BLOCHO'S TACOS

My best friend/neighbor has a dog named Nellie.  Over the past few months I've attended Nellie's birthday party, walked through the Farmer's Market with her on Saturday mornings, spent countless hours snuggling on the couch with her, and even invited her to sleepover when her mom was away. This is Nellie! This morning, I saw Nellie across the street and when she noticed me her entire body reacted.  Tail wagging ferociously, she tried to bound into the street without care for the cars zipping by just to great me.  When she finally made it over, we spent about 2 minutes saying hello.  Watching the progression from walking, seeing me, anticipating our reunion, and experiencing it was a lesson in the beauty of raw and unbridled emotional expression.  Dogs just do what they want. I started feeling a bit like Nellie later in the day.  My heart was pounding and my body temperature was rising.  As a thin layer of sweat coated my hands an enormous s...

The United States is filled with lots of cool cities that have lots of cool things.  I feel very fortunate to have spent and be spending a large portion of my formative years in New York City where it seems like you can have any type of experience you want at any hour of the day. I love New York.  And, there are many other cities I have a passion to explore. One of those cities is New Orleans. Similar to my obsession with Austin, TX,  my fascination with New Orleans sprang up out of nowhere.  I don't think it has to do with Mardi Gras, but maybe I can attribute it to Jazz Fest?  Whatever it is, New Orleans has been in the Top 5 of my "Places to Visit in the US" for a while now. Feeling spontaneous one dreary winter afternoon, I started looking up flights (and hotels) for Jazz Fest 2014.  Clearly, I was too late in the game as all the decent places had been booked and flight fares were astronomical.  I spoke to my mom about this and asked h...

http://www.theydrawandcook.com/ What a cool website! Makes me want to take our my watercolors....and fry pan/blender/baking sheet. Oh. And They Draw & They Travel! http://www.theydrawandtravel.com/ Haven't quite figured this one out, but I'm working on it.

Andale Mexican Restaurant San Francisco International Airport, California Terminal 3 As we are in the midst of the Holiday season and my travels back and forth from school to vacation and home, I have become extremely airport savvy. I know how to find a good wireless signal, which bathrooms will be the least crowded, how to get through airport security in record time etc. The one thing that I am still working on mastering is airport dining. The gluten-free options are scarce and there tends to be a lack of healthfulness in airport cuisine. Until now. After a brief trip to San Francisco to see The Bob Hill Band return home and play an extraordinary show at Slim's , I was en route to New York and hungry in the airport. The food court was bustling with Christmas Eve-day travelers, but I managed to make my way in and secure a spot in line for Andale Mexican Restaurant. I ordered the "Tacos Mexicanos " -- 3 soft corn tortillas with carne asada (grilled beef), choppe...