Day 78 - Oreos and Carmel by the Sea

There are very few things in life that can improve the outlook on my day quicker than an Oreo cookie. Two chocolaty crispy delicious cookies surrounding a yummy creamy filling. Mmmmm good. I say this because I consumed a snack pack (6) of these cookies this afternoon. I didn't have time to pack a more nutritious snacks in my lunch bag and the desperate need for something with a quantity of sugar rivaling that of Mt. St. Helen's was important to keeping my job lest I fall asleep at my desk.

I believe the exhaustion I've been experiencing lately could very well be cured with a vacation.

I would like to requisition a few weeks of solitude at Carmel-By-The-Sea. I have a few places that I absolutely love to go and don't get to spend nearly enough time there. New York City tops the list, but number 2 is undoubtedly Carmel.

Carmel offers a lot of things to do that aren't necessarily hustle and bustle, but a truly relaxing time. Wine tastings, the many artist studios and galleries, the Carmel Roasting Company (excellent coffee), and shopping that doesn't include an outlet mall feel - real boutiques with amazing clothes, art, jewelry, hand-blown glass and more.

Sidenote: A quaint place to eat lunch is a little place called The Tuckbox. I had the BEST (and I do mean...) THE BEST Welsh Rarebit at the Tuckbox. (And now I'm getting hungry.) I haven't been back since 2007 and the food or the service may have changed since then, but the atmosphere is "English Quaint" and I was very pleased with the food. (Vacations are really about the food for me.) Finding Welsh Rarebit on the West Coast was quite the treat. Maybe that should be the mission - devote where we go on vacation by what is served? If that's the case and I want some Welsh Rarebit, there's a place in Brooklyn Heights - Brooklyn, NY that serves it called the Chip Shop...
129 Atlantic Avenue
At Henry St
Brooklyn, NY 11201
(718) 855-7775
I may have to try that out next time I'm up there... which I hope is really, really soon... after I gain some solitude and decompression from the hustles and bustles of life.

More later...

Day 15 - Ken's Retirement (at lonnnnng last!)

Today is the retirement party for my father in law, Ken. He's worked at KAMR-TV for almost 49 years. (Yeah, you read that right...) I find that remarkable in a world where people find a new job every three years (statistically speaking.) Ken has started a new career - ok, he started more than a few years ago, but he's also an artist. And I would definitely be remiss if I didn't promote his work. We have more than a few pieces here at the casa... take a lookie and enjoy.

I'll post some other different pictures as I have some time, but if you are interested in some original southwest art... www.kenhighfineart.com

In other news...

I had a hard time figuring out why I was all shaky and nauseous today. Apparently the only thing I had to eat / drink until about 2pm was the Grande 6 pump Starbucks Skinny Vanilla Latte I had early this morning. Hmmmm... Grabbed a Snickers bar in the checkout line at Walmart. Not the smartest choice, but desperate times, desperate measures. Can't say that I feel any better. But hopefully some good chow tonight will make that all good. And if not, going to bed early.