Ask Jenna: CA Wine Country

Question:

When you have a sec - where do you recommend for a wine tasting weekend?

Answer:

Wine tasting in California is like any relationship, it really depends on how much you want to commit.

Temecula:

This is the really fun chic you hang out with sometimes 'cause she's really random and doesn't mind if you take her to Corner Bakery for dinner and the local dive bar for a drink. You don't expect much from her other than some amusement. And, you're not disappointed when she shows up for your date in ratty jeans and an old tshirt.

Santa Barbara:

This chic requires a bit more thought. You have to drive further to pick her up, you have to spend more for dinner but you have a great time and not only do you feel like you've learned something at the end of the night, but one more date and you'll score.

Napa:

Talk about high maintence but wow does she deliver. She's WAY out there, she'll only go to the best restaurants and then wants to hit the clubs AND the VIP rooms, but OMG does she put out. And, if you're really nice to her, she'll bring a friend.

***

Temecula: Close, cheap and cheesey. Every winery is different. You can go from the beautiful to the white trash in 1 mile. Its fantastic. The weekend you mentioned is a big event so you wouldn't be doing the 4 winery and lunch thing. Go to http://www.gogrape.com/ and click on events and you'll see the weekend I'm talking about. I have always had a blast at those. Its so much wine and food...fantastic. Besides, I love this company. Its owned by a husband and wife. On their homepage, the picture at the bottom of two people in the shuttle looking out the window...that's them. Because of the Big Red Weekend, I'd book pretty soon. One warning, the thing I like least about Temecula is the food. (Dinner, not the food at the events.) If you do go this route, let me know and I'll talk about hotels.

Santa Barbara: Because of the Big Red Weekend in Temecula, if you just want to do the 4 wineries and lunch thing, I'd do Santa Barbara. DJ has the name of the company to use there 'cause last I was there, I drove. In Santa Barbara, the wineries are not as close together as they are in Temecula, which isn't good or bad, just different. And, the food is much better than Temecula. When I did SB wine country I stayed in Solvang which I loved.

Napa: Well, I don't really need to even talk about it since I think you're thinking of a weekend driving trip. But, if you are thinking Napa, let me know and I'll go on and on and on and on.

If you have any other questions, let me know!!

Downtown

I don't know how many of you have ever worked or stayed in downtown L.A. but its an odd place. Don't get me wrong, its a cool place, but its just odd. After working there for four years and dating someone who lived (lives?) here for three, I know the area pretty well. However, to try to conduct daily life takes quite a bit of out-of-the-box thinking and a vague knowledge of the area surrounding downtown.

For example, I dare you to try to find breakfast on a Saturday morning outside of your hotel, nearby. Seriously, go try it. Or how about a market? Maybe a bar that charges less than $10 per drink? Here are a few things I've learned while staying in downtown for the last two weeks:

1. You need a car. Seriously. Everything is just too far away to walk and the Dash isn't always reliable.

2. The closest market is Food4Less on Wilshire, but if you do a search for markets in downtown L.A., (even using the zip code) it won't come up. Don't ask me why, it just won't.

3. Bonaventure is the key to happiness. I don't know how I feel about staying at the Boneventure (its a Westin, btw) but inside are all sorts of shops and restaurants. Last night we went and had Teppan and then up to the rotating bar at the top of the hotel. There is nothing better than Japanese food cooked in front of you, followed by drinks at a (slowly) rotating bar overlooking L.A. on a clear night. And, after drinking in any hotel bar here, the rotating bar prices don't seem as ridiculous.

4. You have Chinatown and Little Tokyo within a mile, use them. Safe bets are Ocean Seafood Restaurant(Chinatown) and East (Little Tokyo). And yes, in case you're wondering, Ocean has more than seafood. I tried the Kung Pao chicken and it was damn tastey. But, my favorite dish was something involving squid. I kept eating that person's food 'cause it was just that good.

5. Unless you're in the mood for a little danger, I wouldn't recommend hitting a liquor store. There are tons of mom'n'pop convience stores in and around downtown so try to remember to go during daylight hours 'cause those close around 6 (when the office workers go home) and then you're stuck with the scary liquor stores.

6. The closest Sam's club, Costco and Target are all about 30 minutes away (driving.) However, there is a Smart'n'Final less than a mile away. Its small but if you need stuff in bulk, you'll find what you need, even if you don't get 87 choices to select from.

7. There's Macy's, RobMay, Victoria's Secret, Bath & Body Works, and Rite Aid in the middle of downtown. So, if you need any "personal" items, you're set. And, I even noticed that Rite Aid has alot of random household items so when we've needed cups, ziploc bags, nails, etc... we've gotten lucky there.

Those are the basics that I can think of off the top of my head. I'll fill in the list as I think of more survival tools. Or, if you have any questions on where to find items, let me know!

Nice Guys Finish Last

It just hit me. Seriously. One of those OMG moments.

