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? …

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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!

nature’s watercolor

i bought some festive-colored tulips at the grocery store a few days ago. they’ve since started to wilt and unfold. as i was going to toss them in the garbage, i realized the explosion of color that i’d been missing . . .

 

          

have you ever looked inside a tulip?

can we say … procrastination?

[jumping to get mid-air photobooth pictures!]

fall fruits

when fall rolls around each year, i get the itch to find hearty, healthy recipes.  around christmas time, it turns into a sugar-fest, but for now this list of recipes involving “fall fruits” is satisfying my appetite for somewhat-healthier new things to try!  i will definitely be making the mixed greens with sauteed pears sometime soon. 

        

[all pictures courtesy of domino magazine online]

punkin

answers.

law school is all about the questions.

professors teach in the socratic method, drilling home that the answers must come from us not them. 

even today, my constitutional law professor (who wrote our textbook, a large supplement to the text, & other law books) asks only questions. does not give any answers. students have expressed their anxiety at his overly-socratic method and he responded today by saying that we must “own” our law educations, not merely seek to fill in the blanks with professor’s words. “we’re not that smart,” he mumbled. 

i disagree with that last part, but he’s right about the rest.

this questioning is SO TIRING sometimes. i read & read & read. go over class notes & book notes & supplementary material. I read some more. and rarely do the answers jump off the page. 

i see problems outside, on the street, in the tenderloin. i see crack/heroine addicts. i see alcoholics. i see despair. 

rarely are the answers as blatant as the questions & the problems & the confusion.

 

all of this reminds me of a letter rilke wrote to a young poet that i used to read to myself in undergrad when i wasn’t so sure about what to do with myself or my life or the problem that had poked it’s wiry little head up at that moment:

this wedding weekend

i just spent a fabulous weekend in san antonio, texas, for kirstin’s wedding!

it was such a great way to see & catch up with many of my college friends…

we chatted at a luncheon:

we were lavished with thoughtful gifts from the bride:

we laughed at cheesily-texan people & adornments:

we explored the riverwalk:

we went to the alamo:

we oooohhed & ahhhhed at the church during the rehearsal:

we ate yummy mexican food and had many laughs at the rehearsal dinner:

we were all stunned by kirstin & her calm demeanor on her wedding day:

& (of course) we had a BLAST at the reception, dancing the night away!:

(the awesome band girls!)

(gorgeous cake!)

(pretty bouquets!)

c’est magnifique!

paris 1962: yves saint laurent & dior, the early collections

i always find myself searching for this beautiful art book in shops, just to thumb through the pages once more (border’s, anthropologie, etc.)  … it’s really more of a photography book than one for fashion fanatics.

i love the time period and mood of the photos more than anything. they exude mystery, warmth, aristocracy, sentimentality, & all through that very french-inspired/audrey hepburn look. 

although each photo is in black & white, you hardly notice the lack of color, as the many shades of grey create a color palette of their own. SO marvelous!

i ♥ pac heights

just wanted to share some pac heights news with you  . . .
so, today, as i was riding the bus to work, i noticed a mass of people on fillmore… a bunch of camera crews, a man in a black beret, huge lighting apparatuses, tripods & neat yellow cones to direct traffic away from the mess.

i asked someone on the bus what was going on, and they said they were shooting a movie. like, “it’s no big deal, honey, just a movie.” but i’m thinking, HOW COOL IS THAT? they’re shooting a movie on fillmore. like 3 blocks from my little studio apartment. i’m sure the movie will be fab, i mean, can you think of a cuter location? i wonder if they need any extras??

& if you were wondering, here’s a list of movies that – at least in part – were shot in pacific heights:

down to you, the wedding planner, mrs. doubtfire, pacific heights (called a “horror film for yuppies,” of course!), dr. doolittle, the princess diaries, basic instinct, nine months, and the list goes on… 

(carrie & i outside of bittersweet on fillmore)

pac heights: the neighborhood.  the shopping. the architecture.

wordle

wordle turned my rambling mind into something beautiful.

these were just some of my conscious thoughts as of 9:18 on this tuesday night.

cheers to thursday!

this morning i woke up thankful. happy and thankful.

this doesn’t happen everyday. i am not exactly what you’d call a morning person. i’ve tried & tried & tried to enjoy mornings, but it just never sticks.

i don’t necessarily wake up completely grumpy. i just feel the weight of sleepiness heavy on me, & after dozens of hits on the snooze button, i dizzily stumble to the shower.

if i go for a run in the early hours, i don’t even really wake up until about halfway through the run … it’s kind of sad. i think this means i’m hopeless.

despite all of this, i woke up this morning with a grin – a silly, innocent, little-child-with-golden-ringlets grin across my face. (i’m pretty sure my ever-elusive dimples even popped out for a bit.) i felt refreshed. & it wasn’t really due to any extra sleep. in fact, i had less than normal – as i decided to START laundry last night at, oh, about 10:30!

the morning light seemed softer. my bed felt cozier. the cool breeze coming through the window seemed scented even, i swear!

i made some coffee. ate some fruit & cereal. & hopped onto 3191 (a beautiful photography site – check out their cute backstory here) & found a shot that captured how i felt. . .

so cheers to thursday! & many more mornings like this.

life as it should be.

grape vines curl effortlessly around the rope…

aren’t daisies the friendliest flowers?

on his perch, reading whitman.

so peaceful, walking through the vines.

he gave her this flower.

ashland is home to the enormously

popular shakespeare festival.

a park in ashland: don’t the trees look like they’re flying by, while the car is stationary?

grape, anyone?

i loved the shadows this time of day.

crackling fire – can you see us cuddling on the porch?

… bye oregon!

 

oregon trip, may 2008.

refreshed.

just got back from an amazingly relaxing weekend in oregon.

a much-needed break from the recently hectic life i’ve been leading here in san francisco.

we stayed at a friend’s beautiful vineyard in oregon. honestly, i can say that I finally received the inner rest that i’d been needing so badly these past few weeks & months. i was surrounded by wonderfully welcoming, loving people, in a warmly comforting country home, amidst some of the most beautiful scenery i’ve ever seen – luscious green mountains, prancing deer, puppies, sheep, a horse, grape vines, wildflowers, & crisp, clear spring air.

& boy, did we eat well – for breakfast, lunch & dinner. 

i also began reading a very fitting book: “the geography of bliss: one grump’s search for the happiest places in the world.” it’s an intriguing account of a journalist’s travels around the world, in search of the “happiest place.” his very personal stories of some popular and remote locations are fascinating. before today, i did not even know bhutan existed!

we slept in (some of us), went for a hike, ate big breakfasts and even bigger dinners, read walt whitman, had an impromptu “happening,” avoided cellphones and computers, watched a movie (my big, fat, greek wedding), sat by the fire while it crackled (it was chilly in the mornings & evenings!), celebrated a friend’s birthday, relaxed in the jacuzzi under the stars after dinner, generally laughed and had a good time … & i forgot all about the stresses of law school & decided to take lots of pictures – i was trying to make up for the lack of photos taken over the past year. (they will be added soon!)

just what i needed.