I don’t know about you but I haven’t worn makeup in three weeks. I am now living in my favorite yoga pants and writing this post from my bed. Having climbed the same stairs in front of The Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art in New York City where many celebrities have struck a pose for the annual gala, I can honestly say it was difficult to climb my three flights of stairs to my condo in Hayward yesterday. Being quarantined doesn’t allow you to put on your best outfit or stay very active. Even though the museum is closed and we are all encouraging people to stay home and be safe, let me share with you what I saw at the fashion exhibit when I visited the weekend of March 7th.
Via social media, I happily see my nieces and nephews still getting an education while at home and friends getting a work out in. This One Busy Bee is definitely keeping busy. I thankfully have work to keep me occupied during the day for the time being. When work duties are set aside, I am enjoying getting a run or some sort of workout in, cooking, learning, reading, watching new shows and playing ScrabbleGo. How are you keeping yourself busy?
WORKING OUT
Whether you like to run on your own or do group classes, there are so many ways to get moving being quarantined at home. My friend, Jen, in Kentucky has a Facebook group where she leads yoga classes. My friend and former Bride, Lisa, in San Francisco is also doing live fitness classes via Instagram. All are donation based, so please, if you participate, please throw them a few bucks. We’re all trying to survive. I will try to join one myself very soon, Girls! HERE are some benefits of taking up a yoga routine while social distancing according to Entrepreneur Magazine.
As mentioned, I have jogged a couple of times. My roommate and I did three FitOn videos yesterday. When your friends are also on the app, you can invite them to your workout and you can work out together but separate.
We did a few Pilate vidoes. They are tough! I sure do miss Kim’s gym face. She puts in the world tho and pushes herself. Way to go, Kim! With the windows and front door open to the condo, I’m sure the neighbors were wondering what was going on with all the grunts, heavy breathing and sighs of relief were all about.
COOKING
With so many recipes to try via Pinterest and Instagram, you can make fresh salad dressings or be more ambitious and try a multi-layered dessert. I have already made two batches of cookies (See TikTok video), used a fish I have never cooked before (monkfish) with and threw in homemade pomegranate or kumquat jelly for a fruity or citrus-y vinaigrette. I am posting photos when I cook or bake on my Instagram Story at WereHungryToo. Take a look!
LEARNING / READING
I love having so much time on my hands. I can do things I have been wanting to do or haven’t had much time to devote to. Investing in yourself is always the best bet. I do so with reading the news every morning (thanks, Amy Hollyfield of ABC7!) I have participated in a couple of webinars (SommCon and Sprinkles for Breakfast.) I finished ‘Becoming’ by Michelle Obama and am now on The Honey Factory: Inside the Ingenious World of Bees by Diedrich Steen and Jurgen Tautz. Next, I will be reading The Alchemist. I will also be completing my CLIA 2020 training. After that, I am looking to take a blogging and content course and do what I can to revive the restaurant industry.
Up to date with them!
After this pandemic is done and society resumes as normal, I am trying to set myself up to bounce back and being the One Busy Bee I once was.
NEW SHOWS
Tiger King seems to be all the craze right now. Who else is captivated? I honestly haven’t seen it but it is flooding my social media feed. For us, cohabitation during this pandemic has allowed us to get caught up with great shows like The Fabulous Mrs. Maisel and Westworld. Who else loves James Marsden? We are also watching France’s The Bureau. It makes me want to revisit my French lessons in Duolingo! If you don’t mind subtitles, check it out!
SCRABBLEGo
At level 25 and with at least seven games going on with random players and IRL friends, ScrabbleGo has kept me in touch with friends, keeps the brain working and I really like the dictionary feature. In ScrabbleGo, you can hold down on a word that was played and it will tell you the word’s meaning. My vocabulary is not extensive and this could help. Beware of random strangers making inappropriate comments or looking to chat. If you are not there to befriend random people, forfeit the game and deny rematches. If you are competitive like I am, there are weekly standings among friends and your most played opponents. I am currently in the fourth spot. My dear friend, Sandra, has played the most points. “Can you tell I’m bored?” Keep playing, Sandra. I see that wine bottle too. Wine and board games will never go out of style.
Unless this SIP order extends again after May 3rd, I am sure there will be other things to add to this list.
