DATE BY KATE #10: Licking Spatulas at Old Town Cooking School

BACKGROUND
Ok, now I know this is a little bit biased, and I'm sure it would be fun to cook with YOUR mom, but YOUR mom probably doesn't have a COOKING SCHOOL LIKE MY MOM. But the fact is, I am recommending it because I have experienced just how much fun and romantic these classes are. And so I present, Old Town Cooking School of Pasadena.

OLD TOWN COOKING SCHOOL
Based in Pasadena, the sign-up-one-class-whenever school is owned by Deb and Deanna, two epic home cooks who teach everything for any level cook from Thai Soups, Lobster Wrangling, French Gourmet to Bachelor Basics. TONS of young people have started coming to the class and it's a great way to meet people or learn how to flambee for that dreamboat in the next cubicle.

YOUR DATE
1. Show up to the class, throw on an apron, have a glass of wine, have a chit-chat with Debbie, rant about the awesomeness of her Daughter's Date Designs. Impress your girl with wine language (My this bouquet is fat and buttery) or make up your own wine language (My, what a skanky pinot grigio).

2. Sit back and watch the masters at work, ask questions, play footsie with your neighbor, hold his hand if his question didn't make any sense, write notes to eachother on the cookbooks you get. Giggle (but don't tell my mom I said so).


3. Chow down on all the stuff you can't believe you just learned to make together. Tickle him with a lobster claw, put a spoon up your nose, let your eyes twinkle girl, I know you know how. Lick some gelato off his lips.

4. After the class, walk off the wine around Old Town. During the Summer there's music at Levitt Pavillion, and the Pasadena City Hall is just two blocks East on Holly. Kiss her quietly as she's trying to decide. Have a coffee at Coffee Bean. Enjoy the evening! Good Date!

LOGISTICS
COST: Classes from $25-$70. Discounts are available on the internet if you look for them.
CLASS TYPES: Mini classes, Hands on, Demonstration Classes
CALENDAR: Bachelor & Bride Beginner Class, Holiday Cocktails, Grilling and MANY MORE
CONTACT: email: info@oldtowncookingschool.com

DATE FASHION SOURCE: SensationElle

Mini pencil skirt $6, Forever 21, Shoes: from Ross $16.
And she still looks Hella Famous.

Sensation.Elle is an up and coming blog where Elle. P., an epic fashionista, let's you know where to go and what to get on the...Wise. Her goal is to save money while maintaining a look that is both Fabulous and Sensational, and Wicked if I may say so myself. In my opinion, I think her blog is really an awesome take on totally realistic and fantastical fashion which includes knock-offs, animal prints, pencil skirts and hot pink. Believe the hype and join the crowd!
Kate

How to Wish on a Star Properly

Wish Better
Now, in this day and age, many people are turning to wishing to pay bills or get to France. Well at tonight's Leonid Meteor Shower there will be plenty of shooting stars to pay your mortgage and get you closer to that Cute Blonde in your Chem Lab...If you do it properly.

There are two methods you can choose from:
The Wikihow Method and the Kate Method (i.e. The right method for making wishes)



WikiHow's Guide to Wishing on Shooting Stars.
Wikihow has created a surprisingly elaborate method of getting your wishes met, and by golly, they're free to make, so spend a buck.

1. Think of all the things that you want to wish for. Think of the things that you don't have, like a million dollars, a house, a jumbo sized vanilla shake. It could be anything!
2. Close your eyes and wish for things that you can't live without, or that you deeply want, or things that you could actually have that seem impossible to get, like a penny minted during this calendar year, a date to the prom or to find a best friend.
3. Narrow down your wishes, to be maybe just one or two special ones. Keep eliminating wishes, and find just two that are most important, and that really think could come true. You may feel that they are equally important, and if so, then wish for the both or them, or just one.
4. Look up at the sky, and look for a bright star, if you cannot find a shooting star. Close your eyes, and make your wish. To be safe, make the same wish when you go to the mall and see the water fountain. Close your eyes, make your wish and toss a penny into the water.
5. Write down your wish on paper, then tape it or rubber band it to a 1/2 dollar coin. Throw this into the nearest body of water, and wait for your wish to come true.

