Wine Country

This past weekend, I joined a group of about 20 friends to Sonoma to go wine tasting for our friend, Will's birthday. For obvious reasons, it was one of my top two favorite weekends here. We all met at Will's at 9am for a some mimosas and a light breakfast of scones and croissants before we all piled into a party bus where the drinking of mimosas continued. Not to be trashy, but I was kind of drunk by the time I got there...as in 11am. With the tasting of wines keeping my hearty buzz going, I enjoyed the perfect weather, stunning views, and some great company.

All in all - perfect Saturday afternoon.

Super Bowl Sunday/Jeri's Birthday

#1: Happy Birthday yesterday to my beautiful, wonderful, loving, and caring mom, Jeri. I love you more than words can explain!

#2: So I'm a little annoyed with myself for not taking more pictures from the Beyonce concert Super Bowl yesterday. A bunch of friends and I went to our friend, Sarah's who basically has to most ridiculous three story SF apartment with a view that I would literally (probably) kill for. We had a great time watching the game, eating, drinking, and enjoying the beautiful afternoon. As I predicted, Beyonce won the Super Bowl (no surprise there) but I did think it was a little rude for NOLA to turn the lights out as soon as she left. I mean...just saying.

Oh - the flowers. Kat picked these up to bring to Sarah,  the host of the party, as a thank you for having her. What a great idea, right??

Jean Shirt

Love.

I've always had an obsession with a good jean shirt. Not one you would get from your company with their logo on it - a cute fitting, Americana-esque vintage jean shirt. I've been wearing mine kind of a lot recently - bordering on too much, but I can't help it! It's just so easy to dress up or down that it's become my go-to shirt for basically all occasions.

PS - no I do not smoke #dramaticeffect

*Follow me on Instagram @matthewcara

Cheersies

In the words of the great (I mean she's okay) Rihanna: Cheers to the freakin' weekend. I'll drink to that. Yeahhh.

Friday is finally here! As it turns out, it'll end up being one of my busiest work days in the week thanks to certain California labor laws (I won't bore you...or myself with the details). Regardless, just a few more hours to go and I'm out of here! Last weekend I didn't do too much because of the rain, but this weekend, I'm expecting to head up to SanFran, get my Wiggle on with Adam, then go out, have a few several drinks, and then see where the night goes.

...A lot like Christmas

Every time I said I was excited about it, someone would comment on how much I was going to hate winter in NYC. They would say things like: "You think you're going to look cute, don't you? You won't. You'll look like ass just like everyone else." OR "Have you ever BEEN in NYC in the winter for longer than a week?" OR "You're going to be freezing with a million layers then how as hell in the subway and you're going to always have snot dripping from your frozen nose...". Fa la la la la. La la la la. I would always counter by saying I'd rather freeze my butt off than spend another hot/humid "winter" in Louisiana.

Well, good thing I basically did no shopping in NYC for winter gear before I moved. I'll be enjoying a winter wonderland on the other side of the country where I can look forward to cool crisp days and nice chilly nights, but nothing too extreme. No wait. That's summer. No...it's winter. Or wait...it's all year. Regardless, it's hard to not get in the holiday Christmas spirit regardless of the temperature (re: Louisiana) as long as lights are up, Christmas music is playing, and Starbucks is using their holiday cups.

The other night, I rode through downtown Mountain View in search of a new book after just finishing Tina Fey's Bossypants*. I rode my bike down, but when I got to the main street, I locked it up, got a coffee, and strolled around enjoying the season's decorations. I think it'll be a bit of a sad Christmas for me since I'm not going home this year, but I think it'll be one I'll never forget. I've enjoyed being alone, having time for reflection, and not feeling so anxious if I'm not constantly on-the-go. It's weird...but I like it.

*That's one of my I-moved-to-Cali-and-I-want-to-change-things-about-myself hobbies. I've always enjoyed reading, but found it difficult to find the time. Biking is another. Hanging out with Joan and Ernie would be a third.

Matthew, Party for One

I've always had this fantasy of moving to a big city, knowing basically no one, where I can dine and go to movies and whatnot alone. I'm obviously very social and I love my friends more than anything, but sometimes it's refreshing to do things solo.

The other night, I had a date with one of my favorite people: me. I went to a little restaurant called Slider Bar located in The Castro, the gay district (or the gayest I guess). After enjoying the Club Med, D Lux, and Hot Chick, I was pretty damn full. Okay - I had a few beers and side of fries, too. Don't judge!

After I paid my bill and rolled out (I don't mean in a cool black way; I mean in a fat ass way) I decided to take a little stroll to burn off some calories (because clearly burning off 40 calories by walking for 30 minutes totally justifies the 2000 I ate). By happenstance (or possibly because I had seen it there earlier) I walked past a Creme Brulee truck. OMG. Amazeing. Delicious. Cellulite!

There were several flavors but I stuck with plain old Vanilla Bean - why not start with the original. As I sat outside with the "Brothers and Sisters" lights above my head enjoying French music lightly playing in the background (yes there really was French music) I realized: this is what life is all about. It was so romantic and peaceful and just...nice. Then I was mildly accosted by a homeless person (they're everywhere) and I was brought back to reality. Still lovely though.

FISHS EDDY

 

 

So the other day when I was at the Flatiron Building, I realized I wasn't too far from Fishs Eddy. I hadn't really had a reason to go considering I don't have my own place (and therefore no need for house/kitchenware), but since I was so close I figured why not.

This place is the mecca of controlled chaos and at times looked like a Pier 1 (but better) on crack. There was something in every single nook and cranny and so many options it was nearly unbearable. I loved it. It's almost like a museum where you have to go around and look at everything AND THEN you can go and make your final purchase selections. My aunt had brought it to my attention originally which is how I knew to blog about it the first time, but it's such a different experience being able to write a quick post after actually going. If you're ever in NYC, I suggest you check it out!