How are you doing? What have you been doing with your time? What board games do you like to play? Are they online?
No joke, I forgot about my weekly post yesterday. It was the end of the month and a lot was going on. At the end of the day, I was excited to see the page views on this blog improved by 174%! But it is a new month and a whole new month of Shelter in Place (SIP). Let’s see what was done in the last month and what may change this current month in regards to my normal topics.
TRAVEL
Well, last month began with a lot of travel. I was scheduled to return to the San Francisco Bay Area from the Midwest on the 14th of March. When my customer closed its doors to vendors, I immediately booked a United flight back home that day. Thankfully I was able to get one quickly at no additional cost. I was so happy to see this view of the Bay Area. There’s no place like home.
This month, we are on lockdown so no travel for me. I would rather be safe, keep people I love safe and encourage people to do the same. I will save my pennies for potentially a nice stay in a castle in Scotland for my 40th birthday trip in September. Fingers crossed I will get to go by then.
Not quite the castle I was looking for. Universal Studios, California
What plans have you had to postpone? Where are you most looking forward to travel to once travel bans have been lifted?
EVENT PLANNING
The only event I participated in during lockdown was yesterday’s SommCon webinar on how the restaurant and wine industries are dealing with Covid-19 and what can be done now and in the future. With knowing we will get thru this and I have a love for the food and beverage industry, I want to be informed. Thanks, SommCon, for the invitation.
April will be uneventful for me. I have seen couples get engaged during this time via social media and they say plenty of babies will be born in December, given all the time couples have together and at home. I have been to my share of baby showers. I would be happy to help in any way.
What kind of events are you looking forward to when SIP is lifted? What events online are you participating in?
#WEREHUNGRYTOO
SIP mostly had me cooking at home. We are eating salads are almost daily. I have made chicken in a spicy Korean marinade, ceviche, BLTs and cabbage main meals for Meatless Mondays. Nutella cookies were also a nice and easy treat and they are already gone. We have ordered out a couple of times from pizza to a giant quiche to pastries to donuts. Main meals have mostly been made at the house. We did luck out and got a 4-pack of toilet paper on our last trip to Safeway. That was a huge success!
Ham quiche from Tartine Bakery – San Francisco, California
April will be about the same – cooking at home and ordering out occasionally. I will continue to share my blog posts on restaurants I have dined at to show them social media love. I will also be increasing my Yelp reviews. I want that Elite status back and as a Co-Owner of a restaurant, I always appreciated notifications of positive reviews by guests.
Is your favorite dining establishment closed and not offering take out or delivery? If so, which is it?
MOTIVATION
Having to stay at home should have given me more time to work out. I am unfortunately not winning at this. I have ran two 5Ks though. I have not ran since my birthday and running a half marathon at Disneyland Paris. It is nice to know that I can just get up and run 3.1 miles. I didn’t say it was pretty but I got it done. Like the Done is Perfect Challenge I did over the last few weeks, I am happy to have done it. I love seeing my friends Tweeting that they are getting their fitness in outside or via apps like FitOn.
April, I will be continuing my runs and hope to get to a point where three miles isn’t a struggle. The weather has been great and a chance to get outside the house for some exercise is good for you. I will be pulling out that yoga mat more and using the foam roller as I am in bed quite a bit working. I hope to see your tweets of your fitness progress.
What is motivating you during this SIP? What have you seen you friends post on social media that makes you want to do the same? Make homemade masks? Make a donation? Cook? Start a course?
Though it may be because folks are inside due to Covid-19 and looking for things to read, but myself and other bloggers are happy to have our page views increase in the month of March. I am attempting to use my blog posts on great restaurants to help establishments that need help. I have been re-sharing posts from all of my travels indicating people should consider them to order take out or delivery or buy a gift card. I wanted to give a big SHOUT OUT to Sons of Liberty Alehouse in San Leandro for re-sharing my post from Facebook.
I am using this time in quarantine to finish my 2020 continued education for my travel agent certifications. Once those are completed, I plan on taking a blogging, content, marketing and social media courses. To tie in the things I love, I have also participated in a 90-minute webinar with SommCon this morning. I am looking forward to using this time to better myself. I hope you do too!
