dripping with passion

i’ve never gloried in weekends quite like i do now. oh, weekends are so sweet. last friday i went straight up to the city after work, and met some friends from wellesley for a yum meal at a new chinese-fusion restaurant tucked into a corner of downtown called heaven’s dog. the food wonders of san francisco are inexhaustible. can you tell from the picture of empty plates that we quite liked the meal? after, i met up with kelsey for some wandering in the castro district (always colorful and alive), a long heart-to-heart (aren’t those the best) and a sleepover. in the morning we went to brunch at plow cafe in portero hill. I LOVE SATURDAY BRUNCH – yes, that severe fact deserves big, ugly capital letters. i love it so so so much. a few weeks ago kelsey and i went (cameraless) to zazie in cole valley and ate bacon eggs benedict and walnut caramelized banana french toast on the blithe and charming back patio, and last week we decided to check out plow. kelsey and i were born to be saturday

i adore holidays. i feel like they all need to be adequately celebrated. for valentine's day, i made peanut butter and jelly heart cookies and a love-day bacon chocolate cake (with pink sprinkles and a bacon heart topper of course) for my co-workers. after work i met josephine for a cozy dinner date, hot chocolate and a thoroughly lovesickness-inducing chick flick at the movie theater. may it be known that i was wearing a red skirt and sparkly gold shoes in addition to my pink cardigan. it's wonderful to have a day to celebrate love. i love love, in all it's forms. i don't think i've ever crossed over from feeling lovesick to feeling bitter on valentine's day. although my over-the-top heart is perpetually wishing for more romance, there's too much good solid love in my life for any whining. the most cherished and sacred moments of our lives are those filled with the spirit of love . the greater the measure of our love , the greater is our joy . in the en

my parents came through the bay area last week for a speech. they’d just returned home from puerto rico and new orleans a few days before they headed to my turf. after 2 days here, they headed to phoenix and then on to hawaii! what a life, huh? they are the best travelers i know. i wonder where my wanderlust comes from?! i was so, so excited for mom and dad to get here. i picked them up at the san jose airport and we sat in traffic under a gorgeous sunset for a long time. i took them to twin peaks for a magnificent, glimmering, clear view of the city i adore, and then we walked through union square and down market street to the slanted door at the ferry building. i had been wanting to try this restaurant for ages. there aren’t too many things i love more than a good meal with my ‘rents. the food was divine! the sparkly view of the bay bridge was stunning! the company and conversation was so good for my soul. the next night after work i met mom and dad at the south san francisco co

if i had to describe the last month of my life in one word, it would be blah . my usual over-the-top enthusiasm for life and all its stripes got zapped somewhere in the beginning of 2012. i think i’ve let myself harp about it too much. and deep down i’m just not a negative nancy, even if i try! it has genuinely been a rough patch, but honestly, let’s face it, my life is awesome. so i’m dusting off my rosy glasses and sharpening up on my actually oft-practiced skill of embracing a new life with a tablespoon or so of gusto and pizzazz. life has brought me to just where i am, undoubtedly for some beautiful albeit currently mysterious reasons, and i prefer to be happy. to facilitate in this attitude readjustment, here’s a new “things i like about my life right now” list (here is part 1 , part 2 and part 3 ): -i am in the habit of going to bed early and waking up between 6 and 6:30 to exercise. i feel so, so good getting home from a workout at 7:30 or so awake, alive and invigorated. i fe

oh, goodness. your comments on the last post were – devastatingly wonderful. thank you. thank you. i was right about you guys being pretty rad, huh? {and to those of you who didn’t comment (yes, i know you’re out there) – let’s remember what happens to middle schoolers who don’t follow through on a triple-dog-dare…umm…there’s still time!!} the truth is, i needed your words of encouragement. to be real, the last month has been a hazy, blah, weird bubble of life for me. i feel drained of the myself part of myself. although there have been some beautiful, bright moments, truthfully i’ve felt like a technicolor character in a grainy black and white film, one who has slowly blended into the grayscale. yes, it’s been a bit of an ache. but – but, but, but – this is a mortal experience! and i genuinely, honestly love it when life is hard because i feel so human . and i’ll embrace and conquer and press forward. venting, however is part of the process. oh, dear. i guess the last post was mean