December 9, 2007 by samantha.

Today I went to the Pasadena Flea Market at the Rose Bowl. It was amazing. I had been once before and I had forgotten how big it was. It was a lot of fun. We got there around 10 am and I was worried that we might have arrived to late. Luckily, we were not. People still had their treasures/junk to sell. The prices are pretty good. You get to practice your haggling. If you ever have the chance to go, I highly recommend that you do. Wear good walking shoes and bring lots of cash. Renting a U-Haul is not a bad idea either. If I had the money and the means to bring it home, I would have bought some neat furniture. Since I did not come prepared, all I bought was a political pin.

After the flea market, we went to a neat restrurant/bakery in Pasadena. Mi Piace is a great place to have breakfast or lunch. The place looks expensive, but it is not. The food is great and the atmosphere is wonderful. We have nothing like it nearby, so it was fun to eat there.

To work off our lunch, we walked to Vroman’s, a local bookstore in Pasadena. It is by far the best bookstore I have been to in a long time. I love that it is locally owned and not a chain. I picked up two more Christmas presents and figured out what to get for three more people. I am almost done with my shopping. I have slacked this year. Usually, I try to be done by Thanksgiving. For some reason, I had a hard time trying to figure out what to get people. Now it all seems to be falling into place. Good thing too, since we only have 14 more days!

Posted in California, Weekends, Rants | 1 Comment »

December 8, 2007 by samantha.

If only I had a good excuse for not updating this site, I would share it with you. In all honestly, I have just not had the desire to post. Nothing great has been going on and yet I have been a busy bee. I will give you the Cliff Notes version and do my best not to bore you.

Over Thanksgiving break I went to the Museum of Tolerance in LA, with a few friends. It was everything I hoped it would be. We got to hear a Holocaust survivor speak and I was moved by all of the exhibits. I am anxious to go back and tour it again. On our way to the museum, we stop at a famous hot dog stand. I call Pink’s the California Pizza Kitchen of hot dogs. They had toppings that never occurred to me to put on a hot dog. It was good and a lot of fun.

Thanksgiving was quick and painless. I went down to San Diego. It was a bit weird to have a big family dinner without my grandfather. I do not know if I was the only one to feel it, but I just felt like something was missing. It felt wrong almost. I know that soon it will begin to feel normal, but I do not know if I am okay with that. My grandfather was such a force in our family. It just reminds me of how much you can miss someone.

My (genius) parents spent Thanksgiving in Florida. They made their tickets for the week after Thanksgiving. They claim it was an accident. I do not know if I buy that story. I think they just came up with a good excuse to avoid a family reunion. Now they are here and I have to put them to work. Instead of a “Honey-Do List,” I have a “Parent-Do List.” Now I need to figure out how to get them to actually complete the list!!

School is back in full swing. It is going well. As much as I complain about my job, I really do love it. I have to remind myself of that sometimes. Right now the kids are bonkers. They have no desire to be in school and will do anything to avoid working. And it just amazes me how many of my students want a Christmas party. When I was in middle school I thought I was too cool for a school party. My kids still bring cupcakes for their birthdays and treats for Halloween! I always say that kids are growing up to fast, but this year mine are proving me wrong!!

I will try my best to be a better blogger. I have a few more stories to share. Right now I am off to lunch and Christmas shopping. Tomorrow I am going to the Pasadena Flea Market at the Rose Bowl. I am so excited!

Finally, Ophelia is no longer with us. It is a long story and it has not gotten any easier to talk about. One day I’ll write about it.

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