Thursday, February 17, 2011
Thursday, February 10, 2011
WINTER ROADTRIPS.
PART I.
So, tomorrow my best friend Rachel and I will be road tripping down south. We wanted to go somewhere that had: 1) a decent beach, 2) fruit growing on trees, 3) and the occasional friendly face.
Hello San Diego!
Friday, December 24, 2010
Friday, November 5, 2010
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
..the power behind my essence
an Explorer of this world
a valuable resource
my guide
a way to focus on the good
the encouragement to live my best
a wise monkey
the animal lover
a dashing partner in crime
a worthy opponent
the perfect teammate
a mysterious mask of thought
a character to take notice of
a loyalty to strive for
a looker
an artist to appreciate
the yogi to meditate with
the writer who writes beautiful poetry
a dreamer who aims high for those he loves
and those he does not yet know
a spiritual being
a remarkable human
the first person I think of
my best friend.
Nico C.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Birthday Girl
Rachel Taylor
You're great.
And super pretty.
...and because it's your birthday, I felt inspired to write you an acrostic poem.
A blaze
C atchy
H ottie
E ntertained/Entertaining..that's right...lots of laughs
L ovable
Your welcome.
See you in 41 hours, 56 seconds.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Friday, October 8, 2010
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Monday, September 13, 2010
an Italian beginning..
Oh my goodness, I have been horrible about keeping up with the blogs. It seems that there are always things that I should be doing instead of enjoying a little writing time... Isn't that ironic? Why shouldn't we always be enjoying ourselves?
Speaking of that, I did find a infinitesimal amount of down time today, which was gladly spent in Italian class. My mom and I went to our first class at Santa Barbara City College. We almost didn't go, mostly because we were too lazy to park, buy a parking permit, and walk up the (extremely steep) hill. But alas, we knew it had to be done.
Once getting to the Humanities building, we trudged into our classroom. I was a little surprised to find a our tutor, as he appeared to be about 15 years old. Not to mention he looked more Americanized than me.
We began immediately. Oh my god-I didn't know anything. I immediately regretted coming to class. This was so silly. Maybe taking a quick break from class to buy the book was necessary. After all, I didn't feel exactly 100% comfortable sharing a book with the stranger sitting next to me.
Coffee break? Yes please.
We began immediately. Oh my god-I didn't know anything. I immediately regretted coming to class. This was so silly. Maybe taking a quick break from class to buy the book was necessary. After all, I didn't feel exactly 100% comfortable sharing a book with the stranger sitting next to me.
Coffee break? Yes please.
To make a long story short for sake of time here, my mom and I sounded a little rusty. That might be an understatement...BUT we did manage to put a few words together to make just a baby bit of Italian sense. It will be an interesting semester, needless to say.
My studying starts tonight. Vino might be necessary.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Monday, August 2, 2010
the pretty bride
...and her Wedding
Jalama Canyon Ranch
My good friend, Rebecca Michealsen, was married to Stephen Searer this past Saturday.
She looked absolutely gorgeous.
It was a Seareriously big occassion..
..and a beautiful day.
Love you Bec
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Dirt Face
On. Horse. Back.
It had been a long time since I had last been on a horse. When I was a youngster, I used to go riding at least once a week. I liked horses, a lot. I felt very comfortable on a horse, riding at many levels.
Well, that was a long time ago.
Well, that was a long time ago.
Last Saturday, Nico's family and their family friends from Texas decided to go on a little adventure, horseback riding! The entire fam was going, so they very generously invited me to join. I was stoked, heck yeah!
I got my riding gear ready the day before: leather boots (no spurs this time), dark leggings, a shirt that breathed well, and of course aviators. I was ready for some horsey action...
Getting up on the horse was a little more difficult than I had remembered. I suppose it's always easier to hoist yourself up when you weigh 35 less pounds. Once I got seated comfortably, had my stirrups adjusted properly, I could already feel the discomfort coming on. My butt was going to be so sore tomorrow. And it was.
However, having an uncomfortable rear was really the least of my worries. Two minutes into our trail ride, the dust began to rise in our faces. Oh, and did it rise, and cover..everything. I was breathing dust the entire time, whilst attempting to cover my camera from the little brown specks. Unfortunately, I didn't do a very good job, as my camera still has a brown film covering it.
Ahhh, nature.
Monday, July 26, 2010
A Mother's Pride & Joy
Dante
In his first few weeks...
Breed: long haired dachshund
Color: black & caramel
Favorite Person: Margaret
Hobbies: chewing on shoes & sleeping
Latest Vacation: Van Buren householdFriday, July 23, 2010
New Trends
Since I've started being a working woman this year, it's definitely been a struggle in more ways than one.
First of all, having about half the time that I used to have is difficult enough. Therefore, finding any extra time for personal enjoyment is almost impossible. When free time does come my way, I usually spend it relaxing and/or preparing for my next day at work. If this is what the rest of my life is going to be like, then damn....I might as well just throw in the towel now. No one warned us twenty-somethings about this period of our life. What do we do now that school's over and the work career is in its formulative years?