Thank you to those that have spent time on my blog. Thank you to my Twitter fam for reTweeting my posts, clicked on links and viewed more than one post. I am so grateful. I am one happy B!
The Shelter In Place (SIP) order has everyone baking. Have you seen all the tweets about banana bread? There are plenty of bananas at the stores from what I recall and people are showing off their baked successes in the kitchen. With no where to go and using what is in the house, these Nutella cookies, thanks to Motherhood on a Dime via Pinterest, were a nice change in option in the house. They turned out well even though they were on the drier side. You will definitely need to get your hands dirty.
Try them with the fresh strawberries from the farmers market and Talenti Caribbean Coconut gelato. They are also an acceptable thing to consume on Meatless Mondays.
As much as I like whiskey, Louisville, Kentucky was never on my list of places to go to. My trip to Lousiville was supposed to be a 2-day trip, turned to 10 days to 28 days. I had a lot of time in the Midwest.
On my way home from Louisville via a United Airlines flight, I came across a list from a girls’ trip to Seattle last year. It made me think I should do similar lists for everywhere I travel. People love lists! Comment if your favorite spot make the list?
Fave Louisville Restaurant Week Meal Neighborhood Services at the Omni Hotel – I almost never order the chicken. It is the simpliest meat to cook at home so I usually want something else to eat when I dine out. The chicken was on their special menu with no other choice for an entree. It was surprisingly good and moist. The combo of a big salad, chicken and ‘mini’ baked Alaska was delicious and quite the deal! Plus, it was walking distance from my hotel during the winter.
Fave Meatless Monday Meal The Chopped Salad and Mac & Cheese Bites from Great Flood Brewing Company was one my favorite meals during my stay. I had it once a week and it had to be my last meal in Louisville. I had to tell the bartender how much I enjoyed it. For once, I went to a brewery for the food, not the beer.
Most Memorable Restaurant Le Moo steakhouse was advertised at the Louisville airport. It’s a funny name and has an interesting decor. I had a cocktail and the Steak Diane with delicious mashed potatoes. What made it really great was the friendly customer service. It has been slow and the bartender and bar back were open to chatting with me.
Fave Cocktail At the end of the tour at Michter’s, they took us up to the third floor at the bar. Our little group had a reserved area and we were instructed on how to make a cocktail. As a Bartender, a cocktail with only two ingredients is easy as pie. It was nice and refreshing.
Fave Whiskey Tour Old Forester was just two blocks from my hotel and it was quite informative. With having gone to a handful of distilleries, what set made OlFo’ stand apart from the other distilleries was the size of the facility, the modern space, the advertising on the wall, how stacks of barrels were in the middle of downtown and the very tall still.
Fave Beer According to my UnTappd profile and log, I really liked porters in Louisville. The bartender at Great Flood Brewing Company gave me a taste of the Maple ’37 Porter at 6.4% ABV. I also liked the Dark Star Porter from Bluegrass Brewing Company downtown. At 5.6% ABV, it was a tasty companion to the fish tacos. Cheers!
Best Hotel Feature For two weeks, I was given a nice corner suite at the SpringHill Inn & Suites downtown. My room had a view of downtown but the space was nice. I was to do yoga in a living room and the room had a large television. I angled the TV from the desk where I worked to the bed where I watched Billions thanks to the free Showtime on demand they had.
Best Part of the Louisville Slugger Museum With the museum, batting cages, an opportunity to hold bats profession baseball players used during games and the gift shop, I enjoyed the factory the best. Your group could be large so listen in. In some spots of the tour, it could be rather noisy. You will see how the bats are carved and take in the smell of fresh wood. See my full blog post HERE.
Best Part of the Muhammad Ali Center If you’re a boxing fan, stopping at the Muhammed Ali Center would be great for you. As a bonus, if you’re a AAA member, you get a discount. That wasn’t my favorite part. As an Elvis Presley fan, I really liked seeing the robe he gifted the boxer in traditional Elvis showmanship. A lot of history and interactive exhibits. I just thought it was a little busy in terms of placement, not in attendance.
Most Memorable People My main reason for going to Louisville was to attend a wine event and network with a local company we hope to work closely with. It was so much fun and I may be one of the youngest people there. Nonetheless, we had many laughs, toasted many delicious Italian wines and I met a lot of wonderful, friendly and welcoming women. It made me miss my Women Wednesday events. I hope to one day be able to do those again.
