Sidebar Thursday!

No real shout outs or rants today. Actually I do have rants, plenty of them; all are just a little too real life for the good of the blog.

Restaurant Updates:
Last Friday night we returned to one of our favorite Portland hotspots, Saucebox. However, if this were our first dining experience there we might find it hard to return. Overall the dinner was fine, the atmosphere can’t be beat – especially in the bar. I ordered the steak, which was over cooked but still had good flavor. The live in had the special three course dinner for $25, which appeared to be flavorful but nothing grand. Our service was not awesome, in fact she comped our drinks because she felt bad for “ignoring us”…hint: especially when in a recession, don’t ignore your customers. Unfortunately, until their Summer Menu debuts we will probably be putting Saucebox on the back burning.

Saturday I met the ladies for a day o’ fun. Our first stop was lunch at Jo Bar. Where the food was great, but the cocktail I had was amazing! I am serious. I have been talking about this freakin cocktail like it’s going to reverse global warming. It’s “The Cucumber”, I have no clue what is in it, but it’s rad and delicious!

And…if you guessed Helvatia Tavern you would be wrong. The mystery restaurant was Hood River Taqueria. This place is ideally enjoyed in the summer time dining al fresco, but a mid-winter craving can’t be ignored either. Their food is fresh and truly authentic (but not in the Sacramento taqueria “authentic” way, where your Visa number will get stolen). I would recommend the Chicken Fajita Salad for yummy goodness.

Next week’s mystery restaurant will be a new one to me, so it will be a true review. It’s not in my hood (in fact it’s in the opposite of my hood), but it does have an affiliation with one of my favorite Italian restaurants - which is sadly no longer open…

Eat well friends!

World on Sale

Today someone referred to our current economy as “a shopper’s paradise”. Meaning, if you have the cash and aren’t afraid to spend it, there are some pretty amazing deals to be had. I won’t bore you with these “amazing deals” because unless you have been living in a hole, or have turned off your power to save some cha ching, you are just as aware as I am. However, what about in the travel industry? I would consider myself to be pretty darn obsessed with staying current on the happenings and found that I was shocked to see just how low they are willing to go.

The live in husband and I have a week of holiday towards the end of March. This was planned long before the sky started to fall but, partially for fun and partially for lack of ideas / effort / creativity, we still have not decided on a destination. This is extremely rare. I have our next three vacations planned already, yet still no spot picked for our vaca FOUR WEEKS from now??

We could do a cruise, since they are next to free right now. Literally. But, we aren’t really the cruising type. In my mind this type of vacation is reserved for residents of Kansas, Ohio, or other middle states. Also, I prefer the option of ditching my travel partner via public transportation. (Note to self: great idea for future post…places Troy has been ditched.)

Then there is Mexico, it’s on the cheap right now too. Our pasty white faces would love us for going to Mexico. In fact, maybe this would get The Patty off my back, since the last time I saw her she asked “what happened to all of your freckles?” But never mind, it’s Spring Break in Mexico. I’ve thrown my swimsuit off one too many times already this year, not going to happen in front of Girls Gone Wild.

Vegas? It’s a possibility. The live in would love to go down there and shake his bon bon for a few nights. And, according to my sources, you can practically name your price on hotels right now. It’s just doesn’t seem like the best use of a week off. So, my vote for now is a no.

Who knows where the live in and I will end up in a few weeks. And maybe this one ends up being a game day decision. Last minute travel is chic now. And what’s even more chic, saving money. Which, in this economy, we are bound to do.

I am an Equal Opportunity Blogger!

You guys are cracking me up! Today alone I have gotten five complaints/questions regarding comments on the blog. Between the Saras and The Patty I just can’t keep up!

Yes, everyone can comment on the blog. No, the blog does not discriminate. In fact the blog loves Mexicans. If you don’t have a blog (which practically zero of you do…Monica?!?) or a gmail account the easiest thing to do is choose to comment “anonymously”. If you want credit for your comment, because you know you do, remember to sign it.

Yes, the comment field does sometimes get stuck when asking for word verification. Thanks to everyone who let me know today! I now know why IT sits on the ground floor!! Sometimes just clicking “okay” or “submit” while it is frozen will melt it and you can try the word verification again.

