i've tried to reach you

deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…

Did a bit of exploring around the Design District on my way back from the bank the other day. There's a lot of interesting shops which I can't wait to check out next time. Plus a Jonathan Adler store is opening on Oct 5. It was pretty dead for a Saturday morning which was kind of surprising. It was kind of hard to figure out if some stores were coming or going. I guess I'll find out once I go back.

During my walk from the bank to Target, I noticed a lot of interesting restaurants. I made sure to take pictures of their signs so I wouldn't forget. The one thing I love about Miami is finding all these spots in places one would never think to look. That's one of the main reasons why I like to walk around even though the heat kills me. It finding those obscure places.

This weekend I managed to put together the TV stand I bought last weekend. Yay! Now I just need to get a TV and I'll be all set. I got up early this morning and headed to Publix to get ingredients to make Chicken Adobo in the slow cooker. While I was there I stopped by their bakery and picked up some ham croquettes which were so good. A part of me wished I didn't do that because now I'll be stopping at the bakery every time I'm there.

There's a new addition to my apartment—a new piece of art! I'm sure many of you thought I was going to say I got a cat or fish but you're wrong. Although I am thinking about getting a kitty in November after the holidays. MEOW! Anyway...so I got a new piece of art and it already made its way to my wall.  For those of you who care, I present my new piece of art:

just where will I end up next is any one's guess.

stay gold & be well

i walk the line

deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…

I'm so happy! I've found a Korean market where I can now get homemade kimchi and other good stuff. Granted—it's not within walking distant but at least there's one to go to. We stopped there the other day on my way home from my sister's. I walked out with two giant jars of kimchi (one radish & one mixed), cucumber soap, some spicy pre-made chicken, citron tea, & noodles. Little does my sister know but she'll probably have to stop there every time she's taking me home.

It was my sister's anniversary on Friday so being the good brother that I am I watched the little ones on Saturday so that my sis & her hubby could spend the afternoon together and go out to eat. Before the dreaded rain storm hit, I took the little ones to Party City to look for Halloween costumes. Party City was pretty much a bust. We only ended up getting a few things there. We made a few other stops before going home but they were a bust too. One thing I did realize is that shopping with 3 little ones is not so much fun.

Just where will I end up next is any one's guess.

stay gold & be well

patriarch on a vespa

deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…

Cleaning. Cleaning. Cleaning. That is how I spent my Saturday. I also made ribs in the crock pot which turned out absolutely delicious. Weekend cooking has become my new thing and I like it. :) Today I went to Target to grab a few things and when I returned home I hung up some more artwork. Slowly, my loft is coming together. I spent the later part of my afternoon watching Paradise Lost 3, the final installment to The West Memphis 3 trilogy. If that's what you want to call it. I remember watching the first one but don't think I ever watched the second. I thought the documentary was well done. It definitely makes you think twice about the case. All righty, I think that just about does it. It's going to be a short post this weekend. I hope every one has a fabulous week. Just where will I end up next is any one's guess.

stay gold & be well…

the blind men and the elephant

deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…

Miami hosted dwntown art days this past weekend. I decided to checked some things out only to realize that when I arrived at Bay Front park at 1 pm, the event wasn't starting until 5 pm. Oops.  I walked to Bay Front park so by the time I got there I was completely drenched. I found a chair that was shaded by a palm and decided to take a seat while I finished drinking a peach smoothie and stared off into the bay. After I had cooled down I walked over to The Historic Alfred | Dupont Building where there were suppose to be two exhibits going on.

The window display exhibit that I eventually found was just that. If you happened to blink as you walked by you would have missed it. It was only one window. What made it harder to view was the partial gate that stood in front of it. I had thought there was a photo exhibit there as well but when I asked the guard inside he told me the only exhibit was the one outside. I later discovered that the photo exhibit I wanted to see was somewhere else (I need to pay better attention to details). Feeling underwhelmed I decided to call it a day. Plus the heat was getting to be a bit much. Dwntwn arts day was a bust!

Overall, I can't really complain because at least I got out and did a bit more exploring of the city. On my way home I discovered a couple of restaurants as well as Discotekka and Will Call, which looked promising for a sports bar. The rest of my day was spent relaxing and trying to cool down. It's seems that one application of sun block in the Miami heat is not enough. In my three hours of walking around with sunblock on I still managed to get burned. :(

For dinner I made a fall harvest chowder in the slow-cooker which turned out amazing. I also watched a very interesting documentary called Cocaine Cowboys about the drug trade in Miami during the late 70s and early 80s.

Just where will I end up next is any one's guess.

stay gold & be well

ode to la

deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…

It's hard to believe that I've been in Miami now for 6 months. San Francisco seems like such a distant memory. I truly miss my days in SF hanging with great friends, exploring the city, and drinking at my favorite bar, which I heard is coming back. But with each passing day here in Miami I'm growing to love it a little more.

One things that has significantly changed is my reading habit. I seem to be reading a lot more lately. Perhaps it has something to do with a lack of friends. Whatever the reason my be, I'm actually enjoying it. So far since I've been here I managed to finally finish The Color of Summer by Reinaldo Arenas (which I started in SF) plus I've read The Way of the Shadow by Brent Weeks, Imperial Bedrooms by Bret Easton Ellis, Brokeback Mountain by Annie Proulx and then over the weekend I started & finished The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. That's more than I've read in the last two years combined.

I was surprised by how much I really enjoyed The Perks of Being a Wallflower. It's funny because it's one of those books that I remember seeing all the time when it first came out but for some reason never caught my interest. After reading Imperial Bedrooms, the sequel to Less Than Zero, I started thinking about the books that I've read which I liked a lot: Generation X, American Psycho, Bright Lights, Big City, City of Night, The Secret History, etc. That's when my google searching lead me to The Perks of Being a Wallflower an unread book from my past. Seeing that a lot of the themes of these other books dealt with troubled youth I figured I'd give it a try. And I'm so glad I did. It's one of those books that even now I'm still thinking about and a part of me didn't want it to end.

When I wasn't kicking back enjoying my book, I was entertaining my nieces. Here's a rundown of how that went: playing Barbies followed a photo shoot (pictures TK), going to the park (twice), a game of hide and go seek, playing dead, more Barbies, pretending we were at a spa, etc. Who knew kids could be so tiring.

Just where will I end up next is any one's guess.

stay gold & be well