My first birthday card just arrived!

Thanks for the sweet note, Camie!

can't get enouugh restaurant reviews? (shameless plug for Yelp!)

I heard from at least one of my valued readers that they most enjoy my posts that are restaurant reviews. As of a few days ago, I became a Yelper (http://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid=GN5l17b-uAsJV3sYL4L7WA) , and this link will take you to the couple of reviews that I have already posted. I plan on adding more restaurant reviews as time goes on, or if one of my readers would like to join me in a restaurant critic-capacity, come one up, and we'll write a review together! I should also mention that if you yelp, please add me a friend so we can check out each others hot spots! Kelly-this means you!

Restaurant Review: Burma Superstar

On Friday night, I had the pleasure of discovering that the San Francisco culinary landmark Burma Superstar recently opened another restaurant in Alameda! I had burmese samusas (tres spicy. . . and delicious!), pumpkin pork (pork shanks in a creamy curry made with cabasa squash), coconut rice and the spicy rice made with cardamon pods. Everything was SO delicious, I know I'll have to return soon! Heather- care to join me next time?

Sean "Felled" a Tree

the annual sacrifice of the evergreen, to spice up our holiday season!

True story: Sean promised me we could have a fresh-cut tree every christmas. He promised me this before he married me, because he knows how much I've always loathed the plastic abomination we used at my house growing up. . . you know, the one with the metal pole in the center? LOL! No offense, though Dad- I know "real" christmas trees are a pain in the ass to set up.

Gingers on the ice!

Don't know what a "ginger" is? Check out this article!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginger_Kids

Note that "kick a Ginger day" is Heather and Sean's Dad Gregg's birthday. Coincidence- I think not!

These pictures were taken on Saturday afternoon, when I met my friend Kevin (ginger #2) and Heather at Embarcadero center for a spin around the ice rink!

Please Join us Sunday for a Housewarming Open House

Our housewarming event is Sunday night, December 7th. I hope you can make it! I know that I don't have many of my blog readers' email addresses, but consider viewing this page as your invite! Please send me a comment if you're one of the ones whose email address is missing.

Here is the text of the invitation:

Thanks to all of you, our wonderful support crew, for listening patiently while we went through the ups and downs of the long and arduous house-buying process. Please join us this Sunday to kick back with us, meet some new friends, and celebrate our new home!We'll have plenty of kid and adult-friendly beverages and appetizers, so just bring yourself, a guest or two (if you like!), and a smile. We'd love to see you Sunday anytime after 6pm.

Love and well wishes,Lindsay and Sean

P.S. parking is allowed on only one side of the street, so please carpool if you can!

Green tea ice ream tastes like. . . celery?

Last week we celebrated closing escrow on the Brown-Catanese bungalow with dinner at our favorite sushi establishment in Sacramento, Nishiki on 16th street. At the end of dinner, I still had a little room left, so we ordered the green tea ice cream made by Gunther's (near-famous local ice cream parlor). And. . . it tasted like celery! No kidding. It looked like green tea ice cream and still had the subtle green tea flavor, but there were some celery undertones in there, too. Just a little something extra they mixed in, i think. Anyway, it was delicious, and something I'll definately order again!

Update!
I am counting on closing escrow Friday. . . and will seriously be disappointed if it doesn't happen. But I have a feeling it will. . . honestly. To calm my nerves a bit, I've been keeping myself busy preparing for the move by renting a truck, buying a futon for overnight guests, etc. Tomorrow I will try to have the water, sewer and recycling/trash services transferred over to our names. . . very exciting.

Please keep me in your thoughts and hopes that we can get the house keys on Friday! And, let me know if you're available to lend a hand on Saturday or Sunday.

Love to all!

sometimes the simplest things. . . . .

can prove to be so difficult!
You wouldn't think it would be that difficult to find hexagon or octagon- shaped bathroom floor tile, and it turns out its only hard if you need it IN STOCK! Sorry. . . just had to vent for a second. To make the long story short, I had to take 5 hours off from work just to find basic tiles for our bathroom floor, and the work isn't finished yet! Still 2 more HomeDepots left to go to so I can scrap together 8 additional square feet of coverage. Wish me luck- I'm exhausted!

May I take your ticket, please?

I was honored by the experience of becoming an Amtrak intern yesterday on the Capitol Corridor. I was outfitted with a cool "conductor" hat, and got to take tickets from the many Raiders fans headed to yesterday's staggering defeat. They were a rowdy, but very fun bunch! I also got to make a few announcements over the intercom, and my conductor friend Kevin said I should try to channel a deeper louder voice, I think to jar the sleepyheads awake so they didn't miss their stops! I also got to take the little pastel tags above people's seats and remind them that "__" is the next stop. It was a lot of fun, hopefully Kevin will decide I make a worthy Amtrak apprentice and continue my internship!

