Snow day!!!

I'll admit it - I was the naysayer. It started raining before we left and I said they'll NEVER let us up the mountain. We're going to need chains. Thank goodness they didn't listen to me. I mean, it would have been smart to have chains, but the fact is, we arrived at the perfect time, spent a few hours in the most beautiful, magical snow and drove (slid) very carefully down to the city again. I could get used to living someplace like that. Where the air seems cleaner, world seems shiny and fresher and all the problems and challenges of real life are a thousand feet below... I don't know how a little Aussie who spent six years living in the desert of Arizona ended up being a snow bird at heart. But I LOVE it. Best day of vacation so far.



Winter wonderland!

Tamale Festival!

Moving to Tucson when I was fifteen, there were a LOT of things that were new to me. Sure, we speak the same language, which is a BIG common denominator, but things are still pretty different here. And in the Southwest, there are more unique experiences that were completely new to us. Take, for example, tamales. I love them. Like tasty little presents, wrapped in corn husks and served steaming hot on wintery nights. I make a little batch every year, for my hubby and I. Anyway, this weekend, we found ourselves in Indio, at the International Tamale festival. Apparently that's a thing!

There were tamales from everywhere (even Canada, I heard, although I didn't see those while wandering around), all different kinds and it was a fun atmosphere with live music on several different stages, carnival rides and arts and crafts booths. I can't say I'd drive out to Indio especially for it, but lots of people do, apparently thousands of people attend over the course of two days. I'm glad we were able to enjoy a day there!

Baking it up as we go...

Somewhere out there in other parts of the world, people are enjoying views like this. I just know it. While we are still seeing temperature forecasts up in the 80s this week. So no chocolate candy for trick or treaters coz it will probably just MELT. Sigh.

Well, I spent a lovely weekend with a few fun house guests, stayed up late (waaaaaaaaaay too late), laughed and chatted the whole time and we BAKED. Yeah, it wasn't cold or raining, but we pretended the weather was baking appropriate and had a GREAT time! Two of my FAVORITE easy recipes to share with a crowd:

Apple Crisp ~ the simplest, most deliciousest (word invention!) creation that evokes the happiest, homiest smells. Mmmmm. No picture (SORRY!) - but imagine... If you have a bunch of apples you need to use (or that you happen to buy at the store with the very intent of baking this!), it's the perfect thing to make!

And Aunt Holly's Banana Bread ~ yummmmmm! Yeah, I know, pictures!!! Sorry! Neither of these treats were around long enough to take a pic, the apple crisp was whisked straight from the oven and out the door to church!

These two recipes are so super quick and easy to throw together, completely forgiving if you get a little 'creative' with the ingredients, and perfect for you to try if baking isn't really your thing. Trust me. You will SUCCEED. And nothing emboldens a baker like SUCCESS!!!

Gosh I want to go apple picking. I've never been, it sounds like SUCH good fun. Of course if I were to go apple picking in Southern California, I'd probably pass out from the heat right now. Exaggeration? Maybe... just a tad :P

Weekend Whirlwind

Gosh I LOVE long weekends. Here's a little collage from our weekend road trip to AZ.

You might recognize my tasty little snack from this Tour de Tucson post. Hope you had a relaxing, enjoyable Labor Day too!

They say slow and steady...

But this guy, who we encountered in a front yard while walking around the neighborhood this weekend, was moving pretty fast!

Lovely lavender

You might remember when I went a little nuts and bought four bunches of dried lavender at Trader Joe's... I can't help it, I LOVE lavender, and it's gotten to that point in the summer where all my plants are requiring more frequent watering, and cut flowers hardly last more than a few days before wilting because it is TOO DARN HOT! So buying a bunch of dried lavender seemed the perfect solution for my little table centerpiece container that's been holding a languishing little lavender for a few months now. I kind of squished it into the little container, and that may or may not have caused the languishing... But dried lavender is already dead - so PERFECT solution! :) Well, the lavender didn't quite stand up the way I wanted them to, probably coz the vase has a wide opening, so I needed to get some floral foam to stabilize them a bit. I finally got around to it this weekend, and it took all of 15 minutes (aside from the lovely aisle browsing at Michael's!), so here's how I did it:

You will need:

Dried flowers (or silk if that's what you like)

Floral foam

A knife

To start, use a knife to cut the floral foam to size - you want it to fit snugly into the vase or container you will be using.

