The Random Roundup

I'll start off this mish-mash of a post by going back a week to St. Patrick's Day. You've already forgotten all about it, haven't you? And that's because it's a day with much promise and little payoff. I've had 2 good St. Patrick's Days in my life. Once, my senior of college, when everyone skipped class and spent the entire day drinking green beer at a bar. The last thing I remember is getting into a cab to go home (it was still daylight), then ordering Chinese food with my 5 roommates, before we all passed out in the living room. The second instance was a few years ago, when the holiday fell on a Saturday, and Devin and I held a St. Patrick's Day bbq of epic proportions.

Since then I've been chasing the dragon. Last year I wound up waiting in line for about 20 minutes to get into an insanely packed bar, where my one and only beer was ruined by some little floosy with a bottle of green food coloring. Then we bailed and went to a second bar, which seemed to have been some private function with 50 empty bottles of booze and a cover band singing Randy Newman's "I Love L.A." By the time we got to the third bar I just wanted to go to bed, but I already felt like enough of a failure so I forced myself to stay out til 1am.

As you can imagine, I didn't have high hopes for this year. So when I arrived early at the bar where I was to meet friends and discovered it was full of middle-aged couples eating corned beef sandwiches on tables with green paper table cloths, I wasn't hugely surprised. While waiting for my sister and Becca to meet me, I wandered a block east to The Snug, the scene of the previous year's cramped, green food coloring madness.

Since it was still early, there was no line. Inside I found the usual scene, but then discovered that the back door was open and it led to a giant beer tent filled with people in charming green outfits. Could it be? Was I to have a successful St. Patrick's Day at last?!

Yes! Look I even had a Guinness.

Ok, to be honest, we only had 2 beers a piece and spent the better part of the second one standing near the jukebox debating if going out to bars is even fun any more. But that isn't the point.

In other news, it's fun getting to know the new neighborhood. I've got a list of necessary places to locate. Where's my Starbucks? My gym? My Trader Joes? My weekend breakfast place? On Saturday, Devin, my sister and I went to find my go-to Mexican restaurant.

And we may have found it at El Portal. The food was tasty, the margaritas were giant, and the service was lovely (if a little awkward and overabundant).

Then on Sunday we found another key item on the list: the local dog park. A giant stretch of dying grass, full of big friendly dogs.

I may have been the only dog-mom with a camera, but I can't help myself. He's just so photogenic!