Thursday, December 10, 2009

Calendar

Friday, October 16, 2009

Concerts!

I just got invited to a concert with a friend who I don't get to see very often (she lives about a half hour away from me). And we're going to go with her boss and her friend. Sounds like making connections to me! Plus, I get to go to a fun concert in one of my favorite venues--Cricket Wireless in Chula Vista. If you come visit me, we should go here!

Unfortunately, this isn't really something that you can control as far as having your friends ask you to events where other people will be there. However, I think the reason she asked me to go is because we've been to a few concerts together in the past. Maybe there's something to be said about having different friends for different types of activities. Just a thought.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

PS. Games

I just had another thought (who knew games would be so great?!). A lot of bars these days have game nights, whether with the older games like chess and ping pong or the newer games like Wii and Rock Band. I would think it would be a great way to meet people to go to your local bar and meet some people that way. A little competition brings out your personality. And, having one goal amongst the entire bar gives a common ground to start up a conversation.

Hmm...Anyone want to go Wii bowling with me?

Playing Games Can Be A Good Thing

Quit playing games with my heart, with myyy heart, myyy hearttt....

Last night I went to a wine bar with a new friend (roommate of an old friend who's new to San Diego, which I think is a great sign of friends to come) and I was reminded of something that used to do that ended up being a great way to meet new people. My friend Laura (co-creator of the Pittsburgh chapter of Widen Circle of Friends) and I used to play games at bars. Anything you can think of will work. We loved to play Telephone (a.k.a. Whisper Down the Lane), but you can also do scavenger hunts, take polls, give quizzes. It was such a fun way to spend the night and--bonus!--ended up being a super stress-free way of meeting people that lived in our area.

My new friend, Nikki, reminded me of it last night when she mentioned that she gives polls when she's at bars. Sounds great to me!

On a similar note, having game night seems to be a great way to meet people. You get to hang out in an intimate way, which allows you to control your setting and allows you to get to know your guests a bit better. Maybe a game night should be in my near future where everyone brings a guest...although that sounds like an awful equation for a singles' night! Whatever works ;)

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

We're All in This Together

Apparently there are more people worried about the same thing: making friends as adults. I had NO idea! We should start a support group :) My friend, Michelle, just forwarded me this article on "The Frisky" that you need to read. It's encouraging to know that there are women out there (and probably men, too) who have outgrown their childhood friends, recently moved, changed lifestyles, etc. and are looking for new girlfriends. I think the main component of the desire is not just a friend you can grab a cup of coffee with, but someone who you don't need to explain the back story every time something great happens in your life. Just because we have loved ones in our life doesn't mean we don't need friends!

Happy Hunting!

Friday, September 18, 2009

Restaurant Week

Clearly I haven't been on here in a while to post updates on my friend search. With my sister's babies shower in New York and changing jobs (new friend potential!), I've been moving through the motions of life. So, now that my life is a bit less stressful, I wanted to give a suggestion for making new friends AND to say that I still plan on explaining my first encounter with meetup.com. Perhaps I'll do that writeup next Tuesday after my first book club meeting through the aforementioned Web site.

I would like to offer the suggestion for our "Trial & Error" section: attend your local Restaurant Week! I know this seems like a simple idea, one that you've probably already entertained, but hear me out on this one. If you invite one friend, and they invite another, who then invites another, you now have two new people to meet and an intimate setting to get to know them! Most cities now have its very own week to encourage you to spend money at a new restaurant (just do a Google search for your city). And this year, with the economy being in the crapper, San Diego has decided to add a few restaurants with $20 menus. So, now you get to choose to pay between $20, $30, and $40 for appie, entree, and dessert.

I'm super excited for tonight's dinner! I'm trying out a new restaurant (aptly named Restaurant at The Pearl Hotel) and for the cherry on top of my treat, I'll be meeting two new people. Hooray for Mission: Widen Circle of Friends!

Yes, I'm a cheeseball, which if we're not friends yet you will soon learn ;) Happy hunting and happy fall!!!

