Some Snow for Some Sun?

Every December downtown San Jose sets up this Christmas wonderland sort of thing in the park. Christmas trees, fake snow, ferris wheels - the whole shebang.

It's sort of funny how Northern California has to create fake snow in events like these to help set the winter wonderland mood and get us in the holiday spirit. I'm sure in say, Ohio, would love to trade us some of their snow for some of our famous California sun. 

I'd make that trade for sure. I've heard it can be a bit of a hassle sometimes, but I can definitely say that I am a big fan of the snow, and I wish Northern California got even just a little bit during the winter season.

I stand here professing my deep and unyielding love for snowy snow, yet to be fair, I have to admit that I actually have yet to have even stepped foot in a snow mound. Do you think I'd change my mind if I spent a few days trying to maneuver around in the stuff? 

I might...

This guy made me laugh.

This guy freaked me out. Shall we call him Gipedo?

Underwater Love

Yes, it's true. I love to watch fish.

I mentioned how amazing the Monterey Aquarium is, but I'm pretty positive the Atlanta Aquarium would blow it out of the water.

Ha. Ha. Get it?

It's the only aquarium outside of Asia to host whale sharks... and they've got four of them. Oh, they've also got four beluga (yes, beluga) whales.

Road trip to Atlanta, anyone? I really want to go.

Hosiery Cemetery

I have the most terrible time keeping tights alive.

I'm lucky if I can even get out of my apartment and off to where ever I'm going before I snag them on some angled monster. And these angled monsters seem to come out of nowhere just to ruin my hosiery. They must get some sort of sick satisfaction out of it.

If there's velcro, a rouge splinter, or a hang nail in the room, my tights will find it. 

We all know that what begins as a little nick will can turn into a gigantic run in just a few short hours. Luckily that torn, grunge look is sort of in right now if done correctly.

How long will this pair last? I give three more wears. If I'm lucky.

Dead Leaves on the Dirty Ground

Familiarity breeds contempt.

As you spend more time with someone or something, often in a less formal setting than you might otherwise, you start to lose respect for the person or thing.

It may be strange to apply this idiom to leaves, but I'm going to. 

Often crunched on, but seldom appreciated.

Thrifting is to Weddings

Took another trip to San Francisco this weekend. There is never a shortage of things to do there, and each neighborhood has such a distinct feel to it.

The winning neighborhood this weekend was The Lower Haight. Again.

The neighborhood of choice for daytime activities is usually The Mission. With Dolores Park, their many food options (<3!) and megaton of interesting boutiques, it's a great place to spend the sunny hours.

Lately though, I've been spending more time in the lower Haight. It's a bit removed from the tourist mecca that is Haight and Ashbury, so I can avoid feeling that constant wave of annoyance that seems to fill my psyche when in areas of the city like Union Square (prime tourist shopping area). For those of you less familiar with San Francisco, think of it as if you were forced to travel through a smaller (and cooler - sf pride!) version of Time Square, New York just to get to your favorite tea shop while having to maneuver around awe-stricken tourist who seem to think it's perfectly acceptable to stop in the dead center of a cross walk simply to discuss which direction the nearest Gap is. Not that I have anything against Gap - I've gotten lovely pieces from there before.

Despite all of the touristy areas, I really can't wait to move there. Most big cities will have that issue anyway, so maybe I should think about getting over it. I'll be graduating from college in a few weeks, and that mean's that my long-time dream of moving out there will actually be within arms-length.

I've heard of thrift stores having a certain running theme to them before - like say an army motif or featuring lots of animal print - but never have I entered one that seemed to have a thing for weddings...

Never have I seen so many vintage wedding dresses in one place. Can't say any of them are even close to approaching my sense of style, but very cool to look at all the same. Lace and ruffles are just as in vogue now as they were back then (70's/60's?) i see. Some of you may remember that I have a slight obsession with all things weddings, so it's little wonder I was got camera happy. 

Picked up some cool jewelry from there. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways...

The skeleton key locked my bedroom in my family's last home. Some of my most fondest of memories were made in that house, so that key does have some ooey gooey sentimental value to it. I slipped it on the chain that the little birdhouse necklace came with, so now I can actually get some use out of it.

It's can be hard for me to incorporate new jewelry into my stock of outfits. I'll wear the said piece for a week or two and then completely loose interest. It's for this reason that I rarely buy jewelry, and when I do, I never spend very much on it. But, if all goes as planned, the above necklaces will be added to my arsenal (the thumb band, my pearls and a locket that is not pictured) and I can finally work some variety into my hum drum routine that is my jewelry life! 