Photo credits: Kevin, for taking the photo, and Dad, for lessening the red in Photoshop.

Happy Halloween

That's right, I'm a Soulless Bureaucrat for Halloween, which may not be that far off from the truth!

Our house. . . in escrow!

Hi everyone!

At the end of this posting, there's a link to Sean's Flickr page, where he posted a few pics of our future house.

Escrow seems to keep running on, and now almost all of the inspections needed are done. The seller has about $11,000 worth of work to do before our loan can go through, luckily they agreed to do all of this when they agreed to accept our offer.

Hopefully we'll be moved in before Thanksgiving! We'll keep everyone posted on the date of our housewarming party.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/31632785@N05/?find=seancatanese%40gmail.com

Recipe for Delicious

On Friday night, Sean made a most delicious meal at our campsite in Samuel P.Taylor State Park. I thought I'd share it with you.

Ingredients:
1 loaf La Brea Bakery 3-cheese semolina bread, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 small wedge port salut cheese (low melting point!), cut into slices
1 small wedge Spring Hill garlic Jack cheese, cut into slices
1/4 stick salted butter
campfire for ambience
redwood tree canopy
pan
lots of napkins
1 perfectly ripe avocado

Make cheese sandwiches, I like one of port salut and one of garlic jack. Heat up the pan, and throw in a little butter. Add 2 sandwiches, turn over in a few minutes when the bread is nicely browned. Add more butter if necessary. When both sides are brown, put two sandwiches on a plate and garnish with avocado slices (unless you're Sue Brown, then you omit the avocado slices). Wait 30 seconds for the sandwiches to cool enough to pick up with your hands and eat. Watch the cheesy gooeyness ooze out of the back of the sandwich. Look up at the tree canopy above you. Treasure the moment.

Homie has wheels!

On Sunday, Sean and I bought our first car, a 1992 civic 4-door. We've already taken off the Honda symbol on the trunk and the Civic name has worn off, so we have about as close to a generic-looking car as you can get! I'll try to take some pics of it tonight to post tomorrow.

Thai lunch at Osha with Mosh

Friday night I took Amtrak down to hang with Heather until Saturday night. We had a great time, seeing Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist at the new mall. It was definately a feel-good movie, and Michael Cera has the cutest expressions . . ever.


Saturday, Mosh made me a killer breakfast in her fancy-schmancy breakfast maker (a toaster with an attachment that steams sausage and poaches an egg). It was mighty tasty. Then we headed to Union Street to attend a party at LUSH. . . where we won prizes and got freebies and goodie bags! We definately raked it in. Next, we went to lunch at Osha, a chain of 5 thai restaurants in san Francisco. Below are some pics of our tasty lunch specials!

Photo credits: Heather Brown and her iphone

Where's Waldo?

Across the street from work is the local prison. I have a great view of a hallway where I can usually see prioners hanging out in their bright orange jumpsuits. Here's today's challenge- find Waldo! Hint- he's wearing bright orange!

Bowling for Team Jesus

Hi all,

The Planning and Urban Development League (PUDL) is in full swing, and I have so far bowled two nights. The league is on every Monday night at Capitol Bowl in West Sacramento, but I share a slot with my boss at work, so we take turns as far as who represents the General Plan Team. My first night, my high score was a 90, but this Monday I bowled a 114, which is very close to my highest score. . . ever! I'm setting a goal for the season of 130, so wish me luck! Seen here are Chris and Cherie, who bowled with me 2 weeks ago. . . . they were excellent teammates! This league has been a fun way to kick back with some of my coworkers and meet other planners and environmental anaylsts in the area.

Happy Birthday, Sean!

Today is Sean's birthday. . . Happy Birthday, love of my life! I've always seen birthdays as a reminder to honor that person for the influence they've made in your life. I'm so lucky to have met Sean, he has brought so much happiness and companionship to my life. Thanks for being yourself, and loving me so completely, Sean. Happy Birthday!

If you'd like to email Sean a birthday wish, his personal email is seancatanese at gmail.com

Fight Breast Cancer with me!

Hi all,
I'll be walking against breast cancer on October 19th here in Sacramento, in a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. I'll post my walk-related website here tomorrow in the hopes that you can walk with me, sponsor me with a donation, or join a walk against breast cancer in your community.

