today’s lesson: if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.

While U.S. President Abraham Lincoln had his share of successes, he had more of his share of failures.  He failed in business, ran for the Illinois State Legislature and at first was defeated, went into business again and went bankrupt, ran for Speaker of the Illinois State Legislature and was defeated, was defeated in his efforts to secure nomination to the U.S. Congress, was rejected for an appointment for the U.S. Land Office, was defeated in a U.S. Senate race, and two years later was defeated again in a nomination for vice presdient.  Then, in 1860, he became our 16th president and saved the Union.  To the best of my knowledge, not even his present-day detractors call him incompetent.

- A Class with Drucker, William A. Cohen

attention foodies!

tonight, robert & i made dinner.  i’m talking an all-out, homemade-everything meal.

for the last few fridays, we’ve been trying new recipes of dishes we’d never attempted before.  it’s a fairly inexpensive, fun way to spend a friday night, if you ask me!  ;)  martha stewart would be proud…

tonight, we made gruyere & chive scones from scratch. you can find the recipe here.

we also made homemade risotto with mushrooms, asparagus, and parmesan cheese.  so delicious.  i highly recommend this recipe for anyone who loves risotto.  it does take quite a bit of time of stirring the dish while standing over a hot stove, but the final result is completely worth the effort!  (at one point, i had to leave the freezer door open to cool myself off … darn, my teensy-weensy, stuffy kitchen.)  you can find the risotto recipe here.  (it’s a recipe from martha stewart’s personal chef, so i guess we should’ve known it would be a bit complicated.)

any new recipes you’ve tried that you’d be willing to share here?

ciao,

fall flowers

could these flower arrangement be any more perfect?!

i don’t think so . . .

[both pictures from a "we like it wild" post this morning on design*sponge. eat your heart out!]

made me smile

perhaps it will make you smile too…

i love the emotion on their faces. such conviction.

in the spirit of fall

after reading posts about fall on the blogs of a dear friend and my sister, i thought i’d capture what i love most about this season.

autumn is great because …

• the films: i can watch you’ve got mail with a cup of coffee on a saturday morning and chalk it up as a personal, fall tradition (not that i don’t watch the movie other times of the year) … the only problem with this little tradition is that it makes me want to book a plane ticket to new york the very minute the opening credits roll. other favorite fall films include: love actually, funny face, father of the bride, & any of the friends episodes that revolve around thanksgiving (i cheated, that’s not a movie, but close enough!)
• the food: they sell pumpkin pie at the grocery store … one of my favorite desserts! and, oh how i love trying new fall recipes from here & here. last but not least, let’s not forget about thanksgiving dinner – hello, fall feast!
• the colors: changing leaves and warm-colored flowers are right up my alley.
• the decorations: i can buy mini pumpkins to decorate my apartment. they are just so darned cute!
• the smells: williams-sonoma sells their spiced chestnut candle that i buy, as a treat for myself, every fall … it smells like a homemade pumpkin pie is in the oven. nothing better! and while we’re on the “smell” theme, i will admit, i’m a fan of pumpkin spice lattes (so yummy & sweet), and oh how i love the smell of coffee shops as they’re making these fall-themed drinks!
• the clothes: now, i realize that in san francisco, the weather tracks fall almost all year round, but i am a girl with a heart for fall and winter clothes. i do love dresses, but my favorite seasonal clothing has got to be layered sweaters, jackets, jeans, boots, and clothes with hints of dark browns and greens. truth be told, i don’t spend much money on clothes these days, but i do love to check out the fall trends on j.crew.com, even if merely to window-shop!
• the music: maybe it’s just me, but i also love listening to fall-themed songs this time of year. a few of my favorites? –  ”i love the rain the most” by joe purdy; “fire” by rachel loshak; “the city” by matt kearney; “nobody knows me at all” by the weepies; “both sides now” by joni mitchell; “if you were coming in the fall” by carla bruni; “sea green, see blue” and “corduroy” by jaymay; & pretty much anything by frank sinatra.
• the upcoming break: it’s not long until christmas and a month-long break (although, this will most likely be my last such break). also, this break doesn’t come without a price = final exams!

enjoy your fall, wherever you are!

