Union Square Tree Lighting

I want to start this post off with I LOVE THE WINTER HOLIDAY SEASON! Phew I'm glad that I got that out. I should note that I love the holiday season in what I consider to be cities***. I will explain what I mean by that later in the post. I have recently moved to San Francisco and was able to go to the Union Square Tree lighting. There were two options for locations in which Nancy & I could of watched the tree lighting. Ground level or from the Cheesecake Factory, which is located on the top floor of the Macys just across the street from where the Tree Lighting was happening. So it was quite obvious which one was the best choice. WE'RE GOING TO CHEESECAKE FACTORY! I was so craving Cajun Jambalaya Pasta. This was a risky move because the tree lighting events started at 6pm. If we finished to early we would be out of a good spot to view the tree lighting, or we may not of gotten a table with a view of the tree lighting. We went upstairs at 3pm to put our name on the waiting list to sit outside. Now outside there are only 6 to 8 tables in which are seated right against the glass which would be the perfect seatfor us to observed the tree being lit. The chances of getting a table only a few hours before the lighting and on Black Friday were slim to none. So I was HOPING and PRAYING that we either got a good seat and could manage to eat slow enough so we could see the tree lighting, or that we were able to eat fast enough in order to stand with the crowd down below. I should mention that this isn't my first time attending a tree lighting. You know that big tree in NYC at that one center....What's it called again....oh yeah The Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting, also the Grove Tree Lighting in LA. So tree lighting are something truly special and something I enjoy. It signifies the start of the Christmas season. YES! So now that you know my experience in the tree lighting department I was quite excited to go to this tree lighting. Seeing that I missed the one at Pier 39. So I told myself I can't miss this one!

Once we get to the top of Macy's and Place our name on the waiting list we then proceed to go out onto the balcony and await for the seat moving and name calling to happen. It was a cloudy and cool day out today as we look down at Union Square and all the people ice skating and lining up for the tree lighting. I sit there and just take in the sights. Just thinking how happy I am that it is holiday time and that we get to see a tree lighting. So at 3:45pm the pager starts to buzz and I am like YES time to sit down but where?! I am also thinking wow its early and I thought we would be waiting for a bi

t longer before we sat down. I was thinking we may of hit a bad a patch of black ice here. We may get screwed out of a view of the ceremony and a good tree watching spot down at street level. So I was quite anxious to see where we would land. So we walk outside and there are two tables. One on the ledge where you can see the entire event and another that is just behind the table on the ledge. If we would of gotten this table we would of had to stand up to see the tree lighting. In my head that was a no go due to the fact that I would like to eat my cheesecake or whatever I would be munching on at that point in time, rather than trying to stand up to see the tree being lit. That is the convenience enthusiast in me. For all those wondering what that means is that the situation must be convenient as well as I must be enthusiastic about the situation in order for me to want to do it. Never is that lazy FYI. But as the Hostess kept walking I was noticing he was walking toward the LEDGE! THE LEDGE GOD OL MIGHTY THE LEDGE. And what do you know he stop

s at that very table and says "they need to clean off the table first then you guys can sit down." At this point in time while we are waiting I hear and see one thing:

Break it Down! Stop Hammer Time!

Can't Touch This

Can't Touch This

Can't Touch This

Break it Down!( Nice Pants, Hammer) Stop, Hammer Time!

By now the song and Hammer dance, pants and all, had stop and we were sitting down talking about how crazy it was that we got this table. So as we sit down you can see the different musical groups warming up as well as just the overall set up for the show. Its truly a great view. So the part of the evening which turned it from oh crap we just lost our chance to see the tree to oh snaps looks like we will have the best seat in the house after all. We go to order the Cajun Jambalaya Pasta and we both decide its what we want. Only to have the dish come to our table with the noodles mushy and water downed, TWICE. So by then we finally gave up on any and all pasta dishes. We finally order a steak and shrimp dish along with a salmon and mashed potato dish. By then it was 5.30pm and it was like looks like we will get to see the tree lighting from our table, and all because al dente wasn't in the chef's vocabulary. As we are eating our dish 6pm hits and the performers hit the stage. I keep eating my steak as I ask Nancy to take photos of the event down below. What don't judge, she was done eating her salmon and sitting there watching. So we are watching the performance and finishing our meal. Next thing you know the countdown begins 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 BOOM! Tree is lit. It was a great night in a great city.

***Now to explain my theory about what I mean by cities. I know a city by definition is an incorporated municipality, usually governed by a major and a board of aldermen or councilmen. But for me a city is more than what is defined by the dictionary. Los Angeles is my home town and I love that place but I don't consider that much of a city. I say that because most things about the town seem to fake to be true. Most of the major cities have a downtown or a portion of the city where there is high rise buildings and is popular portion of the city in which you must go to the heart of the city to get around. Los Angeles is not one of those places. You never have to see downtown if you didn't want to. Only reason why most people go downtown is for the Staples Center, Nokia Center or Los Angeles Superior Court. In lady the holidays don't seem real. There is a lot hollywood glam everywhere instead of just holiday spirit. Cities like NYC, SF, Newark, most of the northeast. They feel the holiday season. They are cities not stopping points. So what is what I meant by I'm happy to be in what I call cities.

Thanksgiving 09

The Holiday season has started and this past week Thanksgiving was the first holiday of the season. It was anything but a holiday for me seeing that on Thanksgiving, I started working at 3:30am. Black friday was another day in which I worked at 3:30am, and Sunday the same. My only day of rest was on Saturday which I was quite thankful to have to myself. I spent this Thanksgiving Dinner with friends of my fiance, who are like family, in Oakland, CA.

