The Wanderlust Librarian | SF Giants, sudoku and me!

Obligatory artsy fartsy hotel picture

Recently, I had a chance to to have a mini-staycation of my own in Dublin. Even though it's only 45 minutes away, it felt worlds away from the familiarity of my house. My best friend, Lizzie, was going to see a Giants game on Saturday night. On Sunday afternoon, Lizzie and I were going to meet other friends for another Giants game. Lizzie didn't want to have to come back to the Valley so she and I decided to split the cost of a hotel room in Dublin so we could take the BART back the next day. 

I worked until 5 that night and knew that an evening of decadent nothing awaited me. It's rather exciting to get to stay in a hotel after one gets off work. I knew that Lizzie wouldn't be out of San Francisco until at least 11:00 P.M., so what to do? 

First off: dinner. What was I going to do for dinner? The area I was near was Hacienda Crossings . As you can tell, there were tons of places for dinner. I opted for... hotel nachos. It was a bad choice. It's not worth talking about anymore. After one of the worst meals I've ever had, I went to the bookstore. 

Don't panic, I only bought 1 book

Ah, the bookstore. My beacon. My muse. My best friend in the dark, dank memory of hotel nachos. DANG IT, I mentioned those stupid nachos again! It was time to turn my night around with a book. Some of you may think, "A book? She lives works at the library! Why would she buy a book?" 

Valid questions, all. 

Recycling my pictures
is how I live! 

I use only pens when doing sudoku so I can't cheat. I made
a teeny boo-boo at the bottom where I wrote another number.

Easy answer. I needed a new sudoku book. Library rules dictate that you shouldn't write in ANY book, so I decided to get one I could doodle in. Okay, not DOODLE... but write in. Permanently. My night was saved!!

I made sure this picture was big. See what I ate breakfast next to? Gorgeous!

The next day, Lizzie and I took an early BART ride to the City to enjoy wares at my favorite place, the Ferry Building. I'm sure that nobody truly knows just how much I love this place (click here). We had breakfast at Il Cane Rosso. There was nothing wrong with how perfect everything was. I say again, it's the best Sunday trip! If you haven't gone, GO GO !! 

Softly scrambled eggs over toast. So eggy, so buttery,
absolute perfection on a plate. 

A non-berry, fresh peach jam on thick, fresh toast! 

After a hearty and satisfying breakfast, Lizzie and I finally started on our way to the ballpark. We took a Pedi-cab and it was so fun! It's a great way to feel like you're part of the City and get an exciting ride!





The weather at the ballpark was beyond amazing. The skies were an alluring blue, the sun was blazing up in the sky and there is no finer view in all the world than baseball and the San Francisco Bay in the background. We were lucky it was Pixar Day! Disney AND the San Francisco Giants? It's a fantastic day! 

Not including the baseball game, which takes up a nice long time, we really spent a nice half a day on the East side of City. If that's half a day, you know there's more in store discovering the rest! 

A cool lemonade at the ballgame. It's a MUST for me! 

He's my absolute favorite! 

Don't let numbers scare you, sudoku is a fun number puzzle where math ISN'T involved!! Learn more about it in these books. Don't worry, it's easy to learn and once you've got it, it doesn't take much to work towards harder puzzles! 

Everything 15 Minute Sudoku Book
and 
Master Sudoku


It's still summer, so take yourselves out and enjoy that lovely weather on the Coast. Take your time, take some great pictures and soak in all of the best things in your life! 

Until next week! 

Your favorite library bloggess! 

The Wanderlust Librarian | Staycation

Staycation: having a vacation at home/ close to home. 

Rena's definition of a staycation: Enjoying your personal home space independent from the normal chores and doldrums of keeping your house clean and functional.

Delightful readers, I hope your Thanksgiving was spent with loved ones 

and friends! I didn't stray far from home, in fact, my family and I went to San Jose to have dinner with my brother then came back to town.

picture courtesy of BBC America

Upon coming home on Thanksgiving night, a friend had text messaged me about shopping online. What's that? Shopping online? In my pajamas? Readers, I did it. I shopped in my pajamas. I bought lots of things from the comfort of my bed while watching re-runs of Doctor Who . Imagine the satisfaction of shopping at home, avoiding crowds, wearing slippers and having my packages delivered to my doorstep!! Shopping achievement unlocked! 

Picture from www.keurig.com

I woke up on the morning after Thanksgiving feeling accomplished. For the first time, in a long time, I made myself a cup of coffee. Being that I'm the only one in my house that drinks coffee, I made use of my coffee maker. I'm posting a picture of it here because I bought it cheap from a person that never used it! I use it all the time now (admittedly, my house smells amazing when I make coffee).

I'm also ready to decorate for the holidays. My family took turns suffering some kind of weird flu over the Thanksgiving holiday, so it was nice to have a day when I wasn't sick in bed or tending to my daughter while SHE was sick in bed! My cute bell wreath is up on the front door, so it gives a delightful jingle when I open or close the door. 

Make your staycation fun with these suggestions:

• Make your bed - somehow a clean bed equals maximum relaxation. It's like comfort is waiting for you! 
• Watch your favorite movie.
• If you love to cook, make something in the crock pot. The crock pot gives you the luxury of slow cooking and letting warm, happy food smells go all over the house all day. 
• If you decide against the crock pot, I suggest making cookies. It'll let warm, happy cookies smells go all over the house. 
• If you decide against cookies or the crock pot, get some takeout and let someone else cook for a change. 
• Don't do laundry. Would you do laundry on vacation? Exactly. Laundry can wait a day!
• Warm beverages: cocoa, coffee, tea... ALL make for maximum comfort.
• Board game night is fun with friends or family. Make the most of your home and invite people on staycation with you!
• **My favorite suggestion** Take your blanket and throw it in the dryer for about 30-40 minutes before bedtime. When you take it out, it'll be toasty warm! Beware, it'll put you right to sleep. Feel free to thank me later! :D

Adventure is out there, but home is where you hang your hat! Have a productive and relaxing holiday season! 

-Rena the Bloggess