My favorite places on 3rd Street

When I first moved to LA, I moved to West L.A. Unless you are familiar with L.A, you probably have not even heard of West L.A. It is the area just west of the 405 but east of Santa Monica. It is a pretty unremarkable area which has alot of conveniences. It is close to the 405 and 10 freeways which allows you to get around in L.A. No matter where you live in West L.A., you are guaranteed to be in a 5 miles radius of at least 2 Trader Joes. The rent is comparatively cheap with could definitely be worse parking. Mild weather (I know, it is weird to discuss differences in weather in L.A but if you live in L.A. you know there are disparate temperatures depending on where you live) since you don't get the marine layer or the 100 degree weather of the valley.

During my last year of grad school, my roommate bought a house. She offered to let me move in with her which was super nice. Mostly because as a minimalist in everything except my closet, I actually didn't own any furniture except my bed. Though I did own the TV and the wine bar (with alcohol!), so I really just had the essentials. Although, she had wanted to stay in the West L.A. area, my former roommate's dream house ended up being in Crestview which is a tiny neighborhood adjacent to Beverlywood. I hardly ever ventured east of the 405, but as a decisive yet adventurous person I said yes to moving with her.

Although Angelenos are mobile people, they don't really venture outside of their neighborhood unless out of necessity. The traffic is that bad and the convenience of your neighborhood usually just wins out. It was good for me to live in another part of L.A. and I grew to really love it. Just north of Crestview is 3rd street which became one of my favorite L.A. areas. It is filled with various eateries and shopping. If you don't mind walking a few blocks, you can park in a residential neighborhood and don't have to worry about metered parking.

So after enough preamble, here are some of my favorite things on 3rd street:

Little Next Door I always think I'll try a different brunch place, but I really adore Little Next Door. The food is scrumptious, the croissants amazing, and the decor is super cute. I've also come here for dinner and dinner is also very good. A true gem amongst the brunch scene.

Shopaholic sample sales I found this store while walking to Jones's on 3rd (which I'm not going to review but it is an LA institution). The salespeople are friendly but not overwhelming. The clothes are super cute and definitely my style. As important, the prices are extremely reasonable. One of their hallmarks is the massive dressing room in the back, so it is definitely not for the shy person. Just make sure you wear cute underwear before you go there.

Robata Jinya The best ramen in L.A. is at Daikokuya but Little Tokyo is really out of the way for everyone who doesn't live in Little Tokyo. Robata Jinya is a very close second. The ramen has sublime flavor and the noodles are perfect.

Mendocino Farms Everyone told me the sandwiches from Mendocino Farms were amazing. So when I tried one, I obviously thought I was going to be disappointed. However, all the accolades are deserved. It is literally just perfection. To add to their amazing-ness, they procure their own soda line. So I had one of the best ginger ales in my life to go along with one of the best sandwiches of my life.

There are a couple other cute clothing stores on 3rd street. None are as expensive as you would think considering their proximity to Beverly Hills and Melrose. I would suggest having brunch and then checking out the shops. Then you can reward yourself with a dessert. I'm partial to Georgetown Cupcake, but there is also Fonuts, Magnolia Bakery, Lady M Cake Boutique, or even Jones's on 3rd. Then again, now that I think about it perhaps you should start with a baked good/coffee, shop, and then eat dinner. Either way, you really can't go wrong on 3rd Street.

Being a child of the 90s

Sister: I can't believe they made another Romeo and Juliet movie!

Me: Yeah, everyone should just watch the Baz Luhrman version!

Me: It has Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes. And amazing music.

Sister: I know, silly people.

Me: Now I want to watch Romeo and Juliet. We own it right?

Sister: In VHS.

Me: Do we have a VCR?

Sister: Somewhere?

Me: Maybe I'll just listen to the soundtrack. I do have both of them.

Me: (Thinking) Do we have a CD player?

I will look back at today and think "That was a good day for football."

The great thing about fantasy football is if your football team is doing poorly, your fantasy football team can make you happy. Or vice versa. Of course that means the worst is when your fantasy football team and your football team are both terrible. Those are the worst of times. I know because I lived through them.

Right now everything in my football world is good. I'm presently second place in my fantasy football league. The Chargers won a nationally televised game last night. I know this to be a good day, so I'm trying not to think on the past or the future. I would just like to marinate in today's goodness.

This is, of course, pretty impossible for me to do. Fantasy football revolves on luck (injuries, whims of coaches, and not just Andrew Luck) and thinking you have control over anything is just silly. Actually being in second place means I'm low on my totem pole waiver wire. It was suggested to me last week that I pick up Keenan Allen. The main reason I didn't (beside the fact that I already had two wide receivers playing at that moment) is because I hesitate adding any Chargers to my fantasy football team. I like keeping the two entities separate. The exception is the Chargers kicker (Nick Novak) who I like having on my fantasy team because if the Chargers do not score on 3rd down near the endzone, I can't be too mad since Novak will get me 3 points on my fantasy team (though I'm still plenty irritated). I'm pretty sure I'll regret not adding Allen to my team because at least the Chargers would have helped my fantasy team while stagnating in their own division.

