from raleighwood to hollywood

1. things that make you go mmm

the curly teapot today is a tribute to a delicious post-dinner snack i had tonight. that's right, i said POST-dinner. normally dinner is not a: "see food. eat food. repeat." process, but tonight was a little different. a friend of mine had some friends in town from back home and he asked if i wanted to grab something to eat with them after they got into town. since they didn't get in until close to 9:30 and i had already gone straight home from work and made myself a chicken sandwich, my stomach was maxed out. or so i thought. as i opened up the famous mel's drive-in menu, i couldn't help myself.

hellooo curly fries and root beer float.

(sorry there's no picture, it's amazing how fast food disappears sometimes...)

2. biker weekend--hollywood style

as we walked down the street to the restaurant, i suddenly felt as if an angry swarm of pregnant bees was inching towards my ear. the roar got louder and louder and before i could even get out the words "what the hell is going on?!" i turned and saw streams of motorcycles lined up as far down highland avenue as my eyes could see. every single light you see in this picture is a motorcycle. but imagine this...times thirty. and when i say stream, i don't mean there were motorcycles trickled down the street, there were literally HUNDREDS of bikers, reving their engines and gliding by so fast, their moving tattoos looked like a giant cartoon picture book. i still have absolutely no idea what it was, but it was unlike anything i had ever seen. i take that back, it was like biker week in south carolina, but it all took place in about thirty seconds. apparently LA has biker minute.

3. because i didn't make a big enough mess in the kitchen last night with the ravioli

you'd think that after all that cooking last night, i would have gone to hardees for breakfast. i mean carl's jr. i mean...whatever, i would have gotten takeout. NOPE. i woke up and was so excited that i didn't have to jet off to work at the buttcrack of dawn, i decided to make myself a nice breakfast. i'll make this simple: mushrooms and leeks sauteed in butter (with a splash of red wine at the end for flavor). i put those aside and went to the work on the omelet.

after an omelet mishap or two--i'm still working on my flip so things tend to jump out of the pan and all over the stovetop--i put the fillings inside (along with smoked mozzerella and cheddar) and folded it back up like a pro.

why yes, i did fan out my own strawberry. i live by myself--if i didn't do it, who would?

casualties: 1 

highlight of the day:

after MUCH delay and several lazy UPS drivers, a big package that my mom put together for me finally arrived this morning! this thing literally has been from raleighwood to hollywood, and then back to raleighwood and to hollywood again. why UPS couldn't get it right the first time? i mean, if you sound the word "UPS" outloud, it does kind of sound like "OOPS".

not only did this package include everything from dishtowels, to hoodies, to boots, to necklaces i've been missing, but my mom threw in my favorite bowl from home. we go through a lot of kitchenware phases on koupela drive and i've seen a lot of plates, orange juice glasses, and bowls come and go--but these duck plates have been around for as long as i can remember. and it's always nice to have a little piece of home with you :)