I walked for the Susan Komen foundation a few years ago and raised some money, but this year I have an even better reason: Sean's grandma, Valerie Catanese. Valerie was diagnosed with breast cancer in August of this year, and has recently undergone a lumpectomy to remove a few cysts. Recovery from any surgery is hard, and in this case, Valerie's recovery was no different. It was especially difficult to recover from the anesthesia- I hope the surgery eradicated the breast cancer and that her days of surgery are over.

Thanks for sponsoring me, walking with me, and keeping Valerie in your thoughts or prayers. Thanks also to Kelly Brown, who has offered me $1 in sponsorship money for every new post in my blog from today until October 19th!

Here's my personal website for my walk against breast cancer, where you can sponsor me, join me, or send me a note.

http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/MakingStridesAgainstBreastCancer/MSABCFY09California?px=8207623&pg=personal&fr_id=11603&et=Xz1Wja2P_KEkOmIOpsVhow..&s_tafId=193564

I Heart Mr. Bento . . .Again!

And here's a pic from today's Bento delite. Haricot Vert, diet coke with ice, wheat thins, watermelon chunks, and leftover linguine with prawns, sundried tomatoes and spinach from Lucca.

I Heart Mr. Bento!

Having been inspired by KellyAnn's admirations of Mr. Bento lunches, I finally decided to treat myself to the high cost of a Mr. Bento from Amazon.com. $50, but that makes up for itself in just 2 weeks by bringing my lunch to work instead of going out ! This is my first picture of Mr. Bento. . . not quite the stunning cutesy-character esque bento creations showcased on the Mr. bento porn site on Flickr. http://www.flickr.com/groups/mrbento/, (safe for work. . I promise!) but very tasty! I will try to remember to take a new pic of my Mr. bento meal today, which includes a smidgen of tasty leftovers from Lucca, a really good continental reasturant near my house in Midtown. In the picture is wheat thins with Cypress Grove chevre and Molinari salami, spinach salad with feta and heirloom tomatoes, and some pre-marinated tri-tip from Costco I cooked up Sunday afternoon. I filled the fourth dish with watermelon, but I ate it before I thought to record it for all of time!

Mom and Dad share their anniversary with the kids

This weekend mom and dad came up to celebrate their 38th anniversary with their kids. Heather came over on Amtrak (sans Tyrone) and everyone had a good time lounging about. As Dad posted, we did a little shopping and Mom. . . . I'm so proud of Mom. . . tried Thai food again for the first time in probably 15 years, and (drum roll please) Enjoyed it! She was especially impressed with the sticky rice and mango dessert, perfectly garnished with a magenta-hued cymbidium orchid. I only wish i had the foresight to have taken a picture. Here are two pics Dad took of our crew at the Starbucks next to the Amtrak station Sunday morning.

Sittin' on the dock of the bay. . .

Hi Beautiful family and friends!

This weekend I got to sail around San Francisco Bay on a 20-something foot sailboat! We left from the west side of Fort Mason at around 2pm and returned about 4. I even go to sail underneath the Golden Gate to the ocean side! Did you know that part of the bridge's underside isn't red, but a turquis-ey green? true story! And let me tell you, it was SO windy, I thought we would keel over! But dead men tell no tales, so obviously I made it out alive to tell the story. Maybe Dad will tell one of his stories of sailing to Sausalito/tiburon when he was in high school. . . Anyway, i had a great time, and will look for more opportunities to earn my sea legs, or seal legs, whichever comes first.

Disneyland was a blast!

I can say with certainty that everyone greatly enjoyed the pilgrimage to Disneyland. Although the drive was long, the delicious churros and thrill of Disney made the treacherous trek worthwile.
Got to run to a meeting, but I'll post more on the trip soon!

Poverty Meal in Sacramento

So, last night Campbell, Sean and I tried to eat dinner at Ernesto's mexican restaurant in downtown, only because Sean and I got $70 in gift certificates for our wedding that we were saving until we were too poor to go out to eat. Which, or course, was yesterday. I don't get paid until Friday, Cammie wasn't going to be paid until today, and poor Sean doesn't get his paycheck until (gasp!) tuesday. So using a gift card for dinner would be a good idea, something to lull us into thinking we weren't actually poor. But no!

Despite our excellent parking karma, Ernesto's had a 35-minute wait, on Wednesday night at 7? weird. A crowd was gathered in the opening alcove, and since it was so hot and there was no space at the bar to have a drink and wait, my impatience took over and I decided we should go somewhere else for dinner, even if it meant using the seldom-used credit card. Which we keep around for fiscal emergencies, when it's too hot to cook, you feel sick, and have already spent your meager earnings on other essentials.

