On Superbowl Sunday, my roommate , her friend, Justin and I wanted to go somewhere to watch the Superbowl, especially since her friend was out of town. After doing a bit of research (we are, after all, still LA newbies), we decided to visit Library Alehouse in Santa Monica. It has since become one of my favorite places to go to in LA (even though Santa Monica is not technically in LA, but that’s a minor detail )

Pictures abundant, along with details, underneath the cut

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So exclaimed my dear friend, Tae, in reaction to my tweet about having vegetarian bacon.

Yes, meatless bacon.

I know they sell a number of imitation things—and one particular brand doesn’t really do it very well, in my opinion—but, to find something like this in an Asian grocery store? Furthermore, manufactured by a Taiwanese vegetarian product company?

Maybe I should backtrack here.

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… is a red velvet cupcake and a cup of Vietnamese coffee for breakfast!

A typical Friday night, for me, is spent playing a game of some type. For the past few weeks, it’s been all about AI War, but when Paul called to ask Justin and me to come over on Friday for board games, I was psyched. It may not seem awhile, but the last time we’d played board games was new year, so I was itching to play again!

Before I dive into the deep end, I just wonder: when people think of board games, do they think of games like Monopoly and Scrabble? And if so, are those considered casual board games? Furthermore, are games like Settles of Catan and Battlestar Galactica and Arkham Horror considered “hardcore” board games? We play a variety of both, but (much) more often than not, we’re playing some kind of insane board game that takes ~6 hours to beat–and no, it’s not Monopoly.

Anyway, all questions aside …

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I had heard of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman from a friend of mine, a long time ago, but I never sat down to read it until Evan e-mailed me and asked me if I wanted to be a part of his book club. I figured that this was the perfect incentive. We were to read the entire series, for the entire year, one volume a month. The wait would be devastating, though, because I finished the book rather quickly and would have to wait awhile to read the second volume

The Sandman begins with an ancient magic society trying to capture Death, but instead receives the Sandman (called many different names and titles throughout the book). They decide to trap him anyway, trying to bargain with him, stealing his tools and clothing. However, for the duration of his imprisonment, he witnesses two generations of human lives pass, and is finally free–but, not without dire consequences. People all over the world have suffered from a sleeping sickness, in which they are unable to wake up. Full lifetimes have passed for some, who are only awake for a few dazed moments, before falling back asleep. Additionally, his kingdom has fallen apart. The King sets on a quest to find the three tools he needs in order to restore his power, and consequently, the world.

We meet all sorts of characters, and witness all sorts of horrors, as other Vertigo characters make their cameos. It’s a dark series, yet there is still a sense of hope in humanity. Gaiman has somehow sculpted the perfect character for The King of Dreams. He is an incredibly likable character.

Anyway, this is only Preludes & Nocturnes. I highly recommend it, though, and will continue to read the series!