So guys, come on over, pull up a chair, and chat awhile.

You know how you're always complaining that if you're nice to a girl, she's not interested? Or, when you're dating someone and she says that you're too nice, like that's a bad thing. Or, she breaks up with you under the pretense of: "You're too nice for me."

I just figured it out.

I can now answer that universal nice guy conundrum of how nice is too nice, or the more common I-should-just-be-an-ass-to-get-chics theory.

Here it is. Read it through, think about it, and let me know what you think.

Girls want to feel special. If they see you being nice & friendly to everyone, then what, may I ask you, makes that specific girl so special. If you go out of your way for everyone, and you go out of your way for her, what differentiates her from everyone else?

That's the issue. That, right there my friend, is the sticking point.

You hear girls who date @sshole guys say: "You don't know how he is when we're alone" or "He's so sweet when its just the two of us." (Totally guilty as charged, btw.) That's just it. His being nice to her is different and that makes her special. He's an ass to everyone else, but to her, he's all roses and chocolate. That's the difference.

Girls want to feel special and pretty and all of that crap. Figure out a way to do that for them. So, nice guys, go out of your way to do something for her. And, no doing something nice doesn't cut it. Do something unexpected, something different, something special.

I'm in love with my mattress

Anyone who listens to KROQ knows the:

"I'm in love. I'm in love with my mattress."

That damn quote has been running through my head all damn day. But I am in love.

My faith in the medical profession has been restored. Don't get me wrong. I've loved my pulmonologist for years. But, I just figured he was the exception. I've heard about nice doctors, sort of like that myth of Manolo Mary Janes. They're out there...somewhere...but I've never seen them.

Until today.

He's young. He's nice. He listens. He's crazy smart. He respected my opinion...all features I love in my men. I'm in love. Maybe someone can fill me in on the rules for dating your doctor 'cause I'm in.

Too Much is Never Enough

Its not enough that I owe Bloomingdale's my first born child. No, the addiction continues and I have to feed the beast. So, I'm wandering through the sale racks getting some "fresh air" on my lunch break and whoah, Chip & Pepper in my size. Cool, I'll scan 'em.

$66. ($198 retail, for those of you who wouldn't ever DREAM of spending $66 on jeans.)

Damn, I'm tryin' these on.

So I get to the dressing room. Throw on the jeans.

These jeans are so low waisted the pockets are on the backs of my thighs.

No, I'm not kidding.

I'm serious.

And no, my ass is in proportion with the jeans. This is how they're supposed to fit.

I'm scared.

I mean, these jeans are borderline offensive, and they fit perfectly. The rise on them is about 3 inches, maybe. I mean, that's really low waisted. And, the fact that only one pair is on the sale rack tells me that they sold out of the other sizes. Women all over are wearing these vaguely offensive pants. And, to add to my experience, I did the unthinkable: the sitting test. Wow. As much as I'm in love with my own ass, that's not a view that anyone wants to see.

So yeah, I put those pants back.

I really hope Alexander McQueen is crying right now, because this whole low waisted revolution is his fault. All of you who can't find a pair of pants cut like a pair of pants, and don't have perfectly flat abs to match, you can send your hate mail to him. I understand he was doing something new. And on 5'9" models weighing about 102lbs, the pants were actually intersting. "Bumsters" is what they were orignally nicknamed since they were so low. Some of the pants even had cut outs on the sides, which Gucci also did, in case you ever saw those and were wondering where that brilliant idea came from. But, the women who wore the mall version of those pants were never the women you wanted to see in those pants. So, yeah, send that hate mail over to Tom Ford. Thankfully, I haven't seen those in about 4 years so I don't think that trend will return.

Anyways, those pants took me back about 4 years, and I wanted to share my journey with you. Not that I don't own jeans that low, they just don't have pockets on my thighs.

Why ask why

Why do you have a blog?

Wow, good question. Not the first time I've been asked, but a good question nonetheless. I tried to answer this a few times and I'm never pleased with my articulation. Lets see if I can do any better here.

Similar to the thought process that goes into my getting dressed in the morning, there are many reasons why I do what I do. Some make sense, some don't. Here are some that might make sense to the voices outside of my head.

1. Edited diary - After a 7th grade note was read to people it was not meant for, I've learned not to write most thoughts I don't want others to know. So, my happy little blog is sort of a shiny happy people sort of diary, in a non-Michael Stipes sort of way.

2. BFF KIT - There's a small group of us who keep blogs and keep tabs on each other. After you turn 17, you don't really call each of your friends everyday to see how they're doing. So, you tune into to your friends any way you can: chat, blog, email, xmas cards, evites, cel phones, whatever works in today's wacky times.

3. Ah, the life of an ar-teest - I like to write. I like to knit. I like to train my dog. I'm probably one step above mediocre on all three. But, my grammar isn't shabby; my creations don't fall apart; and I have the only greyhound in the 310 who can sit. (Those of you who don't know greyhounds don't understand the significance of a greyhound sitting like a normal dog.)

