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Diner Lunch Date

I am pretty obsessed with diners. The décor, the food, the milkshakes, the music.... I know where all of the tasty ones are in London, and whenever I come back to California, I'd happily eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner at Mel's Diner. Although if this were to happen I'd need to find one near a hospital for the triple by-pass I'd need performed every other Tuesday.

Diner lunch dates call for rolled-up jeans and t-shirts, and bright lipstick, so I happily obliged. (Actually, bright lipstick goes with pretty much any occasion in my book, but especially for diner dates.)

Mel's Diner, how I love you so...

T-Shirt, H&M / Jeans, Levi's Curve ID

Mel's Menu

Rootbeer Muthafuckas!

The best grilled cheese in the world. Seriously.

GOING IN FOR THE KILL!

California Eating

Hello from sunny California!

When people ask me what I miss most about California, I can't deny that aside from my family, it's the food I miss the most. From cheesy Mexican food, to greasy diner food, to the concoctions my mother has seemingly made up - American food is what I was raised on, and more often than not what I crave. 

Here's what I've been shoving in my mouth so far...

In 'n Out Burger

Riverdog Spinach & Caramelized Onion Agnolotti from Grange.

Blue Moon from the Streets of London pub in Sacramento.

Up next, Mel's Diner...

Coffee and Tea Me

Looking through all of the photos on my phone, it would appear as though the main thing I take a photo of is what I'm drinking, which is mainly coffee or tea. (OK, or beer.)

Here's a small collection of all of the teas and coffees I've nommed on over the past few months, starting with this chocolate dusted cappuccino from The Groning hotel:

 

The Reunion

Toffee Nut Latte: "Hey...it's me. I know it's been a while."

Me: "...It's been a year."

Toffe Nut Latte: "I know. And you also know that it's completely out of my control."

Me: "Yes, I know. We've been through this before..."

Toffee Nut Latte: "Anyway, I was just checking in that everything is OK with us."

Me: "Everything is...fine. It's fine. Why do you ask?"

Toffee Nut Latte: "Well, it's just...you blanked me the other day."

Me: "Blanked you? I wouldn't blank you...I mean, I did see you when I came in,  I just...went for something else."

Toffee Nut Latte: "Yes, exactly. You saw me, and then you went for something else."

Me: "I'm really sorry. I just...you know, things have changed while you've been gone.."

Toffee Nut Latte: "I heard. Soy Chai told me about it. She said you've been the same way with her the last couple of months."

Me: "Ugh...is she mad at me? It's not personal. I've just been going through some stuff, you know?"

Toffee Nut Latte: "This is about Latte, isn't it?

Me: "I can't deny it. There is just something about Latte."

Toffee Nut Latte: "You know, underneath, I'm just a Latte, too. Just...with a little extra. Remember my whip cream?"

Me: "Of course I remember your whip cream."

Toffee Nut Latte: "...and do you remember my little Toffee chunks that go on top of it? You used to LOVE those."

Me: "...I did used to love those..."

Toffee Nut Latte: "Look, I understand this thing you have going on with Latte. I get it. But, I'm only in town for about a couple months, and while I'm here, I'd really like to spend some time...you know, in you."

Me: "I would like for you to be in me, too."

Toffee Nut Latte: "Look, come see me in a half hour. I'll have Mocha distract Latte so she doesn't get her feelings hurt? She doesn't have to know."

Me: "OK. We have to be discreet about this, I can't have Latte knowing..."

Toffee Nut Latte: "It's our little secret. Latte never has to know."

Me: "Yes... what she doesn't know won't hurt her."

Toffee Nut Latte: "Exactly."

Me: "OK. You've convinced me. I'll see you this afternoon. Expect me around 1."

Toffee Nut Latte: "...I look forward to our reunion."

Me: "Me too, Toffee Nut Latte....me too."

Tea, Control and a TARDIS

This week has been pretty damn awesome. 

This is the last weekend before things get really, really hectic, so we're trying to enjoy it. September is going to be crazy busy - BitchBuzz's birthday party, London Fashion Week, Oh My Blog's 1st workshop, preparing to go to Greece - but I'm really looking forward to it. 

The best thing this week, aside from selling 19/25 tickets for Oh My Blog's 1st workshop in four days, was, well this:

Oh yeaaaah. That's a TARDIS. I visited the BBC Television centre to chat to the fantastic Jamillah Knowles from BBC Outriders, and she showed me this, and a Dalek. YES A DALEK, TOO. 

But, aside from flipping out of the TARDIS and drinking myself into a tea coma, I'm been thinking a lot about control. Control is something that I fancy the pants off of, which is both a good and bad thing. When you're running your own business, control and caring about the details, the fine print, and the direction that your brand is heading in is important. 

Relinquishing control of these things is quite scary. However, even more scary than giving up controlling things you once had control over is giving up trying to control the things you can't. The concept of stopping the insane attempt to control the uncontrollable might sound absurd, but I've personally come to realize that a lot of the Energy Sucks in my life exist because I simply cannot wrap my mind around the concept that there is nothing I can do to change it. 

You cannot control the irrational. You cannot control the illogical. 

Accepting that as much as you'd like to think you can change people's minds by just being better or by doing good, it is impossible. No one likes giving up on things or people, but there comes a time when you really have to accept that you're not giving up or giving in - you're accepting and embracing the situation for what it is: uncontrollable. 

Sure, we try our best to control things. We go through motions that make us feel like we somehow can influence the outcome. Learning to trust the concept of "no matter what I do, ____ will still be this way," is hard. Particularly if you're believe the old saying "if there's a will, there's a way". But, for those uncontrollable situations and those uncontrollable people, any attempts you forgo are simply out of vanity. Never mind being a waste of breath/time/energy/brain cells. 

It can be really disappointing to accept that some things just are, and will remain shitty, awkward, and frustrating. It can be heartbreaking to discover that some people just weren't as "on it" as you thought they were. It can be sickening when you have to accept that even those you love so fiercely are so stuck in their own psychological mud, that there is no amount of tears that you can shed, or words that you can muster that will bring them out from under.

I'm not a religious person (which is why I had to do a little backspace action over the word "god") but this prayer/quote has been in my mind a lot lately:

"Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference."

Personally, I am a little slow when it comes to having the "wisdom" to "know the difference" between the things I can control and the things, people and situations that I cannot, but I endeavour to have as much serenity as I can during the process I am currently undergoing, which is accepting what I cannot change, and what I cannot control. 

 

...And during that process, I will be doing drinking a lot of tea, and eating a lot of baked goods, as I did this week:

"Fighting the Spanish Armada" teapot at Sacred