More from our LA Trip

Here are some more pictures from our trip to LA a few weekends ago.

View of the Hollywood sign from our hotel room:

Kodak Theater getting ready for the Oscars:

Tom Cruise's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame:

Mann's Chinese Theater:

A reluctant Marc posing for a photo:

Please Don't Divorce My Friends!

Thanks Jessica for sharing this video with me! I hope all of you will join me in imbedding this in your site as well.


"Fidelity": Don't Divorce... from Courage Campaign on Vimeo.

These are families. These are people. I cannot understand why anyone would want to hurt anyone else. I can't understand why anyone would want to control what other people do. It is fine if you think it is wrong to be gay, you don't have to be gay! But why do you care if someone else is? What other people choose to do in their lives should not matter to you. Why would you want to keep people from being in love? Why would you want to keep people from being happy? Why would you want to prevent people who love each other from being married? I just do not get it. Please do not let Kenneth Starr, evil and hatred win. 

Weekend Getaway!

Last weekend we decided to drive north to Hollywood, totally random and on a whim. Marc had some Marriott Rewards points that we burning a hole in his pocket so we cashed them in and booked a hotel room at the Renaissance Hotel Hollywood & Spa. The hotel was located right in the middle of West Hollywood, just around the corner from the Kodak Theater. Imagine how crazy this place would be during the Oscars! Wow!

The hotel decor is heavily inspired by the Mid-Century modern movement, with all kinds of cool artwork on the walls and furniture from Eames and Mies van der Rohe through out the lobby. I am a huge fan of architecture and furniture from the era, so it was definitely a delight to see. I wish I would have taken more pictures but Marc hates when I act like a tourist.

Mural in hotel lobby:

More art in the lobby:

This piece was so cool. It looked like there was someone or something trapped inside trying to get out.

Eames Lounge Chairs and Platner Side Table:

I wonder if these were authorized reproductions or fakes? The Eames chairs retail $3000 each and the Platner Side Table retails for $665. Pricey stuff for a high traffic hotel lobby. A real Eames Lounge from DWR is very high on my list of things that I must have in my next house. Same for the Platner Side Table. I just love it. 

Space Ship Trash Can:

I have no idea if these trash cans have any special architectural or design significance. I just thought it was the cutest thing! They were through out the hotel lobby and public spaces. 

More pictures from the mini getaway coming soon.

Stay tuned...

... Photos from the mini getaway to Hollywood are coming later this afternoon!

Happy Valentines's Day!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Valentine's Day! We are going to head up to LA this evening  just to do something different and fun. We are staying at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel. Looks like it should be nice! I'll have pics to post later from the mini getaway. 

xoxo smooches!

Woo hoo!

Just a quick note to let you know that I got the job! Thank you so much everyone for all of the well wishes. I am the new Director of Sales and Marketing at very nice, mid-size hotel property with 200+ rooms in the San Diego area. For those of you that are not aware, my background is in the hotel business and it is what I am very passionate about. I have not worked in 8 months, so it will be an adjustment, but I am ready! I am really looking forward to it. Wish me luck!

Job Update!

Some of you may or may not know that I've been looking for a job for the last 2 weeks. I've been unemployed since July but unemployed by choice. I was starting to feel a but unproductive lately so hence the job search.

I had an interview last Friday which was fabulous. Since then I have had 2 follow up interviews via phone, taken a personality survey, and had my references checked. 

I just got the phone call from my "future boss" *crossing my fingers* that she wants to meet for lunch tomorrow to "discuss our future"! I think this is good news. So please keep your fingers crossed for me and send positive vibes! I'll update again tomorrow after our lunch date. 

Clever Cleo

Our cat Cleo is a crafty little cat. So crafty that she has figured out how to open doors. Now granted the doors that I am speaking of resemble kitchen cabinets, but I still think she's pretty darn clever. 

Observe:

This is little Cleo helping herself to the linen cabinet. Whenever I see her do this it totally cracks me up! She takes her little paw and just opens the door like a human. When she does this I can't get too close to her or else she'll stop. So I've never been able to get a super close up picture of this. 