Be safe out there.

Gracefully Aging?

I have shown the live in a lot of love over the past few posts. But, I would never pass up an opportunity to, perhaps, show him in a different light. If fact, it’s generally what I live for.

The live in was “recruited” to join a group of guys in their weekly flag football game this Saturday. Actually, he was asked to join them the prior weekend too, but had to regretfully decline due to a scheduling conflict. I was quiet happy he couldn’t play, as I thought this might save us thousands of dollars in medical bills, and laundry detergent. However, when I found out he was on for this Saturday all I could do was remind him of my only rule. Rule #1: One more knee surgery (been through two already) and I am taking a vacation while he recovers at home. There’s not enough vicodin in the world to make that nursing job stress free.

At 7:30am he donned his Nike Pro, grabbed his favorite football and excitedly ran out the door. Ready to play his favorite game. At 10:30am he came back through the door. Silence. When he rounded the corner past the hall I was able to get my first glimpse of him. Literally dripping with mud head to toe, he heads straight for the freezer to get an ice pack. Still silent. I can tell by this point he is not only limping but is also holding his left hand (with his right hand, which is bloody). I didn’t say a word, I was busy thinking…London, Tuscany, oh Greece would be nice this time of year. He must have sensed I was already planning my solo trip because he then fessed up to his injuries. One jammed pointer finger, two bloody knuckles, and one very, very tired body. I mentally unpacked my bags and I asked all the normal questions, “did they respect the flag or did they tackle?”, “should we call little bil?”, and “how old were the other guys?”

Needless to say he hasn’t recovered in one day. The finger is still swollen, and body is still aching. But, he is still walking. Which means he will be back on the field next Saturday… and I will keep my passport handy.

p.s. I would ask Troy to read through this before I publish, just to make sure I got all of my facts straight…but he is therapeutically soaking in the hot tub at the gym!!!

Sidebar Thursday!

Introducing…Sidebar Thursdays! Random rants, shout outs, and restaurant updates for the week!

I heart Eddie! Imagine my delight when Hard Sun was on the mixed tape little bil made! Although I still rocked out to the other EV songs I was most ecstatic for Hard Sun. Because, I already have the album from Itunes but for some reason it was the only song that didn’t download…twice! Thanks little bil, I know mixed tapes are how you win all the ladies...at least this one doesn’t have your speaking voice on it!

When your stylist, or friend, or trusted gossip magazine tells you it’s a good idea to not wash your hair everyday, perhaps try this on the weekend first. No, I didn’t wash my hair yesterday. Yes, I did take a shower. Yes, I did let my hair get all wet and tangled in the shower. I realize now this isn’t what it means to “not wash your hair”. Mid day yesterday I even considered changing into workout clothes so that people might assume I had just been at the gym and that was why I looked like a homeless mess. (No offense to my homeless readers. I see you squatting under the 405 all hooked up with wireless.)

No great restaurant updates this week. I’ll have a good one for you next week though! It’s one of the few dishes I constantly crave, and hopefully we can find time this weekend to go. It’s worth the drive…there’s your hint!

Sorry Vera!

Maybe it’s the seven year itch, maybe it’s my practical side, but whatever it is I think I just made Vera Wang mad.

Loyal blog followers know I am not a romantic. I place more importance on the Monday-Sunday, warmin’ up my leftovers, cleaning hairballs out of the drain type of things. Six and a half years ago I didn’t care about saving the top tier of wedding cake for our first anniversary, nor did I care about something old, something new, blah blah blah.

This is why I had no issues cutting up my wedding dress this past weekend. Actually, not so much cut it up but rather altered into soon-to-be little black dress perfection. The live in wasn’t as fast to grab the scissors though. The look said it all. It’s the look he gives me when he knows he has no say in the decision but really, really wants me to think about what I am doing. And I did. And we cut. The same two people that helped me pick out the dress circa 2002 helped me transform it into the timeless classic it will soon become.

And if my not even a notion in my head future daughter wants to see my original wedding dress, I’ll show her a picture. If she wants to wear the dress in her own wedding, I’ll give her the three feet of fabric we cut off and tell her to go wild.

