Whew! The two part House season finale certainly put me through the wringer. It was hard to top last week’s fantastic episode, but Monday’s second installment came close. In a surprising but appropriate turn of events, the show traded in its patented barbs in favor of non-stop urgent drama, and the result left me, well, a bit verklemped. Somehow, I managed to just barely keep my composure, but man, it was hard.
EATING IN LA: Gardens of Taxco Edition
After a prolonged, icy winter that left Los Angeles reeling in the permafrost of multiple 62 degree days, the sun finally came out this past weekend, sizzling the Southland up to temperatures reaching triple digits. It was, in short, excellent. To celebrate this change (not to mention the impending weekend), my friends and I decided to undergo some change ourselves. No, we didn’t become trannies. Instead, we tried out a new Mexican restaurant: The Gardens of Taxco.
By now, at least half the Angelenos reading this post are probably chuckling to themselves as the word “new” doesn’t often accompany “Gardens of Taxco.” The family-run restaurant has been around since the seventies and has become a mini-institution in its own right. None of us, however, had stepped foot inside this wood-paneled mecca, despite its convenient location. On Friday, we decided that was all about to change. For once, Don Antonio’s, El Coyote, and Marix Tex-Mex would have to wait. We were tryin’ new Mexican!
Giant Panda Sticking Its Tongue Out
Just because.
Via Yahoo.
UNREAL
I didn’t get around to watching this week’s House until this morning (the DVR had the black screen of death, thus necessitating that I head to BitTorrent), but let me just say this: OH MY F*CKING GOD.
I thought last week’s Gossip Girl twist was great. This episode had my jaw full-on dropped for like two minutes. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. And I couldn’t believe how emotional I was getting. Far and away, this goes down as one of the best episodes ever. The structure of the story alone was better than most Hollywood movies, but then add great acting, great dialogue, and great direction, and you have an episode that deserves some serious, serious Emmy consideration. Wow. Just wow. I’m only sad that I got around to watching it now.
Did anyone else see this? Was I the only who was blown away?
The Real Housewives of Narnia City?
Is it me, or does Prince Caspian look like his proper title might actually be Countess? And maybe instead of Caspian, his name might be, oh, I don’t know, LUANN? I can’t help but feel that when this high-cheekboned, cleft-chinned hero isn’t slaying dragons and other mythical foes, he’s spending his free time playing tennis with Jill and praying he doesn’t do anything to upset THE COUNT. At the very least, we know he’s certainly not having dinner with his son Noel (as if he would ever DEIGN to participate in Taco Night).
I wish I had a better picture of LuAnn to compare with, but for those who are familiar with her face, don’t tell me you don’t see her all over Prince Caspian (a.k.a. Ben Barnes). Am I plumb loco?
COFFEE TALK: Trying The New McDonald's Iced Coffee
It’s very fashionable to hate McDonald’s. To some, the fast food chain represents the simplification and destruction of American culture by corporate giants. To others, they are sly enablers and profiteers of this country’s growing obesity epidemic. But me? I LOVE THEM. That’s why I was only too happy to march down to the local outpost and try the company’s newest offering: iced coffee.
To be fair, McDonald’s has been offering this beverage for a few weeks now, but today was the first time I actually felt motivated to take on the caffeinated beast. My thoughts after the jump…
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B-Side Blog Encounters Famous Rock Star, Does Something Awkward
Oh the joys of Europe. I could be half a world away from Los Angeles, and yet I still somehow manage to have celebrity stories to tell. This latest one comes from the Czech Republic, which I visited about a week ago. As avid readers of this blog know, I was “on holiday” with my family last week, and one of the cities we stayed in was the ever beautiful Prague. The city was great, and I was especially thrilled one afternoon when I returned to my hotel and found several paparazzi lurking around the exterior like sharks coming to feed. What could this be? Was there a celebrity in our midst? I could only hope so! The whole sordid tale after the jump…
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LIVE-BLOGGING EUROPEAN TV: Let There Be Culottes!
I wrote this a few nights ago, but I didn’t have the internet access to post it until now…
Prague may offer many exciting nightlife options, but I’m more content to sit in my hotel room and watch TV. That’s right. I don’t need beer or fun or good times. I just need multi-lingual televised offerings, and thankfully, my hotel offers just that. (Actually, truth be told, I would be perfectly happy to go to a pub right now, but as I’m here with my parents, I don’t have too many options drinking-buddy-wise).
Anyway, here’s some good TV.
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UPDATED FLIGHT BLOG: Greetings From Lufthansa!
Sights from the Airport Lounge
Well, here I am, about to depart for yet another flight, but unlike other flight blogs, or flogs, this one is special. I’m not headed to the sunny climes of Los Angeles. Far from it. I’m flying off to the mysteriously inviting world that is Eastern Europe. That’s right, I’m jet-setting off to Prague, and I couldn’t be more excited. This will be my first ever international flog. But even better, I’m flying Business Class — also a flog first. This should lead to a whole new level of fascinating observations.
The action should all take place momentarily. I’m slated to board in about t-minus seven minutes, and as this is the first time I’ve flown Lufthansa, I’m quite excited. I’ve spent the latter part of the past hour sitting here in the Business Class lounge, which technically belongs to SAS, not Lufthansa, but that’s okay. I’m open to all countries and their swanky lounges. As you can imagine, this one has a high number of flaxen Danes and Swedes present. I thought I had spotted three or four German hausfraus, but alas, upon further inspection (ie. the newspapers they were reading), I’d have to place them somewhere in the Oslo region.
When I haven’t been doing any ethnic sleuthing, I’ve been snacking on the wide array of breads, cheeses, and cookies. I thought about boozing it up too, but quite frankly, I just didn’t feel like it. Instead, I’ve merely focused on the food. I’ve already gone back for seconds (the sesame bun was a mid-afternoon delight — especially when paired with an ample helping of herbed cream cheese), and I was quite happy to discover a huge selection of nicely arranged Pepperidge Farm cookies. Milanos? Don’t mind if I do!
Well, I should probably close up shop now. Perhaps there’ll be an update in Frankfurt. See you in many hours…
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Bawwwbby, Look What I Found!
What a glorious day.  Earlier this afternoon, I stepped out of my friend’s apartment, walked around the corner, and bam!  I came face to face with a landmark fresh out of The Real Housewives of New York City.  I’m talking about Zarin Fabrics and Home Furnishings, the fabric empire run by Bobby Zarin  a.k.a. the bearded husband of fan favorite Jill Zarin.  As I was late to meet people for lunch, I didn’t get a chance to poke my head inside, but I did whip out my camera phone and take two pics, one of which is above.  The entire experience made me unreasonably excited, and when I did eventually arrive at lunch, the first thing I told my friends was not “Hello” or “How are you?” but instead “I JUST SAW BOBBY ZARIN’S STORE!”  Yes, it was a great way to kick off the lunching hour.  And to think, we get a catty Housewives reunion tonight too.  Perfect.
One more pic after the jump…