Enlarged:

Cleo resting comfortably in the linen closet:

Smart Cleo. 

Do any of you have animals that are particularly crafty?

Rain Rain Go Away!

One thing that you don't see very often if you live in the San Diego area is rain. But the past three days it has been raining like the dickens! Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining; we need it!

Yesterday we were having drinks at the lovely Estancia La Jolla hotel and I saw a very rare sight around here. I saw a rainbow. The rainbow was much more vivid and colorful in person but you get the idea.

Another side effect of the rain: our lagoon is flooded! When I say "our lagoon", I am referring to the San Elijo Lagoon, which is basically my back yard. At normal water levels, it almost looks like there is a river flowing through it:

But yesterday, it looked more like a lake:

And yes, in the background, you can see my sliver of an ocean view. At least it is a wide sliver. Even though we are not really "on the beach", backing up to the San Elijo Lagoon affords us a totally unobstructed ocean view. The only thing between the lagoon and the ocean is the coastal highway - the 101. If you enlarge the pictures you can see the cars off in the distance. 

The San Elijo Lagoon is actually really cool because there are raised paths and trails that you can walk on. It is excellent for watching birds and wildlife in general. The water is super clear so you can also see all of the different kinds of fish swimming around. I personally love watching the mullet fish wildly jump out of the water. You also see little lizards scurry off of the paths, quickly trying to get out of the way as you walk by. I always forget my camera when I walk through the lagoon. Next time I am going to remember it so I can snap some fun pictures for you! 

NY Magazine Feature

I hate to boast on e-polishblog so I'll do it here! I just about died yesterday when I saw that my other blog, e-polishblog, was featured in New York Magazine's fashion blog "The Cut". Here is a link to the feature. It was brief, but I'll take it!

For those of you that might not be aware, I have just a slight obsession with nail polish. I love it! I just think it is one of the most fun beauty products to play with. It's available in just about every color you could ever think of. I love being able to change my polish to match a mood or compliment an outfit. Even though I love the wild and crazy colors, on most days I stick to neutrals or vampy colors. I think neutrals and vamps just look so chic and elegant. I also think that a dark navy blue nail is also a trendy way to do a dark nail that still looks so elegant. Manicured and polished nails are the best accessory! 

Shell Beach, La Jolla

After our lunch at La Vache, we decided to head north towards home. But it was such a beautiful day outside that we stopped in La Jolla first. One of my favorite things to do in La Jolla (besides stopping @ George's for booze drinks) is to walk by the shoreline park. There are stairs that go down to Shell Beach, aptly named because the sand is made out of crushed sea shells. 

See what I am talking about:

The tide was really low, so there were lots of tide pools to explore:

Unfortunately I was not wearing proper foot wear for this. I almost took a good spill but caught myself before I fell! Looking in the tide pools is really fun though. There are all sorts of tiny sea creatures to be seen. Next time I'll try to wear better footwear so I can get pictures. 

Here are some other candid shots from the beach:

One of the things that I love about living where I do is that I can go to the beach in January. Of course the water is too cold to swim, but just the ability to be out and about and not freeze my butt off is something that I really value. I cannot imagine living anywhere else!

Lunch at La Vache

I love to find a fabulous new restaurant (new to me at least)! We have some really great ones that are close to our home, but sometimes I just get tired of going to all of the same places. So last weekend we ventured out to Hillcrest, a super cute and funky neighborhood close to downtown San Diego, to see what we could find.

There were no shortage of restaurants to choose from, but we decided to have lunch at La Vache, a casual french bistro. 

The outside of the restaurant offers patio seating:

But we decided to eat inside:

I love how they cover the tables with paper. They also provided crayons for doodling.

There is a smallish cute bar:

Bar rules:

No Fussin'! No Fightin'! No Whinin'! No Back Talkin'!

Our drinks of choice:

Marc had the chardonnay and I had a bellini. Yum!

Hungry Marc:

Marc is wearing his favorite sweatshirt. Do not be surprised if it appears more than once.