xoxo

promises like pie crust*

for those of you that wait anxiously for updates to this blog (most likely none of you)… i would like to apologize for the extremely long gap in posting.

these last few weeks have been filled with more running around, stressing out, & altogether anxiety than normal.

i am hoping that a brief recap of things i’ve been up to will fill the void in your lives that has been empty for so long (almost a month – since my last post on candyland, august 19, to be exact).

what i have been up to -

• going to class, reading for class, and (due to my own misfortune) being called on multiple times in every one of my classes.  these include:  federal income tax (challenging, but surprisingly, i love it!); corporations (the professor is a renowned corporate law expert – he shows up on news stations all the time & gets cited by courts in cases; we aren’t required to buy a casebook but must subscribe to the wall street journal); state & local government law; administrative law; and contract writing & analysis (highly practical & super interesting).
• training 2Ls how to do journal tasks & doing my own editing to law journal articles — this requires copious amounts of time spent up on the 22nd floor of the mcallister tower, in the law journal office (at least there’s a really cool view).
• applying for clerkships with federal judges for after i graduate law school — although i do not intend to even get interviews for any of these highly-competitive positions, i’m proud of myself for sending out dozens of applications.  this includes drafting cover letters, acquiring recommendations from professors, editing my resume & writing sample, among other things.
• applying to internships for next semester — this includes pretty much everything mentioned above.
• stressing out.
• cooking & baking to de-stress — this includes: one of the best homemade blackberry pies robert & i agree we’ve ever tasted (the recipe is from molly’s recipes); homemade tacos with homemade guacamole (& homemade margaritas, to boot!); cookies; homemade arugula and fontina cheese pizza; etc.

exciting events that passed & those that are coming up -

• robert & i celebrated our third anniversary  earlier this month —  oh, how lucky i am to be with sweet robby austin.  as we like to say, “we’re still in love after all these years…”  ha!  robert rented a car, drove me to an undisclosed location (turned out to be adorable los gatos, ca), & had an appointment for a very fancy pedicure for me when we got there.  it was all so thoughtful & a fun way to celebrate!  we even used the car the next morning to drive over the gg bridge to sausalito for breakfast… man, i miss having a car here sometimes.

• a cousin’s wedding in charleston, south carolina on october 3!  – this is the first camp cousin wedding.  i’m sure it will be nothing but classy and fun.  robert is also excited since he’s never been to charleston before.  i just know he’ll fall in love with the city.
• graduating in may 2010 — when i first began law school, they sent me a magnet that said “class of 2010″ on it.  it made graduation seem so far away. i mean, i wasn’t even sure how to say it … twenty-ten or two-thousand-ten? … but now 2010 is so close i can almost taste it.  this is VERY exciting.

*this is the name of a song by carla bruni. (my interpretation of the song: we all make promises sometimes that are so crumbly & weak, yet sweet, that they fall apart the minute you try to grab onto them – like pie crust.  / i promised to update this blog regularly, and this song is a reminder that we all, at times, make good-intentioned promises like pie crust.)  other carla bruni favorites include:  l’amoureuse, le temps perdu, l’antilope, l’excessive, la derniere minue, & quelqu-un qui m’a dit.  yes, this is the “loose” woman (also: singer, songwriter, & former model) who is married to the annoying french president nicolas sarkozy.

i still like her music.  especially the french stuff.

xoxo

it’s gonna be sweet!

for the 60th anniversary of candyland they have turned the crookedest street (lombard) into a life-size version of the board game!

this is what the street normally looks like: 

i have SO many memories of playing this game with my sister, brother, and friends down the street on seven oak court… do you remember the gingerbread people? king kandy? gramma nut? mamma ginger tree? princess lolly? princess frostine? lord licorice? & gloppy the chocolate monster?

from this: 

to this: 

 

from SF Appeal: “the street will be closed to traffic as children from the university of california, san francisco children’s hospital participate in the game as colored game pieces and interact with life-sized game characters, according to organizers.” (why do only children get to play?! oh well…)

i haven’t been able to head over to see it, but i just might have to take a fieldtrip today to see my favorite childhood board game come to life.

voilà!

i’ve been meaning to update this for awhile…

the list (10 things i would like to do before i’m 30): 