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Finding the Silver Lining

Soooo...I've been on hiatus for a short while, and it caught up to me last night. In my last post I mentioned work commitments, and I should also add that I have exactly four weeks until my very first sprint triathlon. Not only does that mean that I have to work out almost every night during the week, but it also means that I have to manage my anxiety, because HELLO! why did I sign up for a TRIATHLON? Good lord. Anyway, I've spent most of my nights and weekends training and doing other stuff, so I hadn't had time until recently to devote on the friends mission. Unfortunately, the fact that I have time doesn't mean that anyone else does. I think this is a good lesson in friend building: Spontaneity, although great for me, makes it harder to meet up with people I'm trying to which I'd like to become better friends. Does that make sense?

I'm trying to learn the lesson from this experience, something my mother has done my entire life. I'd fail a test and come home super upset, and she'd say, "OK. But what lesson did you learn from this?" At the time, I hated trying to look for the silver lining. (Oh, to be a teenager again!) But now, I'm glad she taught me this outlook on life. What's the point in doing anything if you can't learn from it?

OK, back to the point. Although I'm trying to add spontaneity in my regular life, it doesn't fit very well with my mission. So, I'll have to try planning something for next weekend. Maybe just something little, but something nonetheless. And, my roommate from Pittsburgh is moving to San Diego AS I TYPE, which means a whole new avenue for potential friends. HOORAY! :)

Happy hunting!

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Sabattical

This week has been slow on the friends front. I'm getting ready to go on vacation next week, which also means that I have to tie up all of the loose ends for the next issue of my magazine. Although I did go to a work happy hour on Monday, it was with two girls...from work, so I didn't meet anyone new. I did discover a great new bar, though. Always exciting! Needless to say, this week and next week will be slow for my mission. I'll get to see some old friends and my family, so I'm excited nonetheless. Happy (friend) hunting. I'll be sure to check in after the break.

Monday, July 27, 2009

Weekend Updates

OK, so the Twilight screening was pretty much what I'd expected: a bunch of tweens with their moms and moms with their friends. I went with a group of girls, some were current friends and some friends of friends, which would have been great to meet new people except that the atmosphere was not conducive toward meeting new people. Yes, we stood in line together for an hour, but there were too many people shoving up against us and moving around us to have much of a conversation. Plus, the screams that drafted through the line every 15 or 20 minutes immediately stopped any normal conversations. So Twilight screening was interesting, but a bust for the mission.

I did learn that my friend from Pittsburgh, Suzie, is moving to San Diego. I got to hang out with her and her friend who lives here, so that may be a potential. She came into town for the weekend to look for a place to live when she moves out here in August. I'm interested to meet Suzie's new roommate who's also new to the area. Maybe we can all be friends :)

So, now it's Monday. I'm supposed to go to happy hour for work tonight and possibly ballet tomorrow. I'm thinking maybe I can make a friend at adult beginners ballet. Or, I can just have some fun!

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Helpful or Just Crazy?

You never know, but I doubt that the mission will be in effect tonight while I'm at the special viewing of Twilight. I'm assuming I'll be in line to get into the theater with tweens and divorcees mostly. These are the Twihards after all...the people who get tatted up with Twilight symbols and quotes so they can carry the message with them for the rest of their lives. Really, people? Now, Jane Austen, she's someone I could see getting tatted for...JUST KIDDING! It'll be an adventure at least: getting downtown, on time, in line, fed, and in the theater in the midst of the climax of Comic-Con. (This takes over San Diego every year around this time, which hopefully will help get us out of our financial slump!) Will report back if Twilight helps my mission ;)

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Mission: Widen Circle of Friends

So here's the deal. Although I've been living in San Diego now for two years, I still need friends. I have a few great people in my life out here in SD, but many of them have families and other obligations. I don't need DIFFERENT friends, I just need MORE. Like the kind I have from college who I could call up and say, "Hey, I just woke up, I'm too tired to brush my teeth, but I'm starving. Panera?" and they don't judge.

I've heard about tons of people nowadays who are putting time lines on finding a husband, finding a job, getting discounts, moving to San Diego (oh, maybe that one was just me), so why not put a time line on finding friends? As my mom would say, "Give yourself a goal!" And at the end of the designated time, if I don't have a new bff then I'll just move on to another city. Just kidding! I love San Diego! (And I don't need a new bff.)

I haven't yet decided what the time line will be, but I think it should be about 6 months to accomplish Mission: Widen Circle of Friends. It worked in Pittsburgh (yay, Laura!) so why not in SD?

