Motorcycle with 2 Front Wheels

New thing today, saw a motorcycle with 2 front wheels. Very odd but the design looked pretty futuristic and very cool. I love futuristic stuff and the unusual out of the box stuff. So this was a pretty neat new thing.

Sparkling Ice - Black Raspberry

New thing today, tried Sparkling Ice, Black Raspberry. It's new, and caffeine free, and flavored and soda-like. Sometimes I crave soda-like stuff but since I gave up caffeine it's hard to find caffeine free soda. Also I do weight watchers so I want to do stuff that's sugar-free or "lite". I tried some of this stuff recently and it was pretty tasty. I did like it, and may buy a bunch next time I'm at Costco. They have a bunch of different Sparkling Ice flavors, so ya, maybe a new thing and a new favorite :)

iPhone Software Updates Phone - Rant

New thing today, updated the software on my iPhone. Pain in the ass and annoying. I hate doing these. I know it's not a huge deal compared to what it does, but for some reason I really really hate all these stupid software updates. It reminds me of a PC where you're constantly updating because of security bugs or whatnot. There have been a lot more iPhone updates over the past years, so it has been slowly slowly getting more and more obnoxious. It's updating as we speak.

Also annoying stuff happens when you update, like when my friend lost all her photos and she's a photo person. She had to do a ton of work to restore and find backups of her photos. Also another friend lost their history on Candy Crush levels and had to restart from level 28 when they were up to level 99 or something, so that's a pain. I also hate how it rearranges your views and uninstalls or reinstalls apps that you did or didn't want. It also rearranges them after the updates so it's a pain in the ass to find some things sometimes. I do some cleanup when the updates happen and it's so Fing annoying.

I'm not super techy with Macs either. I'm actually more comfortable on a PC because I work on them all day. Instead when there are issues with Macs, I can't troubleshoot and problem solve as usual, because I don't get the logic half the time. I have to go to the husband and it just gets aggrevating! I do not want to learn a new system when trying to fix it?

OMFG it reinstalled programs I've deleted. WTF? Does anyone know how to get it to stop doing that and being retarded? Now I have to look this S up and ugh…. Oh I also love how it says it takes 15 minutes when actually it doesn't. It took twice as long this time.

Anyway this post is about how much I hate stupid iPhone updates. I should do more rant posts. Express myself instead of posting about the positive or showing my happy side all the time, lol. Going to troubleshoot permanently deleting apps I don't want. yeay. ARGHHHH!

*OK figured out the permanently deleting apps… it was easy, but still annoying.

Ninja Turtles Trailer (2014)

New thing today, watched the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles trailer. I'm an 80s kid, so the Turtles have a soft spot in my heart and I loved watching them. I groaned a little bit when Michael Bay's name came up, but I know a lot of people like his movies. I look forward to a good action movie and visually interesting fight scenes. I don't usually like Megan Fox but I actually think she looked good in this movie. I also don't know if I like that there isn't a red-head playing April, but Megan looked alright for the part so far. Overall I just hope they do the Turtles justice so I hope it's a good movie, but it looks a little lame from what I've seen. Also the Nickelodeon thing was a little eh, but ok. I'll still probably go see it since I was a fan. Eh.

Rug Pee

New thing today, found out our dog has been peeing on our bathroom rug in the middle of the nights! It's weird because we never felt the rug be wet, but I smelled it earlier today. I was packing and going through things and I swore I smelled her pee! And unfortunately I was right. It must be a good bathroom rug/mat because it just never felt wet, but ya? I checked underneath and it looked like she's peed there a few times. So booo! We're adjusting. I cleaned the rug and we've put her pee pad inside closer to our bedroom for the nights. Hopefully she doesn't go anywhere else in the night. Eh. Will need to lookup this in some dog expert article or something.

Got a Raise

New thing today, got a raise! It's not my first raise of course, but I suppose it was the first raise in this department, with this boss, for this amount and at this time. Was nice :) Boss said I've been doing well lately and wanted to compensate me, so that was really really nice. Wooooo! I'm grateful! :)

A Librarian

New thing today, someone called me a "librarian". It felt so official! I have a Masters in Library Science but I haven't been able to find a full time job in my career field, so I volunteer and don't get paid. Currently I manage a small library and enjoy the work, it's a ton of work, but I really do feel fulfilled working there. There is also a ton to do, so they actually do need someone like me there.