• 1.  pass the california bar
• 2.  go skydiving
• 3.  run another (half) marathon
• 4.  cook an entire meal (from appetizers to dessert) for at least 15 people, all by myself 
• 5.  visit italy (lucca, in particular) for the first time + visit london again
• 6.  climb an extremely tall mountain (mt. whitney?)
• 7.  take another french class (+ read a french novel?)
• 8.  watch more oscar-winning films
• 9.  volunteer more to help the poor & homeless in san francisco (and any other city i find myself living)
• 10.  get a dog

    

do any of you have any ideas of things i should add to the list? 

what’s on your list?

in case you were wondering…

[julia child with a very large monkfish, 1979.]

the julie/julia project. if you haven’t seen the movie, i highly recommend it. full of humor, mouth-watering food, real characters, and cuteness. what more could you want from a film?

i found the original julie powell blog. if you’ve seen the movie already, you will probably enjoy this more. 

and, yes, i saw julie & julia TWICE last weekend. i loved it that much!

[amy adams as julie powell in julie & julia.  © 2008 columbia pictures industries, inc.]

working for free

it has become common for college students, graduate students, law students, and those seeking permanent paid employment to take on summer, fall, or spring internships that are unpaid.

i have done my fair share of unpaid internships, and i’ve always looked to them for valuable experience that paid jobs could not provide. working hard for the [future] money, i like to say.

this new york times article & this story got me thinking about the issue.

i will keep my own editorial comments on this topic myself, in the interest of finding out exactly how you all feel about these unpaid internship experiences and the employers that so willingly take on summer employees in exchange for free work.

so… [drumroll, please] … i introduce to you the very first poll on this blog!

please participate. i’m interested to hear your thoughts.

gist, part two

thought i would make another grace in the small things post …

today, i am thankful for…

• an awesome summer boss (he’s a judge) & yummy chocolate cake this morning for his birthday!
• coffee, specifically blue bottle’s bittersweet blend
• sunshine that provided a glowy tan (well, a tan by my skin’s standards. i still look white against most!)
• iphones (yes, i know. this makes me evil. but i am really thankful for it & all the games/internet/phone calls it provides on the long bus rides to & from work.)
• fresh blueberries.
• the dream of a dog in my future. preferably a springer spaniel. one that looks like this! i plan to name her millie. 
• college friends and trips with our moms! 

gist

grace in the small things… it’s never a bad idea to look for things to be thankful for in our daily lives.

as oxford english dictionary defines “grace” — elegance of movement; courteous good will; attractice qualities or behavior; the free and unearned favour of God; a short prayer of thanks. [all great things!]

today, i am thankful for…

 

• a healthy body that allows me to walk, run, ride my bike, go to yoga, & enjoy lots of outdoor activities
• trips with friends, moms, & dads (camping!  oregon!  caribbean cruise!)
• my african violet that always stretches over to the window to reach for the sun & continues to bloom cheery little purple blossoms every few weeks
• unusually warm weather in san francisco
• margaritas! chips & salsa!
• good books & a great local bookstore (browser books, on fillmore)
• fresh-squeezed, homemade lemonade
• real simple magazine
• iced coffee with 1/2 & 1/2
• sweet boyfriends

also, another reason to love my name: “anna” means graceful one.

a week in the mountains

i took a few snapshots on the way to & up in the beautiful mammoth mountains where we went camping for a few days last week.  trips like this make me so thankful to live in such a beautiful state.

what other state has countless wide, sandy beaches, mountains up to 14,000 feet [and snow year-round], deserts, valleys, rolling hills, and so many geographic formations it’s hard to keep track? only in california.

[the whole crew!]

[a ride up the gondola, just for the view]

[at the top - still snow]

[ashley's yummy kebabs with pineapple, bell peppers, & onion - grilled over the campfire]

[on the way to a super mountain bike ride - bikes piled in the back of the truck]

 

p.s. someday i WILL climb mt. whitney [the highest point in california] … who wants to go with me??

does this person look familiar to you? …

..

..

..

..

..

..

that’s because it’s ME!!

i made it online, here. 

photofunia: i  found out about this creative site from a friend. there are a ton of “effects” to choose from. 

