Now that it is nice outside, Aaron has his scooter running. We spent the weekend scootering here and there.
I love riding on the scooter. Somehow you can see more than you can inside a car.
I was inspired to shoot some video while riding yesterday and made this little video. I feel like a regular filmmaker.
Have you ever seen Giada's Weekend Getaway? She has the sweetest set up... she gets to travel to cool spots and eat! I have watched every episode... taking notes as I watch.
When she traveled to Newport, Rhode Island, she tooled around in one of these Scoot Coupes. One of these would be great to drive to work in... and cute.
In Chicago she went to Orange where she had frushi. She also ate a piece of french toast kabob from the plate of the girl sitting next to her at the bar.
How does one go about getting job where they go somewhere every weekend and strangers let you eat off their plate?
This has been concert week for me... Guster on Tuesday and tonight we went to see Modest Mouse. Pretty good show. (I was taken aback to see the lead singer smoking a cigarette on stage between songs though... isn't that an occupational hazard?)
I remember how surprised I was the first time I heard Modest Mouse, because for the longest time I didn't think they were a real band. It's because in 1999 I read their name in a suck.com comic and I thought they were made up. Hah.
(from the 3/5/99 suck.com article "Urban Hipsters")
Apologies for the f-bomb... you know how cartoon characters love to swear.
It starts with one and the next thing you know you find yourself dragging your friends into toy stores everywhere. It is so hard to resist these little figures. I just got two new Kid Robot Dunnys and a Tokidoki Cactus Friend.
So I may not be bringing home many plastic bags, but now all the plastic is in the form of vinyl toys. At least they don't get thrown out.
I take some comfort in knowing I am not the only one... I found three books on the subject at Amazon.
I Am Plastic: The Designer Toy Explosion
Vinyl Will Kill: An Inside Look At The Designer Toy Phenomenon
Full Vinyl: The Subversive Art of Designer Toys
Aaron and I went to see Guster tonight and we got to meet them after the show. (Looking at these pictures I feel bad because I realize I forgot to take my picture with Joe, their newest band member. Whups.)
It was a super concert and it was great to learn more about their Campus Conciousness Tour where they are trying to lessen their impact on the environment and spread the word about renewable energy and alternative fuels. (I wrote more about it on Rocha-chatter)
Lookit me grinning like a nut and clutching my post-consumer recycled paper environmental pamphlets. It was all I could do to refrain from loudly informing each of them..."I have reusable grocery bags! I love your new album! Sign my sticker?"
I love the new reusable grocery bags they have at Wegmans. At only $1 a bag we were able to get three for each of our cars so we always have them when we stop for groceries. (that is three for my bug and three for Aaron's truck... oooh.. maybe I should get some for Aaron's scooter)
When Tina and I were in San Francisco we each bought these reusable ChicoBags. They aren't as cute as the ones featured on delight.com (found via NotMartha), but I like how small they roll up. The ChicoBags are perfect for shopping trips... I just need to get better at remembering to carry them with me.
After reading sites like No Impact Man and Sew Green, I am glad I got these... a person uses an average of 500 plastic bags a year!
It's no secret that I love butter. So much so I get butter accessories as gifts. Aaron brought me home a butter cutter. Now I can have perfect individual pats of butter.
I also like this precision butter cutter , this butter curler and this all in one butter slicer/spreader.
And ahh... ummm... am thinking about my very own butter churn.
Sometimes our cable channels will run commercials for Sonic Burger... of which there are none anywhere near us. At least the online locator says there are none within 150 miles of Rochester. Aaron calls it a waste of marketing dollars. I call it torture.
Now I am starting to see commercials for The Melting Pot. There aren't even any in NY state! I do see there is one coming soon to Buffalo... but that is just too far for me to have to watch commercials of hot cheese and chocolate on a daily basis.
I have to admit it. My little nerdling heart skipped a beat when I heard that they were coming out with Star Wars stamps this year.
And it was almost too much to take when I found out some US Mailboxes were going to be converted into R2D2. I had to walk down to the corner of State and Main to see Rochester's Artoo.
Star Wars and stamps... my two geek loves combined. *sniff*
I finally changed my banner over to a spring version. Maybe the weather will follow. In that case just two last winter pictures I found on my camera. Pets in snow.