Birthday 22

I can never get enough of aquariums. I've had them in the past and have kept some pretty random fish. I've had livebearers like Mollies and Platies, but my favorite tank I've set up is probably my all female Beta Splenden (commonly referred to as the Siamese Fighting fish) sorority tank. Unfortunately, my beta family is no longer with me because of ridiculous rules set by a ridiculous landlord. Sigh.

For my birthday weekend, my boyfriend(!) and I went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. I love pretty much everything about this place. The location is beautiful. It's up against the Monterey Bay and they've got some gorgeous views of the sea. And sand dunes. Sand dunes galore.

(That is currently my go-to skirt. Too comfortable!)

I've been to all of the Bay Area aquariums, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium definitely has the most interesting exhibits. They've got one staring what has to be some of the laziest sea birds in existence. Wake up, dig through the sand for a mealy worm or some other type of crawly, walk around, get gawked at by screaming children. Rinse, repeat. What a life..? I shouldn't tease. I'm sure they'd choose freedom if they could. 

Sea birds are surprisingly fluffy when they don't ever have to be near the sea. 

Jellies. Jellies everywhere!

Although maybe not as cool as the jellies, the aquarium also has a sweet telescope. Once focused, it provided good ten minutes of spy-like fun.

It was a good day.

Dull Fun

I've been away again. Bad, bad me.

Sorry for the lack of fashion-related posts. Or posts in general really. In the past few weeks I've been through a breakup with my boyfriend, a barrage of new tasks at work, a ridiculous amount of school work, and an annoying, itchy pest problem in my apartment. All of these things have left me completely unenthusiastic about life right now, and my poor bloggy blog fell by the wayside.

Worry not, I'm sure I'll be back to normal postings any day now :)


A few weekends ago, one of the bands my dad plays in had a gig at some sort of appreciation banquet for some of the members of the Stanford Hospital. He plays the trumpet, and has for a number of years, so the idea of seeing him perform live has sort of lost its intrigue for me.

Even so, I decided to come with him this time. Despite the fact that I have lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for about 19 years, I somehow had avoided visiting the Stanford University campus. When I found out he was playing there, I was certainly glad I brought my camera.

I only explored a tiny part of the campus, as it was more than 100 degrees that Saturday and I was wearing black jeans. The buildings near the banquet weren't particularly special, but it was a bit eerie. Even though it was a Saturday, I expected there to be more people milling around.

Besides the occasional wanderers from the banquet, I saw zero.

Being the trumpet player's daughter sometimes affords the liberty to roam around backstage (although, this backstage was hardly exclusive).

Ok, I am more than due for a new camera. One that can actually zoom and focus, please!

A Succulent's Plea

So, today I was stuck at home with a fever. That's probably one of my all time favorite ways to spend a Saturday.

At least I was able to catch up season two of The Tudors on Netflix. I'm sure sure how I feel about Anne Boelyn yet. I used to think I didn't like her because of the pain she caused Henry's first wife, Katharine. Plus, she always has this sly look on her face like she's plotting something. But now, after she failed to deliver King Henry a male heir and instead gave birth to a female, then had a miscarriage and lost their second child, I find my self feeling sorry for her. 

Oh, I got bit several times by a blood-thirsty mosquito which has taken up residence in my room. I will not scratch!

I found some random images I shot a while back on my memory card. I had meant to incorporate them into one of my past posts. I really like the subtly blocks of color on the first image.

I also spent my time alternating between writing a comparative essay of Olivier's and Branaugh's Henry V, milling around the internet and working on a quatrain poem for my Poetry 133 course.

Working on the poem was by far my favorite activity of the day. I've taken poetry and creative writing courses in the past, and I've always sort of had a thing for the two, so I've decided that I'll begin sharing some of my poetry I've written. This one is a metrical quatrain, which more or less means each line has to have 10 syllables which alternate between stressed and unstressed.


A Succulent's Plea

Rarely do I pine for your liquid love
Like traditional wisdom would suggest.
Yes, my petals look plump, but this soggy,
Damp soil I actually detest.

One would think since the others look content
And green, this one must surely feel the same
Thing. Let me assure you, gardener dear,
to believe this thought would be to misname

All plants as alike, indistinguishable
From the next. We may share the same pigment
And take in what they exhale, but from my
Botanical sisters I am quite distant.

My roots are drowning in your aqua drool,
Too inundated to draw even a
Breath of fresh air. What was once a soil
Bungalow is now a saturated floodway.

I do not like as much as she or her
or even they. The attention you've
bestowed on my leaves me sick and melancholy.
If you wish me to live, you've got to choose.

Withdraw your moistened sentiments, or watch
my foliage rot away, decay into the sea of pea
Colored mud. Grower, do you not see what
Is good for other greens may not be good for me?



Any thoughts? What do you think it's about?