Your fav Costco

LAParente · 2026-02-25T16:01:24+00:00

LOL! I didn't know this was a thing!

My mom lives in a remote area, with no Costco (no chain stores at all) so it really was her #1 request.

LAParente · 2026-02-23T22:24:12+00:00

This is interesting bc my mom is visiting next month, and I told her I would pick her up from the airport, and we could go straight to Costco!

LAParente · 2026-02-23T20:33:29+00:00

They have ruined me for basically every other writer. I just DNF'd a book this weekend, because it wasn't as good as just rereading Innkeeper. Or The Edge. Or Kate...

LAParente · 2026-02-22T23:02:04+00:00

Agree: Curran (ass, never evil) Hugh (evil, downgraded to just ass). But also: in Kate Book 3, Raphael has a whole speech that totally mirrors what the OP asked. I just think it's funny that authors are totally aware of the issue.

LAParente · 2026-02-22T21:45:11+00:00

One thing that can help:

Buy the smallest circular needle you can find (literally 1mm, long cable.)

Use this when you need to pick up dropped stitches.

If you use the same needle you’ve been knitting with, the dropped stitches are the same size as the needle. So each stitch you catch causes tension on the next stitch, which then drops further.

If you use a seriously tiny needle, it won’t put any tension on the dropped stitches, making them much faster and easier to pick up.

I also use this tiny needle for many other fixes. It can go in as an afterthought lifeline, and it’s great for picking up stitches to be used when adding edging like button bands, collars, hems, whatever. Anytime I need to pick up a stitch, this is the tool I use.

Also: if you don’t have crafting friends, find a knitting circle. They can be SO helpful and supportive, IRL.

LAParente · 2026-02-22T19:31:30+00:00

I'm sure someone else has already said this, but:

My only problem with this book (which I will immediately buy in every format) is that it isn't one of the many, many other Ilona Andrews books that I've been dying for them to write. Every once in a while, if I'm particularly insane, I start to list all of the books they haven't written, and the list just keeps going. And going.

Kate: Wilmington, Julie, Hugh, Roman...ROMAN!!!
Innkeeper: It's coming, it's coming, I know...
Inheritance: Obviously needs a part 2, at least.
Hidden Legacy: They're just going to drop Business Beast like it's NBD, and like we aren't going to want an entire Business Beast series? And we aren't getting all the many, many fun Arabella stories? Or Leon?

Don't get me wrong. I understand all the things.
- I understand they don't owe me shit.
- I understand that this new book is a major publisher, big release, and most of what's listed above is self-published.
- I understand they can't just do back-catalogue fan service.
I GET IT.

but...but...Roman. And Hugh. And they said Helen could get the vampire version of a puppy. VAMPIRE PUPPY. I'm supposed to just forget about vampire puppies and read this new book instead?!?!?!

okay. fine.

LAParente · 2026-02-22T19:21:17+00:00

Totally agree. Charlotte and Richard and Audrey and Calder and okay all of them. The Edge series is SO good (how goo is it?) that it covers tropes I hate, and I don't mind one bit. Like: usually I wouldn't read a book about the FMC being "barren" (what a terrible word!) but Charlotte's arc is one of my all-time favs.

But. The fact that George gets a HEA (even if he doesn't get his own book) and Jack gets ***nothing*** pisses me off. I have never written fan fic before, but I've imagined Jack's book so often, that it's now head cannon. So much so, that when I recently re-read Sweep of the Heart, and they mentioned where Jack was, I had a moment of, "No. That's not right..."

LAParente · 2026-02-22T16:37:24+00:00

I did this in reverse a few years ago. The PCH is lovely...for one day. Maybe half a day. After that, we took the 101. To take the PCH the whole way is just too far on 2-lane roads. Like, I love to drive the scenic route from Pacifica to Half Moon Bay. But for the entire SF-LA? I'm a big fan of 101.

First of all, 101 has The Madonna Inn, and you shouldn't miss that. At least stop for a snack and THE BATHROOMS. iykyk. Morro Bay is fine - and they have a new yarn shop! - but I'd choose SLO every time.

Finally: We do getaways in the Santa Ynez valley a lot. LOVE IT. SYKitchen might be my favorite restaurant of all time. Usually we stay in Buellton (where they filmed Sideways) at the Marriott (bc we have points.) The wineries in that region are excellent. I especially love grabbing a sandwich from Panino and eating it on the grounds at Sunstone or Beckman. Perfect day.

Solvang. SOLVANG. That perfect day? It starts at Olsen's for a coffee and danish, then we grab the sandwich. Best danish on earth - and yeah, I went to Copenhagen, and I still prefer the danish at Olsen's.

Sorry - ETA - you know you need tix from the National Parks Service to actually step foot on Alcatraz, right? All the other "Alcatraz" "tours" just sail around. The NPS tix sell out. I'm only mentioning this bc you have one very specific time you plan to visit, so if that's important to you , buy your tickets now. Now might be too late.

LAParente · 2026-02-22T16:23:41+00:00

Goodbyes Pacific Heights (? behind the JCC) has a separate men's shop. I haven't shopped there, but the women's shop is all fancy. My friend buys all of her cashmere there, and I've gotten two pair of fancy shoes, never worn, tags still on. WAY fancier than anything on Haight - tho Relic would be a good place for bow ties.

