Archive | May, 2010
Great Vegan/Veggie Dining in Los Angeles – at a DINER!
Those following this blog for some time know that my husband and I try to follow a predominantly animal-free diet. We do this for health reasons. We occasionally and selectively enjoy cheese, ice cream, and very occasionally some seafood, poultry or meat. But our preference is for fruit, veggies, legumes and grains.
Our college-student son, however, is pretty firmly ensconced in the “I’ll have a milkshake and a burger” camp. And since he only spends a few months out of the year with us, we try to find eateries that will let all of us dine according to our preference. That’s not always easy. But today we found a great option that’s been under our noses all along: Swingers.
Sure, it has all the diner ‘tude and all the diner staples: shakes, fries, BLTs, pancakes, chilis. But it also has a multitude of tasty vegan and veggie options, including wraps, salads, even vegan pancakes. You can check out their menu online if you’re interested.
Swingers has two locations: one in Santa Monica (Lincoln & Broadway) and another on Beverly about midway between the Beverly Center and The Grove. We’ll be back!
Luggage Lifesaver
I snapped up this Balanzza Digital Luggage Scale before heading back East to bring my son home from college for summer break. Since bags over 50 pounds can incur hefty ($50 and up) surcharges, I wanted to make sure our luggage stayed within the weight limits. The $20 I spent on it more than paid itself back. It’s accurate; we filled a few of the bags to 49 pounds, and sure enough, that’s exactly how they tipped the scale at the airport check-in counter. Zero overweight baggage surcharge = one happy camper.
It would also come in handy on international flights when carry-on cabin baggage can be subject to weight limits.
This particular model displays either pounds or kilograms, and uses a strap as opposed to a hook to attach the bag for weighing. That makes it somewhat easier to secure the bag, although it can still be a strain on your back and leg muscles when you’re using it to hoist a 49-pound bag off the floor (trust me on that one) to get a reading.
My Top 10 iPhone Wants
I unapologetically love my iPhone. Having said that, it’s not perfect. Here’s what would make it better for me. (I believe a number of these fixes may be on the way in the next OS/hardware update… but that won’t help me as I’ve got a 3G and don’t expect to upgrade it for another year or so.)
- Calendar: Clickable addresses. What’s the point of having locations in a calendar entry if you can’t click through to a map/directions?
- Email: A “select all” option for deleting/moving email.
- Email: The ability to move an email from a POP3 inbox to a different folder (e.g. “save for later”). Currently you either have to keep it in the inbox, or delete it.
- App Store: A “bookmark” or “save for later” option when checking out Apps in the App Store. Sometimes, when I’m interested in an App, I’d like to check it out further before making a decision The only thing you can do now is buy it or email it to yourself.
- Contacts: Ability to access ICE (In Case of Emergency) contact details if one chooses (as I do) to keep your phone locked. I’ve done a workaround by putting my emergency contact details on my wallpaper, but it doesn’t seem right that you have to choose between one and the other.
- Printing: Wireless printing (without having to use an add-on App).
- Photos: An easier way to get photos off the phone and onto your computer. Come on, already.
- Camera: A front camera for video chat.
- Storage: An SD slot (although someone’s coming out with an SD reader for iPhone this spring, supposedly).
- Battery: A removable/replaceable battery. We all know how much power 3G, Bluetooth, etc. drain. Why not give us the option to pop a new battery in, especially when (on planes, at events, or in long meetings) a charger might not be readily available?
I try to stay pretty current on this stuff, but it’s possible that some of my wants already exist for the 3G, and I don’t know it. If so, please enlighten me in the comments!
9 months on
For those following along at home: this morning was my 9-month post-surgery checkup with Dr. Friedman, my amazing oncologist. He pronounced that things are coming along “perfectly” and sent me away until my one-year checkup in August. I’ll drink to that.