The Kate Method of Wishing on Stars
AKA The right way to wish on stars

1. PREGAME: Think of one thing you want a lot (a person's health, trip to some French country, a beau's return)
2. GAME ON: Spot a shooting star, or even a bright star (Twinkle Twinkle Methodology), shut your eyes and wish quietly for this thing as hard as you can.
3. POST GAME: Don't tell anyone what you wished for, it will ruin everything.

Now that you know how to wish on stars, get out there and get a date with that someone you keep wishing for!

Kate

The Pursuit of Cheap, Ecstatic and Fulfilling Love

Recently I've been speaking with many of my friends about first crushes. Although I will not reveal the identity of the crushes and the crushees, I will say that many of them took place between first and third grade and all of them had incredibly perfect first crush names like Nancy Conti, Perry Como, Danielle, Tanner, Gary and Andre Many of the crushees told me that they had loved these individuals because of their blonde hair and blue eyes, their exotic dark skin or their intoxicating scents. Mind you, intoxicating was often defined as orange-cicles, strawberry short cake dresses or "Trix."

And I invite you to consider your first crush. Can you recall that useless hair twisting, nail biting, last name binder drawing dreaming love that made you a giggly wreck and a glittery fool?

Are you justifying your love because they had hair that smelled like cotton candy and looked like gold? Eyes like green and blue Gushers? Are you falling back on the, "made me feel dizzy" or "couldn't stop looking at her over my lunchable" excuse?

Are you shivering or giggling just thinking about him or her?

Well I invite you to consider that maybe you got it.

Maybe you got what many of us are looking for.

Before we started to filling out score cards as soon as they sat down at the bad restaurant chosen by them on your inevitably awful first, and last date. Before they starte failing questions like, "Do you prefer asian girls," "How many degrees do you have?" "How much do you make" "what's your 401K like?"

When sex started being part of the occasion, what was lost?

Maybe a serious relationship is the problem. Not Serious Love.

Nothing was more serious than my love for Mitchell in Arizona. He had a totally sweet Alligator pool raft which I saved him with because home boy couldn't swim. Cause he was four. We were meant to be. There was no conversation or birth control conversations.

Just useless, blind and hysterically content amour.

Look for it. Be less discerning and more adventurous. Fall into it, go nuts.

Maybe you need it.

Maybe that's all you need.

KS

Next up:
The Pursuit of Cheap, Ecstatic and Fulfilling Individuality

MATES BY KATE #1: Losing the Training Wheels

WARNING
Ladies, bring a back up buddy. I haven't been to these locations, and until I am fully confident in the skeeze factor, Do not go alone, bring a girlfriend, or a "wing woman"

HOW TO FIND A DATE IN LA #1
I Recommend: Cicle.org
This website, dedicated to the biking few in Los Angeles, has a bunches of events where bicylists can play with their toys, show off and socialize. The event that caught my attention was The Tweed, Moxie & Mustache Ride which is unfortunately over but they have the

Bike Oven Community Bike Repair
Community bike repair space Bike Oven is a repair space and a social space for hangint out with fellow riders.

LOCATION
Bike Oven Community Bike Repair

Tuesday, December 8, 2009, 7 – 10pm

3706 N. Figueroa St.
Los Angeles, CA 90065

and learn to fix a bike in five minutes flat at

DIY Repair Coop!

MATES BY KATE: How to find a Date in LA

WHAT HAPPENED TO JUST DATES?!
Okay, so a lot of my single friends have been on my case that I have this website for making dates. But they don't have people to take on my fabulous dates and are therefore unable to go on my brilliant dates and review my dates.
This makes me Livid.

So I am going to tell you WHERE to find people to date in Los Angeles through the new series "Mates By Kate" I am going to give a disclaimer however that all of my, "where to find dates" feature isn't necessarily about finding someone new to go out with, but perhaps going out there and doing something on your own. Making new friends, new "mates." Finding friends in Los Angeles is nearly as difficult as finding romantic partners. Especially if you're not from here, and especially if you're not fluent in Los Angeles.

I am a firm believer that one cannot have "Us-ness" without "Me-ness," be your own best beau. Do something nice for yourself, be safe, and have fun.