That Seems About Right

Last week, I was driving along on one of the busiest streets in lovely Boise when I saw something that both irritated me and made me laugh at the same time. An older, very used truck (typically referred to as a rig in these here parts) went from being in the far right hand lane of the five lane road to the center turning lane in a mere matter of seconds, cutting off two other vehicles in the process and nearly dumping a large dog out of the back of the pick-up. The male driver was appropriately dressed in a flannel shirt, a trucker hat, and smoking a cigarette. Where was he trying to get to in such a big hurry? Apparently the pawn shop since that's the parking lot he swerved into. Yep, that seems about right. I wonder how much he got for the dog. . .

These are a few of my Favorite Things (well, at least in Boise)

Every year the Boise Weekly does a "Best of Boise" thing where readers get to vote on what their fave places/things/events/etc are here in Boise. There are sometimes when I agree with the overall consensus, but I have my own list of favorites for Boise that I want to share in case my opinion matters.

Best Place to Tan: Image Sun Tanning

If you make the choice to subject yourself to potential skin cancer, then you should choose to do it here. Image Sun is by far the most pleasant tanning salon I have ever been to. The place is super clean, not to mention the mother/daughter team that runs the place are the nicest people to do business with. They are genuinely concerned about keeping their clients safe and will take into consideration skin type before letting you get into a bed. What I also appreciated when I went there is the fact that they take the time to actually show you how all the features work on the beds so you aren't turning on the radio when you meant to turn on the fan instead.

Best Coffee: Flying M

Duh. Flying M coffee rocks! Not to mention the vibe of the place is super cool. Even better than all that is the fact that they are open late! Lattes at 11 pm make Flying M the best place ever.

Best Annual Event: Hyde Park Street Fair

If you need a place to go get your hippie on, this 3 day festival is it. There's artwork, belly dancing, live music, atheists trying to inform the masses what they do or rather don't believe, psychic Shiela, crazy hard core yoga demonstrations, tie dye, and massive amount of highly entertaining people to watch. This is by far the one thing that takes place in Boise that I look forward to each year. Love it! It's like our very own tiny little Woodstock with homemade soaps and lotions for sale.

Best Local Band: Blaze and Kelly

I don't care what their preference is, these ladies are super awesome! I love, love, love their style of music (both covers and originals). Plus, they are fun to watch. Entertainers that actually entertain, imagine that.

Best Place to Eat Pizza: Proto's Pizza

Proto's does the traditional Italian thin crust accompanied by a great outdoor eating area for people watching and good alcohol. If the parking situation were better, I would probably eat pizza there all the time. I recommend trying the mozzarella salad and dessert while there as well.

Best Place to Take Pizza Home to Eat: Flying Pie

Their ingredients are so fresh it makes my skin itch! Literally, since I have a bizarre allergy to real mozzarella. And the names for the pizzas are clever. This place is full of wit and good food.

Best Place to Get Your Groove on in a Nonthreatening Environment: The Balcony

Fun people, nonsmoking nights, good music=a night of dancing till your legs fall off (or at least feel like they're going to). And if you like adult beverages, this place is reasonably priced for a night out on the town. And if you are a gal who loves her dancing gays, you're in the right place.

Best Place to Discover Local Talent: The Sockeye

Nice that this place not only brews it's own specialty beers, but that they host local bands every Tuesday and Friday evening. Best part: no cover. So if the band sucks, drink more beer because it's not like you paid to see them. I highly recommend the onion rings with the chipotle mayo dipping sauce. It's like heaven in your mouth.

Best Place to Get Down With Your Girly Girl Self: Miss Tami's Tea Cottage

Oh, how floral prints make me nauseous! However, this place is great for creating the whole pretentious princess experience that every woman craves once in a while. They have an entire menu of different teas to choose from. The brunch buffet is legendary, as are their AMAZING monte cristo sandwiches (and normally I wouldn't be one to eat ham, but seriously these are the best sandwiches ever). The place has that old Victorian tea time feel that is leisurely and elegant. Definitely not a place to go if you are in a hurry, hate homemade fresh foods, or are morally opposed to consuming carbs.

Best Place to Grocery Shop Now That It's Finally Been Remodeled: The Boise Co-Op

Alas, you can fit more than one person with a grocery cart in the aisles. Yippee! The distinctive Co-op aroma of food and Nag Champa is still present so some things haven't changed in spite of the facelift.