Next, lay out the dried flowers on your counter/table/workspace. Begin to add the flowers, a few stems at a time, cutting them to the height you'd like the arrangement to be, as you go. If some stems break, put them aside and save them in case you can use them at the end.

As you begin to fill the container, turn it every now and then, to make sure that the arrangement is full and balanced from all sides (especially important for me as I planned to use this as a table centerpiece. When you are almost done, shake the container a little, and fix any stems that fall or lean over. I was very happy with how my new table centerpiece turned out - it is fragrant, simple and doesn't wilt in the heat! And I ended up with an extra bunch of lavender left over, to give to a friend :)  

National Hot Dog Day ~ Sonoran style

Well, I'm not the biggest fan of hot dogs, but while living in Tucson, I had the opportunity to try a local delicacy - Sonoran Hot Dogs (or as some people call them in LA, Danger Dogs). I am sure they're bad for you in every single way possible, but they are delicious, and in honor of National Hot Dog Day (apparently - according to a google search fueled by a facebook post), we had a bunch of friends over yesterday and celebrated with Sonoran Hot Dogs. If you've never tried them, you should! Just not too often :P 

You will need:

Bacon

Hot Dogs

Buns

Tomatoes (diced - I used 3)

Onions (diced - I used 2 smaller ones)

Mayo, mustard, ketchup, relish, chipotle mayo etc. (whatever else you want!)

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Wrap half a piece of bacon around each hot dog (don't overlap it too much as you want it to crisp and cook evenly) and set aside. In a little olive oil, saute the onions until the are softened, then add tomatoes and stir. Cook on medium high heat for about 10 minutes, adding a little garlic salt for extra flavor, if you'd like. While the tomatoes and onions are cooking, cook bacon wrapped hot dogs over medium high heat, turning as the bacon cooks. Place buns on a tray and heat in the oven for about 5 minutes. When the bacon is done on all sides, remove the hot dogs. To eat, pile hot dog buns high with condiments, sauteed onion and tomatoes and enjoy! If you're lucky, your homemade Sonoran hot dogs will come out looking something like the real deal! Yum!!

Weekend whirlwind

Well, it was another one of those weekends where you wake up on Monday morning and wonder where on earth those days went :) But it was well spent, I think!!! Here's some of what we got up to:

- new tires (skidding on slick roads has a way of making you PRIORITIZE things you have been procrastinating over!) - free oil change with two new tires at Pep Boys at the moment :) 
- super late nights
- finished the four canvas painting I've been working on (I think...)
- concert in the park
- babysitting the most well-behaved kids I know - playing in tents at REI
- laughing a lot because those kids are HILARIOUS!
- hanging out with friends
- finally hung up some art around our house!
- impromptu birthday gathering
- first attempt at chiminea fire!
- S'mores!!!

So it was fun. And I went to bed super late on Sunday night, but happy. And grateful. For friends and family, and for a house big enough to comfortably fit everyone after many, many years in our tiny apartment.

My new favorite 'room' in the house!

Well, not everything went the way I'd thought it would this long weekend, but that's okay! I had plenty of time to relax, and be at home, and loved EVERY second of it! But I did get to cross one very big 'to do' off my list. We finally set up our patio!! And I love it! I spent all day Friday reading out there, while trying to dodge a persistent wasp that seems to love my lavender plant! We haven't lit the chiminea yet, but that's coming soon! And for now, I love knowing that we have created the perfect little retreat with the space available to us - my new favorite 'room' in the house!!

Our tour de Tucson

Sometimes when you live in a place, you never fully appreciate the wonderful things that make it so unique. Other times, the fact that the high temperatures soar over 90 degrees for five or six months of the year far outweighs any other factor :) Whatever the case, now that we live in Southern California, our little trips to Arizona fill our hearts with a little nostalgia, and love for the town we both used to live in. This past week, we had the opportunity to see the city and some of it's main attractions through the eyes of first-timers who were visiting with us. Here are some of the things we saw and places we went - you should ABSOLUTELY put a few of these on your list if you'll be visiting Tucson anytime soon :)

Eegees

 

The moment our tires roll into town, Eegees is on the top of our to-do list. Only found in Tucson (and according the their website, also Casa Grande now!), this locally beloved chain of sandwich shops is more famous for their delicious frozen shaved ice fruit drinks (known as an Eegee), and their ranch fries. 

