cheese, sour cream, guac, and cilantro. Not too bad, though very "unique" and healthy-ish tasting.

A few Russell Stover chocolate parfait (milk, dark, white) squares for dessert. Definitely tasted a difference- was hoping for the crunch of the shell like in Ghiradelli, but i guess you do get what you pay for. It was tasty, at least- and more importantly, satisfied my chocolate craving.

Santa Ramen

1944 S El Camino Real
San Mateo, CA 94403

(650) 344-5918

dim sum day

I set my alarm and made sure to get up early(er) today. It was dim sum day! We went exploring around Chinatown and ate at Gold Mountain just at the end of their lunch/dim sum hour. Was okay, but then again, they didn't have my favorite- ham sui gok- deep fried mochi filled with minced pork and mushrooms!! But a google search did yield the names of some of my favorite dishes! Now only if could remember them for next time...

we had:
-wu gok (deep fried taro balls filled with minced pork)
-chicken feet
-shrimp noodles
-har gow
-shu mai
-turnip cake
-spareribs (not in black bean sauce?)
-char siu bao
-? bao (filled with a sweet egg-ish yellow paste)
-egg tarts
-copious amounts of tea

We took a short walk around to the bakeries, where I bought 8 bao- 4 steamed and 4 baked char siu bao and even found a bag of smackles (now "snackers" on the bag??) for my mom. A fun eating day.

Later it was off to J-town for some sourcing, and I couldn't ignore the geisha float on such a nice day! (by far, the BEST thing at Cafe Hana) I visited the new theater complex in J-town- reminded me of something in Omotesando in Tokyo.

Later sped off home for a nap and then dinner- some beef and lettuce with the bao- all gone in one day! I knew I should have bought 12...

Refreshed from dinner, I was off to run 3 miles- happily uneventful. (36 mins... wasn't feeling it...) A Cliff Mojo bar, then later a toasted cinnamon raisin bagel with peanut butter and a banana finished off the meal...and my day. night!

Gold Mountain
644 Broadway
(at Stockton St)
San Francisco, CA 94133
(415) 296-7733

Mee Mee Bakery
1328 Stockton St.
San Francisco, CA 94133
(415) 362-3204

www.meemeebakery.com

Cafe Hana
1737 Post Street
San Francisco, CA 94115
(415) 567-9133

scrub

I woke up yesterday ready to do my run outside in the beautiful weather. Fueled by a toasted turkey sandwich with laughing cow cheese and some spinach artichoke cream cheese, I skipped out the door for my run.

Things started pretty good, until about the 3rd mile or so, when I began to feel a bit tired. I felt it in my legs, as they began to feel heavier with each step. I pushed on, not wanting to catch too much of a break while going downhill. The next thing I knew, I was falling in slow motion- I had caught the toe of my shoe on the ground, having not lifted my feet high enough, and tripped over my own shoe. It seemed to happen in slow motion, arms flailing, everything tumbling around me. All I could think was "please don't land on my knees, PLEASE don't land on my knees!" Luckily, I somehow managed to avoid landing on my knees or legs- with the full impact of my total wipeout absorbed by my hands. I got up a bit shaken and brushed myself off with nothing more than a few scrapes on my palm. Embarassed, only one man saw me and asked if I was okay- but thank goodness the college kids who were training with their team didn't. I slowly worked up a jog again, making it back to the car so I could wash off my wounds. Somehow I still made 4.5 miles in 50 minutes. A banana made it seem a bit better.

After a quick shower, it was time to meet some old college friends for good times, good talks, and good food at Nola. I had the Creole Shrimp, in a tomato-y wine sauce with herbed rice. It was decent, although my friends' dishes (mainly the "fried chicken" battered breasts) looked much better. I'm 2 for 2 of things that were just ooookay there, but I guess I'd give it another try- especially if the meal came with just as good company.

After getting home, I treated myself to a few Peppridge Farm dark chocolate cookies to make up for my dinner.

NOLA

535 Ramona St
Palo Alto, CA 94301

(650) 328-2722

www.nolas.com