Memorable Moment During my first full week of being out in the Midwest, my dear friend, Dr. C. Zapata challenged me to participate in the #DoneIsPerfectChallenge. It was a challenge to stop waiting for the best lighting, when you feel you look the best or for the perfect environment to get something done. What often happens is that it doesn’t get done at all. I did the challenge and majority of my videos were of myself during my travels to talk about anything I want. I was often in my hotel room but sometimes I would be at distilleries, near the river or even at two places mentioned above. It was fun to do and I haven’t done videos often before. Now that it’s done, I wouldn’t say I increased my videos but I did get something new done. See the videos via my Facebook page.
Thank you for reading! Please Pin anything you liked.
What other categories would be of some interest to you?
One week in, two to go. That is, if an extension of the quarantine is not in place, But it seems Trump wants to reopen America. Too soon? I think so. Per a live video I watched of my dear friend, Dr. C. Zapata, in Seattle, she is encouraging people to lead and share informative posts and videos during this time. You have gained so many skills in your years of living. Believe it or not, not everyone in the world knows what you know. You might as well share this useful information for people to decide to follow your lead or modify it somehow to customize it to their life. Share what you know!
“Jerry, did you know that the human head weighs eight pounds?“
Let me see how I can enlighten you in Travel (again, not encouraging travel right now), Event Planning not encouraging gathering in groups), Food (no, outside dining) and Motivation.
TRAVEL
My Places I’ve Been board on Pinterest currently has 303 pins. I can say that not all places Pinned are linked to this blog but that’s the goal. Again, I am not encouraging travel right now but if you are thinking of a destination that you have been wanting to go to that I have visited, I would be happy to chat with you about my experiences. Being your Travel Agent would be a bonus.
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico – January 2018
Being from the San Francisco Bay Area, one of my favorite things to do is recommend what to do in San Francisco. I enjoyed my time as a Concierge at The Argonaut Hotel at Fisherman’s Wharf and speaking to future guests about planning their itinerary for a romantic getaway or a family trip. I loved the notes (the tips were appreciated as well) from these happy guests. It really does mean a lot to us in the service industry when we are praised by our customers. Management doesn’t always see it and often times, the pay isn’t great. I think what we do is a valuable service.
Again, please abide by the shelter-in-place orders and stay home. Another way to escape is to get lost in a book. I am not a fast reader and feel there are so many articles released that I need to keep up with so I often am reading online instead of holding a hard copy book in my hands. Last night, I finished “Becoming” by former First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama. It is the closest thing we have to a Queen and royalty in the US, in my opinion. It was wonderful to read how a girl from Chicago living in a small home with multiple family members achieved in school, as a lawyer and survived as a mother for two terms in the White House. No one would know exactly what it was like for her unless she shared what she knew. Thanks, Michelle.
EVENT PLANNING
I have been working events for many years. It started with my days in Advertising where every advertisement that was launched was an event. My biggest success there was helping to relaunch the Texaco brand in the Southeast. I was still in college, commuting from Pacheco, California to San Francisco every weekday and had a restaurant job on the weekends. I know how to balance my time and get things done.
I may not have had the time to do events lately with my commitments to a day job, but I am open to 2020 events once we are allowed to gather in groups. I am happy to say that my Brides and Grooms have valued my assistance. Please see my Raves. If you have ever hosted a party at your home and were pulled away from conversations with your guests because you needed to refill the ice, reheat or re-fill the apps or take out the trash, having party helpers will allow you to enjoy the event. Communicating, reconnecting and enjoying yourself was the whole point, right? If you can afford the assistance, please do reach out.
Seaside, California – September 2019
#WEREHUNGRYTOO
I will never claim to be a Chef but I do know what I like. And I like all food and beverage. I love dining at hole in the wall spots and I love beautifully plated tasting menus. If I know one thing, it’s that my taste buds rule me. I had another successful Meatless Monday yesterday with a salad and a homemade kumquat vinaigrette dressing and quesadillas with green salsa plus chips and hummus for snacks. Then this morning, we had no dessert in the house and I went to get donuts. Sugar donuts are my favorite. Who’s with me?
