Every time we head to the beach house, we make time to go to one of our FAVORITE restaurants - CRACKED CRAB. We stumbled upon it a few years ago and I fell in love with the food AFTER I fell for their manager Charity Young.  She seriously ROCKS!! She’s going on an adventure soon, but if you go there between now and the end of summer, be sure to tell her that Kristy sent ya. She’s seriously good people and I’m glad that we met.

The food is awesome. They have got some of the best clam chowder you’d had. Their menu changes all the time but we’ve not had anything that we didn’t love. One of the things we love ordering is a bucket o’ sea food.

Here is a picture of the bucket that the boys split this time as well as a few more at our table.

This one was too good to not share … it was taken out front while we waited for our table …

Tags: crab, cracked crab, pismo beach, restaurant, sea food bucket

1.  Boogie Boarding - and sometimes even with dolphins (look at the second picture closely in the upper right corner)

2.  Body surfing

3.  Sit on rocks and let the waves crash on them

4.  Skim Boarding …

5.  Make funny hats out of sea weed

6.  Build barricades and have a mud war …

7.  Climb Rocks - announcing I’m king of the world.

8.  Bury each other in sand and sea weed

9.  Dig huge holes (deep enough for the water to come up from the bottom) each day so that they can watch the high tide fill it in each evening.  People kept stopping by to check out their work.

10.  Sitting in a warm car wearing wet suits, eating lunch, drinking soda and burping at the top of their lungs.  We don’t have a picture for this one unfortunately … but I can safely say that this one makes the list!

Tags: beach, body surfing, boogie boarding, boys, burping, cayucos, digging holes, friends, skim boarding, teenagers

My good friend Flo used to work at Universal, and keeps tabs on what is going on in the park there.  She shared this with me a while back.  I consider it a perfect example of how you would write a parody of a real press release for a show that could never be made.  The only problem is I am sure they are spending lots of $$$ really mounting this production.  I can’t wait to see how they weave in the “hilarious toe-tapping music” and the “element of romance”. 

Here’s the press release so you can judge for yourself.  I think the person who was assigned to write it said (to themselves):  “This is so ridiculous! - Let’s see how far I can push writing this as a joke and still get it through.”  Kudos to the anonymous copywriter if that’s the case, ‘cuz she got it pretty far out there.

Universal Studios Hollywood, The Entertainment Capital of L.A., Presents ‘Creature from the Black Lagoon - The Musical,’ Updating the Universal Horror Classic With Broadway Production Values

By PR Newswire

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. , June 2 /PRNewswire/ — Drawn from Universal’s crypt of classic monsters and updated with spectacular Broadway production values and special effects, “Creature from the Black Lagoon — The Musical” will rise, live, on stage at Universal Studios Hollywood beginning Spring 2009.

With state-of-the-art stagecraft, acrobatic choreography and hilarious, toe-tapping music, the Creature will be brought to life in a story based on the original screenplay, updated to emphasize the element of romance and just a bit of comic relief. Original new music and dazzling production numbers will keep the attraction contemporary and lively.

Audiences will be immersed in the ominous environment of the deepest Amazon, enveloped by the exotic sounds and scents of the jungle. And from the production’s first moments, they’ll be thrust into an unexpectedly outrageous, strangely romantic, frequently melodic and often hilarious adventure as a monster classic is re-imagined for the 21st Century.

“Creature from the Black Lagoon — The Musical” will be staged as an attraction within the Universal Studios Hollywood theme park. Admission will be included in the price of theme park tickets and annual passes.

I can’t wait.

 Karen

We got back into town yesterday afternoon. I have SO much to catch up on - it’s really ridiculous how much happens when you step away from everything for eight days. Maybe we should all start coordinating our vacations together so it’s not so hard to come back? I’m afraid to even look at my google reader. Might have to do THAT later today or tomorrow morning. I’m sure there are over 500 entries to read - yikes.

Today we are cleaning house - we set off our annual bug bombs when we left for Cayucus this week. That means we have to come home to spider carcases - hah.

I have a great post about the 4th of July festivities - and our basketball weekend in San Diego (got a new toy for THAT post too) just have to do all the pictures. I’ll probably get that posted tomorrow.

The short of it is that Zac and his friend Kevin boogie boarded all day every day of the week, we sat on the beach reading books sipping mojitos, wine spritzers, bloody mary’s and watching the dolphins frolic in the waves with the kids, played Mexican train dominos, pitch (card game) … and I had a reaction to the many layers of sunblock :-(.

There were no video games and not much tv … oh and NO computers. It feels good to disconnect for a bit.

