On a mission…

Throw me a friggin’ bone here people! How hard is it to find a good cup of chai around here? Apparently it’s really hard or I just have superior expectations. Fact is I am literally on a mission to find the best chai latte on the Monterey Peninsula. I’m not a coffee drinker at all and so I can’t tell you how good the coffee is. I’m a tea gal.

When I lived in Chico…there was this cafe called Cafe Coda (honestly the best chai latte EVER and awesome to watch live music), but I will be amazed if anyone can top that. I only wish to find something remotely close to that. My good friend Kim works at the Starbucks in Seaside and only she can make it good. But call me picky, it’s all about location location location. I would like to drink a good chai and chill out in a cafe with original style and possibly entertainment.

My list of places will gradually increase as time goes on and I get to try chai’s all over the peninsula.

PASS/FAIL:

Chico: Cafe Coda A++

Starbucks (specifically good @ Seaside by McDonalds, Marina & Hyatt Monterey) B+

Indian Summer: F (not worth $3.25 for a tiny cup)

Monterey: East Village Coffee Lounge F

Pacific Grove: Juice N’ Java F- (tastes like spicy water blah)

My chai needs to be sweet and spicy, have foam that has flavor and doesn’t disappear in two seconds, doesn’t taste like spicy water and definitely is not burnt.

If anyone has any information on where I can get a good chai latte in Monterey Bay- please let me know! If it passes, I’ll buy you a cup to join me! 🙂

P.S. I shall buy my own latte machine so I can make my own at home!

Universe & Us.

“We don’t do
zazen; the universe
does zazen. We don’t
breathe; the universe
breathes us.” – Katherine Thanas (Monterey Bay Zen Center)

Red Blue & White Flashing Lights.

PRESENT:

If you live in my area, you probably already heard it on the news. But this is what I saw…

Exhausted and ready for bed, I was on my way home from Monterey.  30 seconds away from being parked and cozy in my home- 10 cop cars blocked the street. My street. Red, blue and white lights flashed on crowds of concerned faces standing on the corner. Those were my neighbors. I parked as close as I could without seeming as a threat. My heart began to beat harder as  I got out of my car trying to understand what I was seeing. I fumbled to dial home on my cell phone anxious to hear someone’s voice. My brother answered – thank God. What happened, what’s going on were the only words I heard myself repeat. I began walking closer inbetween cop cars, inbetween the crowd listening to my brother explain what had happened. There was a shooting. My mom thought it was kids playing with firecrackers again, but my brother realized it wasn’t.

Still on the phone I walked/ran home. As soon as I ran through the door, I jumped into my brother’s arms. I hugged my brother and mom. I never want to feel like the worst could have happened.

A 20-year-old was shot in the his lower back and one of his arms. He was flown out by helicopter to a bay area hospital. The holicopter landed in the park behind my house.

It’s a different feeling when you hear about shooting in your town, but it’s an unbearable feeling when it happens on your street.

Now if you live in Salinas (like I do) you hear about shootings all the time. This is an example of the attitude:

“The Salinas Californian should have a daily column labeled “SHOOTING”. All they will have to do is fill in the address and the total people shot.”

Everyone needs to be careful. Tell those that you love that you love them.

PAST:

Chico, CA. 2006. On West Sacramento Street there was a party – my sorority sister’s party. It was so crowded my friends and I needed to go outside for air. Then gunshots went off. A guy got shot in the back right in front of me. My boyfriend grabbed me and told me to run. I ran through the yard, wearing a skirt, and managed to barly jump over the fence. I looked back as I kept running and saw blood.

I don’t know why people have to resort to gun voilence. It’s beyond me. I just want to tell people to be careful out there. You never know what’s going to happen.

Inspired @ Open Mic Night.

I’m inspired! An awesome friend that I just made at work – TOM – invited me to Open Mic Night at East Village Coffee Lounge (Monterey) to watch him play (guitar & vocals). He’s in a band called Our Hearts Alive…check them out on Myspace! He did a great job at open mic and I got it on video (now on my youtube hehe), but anyways just being back around the creative bubble of people made me feel inspired to start my creativness again. It got me wanting to do something! lol He even brought me back to writing, bc he started a blog and it reminded me of how much I enjoyed writing in mine. SO after watching him and everyone else at open mic night…I got to think of something good to do at open mic night to join in on the fun! 🙂

Man -back in the day- I played the piano (for 7 years), clarinet, keyboard for jazz band and played the ukelele a lil bit. I did plays for drama class (IMPROV, Cruela D’evil from 101 Dalmations and Juliet from a modern comedy version of Romeo & Juliet). I wrote poetry and short stories. I was on a dance team. I took a photography class. I did alot and I let it all slip away. I feel like I need to get back into something. I should just go home and sit down at my piano and see how much I remember. I always wanted a baby grand piano. I must get an apartment that will fit a baby grand! lol I really do need to start taking photos again too. I just bought a small camera from Costco (it’s soo cute!) when I don’t need to take my expensive camera out – it’s been fun taking snapshots! I’ll start putting pictures up on my photo blog again!!

 I can’t foget about the things that make me happy and being creative is a big part of who I am.

P.S. Thanks Tom for inspiring me again! 🙂