Browse Category: outings

So far so good…

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We’re at the tail end of Week 3 of our “We Have No Car” Experiment and it’s going ok so far. We’ve been using the zipcars next door and it’s pretty convenient. It did, however, start out with a little hiccup a couple weeks ago when we reserved a car on a Saturday morning (to get me to the airport). The reservation site said that the car was available but when we went down to get the car, it wasn’t there. When we called, the operator said “Uh, I guess it’s out for service.” Hm…it would have been good for them to tell us that ahead of time. Since there weren’t any other cars available, I ended up having to catch a cab for $35. Boo… Luckily, Jes was able to get one to pick me up the next day without a hitch.

We gave it another go this weekend and had a good time watching the clock. We reserved the car for 2 hours and headed out for some shopping. We “zipped” over to Best Buy, which took only about 20 minutes since we knew exactly what we needed to pick up. Next was Costco, which was just across the street from Best Buy and we managed to get everything we needed within about 30 mins. We even took some time to dilly dally around the possible purchase of a laptop. Next stop was Whole Foods where we dashed from aisle to aisle and were out of there with 25 minutes left. So, we went to Safeway on the way home to complete our shopping trip. As we got back into the car, I noticed that we had a whole 14 minutes left! So we went through the drive-thru at McDonald’s to pick up a little lunch. When we arrived back at the lot, it was 2:56 pm. Perfect.

Our third experience was this morning. It was President’s Day today and I had to work. Since there wasn’t going to be an employee shuttle today, I reserved a car for an hour and convinced Jes to drive me to work. He was not happy about the early morning wake-up on his day off. Anyway, it was just enough time to get me over the bridge, drop me off, head back over the bridge, and Jes even got to pick up an Egg McMuffin for breakfast.

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Out of the four cars parked in the alley, we’ve tried the Mini Cooper, the Matrix, and Yaris. So far, the Mini is my favorite but it costs $11/hr while the others cost $8.75/hr. So, taking price into consideration, my favorite so far is the Yaris. Of course we haven’t driven the Scion xB so we’ll see how that compares.

So far, the reservation process is really easy and convenient. You can also call them to extend your reservation if no one is waiting for the car back at home. It definitely makes you value your time and helps you shop more efficiently. It’ll either save us money because there’s less browsing but it can also cost us more if we get impulsive. We’ll just have to see…

Almost Spring

We’ve had a few days of clear skies and relatively warmer evenings. So, on Tuesday I took the dog for a long walk along Embarcadero and brought my camera along. I love that magical hour when the sun has set but there’s still enough light to paint the sky.

Asian Cowboy

I found this guy at the BART station one day. He’s a cowboy. He’s Asian. He’s got a guitar, a coin cup, a pretty good twang, and the classic cowboy tan and wrinkles. Awesome.  I still have yet to print this photo and find him again. He asked me for a copy.

HH and Shwag

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Last night, we went to happy hour to celebrate Susie’s birthday. It was a little surprise get-together for her and it was a wild Monday night for all of us. The birthday girl had lots to drink and I had my share along with very little to eat…bad combo.

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Afterwards, we stumbled over to a friend’s workplace for a little beer and shwag. I can’t say which office we went to but I got plenty of goodies to represent. Let’s just say that it rhymes with Help and I give it 4 out of 5 stars. It was like sneaking into someone’s house and eating their food. As Susie tried to recover from her many birthday drinks, we got a bunch of re-colored items. I can’t wait to wear my new tanktop with the bandana, sunscreen, and lip balm while taking swigs from my shot glass. Muhahaha. By the way, that’s Jes sporting his new bandana and drinking beer from a bowl. The office is small but they are set-up with a kitchen filled with snacks and a keg on tap. Looks like a fun place to work.

One more thing, contact me if you want to see photos. To spare us all from the embarrassing photos, the album will be shared upon request. 🙂

Putts and Pie

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This morning I played 9 holes with Jimmy and Tinou. It was a cold day and the course was pretty crappy. On Hole 5, the green didn’t really look much like a green. In fact, it was yellow and patchy. Overall, I had horrible day on the course but my chip shots weren’t too shabby for a change. The boys pulled through despite the yucky conditions and Jimmy managed to squeak ahead of Tinou by one stroke.

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In the afternoon, Jes and I attended Ryan and Michelle’s Pie Party.  There were 3 savory pies and a grip of sweet pies.  We actually voted for our favorite and the savory pork pot pie won.  It was pretty good.  My apple pie didn’t win but it was almost gone by the end of the party so I’d say it wasn’t a complete failure.  Here are photos from the party.

Holiday Time!

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I made mulled cider a couple nights ago and was tempted to pull out my Christmas mugs. But I resisted in order to keep Christmas from stealing Thanksgiving’s thunder. Unfortunately, the rest of the U.S. is starting to pull out their decorations and celebrations earlier and earlier each year.

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On Friday, I met up with some co-workers for Happy Hour and to watch the lights turn on at Embarcadero Center. There’s an ice rink and they had a big lighting ceremony with fireworks galore. Right after the lights came on, we headed over to the Hyatt for the tree lighting in the hotel. They had a huge tree and gazillion lights hanging from above. It was pretty cool!

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In the spirit of giving Thanksgiving a fighting chance, Jes and I made butternut squash risotto last night and I made butternut squash soup and apple galettes tonight. I’m also in the midst of making plans for the long holiday weekend. Lots of people will be in Cerritos (including me) and I’ve gotta make sure to see everyone in a matter of days. How exciting!!