I know I'm not the only 20-something out there who's looking for new friends. We're in a transitional stage in our lives. It's not as easy as finding friends, say, your freshman year of college or at your kid's little league practice. So, maybe my journey will give someone else the encouragement he or she needs to get out there and meet people! (You're not going to meet them on your couch in your apartment!)

I officially kicked off the mission last night at my first meetup group (story coming soon), so maybe the mission should end December 31st. That way, if I don't make my mission then I can start a fresh, new year. Who's with me?!

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

In Today's Paper

"Large squid are washing up on beaches in La Jolla and scaring divers in the area, the National Marine Fisheries Service said yesterday. 'The ones that we are getting right now have a big beak on them, like a large parrot beak. They could take a chunk of flesh off you,' said John Hyde, a biologist with the agency. Schools of Humboldt squid--also known as jumbo flying squid--have appeared along the county's shoreline several times each year since about 2001. Researchers aren't sure why they converge there, Hyde said. The creatures weigh about 20 pounds and typically measure less than four feet long, he said. Many of the squid have been spotted about 100 yards off La Jolla Shores since late last week, and waves have stranded dozens of them in that time. Hyde suspects those squid swam too close to shore in search of food and got washed up on the sand. 'The squid come up and will actually tug at people's arms, tug at their gear, tug at their mask,' Hyde said. 'They can drag you down deeper pretty quickly.'"
Um....HELLO!

Monday, June 1, 2009

Random Factoid

Apparently today is the start of the 2009 fire season. Let's hope for a mild one!

Sunday, May 31, 2009

Memorial Day Dinner

Justin and I had a picnic in Ocean Beach for Memorial Day (Justin's idea). We just dropped our blanket right on the edge of the cliff and watched the sunset surfers. With May gray, it's a bit harder to see the sun these days, but it was still a great way to spend the evening. Our friends Nissa and Jason got married here last July. What a great view!





Friday, May 29, 2009

Top Ten

Top Ten Things I've Been Doing Lately:
1. Reading design magazines for house ideas (my favs are Coastal Living and Elle Decor); can I get a shout out to two magazines that haven't folded yet?
2. Reading Perezhilton.com...guilty pleasure!
3. Building up my base for running and biking (swimming to come shortly) for the sprint triathlon.
4. Learning about copy editing because apparently although I'm an editor I do not know how to spell (so rediculous).
5. Ignoring the desire to learn how to Twitter.
6. Learning how to budget my money; this has been going on now for a few years and will continue to for a few more I suspect.
7. Gearing up for my summer vacations--Lake Tahoe, Maryland, and Delaware, here I come!
8. Eating Thai food and introducing it to virgins. Chan rok Thai.
9. Playing cornhole aka bags and getting better every day if I do say so myself (and I do).
10. Listening to country music to Justin's chagrin.

And there you have it. Care to share what you've been up to?

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

In Over My Head?

Justin had the idea, and he asked Sean to join, who then showed Hilary the site where we would all eventually join to participate in a triathlon! Hilary and I have decided to do the sprint triathlon. I'm choosing to ignore the "sprint" part and instead and thinking of it as a mini triathlon in my mind. We have to swim .25 miles, bike 12 miles, and then run 3 miles. It should be interesting. At least it's given me a fire under my butt to get said butt in gear! Justin's mom has loaned me this amazing bike that weighs about as much as a ream of papers, along with the accoutrement--helmet, sweatband, spandex with butt pad, shoes, and top. Justin, Sean, and I went on a 6 mile bike around Lake Murray this past Saturday. What a great way to get around! Hopefully my shoulders will stop yelling at me every time I try to do my hair or put on a shirt :) Apparently there's more to biking than just legs, people! Hopefully I'll have more updates on my progress. I've been working on getting my running base above 9 minutes, and I also bought a Speedo and goggles. We'll see about that! Swimming is NOT my forte. Pictures to come soon of the butt pad...you have to see it to believe it.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Dental Awareness Dayie on Transplants!

OK, so those of you who did not grow up with me don't know the extent to which I have had instruments in my mouth...dental that is, you cheeky monkey :) Over the years I have encountered: over four years of braces, rubber bands that popped my jaw out of the socket, a retainer with attached fake tooth (called a flipper), an implant (hence the title of this blog) that required bone grafting, and four wisdom teeth that turned into two infected sockets. Finally, when I reached grad school, for the first time since childhood, I had no more dentist, oral surgeon, or orthodontist appointments. I didn't even have bi-yearly cleanings at that point since I couldn't afford dental insurance.