This being said, learning how to balance my work life and free time has been mentally taxing. I find that taking a couple of hours a day for personal time is not just nice, it's necessary. Personal time in this instance is just being able to sit down with a cup of coffee and stop. Stop doing what needs to be done, and start doing what one wants to get done. For me, this might include just browsing the internet, reading a book, or even writing these silly blogs. Things like this keep me sane, frankly.
On a more positive note, I've begun allocating most of my free time to personal art endeavors. I just became a new member of the website fineartamerica.com. Here, members can upload copies of their art, in any medium, for people to view. If viewers really enjoy your work, they can order prints and/or canvas prints of your work. In essence, it's a personal online marketplace for sharing and selling your work. It's fantastic.
Speaking of art endeavors, I'm beginning to consider the necessity of going to a museum once a week. Museums are definitely some of the coolest places to visit, at home and while you're traveling. The museums in Santa Barbara are pretty good too, considering how few there are. This Sunday, I will start at the SB Museum of Art downtown. It's free admission day! Who's in??
First of all, having about half the time that I used to have is difficult enough. Therefore, finding any extra time for personal enjoyment is almost impossible. When free time does come my way, I usually spend it relaxing and/or preparing for my next day at work. If this is what the rest of my life is going to be like, then damn....I might as well just throw in the towel now. No one warned us twenty-somethings about this period of our life. What do we do now that school's over and the work career is in its formulative years?
This being said, learning how to balance my work life and free time has been mentally taxing. I find that taking a couple of hours a day for personal time is not just nice, it's necessary. Personal time in this instance is just being able to sit down with a cup of coffee and stop. Stop doing what needs to be done, and start doing what one wants to get done. For me, this might include just browsing the internet, reading a book, or even writing these silly blogs. Things like this keep me sane, frankly.
On a more positive note, I've begun allocating most of my free time to personal art endeavors. I just became a new member of the website fineartamerica.com. Here, members can upload copies of their art, in any medium, for people to view. If viewers really enjoy your work, they can order prints and/or canvas prints of your work. In essence, it's a personal online marketplace for sharing and selling your work. It's fantastic.
Speaking of art endeavors, I'm beginning to consider the necessity of going to a museum once a week. Museums are definitely some of the coolest places to visit, at home and while you're traveling. The museums in Santa Barbara are pretty good too, considering how few there are. This Sunday, I will start at the SB Museum of Art downtown. It's free admission day! Who's in??
Monday, July 19, 2010
Enjoying a foreign idea
Reading the travel section of the New York Times yesterday was very enlightening. After sleeping in, I instinctively grabbed the Sunday paper and walked outside to soak up the sun. The Travel section's headline ran something about staying in Europe without hotels.. Hmmm, interesting idea, but realistic? This didn't sound all too unfamiliar as I just had been discussing a similar subject with our Kiwi guests, who are in Santa Barbara for the first time.
The article promoted the novel idea of booking a room with a local resident of the city you're traveling to, instead of staying in a hotel/hostel. Apparently, there are huge networks of people that rent out rooms in their flats/houses for tourists to enjoy. Usually, the cost to rent out a room is substantially less than a hotel room. It is akin to staying in a B&B, with a private room & bathroom, but at a less expensive rate. Sounds like a brilliant idea to me.
I got the chance to check out one of the companies that organizes these bookings, called AirBnB.com. It is commonly referred to as "Ebay for space." Essentially, it is an online marketplace that enables people to rent out private rooms domestically and abroad. The site also lists vacation rentals, entire apartments, B&Bs, boutique hotels, castles, and treehouses! Be forewarned however; you may spend hours checking out all the listings. Its awesome.
I think that this is the start to a new and exciting way to travel, especially for younger people on a budget. It's traveling with an element of surprise...
The article promoted the novel idea of booking a room with a local resident of the city you're traveling to, instead of staying in a hotel/hostel. Apparently, there are huge networks of people that rent out rooms in their flats/houses for tourists to enjoy. Usually, the cost to rent out a room is substantially less than a hotel room. It is akin to staying in a B&B, with a private room & bathroom, but at a less expensive rate. Sounds like a brilliant idea to me.
I got the chance to check out one of the companies that organizes these bookings, called AirBnB.com. It is commonly referred to as "Ebay for space." Essentially, it is an online marketplace that enables people to rent out private rooms domestically and abroad. The site also lists vacation rentals, entire apartments, B&Bs, boutique hotels, castles, and treehouses! Be forewarned however; you may spend hours checking out all the listings. Its awesome.
I think that this is the start to a new and exciting way to travel, especially for younger people on a budget. It's traveling with an element of surprise...
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Coffee and the blog= eternal happiness.
On this extremely hot and sunny morning, I decided it's time to write again.