I voted for Pluto's, Sean voted for sushi, so the deciding vote went to Cammie, who rightly chose Pluto's. Cammie and I had "side" salads- which covered the dinner plate and formed a nice salad mountain-and foccacia bread, which had a lot of rosemary and was super-yummy. Sean had their sandwich special- kind of a french dip with cheese which reportedly was mediocre, but he graciously shared his spicy garlic fries with the salad-grazers. Coupled with a honey mustard, the fries made the meal.

Cammie treated us to yogurt at Big Spoon, also in the mall. We both agree that cheesecake bites are the best topping there, although they often are torn to shreds by the spoon and end up sticking together in the bowl. But they still taste good!

Altogether, a great meal with excellent company. I look forward to going to Disneyland with Cammie, Heather and (hopefully) Miss Acacia, where we will no doubt sample the fine dishes served at the Carnation Plaza Character Breakfast Buffet, the French Market, and Napoli in Downtown Disney! And churros for a nighttime treat, pineapple whip at the Tiki House for a midday heat-abating snack. Look for a post on our Disney adventure in a few weeks!

Cousin's Wine and Dine at Ella

So, Campbell had a great idea- lets meet up for Sacramento's week of prix-fix meals coupled with a wine flight, called "Wine and Dine". We chose Ella because they had fish selections in addition to the usual chicken or beef options, and because it's a new restaurant (opened about 6 months ago). The interior was fabulous! Inviting atmosphere, really nice lounge/waiting area with fancy modern (yet comfortable!) couches, and nice touches such as white cake pedastols and white vases as decoration.

The first course was really great- a lobster bisque with largish chinks of delicious lobster. Coupled with the soup was a sauvignon blanc from Easton winery in the foothills of the Sierra, which was crisp and delicious. The second course left both of us a little bewildered. Salmon with fava and corn (okay, sounds good. . . . ) but flavored heavily with huge chunks of ham? Needless to say, this one was bizarre, and the wine course didn't help it much. The grenache chosen to couple with the entree tasted unlike a granache, and more like a merlot mixed with port- no, seriously, it was a sweet, red wine. Ugh. It also didn't look like a grenache- it looked like port, even! Not to be a wine snob or anything.

The brownie and ice cream dessert was super tasty, and the chocolate flavor was rich and complex, so that balanced out a poor main course selection. However, the Muscat wine they served was on th sweet side for a Muscat. . I briefly entertained the notion of toning it down with a splash of water. the flavor was good, though.

Ella is a really fancy restaurant, and I expected the quality to be a little better than what I got for $50. I think next time I want a nice dinner out, I'll stick with Biba, or try a new place.

A Stellar 4th Place Finish!

Last night was the final night of my 12-week bowling leaugue, comprised of planners, architects, and environmental analysts. The league is called PUDL- the Planning and Urban Development League, and we've been playing at Capitol Lanes in West Sacramento, where the blinking bar lights blend in with the signs for less-than-legitimate motels. After our initial 12th place out of 12 teams standing, we've risen like foam on a pale ale to finish in 4th place! While Julie is usually our best player, last night Shalini scored highest on our team. After 4 rounds, we were exhausted! I will probably seek to improve my scores when league begins again in September. Wish me some turkeys!

Gloria Rocks Out

We're Jammin'. . . and I hope you like jammin', too!

While in the heart of the Central Valley, Dad and I churned out 24 half-pints of "Nectar of the Gods", otherwise known as Strawberry Jam.

Other than sustaining a minor injury caused by the leaping acrobatics of boiling water out of the sterilizer pot, making jam indoors went pretty smoothly, although sadly the bathches were much smaller than could be accododated by moving the operation outside. Dad's sole medium-sized magnalite saucepot was woefully inadequate- hopefully we can remedy the shortage with some ebay purchases.

Kareoke Jam Session!

This last weekend Moshy, Tyrone and I headed south to Mer-dead for a Kareoke/Jam session. I borrowed some discs for the wiii and a microphone from my boss who was on vacation for the week prior, and we brought the private kareoke booth to the family room.


Mom especially liked singing Celine Dion's "My Heart will go On", for which Dad happily provided backup and harmony. Moshy and I preferred "Rio" and "Glamorous".




We learned that "Bohemian Rhapsody" is not such an easy song to sing, when you don't get to pick-and-choose the verses you sing!

day to celebrate mommies!

this morning my parents are coming up from Merced, and Heather came on the train to Sacarmento. We'll probably do some thrifting (wish us luck on the thrifting karma!) and then we have a fondue reservaton at 4:30. More pics and a story to follow later!