Donut Delight – Menlo Park, CA
If you love to eat as much as I do and do not have loads of disposable income, when the dust settles, consider working in the restaurant industry. If you aren’t into serving or bartending, consider being a host or hostess or back office needs. It is a great way to get exposed to what happens behind the scenes of a great restaurant and try new food. If you make friends with the kitchen, they will often ask your opinion on some dishes, you will have to try every single dish in order to sell it to guests and you are often offered family meal, a free communal meal for the staff, or a free or discounted meal during your shift. Hourly pay and a singing taste buds – it’s a win-win.
I am lucky to be quarantined with one of my favorite people in the world but some people are by themselves or are really struggling being with their own family. “If I wanted to be a 4th grade teacher, I would have been a 4th grade teacher,” one of my friends post on Facebook. I am not a mother so I cannot imagine what they’re going thru. I wish you mothers continued strength! What you can go thru is a connecting with new and old friends through social media. Dr. Zapata also spoke about being useful in your community. I normally am not out and about and know many folks that live in Hayward, my community is mostly via social media. I have my roommate and my coworkers but the people I can connect with that are far away, I can do so via social media. I spoke with my cousin in Kauai via FaceTime and friends are connecting via new platforms like Snapchat (‘bappletree’). New friends can be made via Facebook groups.
The same doctor friend invited me to a Facebook group called This Girl is on Fire. You had me from “FIRE.” I was able to introduce myself and what I do and am now chatting with some local ladies. I also took some time to visit the other Facebook groups I am a part of and commented and got involved. When all you have is time, there are endless possibilities to connect with folks. I would just recommend being genuine about it. It goes a long way and you may find yourself with a long-time but distant friend. Ain’t that right, PD?
PD and I have never met in person but we know quite a bit about each other’s lives. Sometimes, you just need someone unbiased to vent to.
This is my late Bevo. He was a well-traveled Boston Terrier and gave me 10 years of joy and unconditional love. He would have loved Mommy being home all the time during this quarantine. I’m sorry you can’t be here with me right now. I wish you could. I miss you every day.
It has almost been a week since the Bay Area has been locked down and right now the Republicans are looking to save big corporations versus the small businesses and its workers. Hospitals are running out of supplies, UPS workers continue to work to keep products moving, more and more restaurants are closing and I still have not found toilet paper.
Two weeks are left of this mandatory quarantine and it has been the longest week. Thankfully, I am able to work from home but many of my friends and loved ones cannot. I am concerned about their well-being and how they will be able to survive. There is no definite end in sight that we can look forward to.
I am fine. I have food, shelter, water and company. I wanted to highlight some real stories of real people that will not specifically make the news or thought of specifically by our politicians. But I see you.
Cugino & Cugina My Cugino is a great bartender here in the Bay Area. Like many other establishments, his employer is closed thru April 7th. He also works in sports. With all large events cancelled, including this year’s Olympics, that stream of income is also unavailable.
Cugina & Cugino – Monterey, California – 9/1/19
My Cugina, Cugino’s wife, is an emergency room nurse. Like many of those in the healthcare field, they can’t work from home. They are on the front lines and are easily exposed to the virus. Unfortunately, my Cugina did get sick, but thankfully she did not test positive.
My Niece in College I have attended graduation ceremonies for my niece throughout the years. We even recreate the same pose since she graduated kintergarten in Pleasant Hill. She was supposed to be moving on from her junior college with a ceremony this June. Given colleges have shut down but some still offer online classes, commencement ceremonies have been cancelled. It won’t be the same with a virtual ceremony. I am sure this 4.0 smart girl will do just fine, but I am disappointed that she won’t get celebrate. I am sure she is too.
Ex-Coworker Marries in Park During my time at the Argonaut Hotel in San Francisco, now currently a ghost town, I befriended a coworker who now lives in New York City. Two days ago, he married his Bride in Washington Square Park. HERE is a video clip of the those around them and they even had a news article in the Daily News. Love wins, wouldn’t you say?
Waiting for a Divorce I have definitely been there. You wait for that court date to finalize that divorce. My cousin is waiting as well. But now her court date has been pushed back due to courts closing. Resolutions are postponed – alimony, child support and funds that could help move things along during this time for people will need to wait a tad bit longer. People in jail are being released and the public requests halting arrests in non-violent cases. Businesses are being boarded up. I am hoping a time of rioting and theft will not occur. Where would we put them?
