Ready for Californication

Hello Blog family,

I will be skipping my Dear Diary periodical this Friday, 8/11 and resume when I get back from my vacation...I'll be heading to sunny California back to my old roots. Being a Cali girl most of my life it's been interesting with my huge transition to NYC. Being here 5 years, wow, time sure flies, and mentally I feel I am a New Yorker. I no longer have the bougie attitude I had when I first moved to the eastcoast. I remember how I couldn't stand the trains, the smelly streets and the crowd of people to me looked like criminals or maybe I looked strange to them...lol.

I'm going for some well-deserved vacation to Californication, my fornication will be food and shopping, that's it and I can't wait. I'll be there for 12 days spending time with friends and family. I know some will comment on how I gained a little weight and oh yeah say something about my hair color which is more like a honey blond. I gave up on trying to lose weight before my trip, so i'll be splurging on all the restaurants I missed over there and when I return home i'll go back to my healthing eating. For example I can't wait to eat at Tony Romas, if you've never heard of it, it's a restaurant that specializes on great ribs. Just thinking about it now makes my mouth water, you can check out their menu (www.tonyromas.com), i'll be ordering the St. Louis Rib Sampler which consist of a dozen St. Louis Ribs in four flavors: Original, Carolina Honeys™, Blue Ridge Smokies™ and Tony Roma’s Red Hots, it is to die for.

Another favorite eating spot is In-N-Out Burger (www.in-n-out.com) , the place is really addicting especially their fries which are cut, peeled and cooked in 100% cholesterol-free oil and you can't have the meal without their delicious shakes which are made from real ice cream which is why they are so thick and creamy. Am I hungry or what? Lol... ok one last spot I must say i'll check out as far as splurging like a pig is the Cheesecake Factory. I go there each and every time I visit California. I usually order the avocado eggroll instead of a salad, to me their salads are too much enough to feed Somalia. I eat my six eggrolls then treat myself to a nice slice of cheesecake. Cheesecake Factory has a dozen or so cheesecakes, it's really hard to pick one, and the last time I ordered an Oreo Cheesecake it was way too sweet but then I tasted my girlfriend's Kahlua Cheesecake and that was it for me. I will definetly order myself a Kahlua Cheesecake. Take the time to browse at their menu in advance if you do plan on visiting California in the future (www.cheesecakefactory.com) believe me, you won't be disappointed. Another spot (I know...I know) but it's great when it comes to Mexican food is El Torito's. Fine...i'll stop right there with the food and head straight to the beach where I will be walking off my extra calories. I'll be strolling Venice Beach and of course Malibu where I love to sit on top of the rocks and look out at the ocean andsunset. It does get cool and windy over there but i'll bring myself a sweater.
The first thing I do when I get to Cali is rent my car and go straight to Wholefoods, I'll be staying with my aunt who is not a healthy eater and she cooks a lot of beef which I stay away from. That's why it's best for me to stop at the market first to get what I need for the week and then I can unpack my things and relax. Well, I think i'll be enjoying this vacation and come back with a sunny tan and sunnier smile.

I'll bring back some more poems for your viewing pleasure and keep you inform if I do meet Mr. Right. I have a girlfriend over there who is trying to set me up, me being so picky I am not holding my breath. By the way, I read one of my poems last night (Kinky Roots and Rapture) at a spot I visit often on Mondays (www.louderarts.com), it wasn't my first time so I did ok. It was great feeling the support of family and friends who showed up.

We had a CD vendor today who stopped by at my job, I bought two CD's not at all planned but I couldn't help it. I purchased Andrea Bocelli's (Romanza) and Etta James (Love Songs). I fell in love/lust with Andrea's voice when I was flipping channels and saw the commercial for his Romanza cd. I've always been a fan of the opera world, having my Pavarotti collection in hand and 1 cd by Sarah Brightman...so to have Andrea's cd for $10 bucks you can't beat the price.
As for Etta James, she's been a favorite since I first heard the song At Last in a movie which gave me chills all over and then when I found out she's the legendary songstress who sang My Funny Valentine, I was hooked. I think my purchases were worth every dollar and they will keep me relaxed on the 5+ hour flight to Californication :)

I will miss you all...believe me, my fingers will be itching.

P.s. If you are looking for some inspiration while i'm gone stop by my website: www.delaleuwritings.com (feel free to roam around the G-spot and sign my guestbook)