Last week, I had a momentary change of heart about continuing to write this blog when a friend of mine mentioned how "narcissistic" blogs are. After thinking about it for a few days, I decided that he might have a point- however, I don't completely agree. I don't find enjoyment in writing about myself. I find enjoyment in writing, no matter what the subject is. I might be natural that my blog topics usually involve me, but that's obvious when they are written from my point of view. I find other people's blogs very interesting. Everyone deserves to have an audience.
Anyway, during my brief respite in writing, I also decided to give up caffeine. Yep, I'm a crazy person. No tea, chocolate....or COFFEE!! aaah. Thanks to the inspirational people surrounding me, I managed to stay caffeine-free for a week and a half. I am just at this exact moment enjoying my first cappuccino. It might just be the best thing I've ever tasted.
At this point, I would usually go into a whole nutritional lesson about how good coffee is for you, etc. However, I think I'll spare you for now. If you're interested, check out hethsfoodonearth :)
I hope everyone is having an absolutely AMAZING day~
Until manana..
Last week, I had a momentary change of heart about continuing to write this blog when a friend of mine mentioned how "narcissistic" blogs are. After thinking about it for a few days, I decided that he might have a point- however, I don't completely agree. I don't find enjoyment in writing about myself. I find enjoyment in writing, no matter what the subject is. I might be natural that my blog topics usually involve me, but that's obvious when they are written from my point of view. I find other people's blogs very interesting. Everyone deserves to have an audience.
Anyway, during my brief respite in writing, I also decided to give up caffeine. Yep, I'm a crazy person. No tea, chocolate....or COFFEE!! aaah. Thanks to the inspirational people surrounding me, I managed to stay caffeine-free for a week and a half. I am just at this exact moment enjoying my first cappuccino. It might just be the best thing I've ever tasted.
At this point, I would usually go into a whole nutritional lesson about how good coffee is for you, etc. However, I think I'll spare you for now. If you're interested, check out hethsfoodonearth :)
I hope everyone is having an absolutely AMAZING day~
Until manana..
Thursday, July 1, 2010
The Un-Fun I Subject Myself To..
Just the other day, I was caught in an uncomfortable situation, yet again. Nico was leaving my house to go to work, when he suddenly decides to pull out the hackey sack in my driveway. Now, as I've mentioned before, playing hackey-sack is not a favorite pastime of mine. I'm bad at it, and more often than not it's usually just boring.
"Hey, let's play a little hackey-sack," Nico panted, as he already was concentrating on keeping the sack from hitting the ground. I guffawed. Yeah right...
The next thing I know, I'm attempting to play hackey-sack on my day off. Great...why do I always give into these things?? In the total amount of time that we (attempted) to play, about 25 minutes, I probably hit the sack 7 times. We even got a rally of 4 hits going between us! He was so happy about this accomplishment, he may have never looked so ecstatic....
Nico owes me big time for all these un-fun games I've had to participate in this week. I'd say a proper date night & funded trip to Anthro would suffice...
"Hey, let's play a little hackey-sack," Nico panted, as he already was concentrating on keeping the sack from hitting the ground. I guffawed. Yeah right...
The next thing I know, I'm attempting to play hackey-sack on my day off. Great...why do I always give into these things?? In the total amount of time that we (attempted) to play, about 25 minutes, I probably hit the sack 7 times. We even got a rally of 4 hits going between us! He was so happy about this accomplishment, he may have never looked so ecstatic....
Nico owes me big time for all these un-fun games I've had to participate in this week. I'd say a proper date night & funded trip to Anthro would suffice...
Monday, June 28, 2010
Coincidence?
...I think not!
I walked into my room to see a new netflix sitting on my desk. I got excited and immediately ripped it open to see which one it was.... Chocolat
I was eating chocolate at the time.
I walked into my room to see a new netflix sitting on my desk. I got excited and immediately ripped it open to see which one it was.... Chocolat
I was eating chocolate at the time.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Thundercat Victorious!
Yesterday was a beautiful day. I awoke to it being sunny and warm; weather perfect for a day spent outside. I had the idea of sitting in the sun in the backyard to write & read before going to work. And if it got really warm, I could go swimming.
Nico, however, had a "better" idea, "Let's play frisbee!" His eyes lit up and got way too excited. Two words came out of my mouth almost immediately, "Um, no." Frisbee is one of those games that are only fun if you're good at them, like hackey-sack or horse shoes. I only played frisbee at summer camps when I was young when there was nothing else to do. It was something to pass the time with...not a hobby. Nico didn't really understand my "no" answer, so he assigned me to a patch of grass to go stand on. "Stay there and just catch the frisbee," he instructed. Oh boy.
The next thing I knew, a yellow frisbee was flying in my direction coming quickly from the opposite side of the yard. I caught it! Yeahhhhh, maybe I wasn't as bad at this as I thought. I pitched the frisbee back (gracefully, I might add), and it reached Nico perfectly at chest level. Nico seemed impressed which only added to my frisbee-throwing confidence. "Hey, I might actually be kind of good at this now that I've grown up," I mused.
