C’mon get happy

March 1st, 2015

This weekend was good. We shook off the funk from last week (sorry I got all pukey on you in that earlier post) with a nice hike on Grizzly Peak trail in Tilden park, a spot not too far from our place. Keeper got her last set of shots so now she can go to dog parks and trails without the risk of catching nasty viruses….just in time for spring, yesss. Jack was lovin’ life. The vet says he has a couple pounds to lose so we strapped a pack on him with a few balls and some water inside. Jack is my buddha. I feel most at peace when I’m with him. He is the kindest soul and my best friend. Besides Trey, Jack is the most honest and rewarding relationship I’ve ever had. Whether that’s because I’m somewhat shy, or because I’ve moved around a lot and it’s made it hard to maintain close relationships, I’m not sure. But, he’s always here, knows all my secrets and we have sleepovers. That’s a best friend, mine just has an extra set of legs. Always a good time exploring nature with him.

So, we also got Lola moved from the shop in Mill Valley it was at into a shop near us that can do engine repairs. She’s getting checked out and all spiffed up and will hopefully be on the road again soon. We stopped by Point Labs surf/skate shop on the way home and met some cool people. I may have picked up a few things.

It’s late afternoon now and I’m laying in bed writing this. Sundays are the best. Our room feels like a treehouse, high up in the trees with a sliver of the bay peeking through willowy branches outside. The big windows have old hardware and the sun shines in unforgivingly most days. In a few minutes the sun will meet the horizon, but for now I’m sitting here admiring the glowing pastel pinks, blues and oranges I can see in the sky. A nice little cap on a sweet little weekend.

ah Monday, you buzz kill.

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Have a rad weekend.

February 27th, 2015

Goodbye week, it’s been real. How was you guys’ week? Mine was…well…

Imagine this, if you will.

It’s Tuesday morning, 8:30am, and you’re running late. You’ve got a meeting 20 minutes outside the city and even with go-go gadget helicopter arms you’d still be 10 minutes late. So, you down a handful of vitamins and an antibiotic you’ve been prescribed and run out the door, eyeing a banana on your way out (you’ll pick something up later, you tell yourself). You get in the car, NPR’s on and they’re talking about Hilary Clinton coming to SF. You pass the toll booth and hand the attendant a crisp new $5 bill, reminding yourself once again to a buy a dang fast pass because you’d rather not see how much you’re actually spending on bridge tolls. Then it hits you…a wave of nausea. ‘Huh, that’s weird‘, you think to yourself briefly. You keep going at a smooth trot towards your destination, the traffic isn’t that bad surprisingly. You’re approaching the bridge. Now they’re talking about the Islamic state on NPR. And it hits you again, a stronger wave of nausea. ‘What the crap man‘ you say out loud while holding back a gag.

Then you remember taking THOSE vitamins/antibiotics and forgoing THAT banana. Be cool, you tell yourself, you’re almost there. Just gotta make it over the bridge. You switch the station from NPR because suddenly talk radio is just making it worse. You need something upbeat. La la la not going to puke la la la.
You’ve made it to the bridge and can judge it’ll just be about 15 minutes until you get to where you’re going. Then it comes again, this time it’s a tidal wave of nausea. Traffic comes to a stand still, picks up a little, only to stall again. No no no no. There’s no fighting it. It’s happening. You mouth is wet with saliva pooling at the back of your throat. Palms are sweaty (mom’s spaghetti). Nooooo. That’s it. You pull over, yank the Emergency brake (surprisingly well thanks to all the swan arms you’ve been doing), throw your four ways on in the middle of the bridge, get out, and puke off the bridge in front of all the other fellow morning commuters on said bridge. Yep, you did it. It happened.

‘Alright‘, that wasn’t that bad…’, you try to convince yourself while returning to your car (dignity not intact) and actively avoiding eye contact with other drivers around you. To avoid tossing your cookies again, you need food. Any food. So you do it. Yeah you do it. You get over the bridge and hustle it straight to McDonald’s drive-thru and order an egg and cheese biscuit. Message received, stomach…here, have an incredibly processed biscuit. You arrive late to your meeting and contemplate explaining why you were late, then think about how it might sound. You know…that whole just puked off a bridge, went and got an egg and cheese biscuit… like, rather not.

Then later, you find out that the Landcruiser of your dreams needs a new engine and for a moment you consider selling your kidney on the black market to offset impending costs (you really only need one).

Adios fourth week of February 2015, see you again never. What can you do? Laugh about it, that’s what. And cry a little. Just kidding.

Hope your week was tuned to a different frequency than mine…have a rad weekend!

Would you? (I would)

Lovely basket

A good quote for creative people

Made me laugh – Life in San Francisco

Tiny houses to rent on Airbnb

Moon coasters

Alright really, what color is this dress?