My Lunch:

Caesar salad with salmon, dressing on the side. It was excellent! The salmon was seasoned perfectly and the croutons were really good. I am kind of picky about my croutons.

Marc's Lunch:

Steak sandwich and salad. It looks like it was all bread in this picture but it really wasn't. Marc's steak sandwich was soooooooo good! He let me have a bite. The steak was really tender. 

No picture of me? Marc still has not gotten used to the idea of my "personal blog". He thinks that taking photos in public like this makes us look like tourists. Maybe it does, but who cares!? Oh well, at least he cooperated with me for the most part. He had better get used to it.

There were so many other things on the menu that looked good, I can't wait to go back. Their prices were very fair. I think my salad was $13.50 but the piece of salmon was huge! Marc's sandwich and salad was a special and so it was only $8.50. The sandwich was so big he could hardly finish it. I love finding great restaurants that are new to us. Like I said, I can't wait to go back!

La Vache in Hillcrest, San Diego. This place gets my stamp of approval!

Yay Shopping!

Ok, not really a "yay". Yesterday I left the house for the first time in 4 days to do a little shopping. You see, Marc has been out of town on business all week. So my choices were to either go to the store myself or starve to death. What was on my list?

Chewable Vitamin C:

OJ:

Fruit Salad:

Yes, that's right. I have not had nail polish on since I removed it Sunday night. Oh, the horror!

Homemade Turkey Noodle Soup from Seaside Market:

For when I run out of the good stuff:

Bringing in the big guns:

If you haven't guessed by now, I am sick. Really sick. I started feeling punky Saturday night and by Monday it was full blown. It still is. Yuck! I have not been sick in 2 - 3 years. I wonder what caused this?

Oh, guess who else is sick? Mary & Nina are sick. Really sick.

What do the three of us have in common you may ask? Well for starters, we were all at the same party on inauguration day. Also, neither of us has any children. I actually think that the three of us were the only ones at said party that do not have any children. Coincidence? I think not. I think that all of those mommies have built up a resistance to what ever nasty bug we caught. How is that fair? 

Hopefully we'll all be back in the swing of things soon. Feel better ladies!

Meet Marc

Meet my boyfriend, the 5th member of The Beetles:


Circa 1971.

Just look at that neckerchief. From what I understand, he was quite the fashion plate back then. He still is now. So cute. The cutest boy ever. 

*(he'll kill me if he sees this!! hehehe)*

Lunch at St. Tropez Bakery and Bistro

A few days ago I had a late lunch at one of my favorite spots in Encinitas, St. Tropez Bakery & Bistro. We dine here pretty regularly for both breakfast and lunch. They have a beautiful selection of pastries and a great menu of salads, soups and sandwiches. If you live in the area or ever find yourself in the North County San Diego area, a meal at St. Tropez is a must. 

My Goat Cheese Salad:

This is probably my favorite thing to have for lunch. Crisp lettuce, red onion, red pepper, kalamata olives, gherkin pickles, huge homemade croutons and goat cheese that has been wrapped in philo dough and lightly pan fried. So yummy, my mouth waters thinking about it!

Outdoor patio:

Inside:

Yummy Quiche:

Beautiful Pastries:

St. Tropez Bistro and Bakery, Encinitas, California. Yum!

I Heart Hillcrest

I hate parking meters. I hate them with a passion more than you can even understand. It's not because I am cheap, because let me assure you, I am not. It is because I never have much more than a quarter in my wallet. I don't carry cash, I use credit. It's just what works best for me. 

So imagine my shock and horror when I went to Hillcrest the other day to get my hairs cut, to find nothing but pay-for-parking lots and parking meters. I knew better than to even bother with a meter, so I pulled into the first pay-for-parking lot that I saw. I parked, and walked over to the strange yet cute old woman working the guard booth, and asked her if she took credit cards. Nope! 

The next thing she told me was utterly shocking, in a good way. The parking meters take credit. What?! Yup, they do:

See the beautiful Visa/Mastercard logo? Love at first sight. 