Nope! Definitely was an overstatement. The next frisbee that came out of my hands traveled at a 90 degree angle and hit the house, barely missing my dad's office window. Woops. I laughed..I was embarrassed. Nico stared at me like I was a crazy person. But hey, what's new!? The next throw was also highly off as I smacked the umbrella pole, sending the entire thing into vibration mode. Nico then tried to instruct me as to "how to flick you're wrist to get a good aim at your target." I was getting bored.
We switched places on the lawn, so that he was in a more narrow area, bordered by a large flower bed on one side and the pool on the other. The other side of the yard enabled me to run, jump, and hop after the frisbee if need be. Why he hadn't originally put me in this spot I have no idea. Things seemed to be working out better in our new positions. For all you frisbee throwers out there, I was even able to throw underhand with a quick flick of my right wrist. Things were going quite well, and I was really enjoying this whole frisbee business.
There were a few instances where I caught myself from diving into insect-infected bushes in vain of catching the frisbee gallantly. After every catch/failed catch, I would do a 2-second dance move before passing the frisbee quickly back. And after doing a particularly impressive hip pop, twist, and plie, I threw the frisbee a little to the left of Nico. Instead of reaching Nico, the frisbee hit the umbrella pole AGAIN, sending it spinning onto the patio table. Nico, however had not anticipated the abrupt end to the frisbee's flight and was waving his arms to keep his balance as his body neared the pool's edge....Nico in the pool! Nico in the pool!!!! He hopped out as quickly as he had fallen in...fearful that his precious iphone was in his pocket. Thankfully it wasn't, because that would have been the fourth time he'd fallen in our pool, phone in hand.
MUAHAHAHAHA! I had gotten Nico to fall into the pool with all of his clothes on! Thundercat victorious! I can over there to check out the situation asap..I wasn't going to miss this!
(Side note: Thundercat is my newest nickname that Nico most creatively thought of on our last hike. I in turn, named him Gay Lighting).
Nico looked a little shaken up at first with his sopping wet clothing and matted hair, but was laughing the entire time. After he calmed down, he wanted to keep playing freaking frisbee! Great...what a trooper. To make a long story short, Nico ended up in the pool again by accident..which slowly but surely ended our frisbee playing.
Frisbee might have been worth it after all...
Nico, however, had a "better" idea, "Let's play frisbee!" His eyes lit up and got way too excited. Two words came out of my mouth almost immediately, "Um, no." Frisbee is one of those games that are only fun if you're good at them, like hackey-sack or horse shoes. I only played frisbee at summer camps when I was young when there was nothing else to do. It was something to pass the time with...not a hobby. Nico didn't really understand my "no" answer, so he assigned me to a patch of grass to go stand on. "Stay there and just catch the frisbee," he instructed. Oh boy.
The next thing I knew, a yellow frisbee was flying in my direction coming quickly from the opposite side of the yard. I caught it! Yeahhhhh, maybe I wasn't as bad at this as I thought. I pitched the frisbee back (gracefully, I might add), and it reached Nico perfectly at chest level. Nico seemed impressed which only added to my frisbee-throwing confidence. "Hey, I might actually be kind of good at this now that I've grown up," I mused.
Nope! Definitely was an overstatement. The next frisbee that came out of my hands traveled at a 90 degree angle and hit the house, barely missing my dad's office window. Woops. I laughed..I was embarrassed. Nico stared at me like I was a crazy person. But hey, what's new!? The next throw was also highly off as I smacked the umbrella pole, sending the entire thing into vibration mode. Nico then tried to instruct me as to "how to flick you're wrist to get a good aim at your target." I was getting bored.
We switched places on the lawn, so that he was in a more narrow area, bordered by a large flower bed on one side and the pool on the other. The other side of the yard enabled me to run, jump, and hop after the frisbee if need be. Why he hadn't originally put me in this spot I have no idea. Things seemed to be working out better in our new positions. For all you frisbee throwers out there, I was even able to throw underhand with a quick flick of my right wrist. Things were going quite well, and I was really enjoying this whole frisbee business.
There were a few instances where I caught myself from diving into insect-infected bushes in vain of catching the frisbee gallantly. After every catch/failed catch, I would do a 2-second dance move before passing the frisbee quickly back. And after doing a particularly impressive hip pop, twist, and plie, I threw the frisbee a little to the left of Nico. Instead of reaching Nico, the frisbee hit the umbrella pole AGAIN, sending it spinning onto the patio table. Nico, however had not anticipated the abrupt end to the frisbee's flight and was waving his arms to keep his balance as his body neared the pool's edge....Nico in the pool! Nico in the pool!!!! He hopped out as quickly as he had fallen in...fearful that his precious iphone was in his pocket. Thankfully it wasn't, because that would have been the fourth time he'd fallen in our pool, phone in hand.
MUAHAHAHAHA! I had gotten Nico to fall into the pool with all of his clothes on! Thundercat victorious! I can over there to check out the situation asap..I wasn't going to miss this!
(Side note: Thundercat is my newest nickname that Nico most creatively thought of on our last hike. I in turn, named him Gay Lighting).
