BON APPETIT!

I just finished Julia Child's autobiography, My Life in France, which was delightful, to say the least! Julia and her husband, Paul, were both very passionate people, and this book made me feel like they truly lived life to its fullest. I loved reading about their relationship with each other, and the different ways they were able to support one other through various periods of time. Although I know practically nothing about cooking and wine, it was fun to learn a little about the technicalities of the cooking process that Julia worked so hard to perfect for her cookbooks. Also, the novel was filled with a smattering of Paul's photographs, which were impressive, to say the least. If you're looking for a good read, I highly recommend this. The book will make any reasonable human want to go to Paris.

I was fascinated to hear about Julia's intensity and focus in life. She might have been hard to be friends with, due to a highly dominating personality (just speculating), but here is a photo of the two of us, taken a few summers ago at the Smithsonian Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. I would love to go back and spend more time dissecting the replica of her kitchen sometime soon...

But in the meantime, bon appetit!

OUT OF WORDS...

I cannot figure out how to post a youtube video into my blog, but I know it can be done... tips on this for future reference, anyone?

Anyway, I cannot hear enough of this song lately, so I thought I would share a link for your enjoyment:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yY4tBjIwDJ8

And let it be written that I WILL marry a man who can serenade me with a guitar. And if he can dance like Jason, then that's not shabby, either....

BROWN PAPER PACKAGES TIED UP WITH STRINGS

These are a few of my favorite things...

1) This lovely little pen from Paper Source. I feel so classy/feminine when I pull it out. I'm already on my third...

2) Miss Vickie's Sea Salt & Vinegar Potato Chips. I've developed a bad habit of purchasing these with my veggie sandwich almost daily.

3) MAC Lustreglass in lusterwhite (not the color below, thanks). Nothing like some diamonds on your lips...

4) ALDO shoe insoles. I basically cannot believe I ever survived without these... they have saved many a pair of flats from peril.

5) Tiffany Cushion Earrings. These very versatile hoops that were well worth the wait. Plus, they match my cushion ring.

6) Writing lists. Really, it's therapeutic.

THAT'S AMORE

Yesterday was Pi Day, for those of you who were not already aware. To celebrate, I drove down to Pizzeria 712 with K8, where we met up with our friend, Kristan, for some big pizza pie. I fell in love with the margherita pizza, mostly because the crust was PERFECT. In my opinion, crust makes or breaks a pizza. I also appreciated the atmosphere... some Brian Kershisnik pieces adorned the walls, the furniture/size/lighting were fitting for a pizza place, etc.


*As I side note, I wanted to post a picture of this event, but when I pulled out my camera, one of the chefs promptly began making fun of us for "making memories," at which point I put my camera away.

HAPPY PI DAY!

CACTUS TREE

Last weekend I went to sunny Arizona to spend time with some of my all-time favorite friends, whom I know from the glory days otherwise known as college. Let's review the tapes, shall we?

1) FINALLY found a good definition of a cactus... such a relief! I've spent years wondering about these fascinating organisms, but thanks to this highly informative plaque at the Desert Botanical Garden, it seems there is no need for me to wonder any longer...

2) Relaxed/beautified our footsies. Thanks, Paige, for capturing the moment with this awesome photograph (which maybe should be my new facebook profile picture???).

3) Kristan inflated her air mattress in the middle of the night; Kate was convinced Krissy was shredding some documents. I have no photos of this incident because Kristan shredded them all.

4) Saw the beautiful Chihuly glass exhibit at the DBG.

5) Listened to Jimmy T. and Johnny M. whilst in the car. Belted out "ooh-ooh-ooh ooh-OOH-ooh" at the top of our lungs. Reminisced about the John Mayer concert in LV and the sketchy (to put it mildly) hotel we stayed at in 2004 because of our lack of moola.

6) Ate these delightful treats from Sprinkles:

7) Sat by the pool at 4 p.m. in FEBRUARY!!!!!!

8) Completed this crossword on the plane and accidentally knocked over Kate's apple juice in my glee (which if funny in hindsight):

9) Retained my title as "Take Two Queen." Clearly, the tiles below do not belong to me, as most of them are not being properly utilized in the formation of words.

10) Left wanting more. Can't wait until WHR 2010!!

BLUE SKIES...

Last weekend I went on holiday to the "land where little cable cars climb halfway to the stars." My friend Derek lives in San Fran, I was itching to get out of town, and I found an awesome deal on a flight. It was as if the stars aligned just for me, so I packed my bags for a mini-vacation....

My one fear was that it might rain the entire time, but it turned out that luck was on my side; on Saturday the sun was shining and the sky was blue. Derek & I took advantage of this wonderful fact. We walked across the Golden Gate Bridge, up to a little lookout point over by Sausalito (where there was a fantastic view of the bridge) and then back. We figured that round-trip, this was almost a 6 mile walk, which I LOVED... it made me feel so energized and alive! Derek had a brilliant idea to take a photo every other lamp post on the way back across the bridge, so I have posted a few for your viewing enjoyment. There were about 5 million to choose from (mostly quasi-semi-pseudo crappy), so I limited it to my 3 favorites:

Lamp Post #1: "This is going to be fun(ny)!"

Lamp Post #17: "Do you think the camera is working?"

Lamp Post # 1,031,319: "We should probably spice these photos up."

After the photo shoot, we ate lunch at this lovely little place: http://www.cafegratitude.com/, where I was fulfilled and Derek was refreshed. Then we headed to Chinatown to take a "tour" of an antiquated fortune cookie factory, which was apropos since I have consumed roughly 150 fortune cookies this month (this is not hyperbole...more on that another day): http://www.sanfranciscochinatown.com/attractions/ggfortunecookie.html.

We then met up with some of Derek's SF pals and participated in a Chinese New Year Treasure Hunt, which was an interesting and clever event. The following link will show you some sample clues: http://www.sftreasurehunts.com/hunts/sample_clues.html. After over 3 hours of hunting, we decided to throw in the towel and nourish our bodies at the House of Nan King, which is a ghettrofied (word is made up, but I think you get it) yet delicious Chinese food establishment in Chinatown.

The weekend was enriching for me, and I was grateful to get away from the doldrums to spend high-quality time in good company in an invigorating city. As with every other time I've been to San Francisco, I left my heart there...

WORMY

Dear Anyone Who Has Ever Made Fun of Me for Compulsively Washing/Sanitizing My Hands,

This is just a friendly reminder that if more people were like me, events like this would be less likely to happen:

http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2008/11/todays-video-do.html.

Love,
R