michelle "champagne bubblehead" i.'s Profile

woke up today after a long night of imbibing at some random dudes birthday celebration in russian hill last night... i'm starving, i'm groggy, i'm totally running late.

much to my dismay, in about 20 minutes my friends will be ringing my doorbell..... today we're going on a looong hike up Mt Tam followed by a beer-filled picnic at Stinson Beach. ah, it sounds lovely, i know. except for the fact that i desperately need coffee right now, and i would just about kill for a bagel.

so i remember Pine Market just down the street. not only do they open at 8am, but they serve Tullys coffee and they also serve food. i call up, tell them to toast me a bagel and have a coffee ready.

it's 10 minutes later now.... i have my coffee and i have my bagel. i'm ready to take on the mountain. *roar*

TOTAL LIFESAVER.

this is a story of possible carnage and violence. disclaimer: don't read late at night or if at home alone.

i arrived home tonight greeted by my roommate looking serious with the following chilling words, "hey michelle, i don't want to scare you but it looks as if someone broke into the lock box last night. you know, the one designated for the fire department-- and stole all the keys to our building inside it...."

these keys were the master keys to our building. which includes direct elevator access to everyone's living rooms in our building, as well as the key to my private elevator entrance, which opens up right into my bedroom. MY BEDROOM!

i almost scream in agony when i hear this.

i just happen to be one of those weirdos who's obsessed with true crime documentary. i watch and read anything to do with heinous serial killers, home invasions, deranged psychopaths, robberies, bloody gore scenes, unsolved murders, weapons, cold cases, criminology... you name it. i like scaring the hell out of myself. i'm twisted and totally aware this, thanks.

this is especially bad when faced with the actual possibility of waking up at 4am to find my very own serial killer poised maniacally over my bed cheerfully ready to hacksaw my head off... while my cats look on completely bored by the whole situation.

so, i'm freaked out now.

my roomie, always the calm one in these types of scenarios, calls up Jeff from San Francisco Locksmith & Security. evidently she's used his services before in the past. she promised he would come rescue us from inevitable massacre and impending peril tonight.

like an angel for the heavens, Jeff showed up. he was at our front door within 30 minutes, swiftly changed the locks and presented new keys for everyone in our fancy little building, finishing in less than an hour. just like that, all for WAY less $$$ than we expected.

let me reiterate: quick response, does lightening fast work and very inexpensive. not words typically synonymous with locksmiths.

if saving my life from a bloody murderous massacre by chainsaws, garbage bags and duct tape isn't enough, Jeff is really a nice guy. a total sweetheart and also my new hero. a million gazillion thanks to him!!!

thanks Hyde Street Seafood House! *high fives*

the parents came out to SF for a little visit in july and when i asked what type of food they wanted to eat, they both immediately said "seafood". realizing they don't get off-the-boat fresh seafood living in the middle of a desert, i wanted to take them somewhere i knew would not disappoint.

and they loved, they loved! the lazy stroll down quaint tree-lined hyde street. twinkle lights in all the trees. the cable cars dinging by. the smell of the ocean mixed with great food cooking in all the neighborhood restaurants. they were excited before we even got there.

you step inside and it's set up the way a good seafood spot should be. small tables, dark woods, candles on every table, weathered nautical maps all over the walls and detailed replicas of old ships displayed on shelves.

i can never resist fresh baked sourdough bread with butter or a creamy lobster bisque, so my mom and i shared some of that while my dad opted for a salad.

for dinner my dad got the grilled swordfish and ate the entire thing! i couldn't finish my Stuffed Prawns Bearnaise, but i really wanted to. (it has lobster, scallops, shrimp & crab meat stuffed inside. lightly topped with bernaise sauce-- soooo good!) my mom ordered the garlic roasted prawns, and said they were perfect.

we're not a dessert family, so we savored over our wine for a bit before stumbling happily back down the hill to their hotel.

once again, a great experience here.

mom and dad happy = successful night

i've never been one of those girls who would call herself a fashionista.

i don't pour over magazines, obsess over shoes, and i only carry handbags that were given to me as gifts. you might say, "that's so last season". who cares. i don't.

i just want to look moderately cute and put together. i want shopping to be a quick and easy experience. i want to go somewhere that's convenient and not too pricey. a place where i like their clothes enough that i can walk out with a few cute outfits in less than an hour and not be broke.

enter ruby dolls.

i used to live about 2 blocks away and my normal saturday routine would be: clean apartment, go buy champagne for saturday night pre-party cocktails, stop by ruby dolls to see what they have.

it's a small, very girly boutique with a lot of fun things to look at. they don't have a huge selection but they do however have cute, unique clothes and a great shopgirl behind the counter. tons of dresses, coats, jewelry, shoes, trashy lingerie. yep, everything. since they only carry a few sizes in each clothing item, you should probably grab it because odds are it won't be there a few days later.

anyway, i love this little shop and regret that i haven't been in there in awhile since i no longer live in north beach.

perhaps next time my girlfriends want to drag me kicking and screaming to spend countless torturous hours "shopping" i'll compromise and have them go here. so we can all be happy.

the scene: san francisco girl fondly accustomed to cold and foggy summer days takes on a seemingly endless road trip to the fiery hell pits of arizona. desperately in search of good mexican food.

i never realized how much i hated being in cars until i took a road trip with my mom and dad a month ago. it's not my parents fault, i love hanging out with them. they're hilarious. only my dad can take a boring 15 minute story and turn it into an exciting 3 hour one, and only my mom can debate about something so ridiculous everyone ends up in a fit of laughter. i just don't like being held hostage for hours, trapped in a suffocating seatbelt...... we headed further away from san francisco and closer to LA, and then it hit me all of a sudden. all i could think about was how much i was craving an enormous margarita with some great mexican food.