Now, at the youthful age of 26, I have returned to health and dental insurance (hooray!) and have begun the process of finding a dentist who I like. This is something that is very important to me. I went through two dentists out here in San Diego already. One was sufficient. A little bit too suave for my toofer needs, but successful in reattaching my fake tooth, nonetheless. (Yes this bugger does in fact fall off every few years; ask Kyle Lennon who accidentally punched me in college during a wrestle match and sent my tooth flying!)

The second lady was no good. I'm not sure if it was her Eastern European bedside manner (think Zoolander daiye spa without the feather duster) or her old yellow couch, but things just didn't jive. And after she diagnosed me with two cavities (my first EVER), it was downhill from there. Unfortunately, one of said cavities shoots pain up my face every time I eat on the right side of my face, but my new dentist assures me that we will slowly work on that.

So, that brings us to Dr. Gray. I only give this whole back story to emphasis how truly meaningful it has been to me to find such a glorious dentist. He's kind, thorough, talks like the father in "Bye Bye Birdie." He's quite amazing. And he has the same name as my childhood doctor who I loved! (Dr. Bonnie Gray, you were my hero.)

I thought I'd just take the time here to mention a few new things going on in the dentist world that I was completely unaware of until this Monday when I saw Dr. Gray for my first cleaning with his staff. First of all, apparently they have soothing fillings that you can get if you first get one that hurts your nerve endings (like mine). Second, they started doing this thing to measure the gingivitis in your gums where they measure the thickness of your gums at each tooth with a rubber-like tool. Third, plaque can start to deteriorate your gums/teeth/bones within 24 hours! So, floss like you've never flossed before :) My dad used to say that was the one lesson he wanted to make sure we got, but did I get that? No! It was quite a wake up call for me.

So, the moral of the story is: if you haven't been to the dentist in a while, they have some really cool things going on there now! It's like a carnival! OK, maybe not, but still.

This photo's reasons for being here are twofold: 1. You can see the hard work that went into getting teeth like those! haha 2. That's my work photo. Gotta love it! Safety first!

Monday, April 13, 2009

SD vs. B'More

Interesting. VERY interesting.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Updates

At sundown this evening, Passover starts. Justin and I are having a few friends and family members over to celebrate. Nothing fancy. No Seder plate or open chair, but definitely some home-cooked noodle kugle (don't be jealous!) and brisket. I've never made brisket before. I've watched my mom make that kind of stuff, but never joined in the fun. And boy is it fun! This morning I had to get up early to "trim" the fat. Oh, Amelia Bedelia how I loved your books. Unfortunately, when I tried to shove the meat into the fridge to chill before lunchtime when I'd return to stuff it in the crock pot I knocked over the shrimp juice I was saving for the cat. That's right, I said shrimp juice. So, of course the juice went directly into the meat container. Since I didn't want shrimp-flavored brisket, I took it out, rinsed it, and put it in a new pot. Luckily, that's been the only hiccup so far today.

On another note, the White House will be holding the first Seder with a president. If it's good enough for Obama, then it's good enough for me :) Happy Passover!

Also, thought this one was interesting. Apparently there are KILLER bees in La Mesa, CA (about ten minutes from where I used to live). These are not BUMBLE bees, people. They can KILL you. As if getting stung by a dragonfly wasn't enough (yes, it can and HAS happened), now I get to be afraid of killer bees? Is that really necessary?

Friday, April 3, 2009

Springtime Snowboarding

I'm headed to the cabin this weekend. Justin's mom and husband invited us up to their new cabin in Big Bear for the weekend. We haven't made it all season and now that it's April, Springtime, we're finally going snowboarding. Just another reason why SoCal is so great :) We're not exactly sure how much snow there will be up there, but it will be a nice mini vaca at the very least. Maybe a little fire, some reading, a little exercise. Besides, I'm used to the skiing on the East Coast. What's a little ice? And when we return...it's back to fixing up the house. Does this make me sound old? Oh, well. I'm having fun!

