After a seemingly long wait, I finally got my CB I Hate Perfume scents samples in the mail today. This marks the beginning of my recent fascination – Scent Memories and Experiences. Jeff calls it my rumination and my fixation. I’ve always been a sensitive smeller. And I like certain smells that 80 % of the population won’t. Smells like old books, mildew, freon gas, etc. It gets weirder and weirder but natural smells like those make me comfortable and happy.
It’s just so unfortunate that I don’t live anywhere close to Brooklyn, NY to actually experience and purchase some of Christopher Brosius’s hand-crafted perfumes, accords and home sprays. So to avoid putting a big dent on my finances and purchasing something expensive that I don’t like, I ended up buying 5 samples to start off and to hopefully help me decide one which ones to buy.
So this is my review of the water perfumes from the CB Experience Series (from my least favorite to my top choice):
THE FIR TREE – minty, woodsy single-note scent. Jeff is reminded of Christmas and a freshly cut Christmas tree that you haul at the back of your truck. Would be a good holiday spray.
GATHERING APPLES – okay, so this is a spot-on smell of freshly-picked red Mackintosh apples from a very bountiful orchard. Jeff smelled a hint of wood bushels. Amazing smell but I need more drama to convince me.
WINTER. 1972 – This is a pretty awesome scent. Didn’t like it at first whiff but the more I smell it, the lovelier it gets. Reminds me of the smell of cold water, wet earth and cool crisp winter air. Brosius mentioned a note of wet mittens too. Definitely an aquatic smell here. Pretty interesting and fascinating.
UNDER THE ARBOR – Reminds me of our trip to Napa Valley, right after a morning rain- wet grape vines, musty soaked earth (kinda like mildew) and old wood. Wonderful, wonderful smell! Reminds Jeff of a garden shed or a greenhouse. I like its earthy basenote and a lingering grape-y scent. Talking about a memory scent.
And last but not the least, my favorite – BURNING LEAVES.
This smells like, guess what, burning leaves! Burning Maple Leaves to be exact. Jeff is reminded of Thanksgiving and autumn. Very warm smell and very nostalgic. The scent is very exact and unbelieveable. Don’t know how Brosius was able to capture this in a bottle without smelling like a cheap bottle of liquid smoke. Good, good smell!
This makes it harder for me to decide.. I guess I am still on a look-out for a trigger scent, something that would knock me off my feet, make my heart skip and transport me to memory lane. Getting more scents soon. To be continued…
When life gives you grumpy patients, just listen, shut up, and give them a big smile. This is a sure- fire way of annoying them in a safe, passive-agressive manner without the fear of losing your license and professionalism. I just did this today and victory is MINE!!!! Bwahaha!
So happy to have discovered my new urban find, The Container Store! I knew there was The Container Store in Phoenix but I never really alotted time to find it and to go there. Sunday was pretty open so hubs and I headed to North Scottsdale out of curiosity. And this is what we found:
Stacks and stacks of different sorts of containers and storage imaginable to mankind! It’s the ultimate organizer heaven, a dream come true for people with OCD.
The first thing that you would notice when you step in the massive store is the smell. Love that plasticky, industrial smell you get from new items!
Theres a container available for every room in the house. Aisles and piles of container beauty. I told Jeff I wouldn’t mind working in this place. He laughed.
We ended up getting 3 KIVA baskets for the laundry room, a purple Gerbina Umbra wastebasket for my soon-to-be office cum laundry room which will be a bright purple, and a stainless steel sponge holder for our kitchen.
I know I will return soon!
We were in Flagstaff for the weekend and were looking for a new culinary spot for dinner. After some searching of Yelp and TripAdvisor, we decided to head to Criollo Latin Kitchen in the heart of downtown Flagstaff.
When we first arrived at the restaurant, a handful of the tables were filled. The walls are painted a warm brick red, and eclectic art decorates the one side of the restaurant. Handblown pendant lights light the bar, and original rustic wood flooring is underfoot.
We were seated at the rear of the restaurant. We had already scoped out the menu online so we ordered quickly. Hazel chose the Paella Criollo and I chose the Mojo Marinated Pork Tenderloin.
As we waited for our food, we noticed that the tables were beginning to fill up. The clientele was diverse from elderly couples, families, college students, and even dreadlocked hippies. The waitstaff was attentive, always keeping our drinks filled.
