BaubleBar Birthday

Today marks one month until my birthday. 

My birthday tends to get overshadowed by the popular drinking holiday that falls on the same day, so there aren't many traditions that I keep for the annual celebration other than some form of red, white and blue appearing in the mix. But there's one thing that always remains an important staple marking another year of birth - I get myself a gift. This year I'm finally going to purchase something from BaubleBar. I've been eyeing their colorful gems on favorite bloggers and Pinterest for too long, and have decided to indulge on my own. Hooray!

A Monkey in Mexico

I step off of the bus, a disparaging piece of public transportation with grimy blue plastic seats littered with empty vending machine wrappers and soda cans, and into a heat that slaps me like a scorned woman. I’m prepared for this, wearing a loose sundress and sandals, but it takes my breath away. It’s well after sundown, nearly 9pm.

The bus chugs away and even in darkness the sidewalk in glimmering in neon hues. The area’s popular nightclub is buzzing with activity, and a steady stream of noisy Australians who followed us off the bus head straight to the lime green sign high above our head. Congo Bongo! It is a club that has been heavily advertised since arriving at the airport just a few days before, shining signs that welcomed guests post-escalator ride and just before customs. 

My head gravitates toward the sky; Vegas comes to mind. There are a handful of glowing signs that keep the area lit enough to mask the evening well. Pockets of tourists surround bars I recognize from home – names that in no way seem to represent the culture I’m allegedly experiencing. In a deep pocket of a run-down mall filled with more familiar restaurants and retailers, grimy men hold up their prized possessions – live animals. I’m not talking about parakeets or puppies, the living creatures that catch my eye are squirrel monkeys and snakes.

I make a beeline for the monkey. Snakes just aren’t my thing. When I approach the man holding his “friend" (rather than merely a job I so mistakenly call it), I avoid his eyes. Instead I lock into the furry creature with soft features who wreaks of something sweet and sour. She’s sucking on a bright green Jolly Rancher, which I can only assume is making her so docile. I outstretch my finger toward her little primped face, and her caretaker throws her on my back. She doesn’t squirm; it’s just part of the routine.

She’s soft and her perfectly groomed blond hair doesn’t stand on edge as she makes her way into my arms. The man keeping guard reveals it's $10 for a picture from his camera. I shake my head and just laugh. I keep petting until the man drops his price, just $5 for a picture on our own camera this time. But just one picture, and no more. After a few more minutes petting what I equate to a house cat with a sweet smell, it's time to walk away. I have experienced enough Mexico for the night. 

Food Art: Playing with Food

I like food...a lot. I practically moved to San Francisco because the San Diego food scene was a bore, and have continued to develop my passion for cuisine now that I consider myself an official resident. So when The Bold Italic - one of my favorite blogs - featured a conceptual art project that cut favorite foods in half (well, my favorite foods - like hot dogs, ice cream and noodles) - I had to share. 

The project comes from the mind of Beth Galton - see more images here. And read more about the artist online at The Bold Italic. 

Can you say #yum? 

Waiting on Downton Abbey

I don't have a tv in my new San Francisco apartment, but I still get to watch the majority of my favorite shows online. So it's no surprise during the "off season" when reruns of The Real Housewives weren't available I started picking up new shows. Downton Abbey was one of those - and boy, I am addicted.  

When People Magazine did a story about the actors visiting the United States, I was totally thrown off. Why aren't they in their uniform? I had gotten lost in their characters. I can't wait until next season. 

Do you watch?  

A New Outdoor Space

Since I've been back and forth between San Francisco and home lately, I've made it my mission to create an outdoor space in what used to be a garage in my parent's backyard. Santa Barbara's relatively moderate climate calls for an outdoor space that is both comfortable and cozy for those "winter" evenings, and I think that an outdoor living space is the perfect thing to accompany the pool and lush landscape we already have outside. I've been looking through Pinterest for some inspiration, and started watching HGTV ("Design on a Dime" is a new favorite!) for some additional ideas. It's going to be a DIY summer. 

On the State of Foodies in San Francisco (and Oakland's DOPO)

Now that I'm officially a Bay Area resident, I suppose it's my duty to present a semi-tourist, attempt-to-look-cool update on my trials and tribulations. 