Nico looked a little shaken up at first with his sopping wet clothing and matted hair, but was laughing the entire time. After he calmed down, he wanted to keep playing freaking frisbee! Great...what a trooper. To make a long story short, Nico ended up in the pool again by accident..which slowly but surely ended our frisbee playing.
Frisbee might have been worth it after all...
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Monday, June 21, 2010
Christmas in June & Hello Summer
In honor of the Summer Solstice, I decided that it was time to celebrate Christmas again.
(NOTE: At this point, I advise you to start playing Christmas carols on your computer to make this experience more enjoyable.)
My family always has a Christmas party with my godparents, Howard & Jane. For reasons unknown by anyone really, we had not yet found the opportunity to celebrate in the past 6 months. I had made it the #1 bullet point on my To-Do list that we needed to schedule a time to honor Christmas sometime in June. The solstice was a perfect excuse to celebrate!
When I got up the morning before the celebration, I yawned, rubbed my eyes and looked out at the perfectly gorgeous day. What a wonderful day to have Christmas! For breakfast I had the usual 2.5 bowls of cereal, and proceeded downtown to the Farmer's Market with my mom. The Saturday's Farmer's Market is always a treat to go to, especially when you're hungry for endless fruit samples and honey sticks. We quickly ran out of money as we found it necessary to buy every type of berry & flower in sight. Life was good.
Our Christmas day got better when we stopped by the market to pick up some more food (Hobby #3 for me in life). My mom asked me to go looking for some agave syrup; however I quickly got distracted by the cheese aisle. "Hmmmm brie," I mused. Twenty minutes later I found my mom, with goodies & wine underarm..and no agave syrup. The wine I had picked up was the Coppola Claret from Napa Valley. It was a wine I had been hoping to try for months... yes! I will save more details on this particular wine for "Earthy Sustenance."
The day didn't stop becoming even more wonderful, especially when Hilary showed up at my house with her new car...an extremely shiny black Prius. Marshy, my white Prius, hopes to soon become good friends with "Black Magic," although it may be a bit of struggle as Mashy is a bit socially dysfunctional. Hilary and her new car took me down to the beach where we had plans to meet the rest of the crew.
Upon arriving, we were quickly invited to join a game of Bocce Ball. Nico and I were assigned to the same team, which allowed us to kick some seriously Bocce butt. Our opponents found themselves overcome by our talent, and it wasn't long before they had gone into the water to swim & surf. If I may add as a side note, I'm not particularly a fan of the beach or beach water because it is either too cold or too hot. But on Christmas, the water was just perfect. The surf wasn't too big to make body surfing a hazard. I even found the ambition to surf on Nico's new long board. I hadn't had much surfing practice lately as my first surfboard had been stolen indirectly, and my second stolen directly out of my garage. It was interesting to surf again...to say the least.
After almost getting wiped out by a baby tidal wave, I headed back home to ready myself for the Christmas party. My parents, Nico and I headed over to Jane & Howard's with presents underarm. Upon arriving, we found their front door covered in Christmas decorations, most importantly a felt banner reading"Happy Christmas!" Also present (no pun intended) was a massive wreath about 3 feet in diameter, covered in colorful ornaments. All I could think at the moment was what their neighbors were thinking.
To make an extremely long and delightful evening short for the sake of space here, we had a very happy Christmas. My parents received a present the size of a Smart Car with 17 bows attached to the top of it. It was quite entertaining to watch them unwrap it after 7 glasses of wine each and whilst bickering about how they were going to fit such a large box in the car.
Lastly, I must note that we contributed handsomely to the Jane & Howard Cork Collection (J&HCC), which had only been begun the week prior. ;)
(NOTE: At this point, I advise you to start playing Christmas carols on your computer to make this experience more enjoyable.)
My family always has a Christmas party with my godparents, Howard & Jane. For reasons unknown by anyone really, we had not yet found the opportunity to celebrate in the past 6 months. I had made it the #1 bullet point on my To-Do list that we needed to schedule a time to honor Christmas sometime in June. The solstice was a perfect excuse to celebrate!
When I got up the morning before the celebration, I yawned, rubbed my eyes and looked out at the perfectly gorgeous day. What a wonderful day to have Christmas! For breakfast I had the usual 2.5 bowls of cereal, and proceeded downtown to the Farmer's Market with my mom. The Saturday's Farmer's Market is always a treat to go to, especially when you're hungry for endless fruit samples and honey sticks. We quickly ran out of money as we found it necessary to buy every type of berry & flower in sight. Life was good.
Our Christmas day got better when we stopped by the market to pick up some more food (Hobby #3 for me in life). My mom asked me to go looking for some agave syrup; however I quickly got distracted by the cheese aisle. "Hmmmm brie," I mused. Twenty minutes later I found my mom, with goodies & wine underarm..and no agave syrup. The wine I had picked up was the Coppola Claret from Napa Valley. It was a wine I had been hoping to try for months... yes! I will save more details on this particular wine for "Earthy Sustenance."
