I hear wedding bells!

NOT for me! For my little brother!

The wedding is finally here are we are all SO excited. I will be taking a few days off from writing, but will return next week to tell you all about the amazing weekend festivities.

I'm SO happy for my brother and new sister-in-law!

Dhanyavad, India

A friend tonight asked me about my trip to India in 2008. And it's a weird thing when someone asks about my trip, because I, who enjoy storytelling, am always speechless. It's a good speechless, because India is such a different, beautiful world I can't describe it.

I think of words like, surreal, enchanted, forlorn, history, friendly (let's not forget dirty!)...the list could go on and on. But nothing seems to encompass it all.

Anyways, my friend reminded me of my amazing, wonderful trip, and all the pictures I took, so I thought I would share a few.

Those of you who have been, tell me what words come to mind to describe India...

The best cheer-me-up video EVER

I have had this music video saved on my computer for years, but I have NO idea how I originally got it. It's for a song by Junior Senior and created by a company/group named Shynola, who have also done music videos for Coldplay, Queens of the Stone Age and Radiohead. Talented peoples.

(BTW, do NOT try going to the band's website...I am guessing they are no longer a band because of the VERY graphic adult photos that are posted in Danish. Those did not bring a smile to my face, let me tell you!)

What I DO know is that it is the one way to get me to cheer up and smile no matter how crappy of a day I've had.

Anyways, I know you all with think I'm a total dork, but that's okay with me.

I just hope it makes you smile a little, too. Enjoy.

:)

I could eat this every day!

Boyfriend makes the best pasta sauce in the whole wide world. Seriously, its good stuff! The last time we made this dinner, he had me roll the meatballs myself. I'm becoming quite the chef's assistant.

I wish I could share a bite through the internet, so you could taste for yourselves how delicious it is.

Yum!

:)

Something creepier than clowns...

Atlas Obscura recently posted about Showmen's Rest, a circus cemetery for all the “showmen under God’s big top.”

Cemeteries are always eerie, but I think this one would really freak me out. I mean, live clowns and carnies are creepy enough.

Despite all this, I am super curious. If I'm ever in Oklahoma I might just have to check it out.

My talented friend, Yrving Torrealba

One of my very good friends, Yrving Torrealba, had his first art showing last weekend for Open Studios! I am SO proud of him. He such a talented guy and his work looked so amazing presented for everyone to see.

Yrving's day job is as a interactive media designer in San Francisco, so of course he included an interactive piece that really caught some attention. It involved "42 in LCD display with infrared lights and wii-remote." It was pretty cool.

Great job, Yrving.

Here's some photos of his work, but visit his websites if you want to learn more about this talented fellow.

www.yrving.com
www.venestudio.com

I'm smitten with...Yayoi Forest

I am completely obsessed now with Yayoi Forest, created by Japanese jewelry designer Yayoi Inada. It's like she snuck into my brain and created beautiful rings, necklaces and bracelets straight from my dreams.

All of her collections are based on her childhood memories of growing up near the forest and nature. She also adds a touch of whimsy to the designs.

I love what she says here,"I want my jewelry to look as if it has been a part of someone's history even if it's the first time they have put it on."

You can see more of the collection at:
www.yayoiforest.com

Peep-sushi

Easter, in my opinion, is the best holiday for sweets. One of the main reasons are peeps! Those sweet, marshmallow chickies sure do cure a sweet tooth.

Look at what some friends made this year...Peep-sushi! The Peeps were dressed up with rice crispy treats and fruit rolls. How clever!

Pen. Paper. Imagination.

While I've always created art in some form, a couple of years ago I got really into drawing. This is one of the first drawing pieces I completed.

I have more, but I can't find them since the move. They are here somewhere...I will show you them when they resurface.

Can you tell it's butterflies and flowers?

The best twenty bucks I ever spent

So those of you who have been reading my blog for awhile (and okay, even those who have been reading it for a week) know that I have a very high maintenance cat who(or is it whom?) I share my home with. I adore him, strange quirks and all, but Archie gets VERY exhausting. He needs constant attention and gets bored very easily.

So that is why I have been looking for a mechanical toy that will play with him for me. Because there just aren't enough hours in the day for me to toss around a mouse on a string Archie knows this--that's why he wakes me up at 3 am to play.

And I have found the answer to my prayers.

There's finally a toy that keeps Archie occupied so I can blog, clean house, and maybe even sleep.

It's called the Fling-ama-string and he's obsessed. It attaches to a door, around the door knobs, and flings a string out so that the cat can pounce on it and chase it.

Check out this video of Archie in action. (Sorry, it's long but I don't know how to cut it.)




I'm so happy. Finally, I found something that will keep him busy. The only complaint I have is that it eats batteries like they are candy. Good thing I have rechargeables.

Really, I don't know how long this toy will last before he gets bored. I have heard that most cats never do get tired of this one...but we all know we're not talking about a typical cat!

Quote...End Quote

I love when you're just doing your usual thing, and a piece of art jumps out into your daily routine. It's inspiring and makes you think...and hopefully brings a smile to your face.

