I feel ya, San Diego...

I really do...in my lungs! Gawds, the smoke has finally arrived. And I am not liking it! That first day...the sky looked like it was covered by a smooth layer of dryer lint! It was that thick! While its slowly getting better...it's not getting better fast enough. I'm using my inhaler way too much, way too fast! I think I might have to make a doctor's appointment...this can't be good. Get better San Diego, so I can get better. Why? Because breathing is good.

Summer is over

7am Monday. 20°F (-7°C). High of 51°F (11°C). Sunny but with some winds. And I have to be out in this weather for an hour. Yup, I think summer is coming to a close. I am SO looking forward to winter wardrobe shopping. NOT.

The weekend score!

So I went to West Elm yesterday with Scott. He wanted to shop. He bought $230 worth of home accessories. And what did I end up with? Two Garvy Dining Chairs for $215. They were floor samples that were being sold for 50% the MRSP. The upholstery were slightly dirty, but nothing horribly noticeable and can be cleaned. The one small scuff on one of the legs can be hidden as well. Now...I do wish they both had arms, but for the price I paid I am happy. They can always be used separately. But hey...one small step at a time, and my living room now has 2 chairs for me to sit on.

Of course, the trip back to my place was nasty. Las Vegas has been experiencing some nasty Santa Ana winds this whole weekend. We basically drove through a sand storm, with Scotts' trunk partially open (because of the chairs). What a mess. Thankfully, everything was fine.

Yay Chairs!

Tea is for White, Green and Black

I'm not a coffee drinker. I avoid soda and fruit juices, which means my liquids are mostly water. Filtered or bottled water. And the occasional sports energy drink. But lately, I have been going back into tea mode. Hardcore.

Of course, I am addicted to Tea Planet. Gotta love Boba Teas. I usually get the cold Boba Green Tea. It's got a slight bitter taste to it, which is how I usually like my teas anyways. The hot Milk Green Tea is also good. Mike loved the Rose Tea.

I've had some green tea I bought at the office from Smiths aka Kroger. It's not too bad. Since I like my tea a little thin and not like syrup, I can get about 3 cups from a single bag. Although...it tastes more like black tea than it does green tea. I've recently started getting Tazo China Green Tips. They're a little disappointing for Tazo. It toes take 3 minutes to steep the tea bag for the tea to brew. And then it's relatively tasteless. You can maybe get 1.5 cups from it, if you're lucky. I doubt the loose leaf variant will be much better. So I'll have to find some other tea.

At home, I bought a Bodum electric kettle from target. It's great. No need to use the stove,and it is super quick. Also, I got myself a box of Yamamotoyama green tea (teabags). And I have to say that it's actually quite good. When I steep it, I only need to steep it for 30 seconds, and the tea is actually green. I get 2-3 cups per teabag. And it tastes great...slighty bitter, woodsy, light and airy. I'm a happy boy.

Still, I am searching for something good for the office. Maybe I should just order some Yamamotoyama green tea in bulk. Some black and white tea would also be good.

Oh yes, and here is a link all about tea. It's history, processes, varieties...all that good stuff. And this is a sweet little site that shows you how to make tea at work. Neat gadgets!

LV adopts modernism...off the Strip. Sorta.

The weekend before, Scott and I decided to do some real-estate snooping. WE checked out two properties: Blue Heron and X-it.

Well, both were awesome. Out of my league, but awesome nonetheless.

Blue Heron was interesting: very industrial, modern, and excellent view of the entire valley. Awesome pool and cabana-esque party spots. But...WAY TOO BIG! I would not know what to do with that much space. The first community is sold out, but they're planning to build another community.

X-it was way more reasonable, space-wise. Three different models to choose from. Three levels. Community gym and pool. It was really nice, and for me, much more convenient a location, as it's just off the 215.

Both Scott and I preferred X-it. More reasonably priced, good location, and way more workable space. I'm glad Las Vegas is finally embracing modern architecture and styles (off the LV Strip). Pricy as fuck, but I am glad it is here. Yuck to ranch houses.

The VSP payoff.

Well, today was the day. Scott and I went to get my new glasses, and then we ate lunch.

Well, I'm starting to like them. When it came time to select a frame (way back before I actually did do it), I decided that I wanted a change. And I went ... black plastic frames. I never thought I would go back to black plastic frames...not since my horrible childhood days when I had to wear glasses, with the cheap frames. Of course I didn't have much say in what frames I got, since I wasn't paying for them. Plastic to metal-wires, and back to plastic again. Also, since glasses are an expensive necessity, I decided not to cut corners. Besides, Wal-Mart and Lenscrafters wouldn't accept VSP.

So what did I get? Well..my prescription went up a teensy bit. One step closer to being legally blind. Yay. But for the specs...Hi-Index (to keep them thin) transition lenses. In a Joseph Abboud JA142 frame that actually fits my face and doesn't try to squeeze it to death. The frames also have a spring skeletal support system, which offers some flexibility so that the frames are not so rigid. That way, they don't get damaged as easily. The transition lenses are awesome. In about 10 seconds, they've completely switched over to sunglasses mode.

Now we'll see how long they last. Haha. In the meantime, AoD is still down...*sigh~*

Another Anime Interruption. GAH!

First Geneon's sudden demise, now AOD is down. That means their forums are down too. Haha. Weird. My daily stomping grounds for all things anime was grounded for the whole day. They are working on reviving the site, but it seems their servers are down. Wow. Like...is Mercury in Retrograde again?