Weekend Wrap-Up: Sweet Sundays with Suzanne

{Sundays with Suzanne (my mom) on the Venice Boardwalk}

This Friday commemorated my dog's birthday who passed away in February after 15 loving long years with our family. This Sunday my mom decided to come up to visit my sister and I to visit, catch up, and have a lunch full of laughs, interesting encounters, and sharing of memories from our relationships with our sweet puppy.

Mom also mentioned that she had gifts for my sister and I: a very sweet, caring woman, my mom tends to give very interesting (and sometimes weird) gifts even though she doesn't always fully get how creepy she can get. My sister and I jokingly speculated that she got us mini urns with the dog's ashes (or more morbidly pieces of her fur, or her paw on a key chain like a rabbit's foot). The gift was a very thoughtful dainty silver ring with our dog's name engraved on the inside of it. It is something that I will wear every day, and a great reminder of the great relationships that we have formed with both the present and the past.

{Sangria at the Venice Ale House - a necessity in our family}

{A dainty silver bangle as a gift from my mom}

{The Venice Boardwalk - quite the culture shock for my mom}

Happy Friday, Klouchebags

{Klouchebag.com measures your level of internet douche baggery}

Happy Friday, and oh what a happy Friday it is. Here's a little internet gem: Klouchebag.com. It tells you how much of an ass you are on the internet. It measures you in anger, retweet abuse, social aps, and English misuse.

According to Klouchebag, I have a score of 71: this is because I post my FourSquare activity onto twitter, abbreviate my tweets (who doesn't? It's only 140 characters), and use old fashioned RTs in order to add my opinion (that's what twitter's for right?).

However, this app is nothing to take too seriously and it is all in good fun. Mostly it's a retaliation against all of the companies and executives that hire or don't hire people based on their Klout scores.

Soapbox moment: while Klout can measure your level of influence in some topics, I think that it almost perpetuates internet activity to move towards popular topics. It doesn't stimulate innovation and creativity on the internet, rather perpetuates "hating" and non-useful topics (like the name of Justin Bieber's member - I wish I was kidding).

So have a great weekend, friends, and check out this new "social tool." It's incredibly funny and reminds us not to take ourselves too seriously.

America's Oral Fixation

{Ross, I can see your teeth}

Number 1: Get your head out of the gutter.

If you're a child of the 90s, you remember that famous episode of Friends where Ross Gellar bleaches his teeth so white that they become glow in the dark. Today, when I was shopping for toothpaste, this episode of Friends came to mind and got me thinking...

Traveling Vicariously: Frankfurt, Germany

{Along the Main}

As you may or may not know, the other half has been sent to Frankfurt on business. Despite my whining and complaining, I could not accompany him on his first trip to Europe (even though I do have the vacation saved up at work). So I have decided to share my brief trip to Frankfurt from 2008 in order to quench my thirst to go back to Europe (especially since I am completely jealous that someone I know is going there without me).

Four Ingredient Authentic Pizza Margherita

{Cheese, cheese, cheese}

Ever since returning from Coachella, I have been craving pizza, and only pizza. Earlier last week I had to do a repeat offender of my butternut squash and arugula pizza (except with an added goat cheese and prosciutto), but I only used half of my dough. Woe is me. So, since I have a slight obsession with mozzarella cheese, I decided to return to the basics: the perfect cheese pizza but grown up a.k.a. pizza Margherita. If you've never made pizza the authentic way, I highly recommend trying this recipe.

Los Angeles Spotlight: Orochon Ramen

{Orochon Ramen, Little Tokyo}

This past Saturday morning my boyfriend looked at me and said: "What do you want for breakfast? Coffee? Eggs?" My response: "Orochon and beer." It may not be my classiest moment, but it was quite the moment of glory that added to my credibility as a girlfriend.

Orochon Ramen used to be nothing more than a "cult classic" that my boyfriend and his friends used to obsess over. And then I tried it. Orochon may be the most delicious bowl of noodles that I have ever tasted in my life - and that's saying a lot for me, I don't typically enjoy just a bowl of noodles.

You may recognize it from the Travel Channel show Man vs. Food. Orochon is no joke. You can order how spicy you want your broth from 7 (mild) to -2 (yes, that's negative 2 and it will probably burn your esophagus all the way down to the toilet). If you can eat a whole bowl of -2 Orochon, then you are a champ. However, you may pass out before the sheer volume of food before you realize how spicy it is.

We always order a miso #4 (4 is spicy but not too spicy - we always add a little bit of hot oil). There are three broth options, but I haven't even bothered trying anything other than the miso because miso is the best. Don't forget to order a few eggs with your Orochon (which makes it even more decadent). The basic bowl comes with noodles, broth, veggies, and pork. I tend to add an egg or two, double meat, and garlic to that.

There is no dainty way to eat Orochon. You just really have to dig in, and wash it down with a nice pitcher of Kirin or Asahi. There really is nothing better to cure a hangover or a craving for a great bowl of noodles in Little Tokyo than Orochon Ramen.

{The only way to eat Orochon: shovel it like a beast}