Above photo of Francoise Hardy found here.

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Keeper’s Tricks – 15 weeks

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Good Vibes Only

February 24th, 2015

Well, the past weekend was not my favorite. Lola our Landcruiser broke down on HWY 1 half way between Muir Woods and Stinson beach. We got her towed to a shop in Mill Valley and the next day heard the worst news: the engine had seized. When we bought the truck, we knew it needed a new engine, but had been told by several mechanics that she had at least another 75-100k left before we’d need to start thinking about it. It’s part of it, rebuilding a vintage truck. We did happen to break down in probably one of the prettiest places, so that made it not suck as bad. I climbed up on the cliff above the highway and sat there looking out over it all. The cars passing by, Trey in his camo shirt on the phone with AAA, Jack’s head hanging out in the back seat window still psyched as ever, the Farallon Islands – the last islands before Hawaii – in clear view 26 miles off shore. Yep. This is my life. I wouldn’t change it. Sometimes you just gotta shake that shit off and move on.

In other less sucky news, I’ve been doing these ballet videos on youtube lately. I have to get creative when it comes to exercise. I can’t take the monotony of treadmills or exercise machines, so I usually opt for running outside, swimming, going on hikes, or yoga. I came across these videos by Mary Helen Bowers, the ballet dancer who trained Natalie Portman for her role in Black Swan and…it’s harder than it looks. Trey lost a bet with me over the weekend so I made him do the swan arms routine with me and half way through it he said his stomach hurt and needed water. So we had to call the whaaambulance but he’s okay now.

Keeper officially cannot fit under the couch. Let’s all take a moment of silence for that one. She gets a running start and lodges herself in there like a cork in a bottle of sauvignon blanc, yelping until someone pulls her furry little butt out. Crazy kid. She knows some really cool tricks now too like “touch it”, “stay”, and “up”. You can ask her to go get her frisbee and she will find it and bring it back to you. I feel another video coming on.

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Have a rad weekend.

February 20th, 2015

This week went by super fast (funny story- I met an English guy on a train in Thailand and asked him what’s the one word people from the US say a lot and he said “Super, everything is SUUUper”, I loved that). Anyway, man oh man is it beautiful outside. Oh mama, I can’t wait to spend the whole weekend outdoors. California folks really are spoiled when it comes to weather (don’t worry, we pay higher taxes and 6 dollar bridge tolls to make up for it).

Let’s see…well, we’re revamping this space since it’s been getting a lot of traffic (thanks!). So if you happen to cruise through over the weekend and things look a little crazy, pardon our mess – we’re just doing some maintenance. Oh and hey!… don’t be afraid to leave comments in the comments section, I don’t bite! As a long time lurker of blogs, I totally understand it though. It’s cool, take it in. Throw it back if it feels right, haha. We’re hoping the new design will be more accommodating for readers and I’m really excited. In the meantime, have a rad weekend.

Oh Bill Murray, you make me laugh and cry
Make your place smell great
The best all natural deodorant I’ve ever used, hands down
Humble beginnings of 2015 Oscar nominees
Cactus tea towels

Above photo found here.

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DIY Textile Footstool

February 19th, 2015

When we moved into our current place, we found that the layout of our living room didn’t really cater to the clunky leather ottoman we had. So we started searching for a new one for our space over the course of a few months. As it goes, we always managed to find something that didn’t work with the ones we saw – some were too short, some were too round and some were the wrong color. Finally, we decided it would be neat to make something totally unique ourselves. So, we came up with a design of our own, then went to the hardware store and bought some wood, brass screws and dowel rods. After that we combed through fabric at our local fabric store and found a heavy weight African textile fabric we liked. We assembled it at home in a couple of hours. The ottoman isn’t clunky at all and can even be folded up and stored under the couch when not being used (bonus!). I’m really happy with how it turned out. It was easy and a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Here’s how you can make one of your own…

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Will you accept this cactus

February 17th, 2015

Valentine’s Day was a normal day for us. We woke up to the animals finding us in bed to tell us they were hungry. I went out to a cactus store I had been wanting to go to and brought a few home claiming “they were out of roses”. Then I stopped by Anthropologie on the way home and picked up a few candles that smell like spring. In the afternoon we made a DIY ottoman together, then walked around our neighborhood with our dogs, enjoying the heat wave that was hitting California. We stopped by the coffee shop near our place on the way back and talked for a half hour to a Buddhist named Tashi about his 20 year old cat. Trey gave me a framed drawing he made of our first kiss (it was in a tent in his front yard) and cooked Thai chicken with rice for dinner. Then we watched reruns of SNL.

