good times

last week flew by sooo fast. berenice was in town and we went everywhere, literally. here's a overview of the list:

-daiso (the japanese $1.50 store)
-union street jeweler
-kozo paper store
-4th street in berekely (lots of shops)
-castle in the air (awesome store)
-oakland diner with a train that circles above head
-flax
-arch
-le boulangerie (union street and filmore location)
-filmore street
-marc jacobs
-the de young museum
-bruno's
-cafe trieste
-walked over the golden gate bridge
-sausalito
-lucca's deli
- palace of fine arts
- fritz
-san francisco center
i'm sure i'm forgetting a bunch. we did this all in three days. isn't that crazy? one night we made or actually berenice made dinner and showed me how she makes her magic. we had so much fun and laughed a lot. the extra cool thing was that before her trip we really didn't know each other that well. after i dropped her off at the airport i felt like we had known each other forever.

summer love

yesterday the hubby and i went and had lunch on the water at one of our favorite places, the ramp. when we first started dating we would go to brunch here every saturday. we would hang-out for hours talking (there were a couple of bloody mary's involved too). our favorite thing was the eggs benedict. we thought it was the best in the world.when we moved to chicago we were always in search for the chicago version of the ramp. we never found anything that came close. we found other special places like hot doug's,the best hot dog's in the world. when we moved to new york we continued on our search. we found a place on the water called the barge that was pretty cool. they had awesome calamari and you could play ping-pong if you wanted. still something was missing. when we moved to portland we searched and searched for a special spot that reminded us of our beloved ramp but it was a no go. we did find an awesome mexican restaurant called authentica that was pretty sweet. it was landlocked and mostly only open for dinner so it didn't really come very close. now that we are back in san francisco we have our ramp back. the thing we realized yesterday is that the food isn't really as spectacular as we remembered. it's good but not the world's best. we both agreed that it was those conversations we had there .it was part of our really falling in love with this person sitting on the other side of the table. we'll always have a soft spot for the ramp.

adventure mode

today was an awesome day. my cousin michael and i decided we wanted to try and find a barbecue place a friend had mentioned. we were armed with a limited amount of information. all we knew was that it might be in south san francisco and it was some pretty good cue. we set out on our mission with an open mind and a taste for some authentic food. not too soon into our journey did we realize we were searching for a needle in a haystack. so we decided to embrace the day and go with the flow. we found some cool thrift stores and found some treasure within. you'll be happy to know that i am the proud new owner of a red velvet blazer that has a very unique cut. i know what i'm wearing this holiday season do you? so we drove and drove and kept discovering more and more. we stumbled upon a cemetery and decided to check it out. i had never been to one before. i know isn't that weird? i felt like i had been to one because they are always in movies and on television. isn't that weird that we can think we've experienced something from watching it on a box? the cemetery was actually really cool. it was such a peaceful place. when i told my mom about where we were she pointed out that my dads family is buried there. isn't that trippy that i felt so comfortable there? so after the cemetery we ended up at target. i know not really very adventurous. we went to target and i got a hose. this may not seem like a very big deal but, it was i assure you. it's actually pretty cute. it's a boat/trailer hose so it's white and blue. how that all works out i'm not sure. it's only twenty-five feet so maybe that's why it's so special. after target we drove home and decided to do a little research into our barbecue place. i emailed the friend and she emailed back and then we were on our way. the food was actually really good but i soon realized i had eaten their food before at a friends house but mikey liked it. ohh and the restaurant was in san bruno not south san francisco.

key limeade

just made some key limeade. it is sooo summer tasting. i added a splash of sparkling water for a little something special. so wild am i.

psychic moment

so my mom being the sweetheart she is ordered me a pair of fabulously cute shoes. she reminded me this morning that they should be arriving today. i then remembered that our buzzer doesn't work. "why" she asked? well we have internet phone and the buzzer goes through the phone line. "well that's a bummer" she said. "yeah i know" i said. after i get off the phone with her i tried to think what i should do. maybe i should go and put a note on the front door with my cell number to call me. i decide maybe this isn't this best idea to give my number to the world. i'll just go out and look outside and see if i come up with a better plan. so i put on my shoes and make sure i don't look too scary. ohh i haven't taken a shower yet and sometimes that can be pretty scary to an innocent bystander. i walk outside and start looking down the street for a fedex truck because i've for some reason made up my mind it's coming fedex. as i'm looking for the fedex guy. by the way i'm looking with my eyes not my person, so i'm standing directly infront of the door. so as i'm looking far off into the distance of my street the ups guy walks up. i hear someone and look over and realize "ohh maybe it came ups". i say"hey do you have something for devon finn"? well what do you know? yes he did. can you believe my timing. i told him my story and he was all excited. so excited he tried to hatch out a plan with me on how to make sure i don't ever miss my packages. well, that's my psychic moment. now if i could just figure out the winning lottery numbers.