Way to go Hillcrest! Parking meters are seriously enough to make me write off a city completely. There are just too many places I can go where I don't have to hassle with them. But since you let me pay the way I want to, with credit, we can be friends. 

The freaking awesome parking meters are just one reason to love Hillcrest. It's a fabulous little urban oasis for me with funky shops and restaurants when the beach towns are just a feelin' little too boring for me. I can't wait to go back! I heart Hillcrest. 

Night Sky in Cardiff by the Sea

Evening view from my balcony:

In the foreground is the San Elijo Lagoon. In the background, if it was daytime, you could see the 101 (coast highway) and the Pacific Ocean. Looks peaceful, huh?

In the nighttime, I cannot always see the ocean, but I can usually hear it. As I sit awake in bed right now typing this, the sound of the waves crashing is nearly loud enough to keep me from falling asleep. If the sound of the crashing surf does not keep me from getting to bed, the sound of the Coaster or the Surfliner flying by will. Yes, the view is amazing. But sometimes I just want quiet when I am trying to sleep. Oh well, I guess a loud night in California is better than a cold one in Michigan. 

Good night.

Check out my new hat!

Thanks to the magic of Photoshop, you too can have your very own "Aretha Hat"! Don't we look fabulous?

Thanks to Mary for doing this.

Inauguration Day Fun

Yesterday I had the great pleasure of meeting up with some great gals at the home of blogger Jessica Gottlieb to watch history unfold as Barack Obama became our 44th President of the United States. 

The party was sponsored by Quaker Oats, in part to help them promote their Start With Substance Program, where they will be giving away ONE MILLION bowls of oatmeal. They had a beautiful spread of fruit and of course, oatmeal. 

It was a fun time! If only I would have gotten there on time, traffic near LAX was horrible. The party started at 9:00 a.m. and I did not get there until 9:45 a.m. I missed watching the swearing in of our new president, but I did get to hear it live on the radio. Of course I've seen it repeated it on the news several times today. I think that our new first lady looked very chic wearing Isabel Toledo. Sasha and Malia also looked absolutely adorable wearing their J. Crew coats. I fully admit to being one of those that is very excited about following the fashion choices of the first family.

Our gracious host, Jessica, is nearly a celebrity (in case you did not know). Check out this video of the CBS Evening News covering the party BEFORE it even happened! 

Here is a photo with me (looking puffy on the left, I need to start my new diet, um I mean lifestyle soon) with our host Jessica (middle) and my new friend Mary (right):

Other bloggers in attendance: Elizabeth (although I did not get a chance to meet her), Lolita, the Slackmistress, and Kim. I am sure there were more bloggers there but these are the ones that I am immediately aware of.

Also, John McCoy, a photographer from the LA Daily News showed up to snap a few shots. Here is a photo of me and Mary. I was supposed to be "live blogging" but Mary did a much better job at this than I did. I was too busy drinking mimosas. I am digging my hair cut in this photo.

You can click this link to check out more photos from the party on the LA Daily News site. You will see that there were A LOT of kids at this party (the LA Mom's Republican play group was on the invitee list). I am not accustomed to being around this many children at once, considering that we do not have any. But surprisingly, the kids at the party were relatively well behaved. Only one kid pooped on the floor that I am aware of. At least that happened before I arrived. Thank goodness for that bad traffic near LAX. 

All in all, besides the tale of poop, it was really a lovely time! Thanks again to Jessica for hosting such a lovely party. 

Welcome

My name is Katee and this is a blog about my life. Ever since I started blogging at e-polishblog, I find myself wanting to talk about things besides nail polish. I do not want to dilute my content on e-polishblog or bother my readers that I assume are there to read about nail polish and not me. So I am starting this blog as an outlet for all of the other things that I want to say and share. 

About me:

I am 28 years old and I reside in Cardiff by the Sea, California, with my boyfriend Marc and our two cats, Cleo and Vincent. We moved to California back in July 2008 from Michigan and it has been quite the adventure. I look forward to sharing it with you.