Chinese New Year

This weekend, my SF friends and I celebrated Chinese New Year by heading down to Chinatown for a bar crawl, drinking Tsingtaos, and mai tais. I loved it - it was fun to get out of the Castro and do something different that I wouldn't be able to do in most cities. The weather was great and it was one of those afternoons where spirits were high and everyone was in a great mood. Also, it didn't hurt that the evening ended in Chipotle...and KFC...and Taco Bell. #nojoke 

Christmas Down

My commute involves the following: Take the 24 to 18th. Get off and get Starbucks (Grande medium roast in a Venti cup), then either walk (or if I get lucky take the 6) to Delores Park where I catch the EA Shuttle down to Redwood City. Recently, I've not been so lucky and I've had to walk to the park. Walking isn't the issue - it's only about 10 minutes. I just feel better about myself when I can successfully coordinate 2 buses and a Starbucks trip.

Either way, since I've been walking I've noticed all of the Christmas trees, wreaths, and decorations all over the place. It looks a bit like a Christmas massacre and it's so sad! All that love and excitement while it's in the house then just tossed out like your wide leg jeans. I just love the holiday season and I'm not ready for it to be over!

Skivvies Run 2012

Oh my.

I remember thinking when I first moved here that I was never going to like SF, how I wasn't going to be happy unless I was in NYC, and how there are no cute guys anywhere. Well, that has all changed, my friends. It only took me running around the city half-naked for the deal to be sealed: I love SF.

Supporting the SF AIDS Foundation, "the route of the Santa Skivvies Run begins and ends at Lookout (16th and Market) in San Francisco. The route is a spontaneous romp through the Castro district of San Francisco consisting of unplanned twists, turns, stops and hijinks".

#TheBest,thx

#IloveSF

#whatismylife
#MistleHOs

Street Car

What is SanFran most know for? The Golden Gate Bridge. And then...? The Painted Ladies! Ugh - okay the THIRD thing that come to mind when they think of SanFran is the streetcar.

To be honest, I've never actually ridden one; I've never had a need. I take the less glamorous Muni, BART, or Caltrain. However, when I visit my friend, Adam, in Castro I like to get a coffee in the morning and watch the streetcars turn around at Castro and Market. I usually don't stay too, too long because a lot of nudists and homeless people (or worse - a combination) like to park it there ("it" meaning their bare asses and shopping carts)

It's pretty cool because SF uses incorporates "Wheels of the World" so you get a glimpse of all different variations of the streetcar. Check it out.

...and don't even with the pants. I was about to go running.

...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.

I'm Sorry - Who the What?

This face says it all.

Over Thanksgiving, I was going to write a little post about how my dad went out and bought the-world's-best donuts from a local donut shoppery in my hometown of Covington, LA. I was excited because I had this excellent photo of all the fresh, warm, glazed donuts sitting there waiting to be devoured by me my family. Why that was exciting I'm not exactly sure. After writing (what I thought to be) a funny little post about how I'm a fat ass and I need to run blah blah, I went to upload the picture, but Blogger wouldn't let me. It displayed a message - something about how my Piscada album was full. Well, without giving it a second thought, I logged in and deleted the whole album.

I went about my business not thinking anything of it until I went to look up a recipe I had previously posted about. When I logged in, I found it a little odd that things like..say...the banner, buttons, and every single effing picture I had ever uploaded was a black box with a white "Mind the Gap" looking symbol (I don't know how else to describe it). Being the idiot...(no "idiot" is appropriate) that I am, I figured it had something to do with the fact that I was looking on my iPhone. When I got home and inspected the damage, there is no exaggeration that the picture above is a PERFECT representation of how I looked and felt at that moment. Similar to the feeling of getting punched in the ovaries right after taking a Jager-bomb while riding a roller coaster doing flips in a G6...and then crapping your pants. Or so I can imagine.

Not only was I furious at myself, but I was devastated to see the pictures from hundreds of posts simply vanish. Yes, I have the pictures stored on my computer, but having them on TMN (matched with the writing portion) basically told my life story. Vacations, DIY projects, Duke and Cooper, endless events, friends and family, recipes...and of course the filler posts. This obviously is a huge disappointment for me, but I'm trying to stay positive (or my medication is working) and I'm letting it roll off my sleeve. I can add the pictures back individually, so one long afternoon it'll be me, my computer, a decent WiFi connection, a vyvanse, 4 cups of coffee, and no human interaction for at least 8 hours. How exciting.

