Summer Send-Off BBQ for Bobes

My whisker-bobes aka jason aka my twin aka my bffl took off this past Monday to teach at an inner city school in Milwaukee. Grant and Scott came down and we had a lovely BBQ and I cried like a baby and I love him and miss him terribly already, although he is having so much fun :-) 

Outside Lands Recap: The Chill(i)est Place

No words.

Outside Lands was amazing. More details to come, but here are a few snapshots.

My faves were:
1. Of Monsters and Men (I almost cried)
2. Regina Spektor
3. Alabama Shakes (Just tooooo crowded)
4. Beck
5. Father John Misty (he's so hot.)

That plus Winelands and the food truck = HEAVEN.

Although it was effing freezing and I wore eight layers and my bone marrow is thawing out.

Winelands:

Mandatory posed pic (don't judge):

My shoes are cool. As is instagram.

 My music partner in crime, Alexandra, and me

 Beer and waiting:

 My new love: J. Tillman.

 So Alabama Shakes was just lil crowded:

 Coconut chai - not as good as mine, but at least it prevented hypothermia:

 Mini-cupcakessssss:

 Fashion: Less Coachella, more R.E.I. status:

 I'm arty:

 We're adorbz:

 That hat is amazing:

 Foggy, gorgeous evening:

 Cause: Bottomless Mimosas. Effect:

 Last one:

Who's going with me next year?

Last Friday Night

Hmmmm. I'm still debating my thoughts on the last 32 hours, but overall, I think they were a success. Yesterday, I met my cousin Taj and my Uncle Jay at USC (ew). Taj is applying to colleges soon and toured the camps, so I met them for a quick bite at the Lab Gastropub. It was conveniently right next to their hotel and the ambience was great, although the music was a little loud. I had truffled mac and cheese, but the one at The Farm is far better :-) I did think it was cool that the Lab offered a speciality Trojan ale, although I would never drink. I am a Bruin after all.

But Taj LOVED the campus and the tour and USC is his first choice. Although I am a bit disturbed to have a traitor in the family, if he decides on USC then it would be wonderful to have my cousin close by.

After that, I hit up the gym. I've lost a lot of muscle tone. Let's not talk about it.

I went out with my housemates and company to Malo on Sunset for drinks and dins. Jenaba and I tried the Senorita Angelica, which was tequila with hibiscus and muddled limes and a chili salt rim. PHENOMENAL. I was also a fan of the chips and salsa. (I had already eaten, so I didn't order anything.) From what I heard the food was great. I do have to say the service was a little slow, but they were busy.

Jacy and Me at Malo

 Adam trying Pork Belly Tacos for the first time.

The cutest couple: Jacy and Jefferson

Jenaba and Ellie pose for the camera

Jacy and her bloody mary accessory

  

The Senorita Angelica at Malo (the best ever!)

Then the crew, which include Jenaba, Jefferson, Ellie, Jacy, and Ellie's friend Adam, who is visiting from the Point Loma naval base, hit up Thirsty Crow and ran into a few friends there. But it was hella crowded so we went to the Highland Park bars, Johnny's and Hermosillo. (I'll be back at TC for the jazz soon though :-))  Hermosillo is quickly becoming a favorite with the well-selected craft beer list. I wrote a little review of it earlier - here. Johnny's was a cool place - we had vodka cocktails that tasted like candy and the crowd was diverse. 

Today was a bit of a slow start. Jenaba and I made light mimosas, then I went to Antigua Bread with Ellie and Adam for breakfast burritos and a great iced coffee. I'm hoping to get some work done before Ellie and I head to Hollywood and meet my old roomies.

Renegade Craft Fair

Last Saturday, Jenaba, Lennie, Ellie and I checked out the Renegade Craft Fair. I've been wanting to go to this craft fair for ages and it finally happened and did not disappoint. There are a few things that were incredibly inspirational, including the little hanging plants from Bird and Feather, the cute printed tea towels from Girls Can Tell, and the lighting fixtures from Flea Market RX. I am definitely ordering some stuff off the internet soon, now that I've figured out what I really like. Also aren't those mason jar toppers so cute? I need to find out where they are from! After we shopped around, we recharged with comfort food from Los Lobos, including waffle fries with "Angel" sauce for me, Mac and Cheese for Ellie because she just got her wisdom teeth pulled, and a burger for Jenaba and Lennie.

Okay off to meet my baby cousin at USC (bleh) for lunch! Then workout time, some future planning, and 

Foodie Tuesday

Well I was trying to be good for the next two weeks before I go to Outside Lands (!!!) But then, my fellow externs and I grabbed bacon wrapped hot dogs from a stand on Sixth and Los Angeles and Babycakes donuts at lunch. Babycakes is a bakery that specializes in vegan, organic, gluten-free deliciousness. We had the cookie crumble donut and the maple drizzle donut. Denser than I expected, but delicious. The maple drizzle really impressed me because it had a buttery, rich topping that was butter-free.

As if that wasn't enough, I came home and indulged in part of a Bad Boy sandwich from Marios in Glendale. I inhaled the rest today at work. My roommate always brings home these wonderfully decadent sandwiches and finally, one was brought home for me! Woooo! The bad boy had honey maple turkey and BBQ mesquite chicken with lettuce, tomato, onion, must/mayo, honey mustard, mozzarella cheese, avocado and spicy peppers. OMG delish.

Then I decided to make a chocolate toffee banana flax bread. I used this recipe, but added a bit of chocolate and toffee instead of making the topping. This was my second experiment with flax. I made vegan organic carrot muffins last week, but no fat and mucho flax was not good. They had a dense spongey consistency with very little flavor. HOWEVER, this bread was a hit. In fact, my housemates and friends polished it off rather quickly. I think the eggs and the oil helped moisten the flax and chocolate and toffee always make food better :-)

After that, Evan, Christable, Jacy, Ellie and I hit El Prado in Echo Park and met Greg and other friends. I hadn't been before, but the vibe was just right for a low-key, Tuesday night out.