Anyway today, while working with someone, she introduced me as "our librarian" and it felt really really cool. Small victories I suppose :)

And now for a random assortment of Librarian photos I found on the internet and enjoy. Perhaps I should share good resources as I am a librarian... in the future :)

Costco - BBQ Brisket Coleslaw Sandwich

New thing today, tried a BBQ Brisket Coleslaw sandwich at Costco - crazy right? I think it's one of those limited "trial" speciality items, because I've never seen it before. It sounded yummy so we tried it - it was very very tasty. The Brisket had a ton of pepper but it went really well with the coleslaw and in the thick bread. Overall this was amazing yum and I'm glad we tried it. Only had half to try to keep the portions in check with the Weight Watchers and all :) Go try it!

Muffuletta Lettucewich at Which Wich

New thing today, tried the Muffuletta lettucewich at Which Wich. I think this place may be my new favorite sandwich shop due to the lettuce wraps. After the delicious Cordon Bleu we went back and husband mentioned they had a Muffuletta - done! I was excited to try it but also scared as it could turn out pretty gross. Instead it was very very yummy. I had just the Muffuletta stuff (Genoa salami & ham topped with olive salad) in the lettuce and it was delish! Good stuff - go try!

Cardio Barre

New thing today, tried Cardio Barre. It was fantastic! Kicked my ass and felt pretty good and fun at the same time. The class was pretty much full maybe 5 or 10 minutes before starting time, so it was pretty popular. I took the Beginner class which moved at a pretty fast pace, but the teacher was excellent, motivating and fun. The music was a blast and I liked the exercises - very much my style of exercise. I like the classic ballet influence too and all the ballet moves they have you do. Love it and will continue to do this. I highly highly recommend this class and hope others enjoy it as well!

R.I.P.D (2013)

New thing today, watched R.I.P.D. (2013). Eh? At first I was excited to see Ryan Reynolds in tight police gear wielding a gun and capturing my heart like he did in Blade: Trinity.

*Ahhhhhh....

But alas, the magic did not happen again. There were no shirt-off scenes, and overall it reminded me of Men in Black. It was very PG and there were bad ghost monsters to battle.

Jeff Bridges was weird and not really funny, and I couldn't understand half of what he was saying. We put subtitles on after the first few minutes. Jeff played the mentor lone ranger type cop, who was also the comic relief, which was a weird combo. Ryan Reynolds played the straight serious guy? Just a weird combo of characters. Also the action and story didn't quite flow.

I love that this had Kevin Bacon in it though :) Love Kevin Bacon and (spoiler) he makes an excellent villain. Wasn't that great in this movie, but I like him anyway.

I wasn't really in love with this, and lost interest halfway through the movie. Wouldn't watch it again and would probably change the channel if I saw it on TV. Probably 1 or 2 stars out of 5. Although, this movie made me want to watch Men in Black, and I enjoyed those movies much more.

Banana Hammock from the Wicked Kitchen Food Truck

New thing today, ordered a Banana Hammock at the Wicked Kitchen food truck. Yup, it sounds so dirty ordering it. Anyway, new thing tried the Wicked Kitchen food truck. Very good quality gourmet food and although pricey, very tasty. I had some coworkers order the Korean Fried Chicken and they really enjoyed it, but didn't feel the portion was big enough. I was fine with my portion size as I'm watching my portion sizes anyway.

The Banana Hammock has blackened skewered shrimp, with a mix of coconut rice inside the banana, and a killer green sauce which was a bit wasabi yogurt-ish. I don't know what it was that composed everything, but it was really really tasty. Overall I was very happy with this truck and I would definitely try other items. Very high quality and definitely a gourmet food truck. A few people complained about the price and portion sizes, but I was fine with it. 

Go try them! They are wicked good!

The Banana Hammock (ha ha)

Purchased A Groupon

New thing today, purchased a Groupon. I know I'm late to the game, but oh well? I wanted to take some exercise classes at Cardio Barre and a friend said she got a really great Groupon for it. So I decided to get one too. I was going to spend to try it anyway, so why not get a discount? Worked out fabulous! I'm excited to try one of these new Cardio Barre classes which should be another first! Yeay!

