SoCal Checklist: Native Foods (Bonus: St. Pat's)

I LOVE Native Foods and would pretty much kill for a local one in South Carolina. But in the meantime, you can bet anytime I make out to SoCal, I'm going to Native Foods. I lucked out in that not only did I have some willing non-vegetarian friends come along, but Native Foods had St. Pat's special: "corned beef" sandwiches. Color me thrilled to pieces!

When I came back, a good-natured friend left a surprise dessert for me on my desk in honor of my St. Pat's Day adventure last year:

And in the evening, I celebrated St. Pat's at the Auld Dubliner with some lovely friends, like this lovely couple, who let me crash with them and their family:

And this good buddy (who I discovered was the one who surprised me with the Shamrock Shake):

Another awesome guy--great at the office AND the dance floor.  Plus he's a total sweetheart to boot.  Great sense of humor and game for a fun time, whether it's face painting or pranking.  And again, taking a page from Linda's blog: PS, he's single.  We all had a great discussion on "dealbreakers", though my friend here, would often counter with "game savers".  Sigh.  What can I say?  I have to respect that he finds a bright side.  No wonder we get along so well.

Unfortunately, St. Pat's came to a close for me soon after a round of Jameson was presented.  Oh my funking goodness.  Downing a shot of Jameson is the closest I will come to knowing what it must feel like to turn into a werewolf.  When my eyes opened, I fully expected a hairy paw to be clutching my empty crushed cup.

Though what really ended St. Pat's for me was watching the MSU Spartans getting kicked out in the FIRST ROUND of the NCAA tourney through a Jameson/werewolf haze.  Who bets against Izzo in the first round?  Nobody, especially this werewolf.  Only I expected them to go to the Sweet Sixteen and as one of a dozen people with the Ohio State as the final champion, this totally busted my brackets.  Serious Spartan heartbreak on so many levels.

Still I cannot complain too much--another awesome day spent with good people.