Best Place to Buy the Hippie Clothes to Wear to Hyde Park and the Co-Op: Eyes of the World Imports

Guaranteed you will walk out of this place actually smelling like Nag Champa but it is well worth it because the Boho style of clothing is abundant in this shop. Also has super nifty gift ideas for your fellow new agey, hippie friends. This is one of my absolute favorite places in Boise to shop at.

Best Local Business to Support Even if You Can Find the Merchandise Cheaper Somewhere Else: The Boise Record Exchange

If you've ever shopped here then you understand what I am talking about. It's a music lover's haven of hard to find music. Plus the attached gift shop has fun stuff to look at/laugh at/buy.

Best Place I Wish I Could Afford to Replace my Entire Wardrobe At: Dragonfly

A boutiquey store in downtown that also has quite the selection of bohemian styled clothing, but there's also stuff you could wear to work and not get stared at repeatedly throughout the day. They just have cute stuff all around. It's unfortunate the price point is a little high. They too have a gift section of the store plus a rather extensive selection of sterling silver jewelry. Sigh.

I make this list with the intention of rereading it at times when I want to bag on my current location. Obviously, it's not so bad here. Especially if you like Nag Champa, music, and a sense of community. High fives to Boise for not completely sucking!

I Suck at Blogging

I just didn't realize how much I suck at blogging until I realized that it has been almost a year since my last post. Not only can I not commit to a man, but I can't even commit to staying on track with writing on a regular basis. I blame having undiagnosed ADD???? Okay, maybe I am just lazy. At any rate, I am finally posting something new. Hooray!

My gift to my non existent readers is this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skCV2L0c6K0&feature=player_embedded. Proof that doing drugs yourself is probably a bad idea, but pee your pants funny when your friend does it and you can record what he says and make animation out of it. Seahorses forever! (that will make more sense when you watch the video. . . trust me)

A Recent Discovery

Things truly are better when you are thinner. Now, before any of you decide to meet me in a dark alley and beat the remaining fat off my body, hear me out.

I used to be a size 18, so believe me when I say I know how frustrating life can be when you are plus sized, especially when you are also short as well. I oft found myself wondering why every plus size designer thinks we larger ladies love to dress in gaudy prints and clothing so elderly looking my grandmother would not even want to wear it. Thank God for the obesity "epidemic" in America forcing those who carry plus size clothing to reevaluate what overweight women want to buy and there are now some good resources for more stylish and trendier clothing that fits those in the 14-24 size range (such as Torrid and Lane Bryant).

That being said though, I can't even tell you how much more awesome shopping is now that I am a size 8 instead (and yes, I realize that was totally bad grammar but that is how exciting it is to be able to wear whatever you want). I recently went to a couple of the local thrift stores to replace some key wardrobe items since I still have some weight to lose and do not want to invest much money in something that is only going to fit for less than a year. I was not looking forward to this as I remember going thrift store shopping in my younger years trying to find cool sweaters like the ones my smaller, trendier friends found and never having any success finding anything even remotely attractive in my size. I apprehensively decided to give it another whirl though because it is my only feasible option at this time since I am pretending to be frugal during this stage in my life. Besides, how hard can it be to find black skirts and plain cardigans for work, right?

Answer: not hard at all with my current size. I made a killing, finding 4 black skirts and 5 sweaters for $31. Yes, $31 and I am so not kidding. I have zero patience and am a power shopper so for me to do that well in under an hour total at 2 different thrift stores is almost unbelievable but believe it because it happened and I attribute this glorious experience to my smaller size.

I don't tell you all this to brag or make overweight people feel bad about themselves. I just want you to know that even though it takes time and effort, it is beyond worth it to go ahead and do what you need to in order to drop the pounds (whether that's diet and exercise, surgery, Lap Band, or whatever). Not only do I feel healthier, but I know I look better and shopping has actually become more of an enjoyable experience because I have options now that I didn't have before. My only advice: if you are going to lose weight then do it for yourself because you love yourself enough to look, feel, and be the best version of you that you can be.

Do Svidaniya, American Food!

Recently I discovered one of Eagle, Idaho's hidden treasures tucked away in a zone of rapid development. This place of which I speak is a little cafe called The Russian Bear. I have been reluctant to ever try Russian food because of borsht, but thanks to the Russian blini I have since decided that perhaps the food there isn't so scary after all.

