The Great Chili Cook-off!

Last month, Z's mom helped organize a little event for their neighborhood with beer tasting and a chili cook-off competition for Oktoberfest.  Even though I am not sure how chili fits in with Oktoberfest, Z decided to enter the competition competing against some of his family's friends and even against Z's own father. Z basically threw everything but the kitchen sink into his chili and then fretted about it being too spicy for his audience, whose idea of a good bowl of chili comes from a can prepared via the microwave. (Just kidding, but sadly this might be the American standard) Tasters were able to vote for their favorite chili, but halfway through the competition Z ran out of food. Rookie status! Z received a couple of votes though during his short time serving, so all was not lost. While Z was busy serving chili, I was busy drinking free beer from Das Brew (a local microbrewery from the area) and making Finnegan take ridiculous photos with all the hay bales and scarecrows in the vicinity. This probably was not a good idea considering how I talked about giving my liver a vacation in my last post, but apparently I forgot about this. After Oktoberfest beer, Z and I later joined some friends in Oakland at our favorite Tiki Bar for more drinks. It was a great weekend overall! Below are photos of an apathetic pig dog and a day-drunk Z. Cheers!

Z & S Go To Sacramento

Since I'm still catching up with blog posts of the past, this set of pictures are from a past trip that Z and I took up to Sacramento for a quick get-away for our joint birthday celebration. I've mentioned it in the past here and here, but Z and I try to plan for a trip to celebrate our birthdays since we were born on the same day! For this birthday, we decided to visit Sacramento. The last time that I went to Sacramento was when I was a freshman in high school. My mom's cousin was getting married and it was a whirlwind of a trip because I barely remember getting to do anything else. I do remember driving past the capital and thinking about how beautiful the buildings in the surrounding area were...and the trees! So many trees in Sacramento! Without the trees, Sacramento ground temperature would just be too unbearable!

Upon our arrival, we walked around Midtown and Mansion flats visiting various antique / thrift shops, followed by a stop at a local coffee shop. It was nice to visit shops that weren't bombarded by hoards of people compared to the city. I found a nice 100% cotton denim dress and a linen top that I made into a crop top with a frayed bottom.  Later that evening, Z and I had dinner at a BBQ place with a couple of microbrews from the area. The next morning, we headed over to old town and toured the old buildings and saloons in the area. In retrospect, we probably should have done something else because everything in the area was a tourist trap and I would have preferred to check out other areas of Sacramento. Overall, this trip was pretty low-key but I'm getting old and turning into a Grandma. Gone are the days that I used to come thisclose to blacking out over too much alcohol consumption and dancing to indie hits in smokey, dirty, dive bars. Okay, who am I kidding...I still long for those days, but after getting my appendix surgery and finding out that my liver needs a vacation, I should probably take much better care of myself. Here are some photos of my Grandma Golden Age trip. Enjoy and sorry for such a late post!

Mother's Day in Livermore

Mother's Day always makes me a little bit sad that I do not live near my Mama. I called her earlier in the day and left her messages, but she unfortunately had to work the weekend at the hospital. My aunts texted me that they all had went and had coffee together before she headed off to work. Luckily, later that day I was able to talk to her on the phone and catch up on the latest family gossip. I miss her so much and I can't wait until I get to visit her later this month! 

I spent the day with Z's family and we made his mom breakfast in the morning. We had an Italian Frittata (sausage, bell peppers, tomatoes, pesto, mushrooms, spinach), hash browns, fruit salad, and freshly squeezed mimosas! Afterwards, we drove out East to Livermore to check out 4 different wineries. My favorite wineries on this tour were the Singing Winemaker at Tesla Vinters and Fenestra Winery.  The first winery not only offered generous tastings, but provided entertainment in the form of the Owner/Winemaker himself singing all the greatest hits! The second winery was more rustic and had a beautiful picnic area to share some wine, cheese, and appetizers with friends/family. I would highly recommend these wineries if you're ever in the area, which I am not sure why you would be since Livermore is way the heck out there. Hope you had a lovely Mother's Day!

Pug Sunday!

They're squat, fat, and prone to a myriad of health issues. They resemble miniature Ewoks and can be heard blocks away by their heavy snorting and grunting. Of course the people of San Francisco want to dedicate one day each month to this creature, the pug. Pug owners, enthusiasts, and friends of the pug gather every first Sunday of the month at Alta Plaza Park in Pacific Heights to play, socialize, and butt sniff. As many as 75 pugs are known to take over the park. All breeds are welcome to the gathering as long as they're pug friendly. Some people (pugophiles?) even like to lay down a blanket, have a picnic, and simply enjoy the pugs in the sun. 

On this day, Z and I set up a blanket and let Finnegan run loose. He hopped over to every pug and picnicking owner in order to try and ham it up for a few pats on the head. At times, it was a bit difficult to capture Finnegan's photo because he kept darting back and forth trying to get pugs to chase him. We saw so many pugs of all shapes and sizes. We even saw Winston and his owner Susan of Modcloth! This is probably my favorite day of the month because I get to "ooh" and "ahh" over the myriads of pugs and not feel out of place. Hope that you can come and check out Pug Sunday next time you're in the area. Maybe you'll see the chunky black pug wearing a stripped harness prancing around, trying to sneak some food out of your picnic basket.