'A' Mountain

A great look-out for a view of the entire city!

Guero Canelo

 

A true American dream success story! What began in 1993 as a little Sonoran hot dog stand on the southside of Tucson is now a chain of hot dog stands and restaurants. Their tacos and tortas are delicious, their soda comes in glass bottles, and their hot dogs are the best I've ever had. And yes, I have tried an LA danger dog. :)

 San Javier Mission

The mission is part of Tucson's fascinating history and makes for an interesting visit, although it was ridiculously hot on the day we stopped by. If you're lucky, you can even try fry bread made by local vendors!


 Viva!

 Home of the yummiest breakfast burritos, tasty tacos, and 24 hour late night greasy Mexican food!

Roadrunners

Just wandering around next to our rental car. Also coyotes and javelina if you're lucky!

There are other great places to visit, like El Charro Cafe, the Desert Museum, Seven Falls (a great hike but NOT in the summer), the University of Arizona campus and Beyond Bread (best sandwiches anywhere ever!!)... But between catching up with family and friends and visiting a few of our favorite places, the week flew by! It's always a little sad to leave, but with high temperatures set to hit 110 next week, that kind of gave us a little motivation for the drive home! :)



Happy is just a choice you make...

This weekend was a busy one and while I am completely exhausted, I couldn't be happier because everything went exactly as planned. I woke up early on Saturday, got a bunch of errands done (bought flowers for church moms' bouquets, groceries, went and got a temporary bank card since mine had fraud on it :S, bought stuff for a craft for Sunday school kids), then went and helped paint the new church building with a bunch of awesome, hardworking people who make it fun to work so hard! We were there until pretty late, then I went home, made little rose bouquets for the mums at church with my mum, sister and a friend, and tried to motivate myself to wrap gifts, write in cards and bake scones (my sister wanted these yummy scones instead of a birthday cake :D)... It was pretty late when I got to bed, after making a flower arrangement for my Mum, and I was up early the next morning to have brekky with Mum. My sister and I made breakfast (oatmeal, fruit salad, scones, coffee!) and we ate out on the patio and enjoyed a lovely start to the day. Then headed to church (more on that later), lunch and pedis after church, and a relaxing afternoon with two of my favorite ladies in the whole world!

My favorite nail polish color at the moment ~ Koala Berry!!

We finished the night off with sushi with the whole familia, and the scone cake was a grand success (it was tiered like a wedding cake, covered in jam and cream, with fresh strawberries, and sadly my hands were too sticky with jam to get a pic!).... We even had the nicest waiter! It was a perfect weekend, because the people I love most were together and happy, and their day of celebration and appreciation was exactly what I'd hoped...

And what else... Oh, I wrote a song! I want to record it for my Mum, so she always has a copy, but for now, I'm just relieved I managed to finish it an hour before I had to sing it at church... Each year, I make a slideshow of pictures of the kids in our church and their moms, and I usually use a song that reminds me of my Mum, but this year, I couldn't find a song I hadn't already used that seemed right. So I wrote a song... Not the best song you've ever heard, but a from the heart, saying exactly what I want to say song, that my sister and I sang for our Mum, and all the moms on Mother's Day. Here are the lyrics ~ they couldn't be truer:

My amazing Mum xo

My whole world lit up by your smile

You always go the extra mile

You taught me everything I know

Yours are the steps that I follow

Your laughter fills up every room

You’ve shown me everything that’s true

Your faith makes me believe that

There is nothing I can’t do

Rain or shine it’s a gorgeous day

Happy is just a choice you make

Leave things better than what you found

Everything’s better when you’re around

Learning life’s lessons by your side

Is the best thing that ever happened in my life

You are the one that I count on

You love me even when I’m wrong

You pick me up when I fall down

And tell me not to give up now

You teach me always do my best

Not to compare with all the rest

You tell me just to be myself

Live to please Jesus no one else

Rain or shine, it’s a gorgeous day

Happy is just a choice you make

Do to others as you’d want done to you

 Give freely, as God has given you

Learning life’s lessons by your side

Is the best thing that ever happened in my life

I’m so thankful God gave me to you 

N.Y.C.

