Weekend update

I miss my old spinning teacher. We had a sub today. He started out the class with that song "Life is a Highway" I don't know if that's the title but I liked only one of the songs he played, SexyBack. I have a hard time spinning to bad music. David was big on r&b, dance music, brasilian music, etc. he loved his Mariah re-mixes. I do not wish to hear "Since You've Been Gone" at 6:30 in the morning. If he is going to play popish rock, can we hear some classics like "Livin' on a Prayer"? :)

Sunday, a friend took me to brunch at Campinile for my birthday. I haven't seen her since I got from Rome. It was good see her and catch up. She just got a big promotion at a studio, so her life is crazy hectic right now. My mimosa was outstanding.

Saturday went to dinner with a friend at Massimo's in Beverly Hills. Food was very good. We had this artichoke salad with shaved parmesan that was amazing. I have never cooked with fresh artichokes. I am going to try. Our waiter was not Italian but from Eastern Europe so we couldn't practice with him. We exhanged presents. She gave me Eros Ramazotti's 9 CD and Adriana Trigiani's book "Rocco". I read her book "The Big Stone Gap" a couple of years ago for work and liked it. Speaking of books I'm in the middle of "Sarah Phillips" which I ordered from Amazon last month after reading "Lost Hearts in Italy." I was going to wait and read it on the plane but once I started to read it I couldn't wait.

I didn't get much writing done on Saturday. Yesterday was much more productive. My phone rang all day Saturday. I spoke to my family and the Contessa called me from her vacation in Italy. I received more gifts in the mail. One from my old college roommate and another from a friend in NYC. I was dreading this birthday but everything was fine. I can either freak out about still being single and broke or be thankful for the amazing people I have in my life.

One of those people took me out for drinks at L'Ermitage on Friday night. She just started a new, intense job so I might not be seeing her that often in the future. I received a beautiful gift from the store that has the infamous blue box.

I baked a cake yesterday. What is a birthday without cake? My mom used to make the best sour cream coffee cake. I was watching Barefoot Contessa and printed out her recipe. I had to go to Gelsons to find cake flour and Target to buy a 10' tube pan. I think I put a little too much salt in it but other than that the cake turned out well. Not as good as my mom's but close.

Feeling very motivated today. I enjoyed writing yesterday. I know my neighbors must be sick of me playing the same music over and over. Last night I was so close to telling the one next door to please ask her child to use her inside voice. I love kids but the one next door and the little boy in the apartment building across from me are as my parents would say, "some rude ass children."

I love the video for the group, Ok Go. It's the one that is done in one take while the group is on treadmills. Brillant.

I cannot say the same for Jessica Simpson's "Perfect Affair". Is it me or that song sounds too much like Madonna's "Holiday"? Madonna's roller skating video for "Sorry" is much better.