0424 happy Easter!

We expected a great turnout for Easter and we were not disappointed. South Bay Community Church rented out some of the facilities at North Torrance High School, including the gym, the cafeteria, and the library.

There were two services and a bunch of free food. Breakfast was provided before the 9am service, and lunch was available afterwards to those attending the 11am service.

The morning started out overcast, but the sun came out in the afternoon. It was great to see so many new faces.

In the photo, you can tell that it's a special occasion when Pat wears pants instead of shorts.

0420 pastrami

Mike and I had lunch at Golden Star again (see Feb 9th post). This time, I tried the pastrami sandwich. Not as good as “The Hat” (see Jan 12th post), but it had a lot of flavor!

I was able to use one of the coupons (C3d) from my Entertainment Book and saved $4.50!

2011 Book: $69.14 to date

0413 eggy bread

Mike and I had lunch at Coco’s in Lakewood. I was in the mood for breakfast, so I had the French Toast. Mmmmm!

I was able to use one of the coupons (A11c) from my Entertainment Book and saved $4.37!

2011 Book: $64.64 to date

0408 steve lucky & the rhumba bums

Netty joined me at the Nakano Theatre (in the Torrance Civic complex) for a performance by Steve Lucky (his real name!) and the Rhumba Bums. The music was swing and very toe-tapping. The food & drinks were catered by Lucky Strike Lanes, in the Del Amo Promenade.

The night was simply amazing. But I did feel like I was one of the “young” ones in the audience.

0305 lobster

A friend and I had dinner at Gladstone's in Long Beach. It was a dinner that was originally scheduled for November, but both of us had schedule conflicts, and it was postponed 2 or 3 times.

We both had the Lobster Dinner. I usually have lobster twice a year, at the Redondo Beach Lobster Festival in September, and as a birthday present to me (my birthday was last Sunday). The lobster meat was full of flavor and was great in the drawn butter.

One hitch, though. The lobster was presented on the plate, having been pre-cut and separated in the kitchen. All of the pieces were there, including the head. At one point, I had to turn the head around because it was unnerving to eat while looking at the eyes.

I was able to use one of the coupons from my Entertainment Book and saved $25.00! (C112).

2011Book: $50.65 to date

0227 today in history

Today in history:

Henry IV was crowned King of France (1594).
The island of New Britain was discovered (1700).
The Dominican Republic gained independence from Haiti (1844)
The 22nd Amendment was ratified (1951).

That's about it.

0209 golden star

Mike and I went to Golden Star for lunch. I had passed by over the years, but never stopped in. Boy, was I surprised. From the outside, it looks like a typical burger/sandwich house. On the inside, however, is a sit-down restaurant. I had a chicken sandwich. Yum!

I was able to use one of the coupons (C3c) from my Entertainment Book and saved $4.62!

2011 Book: $60.27 to date

0205 root beer float

After my walking exercise in Cerritos, my friend and I had lunch at Red Robin's. I had a Diet Coke; my friend had a root beer float. The float is listed on the Red Robin's menu under "Bottomless Beverages". Sure enough, when he was past the halfway point, the server came up and asked him if he wanted another. He said, "Yes," and the server brought out another one. I figured that the server would bring a mug of root beer only, but the server brought out a mug with root beer AND ice cream. The ice cream was soft serve but the root beer was Barq's. From a money-saving angle, it's very cost-effective.

Something to remember when the weather warms up.

0202 el torito

Mike and I had lunch at El Torito. I was able to use one of the bonus cards from my Entertainment Book and saved $5.00!

2011 Book: $55.65 to date

0130 church office

The church office is located in a commercial/light industrial complex, just east of Crenshaw, between Del Amo and Torrance. Steve pulled up to the front door and I made my way up the stairs. Not an easy feat, because there is no handrail along the first set of steps.

After getting up the stairs, I entered the activity area, whre Legacy and Evolution normally meets. Folding chairs were set-up in rows and along a wall. KidzKrew was meeting in staff offices in the back. The only major drawback is that there was no air conditioning. The office complex is normally unoccupied on the weekends, so the management company doesn’t run it on the weekend. It can, but requires a 48-hour notice to do so.

I found a seat and several staff members joked that I was early for first service, which usually starts at 9:30am (it was around 8:30am). I replied that I was really early, as I was there for second service, which usually starts at 11:00am. By their facial expressions, some of them thought I was joking.

0127 jett

A few days ago, my parents took the dog to the vet, as he was walking with a limp (the dog, not the vet). The vet said that it was a bit of arthritis, not an injury. He gave my mother some medicine to give to the dog to lessen the discomfort.

Tonight, my father and I watched my mother as she put some of the medicine (it’s a liquid) in the dog’s food. It was the only way to give it to him. He’s wary of any other method. I asked her if he can tell.

She responded, “I don’t see why not. You haven’t.” I must’ve had a bewildered look on my face. She laughed and said that she was just kidding. “It was worth the look on your face,” she said.

I believe her. But if you see me and my hair looks unusually shiny, then you’ll know why.

0119 coco's

Mike and I had lunch at Coco’s. There was a pastrami sandwich on the menu, but neither of us had it as it would pale in comparison to last week’s lunch. I was able to use a coupon from my Entertainment Book and saved $5.00! (A11b)

2011 Book: $25.65 to date.

0116 what steelers?

I attended the second service at SBCC today. Pastor Ken has been covering many of the Old Testament stories that we heard about when we were growing up. This weekend, his message was focused on the story of Jonah, who was swallowed by the huge fish. The book of Jonah covers the story.

He recited the story, verse-by-verse, as it appears in the Bible.

In Jonah 1:5 it reads "All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep." He recited the verse as it was written. But when he repeated the verse, to emphasize a point in his message, he said "steelers" instead of "sailors".

I thought to myself, "Steelers? What steelers?" Then I remembered that Pastor Ken is a Pittsburgh fan and his team is playing in the Super Bowl in a few weekends.

0112 the hat

Mike had to make a run to his mother’s house in Monterey Park, so we headed up there after the Psalm study. We picked up sandwiches at The Hat, on Atlantic Blvd. Boy, that brought back memories.