Our meals were brought to our table piping hot, and at first bite we knew we had found a new favorite restaurant. Hazel ranked her Paella as one of the best, perhaps only behind Sevilla in San Diego. My pork tenderloin was perfectly tender and served with lentils and some delicious cactus-potato cakes. The red chili sauce added just the right amount of heat and flavor to the dish.
The portion size was perfect as it allowed just enough room for dessert. Hazel and I decided to share the Tres Leches with Pineapple ice cream. This is not currently a normal resident on the Criollo menu, but it should be as it was tasty but not too sweet.
It should be noted that Criollo, and it’s pricier sister restaurant Brix, pride themselves on sourcing most of their ingredients from Arizona providers.
We give them thumbs up for flavorful food, great waitstaff, and reasonable prices. We will definitely return on a future visit to Flagstaff.
On Saturday, we ventured into the “wilds” of Bearizona. This relatively new Northern Arizona attraction is located just east of the Route 66 village of Williams, AZ.
You won’t find lions, tigers, or elephants here. Instead the park features animals native to North America. The Fort Bearizona portion of the park is more like a normal zoo, with large pens for bear cubs, juvenile bears, bobcats, and a kid-friendly petting zoo.
The main attraction of the park is the self-paced, drive through section. Here, you pilot your own car through acres devoted to Alaskan wolves, Dahl sheep, burros, rare white bison, and of course the headlining stars of the park–the black bears. The animals are free to roam within the large area so don’t be surprised if they investigate your car to see if it might be edible. You are warned before entering the bear area to keep your windows up, because to a black bear you are edible.
But, don’t fear. The black bears at the park seem more content to dig for worms and gnaw on branches and apples than snack on tourists.
The second phase of the park is still under construction, and long term plans include an on-site hotel. The facility is making a unique attempt at being green. The underlying structure to the faux rock climbing area for the Dahl sheep is composed of old RVs, semi trailers, and city buses that are then covered with a granite like cement.
We would definitely recommend visiting Bearizona if you are in Northern Arizona. Just a short 25 minute drive from downtown Flagstaff, this is a great family friendly attraction.
On the day before my birthday, Hazel and I headed to Zinburger at Biltmore Fashion Park for lunch. We have had various results with other Fox Restaurant Concepts. Olive & Ivy has great food, but abhorrently slow service. True Food’s eats were tasty, but portion sizes were too small. So we went in hoping for the best, lured by the promise of tasty burgers and some unique milkshake flavors.
The restaurant is decorated in a very Fox-esque chic decor with natural wood floors and a full wall mural depicting green grass, blue sky, and four Holstein cows. I guess nobody told the designers that quality burgers don’t come from Holsteins.
Regardless, I ordered the Samburger–a bacon cheese burger with Thousand Island Dressing–and a Creme Brûlée shake. Hazel went with Clint’s “Almost Famous” Vegetable Burger. We were disappointed to find the burgers did not come with fries. They were a $5 add on.
The shake was pretty tasty. As for the burgers, Hazel found her veggie burger to be “mealy”. My burger was average. If I am going to pay more than $15 for burger and fries it better be spectacular. It didn’t come close to the bovine utopia that is The Diner Burger from San Francisco’s Fog City Diner. Yet the San Francisco price was included.
Will we return? Probably not. There are too many other places to go while were young.
“Grow old along with me. The best is yet to be…” – Robert Browning
I wake up every single morning with you watching over me. Your smile brightens my day.
You are my favorite person in the world and I will never leave your side.
I am lucky to have you as my husband and I’m excited to spend so many more years with you.
I love you forever.
Happy Birthday, Jeff and may all your birthday wishes come true.
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Comments Off on Joyeux Anniversaire, Mon Amour A lot of my friends are saying that I should get a dog, or a cat and I always try to come up with a good excuse for not wanting to have one… yet. (A cat is not even an option, they’re just too ninja for me.) Thing is, I am not emotionally ready to have a mammal pet, and that’s the honest to goodness truth. I do like watching puppy videos on YouTube and I always say “I want one!” afterwards, but that is short-lived.
A Cute Puppy
See, growing up we didn’t have a family dog until I turned 9 when we moved to our new house. Our first family dog was a mutt, a white dog with tawny spots named BOOMER. Boomer was fast and jumpy. Kinda like a spring-loaded, nervous wreck. Unfortunately, Boomer was hit by a car after 5 years of being with us and it was very, very sad. Boomer was my first dog and like true love, he never dies.