{have fun}

staycation*

last weekend, mom & aunt linda came to visit me in san francisco … it was a lovely, relaxing weekend full of beautiful weather & lots of laughter.

we explored all kinds of animals [a mutual love - something proven by the constant dog-talk all weekend] at the cal academy of sciences: 

[an albino alligator]

[a friendly penguin]

[colorful fishies]

+

we ate a tons of good food: 

[tiramisu with extra amaretto ]

+

& we generally enjoyed the beautiful sites of san francisco together: 

[the palace of fine arts, built for the world's fair]

 

 

* what is a staycation, you ask?

bike ride with a view!

over the weekend, robby & i rode our bikes down through the presidio and the marina, near the water, and over by fisherman’s wharf and fort mason.  the weather was absolutely perfect, and it was one of the prettiest bike rides i’ve ever been on . . . 

my style

took the style quiz on sproost.com & discovered mine is . . .

vintage modern

+

cottage chic

+

modern elegance 

 

this might be the first quiz, ever, that turned out to be pretty accurate. 

(i have a long history of taking quizzes with horribly inaccurate results – starting with that first “career aptitude test” we were required to take in high school which informed me that i was best suited for a career as an air traffic controller. i mean, seriously?!! i am SO glad high school tests don’t determine our careers like in france!)

bike ride to the mission…

… for a picnic in delores park!

my break: part II

day 4, tuesday: 

• cooked chicken hash w/an egg for breakfast. YUM!
• baked peach cobbler, just for fun.
• made homemade granola. very impressed with the results. much better than store-bought AND healthier!!
• grilled cheese + brussel sprouts for dinner.

day 5, wednesday: 

• went for a good, long run. 
• worked on cover letters for externship applications.
• researched which classes to take in the fall.  the list, as of now: corporations, tax, contract writing & analysis, negotiations, criminal procedure, comparative corporate governance.  [this list will need to be shortened; i always want to take more classes than i have time for!]

day 6, thursday: 

• ate homemade granola for breakfast with hazelnut coffee (my new favorite!)
• got a little freaked out about not being prepared for my summer job …
• subsequently, did a bunch of cali exercises to brush up on legal writing & research.
• had gumbo at brenda’s french soul food for lunch. SO worth the 45-minute wait!
• exchanged a dress i bought here a few days ago — for a cuter black one. much happier with it!
• went to a “pilates mat” class (& decided i like yoga much better).
• upset the office was a repeat.  :(

day 7, friday: 

• ate homemade granola for breakfast. definitely making this again.
• did four long-overdue loads of laundry (!!!) – it took ALL morning…
• had coffee with a lovely local hastings grad i had met at a hastings clerkship reception. discussed my career path & got lots of excellent advice for the future. thankful to be getting better at networking.  
• took a nap. usually, i have trouble falling asleep, but not today!
• dinner at 1550 hyde cafe & wine bar to celebrate robby’s graduation. SO proud!!
• coffee at nook. a-d-o-r-a-b-l-e!

[if you look closely at the last picture, you can see robby's head is turning to look at the trolley passing outside the window.]

 

my break: part I

before work starts, i have 10 days to spend doing whatever i please. this is how it began…

day 1, saturday: 

• cleaned the entire apartment – bathroom, kitchen, wood floors, & windows. [to some this may not seem relaxing, but i had been waiting to do this for over a month!] 
• helped robby finish up his thesis [yay!] + took it to get printed at kinko’s.
• had dinner at long bar  - salad & calamari.
• went to a friend’s new condo to part-ay!

day 2, sunday: 

• robert made chocolate chip pancakes for us for breakfast [you can get the great mix here].
• picked up robby’s thesis & drove it to palo alto [where his professor lives to ensure on-time delivery].  
• had lunch and shopped a bit in palo. love that cute town so much!! [some day i will see a classic christmas film here.]
• dinner at the blue barn in the marina, san fran. the weather was just so absolutely perfect that we sat outside & absorbed the sunshine.

day 3, monday: 

• made homemade biscuits for breakfast. ate with apricot jam [my all-time favorite!] + orange juice. 
• wrote some overdue thank you cards that had been patiently waiting for me to finish finals.
• brought robby lunch at work. [he now officially has a master's degree - he deserves it!!]
• did a little shopping with some birthday gift cards. [spent entirely too much time looking at cute knickknacks in anthropologie!]
• went for a run.
• dinner with stasie & robby!

