footsteps on whitewater.

ferry seating - baylink - pacific ocean, ca

close your eyes. imagine that you're sitting on the back of a boat, watching the wake. there is a person walking toward you in the distance on the waves. who do you see?

hold on to your answer.

center. recenter. dispose of delay.

fill your brain - my backyard - napa, ca

there is never a better time to refocus than tomorrow. if it is your nature--as it is mine--to dwell on mistakes and missteps, then do your best not to. wake to the day and move through it as steadily and positively as possible, always with the goal of making yourself proud.

we heart our customer$.

clean lines - building vs. sky - sf, ca

one of the best things about living in north beach is the incredible concentration of dry cleaners. close proximity breeds competition, breeds competitive pricing. still, i can't afford to keep my silk-worm-woven wardrobe looking pressed and pretty on a weekly basis, so i asked a knowledgeable source how i can keep my bill down:

1. once you get home, immediately change out of your clothes (no matter how hungry you are). you will avoid unnecessary encounters with stains and smells.

2. invest in a good steam iron and learn how to use it. often all a garment needs is a good steam sprucing. plus, wrinkle-free clothes look more polished and thus, more expensive.

3. when you do find a stain, however faint, place a piece of tape on it and request that your dry cleaner spot clean that particular area--even experts need direction.

good luck. and if you're a resident of north beach, i officially endorse water lily cleaners on powell. they are quick, polite, and eager to please.

i hear dryell is also a good alternative. we'll see about that one.

o.oooo.uh.oo.uh.oo.uh.oo.uh.oo

watching the clouds - from my roof deck - sf, ca

i've been listening to joanna newsom's new album, have one on me, for the past hour or so. this is bound to be the soundtrack to my continued self-discovery.

:D

lampshades and figurines - room 4 - sf, ca

smile. it's sunday.

stalking wonka. tiptoe turnstile.

wall of goodies - viracocha - sf, ca

i'm competitive. so when my pal brought daily candy's blurb about viracocha to my attention, i was a little peeved. so often i feel like there are little blogger spies following me around, biting my material. then again, maybe it's a sign that i should join them?

remote control madness.

hello kitty - presidio heights - sf, ca

watching television will suck the creative potential out of your life. if you're in front of the tube for more than one hour per day, then i suggest a reevaluation. there are so many things worth while to see and read and explore. get on with it.

anthony anthony i'm wishing on a cookie star.

leftovers - my desk - sf, ca

this is my two-hundredth post. to celebrate, i'll be having several glasses of wine and after i'm finished, there's no doubt i'll be wishing i had a bag of anthony's cookies. at 1417 valencia, he and two friends run the quaintest cookie factory i've ever seen. go there. buy cookies. and ask to meet the man himself. his smile is as sweet as the cinnamon sugar menu option.

hologram book cover. stat.

lionel richie like you've never seen him before - the mission - sf, ca

at the start of the year my roommate started receiving cosmopolitan magazine in the mail. somebody must've gifted it to her because she certainly didn't pay for a subscription. but what kind of gift is that? what is this, good hair cut for u? knowing that we're all sort of mortified that cosmo comes through our mail slot each month, we hide it under the more acceptable publications like the new yorker and national geographic. next time, aunt jane from alabama, please send candles instead.

myrtle, dear, the static is hurting my head.

needlepoint - room 4- sf, ca

being an adult is weird and expensive. the bills never stop, and the responsibilities continue to pile on. i can handle paying the rent and the utilities, mopping the floors and keeping my fridge filled, but i'm still not that comfortable with the big stuff. like deciphering my medical insurance coverage and being cordial to people in my workplace who annoy the living crap out of me. it frightens me to think that stuff only gets bigger.

this is the past talking.

sunset - from the trail to sands - isla vista, ca

tonight my mom gave me a letter that i wrote to myself five years ago at the close of a writing course--the title of which now escapes me.