Before anyone calls the SPCA... Stewie WANTED to go outside in the snow. He cried and scratched at the door so much we finally said fine! We thought after this episode he would want no more of that. Huh-uh... he wanted to go right back out into the snow.
Our pets are weird.
I got a Sylvester and Tweety cat grass kit for Christmas and since it doesn't look like spring outside, I thought I would plant some inside. It grows faster than Stewie can eat it. It doesn't help that he nibbles it ever so daintily.
I had some extra seeds so I planted them in an old coffee cup. I thought it was so cute I moved my little sage plant over into a coffee cup too.
My mom gave me some more Pyrex collectables when I was home for Easter. My newest additions are...
1957 Pink Gooseberry Small Cinderella Bake, Serve & Store
1964 Daisy 1.5 Qt Cinderella Oval Casserole
1971 Friendship Medium and Small Cinderella Bake, Serve & Store
1961 Early American Cinderella Bake, Serve & Store Set
I got a Teaposy gift set in my Easter basket. We made a pot right away so we could watch the tea bundle bloom. My sister was quite fond of the teeny little tea cups and I had to check the box to make sure they were both coming home with me.
I signed up to recieve one of Shmeebot's
Polaroid postcards and sent her an Oscar postcard in return.
Apparently, the post office did not like the size of the Polaroid postcard, but it made it's way to my house since mine was the only address on it.
Thank goodness it didn't get lost in the MAILS... (see the message stamped on the envelope).
I saw a copy of this magazine, The Nest, when I was in California and I have been trying to find it in stores since... with no luck. Not even at Barnes & Noble. Turns out they just started making it. It's from the creators of The Knot and is targeted at newlyweds. It started off as a community website.
Right now you can get a free "mini" subscription. I was going to send the "invite a friend" to Tina, but then I realized that when you input your wedding date... and the dates only go back to 2000. Tina has been married 15 years. Don't let that stop you Tina! That's matrimonial discrimination! You go get your free subscription! Fib about your wedding date... that's right... I said it... LIE!
I colored Easter eggs today with Aaron and my sister. I had it in my head that I wanted eggs that looked like real bird eggs. So after I dyed my eggs, I put them in a box and splatter painted them with a toothbrush and paint. I think they look cute. My dad said he has never seen a bird lay an egg like these.
As soon as I got off my redeye flight from San Fran today, I repacked my bags to go home to PA for Easter this weekend.
It's been tough planning for Easter when I have been gone for two weeks. I haven't gotten to decorate the house or color eggs. I should have at least gone online and ordered these Vosges chocolate bunnies. I love Vosges chocolate and these bunnies are too cute.
The descriptions for the different flavors are hilarious...
"Red Fire - Volcano Rabbit (Romerolagus diazi) Hops in the pine forests near the foothills of the Popocatepetl volcanoes. Rub my belly and you'll feel my spice, Ancho and Chipotle chillies, Ceylon cinnamon, and dark chocolate. Ahreeba, Ahreeba!!"
We are going back to Rochester this evening. I want to thank everyone so much for their great suggestions of places to visit... they made our trip very memorable. And tasty. Some of the highlights were... Japantown, Kinokuniya Bookstore, The Ferry Terminal Building, Miette Bakery, Pier 39 Sea Lions, Britex Fabric, Tartine Bakery, Rudy's Can't Fail Cafe, Golden Gate Park's Japanese Tea Garden, Jeremy's Discount Store, The Cheeseboard and Elephant Pharmacy. We didn't make it to every spot that was recommended, but they went on a list for future visits!
We happened to also stumble upon In-n-Out Burger, Teacake Bake Shop, Coco Bang Korean BBQ, The Cowgirl Cheeseshop, Ikea, Citizen Cupcake, Shabu-Sen Shabu Shabu, Charles Chocolates, Queen Wilhemina's Garden, Pancho Villa Taqueria , Love at First Bite Cupcakery and Scharffen Berger Chocolates.
Check out the 200(!) pictures from my trip to San Francisco that I uploaded to My Gallery.
OK... it's probably a good thing I am leaving San Francisco soon. The food here is too good. I have eaten my way through the entire city. My only saving grace is that we have done a lot of walking... we walk to the office instead of driving... we walk to lunch... we walk to dinner... we walk to the cupcake shop. Ohhhh dear.
