The Werewolf at Comic Con

Comic Con. It’s a household name in San Diego. And that’s saying something because we’re America’s Finest City! ;)

But bragging aside, there really is something to be said about the transformation this city undergoes every year once a year for the beautiful mania that is Comic Con. The streets of the Gaslamp District are overflowing with people but not with just mere mortals, no sir. For these 5 days a year, you’ll find witches and warlocks, dragon-rearing queens, anime characters, or your childhood hero and/or heroine.

Dinner with Madame Chloe

One of the greatest love stories of all time is my affair with food. And that’s saying something because I am a truly hopeless romantic.

Ask anyone that knows me and they will tell you that when I dive into a description of my meal, it’s like I am describing the first time I fell in love. I thrive on finding new places to eat and being that person that gives good restaurant recommendations. But the most hopeless thing about me? I simply cannot eat something that I am not craving.

When I prepare a meal, even if it’s just boring old Tuesday lunch, I need to make it count. I need to have something that the mere thought of makes my tummy just a teensy bit happier. And please don’t get me wrong, not every dish I have is of Michelin star caliber. Just yesterday, I made some toast with this delicious cheese, and I was the happiest of campers.  

But whatever I ingest, I need to be jonesing for. I need to be craving it.

That’s why when my 24th birthday came along, my tummy told me where I wanted to go before my head could even wrap around the options. I wanted something rich, something to truly celebrate the occasion and to me, there is no better celebration than the party in my mouth when devouring a big, juicy steak. 

Cafe Chloe was a French restaurant I had been dying to go since I first heard about it. A Yelp search had told me every gory detail about the place and I was enthralled. After much drooling and poring over the menu, I knew this restaurant was something I wanted to reserve for a special occasion. The food looked to die for but the layout of the place looked just as enticing.

And I was certainly not disappointed on my special day.

The Craving

It’s that certain feeling. It is that burning and brewing deep in your belly for that… something. Sometimes it’s for a certain dish, a certain someone, an urge to be somewhere else, or simply that search for something amazing. 

You’re craving. 

Because really, no matter what the name may be: passion, drive, longing, wanderlust — it’s really all the same thing. You are aching for one of the many wonders that this life has to offer. Wonders and thrills come in many shapes and sizes, be it something simple like a new perfume that makes you feel fantastic, or a trip to someplace that makes your heart soar and your eyes fill with awe.

My name is Cara and as those around me know, my interests just range too widely to be put into one category. My heart and belly overflow with happiness after a good meal but my smile is just as wide for a great new gadget or learning a time-saving trick. My appetite for new experiences and new knowledge is, to put it lightly, insatiable, and this place is what I hope to use as a chronicle for the things I’ve found in life that make me happy and, hopefully, can give someone else a little bit of joy too. 

That burning in my belly is for everything between the awe-inspiring and the cheap thrills. I seek the memory-makers, destinations that seem picked out of one of our dreams, or daring activities that push our nerves to the limit but an all-expansive grin out of us in the end. I find comfort in the little joys like a great new product or a fancy new toy for my pup. I crave the things that make our eyes go wide, like a film or play that truly speaks to its audience. But I also crave the things that just make our day a little bit better, like a swanky new dress or a decadent dessert.

To put it simply, I crave the world.