A Much Needed London

  

Well I'm back home in NYC, and as I was reviewing pictures from the trip (trying to select which ones to use in my post this morning) I realized how quick it all went. Some of the pictures are from my very first day there, but they feel like they were taken just yesterday. With that said, In my one week there, I had a chance to strengthen friendships, visit/bond with family, and was able to recharge my battery. My friends joke saying that I basically took a vacation from a vacation as I'm not exactly working, but the truth is - NYC has been stressful and really not so easy. This (London) was exactly what I needed.

The pictures above are really just some random pics from the city. Later in the week, I'll post about more specific events: my friend, Andre's birthday, two different areas, Tooting and St. John's Wood, as well as family and (of course) the Queen.

Central Park

 

Are these pictures too much? I'll answer that...yes. Like - I have to squint to look at them because they're so bright. I got a little carried away with my new photo app...

Well obviously Fall is HERE! I'm so excited. The hurricane kept the water a little warm here, but now that that's over you can now feel the cold crisp air. So where better to enjoy it than Central Park? I don't come to this part of the city too, too often, but I took these when I brought friends, Tony and Brennan when they were in right before the storm. We had so much fun while they were in and it was quite unfortunate when Sandy sent them packing early. Looks like I need another visitor to go to the park with...

Happy Birthday, America

Blow your candles out, America; it's your birthday! What's a better way to celebrate than with a big banana split (with carrot cake at the bottom). I know, right?...YUM. Before heading to a pool party at a beautiful home on the LSU lakes, a bunch of friends and I decided to order a little dessert at Stanley's (read tomorrow) to celebrate the 4th of July. Well...dessert and a few cocktails. Cheers!

Valentine's Day Dinner

OMG. I'm still SO FULL from last night. Beau and I had such a nice and relaxing evening - after running a few miles (to compensate for what was to come), we rode over to Whole Foods to pick out our Valentine's dinner. After perusing the store for a few minutes, we decided on a game plan and got to work grabbing all the ingredients. On the menu: 1 lb boneless ribeye steaks (each) topped with a blue cheese sauce, grilled portobello mushrooms, and rosemary/garlic whipped potatoes (instant - no one's perfect).

Steak:
Rubbed with olive oil, lightly seasoned with salt, pepper, and oregano...the grilled to perfection

Sauce:
Melted 2 Tbs of butter, added flour to thicken (didn't measure as usual), then mixed in 1/2 cup of blue cheese. Keep heat on low and let the cheese melt slowly

Mushrooms:
Rubbed both sides of mushrooms with olive oil, ans balsamic vinegar. Seasoned with Tony's, garlic powder, and oregano. Grilled until soft. Then sliced and served on the side

Whipped Potatoes:
Chopped fresh rosemary (4 sprigs) and 3 cloves of garlic. Added to instant mashed potatoes

*Served with 1 bottle of Malbec and one Cab. Obvi.

I Love You

Happy Valentine's Day! Beau and I tend to get bogged down with life's routine. I've written about this before, but the more successful The Mended Nest becomes (for which I am so thankful) and the the busier we get (socially speaking), Beau and I have less and less time to just enjoy our evenings by ourselves with absolutely no work. That's why tonight, we're staying in, not working on any projects, and none of our friends are allowed over (cue Ryan's eye roll). I would say we're even going to skip working out...but let's not get crazy.

After running, I'm going to stop by Whole Foods to grab something delicious (and still undecided) for dinner and a couple of bottles of wine to pair with it. I love holidays...even if Hallmark DID make them up.

Lord it's like a [Moss Family] Christmas...