Next came a white dog named BLANCHE. We have a knack for white dogs, I guess. Unlike Boomer, Blanche was a mean girl. She would bark all the time until she would get canine laryngitis. She would bark at a shadow and at me coming home from school. Blanche had too much drama going on. And to be honest, I don’t remember what happened to her.
Then came this black dog named AYTOM. What a weird dog! He was pitch black and reminds me of Voldemort. He was quiet and stealthy. I kinda liked him because he minded his own business. Now Aytom passed away on my birthday. He died of old age. I turned 18 on that day. That was a sad day for the family.
We had a canine hiatus for years after that. Dunno what happened but my parents decided to take a break from dog drama. Then came our current dog STRATUS, borne in 2006 and given by our hairstylist family friend, Stratus is named after a type of a cloud because of his wispy, light white fur. He is now 5 years old and as mischievous as ever. Because we don’t usually let our dogs get in the house, Stratus has a house in the garage. He destroyed his house one day and decided to wrap a barb wire around it. I wasn’t sure what kind of Rambo tactics he was thinking but Stratus got hurt from this shenanigan and was in the Vet hospital for days.
Arturo "Art", The Tortoise
Stratus makes my mom chase him, stops, and runs away again. He’s always fluffy because of Downy. My mom swears by Downy on fur and I never questioned that. When Jeff and I went home last year I was apprehensive to pet him because of fear of unfamiliarity. I was happy just seeing him play.
I believe that dogs are our best friends. I have no doubt about it. I just think that having a dog is a life-long commitment. No one should take care of one just because they’re cute and cuddly. I know I will have a dog someday, maybe once we have kids. And I already know that it’s going to be a Westie.
For now, our pet bestfriend is a tortoise named ART. Art may be slow and scaly, but he’s cute in a non-fluffy, granpop kind of way.
Another weekend, another attempt to find some place to eat amongst a sea of restaurant chains and fast food joints.
A few weeks ago, I had spotted a listing for El Rico’s Mexican Restaurant on Yelp! With four and five star ratings, we figured we should give it a try.
The restaurant is oddly located in between a few automotive shops and a vacant lot. A roadside billboard looms over an otherwise attractive courtyard that leads to the restaurant entrance. Once inside, the host station seems awkwardly placed in the path to the takeout counter.
Our amicable host, led us to a corner table and presented us with simple paper take out menu. No fancy leather bound menus or wine lists here. Prices are equally non-pretentious.
An acoustic guitarist provided a bit of ambiance, although turning down the volume a notch would have probably been wise.
For her entree, Hazel chose the pollo asado enchiladas with tomatillo sauce. I decided on the carne asada chimichanga. We both found our selections very flavorful. Hazel mentioned how she could taste the distinct flavors–such as lime–used to marinate the meat. The meat in the chimicanga was very lean and the tortilla perfectly crispy.
We left stuffed but satisfied. We will most likely return.
Okay, let me get this straight. On the news today – The show SpongeBob Squarepants is a sensory overloader and can cause attention deficits in children.
First, it was a show promoting homosexuality. SpongeBob, apparently is gay. Uhm, non-sea people, sea sponges are asexual. Ergo, SpongeBob is neutral. And if he is gay, there is nothing wrong with it! There shouldn’t be any issues with gender. Period.
Secondly, the show promotes “mental sluggishness” because of Patrick. This, I think, is absurd. Give me one cartoon character that has an IQ high enough to be a member of MENSA. None. Patrick is funny, and for kids, funny is what’s important.
Now, it’s this psychological drama. Keep in mind that in the study, 4-year olds were asked to watch the show in 9 minutes and they arrived with the conclusion that because of its fast-paced nature and ever changing scenes, kids become restless and predisposes them on acquiring attention deficit hyperactivity disorders. My apologies, but I’m not buying this.
SpongeBob Squarepants in my opinion, is geared towards older children and adults, not 4-year olds. At 31, I find the show very entertaining, with Patrick being my favorite. After all, 4-year olds should be slumped on the floor with other children, playing with Legos or making their imaginary forts instead of watching too much cartoons!
I am a SpongeBob advocate and if I need to go to Senate for this, I will. My future kids will be watching SpongeBob and getting vaccines. Because of this, I gotta say that Bikini Bottom Rocks!
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