Hasta La Gadget!

Soon it will all be intravenous.

As you’re all aware, the best part of leaving the office to get coffee … is LEAVING THE OFFICE to get coffee. But now that Starbucks delivers, your higher-ups might be under the impression that you’ll never have to leave the office ever again.

UCB group Pocketwatch shows us in their latest video “Starbucks For Delivery” that work efficiency should only be taken so far. And no amount of cake pops or salted caramel sugar drink can stave off the workplace insanity that results being in an office all day long.

Okay, maybe some amount of cake pops.

Chef Alexis Samayoa prepares Al Pastor tacos in the newly opened Tocolo Cantina.

Chef Alexis Samayoa worries that patrons will expect stereotypical Mexican food when visiting his restaurant in Garden City, Tocolo Cantina. Busy Long Islanders, he fears, will favor a quick and easy taco or burrito over his upscale fare.

Samayoa recently opened his 98-seat hotspot in hopes that locals have discovered a sense of pleasure in eating, especially flavors from south of the border. But, as I walked in and found a table in the dining room adorned with retro wood paneling, green copper and tile, I realized that a glimmer of the chef’s New York City inspired food flair has found its way to the isle.

The Yucateco ($12), a mango, habanero chile, red onion and red bell pepper guacamole, which hit the table first, was split with a friend over homemade chips. They are warm and magical. A pleasant surprise to start the evening.

A large, 10-seat-wide bar stood against the opposite wall, stocked with an abundance of tequila, mezcal, gin, vodka and other spirits, making the restaurant seem even larger at first glance from my corner booth. I skipped the margaritas after only sips and traded in for the chef’s special “happy juice,” a sweet sangria that hits the mark.

One party at the center communal table seemed to be having a similar epiphany with pitchers in abundance. The manager tells us the cork board panels above are meant to counter the noisy buzz, which tends to fill new restaurants. The steady flow of wandering nomads from Westbury Plaza can surely be counted on to test their new soundproof ceiling.

Tangy arugula ($11) and tenderly sweet green kale salads ($12) are placed on the table by our waitress, who remained attentive throughout the meal with tidbits of information about co-owners Lloyd Rosenman, Todd Birnbaum and Coby Rejwan, whose earlier years in northern California inspired the photography on the walls.

I can see the chef spotted me from the open kitchen already and watches as I bite into one of a pair of lamb tacos ($12)–perhaps my favorite dish of the evening. I ask the waitress for the recipe, but am told it may be too difficult for the average home cook to prepare. Alas, the secret remains just that.

The chicken ($9) and al pastor ($9) tacos are also nice, but the latter is better and more flavorful. I am still reeling from the lamb tacos and the slice of pineapple which topped the al pastor tacos minutes into the next entree. Every ingredient is chosen specifically for its ability to enhance its counterparts and the pineapple, which burst with flavor in my mouth, was imported from Hawaii for its intensity.

Samayoa attributes years of tutelage under WD-50 chef Wylie Dufresne, and Empellón’s Alex Stupak, for the bold splashy tastes and presentation on display at his restaurant.

And so, I’m expecting a scallop ($14) and snapper ceviche ($14) next, to match the previous dish’s efforts but am underwhelmed by their subtlety despite the array of beautiful colors that fill the plate. The prickly pear crunch is a bit off putting for non-native eaters alongside the tender scallops, which are in the dishes defense, cooked perfectly, but yearning for the bite that tends to accustom bolder ceviches. The snapper is acidic and has a kick–balanced only by slices of cool avocado.

I could forgo the fact that the blue corn tortilla quesadilla ($11) with chihuahua cheese, green chillies and salsa pasilla (a smoky, somewhat fruity Oaxacan sauce), didn’t have chicken in it after biting into some of the better and more authentic quesadillas I’ve had in my life. Perhaps Tocolo Cantina is Long Island’s most authentic Mexican restaurant?

A somewhat messy dish followed by another messy fundidos tray was enough for me to be covered in a bevy of sauces. Not an unpleasant experience.

The rest of my party made haste of the larger plates, setting their sights on dessert even after being delivered a platter of hanger steak ($28) and fideos ($28), what seems to be a Mexican paella of fried noodle, chorizo, clams and shrimp. I pick the shellfish off for myself, nearly mistaking the large shrimp for prawns.

No one said no to the tres leches cake ($8), a delicate dessert with tender mango and kiwi sprinkled over its top, or the churros ($8). With the check were two complimentary hot chocolate shots, not meant to be an actual gulp, but a sweet end to a filling feast.

Tocolo Cantina, 920 Old Country Rd., Garden City. 516-222-0060. tocolocantina.com

VERY GOOD

LOCALE Quite large, and inviting 98-seat restaurant that caters to larger parties with booths that ring around the corners of the restaurant and two larger communal tables for parties. Seats are available at tables for smaller parties of two. Full wheelchair access.

PRICE POINT Prices range from $8-$12 for small plates and $18-$31 for larger entrees. All desserts are fixed at $8 each.