So, look for the new little black dress to debut this Spring!

(p.s. Just because I know there are haters out there…yah, the dress still fits like a glove. An awesome, Vera Wang glove.
-Skinny girl OUT. )

If You Must...

Could this week get any crazier? I am sure you all have seen the latest news headlines regarding my place of employment and can image the type of crazy I am talking about. What’s more disturbing are the other headlines you are reading…"Valentine’s Day is February 14th!”

I loath Valentine’s Day. I think this “holiday”, as Hallmark puts it, is perfectly fine to be celebrated by children, and parents, and even friends. The best Valentine’s Day gift I ever received was a box of cute rubber stamps from my Mom and Dad (woo hoo Dad, there’s your shout out) when I was little. But as a romantic holiday, forget about it. It’s not for me. The live in knows he is freakin’ lucky to have legal bond with such a rad person, I don’t need him to tell me on the only day every other broad gets told. And I certainly don’t need him to bring home the last pre-made bouquet from Safeway and expect me to act like it’s a villa in Tuscany.

The live in rocks. Not only did he make a deal with the only girl who finds this day to be totally uncreative, tacky, and all together sad for most men. But, he also does an awesome job everyday of finding rad local places most guys only hear of on V-Day. Just in case you were tortured as a child, or have weird issues that only Valentine’s Day can cure here are a list of pretty neat places that might just take part of the tacky out of this bizarre day.

R Blooms
Sammy’s Flowers
Cupcake Jones (far better than St. Cupcake’s BTW, as proven in our three person taste test.)
Beaverton Bakery
Pearl Bakery
Oblation Paper & Press
Judith Arnell Jewelers (shout out to the high rollers!)

… shop locally!

Home Goods

It’s here! With a little help from Casey, we have our new bed. This perfectly silent, plush-top beauty seamlessly made the transition from Costco to Loft. It passed the in-store jump test with flying colors, and the at-home 20 point inspection couldn’t have gone better. Who could have known this simple household staple would be so valuable?

This makes me wonder what life would be like if we fixed the toilet in the guest bathroom? But, at dinner parties it’s a conversation starter…"oh did you know your toilet isn’t working?”, or “don’t worry I took the lid off of the tank and manually flushed the toilet”. I mean what would we have done on Christmas morning if we weren’t using fifteen old towels to clean up after it flooded the bathroom? Technically the toilet should have been fixed before we got the new bed, since it has been broken longer. However, if we apply Troy and Erica math I would estimate this now gets fixed 2-3 months from now. Dinner party in April anyone?

Rated: L (for ladies)

Ahh, this one is for the ladies! I got online last night just to blog about this, but I guess I got a little off task. Still, I had to share this great place I found! And here at Life in a Loft, we have no shame.

I almost went to Brazil last night. I basically stood on the border, saw Brazil, but for now decided to not pull out the passport quiet yet! Even still, that view from the boarder was just as real! (If you don’t know what I am talking about, or think its TMI please unsubscribe to this blog ASAP. We just don’t relate.) Don’t think I haven’t been to South American before, just never so close to Brazil.

If you would like to visit any country in South America but don’t know how, there is a rad place near the Loft in NW Portland called Urban Waxx that will not make you feel like a weary traveler. Free wine (in a fancy glass too), awesome people, and even online booking.

A deal is a deal!

A few days ago the live in and I were laying in bed talking about the day. We started to remember stories from a few years ago, when we made far, far less money. We called them the good ol days. Things were simpler, more straightforward, and sometimes even more rewarding. Then we thought...what if this, laying on a mattress in the middle of our kitchen/living room, is what future Troy and Erica will call the good ol days?! What if this loft is giving us more than present day Troy and Erica can know?


Yes, for the past three months or so we've been sleeping with our mattress on the floor. This is due to a boxspring "defect" which makes it impossible to get a good night sleep sans earplugs. Have you seen Benjamin Button? It's just like that. The first two months we made camp on the living room floor. We ordered HBO, and watched an entire season of Entourage, and True Blood. It rocked.


But, as time goes by we slowly miss our bedside tables, and alarm clocks, and being three feet off the ground. However, we did promise that when future Troy and Erica are missing the good ol days we'll throw the mattress back down.