Percy Jackson Sea of Monsters (2013)

New thing today, watched Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (2013). Ugh the book is so much better. This was alright. I got bored and started doing other things while watching it. The highlight was there was a rainbow seahorse. I also liked the cyclops half-brother character. Otherwise, the characters are blah, the story line was a bit blah and it just looked pretty with effects and mythical realm things. It was better than the first movie which was pretty terrible too. It did an alright job, but ya, I got bored. Oh well. I'll probably keep watching them though because I want to see what they do with it since I read all the books. Eh.

Life Cycle - Birth, Death and an Earthquake

Photo from http://fourleafclovergoodluckcharms.weebly.com

New things today, we found out about a death and a birth. Today of all days, St. Patrick's day yes, I found out our friends had a little baby girl born this morning. Later this evening, I found out that a relative's grandmother died this morning as well. The death was quite sad, and the birth quite lovely. I'd like to think that life comes around and I would like to think that a new life was born, and someone else left and passed on to better place. Really sort of neat to find out that, it was one of those, circle of life things. Really odd and great when it all comes together like that. We had an earthquake this morning as well. Interesting firsts today.

Some quotes I thought were appropriate.

The world is round and the place which may seem like the end may also be the beginning.
~Ivy Baker Priest

God pours life into death and death into life without a drop being spilled.  ~Author Unknown


“For certain is death for the born And certain is birth for the dead; Therefore over the Thou shouldst not grieve.”
Bhagavad Gita


“I'm not scared of dyin', and I don't really care if it's peace you find in dyin'. Well then let the time be near. And when I die and when I'm gone there'll be one child born and a world to carry on.”
Laura Nyro


Also... this song keeps playing in my head. Graham Colton's Love Comes Back Around. Lyrics Here. Video below.

Penafiel Agua

New thing today, tried Penafiel Mexican mineral water. Wasn't feeling great today and ran out of sparkling mineral water to drink, so saw this at our work and decided to try it. Pretty good actually. New thing and will get it again. Much more affordable than Perrier. Was a little nervous as it was foreign, but it was fine. Mmmmm!

African Sunrise Herbal Tea - Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf

New thing, tried African Sunrise herbal tea from the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. It was good, really good. Floral and it did not taste like I would think and African Sunrise would taste, but overall just very floral and yum. Good stuff I would get it again.

Dog & Seal encounter

New thing today, my dog met a wild seal. It was pretty cool. We were hanging out on the beach when a random wild seal decided to come up on the beach and sun itself. My dog decided to go over and check the seal out. There was a little bit of sniff and run away from my dog. There was also some defensive head nodding and a bark from the seal. Overall my dog got pretty close to the seal, sniffed, and they seemed to have a few magical seconds of a truce where they were ok with each other. Then we called my dog over and got her away, just to make sure nothing happened to either seal or dog. It was pretty frickin cool. Very very unique new thing today! Animals making friends!

The New Standard Roll Food Truck - Superman Roll

New thing today, tried The New Standard Roll food truck. Found it at Granada Hills and decided to try it. I love those soy paper wrapped sushi rolls in burrito format, so I tried the Superman roll which has crab, tuna, salmon, cucumber and avocado. It also comes with a side of something tangy spicy. Delicious! We also got a dragon roll (no photo). Everything was delicious! Will definitely eat here again and enjoyed it!

The Superman Burrito

Blue Hawaii (1961)

New thing today, watched Blue Hawaii (1961) starring Elvis. It popped up on the Netflix choices of musicals, so decided to give it a try. Very South Pacific tropical and some silly drama and love triangle comedy. Mainly it was fun to watch for the retro feel of the thing. I was surprised I fell in love with the part where Elvis sings "Fools Rush In" to a grandma, which was pretty sweet and romantic. I can see how that scene really made that song romantic. Never really liked that song until now :) A first. The music was just ok, and the story was a little silly but ok. Interesting seeing Angela Lansbury as a fussy mom. Also interesting to see the Asian/Hawaiian stereotypes and the Mad Men quality of the times.

So yes, new thing, new movie. Since I've given up TV shows for Lent, I'll probably post a lot more about movies since that's all I'll be watching nowadays.

Also - it was just fun to watch beautiful Hawaii in the background. Could use a vacation now :)

Burbank Airport Veggie Frittata

New thing today, tried a breakfast Veggie Frittata at the cafe at the Burbank airport. We were waiting to drop someone off, and decided to try it while we waited. Surprisingly large and delicious. I was expecting re-microwaved pre-frozen overpriced food. Instead I got a hot, fresh and healthy yummy giant breakfast. Took some home, but it was delicious! Try it!

