29 june 07

today was a typical day for me in santa barbara. woke up, indulged in some coffee in bed and snuggled with my sister's DVR recording of yesterday's "days of our lives". i went to the new nail place on state st. that she recommended...they were very, very nice. and impressed with my tip! it was the standard one that i give for a mani + pedi, but they seemed very pleased with it. had lunch at a cafe downtown. managed to pick up everything on my list at the drugstore and did a walk-through at paseo nuevo http://www.santabarbaramall.com the infamous flip-flop store is closed! (a little background for those unfamiliar with the flip-flop store) last year, when i was here, i was on a mission to get a pair of havianas flip-flops. my sister had two nice pairs and told me that she got them at this tiny store in the mall. the tiny store that only sells flip-flops and is seemingly only open for one hour per week. personally, i think the (now former) employees of said store had the coolest job, ever. flip-flops aren't really a hard sell around here, and with the easy work schedule, lots of beach time! i guess i'll have to go to montecito tomorrow to get my flip-flop shopping on.

but i digress.;.

i drove around for a bit, found another HUGE beach and took a few pictures from the cliff that i happened to be driving up. after that, i plugged in the directions to the four seasons biltmore (GPS in rental cars, i love you) and headed to butterfly beach. i didn't really spend much time on the beach, as i didn't have my sunscreen with me. laugh if you must, but i managed to burn the upper part of my left arm yesterday on the drive north from LA. i am HYPER senstive to the sun! i just wandered around for a few minutes and then made an executive decision to have a cocktail (at 3:30 pm, gasp!) on the patio at the biltmore. i love the mix of posh and cahz there. i wasn't out of place one bit in my t-shirt, linen skirt and flip flops. lots of interesting people watching. and my server was the most adorable 20 yr old boy ever :) i could have stayed there for many more hours having cocktail after cocktail, but it is a bit pricey. i had a pinot grigio, but was tempted to try the "vesper" which is the "casnio royale" drink that 007 comes up with on the spot during the casino scene. i sort of regret not getting it, because who knows when i'll be in some place that actually has the components and the skill to mix that very drink. i really wanted to chat up the waiter...i wanted to tell him while it must suck sometimes to serve overpriced cocktails to rich assholes, he gets to do it across the street from the ocean!

did i mention that the weather is absoluteludly amazing here? no humidity, not a cloud in the sky. exotic and beautiful vegetation everywhere. i picked three tiny tomatos from the wild tomato plant that is growing on the patio outside of my sister's apartment. she also has an orange tree, with oranges the size of grapefruits. she said that the oranges themselves weren't that great, but it's nice to look at. i live on one of the shadiest streets in chicago, but when you have 70ft palm trees outside your window, it's a difficult competition.

ok, i'll admit that i'm a little tipsy and babbling. i should get ready for dinner now, anyway. i just made reservations at some seafood place for this evening. baby hasn't been there yet, but it's supposedly good. i think that she is going to take me to some show after that.

p.s. the mix that i made for my time between here and the tour is awesome. thanks richard, for helping me w/my ipod!!!