Blini is a nice variation to a sandwich as it has standard sandwich fare neatly tucked away into a lovely square crepe. The Blini I chose was comprised of pastrami, Swiss, and mayo. After I took my first bite, I found myself thinking that I may have just accidentally stumbled upon my new favorite food. The atmosphere of the place itself is fairly minimalistic, but very pleasant. The couple who owns The Russian Bear is polite as well as willing to aid in food choice (not to mention the accent is pleasing to the ears). This is definitely a place I plan to visit again as the Treasure Valley area works on furthering its diversification efforts. I would conclude that a cafe offering traditional Russian food is definitely a good addition to the neighborhood.

Just a Little "Homesick"

Dear Seattle:


Greetings! By now we have a long standing relationship of love and hate. However, this last visit, I decided I could no longer live without you in my life. In spite of the fact that you have a tendency to drive me crazy at times, I just cannot seem to stay away from you. It is almost as though I am the domestic abuse victim who keeps returning to the same abusive husband. You beat the life out of me when we cohabitate, but then when we resolve our dispute to the extent that I dare visit you, once again you become my greatest love ever. I keep thinking we should end this vicious cycle at some point but every time I see you or hear your name I fall in love with you all over again.


Try as I might to move on from you to other prospects, such as my current not-so-beloved-but-ever-convenient Boise, I simply cannot bear to live without you much longer. The time has come for me to choose: end our affair or return to you. So much has changed since we first met and I think we could really make a go of it this time, but I don't know if my heart is willing to take that chance again. You are a constant reminder of the dream that was nothing like the reality, but in spite of my disappointment I am not ready to give up on you yet, my beloved.


Anxiously awaiting our next tryst,

Erica

Kathy Griffin: Not so D-List

I was a late bloomer to the whole “Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List” show, which is odd considering that I am so addicted to the Bravo “reality” shows and because Kathy and I pretty much have the same irreverent sense of humor. I just started watching her show this season and boy, am I glad I did because last night’s season finale was pretty much one of the coolest celebrity moments ever captured on TV.

Kathy opted to do the closer by visiting an Army hospital in Washington DC. She has gone over to Iraq to perform for the soldiers before, but since these are injured veterans of war, that makes the whole situation a little different. Why I am particularly crushing on this episode is because I love how human she was in front of the camera. You got to see flashes of Serious Kathy in there and because the situation these soldiers are in can be so emotionally devastating, she wanted to offer them all that she had to give, which was the best comedy show ever. She and her assistants took time during the day to wander the grounds, spend time with these soldiers (most of which were amputees), and get to know them. The people she met were incredible. Most of the injured are still super young—as in can’t even legally buy alcohol—and yet they have already lived through what most of us never have to witness in our life time. These “kids” have permanent damage to their bodies that will forever change the way they go about their business so that we might have our freedom and yet they are able to maintain their strength and even a sense of humor about their circumstances. It was incredible to see their determination and resiliency. I found myself crying through a fair portion of the hour because I was so touched by these young men and women and their families who help them throughout their recovery.

What I thought was so cool of Kathy was that she actually had to take a moment to go cry herself because she too was so touched by these soldiers and the emotional strength of their young families. Not only was the fact that she decided to go there knowing it would be hard admirable, but the fact that she let down her comedic exterior and showed us all a part of who she is that we don’t normally see made me respect her even more as an entertainer. It’s so easy for us to avoid seeing those situations, but I think it is important that we do on occasion so that we can remember what others do on our behalf and not take it for granted that we live in a country where we are awarded more freedoms than any other country in the world. Sometimes it takes the awkward situations in life that nobody wants to talk about to remind us of how blessed we truly are. I am grateful to these soldiers for their service and I am grateful to Kathy for going on that trip and sharing with her fans something that is not her usual comedic shtick.

For those of you who have cable, I highly recommend watching the show on one of its many reruns (the one negative about Bravo is that they love to rerun their shows into the ground). If you don’t have cable and your curiosity is aroused enough to want to see it, you can find the episode on either www.bravotv.com or www.youtube.com. I don’t recommend lightly so you know it must be somewhat good if I am putting myself out there saying “watch this”. It doesn’t matter whether you like Kathy Griffin or not (which I don’t understand why you wouldn’t since she is hilarious but whatever), the episode opens your eyes to a new understanding of what our returning soldiers are going through. It would be unpatriotic to not watch the season finale of “Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List” and really, you don’t want to be unpatriotic do you?