Love doesn’t always have to feel like a shiny new penny. Sometimes it’s that awesomely rare two dollar bill you found long ago and keep tucked in between your insurance card and grocery store rewards card in your wallet. Every time you see it you’re reminded how lucky you are to have ever found it in the first place. I’m not an expert in relationships, but I’ve found that the beauty of love is in the details. It’s learning to read between the lines etched across his forehead at the end of a long day. It’s the smile I get on my face when he hands me a bowl of Thai chicken with rice with both chopsticks and a fork on the side because he knows at a certain point I always give up and go ‘all in’ with a fork.

I’m excited for this week, I have some fun posts planned including the details of the cool textile ottoman we made, and an interview with an awesome dog person!

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Keeper / 13 wks

Keeper is getting good at her tricks. She has the basics down: Sit, Down, Spin, Spin the other way, Give paw, Give other paw. She also has “Go get it” and “Bring it back”. She’s getting good at catching the frisbee and prefers it over the ball most times. Jack likes to stand behind me and do all the tricks at the same time as I’m training Keeper, like “Oh, I know this!”. He’s learned if he does them he gets a treat or ball toss too. Smart little dudes.

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An afternoon in the park

February 12th, 2015

It’s been feeling particularly spring-like this week. The sun has been lingering just a little longer in the sky in the afternoons and the birds have began singing their songs in the trees outside our bedroom window in the mornings. It warmed a few degrees and I was already at the market buying a pineapple, breaking out the shoulder-baring tops in my closet (and also jackets- it’s the bay area, lets be real), and ready to go sit in the grass outside.

It’s nice to have our evenings back. I’m looking forward to walks at night with the pups and strolling down to the old school theater and patch of restaurants a few streets over with Trey. I’m a spring/summer person through and through. I appreciate snow and cold weather, but prefer warmth and sun over the cold any day. When I was choosing where to go to grad school, I chose sunny San Diego because of the heat, and when I was deciding which animal to study, I chose rare beaked whales in a remote part of the Caribbean because of the turquoise blue waters (well, and these crazy critters). My grandmother used to say it was the mediterranean blood in me, but whatever it is, the sun makes me feel just a little more alive.

So, yesterday we took advantage of a short work day and extra hour of sunlight and took the pups to the park. Keeper is 13 weeks now and huge. She is sweet as can be. Her favorite things right now are Jack, chasing Mila (our cat), skateboards, and people. This week she mastered “give paw…other paw”. Little girl was so tired after chasing Jack at the park. We dropped her off at home and went and got Nepalese food, and when we got back she was still sleeping. Puppies are basically the cutest things ever.

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DOG PEOPLE / A new series

February 9th, 2015

John Steinbeck had Charley. Alfred Hitchcock had a Terrier named Sarah. James Dean had his beloved border collie and Audrey Hepburn had a york terrier named Mr. Famous. Charles Dickens had a shepherd mix named Turk. Johnny Cash had a wirehound named Sandy and Billie Holiday had a pit bull named Mister. David Bowie had a dachshund named Doxie. Norman Rockwell brought his dog to work with him every single day and Pablo Picasso’s dog ‘Lump’ appeared in 54 of his works. Some of the greatest minds of our time have accredited their dogs as not only being their best friends, but biggest muses.

And they weren’t the only ones. Dogs and humans have had a long history together. From what we know, early dogs (wolves) likely began approaching human camps to scavenge on food scraps the humans had discarded. And early humans recognized it would be beneficial to have the dogs around to guard the camps and help them hunt. From there, a mutually beneficial relationship was formed and over the course of thousands of years, the wild wolves that once approached human camps hoping to score a free meal became the domesticated version of the dogs we know and love today (that’s really oversimplifying, but you get the jist). Dogs now play an integral part in the culture and lives of humans around the world. Their intelligence and ability to adapt to the needs of the people they live with make them the perfect workers, guardians, companions and more.

The other day when I was out with my dog, Jack, someone said something to me that made me think. If you have a dog, you’ve likely heard it before too. A young guy bent down to pet Jack and Jack started licking his hand excitedly. “Sorry! He’s friendly” I said, almost involuntarily at this point. “No worries”, he responded back to me, “I’m a dog person”. My encounter with the guy got me thinking. What does it really mean to be a dog person? Is there anything all dog people have in common besides a love for dogs? What does a dog person look like? To get a better sense of this, I’ll be profiling people I meet with their dogs and posting their photos and answers to a few questions here. They may be people I encounter on the street, or someone I come across on a road trip, they could be a fellow blogger or someone I see on Instagram, or even people we meet during our travels to other countries.

I have some great people lined up and I can’t wait to share their stories!

Photos above: one. two. three. four. five. six. seven. eight. nine. ten. eleven. twelve.

(Psst: for more about paintings like the Norman Rockwell one up there (and other artists), check out Artsy’s Normal Rockwell page covering his life and works. Pretty neat!)

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