Well, topping off a rather spectacular birthweek celebration, we headed to New York on Wednesday for a long weekend getaway. After a rather hellish red-eye flight (screaming babies two rows in front and directly behind us! turbulence!) that left us wondering why they haven't invented a soundproof 'child friendly' section on planes yet (like a noise quarantine :P!), we found our way into the city, dropped off our bags at our hotel, and headed out to get some breakfast. I don't know what it is about New York, but I have always loved it there. Something about that city makes me feel excited and energized... Rather than writing an epic about our trip (which was perfect in every way!), I've put together a little photo/word collage below.

P.S. One birthday gift I am extremely excited about - a gift card to a camera shop, where I plan to invest in a new DSLR with wireless, making it easier to share much better pictures than the ones I take with my iphone :P Hooray!!!

Airport. Security. Screaming babies (snide whisper "Bet that kid will be on our flight" - he was). Turbulence. Subway. Walking the street at 6:30am. Breakfast. Subway. Statue of Liberty. Ellis Island. Jet lag. 9/11 Memorial. Subway. Nap. Letterman taping. Times Square. Wandering around at night in misty rain. Zombie tired. Sleep. City lights for a nightlight.

Wake up to a view of Empire State building in a fog. Subway. Dakota building. Strawberry Fields. Central Park. Tired legs. Dinosaurs. Shake Shack. DIY Bob Dylan tour of the East Village. Washington Square Park. Delicious Italian food. Achy feet. Rockefeller Center. Times Square. Naked cowboy. Toms. Subway. Watching ourselves on Letterman.

Breakfast. Subway. Mafia tour of Chinatown and Little Italy. Godfather google tour. Pizza at Lombardi's. Tired legs. Cannoli on a park bench on the way to the Brooklyn Bridge. Wall Street. Occupy sighting. Bowling green bull. Statue of Liberty. Subway. Train to the airport. With a bunch of drunk kids. Without a ticket. Metrocard no good. Thank goodness we had cash. Home sweet home.

Mariachi madness

I love mariachi music. I don't know why, but it makes me feel happy. The lyrics are so dramatic, so romantic, so emotional, and the musicians are so passionate - it is one of my favorite things. So the birthday extravaganza continued, as I headed out for dinner with a side of serenade with some of my favorite ladies! The food was yummy, the atmosphere energetic and festive, and the birthday girl was HAPPY :) What a perfect way to spend an evening! If you're local to Los Angeles, or ever visiting, you must check out Casa Sanchez for an unforgettable night! It may be a little on the noisy side for some people (Chris :P), so ask for a table further back from the stage - or go with a bunch of girls that like a little noise!

Dry Bar - an affordable luxury!

I love it when my hair looks pretty - sleek and shiny, no frizz, bouncy and beautiful... But it doesn't happen very often! If I ever find myself unimaginably wealthy, I plan to hire someone to do my hair several times a week and it will always look great. But until then, on occasion, I am going to be stopping by the Dry Bar!! About a year ago, one of my coworkers showed up looking AMAZING, and we all assumed she'd just had her hair trimmed or colored or something. She informed us that she'd stopped by the Dry Bar, and every since I heard what this was all about, I've been dying to check it out. Imagine my delight a few weeks ago when I learned that they opened one about 15 minutes from my house!! So to kick off the birthday (ok, birthweek) extravaganza, I figured I'd make my inaugural visit, and check it out!

As I arrived for my appointment (spur of the moment decision, raced to make it in time for the only available appointment before 7pm), I was already impressed. Beautiful women with shiny, perfect hair were walking out the front door, looking like 5'1" supermodels! I can't say enough about how much I loved my visit to the Dry Bar, but let's just say it was PERFECT. There is an adorable, comfortable reception area, styling stations set up like a bar, good music on the radio, and chick flicks on the TVs (with subtitles of course, since you can't hear what they're saying over the blow dryers!). My friendly stylist showed me where to hang my purse (on a little hook next to her station, right next to the built in iphone chargers!) and led me back to the sinks where I sunk into a comfy chair, rested my head on the sink, and put my feet up on a footrest... And noticed the cheerful yellow chandelier. I love details and this place is all about them, from the light fixtures, to the vase of (yellow) tulips by the front door, to the yellow bottomed glasses they use to serve free beverages... LOVE it! There's even a bucket with umbrellas by the front door, because the stylists walk you out if it's raining, to protect your blowout! I watched a bit of 13 Going on 30 (nothing like that movie to make you glad you're turning 31 instead of 13! Being 13 is hard!), and left the Dry Bar a very happy girl, with lovely locks. Check them out here and see if there's one near you - it's worth every penny! 