Happy Mother’s Day!!!

XOXOXO!

We love you, Debbie & Pam!

may it please the court.

goodness, two of my favorite things: oh, how i love the pursuit of happines [an art blog from nytimes] and how i adore ruth bader ginsberg. 

check out ms. kalman’s newest post here on her visit with and thoughts on justice ginsberg. be prepared to fall in love with her blog too!

secret slides. don’t we all love secrets? …

need a fun, free thing to do in san francisco?? … go to the seward street slides! 

i’ve actually never been, but it looks so fun that i will definitely be trying it out soon.

[the picture is from jordan ferney's blog]

you wear pants & long sleeves. bring a piece of cardboard or plastic & zip down these “secret” [but completely free] slides!

watch a video here.

reminding myself that it’s all about perspective

perspective   (noun)   \per-spek-tiv\   a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; a point of view; to look through, see clearly; true understanding of the relative importance of things.   choosing the right perspective can be key to a good photograph.

 

 

as i head into finals… 

the lesson is that you never know in life whether something is going to work out to your advantage, even if it seems to be a terrible impediment.

- justice ruth bader ginsberg, legal times, justice ginsberg remembers her first steps in the law, november 13, 2007

a san francisco saturday

the boyfriend took me to the MOST AMAZING brunch on saturday – at garibaldi’s on presidio. YUM. i had bacon & potato hash with eggs & fresh-squeezed orange juice. robert had a frittata (all of which was just perfect).

. . . we will definitely go back sometime.

then we headed to the de young for one of the BEST museum experiences i have ever had. there were a few really great exhibits going on – andy warhol live, yves saint laurent, and signs: wordplay in photography. i suggest anyone in san francisco should head over for what will be the best $15 you spend all week! 

. . . subsequently, became intrigued with andy warhol & gathered enough information online to write a report on the guy! (interested? — see here, here, & here)

we also went to kabuki cinema to see duplicity. great movie, but i’m still a bit confused about the ending.

. . . can anyone who’s seen it explain to me why it ended that way?

a beautiful saturday with the darling boyfriend.

i too am in love with a. lincoln

you must check out this wonderful blog post by maria kalman – the blog is titled: the pursuit of happiness. 

what i wish i had time to read…

the financial times [every single column written by monacle's editor, tyler brule]. — hilariously elitist.

the associate, john grisham. —  typical law-related book from this lawyer turned famous author. a law school graduate is forced to take a job at a large, brutalizing law firm.

the death of innocents: a reasonable doubt, adam liptak. — discusses the author’s view that america is executing innocent people. i tend to agree.

the nine, inside the secret world of the supreme court, jeffrey toobin. — explores the “hidden” world of powerful change in the supreme court. many of the justices’ positions will open up in the near future. four of the justices are in their 70s, and john paul stevens is 88! [obama expects to leave a major footprint on the court] the author of the nine was a former US attorney and is now a staff writer at the new yorker and senior legal analyst at CNN [proof it will be well-written]. 

outliers, malcolm gladwell. — i pick up this book and read a little more each time i step in a bookstore. interesting chapter on lessons to be learned from a rags-to-riches lawyer story. 

. . . most are law-related. i guess that means i chose the right profession – something i’m deeply interested in!

forecast: gloomy

is it weird that i sometimes hope it will rain [no, POUR] over the weekend so that i won’t be tempted to ignore studying for the sunshine?

that way i can cozy up in my apartment or a coffee shop, listen to sad music, watch it rain outside, & forget there are more exciting things i could be doing with my time. 

yay! gloomy days ahead . . .

in 2008 i …

Voted for Barack Obama.  Prayed he would win.

Got my law school grades from first year.  Beat myself up about it, then went on with life.

Worked at an immigration firm in SF.  

Felt clients’ pain when Visas and Green Cards were rejected.  Celebrated with clients when applications were approved.

Made a great decision to be a teacher’s assistant for Legal Writing & Research.  Became protective of my “little” 1Ls.

Kept 3 plants alive.  Killed 2 in the process.

Celebrated my twenty-fifth birthday.

Found myself filled with joy as a good friend got married.  Wore dark teal as a bridesmaid.

