Les Sirenes

A still from a little movie that G-Love made at this amazing hot springs in Mexico called La Gruta. You swim through a tunnel into a cave with a waterfall. It brought out the water nymph in all of us. And it was 8 bux. Word. Bring a towel.

La Gruta Balneario (Baths, Y'all.)

Viva Casa Jacaranda!

So Carina and Craig finally got married in San Miguel de Allende, and it was great. Except for the night before the ceremony, when I single-handedly decided to "get this party started" (quotes my own) and got up on the tequila donkey and rode and rode and rode.

Apparently I succeeded, because the Mayor of San Miguel (AKA the Mayor of Silver Lake) ceded me his title for one day, and the real tequila donkey that was supposed to show up at the reception never appeared. Apparently, someone had decided that one tequila-riddled ass was enough.

But the real story, besides Carina and Craig, was Casa Jacaranda. Nine of our nearest and dearest in this fantastic house in the middle of Mexico. It was like, $200 for the whole week per person, and it was so much fun! When we weren't traipsing around the beautiful town, we were chompin', drinking, hanging out in the courtyard, and chillaxing in front of the fire on faux-fur throws. Heaven.

I got my ticket on Expedia at the last minute, so it was only $300. Throw in $50 for a bus and then car ride to San Miguel each way, and you're there and sheltered. So the rest is food and tequila, which we all know is cheep. Check it - go to Mexico with your friends the next time you need to get away.

Viva San Miguel y Casa Jacaranda!

Newsflash! Carina And Craig Are Getting Married!

The cake says it all. And if you know that Carina's the film critic for The LA Times, it's even funnier. You gotta click on the picture and read all the little boxes. Kudos to Megan for finding the mother of all cakes for the bachelorette party, from one of the most amazing places I have ever seen - Cake & Art.

And even more kudos to Carina and Craig for overcoming Oaxacan civil unrest, riots, general strikes, burning tires, vague polemics, social malaise, scheduling disasters and cross-cultural travel planning to finally get married. We're all going down to San Miguel, Mexico with 'em next week to make sure it actually happens. The perfect excuse for a group-friend-vacation. See you there, and congrats Carina and Craig!!

Cake & Art (Not Cheep But So Out Of Control)

Hasta a Manzanillo!

I'm sure I got the Spanish wrong, but who cares? Look where I got to go for 3 days on a job! Yep, it's the same place where Bo Derek ran along the beach in '10'. And it was dope. The work wasn't hard, I did it by the pool mostly, and I got to swim in the ocean twice. Basically, I got a resort vacation where I got paid.

Of course, I was constantly surrounded by muumuu-wearing lobster-red Midwesterners at the all-inclusive resort where we stayed. But on the plus side, the nice people always held the elevator doors open for me, and I got to eat all I wanted.

So here's the tip: Take jobs with oceanographic institutions. Cause they ain't going to Kansas.

Or go to Manzanillo on your own! Tix are pretty cheap right now, and there's a little tiny surf town called Barra de Navidad, where you can rent a beach shack for, like, 50 bux a week. How do I know this? Cause a bunch of the sailors I worked with, who were on shore leave after a month at sea, (shootin' fish in a barrell...) invited me to go. I politely declined.

Mexican Vacation Hells Yeah!

Key Lime Pie Frickin' A!

So I was at a fantastic dinner party last night with lots of homemade gour-met food, but the best thing by far was the dessert. it was a frozen Trader Joe's Key Lime Pie. It was so good I had four slices. They were small, but still, I had four.

And it got me to thinking: I am always a fan of home-cooking over the packaged, prepped, frozen or storebought, BUT, I don't think I could make a pie this good. AND, the carrot cake I made this week isn't nearly as good as the yellow cupcakes I make from the box mix I get at the 99c Store. AND, once I made my mom a birthday cake from scratch, and it was heavy as lead.

So, perhaps when it comes to cakes, key lime pies and cupcakes, pre-mixed, pre-made and pre-measured really is better. And easier. And cheaper. So get thee to the 99c Store and/or the Trader Joe's next time you want baked goods. And bring me some, too.

Key Lime Pie Emergency In Santa Monica!
99c Store Locator

The Best Delivery Since Bacon of the Month

So five minutes ago the UPS guy rang my bell and handed me a package. It was a box of See's candy, and it was a total surprise.

Where'd it come from, you ask? Well, last week I'd been randomly talking to Miss Alexandra Grant about how I just wanted a box of good chocolates - See's Nuts and Chews, to be exact. I know some would argue that there's better chocolates out there, but this is a deep-seated childhood thing for me, cause my mom would get so excited about See's candy cause we lived in Michigan and it was kind of rare. A whole box seemed to me to be the ultimate in luxury. So after our convo, Alex went out and secretly ordered me one and had it shipped to me. For no reason.

Dudes, there's no better surprise than going to your door and receiving a box of chocolates. Seriously. It ranks up there with the Bacon of the Month Club. And that's not something I say lightly.

It's funny how a little thing like a box of chocolates can totally make you feel great. It completely made my night. My week. My month. And it underscores Rules #1 and #2 of having the best life: It's all about the little things. And having the best friends in the world. Thanks Alex!!!

I Heart See's (And Alex!)