Sunday, March 29, 2009

The Desert

One of the best things about Southern California is the variety of land out here. From San Diego I can drive an hour and a half north and hit the snow-capped mountains, and hour east and hit the fall foliage of Julian, and a little farther east and you've run into the desert. So, to celebrate the arrival of "Spring" (we don't really have spring here, but take a leap of faith that our weather does in deed change at ALL) Justin and I headed to the Anza-Borrego Dessert for the blooming of the wild flowers this past weekend. Although we missed some of them by a few weeks, we did get to see tons of tiny flowers in bloom all along the roadside. We stopped at the Ocotillo Forest to check out the bright red flowers on the ends of these "trees" and the little yellow desert dandelions. Let me tell you what! This desert thing is the place for Jen and Lou! Oh, the creatures! We saw huge caterpillars and a desert hare. When we stopped to take a picture, we heard these huge black crows flap their wings along the ridge where we stood. It was amazing! Totally unlike anything I've ever seen before. And practically right in my backyard :)
This photo on the left is a shot of me with one of the metal (tin?) animals along the side of the road. They call it the Prehistoric Garden, but I'm pretty sure elephants are in our current world. Yes? Still pretty fun. The detail was out of control, and seeing these huge animals randomly spring up along the flat roadside made the long drive interesting. The photo on the right is a shot of one of my favorite types of organisms in the desert. It's called the Teddy Bear Cholla. It looks like you could pet it, it's so fuzzy, but look is the operative word here. Things things are covered in spikes! In fact, right after Justin warned me to keep my feet apart I hit my right foot against my left calf and got a huge cholla stuck in there. Luckily I stopped myself before pulling the spiky devil out and waited for Justin to yank it off me with his hat.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

See-Gulls

One seriously large seagull has been hanging around the Dumpster in the parking lot of my work. He waits until people from the Thai or Sushi restaurant nearby drop off their trash, and then he hooks his beak into his next snack. Well, today he brought a friend by the office. The two of them have been strolling around the parking lot together, waddling side by side. And every few minutes, they start squawking because GASP! they see TWO more seagulls invading their territory. What the seagulls don't know is what they're actually seeing are not two more birds, but in fact reflections of themselves in the shiny cars. So they walk by a car, see their reflection, squawk, continue walking, see their reflection in the next car, and continue down the row. It's funny to watch, but man are they loud!

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Daylight Savings Time

Why is it all about saving daylight? Shouldn't it be more about saving our sanity?! Since Saturday night I've been staying awake until 1130 p.m. and having a hell of a time waking up the next morning for work. Apparently, my body still thinks it's an hour earlier. So I propose, that although sunlight after work is great, how about we let this man made thing called "time" stand still so that my body isn't so screwed up with the immobile jet lag that I'm feeling this week. Arizona said no thank you, why can't the rest of us?

PS. I'm headed to Dallas for one day and one day only this weekend for work. Oh, the life of a trade publication editor :)

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Gas Escapade

Yesterday I had the weirdest experience at the gas station. I pulled in on empty (like usual) and saddled up to the pump. But when I got up to the screen to put my credit card in, it was asking me to choose the gas. I've never seen a gas pump NOT ask for money first, but hey! there's a first time for everything, right? So I pump exactly $20.02 into my hungry Jetta. Just enough to get me through the rest of the week until the next pay check. When I'm putting the pump back into its holster, I look up and the attendant and a guy in a suit are standing at my bumper waiting for me. Apparently, I stole someone else's gas! Little did I know, Suit had gone in and told Attendant the wrong pump, and then I swooped in (unknowingly) and got the gas he paid for. When I explained that I had NOT paid yet and WAS planning on doing so, Attendant asked us all to march back into the store to reconfigure the money. It was all very random. I mean, talk about perfect timing. If I was probably one minute later the whole thing wouldn't have worked. Very random.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Dear Friends and Family

If you are still with me after MONTHS of neglect, please forgive me. Justin and I moved into our new home in mid-December and ever since then things have been hectic. Little did I know, owning a home is constant work. In between three trade shows for my magazine (one in Austin, Texas and two in Las Vegas) we've been painting, ripping down walls, pulling plants, rebuilding walls, painting again. It's been a constant flutter of events. And thanks to his grandparents and dad (and trusty Sean!) we're getting close to having a home we can live in. I'm looking forward to the weekend where every day is not filled with house work. I'm not sure when that will be, but I'm hoping it's soon! So, now that work has died down a bit and the house is getting in order, I hope to update my blog more often. Thanks for keeping up with me. I'll try better to keep up with you!

Love,
Steph

Photos to come soon!