why i love youtube

business in the front, party in the back

When you see a mullet, do you ever wonder what it might feel like to have one? I'm not talking about how it is to wear a mullet wig or any of that sissy stuff. I'm talking the real deal. Today I saw one in the Civic Center muni station. Though it was nearly covered by a baseball cap, the buzzed sides were peaking out in all their glory. And that's where it hit me, like it never had before: not only does a mullet look gross, it would feel gross too! Just think about that flap of hair tickling your neck and softly grazing the middle of your back. Yuck!

turning off the ol' brain space

Yesterday my mom surprised me with pink pepper spray. Not in the eye, but packaged for my use "because Market Street can be scary". I insisted that Market St, where I work during the day, is not scary because (a) if you leave the crazies alone chances are they'll leave you alone, and (b) it's highly patrolled by armed policemen. To this her response was, "Well you never know. Just take it anyways and keep it in your purse." Kind of stoked from receiving a pink pepper spray device and perplexed by my mom's fear of the city, I decided to examine the directions to figure out how to use the darn thing. I'm just hoping this "gift" which is supposed to protect me from danger will turn around and bite me in the butt. And by this I mean I fear I will spray my own eyes out.

Lately I've been feeling pretty restless, as if I just can't turn off the brain space. I own too many things which equates to cluttered space. Cluttered brain space. Perhaps a move is necessary. I live too far away from everything anyways. The SF boonies, save the close proximity to the beach, are not keeping my interest. I need to be closer to work, closer to friends, closer to...people. I love big cities. I thrive off them. I get my fill at work downtown, but I need more. Where's the local coffee shop? No clue. Where's a good restaurant? No clue. Where's a delicious bakery? No clue. See where I'm going with this?

Then I think, perhaps all I need is a good clearing out of things, just things. I have some weird bond with these things. I buy something, it keeps my interest for a while, then I sell it and buy something new. I haven't been good with my budget since I've moved to San Francisco and the 1st of February is as good a time as any to start watching that coin purse. What I need is a task master. No, I'm not talking about one of those people you can find in the personals ads on Craigslist. I could use someone to just sit there, beer in hand, and ask me questions like "When was the last time you used that?" and "When would you ever use that?," and tell me things like "You really don't need that" and "Honey, you need to put that down!" Guess I was chanelling my roommate Ian on that last one. He's a pro at helping me get rid of things. Perhaps I'll exchange my clutter project with his Vangina project. He's moving out next month and will be living in his 1970s van so charmingly named and labeled "Vangina" by its previous owner. What can I say, the name is just too fun to use in everyday conversation.

So on to a plan of action. I'll sell clothes I haven't worn in a couple months, organize my shoes, get rid of items I haven't used in a few months, sell some things on craigslist, and get rid of the piles of unwanted junk accumulating in the garage. Easier said than done.

sugar paste

I have recently learned about sugar paste, pastillage and fondant, which are used in decorating cakes. It makes them look really fancy, like this:

Intrigued, I picked up some books at the library and have since decided to embark upon a new frontier, that of cake decorating. Though the designs look intricate and too difficult for a beginning cake artist like myself, I hear from Meghan that it's pretty easy to use and I'll take all the encouragement I can get. Actually, I'm super excited and not really worried about how it will turn out because I have something called a good feeling about this.

As there are many tools I'll need to dive into this new-found hobby of mine, I've created a list of things to buy (or receive as gifts, hint hint) and places to buy them.

Items:
rolling pin
non-stick mat
circular cutters set
Kitchenaid tabletop mixer
specialty cutters (petals & leaves

Places:
Cookin'
   415.861.1854
   339 Divisadero x Oak
   Tue-Sat 12p-6:30 Sun 1-5
Cooks Boulevard
   415.647.2665
   1309 Castro x 24th
   Mon-Fri 11-7 Sat 10-7 Sun 10-6

lean, mean grilling machine

Today I purchased an unused George Foreman grill for $20. Meghan and I made turkey burgers which turned out to be a-mazing! I foresee myself getting pretty into the grilling of foods. And look! It even catches its own fat!

the beach, the sun, and all things nature

My mini adventures this winter have made me realize that I absolutely love the ocean. Being a surfer is out of the question due to my paralyzing fear of sharks, but I definitely can't see myself living anywhere unsuitable for a day trip to the beach.

This is from a trip to Pigeon Point with Andrea. What started as an over-night stay quickly turned into a day trip upon disappointing news about their newly non-functioning hot tub. We had planned on staying at the hostel in preparation for our Europe trip this coming June, but chose to enjoy the tide pools before heading outta there!

The weather was beautiful this past weekend, so my roommate Meghan and I headed out for a bike ride through Golden Gate Park and along the beach. She took me to this stunning place with an incredible vantage point of the beach and ocean. I was in love with the place, gazing up at the birds wondering what it would be like to soar above the ground like them. Next time I go there on a sunny day I'm wearing a bikini, lathering on the sunscreen, and bringing my journal...which reminds me, I should write in that soon.

kibbens

Every once in a while I find myself watching cat videos at work, and at home, and at friends' houses...Anyways, here's my favorite so far.

so this is the new year

Typically I'm not a fan of new year's resolutions. They usually entail losing weight, quitting smoking, getting out of debt...You know, things that don't end up happening. That is why I have decided to come up with a list of things I can do to spend my free time wisely:


1. Cycling. Numero uno on my list, it helps me get in shape, explore the city, hang out with friends, and stay motivated. Eventually I intend to make my way to Santa Cruz with some stylin' bike shorts and a cycling jersey.














2. Baking. I only put baking after cycling for the mere reason that if I were to bake more than cycle, I would have to make a new year's resolution not to lose weight, but in fact, get huge. The amount I cook in general needs to increase, but I have a special fondness in my heart for baking. It makes me happy to share what I've created with others, and of course to devour it myself.












3. HTML. I figure HTML language & codes and whatever else you so choose to call it can't be that difficult. And since all I want to do with it is to make this blog look fancy, there's probably not much to learn. This should take up the majority of my time I spent on Facebook in the prior year.










4. Money. Spend it on goods which foster my sense of creativity and need for adventure. See above.

5. Cognition. Think before speaking. Speak what I mean.

the office idiot

Today I became the office idiot, and I did so by burning the popcorn. After finishing my bag of favorite chips I was still hungry. Lacking much variety in my cubicle, I went for the popcorn. 3 minutes to go until my tummy could be fed. Big mistake. When I went to retrieve this bag of buttery deliciousness I found that this kitchen smelled terribly and was filled with smoke. Lucky for me the room wasn't on fire; however, I did manage to make the entire floor reek of singed mock butter. To make matters worse, for a good 10 minutes my co-workers were complaining about the smell and thought something was on fire. Good job, Allyson!

it's time to get fancy schmancy

I love my friends. I consider myself fortunate to have met so many wonderful people over the past several months, and for the amazing friends I have known for a long time. Wishing to share our friends with each other, my roommates and I threw a holiday party. Originally themed "tacky Christmas sweater", it was soon changed to "fancy schmancy" for it seemed as though every party in San Francisco required over-sized sweater attire.

Meet the Friendship Thunderdome. I live with these rad people and enjoy their company on the daily. Group hug at our fancy schmancy holiday party!


We consist of Anatasia, Ryan, Ian, Dustin and myself.


I made these cookies for the guests.


Many of my friends were sweet enough to make it for the festivities. Meet Amanda, Brooke, Colleen, Andrea, Ashley, and Joanna.


My lovely ladies Amanda and Jenna.


Some jerk erased our Christmas faces.


Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

omgz

Gotta love Martha.