Cried after I got home from class more than once.  

Learned the healing power of happy hour.

Left my iPhone in a cab.  Felt gratitude for the cabbie that tracked me down.

Joined a community group through my church.  Best decision all year.

Read hundreds of cases – funny, inspiring, sad, boring.  Finally started getting the hang of this law school thing.

Was asked to be on a Journal.

Went white-water rafting.  

Visited San Antonio, a vineyard in Oregon, Palo Alto, Marin, Sausalito, Los Angeles, and others.

Learned that baking is my therapy.  Licked fingers after stirring batter for shortbread, muffins, biscuits, cupcakes, and cookies. 

Tried to cut back on coffee intake.  Fell in love with Vanilla Bean & Orange Dulce teas by Mighty Leaf. 

Bought a fish.  Named her Eleanor after the former First Lady [who happens to share my first name]. 

Scrubbed and bleached the bathtub too many times to count. Affirmed all indications that I am a clean freak.

Decided San Francisco is the most beautiful city in the world.  And too expensive to call home forever.

Fell more in love with my darling boyfriend.  So, so thankful for the ways he loves me and keeps me sane.

Fell in love again with my life.

a vintage holiday

if i could, i would fill christmas with all things vintage …

an old-timely looking christmas tree:

[seen @  sfgirlbybay]

 

vintage ornaments:

[seen @  girlhula's etsy shop]

 

vintage christmas cards:

[seen @ design*sponge]

 

vintage-looking wreath: 

[seen @ potterybarn]

 

vintage black dress, rosemary clooney wore in white christmas: 

 

 

œœ

winter songs, the album

it was awfully chilly in san francisco today. i know this city’s weather doesn’t change too much from month to month, but it sure feels like winter is here to me!

i decorated my apartment last night with christmas lights, a wreath, a mini, silver christmas tree, star ornaments hung from the ceiling, other merry assortments, & berry branches in a vase [from the sweet boyfriend!].

the decorations are doing their job to cheer me up until break starts. two more 24-hour take-home finals are standing between me & a few weeks of relaxation! this break cannot come soon enough.

fa la la la la la laaaa!!!

i’ve been pretty addicted to pandora radio lately & have stuck to listening to lots of different types of holiday music on there, but i also bought a new christmas cd to add to the collection. the cd is also helping to assuage my sad little spirit as i spend all day cooped up, studying for exams.

i highly recommend this newest purchase to all of you. if you’re looking for a great cd full of christmasy music where you find yourself clicking replay over & over again, here’s my pick for this year’s best holiday cd compilation:

winter songs, from the hotel cafe. [it's only $8 on itunes!]

sara bareilles & ingrid michaelson’s opening track, winter song, is simply beautiful!

yay for christmas!

happy winter, everyone!

giving thanks.

for pumpkin pie…

& time with family.

 

if the only prayer you said in your whole life was “thank you,” that will suffice. [meister eckhart]

animal law – vet malpractice

you know a case will be good when it begins with: 

This is the story of “Poopi,” a dog who tried to sue for emotion distress and failed.

perhaps i’ve been reading too many cases lately, but i laughed out loud at the thought of a judge sitting down at his big mahogany desk to write this opinion, a clever little smirk on his aging face.

the case came out of the ohio court of appeals in 2003. you can find it here: oberschlake v. veterinary associates animal hospital

who says print is dead?!

the new york times and other papers began selling out of their print editions today, so many of them pumped out more copies.  the paperboys found lines wrapped around the block for the election-day news, and people were happily waiting in line for hours to get their copy.

the starbucks and small market by my apartment in san francisco [where i often pick up a sunday edition of the nyt here and there] had sold out all of their copies when i checked this morning.  

you can find the glorious story of thousands clamoring for print here. 

for some of us journalism junkies, this is a good sign.  even if this mad dash for print was purely for commemorative reasons, print has a purpose!

need christmas ideas?

here are a few ideas around the internet that i thought were a bit quirky, to say the least . . .

 

smittens

mittens made for two. two singles & one tandem.

 

spoon & fork it over

extendable silverware to help your relatives steal food from your plate?

 

vintage mobile phone attachment

to make your cellphone inconvenient?

 

the digital frame

and it’s not cheap, either!