Gift card shopping spree

I have a tendency to hoard gift cards. I think it's because I feel responsible to spend the money on something specific, something special. I love receiving gift cards, and have even saved them over several years until I could afford a big ticket splurge that I might not be able to afford otherwise. But this weekend, I went on a gift card shopping spree - paid for breakfast, over $60 worth of merchandise from Bath & Body Works, a beautiful mirror for my bedroom (more on that later!) - basically spent an entire day shopping, without spending a penny. Ok, I spent a few pennies, but only by choice - I like to save my Visa gift cards for the spa or big ticket purchases, so I paid cash at one store! But it's funny how liberating it is to shop with abandon, giving no thought to whether or not an item is an affordable luxury, or an unnecessary expense. I think I'm much more likely to treat myself when I'm shopping with a gift card - so I'm glad I hoard them! It's a fun challenge, to spend a day without spending. Have you ever tried it?

Why I need to take more pictures....

I was a little busy this weekend, running around and doing fun stuff with my friend visiting from out of town. And I really need to get better about taking pics of what I'm doing and where I'm going, because at least those could tell the story. But there are no pics of our spa day, pedicures, late night banana bread baking, walking trails at Terrenea, enjoying the catch up time together... Just this pic from a lovely dinner in Long Beach, and the last glimpses of the sunset we managed to capture. Still, it was a lovely way to spend the weekend, even if there are no pictures to prove it :)

My little lemon tree

I love that feeling of satisfaction, at the end of a Saturday, when I can look at something I've accomplished and feel like it was a job well done, free time well spent. My friend is coming to visit later this week, and I wanted to sweep our terrace, since the windy, rainy weather left it a little messy, and it's the perfect place to relax in the sun and read. I also have been wanting to add a lemon tree to our rooftop garden, so I figured I'd make a trip to Home Depot with my Mum (who has a green thumb and knows all about gardening!) to pick one out. Coincidentally, the Easter Bunny gave me a gift card to Home Depot last week, and since chocolate eggs don't grow on trees, and lemons have a kind of egg-like shape to them, it seemed like a purchase the Easter Bunny would approve. When I got home, I was too impatient to wait for my hubby to get home, so I hauled it (and the potting mix and pot) up two flights of stairs and replanted it all by myself. And since my hands were already dirty, I potted a little Spanish lavender plant that I bought on impulse a few weeks back (I had a mini daffodil growing in an urn in our dining room, and the blooms were all dying off (sigh - daffodils never last long enough!) so now we'll have lavender in the urn instead). And replanted another lavender in a larger ceramic pot - it now lives next to the lemon tree, and when I open our sliding glass door, the scent of lavender wafts in with the breeze. It's funny how much one little tree makes our terrace feel like a garden or park - there may even be a few more trees in our future!

My reward for my labors was a hot shower, a lovely new pair of peep toe heels that I can't wait to wear tomorrow, and hopefully soon a steady harvest of lemons for summer recipes!!

Weekend whirlwind...

You know those weekends where Sunday evening rolls around and you think 'Gosh, I could use another weekend to recover from this weekend!'? Well, this was one of those. And it was a long weekend, thanks to Good Friday and Chris' birthday, but the extra day was so full of celebrating that we barely noticed it :P Thursday night we kicked off the weekend with tapas on the go, Mamma Mia at the Pantages and midnight quesadillas. The gods of traffic were kind to us, and we arrived with time to spare (always a concern on weeknights after work, but half priced tickets from Goldstar can't be beat!), nibbling on a selection of cheeses, crackers, baguette and fruit (I hate that achy empty stomach feeling that can be so distracting when it's 10:30pm, you haven't had dinner and you're trying to enjoy the final musical number :P So I took matters into my own hands, bought a tapas cheese sampler from Trader Joes, sliced some apples and brie, and packed it all up for the car! Not one tummy grumble all night long!) all the way there. It was a great way to spend the night, and we capped the evening off with midnight quesadillas!

