2010 Taxes

I took a preliminary stab at my taxes and it looks like I will get 5K back. Which isn't bad. I will keep looking through my records to see if there is anything I have overlooked. I need all the deduction I can get.

With this money and the money from my escrow refund (from refi my house) I hope to have enough money to pay off my car loan. That is one less expense I need to pay every month. I then only have to work on paying off my Discover Card $15K, and my second mortgage at 34K. No biggie. I've made a dent in my debt for 2011.

Luccille's in Cerritoes

One of my friends wanted me to go ... so I went. We started with a 1/2 Lucille's appetizer plate. It came with all sorts of fried things. Seriously, almost everything was fried. They even fried a pickle. I liked the fried tomatoes but wasn't impressed with the other items.

The salads are humongous. I was unable to finish mine. If you go to this restaurant - have a large appetite, love meat and and fried things. If that's the cuisine you like - this is your restaurant.

I found this place to be on the pricier side, a raspberry lemonade was $4! I personally don't think good food needs to be expensive, so will keep sampling restaurants.

Kaya in El Segundo

I tried a new Japanese restaurant called Kaya in El Segundo. It has the most creative sushi rolls I have ever encountered. I also like the fun ambiance of the place. I can't say this is the BEST sushi I have ever had - but it's definitely decent.

I see this place at fusion. I recommend the lunch box as the best bang for the buck.

When leaving the place, I rang the gong to signify my approval.

Z Pizza in El Segundo

Z Pizza had good pizza. I give it a thumbs up. I also like their salads. Of course they are expensive. But good food isn't cheap in El Segundo at any rate.

The pizza does not have a lot of oil, which I love. I recommend going there.

Hometown Buffet in Lakewood

I caved in and tried a Hometown Buffet. It was mediocre. However, if you are going with hungry people it hits the spot with them. There is a large variety of items to choose from. I didn't find the quality great but it was plentiful.

They did have a hot green tea that I enjoyed.

I also had a coupon which reduced the price. Not sure I should even bother noting this experience except I did eat at the place. So, I couldn't resist commenting.

Lunch at the beach

Today I will lunch at the beach with my coworkers. We will drive and eat and then go back to work. It's sad that work always happens (Monday - Friday) but at least we get the weekend free. I raided my fridge and brought picnic fixings. I boiled eggs, I cut up a stick of butter, and put crackers into plastic bags.

Picnics are good inexpensive way to have fun at the beach for little cost.

Sizzler in El Segundo

The service here is fast, and the salad bar here is quite good. The food was mediocre but edible, and the pricing very good. Sign up with Sizzler and you can get 2 for 1 coupons ... you buy 1 entree and the second entree is free.