Upon arriving, we were quickly invited to join a game of Bocce Ball. Nico and I were assigned to the same team, which allowed us to kick some seriously Bocce butt. Our opponents found themselves overcome by our talent, and it wasn't long before they had gone into the water to swim & surf. If I may add as a side note, I'm not particularly a fan of the beach or beach water because it is either too cold or too hot. But on Christmas, the water was just perfect. The surf wasn't too big to make body surfing a hazard. I even found the ambition to surf on Nico's new long board. I hadn't had much surfing practice lately as my first surfboard had been stolen indirectly, and my second stolen directly out of my garage. It was interesting to surf again...to say the least.
After almost getting wiped out by a baby tidal wave, I headed back home to ready myself for the Christmas party. My parents, Nico and I headed over to Jane & Howard's with presents underarm. Upon arriving, we found their front door covered in Christmas decorations, most importantly a felt banner reading"Happy Christmas!" Also present (no pun intended) was a massive wreath about 3 feet in diameter, covered in colorful ornaments. All I could think at the moment was what their neighbors were thinking.
Lastly, I must note that we contributed handsomely to the Jane & Howard Cork Collection (J&HCC), which had only been begun the week prior. ;)
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Food for thought
So, as you may have noticed many of my thoughts/blogs/ideas revolve around food. I live for food and it lives for me. My friends realize the minor obsession I have with creating it, thinking about it every 20 seconds, and devouring it.
When I first started this blog, people would ask me what the theme was.
"Hmm, FOOD," was my first thought...
But to be honest, I thought that there were enough food & cooking blogs already out there. My blog wasn't going to have a theme...it didn't need one. Still to this day, it's subjects are as random as the jar of jelly beans on my counter.
It's more eclectic this way.
Getting to the point, I've created another blog. It's all about what really matters..
hethsfoodonearth.blogspot.com
When I first started this blog, people would ask me what the theme was.
"Hmm, FOOD," was my first thought...
But to be honest, I thought that there were enough food & cooking blogs already out there. My blog wasn't going to have a theme...it didn't need one. Still to this day, it's subjects are as random as the jar of jelly beans on my counter.
It's more eclectic this way.
Getting to the point, I've created another blog. It's all about what really matters..
hethsfoodonearth.blogspot.com
Night at the Museum, Part 1
Last Thursday evening was the first NIGHTS event of the season, where I had the opportunity to go to a little party at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. I must admit, these parties are some of my favorite times of the year.
Art + interesting people + musical performances + arts & crafts + amazing people watching + tasty drinks = THE BEST..... How could it not be?
And after perusing the galleries, utilizing the private bar situation, and munching on gourmet grilled cheese nibbles, Hilary Michelle and I found ourselves in a different gallery of the sort...
Part II, to be continued...
Art + interesting people + musical performances + arts & crafts + amazing people watching + tasty drinks = THE BEST..... How could it not be?
And after perusing the galleries, utilizing the private bar situation, and munching on gourmet grilled cheese nibbles, Hilary Michelle and I found ourselves in a different gallery of the sort...
Part II, to be continued...
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Naps not the solution
Yesterday was the second day in a row that I had woken up for work before the sun was in the sky. Now, I usually am lucky enough that I only have to get up once a week to do this. That alone is difficult for me, so you can imagine what doing it twice can do to my mood/eye size. Bottom line: I'm a complete baby when it comes to getting up at ungodly hours of the day.
So, after I got off of work, I went straight home to take care of the dog that I'm house-sitting for. Lilo was not in the mood to play so I sat down outside on the chaise to rest for a bit. I wanted to try and finish the book that I was reading which I couldn't put down the night before. Coupled with the soft cushion and heat, my head began to feel 40 pounds heavier than it ever should. I trudged, more like pseudo-crab walked, upstairs with my book and decided to try a nap...
(SIDE NOTE: Heather does not take naps.)
Now, the last time that I had attempted to take a nap I had failed. Failed. Not only is it almost impossible for me to relax enough/stop using my brain at high speeds...I frankly just feel awful afterward. The only 2 naps that I've ever taken in my life have been after an all-nighter during finals week in college, and then once when I was a baby. This being said, naps just aren't in my vocabulary. So you can imagine what I must have been feeling when I thought it would be a good idea to attempt one.
I ended up passing out on the room upstairs that has the sun directly streaming in to (at pretty much all hours of the day), making it 85 degrees. It was so hard to keep my eyes open..........It felt like 2 days went by during that nap...but it probably was more likely 45 minutes. When I woke up, I FREAKED. WHATTTTTTTT!!! Not only was this not what I had expected, I felt disgusting/awful/lethargic/grumpy/over-heated. I ran into the bathroom and wanted to throw up. Nico had been there and seemed a little concerned about my reaction to (in his case, the daily activity of) taking a nap.
I barely remember the rest of the afternoon at this point. All the phone calls, texts, and conversations seem a little blurry today. I don't think naps are healthy. Why do people enjoy them so much?? My brain had a very hard time functioning for the next 4 hours..even after I went on a 2.36 mile walk around the neighborhood and drank some coffee. And that's no exaggeration.
