let them eat cake

This weekend my mom and I went to the opening of Les Miserables at Moonlight Amphiteater. We bought lawn tickets, and they gave us little blue lawn chairs to sit on the grassy knoll up above the stage. We brought a picnic dinner--along with hundreds of other people who showed up early to lay claim to their patch of grass--and books to read and pass the time.

The show was great. The orchestra's live music so much better than any CD. The singing and acting was top notch. And we were watching by moonlight, which is pretty cool too!

During the fifteen minute intermission, the large group of about ten in front of us was celebrating someone's birthday. All of a sudden one of the women in the group stood up, turned around with a plate of cake in hand and said, "Cake anyone?"

I thought it was pretty funny. But then she proceeded to walk amongst all the show-goers behind us with plates of cake, offering it.

"We're celebrating a birthday tonight," she said. "My daughter, the one in the gray hat," pointing back to the family behind.

She approached my mom and I with two plates of cake. "Cake? We brought lots of cake to share. I know you want a piece!" We took a piece to share. It was chocolate, with a layer of sugary sweet icing in the middle and piled on top.

I'm pretty sure she handed out a lot of dessert that night. I wonder how big that cake was? Pretty cool way to celebrate your birthday, huh? Sharing your cake under the moonlight, on the grass, with a bunch of fellow drama-lovers.

pride & joy

This week one of our big books came back from the printer. This particular book is big in more ways than one. Size. Price. Quality.

I'm not sure how many pounds that book is, but the hard cover behemoth sure isn't small! Its retail price is over $300. Yes! $300 for one book! I can hardly believe it myself, although I am starting to grow accustomed to these big buck books that actually sell.

But the most exciting thing is what is inside the book. There, on the acknowledgments page, is my very own name. This is not the first time my name has appeared in a book--after all, my mom is an author. But that's a little bit different.

She knows me.

The editor of this book, a genius doctor in the Midwest has never met me. Yet there is my name in the front of his book, thanking me for helping bring the book to reality. How cool is that?

This is the thing I like most about my job in the publishing industry. Not getting my name printed inside a book (that just makes me feel good about myself!). But building relationships with all these authors. Talking and walking them through the process of bringing their manuscript to life. It is their pride and joy.

And then it becomes mine.

Even if it does have graphic pictures of neck surgery on the cover.

under the stars

Last night a couple friends and I headed over to Balboa Park to watch The Parent Trap (the Hayley Mills version--no Lindsay Lohan for us!) out on the lawn by the San Diego Museum of Art. It was, I think, the quintessential summer night. Hundreds of people covered the grass, sitting on blankets and camping chairs, sipping wine and eating cheese and crackers. Dogs hovered on their leashes, yearning to sniff around and see what goodies the neighbors had brought for the event.

There were a some clouds in the sky, and as the movie started, the moon rose up between the eucalyptus trees over the museum. Big, white, and luminous, it shifted across the backdrop of cloud, like a pearl against gray silk.

Unanimous laughter spilled across the lawn at all the funny lines. Some people talked back to the characters in the movie.

It was sensational.

Thoroughly Modern Minneapolis

More time has passed than I intended. I fear I am lapsing back into the oh-so-terrible state of being a writer and failing to keep up my own blog! Yikes! To my credit, however, in the time that has lapsed between this post about Minneapolis and the post about her sister, St. Paul, I actually had the good fortune to travel to said Minneapolis for a quick weekend.

Shamelessly, one of the things I most miss about living in the Twin Cities is the abundance of Super Target. Sadly, I have yet to see a Super Target in Southern California. Oh, how I miss those aisles upon aisles of affordable stuff that I generally do not need at all. I feel about Super Target as I do about Google. It has everything I need in one place. In Super Target I can buy my groceries, my toiletries, that new DVD I've been wanting, and a Mother's Day present. All in one trip. All in one cart. Astounding!

There are, of course, other wonderful things about the city of Minneapolis. Where St. Paul is more classy, ritzy, old-school, Minneapolis is urban, trendy, artsy, modern. There are tons of art museums in Minneapolis, and I wish I had taken the opportunity to visit more of them while I was there.

One of the signatures of the city of Minneapolis is the giant cherry on a spoon, found in the Sculpture Garden near the Walker Art Center. I'm not sure what the significance is of the giant cherry on a spoon...but it sure is whimsical and fun to look at it. Also provides a great spot for a photo shoot!

And just up the road from the Sculpture Garden is one my personal favorite places in Minneapolis. Uptown. Uptown is awesome. Anything a person could want in food, shopping, entertainment, and leisure can be found in Uptown. It's definitely a hot spot for the nightlife, and Lake Calhoun and Lake of the Isles see plenty of people during the day, fishing, biking, jogging, canoeing, and walking.

Yes, I love me some Uptown. It's a great part of the city with a personality all its own. So if you're ever in the area, check out some of these awesome places!

Stella's Fish Cafe

Zeno Cafe

Chino Latino

The Tea Garden

Salsa Dancing at Famous Dave's

One last great thing about Minneapolis: Holidazzle. First off, it's at Christmastime, which in and of itself is wonderful and makes you feel all warm and toasty inside. This is why Holidazzle is always fun, even if it's only fifteen degrees out. All those warm fuzzies will give you all the warmth you need for just one frigid night.

Every year the downtown Macy's on Nicollet Mall decorates the entire eighth floor of the store in a wonderful, Disney-esque themed walk through. One year it was Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Another year it was The Nutcracker. It's amazing, and totally worth the looong line to get in. Macy's also sponsors the Holidazzle Parade, which runs every weekend between Thanksgiving and Christmas. It's a wonderful conglomeration of a million lights and storybook characters brought to life.