On my lunch the other day, I was walking through Crocker Galleria, an open mall in the Financial District in SF. My coworker Alex (say, Hi Alex!) and I were stopped by a wall of quotes. Both of us being writers, we were delighted at this find. It's a work called "The Dialogue Project."

















Here's some info from their website:

Dialogue is EvolveArts' newest public art installation consisting of ten, 7 X 8 foot free-standing screens covered with thousands of inspiring, insightful quotations from people throughout history.

The eighteen main themes addressed are:
A r t
B o d y
C h a r a c t e r
C o m m u n i t y
C r e a t i v i t y
E x p r e s s i o n
F a m i l y & F r i e n d s
F u n
H a p p i n e s s
L i f e
L o v e
P o l i t i c s
P o w e r
S p i r i t
S t r e n g t h
S u c c e s s
W i s d o m
W o r k

Dialogue intercepts and engages people during their regular routines in order to challenge and inspire viewers to reflect on social issues, gain new personal insights and enjoy public art.

Dialogue is installed in busy metropolitan areas such as public squares, parks, tourist attractions and other highly trafficked areas. The screens have reached an audience of over 200,000 people in person and millions more via mass media. An award winning documentary about creating the project and taking it around the country in 2006 has just been released on DVD and is having a limited theatrical release and community screenings.

There's lots more info on the site, including some of the great quotes that are a part of the project.

I've always been drawn to quotes; they can be such a comfort and inspiration.
Here are a couple of favorites. I couldn't choose just one:

"When I was a little boy, they called me a liar, but now that I am grown up, they call me a writer." — Isaac Bashevis Singe

"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony." — Mohandas Ghandi

What are some of your favorite quotes?

Debt free...now what?

Hello peoples,

As many of you know, after deciding to become a true city girl and selling my car for a wheels-free lifestyle, I am now, officially debt-free. Yes, that's right, I am living in-the-black! The monetary burdens have been lifted and I feel light as a bird.

So now what?

I've never had to think past paying off credit cards. This is kinda scary. I know the basics, like putting as much as you can into 401k and creating a rainy day fund of at least 3 months living expenses. But beyond that, I know nothing.

In my search for financial enlightenment, I stumbled across J.D. Roth's blog "Get Rich Slowly" and I think it is going to be a helpful resource. CNN titled it as "Most Inspiring" money blog. Already there's been a few postings that have really spoken to me. I think I am going to find some good tidbits of advice here.

What's the best financial advice you've received? Maybe you have a few tips for me even?

Sounds fishy...

So Boyfriend has been on a sardine-kick lately. I think it's something about them not having as much mercury as other large fish (he explained it all, but I have a bad memory. Sorry, honey!) Anyways, we tried this recipe, Sherried Sardine Toast. It's from Alton Brown, who's super fun to watch on his foodie show, Good Eats.

I admit, at first I wasn't too sure about sardines. I mean, they sound really fishy (and smell like one, too.) But this was yummy. The lemon and avocado really made it taste nice and fresh. Next time, I think I'd like to try making it into a salad, with the bread on the side.

Did you know that most of the sardines are from Portugal? No wonder I liked them.

Sense of humor required

My friend Emily showed me this site called someecards.com and I LOVE IT! These cards are so hilarious. I already have some picked out for upcoming special occasions. :)

Leash training update

So I know you are all dying to find out if I actually went through with my crazy cat lady idea to train Archie to walk on a leash. The answer is YES...and he loves it.

Well, he didn't at first, but now he really enjoys his little snooping expeditions. He is a really nosy neighbor. There's a couple of doors that we have to visit at each outing.

One is down the hall on my floor. I am terrified that the lady who lives there is going to come out while I am standing in front of her door and my cat's nose is glued to her welcome mat.

The other apartment we HAVE to visit is the one directly above mine. Somehow he knows that's the one to keep an eye on. Maybe they have a cat up there, I don't know. But often, he'll just stare at the ceiling, like he's keeping tabs on them, so no wonder he wants to stop by their door on our walks.

He has finally stopping dragging his tummy along the floor and is walking like a normal little kitty. I think in another month or so, we might even take a trip to the great outdoors. In the meantime, the hallways are enough of an adventure.

Can I come home with you?

Okay, I admit it. I love going to Petco just so I can say hello to the little creatures. I love them all, even those with scales. Well, all but the tarantulas. Those guys I just let sleep in peace.

This chameleon was awesome to visit. He was just walking around, checking me out on his way to the water bowl. He even stopped and posed for some pics.

What your favorite pet shop resident?

Sweet Fantasy

I'm going to be playing catch up for the next week or so, since I have been soo behind on posting all the delicious little tidbits I've found lately. Let's start here:

A few weeks ago I took my mom and grandmother to the San Francisco Ferry Building, a foodies ultimate playground.

One of my must-stop locations is Miette, an adorable, and pretty famous, bakery. Their taste in design is just as amazing as their macaroons.










How can something be SO pretty and SO yummy?!




















And these chocolate bars are wrapped in works of art.

What's your favorite sweet shoppe? Or just your favorite sweet?

mmm... speaking of, does anyone have any Jelly Bellys?