Naps=bad news bears for Heather
So, after I got off of work, I went straight home to take care of the dog that I'm house-sitting for. Lilo was not in the mood to play so I sat down outside on the chaise to rest for a bit. I wanted to try and finish the book that I was reading which I couldn't put down the night before. Coupled with the soft cushion and heat, my head began to feel 40 pounds heavier than it ever should. I trudged, more like pseudo-crab walked, upstairs with my book and decided to try a nap...
(SIDE NOTE: Heather does not take naps.)
Now, the last time that I had attempted to take a nap I had failed. Failed. Not only is it almost impossible for me to relax enough/stop using my brain at high speeds...I frankly just feel awful afterward. The only 2 naps that I've ever taken in my life have been after an all-nighter during finals week in college, and then once when I was a baby. This being said, naps just aren't in my vocabulary. So you can imagine what I must have been feeling when I thought it would be a good idea to attempt one.
I ended up passing out on the room upstairs that has the sun directly streaming in to (at pretty much all hours of the day), making it 85 degrees. It was so hard to keep my eyes open..........It felt like 2 days went by during that nap...but it probably was more likely 45 minutes. When I woke up, I FREAKED. WHATTTTTTTT!!! Not only was this not what I had expected, I felt disgusting/awful/lethargic/grumpy/over-heated. I ran into the bathroom and wanted to throw up. Nico had been there and seemed a little concerned about my reaction to (in his case, the daily activity of) taking a nap.
I barely remember the rest of the afternoon at this point. All the phone calls, texts, and conversations seem a little blurry today. I don't think naps are healthy. Why do people enjoy them so much?? My brain had a very hard time functioning for the next 4 hours..even after I went on a 2.36 mile walk around the neighborhood and drank some coffee. And that's no exaggeration.
Naps=bad news bears for Heather
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Heather Habits, ed. 23 v.6
Yes! I'm finally writing again! ..Aaah, I know what you're thinking, "Thank Heavens, I was waiting for a Heather life update all week!" Hah, I wish! This most certainly is not the case, even if it is fun to entertain the idea. What I choose to write about may be (on rare occasions) interesting, but I'm fairly certain that the only 2 people who actually read this blog are simply bored.
Anyway, becoming a real person (person with a job) has been a real challenge for me in some ways. Besides the obvious difficulties of transitioning from a full-time student to a workaholic, I've been struggling to find the balance between maintaining a social lifestyle and tackling work head-on. In order to do this, I need to practice some healthy habits. Yoga? Gardening? Brick-laying? This being said, I should mention that I'm still in the actual process of forming these habits..
One activity that I've gotten increasingly more excited about is writing! I used to keep a journal everyday until almost a year ago when I became bored with it. Writing had always been an avenue to unwind at the end of the day; however it had turned into a mandatory activity for school. My schoolwork encompassed writing multiple papers a quarter. I would have to follow a strict formula that included a thesis and paragraphs filled with facts to prove my argument. In essence, my writing was only an argument for a grade. I began to not like writing because of this. It was a frustrating time.
Today, writing is becoming a great way to spend my time. Whether my subject of choice is leprechauns or personal aspirations for 2010..creativity is always involved. Hundreds of thoughts go through our heads every day. It is so refreshing to point some of those out and discuss! I can think of so many topics to write about just this moment, but will spare you my crazy thoughts for today...and perhaps bring them up tomorrow.
Another habit which is definitely necessary is the act of challenging ourselves! I'm not talking about stressing yourself out to the point of consuming a pound of sugar, getting 4 hours of sleep, or neglecting yourself from having some fun. I'm thinking more along the lines of doing something that scares you. For example, yesterday I had a long chat with a good friend of mine who was on the brink of calling a boy she likes. There were obvious reasons not to do it, pride being the most important. Yet, I gave her the advice to call because it was the choice she would less likely make. "Who knows what could happen!?"
Today at work, I decided to do something that scared me rather unexpectedly. I discovered that one of the tables that I was serving had a number of Italians sitting at it. Instead of shyly mentioning that I love everything Italian and that I've been to Italy many times (blah blah), I attempted to take the next step. I spoke to them in their native tongue. I felt like such an idiot at first...and honestly throughout most of the entire time (1o seconds). They laughed and smiled and tried to make me feel good about my feeble attempts. However, when I walked away I was actually smiling too. I was damn proud of the efforts I had just put in. Point being, it is a good thing to take a chance and do something you feel uncomfortable doing. This is how we all grow. Bitch-slap that feeling in the face, and become a better person in the process (ironic, maybe?)
P.S. I just had to include a pic of Italy..how could I not?
Anyway, becoming a real person (person with a job) has been a real challenge for me in some ways. Besides the obvious difficulties of transitioning from a full-time student to a workaholic, I've been struggling to find the balance between maintaining a social lifestyle and tackling work head-on. In order to do this, I need to practice some healthy habits. Yoga? Gardening? Brick-laying? This being said, I should mention that I'm still in the actual process of forming these habits..
