grey days and similar conversation.

brrrrr - from the ferry - san francisco, ca

i heard a statistic years ago that i never bothered checking but have reiterated time after time: seventy-five percent of small-talk conversations are about the weather.  every time that i get wrapped in awkward elevator silence, i resist my human instinct to say, "man, it's chilly today, isn't it?" because doing so would feel like such a cop out.  and what's the point, really, in stating the obvious?  it's so pointless. but it happens. 

so this is me encouraging all of your to take notice of your weather talk.  note: natural disasters, hail, and flooding all warrant plenty of chit chat.  

bark bark bark.

thickest rope i've ever seen - artefact - somona, ca

so by now you might have gathered that i'm unconditionally in love with my dogs.  like the type of love that consumes your brain and cinches itself around your heart until you can hardly walk straight.  it then makes sense that i notice and acknowledge every dog that i come across.  but lately i've been burdened by a terribly un-p.c. thought.  every time i pass a chinese woman walking a dog, i scream "run!" inside my head.  

think about it. 

sizzle sesh in a smoking hot pan.

koi - robert sinksky winery - yountville, ca

i've been listening to morgan page's longest road on repeat for the past two days. almost literally. while driving. while organizing my room. while cooking dinner. while writing this very sentence. at some point it's going to repulse me, but for now, i'm pretty obsessed.

in other news, my love affair with ahi tuna continues. seared, please. and quite rare.

keep your dime. keep that dozen.

peony on my desk- my favorite - san francisco, ca

i just want to put this piece of information on the table: i don't dig roses. never have. sure, the smelly ones are pleasant, but they're predictable. if red, cliche. and there are so many blooms that are far superior to the thorned-stemmed flower. however, i will concede that they do rank higher than carnations. carnations hurt my feelings. they are the hoochie heels of the floral world. so this is me encouraging everyone to choose wisely. and should i ever acquire an admirer, i certainly hope he'd know me well enough to take the garden path toward lilies and lilac and peonies, si vou ples.

ginger root and chicken feet. fifteen cents a piece.

china town - san francisco, ca

i feel most grateful for being as tall as i am when i'm walking home from work through china town.  imagining being at eye level with so many passing faces completely freaks me out.  claustrophobia dot com.  plus, being a head and a half above everyone else makes maneuvering a whole lot easier.  now if i could only figure out how to defend myself against the combined smells of fish, peking duck, and fried won tons.  not my favorite.

to remember the days from then to here.

my work-in-progress art wall - my room -  san francisco, ca

see. told you it was cool.  i'm again encouraging anyone interested to contribute to my art wall.

 

in other news, taco tuesday was a a huge success.  and today in general was pretty fabulous.  after a hard day at work, i had the opportunity to attend the elizabeth locke trunk show/cocktail hour.  met the designer.  had a glass of champagne, and then hiked it to the marina to meet up with a lesser shi-shi crowd.  best of both worlds.

swear like a sailor. drink like a fish.

blue angel dust - north beach - san francisco, ca

fleet week was pretty ridiculous.  my sister was in town.  the blue angels were flying like maniacs all over and around the city.  sailor sightings became quite commonplace (i expected them to be sexier).  and i had a fucking great time.  

tip-toeing into the chanel ocean.

steps to dp beach - isla vista, ca

and to think, just two months ago i was lounging beachside in isla vista.  now i'm on the fast track to retail prowess.  i'm of course flattering myself beyond belief.  becoming the newest chanel assistant has been somewhat intimidating, but i've done my best to take everything one step at a time--and i've been taking pages upon pages of notes on the way.  

so here's my day in a nutshell:

*get dressed.  no joke, choosing an ensemble can take up to an hour--but i do so religiously the evening prior.  "this goes with this.  no this would be better with that.  oh, i wish i had those kate spade flats, they would make 'x' skirt and blouse look so much more put together with 'y' necklace."

*eat breakfast while listening to my daily npr podcasts.  i'm starting to realize why all the women around me are so waify.  sometimes i'd much rather sleep fifteen more minutes than eat a couple pieces of toast.  but i do.  because i'm far grouchier when hungry than when sleepy.

*make lunch.  i'm on a budge.  no room for spending $10 per day.  i'm currently consuming a ton of lentils, avo, and tomatoes.  bomb dot com. and trader joe's cat cookies too.

*hop on a bus for eight to ten minutes, depending.  normally plagued with stares from little chinese women who wonder what planet i'm from.  by the way, what is it with chinese women and their affinity for prom shoes--like jeweled, satin, strappy sandals--with casual clothing.  i don't get it.

*exit bus.

*walk two blocks.  along the way passing all of my new construction worker friends who are working on the new gucci store on stockton that had forcasted to open this month.  they're behind.  probably because tool-belt tom and jackhammer jason are spending too much of mr. gucci's money greeting passersby.  thought i do most appreciate the gesture.  

to be continued...i'm exhausted

a festful weekend.

peace house - up a winding road - santa barbara, ca

i had such an unbelievable weekend.  oktoberfest and lovefest in a single day?! nuts.

highlights:

*pre-parting at susan, heather, and audpod's.  very few things are as fun as being buzzed in the morning.  

*running to catch the thirty only to meet an amazing kid with purple and black checked pants.  

*oktoberfest in general was a blast.  but seeing the one and only ms. lindsey mitten transformed the day from fun to fucking fantastic.  

*tripping out over the mini sb reunion.

*treking to lovefest.  rescued a girl from her sidewalk disaster.

*running into people i haven't seen in days and days.  years even.

*powering through with the help of coors original.  

*seeing taylor and bailey in the marina.  obviously impressed that we were each still on top of our games.  

*meeting up with amanda at circa.  only to meet her football-star suitor.  biggest man i've seen  in my whole entire life.  no joke.  get lifted.

today has been a lounge-fest.  lots of laundry, cleaning, and relaxing... you know the drill.  from what i've heard, friends from all around have shared in the weekend-to-end-all-weekend insanity.  le'ts just be glad that we've all survived.

oh, and one other thing.  i've been made aware of the blue grotto of the island of capri.  i need to get there as soon as possible.

kind of like the railroad.

white roses - spec entertainment - new york city, ny

i'm finally finished with my intensive four-day training.  now that i'm well-versed in all things neiman marcus--working cash registers included--i've been deemed ready to rep the company and assist the chanel buyer/stylist/shopper extraordinaire.  nervous?  sure.  but i'm pretty sure i can smile and schmooze my way through any conversation.  plus, we're not talking life or death here, people.  i'm wishing myself luck.  follow in suite if you so please.

p.s. no joke.  tina turner's simply the best is SO my jam right now.  

split pea. minestrone. chicken noodle doodle.

models need nourishment - fashion week january 08 - new york city, ny

tonight was a night that will birth nights like it in the future.  tonight was the advent of what i like to call, the soup group.  that's right people. the soup group.  though three friends were invited, only lindsay and i were present to enjoy homemade butternut squash and apple curry soup with homemade, whole-wheat croutons and field greens over heirloom tomatoes.

we've decided that each week the soup group will meet at a new location (one of our four houses) and will feature a new soup.  i'm stoked.  let the broth ferries and bouillon-cube cupids prepare their haunches for a hearty helping of warm, savory goodness.

(more info about my new career later.  for now, i love it.)