Most of my Thanksgiving usually go like this; I wake up around 9 am to do the normal family calls to wish everyone a happy thanksgiving and also to confirm what time dinner is suppose to be. After making my rounds of calls I normally then call grandma to make sure she has a ride or to tell her what time I'm going to pick her up so we can go down to Dad's place. I then make my way to my mothers place to have the first thanksgiving dinner and also catch the early Football game. It is a Miller Family Tradition that as well eat or as we wait to eat we watch whatever game is on at the time. Normally that consists of the the Sad Dallas Cowboys playing or the lowly Lions. The menu at both parents homes are usually the same. Turkey, Ham, Mac n' cheese, Stuffing, Yams, Greens, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Cranberry Sauce, and Biscuits. Of course the only time the tv is turned off is for the family blessing of the food which usually the Man of the house blesses the table then we chow down and eat. It is the same rituals at both house and after eating at both homes it time to go home to prepare for Black Friday work or just a day off.

This Thanksgiving was different and interesting. Both of which are good things. It was different because for the first time, as I am walking to the car and driving to work I'm seeing kitchen windows across my route to work lit up. Knowing that mothers, fathers, and friends are prepping their turkeys for the Thanksgiving Dinner. It was funny to see because I am normally sleep during the wee hours of turkey prep and initial cooking phases. So I am working on Thanksgiving for the first time and not going to any family dinners on the holiday. The thought of not being with my family makes me sad and really makes me appreciate the times that I have with the. Once I get off at Noon I then proceed to rush home to shower and change and attend a friends Thanksgiving. Once I arrive at my fiance friends place in Oakland I knew this was going to be very different Thanksgiving that I wasn't use to. The first thing I noticed is that there was no TV with the game. On this Thanksgiving there were three games on. A 8:3oam game, 1:15pm game and a 5:20pm game. As the more friends of the friend started to arrive for dinner it became crystal clear this was going to be nothing of what I was used to or what I wanted to get used to. No one seemed to care that there was a football game on, and guests were bringing in appetizers, all of which weren't my cup of tea. During my family thanksgiving there normally weren't appetizers to have pre dinner. Wanted to leave as much space as I could for as much Mac n' Cheese and turkey as possible. There were peas stuff with salmon, vegan cheese biscuits, and a mound of Salmon or tuna with crackers. The conversation was quite lively and everyone was entertaining. The menu consisted of Turkey stuff with pesto, Asparagus, spicy vegan sweet potato, and stuffed sage sweet potato wrapped in prosciutto, cranberry salsa, regular cranberry sauce, stuffing, a vegetable medley. I definitely felt out of place because none of those items are things that I normally wouldn't eat most of those items if I had the choice if they were on a menu. So I definitely felt out of place and like worried that I would offend my friend by not eating certain select foods because they aren't a flavor I like. For the first time there was no Thanksgiving blessing of the food and the family. That was the final sign that this was definitely going to be a different Holiday. After having dinner and dessert, which was pumpkin pie, it was time for Thanksgiving at this house to end.

My Dad had driven up to Northern California with my sister, Nephew and his wife to have Thanksgiving with her family. So once we left the friends house we then drove up to Richmond, CA to go see my dad and family for about an hour. At my grans house it was the traditional Thanksgiving dinner that I was used. So of course I had to make a plate of the classic food I'm used. It was quite amazing and I enjoyed it so much. After I ate and played with my nephew and talked with my family I left after about an hour due to the fact that the following morning I had to be to work at 3:30am. It did feel good to see my family and have some of the traditional food that I was used to. It wasn't the highlight of the evening but definitely the icing on the cake. That was my Thanksgiving in the nutshell.

I want to say that events like these are what shape us as people. Even though this wasn't my traditional dinner, and traditional events I still appreciate the fact that someone thought of me enough to not want me to spend Thanksgiving alone. Someone thought and cared enough to want to invite me into their home to spend a family holiday with them. It's those small gestures in which people forget to appreciate and need to step back and understand they do it cause they care. Understand that the Holiday isn't about you but the collective whole wanting to spend quality time with quality people.

Dine by Design

DIFFA's Dining by Design San Francisco was held on Wednesday November 18th 2009 at 6pm. It was quite an interesting evening. During the evening I had the chance to see some of the best design for your dinning room. Some lived up to the expectations while others fell to the wayside. There were four floors of dinning room samples, with food and wine scattered between the dinning room displays. The event had ribs which were definitely to die for. (And there are two ribs that are too die for, Mr. Brian Veenhuis, and those Ribs at the Diffa event). I am a food fan so I thought I would add that in there for the other food lovers. Some of my favorite pieces had a elegant setting along with a calming feeling about the space. This photo was apart of the Academy of Art Interior Architecture and Design table. From the place settings to the Lacquer walls it was one of the best tables in the entire venue. There was this amazing chandelier at the Art table that had bids being thrown at it left an right. Whoever win this bids is a lucky person. This Chandelier was hand made by the students of the institute and really makes you appreciate one of kind hand created items. Another table in which I thought was amazing was this green friendly table. From the bowls, place mats, glasses, it is truly an amazing table. Overall this event was a lot of fun and really enjoyable. Had great food, company, and saw great design. All in the middle of the week.

Thomas the Train

Now Halloween is suppose to be about the kids. But what happens when grandma decides she wants to roll and collect some goodies for herself. This is what happens. TRICK OR TREAT!