SFPD My best friend is a cop and she cannot stay home with her two kids, my niece and nephew. She is risking her life every single day on the normal. Now, continuing to be out and about when the shelter-in-place order has been issued. I would hate for her to get into a confrontation for issuing a citation (which there have been none) to someone not following the order. And there are plenty! Friends have posted people are picnicking in the parks in groups. Please stay home. Don’t be THAT person.
FaceTime on different coasts – Feb 2020
Island Living I just spoke with my dear cousin on Kauai. She says the island has under 30 ICU beds and little to none ventilators. My father and stepmother are on Maui with three hospitals. Tourists are still coming to the Islands and they really should be staying home. This is not OK. Now, these all tourists and returning residents will be subject to a 14-day quarantine. I am OK with that. Friends are posting that they love the tourism but just not right now. Stay home, People.
When your cousin from Kauai visits the mainland, you play like you were kids again.
Friends in Hospitality and Restaurant Industry Oh, my heart goes out to all of them. I know very few people in the hospitality and restaurant industry that live more than an above-average lifestyle. They don’t work double shifts to get into their Ferrari or $3,200 a month studio at the Jasper in San Francisco. They go home to a small apartment that is shared with multiple people and often live month to month. Two more weeks of no income means they will not be able to pay rent. Counties are gathering to vote on assistance and stop evictions due to loss of jobs during this time but nothing has been finalized.
Met up with a former restaurant co-worker in NYC. Oh, the smells off of a hot plate.
As much as I love food and beverage and most of my blog posts are on food, I am doing what I can to support my favorite spots. If they offer take out, I will take advantage. If they tweet, I do not mind retweeting to my followers. When it’s safe to do so, I look forward to doing what I can to help revive the business and of course support my friends that own and work in the industry.
I wanted to share these stories of different folks to communicate something real and how the corona virus is affecting their lives. You may not know them and they may not matter to you, but they matter to somebody and that’s why you should stay home, quarantine and even after all this has passed, wash your hands!
“You should read this.” A business partner recommended Setting The Table by Danny Meyer. We were in the middle of opening up a restaurant in San Francisco. The restaurant has come and gone but not the opportunity to dine at one of Danny Meyer’s restaurants whiles in New York City. It was a Sunday afternoon and fears of the coronavirus hasn’t completely taken over Manhattan yet. I stopped in for a drink.
Up the front steps and through the single door, you find yourself in a small square of a waiting area. The hostess asks if she can be of some assistance with a smile. Like always and solo traveling, I ask if the bar is open seating. I get my answer and weave through the low, circular tables to the bar top. I grab a seat at the end next to an enormous stick arrangement propped on the bar top. With an attempt to avoid over eating and just walked a block from Cosme to celebrate International Women’s Day, I reviewed the drink menu and inquired after bar snacks.
bappletree – love this.
The menu listed cocktails at $19 a pop and a few snack options at the bottom. What called out to me, coming from quite some time in Louisville, Kentucky, was the Four Roses bourbon cocktail called Cruising Altitude. With the decrease in travel due to COVID-19, I thought it was appropriate. It was made of Four Roses Bourbon, Forthave Apertif, Michelberger, Absinthe and lemon, served up. Tasty.
I also ordered two servings of the perfectly pickeled veggies that they conveniently had behind the bar. One day, I will have a full meal here.
Like many restaurants in the world, they have closed down due to the virus. Danny Meyer has laid off 80% of his staff, he is donating his salary to a fund to help his workers and it will take a month to hire and train staff (CNBC article 3/20/20). Being from the hospitality world, my heart goes to the hard workers going through a tough time, being laid off and concerned about how they will pay for rent. I look forward to dining out again on a regular. Hang in there!
This is not a post to encourage going out and disregard lockdowns. However if you can financially support your local restaurant through DoorDash, UberEats or pickup, please do so. And when it is safe to travel and dine out again, please let me know if Gramercy Tavern is on your list to dine at.
Travel note: Kill two birds with one stone. Gramercy Tavern is on the same block as Theodore Roosevelt’s birthplace is.