One activity that I've gotten increasingly more excited about is writing! I used to keep a journal everyday until almost a year ago when I became bored with it. Writing had always been an avenue to unwind at the end of the day; however it had turned into a mandatory activity for school. My schoolwork encompassed writing multiple papers a quarter. I would have to follow a strict formula that included a thesis and paragraphs filled with facts to prove my argument. In essence, my writing was only an argument for a grade. I began to not like writing because of this. It was a frustrating time.
Today, writing is becoming a great way to spend my time. Whether my subject of choice is leprechauns or personal aspirations for 2010..creativity is always involved. Hundreds of thoughts go through our heads every day. It is so refreshing to point some of those out and discuss! I can think of so many topics to write about just this moment, but will spare you my crazy thoughts for today...and perhaps bring them up tomorrow.
Another habit which is definitely necessary is the act of challenging ourselves! I'm not talking about stressing yourself out to the point of consuming a pound of sugar, getting 4 hours of sleep, or neglecting yourself from having some fun. I'm thinking more along the lines of doing something that scares you. For example, yesterday I had a long chat with a good friend of mine who was on the brink of calling a boy she likes. There were obvious reasons not to do it, pride being the most important. Yet, I gave her the advice to call because it was the choice she would less likely make. "Who knows what could happen!?"
Today at work, I decided to do something that scared me rather unexpectedly. I discovered that one of the tables that I was serving had a number of Italians sitting at it. Instead of shyly mentioning that I love everything Italian and that I've been to Italy many times (blah blah), I attempted to take the next step. I spoke to them in their native tongue. I felt like such an idiot at first...and honestly throughout most of the entire time (1o seconds). They laughed and smiled and tried to make me feel good about my feeble attempts. However, when I walked away I was actually smiling too. I was damn proud of the efforts I had just put in. Point being, it is a good thing to take a chance and do something you feel uncomfortable doing. This is how we all grow. Bitch-slap that feeling in the face, and become a better person in the process (ironic, maybe?)
P.S. I just had to include a pic of Italy..how could I not?
Friday, June 4, 2010
The Newest Element
On Tuesday after work, I took a little bike tour through the city streets of Santa Barbara on my way to the Farmer's Market. Whilst walking through the fresh produce and colorful sunflowers, I had a strange urge to walk over to the little camera store that I knew was close by. Lately, I have been toying with the idea of buying a new camera.
A hop, skip and a jump later, I found myself peering over the glass counters at the camera store. SO MANY pretty ones to choose from!!! Nikon or Canon..Aaah, not to mention a lifetime's worth of savings to purchase one of these little guys! Hmmm. Well, I decided to give it some consideration on my bike ride home. I realized that if I bought the camera the next day, or a year from now..I was still going to buy one. I was too excited. I had to get one. It had to be tomorrow.
When I woke up on the next morning, I pleaded with my dad to come to the camera shop with me. Bobby, after all, was always a great photographer and recognized a good camera when he saw one. If I was going to buy a camera, he had to be there to approve.
The next thing I knew, I had made the final decision to buy a new Canon. It was a very scary decision because I knew that I'm going to have it for the rest of my life. This little guy is going to be my best friend in so many ways. He (still haven't found a suitable name) and I will hopefully see many great parts of the world together.
Anyhoo, you may guess what my first subject was with the camera...any??
Yes, that's right. PIXIE
A hop, skip and a jump later, I found myself peering over the glass counters at the camera store. SO MANY pretty ones to choose from!!! Nikon or Canon..Aaah, not to mention a lifetime's worth of savings to purchase one of these little guys! Hmmm. Well, I decided to give it some consideration on my bike ride home. I realized that if I bought the camera the next day, or a year from now..I was still going to buy one. I was too excited. I had to get one. It had to be tomorrow.
When I woke up on the next morning, I pleaded with my dad to come to the camera shop with me. Bobby, after all, was always a great photographer and recognized a good camera when he saw one. If I was going to buy a camera, he had to be there to approve.
The next thing I knew, I had made the final decision to buy a new Canon. It was a very scary decision because I knew that I'm going to have it for the rest of my life. This little guy is going to be my best friend in so many ways. He (still haven't found a suitable name) and I will hopefully see many great parts of the world together.
Anyhoo, you may guess what my first subject was with the camera...any??
Yes, that's right. PIXIE
Seasonal Fittings
Speaking of seasons, I just got off the phone with someone who is living in a completely different one! Cristina just moved down to Melbourne, Australia where it is the beginning of WINTER! She says that it's absolutely "Freezing!"
Hmmm, well up in the Northern Hemisphere, things have began to warm up considerably (minus today, which was dreadfully gloomy). In the spirit of hot temperatures, I have sorted through more than half my clothes. They are now sitting in a pile outside of my room waiting to be given away asap!!
I have to admit that my closet is now 1/3 less full of the things that I've come to collect, namely clothes and shoes...God-forbid.
Any takers? Come and get them!!!!
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