 

Friday we slept in a bit (in honor of Chris' birthday, observing his favorite pastime :P), then headed out for a relaxing birthday brunch where the seals in the marina loudly serenaded the birthday boy! Then we headed up the coast (making a few pit stops along the way, including one to find and take pictures in front of Bob Dylan's Malibu residence :P), checked into our little inn in Carpinteria, and headed out for dinner in Ventura. After dinner, we wandered around downtown for a bit, found a grocery store to buy hair gel and other little things that we hadn't thought to pack, saw a lady in line to check out with a mustache (one of those stick on ones!) and commented on the interesting little place that we had decided to spend the night visiting! When we got back to the hotel, we sat out in the dark overlooking the ocean, which was lit by the full moon, and listening to the waves. By the time we got around to singing happy birthday with a yummy little cake from Nothing Bundt Cakes, we were both too full to have more than a few bites! Saturday morning we enjoyed breakfast by the pool, overlooking the Pacific, then headed up to Santa Barbara for a party. On the way home, we enjoyed the beautiful view driving down PCH (more about that here, it really is breathtaking), had dinner in Malibu and the birthday boy proclaimed that all of his birthday wishes had come true! What more could we ask for than that?! So no wonder we were a bit exhausted by Sunday night, after a day spent with family and a lovely Easter lunch at Mum's! It was one of those weekends... But when my head hit the pillow, I was smiling with the memories of the past few days!

Saturday morning breakfast by the pool

Tea time...

I don't know what it is about tea parties, but I've always liked them, since I was a little girl pouring imaginary tea into imaginary cups for my imaginary friends :) Today would have been my Nana GG's (my mum's grandmother) 100th birthday, and every year, in celebration of her birthday, my Nana and my Aunty Collie go have a cup of tea (and order an extra one for the birthday girl) and remember the wonderful lady that none of us would be here without. This morning I woke up to an email from my (very tech-savvy) Nana, telling me about their little celebration, and it occurred to me that we should celebrate with tea too! So I called my Mum, called Elise's Tea Room in Long Beach, and we had ourselves a lovely little morning, sipping tea, nibbling sandwiches and savoring scones. What a fun way to spend a Saturday morning. I think (hope!) this will be the start of a new tradition for us! And after tea, we went to wander around the plant nursery, looking for dwarf lemon trees (this is the politically correct term I believe) for my patio... A fitting end to the celebration, since Nana GG is the one who taught my mum about gardening, which she then passed along to us ~ my rooftop veggie garden has Nana GG to thank for this crazy urban 'farmer' :)

A few of my favorite things...

Or should I say people? Yes, that seems like a better way to put it... Or maybe I should just say 'Adventures at a Korean Spa Experience'? Well, whatever you call it, yesterday turned out to be a lovely relaxing day. Last week was soooooo super busy, and I dragged myself through a very long day on Friday, so when my sister suggested a visit to a recently opened Korean spa nearby, I didn't need much convincing. Especially not since she'd bought day passes on Groupon for $10!! The CJ Grand Health Spa opened a location in Hermosa Beach a few months ago, and my mum, sister and I spent a rainy Sunday relaxing and wandering around there. It was an interesting new experience, they aren't super generous with towels (you get one rather smallish, unplush one, and a smaller hand/face/not sure what it's for other towel), you don't get a robe unless you're having a treatment (but could totally BYO), and you have to wear these hilariously unflattering gym shorts and t-shirts in the common area... It definitely is different from other day spas I've been to, but it was such a fun place to visit and explore with two of my favorite people. The women's spa area has a steam sauna, dry sauce, a cold waterfall and a jacuzzi, as well as showers and a small locker room with a dressing room. The co-ed spa area includes an ice room (my favorite!), a salt room and a clay room, all of which were fun to alternate between. Of course the best part of the whole day was being together, and we're pretty sure that the good company and conversation is part of the 'therapy' that relaxes a person, but it really was a great way to spend an afternoon. We wandered around, had a great time and decided we'd all go back again soon, if only to hang out together. I must admit though, the little wood block pillows (I wish I had a close up picture - need to figure out a way to sneak a camera around a spa to get pics of the facilities without looking like a real creeper :P) in the salt and clay rooms were so incredibly comfortable and the cocoon of heat made me feel like I could have absolutely fallen asleep for a while in there! We had a great time, and I had to be dragged from the ice room, and forced to face reality yet again :P