Christmas morning, Beau and I ate breakfast and hung out with the Hollands and Jenkins until about 10am, then we hopped in the car and drove westbound for THREE hours to get to Lake Charles (Beau's hometown) to visit his dad's side. TOTALLY worth the drive! The whole Moss family is awesome and reminds me so much of mine: loud, funny, big (in terms of quantity), and craaazy! His aunts, uncles, and Mimi are all wonderful, but it's the cousins that bring the family gatherings to another level. I think there are two thousand 17 cousins on that side, and they're all around the same age, and are all great. For this Christmas, even cousins from out of state came in to visit, so we got a chance to visit with everyone...and had they not, Jingle Booty would have never been introduced to my life...

So I know I have mostly random food pictures, but I get a little nervous whenever I whip my camera out at a party - I feel like everyone's watching thinking, "put the camera up, weirdo". Furthermore, it's hard to take pictures when I'm laughing hysterically. Amongst other games, some of Beau's cousins created a little game called "Jingle Booty". The idea of the game is to get as many jingle bells out of an empty Kleenex box that's belted to your butt...by shaking it like...a salt shaker. It. Was. Hilarious.

After the family get-together, Beau and I met up with his dad, stepmom, and twin brothers for a little gift exchange at their house. Amongst other things, they gave us an incredible patio set (table and chairs) for our newly poured patio! Yay yay yay! Then that night, we slept like kings in their new addition/guest house they just finished building! It was so neat to see Mended Nest furniture in it's natural habitat (I recently finished an end table for Beau's stepmom).

So all in all, I think this was one of the best Christmases I've ever had. Seeing my family and both of Beau's in one weekend was exhausting, but so much fun. We're blessed for so many reasons, but family has to be my number one. We love them all. Merry Christmas!

Dreaming of a White (Chicago) Christmas

As it's humid and roughly 76 degrees today in good 'old BR, LA (in December!!), I can't help but let a little nostalgia set in as I reminisce on our 2010 Chicago Christmas/New Year's trip. To catch you up to speed, Beau and I are both completely infatuated with Chicago - especially in winter. Negative degrees, muddy snow, and layer upon layer upon layer? Yes, please!! I am completely over short sleeves and shorts in December. It feels like it sucks the Christmas spirit out of everyone. Too much?

There's just something about a city like Chicago that makes me feel alive, independent, and unstoppable. It seems it's full of endless possibilities, with fun and excitement around every corner. Our plan was to move immediately after I graduated college in 2009, but life had a different plan for us. Since that time, Beau and I both landed incredible jobs, we bought a house, and brought a new love into our lives (Cooper). Furthermore, we're within close driving distance to our families - something I feel we wouldn't realize how special utis until we didn't have it.

I'm certainly happy with how our life is unfolding, and I wouldn't change it for the world.  Howver, every time I look back on these Chicago pictures, I can't help but wonder - what if?

Deck the Vases with Boughs of Faux Holly

Colder weather is upon us; unfortunately that means that flowers are freezing to death (too morbid?) and I don't have any more fresh flowers for my house. Sure, I could buy them, but it's always a hassle. I either have to make a special trip to the florist with in my nonexistent free time or pick some up when I'm at the grocery. The only problem with the grocery is that I try to strategically get them at the very end of shopping so that they're not out of water too long, but I ALWAYS forget to go back and get them! So what's a guy gunna do?

Try using the holly you can buy at any Hobby Lobby, Michael's, or even Walmart or Target. It doesn't die, you don't have to change out the water, and you don't have to throw them out! Plus, as long as you're keeping it simple, they'll look surprisingly chic.

Are We Out of Raffia?

This holiday season, I feel like we're going through more raffia than ever! That sentence seems a little strange, I'm sure so please let me explain. I've mentioned this in former posts, but I wanted to dedicate a whole day to it: bringing a (small and inexpensive) present when you're invited to a party is such a great gesture. Jeri's Corner time: whenever my parents go somewhere, my mom brings a tiny little vase with a few fresh flowers from her garden. The flowers are free and the vase was probably $2.99, but it's the thought that counts.

My go-to gifts are a bottle of wine or a little food something-or-other. Just add a little raffia and a serving spoon or cheese knife for example, and you're good to go! I wouldn't bring these to the same party - just two different examples of how you can incorporate raffia to finish off your gifts! Beware - it goes faster than you thing and one day you'll be out when you need it most and you'll be devastated!! Exaggeration?