WhichWich - Cordon Bleu Lettuce Wich

New thing today, tried WhichWich. Saw a few locations and we were curious so gave it a shot. Brand new first and it was delicious! It's a custom sandwich shop with a ton of options. I think all the options makes it tough, but I've learned just doing a few choice ingredients together works better than a lot of favorite things all at once.

I had a Cordon Bleu lettuce wrap with light mayo and cucumbers. It was really yummy. Plus it was one of the liter items. I also love that they do the lettuce-wich so it's great for Weight Watchers. I like it and will be trying multiple sandwiches/lettuce-wiches there!

Here's a photo from Yelp that looked sort of like my lettuce-wich.

Baby Bracelet

New thing today, got myself a baby bracelet with a heart, to remind me to be healthy. It's a sort of reminder jewelry to be good to myself. I've been eating bad and gaining some weight back, so got myself a little something to love myself, and be good to my heart. 

27 Dresses (2008)

New thing today, watched 27 Dresses (2008). Typical romantic comedy. I was feeling sappy and so got into certain parts and cringed at others. Overall ok. Not my usual favorite genre. Forgettable but entertaining while I was watching. Eh. I heard this was good so decided to try it. It was alright. I wouldn't really watch it again or recommend it to anyone, but I wouldn't say I hated it either. I liked her outfits in the movie. Eh?

300 Rise of an Empire (2014)

New thing today, watched 300 Rise of an Empire (2014). We actually saw a newly released movie in the theater! Probably a first this year. It's been awhile since we've seen a first run movie. Had a relative in town who wanted to see it so why not?

I found it a bit slow and dramatic. I LOVED the original 300 movie. This was a sequel/prequel which took place before, during and after the original 300 movie. It left a lot to be desired. I wanted a bit more action and a lot less of the drama. The speeches were uninspired. The best character was the "bad girl". I actually felt for her and her cause and her hatred towards the Greeks. They built her up really well. Overall though, it was just alright for me. A lot of build up. Some of the naval war strategy was pretty neat. Visually it wasn't as striking or cool as the original 300 movie.

Good part was my relative really enjoyed the movie, so I guess that's what mattered. I probably would never own or watch this again. I give it a 4-6 out of 10. Eh.

Umami Burger - Truffle Especial

New thing today, tried the Umami Burger Truffle Especial burger. We haven't been to Umami Burger in awhile - and it's one of the most fabulous tasting places ever. Anyway the original Truffle Burger was a game/life changer and I fell in love with it. Today I found out their menu had 2 additional types of truffle burgers - a Royal one with Braised Shortrib and a Especial one with a fried egg. I wasn't heartily convinced at the new truffle burgers, so before the waiter came I had decided to try just the original delicious truffle burger. 

Then the waiter came and I asked him about the other 2 truffle burgers, and he got all excited and highly recommended the Especial. So I tried it. It turned out blah. I wasn't really loving it. I think part of the reason was the fried egg was another flavor competing with the simplicity and directness of the original delicious truffle burger. It was just an added flavor I didn't want. Also the crispy texture and different taste of the parmesan crisp in the burger was whatever, along with the arugula. Just wasn't liking it. So even though I love fried eggs and truffle burgers, this did not go together well for me. It was still a good/ok burger, just not great and after my first bite I immediately regretted it and wished I had stuck with my gut and just got the original burger.

Oh well, sometimes listening to other recommendations turns out well. Sometimes listening to your gut is better. I think listening to my gut would have been better for this, but I got to try something new. You're welcome :) 

No Car Wash

New thing today, didn't get a car wash. I really need/want one as we have a guest coming and I wanted to spruce up the car (and house). Unfortunately no dice. The places close at 5:30, and I was asked to leave. Boooooo! There were no car washes open later nearby. I'm way too tired to try to get a wash tonight somewhere far, or to do it yourself. Oh well. First time denied.

Zencast 455 - What is by Alan Watts, Lent Resolutions and Weight Watchers Weekly Allowance

New thing today, listened to the podcast Zencast 455 - What is by Alan Watts. It was fantastic. I really enjoyed it. He's an excellent speaker and I enjoyed listening at work. Unfortunately I didn't get to really pay attention to all of it, since I was listening at work and had to do brain work or get interrupted once in awhile, but overall I really enjoyed it. I even thought of downloading his app per the plug at the end, but I found out his lectures and app go $19.99-$34.99 depending on which one you get. He must be an excellent speaker? I may have to read up on him.