So, there ya go. Read the blog, check the updated website, you could even call and stop by. If you're nice, I might show you how my dog sits on command.

My Heroes

"If you don't have anything nice to say about someone, come sit next to me."

I'm too embarrassed to tell you what chick flick that comes from but its been a favorite quote of mine for years. So, with that in mind, I formally present you with Go Fug Yourself. These two chicks are my heroes. Seriously. It looks like they get paid to perform (what I consider) my favorite sport, at which I am a mere amateur.

I've been enjoying their blog WAY too much lately not to share. So, there ya go. Read. Laugh. Enjoy.

Obligatory Oscar Post

I live in L.A. so its written in your residency agreement that you have to either: a) watch the oscars; or b) be so sick of the whole oscar thing that you don't watch it but you bring up your not watching it in every conversation you have that weekend.

I go with option a) since there is no way I'd miss the red carpet. But, we're not going to talk about the dresses (though Jennifer Gardner is my new favorite actress). We're going to talk about L.A. oscar weekend and how to survive Oscar's hold on L.A.

Here are the rules:

1. Do not enter a high end beauty shop of any kind. I've broken this rule twice, this year being the second time. Though, neither time was at all intentional.

• First time: was my misguided attempt to fix a horrid hair cut years ago. This failed miserably btw and completely turned me against Vidal Sasson. But I did learn one very important lesson, if you ever see Bai Ling in your hair salon RUN, don't walk out the door.
• Second time: was due to an appointment I made four weeks ago, and no, I didn't have "Oscars" written in my day planner. My appointment went smoothly, as it always does because its a great place, but everyone there was completely stressed out because they were overbooked, going to clients homes after work and on their days off because of the Oscars. So, next year, I'll let the entertainment kids have my appointment, I can really wait another week.

2. Do not go anywhere near Hollywood. This is easy for me. I don't particularly enjoy that part of the city so I don't go there unless specifically invited or forced. However, tourists flock to Hollywood, which I've never understood. I've even tried to talk a few out of towners out of this mistake, but they seem to remain steadfast. But, here are a few observations of the obvious I feel the need to give tourists on this weekend:

• Although Hollywood is the technical home to entertainment, stars don't go their either. Well, they do, but not to the places the tourists can get into.
• You don't go to a part of the city that is COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN DUE TO AN EVENT. A little common sense folks.
• You're more likely to see a star at the aformentioned high end shops 0' beauty 'cause if the stars are running around Hollywood, they're in limos with an entire entourage surrounding them, so no, you won't get a glance of 'em.

3. Do drive anywhere *except* Hollywood. I don't think anyone truly understands how much of L.A. is fueled by the entertainment industry. You can drive the 405, 101 or any other freeway of doom and get around just fine on this particular weekend. Its bliss.

There's something about

Girl Scout cookies (referred to hereafter as "GSC").

I can't explain it. But, that won't stop me from trying...badly. Seriously, there's something wrong with GSC:

First, they're $4 per box. For the number of cookies you get, that's just stupid. I mean, compared to the rest of the market, we're completely over paying. But we do it. And we do it every year. And we look forward to doing it. We sign up to do it.

Second, if you're female, you can't eat just one. Go freeze a box of Thin Mints and eat one. I dare you. You can't. You might lie and say you can, but you can't. Those damn things haunt you. I just talked to an unidentified female who had to leave her desk to escape the hold of the GSC.

Third, once the box is open, its gone. Yeah, yeah, there are a few of you who aren't really into junk food, so this entire rant means nothing to you. But for those of us who enjoy life, there's something odd about that box. I watched a platter of Mrs. Grace's sit politely in the company kitchen for days, people just taking one small thing at a time. Today, one box of peanut butter GSC (not even one of the better flavors) was raped in about 2 hours.

Fourth, they put crack in the cookies. I *always* have food in my office, both good and bad. But, I've never had anyone sniff around like when there are GSC. You can feel its presence, like how a crack addict knows what dark alley to go down to score. And I'm guilty of doing it too. I would never dare to ask for food from someone I barely know. But, put a box of GSC on the desk and all rules of decorum go flying out the window.

And this rant isn't fuled by eating 1/2 of a box per day since their arrival. Nooooooo. Not at all. That isn't Thin Mint plastic in the rubbish bin. Stop sniffing in there. No, I count all of my calories. I write them in a log and get chastised if I eat more than 1500-1600 in a day. I've resisted all sorts of fast food and junk food in the past three months. I've lost almost 20lbs through diet and exercise. GSC can't derail me. What's so different about these damn cookies?

Crack. That's my conclusion. They put crack in the cookies.

Damn them.

my people

Where my family lived before we crashed the party in the U.S.:

http://encarta.msn.com/map_701516201/Salerno.html