i read it alone upstairs in my room. and there, on my bed, i went down the list of ten things that my 2005 self wanted to see happen in my future life. as i read along, i recalled writing most of what i'd put on the page. and you know, most of what i wanted then still stands today. so tomorrow, i'm writing myself another letter. if you'd like to do the same, send yours to me, and i'll mail it to you in 2015.

penmanship on cardstock with a squiggle at the end.

vintage vogues - a store in the mission - sf, ca

i continue to have an urge to write personal notes to just about every person--painter, author, poet, designer, chef--who i read about. i have a desire to let the people who affect me know that they do. plus, i'd love to see--should they respond--what their personal stationary looks like.

rumble rumble concrete tumble.

the basics - room 4 - sf, ca

earthquakes are wrapping around the globe. the most recent in chile raised the andes mountains a few feet and shook our world so crazily at its core that our day shortened an entire millisecond or two. it isn't pleasant to think about how a quake of equal magnitude would translate in san francisco, but that doesn't mean that we can ignore the possibility. so why not run down to target and gather a kit of clean drinking water, nonperishable food, basic first aide items, and a working headlamp? preparation is key.

have it.

wall of entertainers - bookstore - sf, ca

we all have to start somewhere. make a promise to yourself--even if you're afraid--and go for it. whatever it might be.

little gift with a side of crema.

houses as friends - valencia and 18th - sf, ca

stopped for a quick bite and a cocktail at regalito yesterday. turns out they don't have a liquor license, but their sangria is stand-up and their papas con chorizo, to-die (maybe literally since it's on the greasy side). go there. the service is friendly, the restrooms are clean, and they're open for brunch.

time-travel on v street.

vintage suitcases - room 4 - 904 valencia - sf, ca

i spent the late afternoon walking around the mission with my pal kristy. while waiting for her in front of the salvation army on 26th and valencia, i watched some seriously interesting characters pass by. a man running with a garment bag (going where?). a woman with braided pigtails the size of sailing ropes. and a rat pack of rollerblading hipsters looking for a snowcone. things are happening in the mission, with a heaping side of retro vintage. i've got so much to share...

freewheeling and dealing.

having a sit - river seine - paris, fr

this is the weekend that you and i have been waiting for.

:)

mime me out of this way.

more air up there - the embarcadero - sf, ca

ahhh to work outdoors. there is so much sanity in having a constant supply of fresh air and scenery.

someday.

someday.

someday my workplace will look less like a box and more like what i want.

a small gate, a can of paint, and a greeter.

one-eyed brass lion's head - filbert steps - sf, ca

passageway passwords were common growing up. you want to cross between two desks? what's the password? you want to cross the grassy threshold leading to the kickball diamond? what's the password? i wasn't cool enough to be the gatekeeper then, but there are times now--when passing through narrow spaces--that i imagine which word i'd choose if i were in control. something, ideally, that would make my domain as exclusive as possible.

hear that howling in the hills.

down - sidewalk - sf, ca

i think that's the best thing about good music--that it can tap into a feeling, an emotion, a moment in a matter of seconds. a song can get right to the point.

graham patzner, an oakland musician whom i've had the pleasure of meeting on a couple occasions, is so incredibly talented. his website (http://grahampatzner.bandcamp.com) offers an opportunity to listen to a couple of his albums. for free dollars, no less. so i suggest that you head in the direction of those blue, underscored link, and have a listen. i happen to love "dancing wolf" on the wolfskin traders. it speaks to me.

a simple order with room for error.

pier planks - the embarcadero - sf, ca

every day at lunch i order either a coffee or an earl grey tea--requesting, in both cases, room for milk. baristas the city over forget to give me an inch at least fifty percent of the time. a splinter in my spine. most of the time i sip a little to make my own room--but sometimes i just want things done correctly in the first place.

you hunt, i gather.

black branches and wood panes - filbert steps - sf, ca

i know that it's ultimately a choice to be affected by another person, but some people prod better than others. some people are pretty tough to ignore. and those same some people have the potential to wake or break you. i'm trying to figure out if i can control that.