Oakland Knows Food

Saturday, Boyfriend and I went to Jack London Square for the Eat Real Festival and it was SO MUCH FUN!

There was amazing street food of all kinds, over 30 different of beers on tap, lots of performances, an amazing farmers market, a butchery contest, cooking demonstrations -- all scattered through Jack London Square. We were only planning on checking it out and grabbing lunch, but we ended up staying there til past 8:00 at night, then going out for more drinks.

We were exhausted from the unbelievable heat, but it was SO worth it. I can't even tell you how well prepared this event it was. There were tons of people yet there weren't long lines because there was enough stuff for everyone to eat and drink and watch. All of the 70,000+ people were super happy and friendly (okay, maybe not ALL of them, but I didn't get elbowed in the face or the ribs the entire time).

It was the best festival ever!

My highlights:

• Bean and cheese pupusas
• Goat's milk ice cream
• Figs with balsamic vinegar, toasted almonds and goat cheese
• Grilled Chilies
• Mexican mariachi band
• Friendly people
• Free beer poured by the brewers themselves
• Butchery contest with flying meat
• Kara's Cupcakes
• Drinking raw milk for the first time
• Courteous, east-bay crowd

I can't wait until next year. I think this was their first one, so hopefully the amazingness will continue.

Check out their website: eatrealfest.com

Did anyone else have the chance to enjoy the festivities?

Hair Secrets Revealed

So it's the weirdest thing...

I decided one morning to use my nice, fancy shampoo and conditioner because, well, they're in the shower and belong to me so I can. Of course, my hair looked really nice and fluffy and full. Yay! So I used it again the next day... and since then I have been getting compliments constantly! What's funny is that I haven't been even trying to do anything with it besides the shampoo (and this is embarrassing to admit, but I haven't even been brushing it! Just running my fingers through and then running out the door.)

So I figured I would share my two hair secrets. Here you go!

Redken Color Extend Products
Color Extend Shampoo: Gently cleanses and protects to leave hair manageable, refreshed and shiny.

Color Extend Conditioner: Detangles and smoothes hair for a finish full of color reflection.

MoroccanOil
Original MOROCCANOIL TREATMENT: An ultra-light formula which is absorbed by the hair instantly, resulting in a natural, silky finish and brilliant shine without leaving a residue.

Now it's your turn to share? What's your hair or beauty secret?

WWGD?

What Would Gandhi Do?

While doing research, I came across this Wikipedia article about Gandhi's Seven Blunders of the World. I had never heard of this before and it really caught my attention!

The Seven Blunders of the World is a list that Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi gave to his grandson Arun Gandhi, written on a piece of paper, on their final day together, not too long before his assassination. The seven blunders are:

• Wealth without work
• Pleasure without conscience
• Knowledge without character
• Commerce without morality
• Science without humanity
• Worship without sacrifice
• Politics without principle

This list grew from Gandhi's search for the roots of violence. He called these acts of passive violence. Preventing these is the best way to prevent oneself or one's society from reaching a point of violence.

It's fascinating because I can see most of the major problems currently in the headlines today as tied to one or more of the Seven Blunders (like over-consumption could be filed under the blunders "pleasure without conscience" or "commerce without morality"). I think that if some of the major players of our country taped to their bathroom mirror and read it every morning while they brushed their teeth, we might have a much different world to live in. Don't you agree?

Gandhi's son, Arun Gandhi, later added an eighth blunder to his father's list:

• Rights without responsibilities

Now this is one that I think many people in our country need to meditate on. Often Americans take for granted the rights we've been given and think that they are owed to us. While they're really something we need to be responsible for and take care of.

What would you write as the ninth blunder? Or do you agree with these blunders at all?

Why can't happiness grow on trees?

I am determined to be cheerful and happy in whatever situation I may find myself. For I have learned that the greater part of our misery or unhappiness is determined not by our circumstance but by our disposition.

Martha Washington 1732-1802, First American First Lady

This really spoke to my heart. Right now, I feel like I am letting some bad situations get the better of me. And it's causing negativity to spread into all areas of my life. So I have decided that I want to be happy, no matter how crappy things get around me. We all deserve to be happy -- and sometimes we are the ones who are standing in the way.

Do you agree? What has helped you find your silver lining?

PS: Thank you, Amy, for sharing this quote.