Wizarding World of Harry Potter Opening Day
I have been a fan of Harry Potter since I was eleven. I received my Hogwarts acceptance letter in the form of a hardback version of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, and for the next 10 years I clung to every page and watched every minute as soon as the books and movies were released. I identified most with Hermione Granger, my nose glued to the binding of every book I picked up. I was at every midnight release. The lines wound their way through Borders (there’s a throwback!) with Harry Potter trivia being shouted from every corner and behind every bookshelf. I finished each book by the next morning, having plugged my ears while running back to the car for fear of spoilers.
I got Sohrab into it – he watched all of the movies in rapid succession (without me! *shakes fist*) over the course of two days; the ultimate binge session. He appreciated how the series grew up with the characters, and his favorite is Half-Blood Prince. We quickly realized that he is the Slytherin to my Gryffindor, and I had a new Harry Potter buddy. That’s why, when we took a 2 week trip to Florida (read: Walt Disney World) for our honeymoon, we made sure to make a 2-day pit stop at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. It was absolutely incredible – of course, my favorite part was Diagon Alley – and this refueled my excitement to have a WWoHP at Universal Studios in Hollywood. read more…
Week 1 – #Osati30DayChallenge
While we were Sunday-brunching on Valentine’s Day to celebrate my mom’s successful completion of the LA Marathon, Sohrab and I chatted up my cousin, TC, about healthy eating and exercise habits. She really inspired us to change things up, and we decided right then and there that we would start the week off with a new challenge.
We are cutting bread from our diet for 30 days.
This is really a test of our ability to find new ways to make our meals filling. It’s so easy to resort to having a slice of toast in the morning or to have a sweet treat at the end of the day that’s loaded with carbs. read more…
My Mom Ran the LA Marathon
My mom ran the LA Marathon yesterday. It was her first one. She decided about a year ago that she was gonna go for it, and she’s been training ever since.
She ran 26.2 miles in 4 hours and 38 minutes. She came in at #6,032 of about 26,000 people. That’s insane.
What a boss. read more…
Say Hello to Hullo – A Pillow You’ll Want to Sleep On
Hotel pillows are notoriously lacking in the support department. Sometimes, while settling in for a long night of Zs away from home, I sink so deep into the pillow that I figure it might be better to forgo one at all. That’s why, after returning from four nights at Circus Circus in Las Vegas for CES 2016, I was pleased to see a large – and unexpectedly heavy – box addressed to Allegra Osati (still not used to that…!) waiting for us. Sohrab and I had finally decided to pull the trigger on two standard Hullo pillows to change up the way we sleep.
Let’s Make Buttermilk Pancakes – Without the Buttermilk!
Sometimes Mondays need a little boost, so I decided to go a little crazy and make some chocolate chip pancakes. After all, with the Broncos winning Super Bowl 50 yesterday and Mardi Gras starting up tomorrow, why not find a reason to party today? These not-so-buttermilk pancakes were the perfect fit.
I’m a huge fan of pancakes – but even the most delicious homemade ones can get a little drab after a while. Opting to put a little zing in our breakfast routine, I decided to go after a buttermilk recipe. Of course, I found no buttermilk in my fridge – so what’s a girl to do? Ingredient swap! read more…
My Sister Has A Wedding Dress
My sister has a thing for numbers. She and her fiancé met on the 22nd in the fall years ago, and they will be married on October 22nd of this year. Naturally, it was ideal that plans lined up perfectly for us to go shopping for her wedding dress last Friday, on January 22nd. read more…
Pandas and Things at Anime Impulse 2016
If it’s possible for a stuffed animal to be your best friend, then my panda, Fred, is mine. I’ve had him for as long as I can remember, and he holds a special place in my heart not only for his perfect ability to snuggle, but also because of the fact that he is a panda. Despite Sohrab’s inherent (and joking) hatred of pandas, they are unabashedly my favorite animal. read more…
Daffodil Bulbs Look Like Garlic Bulbs?
I am not used to cold weather. Having grown up in SoCal and being an alumna of the University of Hawai’i, I feel the need to bundle up when it gets below 60 F. The idea of a white Christmas escapes me – though it did snow on us once when my family visited the Grand Canyon via RV to celebrate the holidays during high school.
We spent this Christmas in San Diego, perhaps the farthest we could be from the cold and snow-laden village that you could find on a winter scene postcard. And yet, as it was 60 degrees in Southern California and 66 degrees in New York City this Christmas, we were slightly closer to a postcard holiday than parts of the country that would normally expect white to fall from the skies this time of year. read more…
Another Fresh Start
I have several drafts waiting to be published to this site. I can’t say why I’ve resisted pushing the big blue button; perhaps it’s fear of commitment to my own thoughts or the refusal to allow myself enough time to hone my words to the point that I feel comfortable letting them run free.
S and I have just gotten home from a wonderful weekend in San Diego, visiting with family for Christmas. This trip gave me just enough opportunity to stop dead in my tracks and think about how I’ve been spending my time and why I’ve been so abhorrently busy as of late. The answer? Not enough to fulfill me. I’ve kept myself running here and there with tasks that don’t move my life forward, but rather keep my mind off of my lack of productivity. read more…
It’s My (Dinner) Party and I Can Cook If I Want To
Sohrab and I love having guests over. We remodeled our kitchen with this in mind; it’s an open plan with an island in the middle that serves as everything from a prep surface to a breakfast/lunch/dinner table. Oh, and we store pots and pans in it – and Mjolnir on it. read more…
Hi! We’re Sohrab and Allegra – join us as we geek out, travel the world, and explore our own backyard: Los Angeles!