i endured more hell when we were forced to turn off the A/C driving through the damn grapevine as my dad yapped on and on about the time my uncle jerry went on a 4 day casino binge with my auntie jeannie and an oxygen tank (don't ask).

we finally hit LA and proceeded east on Hwy 10 towards the arizona border while the thermometer crept towards triple digits.... i couldn't stop thinking that my enormous margarita and mexican food was getting closer by the minute. time dragged by as we passed a random cactus or five through indio, coachella and finally blythe, until the border finally came into sight. i was giddy.

the last stretch! through the 112 degree arizona desert to, downtown central phoenix... my mouth could already taste the margarita. it would be potent, it would be served in a large glass. on the rocks, no salt. i call my brother, hands shaking.... "JOEY dammit, i need good mexican. big margaritas. cheap. NOW!"

our little slice of heaven just happened to be about a block or so from my brothers place, so we picked him up along the way. i could hardly contain myself as we soared into Mi Patio's parking lot, my door already open before the engine was off.

i noted as we walked in it's not big or fancy, but it's cheerful, festive and warm. mom and pop type joint. you can tell by the smell, the food is going to be good.  

yes, they serve $1.75 margaritas. you read that right, $1.75... my mom looked worried when she saw the gleam on my face. as you can probably guess, these cheap wonders aren't all that potent, or all that big. so i just ordered an extra shot with mine and the price was still only a few bucks more. the $2 beer specials made my dad pretty happy. the bar, already packed, seemed to be an obvious happy hour spot.

next the food. no salsa is ever hot enough for my dad. it burned my mouth pretty good, but i'm not exactly a manly man so i stuck to the milder one... my brother, dad and i all ordered the carne asada picado burro while my mom had the chicken burro. now my mom is a mere 97 lbs and rarely finishes her whole plate, so it's really a testament to this place that she almost did, or even tried. (especially since they really heap the food on) the collective response from around our table was... yummm. for the price, you're coming out way ahead. trust me.

halfway through dinner, as they seated 3 strapping phoenix police officers next to our table, i realized the quality of the food here wasn't just my imagination (or the effects of heavy tequila consumption). in my experience, anywhere you see a gaggle of local cops eating, is a sign of decent food. right?

i left there thinking, what sweltering desert? do your worst arizona! if you keep feeding me like this, i'll take on your heat any day of the week.

now, i know i'm reallllllllly behind on my reviews right now.... but i just had to review this one real quick. its a subject matter near and dear to my heart.

its true, i'm either texting my way to love....: http://www.youtube.com...

or i'm getting some textual healing from all my love bugs:

"hello my hearts true desire"

"wanna come over for some sushi? (translation: sex)"

"i love you, i love you, i love you, i love you. its 3am and i'm wasted but i really just want to cuddle, i promise i'm not trying to have sex."  

"i need you. like now please"

i love you too my friends, keep up the textual healing or i might wither away and die. xoxoxox

i came here recently..... purely by accident. we were walking out of the galleria at lunch hour. headed back to the office, with dread. then i saw it!

aricie lingerie de marque.... i yelped loudly. ooh, WE MUST go look at all the pretty things, come with me my friend! my friend followed me. duh.

such beautiful and exquisitely made lingerie. on the seriously expensive side..... but when it comes to matters of love, money should be no object, right? ok, it doesn't have to be love i guess-- but maybe just really amazing sex?

regardless, even with agent provocateur right around the corner, aricie is worth checking out. simply orgasmic, and i'm a screamer.

3 unique levels..... all small and cozy floors which is usually the mood i go for when i'm drinking. main floor, has just a regular-looking bar feel. upstairs is an intimate loft area perched above the main bar. great for voyeuristic tendencies. the lower basement level.... sexy and tight space, with a waterfall.

i'm currently holding court here... for Sav. i'm keeping it all going when he's in NYC. i polish the statue of him sometimes.... as i drink my 8th or 40th drink at the bar.

my favorite level is the downstairs. the sound of running water from the waterfall..... goes perfect with my drink.

this bar is bliss.

i'm with jeremy on this....... everyone hypes this place up so much and i don't really know why. i've never been overwhelmed dining here. like i said before, great place to take your parents or grandparents. not exciting, but solid enough to satisfy people looking for a boring and traditional meal.(like your parents)

After such a nice dinner we didn't feel like calling it a night... we were feeling restless and social. We wanted a bit more wine. the bottle at dinner was so good, it was like a teaser...  

We decided to try Bin 38 out. Whenever you gather pretty people, turn on some sexy chill grooves and put it all in a posh wine bar, you'll find a very happy michelle. it was busy when we got there so I wasn't sure if we could find a spot to sit. I was skeptical, it was Saturday after all.

I stepped out onto the patio area to see if we could find room back there. For some crazy reason that night, the Gods were smiling down on us (or maybe because aaron is really tall and could see over the crowd) because the minute we walked back there, another couple got up from their seats right in front of that big fire pit. we were quick and snagged them much to the dismay of a few other hopeful people standing around. I felt bad... but not really.

We decided to order the wine flight. On the menu, right next to the words "Wine Flight" it says: COME PLAY WITH THE BIG BOYS. That was what clinched it for me, because everyone knows I like to play with the big boys. *naughty wink*

Anyway, the flight consists of 3 tastings for $19.... great price. The wines were: the Dead Letter Shiraz (normally not a fan of shiraz, but it was pleasant), the Tikal Malbec and the Four Vines Zin. My favorite was the malbec... yum yum yum!

I walked out ready for the next phase of the evening... wait, was there a next phase? i'll never tell.