The most livable city in America

Saint Paul. Supposedly the most livable city in America. I didn't know that until I took a brief visit to the official city website, which also informed me that St. Paul is the Arts and Cultural Capital of the Midwest, which I find easy to believe. One of the greatest things about the Twin Cities is that they are really not twins at all. They are completely and totally different in attitude and atmosphere. Of the two, St. Paul is old-school...a little ritzy...artsy...cultural.

I can also easily think of some reasons why St. Paul might be the most livable city in America. I love my new West Coast life, but there are some things that I truly and heartily miss about good old St. Paul.


1. Parks



There must be hundreds of parks (big and small) scattered around the area. One of my favorite places to hang out was Como Park--walking trails, a beautiful conservatory, mini golf, barbecue pits, and a free zoo...all in one place. I spent many an afternoon watching the spider monkeys in the zoo!



Central Park was another great place to go for an afternoon or evening walk or run...although it still bothers me that it is kind of a poser.

2. Grand Avenue

This adorable stretch of street, lined with trees, is full of character. It's both urban-chic and small-town charming. There's all kinds of places to eat--little nooks, ethnic restaurants, coffeshops, ice cream parlors...and then there's the boutique shopping. It is indeed, a grand place to spend the day!

3. The Winter Carnival

I'm not sure how long this thing has been around, but I think it's a pretty old festivity. It's totally worth it to brave Minnesota's famous sub-zero temps and horizontal, icy winds. There are snow sculptures, ice sculptures, and a wonder-of-wonders entire palace made of ice and lit up in all sorts of colors. It's breathtaking and makes you feel like you're in another world, like Narnia.

Some quality people have come out of St. Paul. F. Scott Fitzgerald, only one of the greatest authors of the 20th century was born in St. Paul. Garrison Keillor--Prairie Home Companion anyone? Charles M. Schulz of Peanuts grew up in St. Paul.

So there you have it. St. Paul. Soon to be followed by her not-so-twin sister, Minneapolis!

You stay classy, San Diego

What's not to love about Southern California? The perfect Mediterranean climate. Palm trees and the ocean breeze. Sunny, seventy-degrees days. Of course then there's the ridiculous living expenses, fire season, and sharing the road with the other two million San Diegans. But those things pale in comparison with the shining glory that is being a resident of the eighth largest city in the United States.

One of the things I love most about San Diego is that I can be at boogie-boarding at the beach, or hiking in the mountains, or state-park visiting in the desert, or drinking a Corona in Mexico in less than two hours. Who needs four seasons?

San Diego has the amazing ability to be both a major metropolitan hub and a casual, breezy coastal town in one. Let me take you on a tour of some of my favorite San Diego hang-outs.

Seaport Village

Seaport Village is this quaint shopping venue between downtown SD and the breath-taking Coronado Bay Bridge. Full of specialty and themed shops, cute cafes and restaurants on the water, it's the perfect place to spend a warm, sunny day (and aren't they all!) watching the kites being flown on the grassy lawn. Just across the street is the towering Hyatt hotel, whose top-floor bar showcases an amazing view of the bay, Coronado Island, and downtown. A word to the wise...you have to buy a drink in order to enjoy said gorgeous view!

The San Diego Zoo & San Diego Wild Animal Park

The San Diego Zoological Society has the rep for boasting one of the best zoos in the world. The Zoo and the WAP are two separate places with two very different vibes and personalities. The Zoo hangs out next to Balboa Park (another fave by the way) just north of downtown. It's huuuge and home to thousands of rare and endangered animals. The plants rock too. The WAP is a wildlife sanctuary and a beautiful botanical collection nestled in the San Pasqual Valley. My favorite time of day to head to the WAP is late afternoon. In the summer, they're open late, and the best time to ride the safari-like tram is the last one before the sun sets. The animals all come out to eat grass and chill by the watering hole. The surrounding hills turn dusky purple, and soon after the ride ends, the moon rises between the foothills. It's an experience!

The Gaslamp District

San Diego's sweet nightlife rocks in the Gaslamp. Sixteen blocks of shopping, entertainment, amazing restaurants, bars, and clubs. You can park in Horton Plaza (free with validation!) and chill at a single locale, or taste-test a variety. There's always interesting people to watch--sometimes talk to--and for the most part, it's pretty safe.

I'm realizing I could probably have a whole blog about living, working, and playing in San Diego. (Now there's some food for thought...hmmm.) And this barely scratches the surface of this very cool city. But for now, this is it. And besides, I don't want to give it all ways. You'll have to come see for yourself.

back in the saddle again

So...it's been a while since I've made use of this blog, and there are three reasons for this. Unfortunately, only one is valid.

Reason #1: In February, shortly after my last post, I moved from my parents' home into a new apartment with a sweet roommate. We were without Internet at said apartment for a couple weeks, and I just couldn't come up with enough justification to blog from the office! (This is the one valid reason!)

Reason #2: I knew what I wanted to write about on my blog, but the photos I needed/wanted to accompany the blog posts were stored on my mom's computer.

Reason #3: I have been very, very lazy. It's so sad, I know.

But--no more excuses! My roommate and I are now high-rolling it in the ultra-modern world and have acquired wireless Internet. I have the necessary photos from the other computer. And I've decided to get my fingers in gear and quit being lazy.

So, starting this week, I'm going to be writing a series of blogs (not everyday mind you!) on places that are near and dear to my heart, for varying reasons. It will be sort of like a travel blog...sort of like a blog about being at home.

I'm not making any promises about exactly which day this first travel/home blog will appear, but I can tell you where the first destination will be. It's only fitting to show off my newest hometown--San Diego!

"For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go.

I travel for travel's sake.

The great affair is to move." -

Robert Louis Stevenson-