Before I arrived to the area I thought I knew what was up regarding the food scene. I got press releases on occasion about new openings, but followed enough Twitter influencers to make me in-the-know. Let me tell you - the Whale's Vagina has got nothing on any Bay Area 'hood. No matter what group I'm in, everyone knows the hottest restaurants, has about 15 recommendations (that are all going to be amazing) and can 'ooh' and 'ahh' from personal experience when I recount my own feeble attempt at dining well here.  

I have decided to keep a virtual list of places to try, but it seems unlikely everything on my list - as was the case for my farewell rendezvous in San Diego - will ever cease to exist. Enough whimpering...here's the latest. 

A co-worker suggested Oakland's Italian restaurant Dopo. Getting a recommendation from a former employee should never be dismissed. These kids have seen the back room - they know if the chefs pick their noses or use canned veggies. Yuck. I wanted something away from College Ave in O-town, and Piedmont with the ever-enticing Fenton's was not pulling my arm. The place elicited a feeling of a neighborhood street-side cafe from Europe, where the maitre'd is consistently waving to friends or chatting with passerby's on the sidewalk. We were delivered sparkling processo while waiting for a table (inevitable on a Friday or Saturday night, especially with no reservations) and got a prime spot inside. The buzz is contagious, especially since most everyone is either hopped up on great wine or cured meats, of which they produce in-house. 

We dined on a selection of salumi, followed by a squid ink spagetti and plate of beans with potatoes, and finally an espresso panna cotta. I suck at remembering the specifics, and since their menu changes daily there's no hope in finding them. I've done a pretty good job convincing friends that Oakland isn't scary. This place helps. 

{images via Yelp}

Flower Head

If I were as cool as her*, I would totally bust out a flower head for my July birthday. 

(*and by cool, I mean super-model gorgeous with a stylist to assist, obviously)

{image via}

If you could rewrite your college essay, what would it say?

So few of us end up studying what we came into college dreaming of, or working in the industry in which we studied. If you had a chance to look back at the story you shared or the dream you revealed, do you think you could tell which direction you'd head? I wonder how many people would cringe at the words they put together when we were just 16. 

My college essay wasn’t profound, or enlightening – I had had (and still have) a relatively unscathed childhood. My parents are still happily married, I grew up in a small but privileged town and most of the time my desires were met.

I was a pretty determined teen, so naturally I stuck with the path I set out for myself at 16. I vaguely recall the opening sentence in my letter to recruiters being: “I want to be a writer.” At the time, I thought it was bold and forthcoming – a statement I thought would get the attention of the universities I wanted to attend.  What I probably meant to say was: “I don’t really know what I want to do, but I know that I’ve always had success in writing.” Today, it might be something like: “Move over, Anna Wintour.”

I’ve been thinking more and more about my college essay lately as it inevitably brought me to my university, my first job, my friends and my boyfriend. If you think about it, those 500 words were the ultimate compass – and at this stage in my life I can’t help but think “what if?”

As it so happens, I’m one of the unusual ones that has been tried-and-true in my move from college essay to college and career. It’s odd to think that today I’m still composing pieces, and still messing with the syntax and structure of paragraphs to find the perfect annotations. My life has introduced me to countless individuals who have inspired me, confused me, energized me and even belittled me – all introduced by the path I chose, and the essay I wrote. 

  

But if these college essays really determined where you went, how far you’d go and how you’d survive, what would you change? Would you have shared a family story rather than a dream? Would you have taken more than a Saturday afternoon to pen the piece that could determine your history?

Would you have chosen a different path?

{image via pinterest}

Instagram vs. Others

 For anyone who follows me on Instagram, you must know I'm a little obsessed (I'm still a new iPhone user!). I recently started looking into a few more San Francisco start-ups while in search of a real-time passion, and ended up downloading Path. It has a pretty seamless interface similar to Facebook where inner-circle companions can share pictures, locations and more right from the iPhone. 


One of the most appealing aspects of Path is it's visually inspiring board - something that has kept me returning, particularly due in part to its Instagram-like photo sharing tool. Users can upload images from their phone and add a hue or tint similar to the now-Facebook owned Instagram. The only downside to this unique bit is that some tools cost money ($0.99), a bummer but to be expected when Camera+ and others out there are succeeding in a similar price bracket. 

While Path might be appealing in this sense, I'm having trouble understanding why go to Path alone for the photo tool. There are several more options within Instagram alone, and considering Path is still a relatively new tool, very few of my 'close' friends are onboard already. Isn't the whole point of this social media thing to connect with others you might not otherwise have the chance of meeting with? 


What say you?