where you can buy happiness

today i went and made my first ever plant purchase! pretty nerdy that i'm so excited but, knowing how i felt about something so domestic like plants just a year ago i've come a long way. there's this nursery called flowercraft and their motto is "we sell happiness". isn't that just the greatest? heck maybe i don't even like plants i just was sold on the motto. it wouldn't be the first time. in the late 90's when soda bottle's were changing from glass to plastic i decided i wanted to try sprite because of the new commercials with the sprite looking all hip and cool in groovy plastic. i then decided that i actually liked sprite. i question if i truly liked the way that it tasted or the way that it made me feel. walking up to the counter buying a bottle of coolness. then being seen around drinking my hip looking beverage. what i do know is now that everything comes in plastic and a good amount of time has passed. i mostly enjoy diet coke. on a rare occasion i will drink a clear drink. i'm already planning my next trip to the place that sells happiness.

did somebody say sale?

saturday my friend jackie and i went to this crazy warehouse sale in benecia. it was pretty intense and literally in the middle of nowhere. the historic downtown is pretty cute though. i got this huge rusty green star that i am sooo in love with. i also got a huge fancy smelly candle for a dollar. i know pretty crazy. especially when i have been obsessing over needing a fancy candle for about a month now. i haven't liked any that i've smelled so far and then here this awesome smelling candle finds me and it's a dollar!!! i got some super fancy french salt too. i've decided that my new collection obsession is going to be fancy salt and fancy yummy olive oil. aren't we relieved that i now have something else to collect? well at least it's edible.

coffee coffee coffee

i've decided i am going to try and avoid the coffee shop that is closest to my house. every time i leave that place i'm super irritated. well, not every time. only when a certain pink haired glitter eyed jaded hates her life and has no business working with the public person is working. i have tried many times to sway her to the human side but i have failed. actually that's not true. there was this one time she was nice. i had told my friend steven, who was in town visiting, about my situation with the bitter barista. the thing is she'll be talking to her co-workers laughing and smiling about whatever and then she'll turn to you and with a straight face in an irritated tone will ask you what you want. then as she's getting your ice coffee continue to talk to her co-worker the same free easy going way she was just before she encountered you, the totally annoying customer. then as she hands you your beverage she is miss meany again. so i tell steven how this has happened more times than i can count. well, he decides that we should do this back to her. we'll walk up to the counter laughing and smiling and when she asks us what we want order our coffee with a straight face and a monotone slightly irritated voice. did i mention my cousin michael and aunt sandy are with us too. so we walk into the coffee shop and michael orders first and we're behind him laughing and carrying on. then my aunt orders and more of the same from us. steven and i are having the time of our life. well, here's where it all goes wrong. the usually mean pink haired girl offers us a huge smile as we get to the counter and says "is that your mom"? what! are you kidding me? we were trying to laugh and be mean to you when we ordered our coffee. you totally ruined our timing. i think it all went wrong because for once i was with two hot hipster guys. michael and steven are both cool guys that are easy on the hipster ladies eyes. i also think she thought we were making fun of my aunt. being the mean spirited person she is she felt a bond with us. so i i decide i can now go into this coffee shop and not hate on her so much because maybe i've finally crossed over to the okay to be nice to side in her book. a couple of times i went in and she wasn't there. maybe she finally moved on to another coffee shop to torture a different part of town or better yet a whole new state, i think to myself. yesterday i go in and what do you know she's there. great! my approach kill it with kindness and remember she was nice the last time. when i arrive at the counter i was greeted with her usual bitterness. however she took it to a whole new level. when she gave me my coffee she gave me a stare down. you know when you look up and then down on a person with a look of disgust. so i leave with my feelings hurt and even more confused but with a vow to try and avoid that place at all costs especially if i see pink hair.

slurpee face

i just love this picture of my cousin michael. this makes me smile.

baker beach

been going to baker beach as much as possible. it's not the warmest beach so you have to come prepared for multiple types of weather. it can be sunny and warm one minute and then before you know it you're trying to find your socks and scarf and knit face mask. well the socks and scarf part are true at least. the idea of wearing a knit face mask at the beach makes me laugh. that would be a fun photo shoot. get decked out in total snow/ robber gear and have a lavish picnic at the beach. well maybe it's only funny to me. as is the case with most things in my life. hey what can you expect from an only child? i had to be my own best friend. if you can't make yourself laugh than you're screwed. peter always points out that he's never met someone who laughs hardest at their own jokes. what he doesn't understand that the joke was intended for me he just happened to be standing within earshot. back to baker beach. it's quite a lovely peaceful place. i like bringing blankets and pillows (yes pillows, throw pillows not my bed pillows in case you're wondering) and lots of snacks and some mellow tunes and mayonnaise. oops did i say mayonnaise i meant sunscreen. it's nice to try and be able to be there for at least an hour or two. i believe it takes this long to start to relax and really get the benefit of the ocean. i would love to spend more time at or by the ocean. it's so magical how intoxicating it can be. usually after i've been to baker beach i have to be really careful what kind of heavy machinery i operate. what i guess i'm trying to say is baker beach makes you feel like you're stoned. not that i would know what that's like but, i have read a lot of books and i do sometimes listen to rap music. it's pretty trippy. hey maybe that's why people always pack food to go to the beach. in case they get the munchies. huh... i'll have to do some investigating. for now all i do know is that i love baker beach.