Tags: 4th of july, beach time, cayucos, mojitos, parade, vacation, wine spritzers

You know how in California, everyone has bumpstickers of flip flops, turtles and stick figures representing Mom, Dad and all the lil’ rugrats, sometimes even the family beast???

Well this is what I saw today on a truck (of course, a truck) in my new neighborhood - we ain’t in Cali anymore, Katy.

Tags: Bumper Sticker, California family bumper stickers, texas

Why did you need to be so dark and scary and filled with peril and angst? 

Based on your theatrical trailers and the two picture books we managed to track down, we thought you were a sweet, lovable kid’s movie and MY kid has been waiting and waiting to see you.  Hopping on one foot, saying ‘I’m so EXCITED’ kind of waiting. 

So why did you need to make him cower in my lap, with his fingers shoved in his mouth for protection during your movie?  Why did you make him scream with horror when he thought you DIED?  When, indeed, it appeared you did DIE, TWICE?

Why did I need to pace the halls of the movie theater, holding my screaming, sobbing, heartbroken son, while explaining that you weren’t dead, just playing hide and seek down that long, deep, dark tunnel? 

I could kill you. 

But since you aren’t really dead, why aren’t you for sale anywhere?  Why isn’t there a little jack-in-the box Wall-e waiting for us at my local Disney store?  My son doesn’t WANT a t-shirt thank you very much.  He wants a little Wall-e that he can hold and talk to. 

Please Wall-e.  Get your act together. 

Sincerely,

EEE-VAH. (otherwise known as monkey’s mom)

Tags: consumer products, daily life, Disney, family, humor, love, mother, scary kid's movie, son, wall-e movie

I felt the urge to make this appetizer again for a July 4th BBQ that a neighbor was having and I thought it would help if you all had a visual of what this wonderful dip looks like before hitting the oven and after…..   :) 

Cheers

Cathy

Tags: appetizer, Emeril Lagasse, food, Food TV, Recipe, Trader Joes

Gotta share this story that recently happened.  A friend of mine is involved in a webisode project and was casting men for some parts.  She and her partners had one great-looking guy read, but he was really green as an actor.  When my friend told him he didn’t get the part, he told her that he really liked the woman he read with, and wondered if my friend would ask her out for him. 

My friend said, “No, you’ll need to do that yourself, or she won’t even give you the time of day.  I’ll ask her if she’s interested, though, and see if it’s OK to give you her number.”

After getting the OK, my friend and cute guy communicated by text. Here is how it went:

My Friend:  Here’s the number.  She’s interested.

Cute Guy:  OK, thanks.  Any tips?

My Friend: Be assertive, and you’ll need a quick wit to keep up with her.

Cute guy: What’s a quick wit?

You can’t make this stuff up.

 Here’s to cute guys anyway,

Karen

Tags: auditioning, cute men, quick wit, text, webisode

Hubby and I were in Paso Robles a couple weeks ago and of course we stopped at Midnight Cellars.  While tasting one of many great wines one that stuck out was the Full Moon Red… or as “Top Gun” Hal refers to it, “Pizza Party Pounder”.  This is one of those wines that you break out for a crowd and look like a rock star.  Though this wine has a good amount of alcohal present it is still on the light side and has pretty mild tannins.  You can really taste the berries and a hint of oak and spice in this everyday drinker.  You could feel good about “uncorking” this wine with  pretty much anything, from the Pizza party and beyond this is one to have on hand.   Price is right as well, Full Moon Red runs about $ 14.00 per bottle and if you are a wine club member the savings is even a bigger. 

2005 Full Moon Red Wine

http://www.midnightcellars.com/

Tags: 2005 Full Moon Red Wine, http://www.midnightcellars.com/, Oak, Paso Robles, Pizza Party, red wine, Tannins, top gun, wine

Well…I am no longer a virgin…yes, I know…36 and a virgin - yeah, right…

No…virgin from coming off the motorcycle…

I laid it down today…OUCH.

No broken bones…just some BIG OL’ BRUISES including my ego.

Here we are pre-fall - perhaps it was because I hadn’t had any coffee yet?  Mr. G just bought his brand new Kawasaki ZX10R yesterday and was raring to go - doesn’t he look excited???  ::sarcasm, sarcasm::

See The Beast is even concerned…

The best and the worst part about the fall, is that I was going like 2 mph…and we were in a parking lot in front of the Starbucks we were headed to…HRUMPH.

I have to admit - it scared me to death…but just like in my horsey days, I got back on and rode home (after about an hour)

Now, for some retail therapy - off to buy some furniture.

Tee hee hee

Tags: bruises, dropped bike, Kawasaki ZX10R, motorcycle spills, ouch, starbucks, triumph 675