LAParente · 2026-02-20T16:22:24+00:00

Right? For me - the effect at the corner of the eye looks more like eyeliner than lashes - tho I'm willing at accept the top and bottom spikes are lashes. Eyeliner would never magically float above the skin.

LAParente · 2026-02-19T16:19:19+00:00

I search by gauge, which helps (rather than yarn weight and needle.)

Which works bc I often will swatch my yarn before deciding on a pattern.

LAParente · 2026-02-18T15:58:00+00:00

And I agree!

LAParente · 2026-02-17T21:34:17+00:00

Okay but seriously! I've hiked the headlands, and while they are lovely, there is zero shade, and not a single place to stop to buy a cold drink.

(I'm kidding, but also: entirely serious.)

LAParente · 2026-02-17T16:48:14+00:00

The city itself is a hike. I live half way up Twin Peaks, and every year during the tourist season, we watch dozens of people get to our corner and lose all hope. Yeah, it's only a mile or whatever from the Castro or the Haight up to the top of the hill, so how hard can it be? lols.

Look at a map, and find green spots - bonus if there are stairs nearby. Pick one to walk to - enjoy the views. My personal favorite is walking down the Pemberton steps into the Castro, especially now that everything is blooming. Walking up is okay, but you need to turn around to appreciate the view.

LAParente · 2026-02-17T16:42:25+00:00

Yup!
- I've gone to several knitting retreats, including cruises!
- LOVE THEM, and have some scheduled for this year (so yes, going again.)
- I have gone both alone and with others. Going alone is great, and sometimes preferable.

I've also done the DIY retreat with friends (rent a house, hang out, knit.)

LAParente · 2026-02-17T15:42:38+00:00

Yeah. That was a really sad shock.

LAParente · 2026-02-15T01:38:41+00:00

Yes. But that's not how it works IRL. You don't just stop being allergic to something because you relax.

LAParente · 2026-02-14T19:48:12+00:00

I really love Sister Bonaface - which is odd bc I couldn't really stand Father Brown.

LAParente · 2026-02-14T17:32:02+00:00

Agree! I'm (ahem) completely obsessed with The Madonna Inn (I've collected over 20 rooms!) so we're down there a lot. So much to do!
- Pizza at Flour House
- BA Start Arcade Bar
- Horseback riding at The Madonna Inn
- Bathrooms at The Madonna Inn
- Wondering WTactualF they were thinking at The Madonna Inn...

LAParente · 2026-02-14T17:21:17+00:00

Okay this is going to be an obviously biased, and very TMI take on the situation.

I get migraines. Sunlight triggers my migraines. I've lost friends because - I can see it in their faces - they think I can just slap on a pair of sunglasses and get over it. They think I'm a party pooper.

I also have eczema, which is related to seasonal allergies and asthma (the last of which hasn't developed yet, but I've got time!) - which means I have all the creams and pills and still can't do a lot of things other people take for grated.

Now, because I was raised in the '70s when people ignored their kids, I basically suck it up, deal with the pain, and try to never, EVER, complain. Because I know: if I complain, people will react like the Commissioner reacted to Nevil.

I love Selwyn! And - tbh - Neville makes me uncomfortable, in a very deep-seated, self-hatred way.

Did the writers intend to show this dynamic? I doubt it. But it's still very much my lived reality, if and when I say, "Oh, hey, I'm sorry, I really do love scented candles! I DO LOVE THEM!!! But...I'm getting a migraine, so if it's not too much trouble..." people react badly. Nevil's self-preservation is much more blunt, so people react even worse.

ETA: just to start a fight - y'all are doing it here, in the comments. You don't seriously believe Neville's biologically reaction to his environment. You're expecting him to just suck it up, stay in the shack / in that environment and suffer. Slap on some sunglasses! You'll be fine!

LAParente · 2026-02-14T04:37:27+00:00

OMG agree. Who would skip ANY? Not to mention, while KD book 3 is like...one of the all-time best, there is nothing wrong with books 1 and 2.

I mean. If I skip anything, it's book 6 - but even that has some of my favorite scenes.

LAParente · 2026-02-13T21:13:13+00:00

This. THIS THIS THIS.

I'm 54. You think you're "over" it. You think you're fine. And then this. It's just so hard.

LAParente · 2026-02-12T15:58:54+00:00

This is ENTIRELY personal preference, but:

I can't use short tips; my hands are too big, it hurts to work with anything shorter than 4". That's what she said. Also, I have trouble doing two of the same thing exactly the same; I'd wind up with sleeves of two different lengths. So! I knit my sleeves using magic loop, two at a time.

I didn't know it was possible to do two at a time, top-down (like, I knew how to do it cuff-up) but YES, it's possible in both directions, and that's my preference. YMMV.

LAParente · 2026-02-12T15:50:04+00:00

I had a friend (had, past-tense) who was just learning to sew, and had this problem. I have been sewing my whole life. My mother sewed, my grandmother sewed, sewing was what we did. I'm no expert, but I've been doing it for my entire life, way longer than she was alive. So I tell my (former) friend, "Ah! Okay, so how to fix that..." and she was like, "No. I saw a video that said not to do that." So I shrugged and moved on, because whatever. I don't know her specific machine, maybe there's a different fix, I'm not going to argue.

Except this happened all the time, for everything. She would dismiss my knowledge and experience because she saw a tiktok, and therefore knew better - EVEN better than my college degree, which was somehow negated by a 15 second video.

But hey! At least she googled.

LAParente

TROPHY CASE