So why are the Chargers destined to fail? They are presently 3-3 which would make them contenders in every division except their own AFC West. The remaining two undefeated teams in the entire football league (The Denver Broncos and The Kansas City Chiefs) are also in the AFC West. Of course the Chargers are not mathematically eliminated, but it seems unlikely the Chargers will win the division or the wild card. I'm too pragmatic not to think of this.

However, I will enjoy today. Mostly because as a Chargers fan I deserve it and as a fantasy football player I know these days are rare. So yes, today is  a good day for football.

*This post honored two books from high school English: A Tale of Two Cities and One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich

My favorite things from a 12 month Birchbox subscription: Part One

I'm 10 months into my 12 month Birchbox subscription. I've received some great things, some not so great, and some "what is this?" confusion.  Let's concentrate on the positives! I've fallen in love with some items through my monthly Birchbox or the Birchbox website. Here are a few.

My favorite lipgloss: Benefit Ultra Plush lip gloss. There's a reason why this is so rated so well. It is a perfect lipgloss. A nice sheen without being too sticky. Easy to apply with just the right amount of color. I'm a big Buxom fan, but I will buy this lipgloss when my present supply runs out.

My favorite hand cream: Le Couvent des Minimes Gardener's Hand Healer. Another item that is highly rated. I'm a big proponent of the Neutrogena Hand Cream which has a gel consistency. However, the Neutrogena hand cream is more effective in cold weather than warm weather. For a moisturizing hand cream, the Le Couvent de Minimes Gardener's Hand Healer is truly amazing. The scent is lightly lemon, fresh without being overwhelming. It really is a hand butter which melts into the palms and the regular dermis of your skin. Unlike some other hand creams, any male would use this product.

My favorite hair product: Klorane Gentle Dry Shampoo. I'm not sure how I survived without this product, some things are just that life altering. My hair always looks amazing after using this dry shampoo. Besides absorbing oil, it somehow revives hair by adding volume and shine. I was a skeptic of the dry shampoo fad...but it is real and this product is the best. This remains the only item I've actually bought from Birchbox after sampling.

My favorite indulgence item: Caudalie Divine Oil. One of the biggest beauty misconceptions is the idea oils are bad for skin. Oils are the best thing for skin, as long as they do not clog your pores. I can't really describe this product except to say it really is divine. The scent is a faint mixture derived from 4 oils (grape, hibiscus, sesame, and argan) but truly uplifting. In addition to the oils, proprietary anti-oxidant polyphenols (which may give it anti-aging properties) are added. It is a dry oil (I don't really know what that means) but it does have a lightness to it and is readily absorbed into the skin. This is one of those products that you really need to experience in order to understand. Or maybe not, it is kinda expensive.

This is the first of at least two posts regarding items from Birchbox. I'm undecided about my favorite eye cream. I still haven't gotten through my Nuance box. Some of my favorite things from Birchbox which I have yet to describe were from the CEW Mass Appeal box. I also have two more Birchboxes to go! The year of Beauty is coming to an end, but I'm glad to have found products which I'll be incorporating into my everyday routine.

Being a San Diego Sports Fan

I watched the Chargers/Cowboys game last weekend with one of my oldest friends. We started talking about sports fandom. Specifically, kids' allegiances and whether or not kids' should have a choice on which teams they should support. Like most things in life, it is complicated.

I grew up in a sports obsessed family. The most important holiday in my family is not Thanksgiving or Christmas, it is Super Bowl Sunday. However, being a San Diego Sports Fan is tough. I wouldn't wish it on anyone who didn't grow up in San Diego (mostly because the nice weather off-sets the last minute losses the Chargers subject onto their fans), related to someone from San Diego (because that person is probably nice and you want to support him/her), or are a San Diego transplant from a place that actually has weather (transplants are partial to the Chargers and Padres out of solidarity). I appreciate anyone who becomes a Chargers or Padres fan out of choice because that choice was not made logically. The Chargers have never won a Super Bowl. The Padres have never won a World Series. Becoming a San Diego fan does not make sense.

I wouldn't encourage anyone, especially a child, to become a San Diego sports fan. There is a tremendous amount of heartache in being a Chargers and Padres fan. These days, I can only watch Chargers game with other Chargers fans. Sometimes I don't even like doing that and prefer to watch the game at home with the tv on mute. The only sounds are the vitrolic words that leave my mouth. I actually only cuss during Chargers games, they make me so mad! However, I do feel like being a Chargers/Padres fan is a badge of honor. I was in a Chargers bar in NYC two weeks ago and shared stories of where I was/what I was doing during horrible Chargers losses. Even when we were up against the Titans that week, I never felt we were going to win the game. It is a good thing because we ended up losing! After the game, I visited Eataly and drank amazing coffee. Afterwards, there was shopping in Soho. You know, that is probably why I have such an amazing wardrobe. I go shopping after a Chargers or Padres loss! Maybe that is a selling point to potential San Diego Sports fan: think of all the shopping you will be doing to drown out all the devastating losses.