RECOMMENDATIONS Yucateco, snapper ceviche, quesadilla, lamb tacos, al pastor tacos, pollo asado, parilla, churros, and tres leches. To drink: “happy juice” sangria, Mango Habanero Margarita and Smokey Y El Bandito.

HOURS Lunch: Sunday to Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dinner: Sunday to Thursday, 3 to 10 p.m.; Friday to Saturday, 3 to 11 p.m.

RATING Excellent, Very Good, Good, Not Worth Visiting.

Also seen in the Long Island Press.

For years I was unfulfilled in my relationships. I felt like I was giving more and trying more then what I was receiving in return.

I was drained and tired. I read about every book in the whole “self-help” section in hopes to find the answer as to why love was so difficult for me to find in this world.

I went to a variety of professionals in hopes to find some answer. Though I realized that the work I had done with them only benefitted me temporarily.

There was something else. Something that kept holding me back but I could never figure out what it was exactly.

And then, I moved to South Korea. The move caused me a lot of stress and emotional strain to work through. However, it seemed that the universe felt I had even more that I could manage to deal with, because I found myself in an extremely challenging relationship with a fellow expat.

It was one of those on again off again kind of dating situations. We’d “break up,” be back together, fight, “break up,” get back together.

This roller coaster of a relationship only lasted only four months. But despite the short duration, I continued to suffer through the aftermath of it months later. I found myself reading book after book after book seeking for answers. I meditated, I kept a dream journal, I did hypnosis. I tried just about anything I could just to find a way to break this self-defeating cycle that I had in my relationships.

I was desperate — and I had decided that things were going to shift now. Not in a few months or a few years, but now. I did not want to go back to the U.S. without figuring out what I needed to change.

Eventually, I came across one book that seemed to have many insights that resonated with me.

Though there were many insights in that book that I found beneficial, there was one mindset shift that hit me so hard my body shook. It felt as if a train just hit me and I had to take time get re-centered again. I didn’t want to accept it. I didn’t want to acknowledge it.

Eventually I did choose to accept the idea and make the necessarily mindset shift — and it has completely changed the way that I approach my relationships and my life.

My major mindset shift was accepting the idea that: The people you are in relationship with are guests in your life.

This isn’t an easy pill to swallow — for anyone. We don’t like or want to digest the idea that every single person in our lives will one day be gone — as well as ourselves. We like to hold on to this belief that what we have will always be with us.

Many times we tend to seek relationships for some kind of security. Emotional security, material security, financial security, physical security, etc.

This desperate desire for security comes out of fear. We’re afraid of being alone. We’re afraid of needing to support ourselves completely on our own. We’re afraid of having to rely solely on ourselves. We’re afraid of acknowledging the reality that the only person who is with us from birth until death is ourselves.

Yet, the irony is that if we don’t learn how to support and rely on ourselves, if we don’t confront our fear and accept that nothing in this world is absolute, then we will only hold ourselves back from true fulfillment and empowerment. We create unnecessary tension in our relationships and, most of all, prevent ourselves from truly enjoying where we are in the present moment.

The key is to realize and accept that no one person is always going to be there with us throughout our lives. Even if we do get married, have 2.5 kids, a secure job, a house and a dog, we are still in every single moment running the risk of that all dissipating in a split second.

It is the risk that we take for living and it is unavoidable. Therefore, by confronting our fears of security head on we then automatically give ourselves the opportunity to truly stand in our power. To truly be who we are meant to be in this world. To truly have what we have always dreamed of having.

We must confront our darkness, before we can truly shine.

Take action now!

How are you overly striving for security in your relationships? Are you striving for financial security? Emotional security? Material security? Or, ask yourself: What is it that I most fear of disappearing from my life?

For me, I most feared not having material stability. I wanted someone to help direct me somehow. I also feared being alone. I was terrified of needing to rely on myself without anyone to help support me emotionally and materially.

Share your answers in the comments below!

This blog was originally published on JenniferTwardowski.com.

Jennifer is a self and relationship coach and teacher. She helps women worldwide create fulfilling relationships with both themselves and others so they can live happy and joyful lives. Click here for her Free Self and Relationship Healing Meditation.

Connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

Growing up, my cousins and I played our fair share of Dungeons & Dragons. In fact, we went so hardcore geek as to make up our own game set that used similar rules. The problem was that our dungeon master was a dick and you never knew if you wanted high numbers or low numbers when it came time to roll. It would go down something like this, “YES!! I rolled a 20!!” followed by hysterical dungeon master laughing and then you die because in that instance, you wanted a low number.

ThinkGeek has some cool new dice that you can play D&D with called the Critical Hit LED Dice Set. While they won’t solve the problem of an asshole DM, they certainly look cool.

There are three dice with a d10, d12, and d20. Each of them are red opaque plastic with an LED inside. When you roll the highest number available on each of the dice, it flashes.

Whether their flashing indicates your demise or victory depends on how big a jerk your dungeon master is. Get all three for $24.99(USD).

Grant Thomson, the King of Random, just posted this video showing how to make a blowgun with a laser sight using household objects. The precision and power of this thing is extraordinary so be careful if you’re planning to play with it.

Read more…