Anyway the podcast was about "I", self and all that. He had some really interesting, thought provoking and profound ways of presenting issues. He was also very good at making things relatable and not too completely un-followable as some Zen podcasts can be. Great one if you're interested.

Also on a side note - some other new things today. First, decided to give up TV shows for Lent. Today is Ash Wednesday and it begins, so no TV shows. I have this bad habit of just turning on a TV show when I'm tired, not really paying attention, but paying attention, and having it play for hours on end. I've watched whole seasons in a few days, and I don't get a whole lot done, and I don't really watch the TV show either. It's a weird distraction I enjoy, which I'm going to do without and learn to break that habit. I just like having TV on in the background which is something I want to change and improve upon.

The other thing I thought about giving up is "laziness", although I'm not sure I can so I'm going to just keep it in the back of my mind. There's a difference between your mind and body needing a good rest and relaxation, and laziness. I'm going to try to identify laziness and not do it, and I'll also try identifying when I really need rest and listen to it as well. So important!

So to end on a bad note, another first, I used up all my Weight Watchers Weekly points allowance and my daily allowance today. It's 2 more days in my weekly cycle, but let's be honest, I'll probably go over. Although I did play Trampoline Dodgeball this weekend, but I also ate at Popeye's for Mardi Gras yesterday, so I guess that cancels out. I guess it's good I track, because you have no idea how many points/calories fast food is, but it's a lot, and I was surprised. Should have planned better, but oh well. Those are my new things :)

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks

New thing today, finished World War Z by Max Brooks. I was surprised how compelling and interesting this was. I was hooked. Originally I started reading it mainly out of curiosity. I wanted to see how the book would go, since I enjoyed the movie World War Z. The two were completely different, and I enjoyed both.

I loved the way the stories in World War Z showed different sides of the zombie apocalypse and the unfolding of events from various perspectives. Some images and stories really stuck with you, and I just loved all the different backstories and events. This would make a fantastic TV series or mini-series, but would be far too hard to put everything into a movie. The stories were really great.

If you like short stories, this might really work for you, as they are a bunch of small short stories intertwined in a giant worldwide event. I really really enjoyed this, and I'm not big into the horror, zombie or apocalypse genre either. I was pleasantly surprised to find a fantastic book I had no idea I would like. READ THIS! :)

Portos - Coconut Thing

New thing today, tried a Portos coconut thing. It's a yellow glazed ball with sugary coconut inside. It was uber sweet, and not really my thing, but good if you're craving coconut. Just alright :)

Sky High Trampoline Dodgeball

New thing today, played Dodgeball at Sky High Trampoline park in Camarillo. Yes it is as awesome as it sounds. We had been there before just jumping around the trampoline park with our nephew. This was the first time we were playing dodgeball here, and with a bunch of adults. It was for a friend's birthday - fantastic exercise and a ton of fun.

Now all of us were around 30 years old, ranging from late 20s to late 30s. It was funny because there were quite a few people there we had never met before, so it was like, no better way to meet new people than to aggressively throw balls at them. Birthday boy reserved a court, and it was genius. So much more fun playing on a reserved court with just our party. Also there were a bunch of adults. I was a little afraid I would hurt myself, not being so young and spry anymore, but jumping around, throwing, getting hit with a dodgeball in the face, and falling carefully, we didn't hurt much but our game playing egos. We all started getting winded after awhile, but still had fun. At the end there were some sore shoulders, backs and legs, but overall we had a pretty awesome time.

We all had a blast and I was surprised how much fun I had. Honestly I was a little nervous going into the game, but I came out sore, but with a really big grin on my face. The group of people we were with were really fun and kind, so we all had a great time.

"Aim low!"
- Dodgeball (2004)

California Earthquake Chips

New thing today, tried earthquake chips from California Chips. They have a very unique flavor.  Per someone else, it's like BBQ, sour cream and cheese & mesquite flavor with some vinegar. It is very odd, but a lot of people really love it. I was not one of them. It was a bit much for me, and had a weird aftertaste, so I didn't really like them. I didn't hate them though. They were edible, but I prefer a simpler tasting chip. I think people should still try them because everyone's tastes and preferences are different and a lot of people loved this chip. Nice new thing to try though. Now I know.