Callahan makes me wanna get romantic.

All I want to do is get stoned and dance with you and listen to Warpaint on repeat.

I just sent in my first application to a real post-graduation jobby job. Fingers crossed.

dreamboat

...so he could help me change this:



into this:

I want to date a mechanic.

Yes

It would be a shame if anything like that happened, since they got along so well.

My cat has a super power. She can smell like anyone I miss.

I just finished watching Girl on a Motorcycle (1968), an amazing film featuring the stunning Marianne Faithfull ripping through beautiful, winding European roads. I've fallen in love. Added a few more motorcycle movies to the Netflix queue.

•Easy Rider (1969)
•The Wild One (1953)
•Knightriders (1981)
•The Roadside Prophets (1992)

Coven misses Fuchsia.

I'm going to be a worrywart mother.

Plant porn! Start from the first entry. Trust me.

Margot just hunted, killed, and ate a fly. Pretty rad (proud mum!).

Found this on Flora Grubb's blog. Can I live here already?

Always drawn toward the Sagittarius.

hella badass

A couple months ago I was riding around town on a 1983 Yamaha Riva 80 scooter, which I lovingly referred to as Spandy. She taught me how to ride a motorized, two-wheeled vehicle and a lot about how people driving cars can be real assholes. She brought me to school, to work, and just about anywhere in the city I wanted to go. One of the main things she lacked, though, was power. Putting up Market Street and onto Portola Drive proved to be a bit of a challenge for ol' Spandy. I quickly stopped caring about the line of cars trailing behind me as I shouted words of encouragement to my bike all the way up the hill.

Soon I began checking out every scooter and motorcycle in sight. One day I laid eyes on a beautiful Honda CB360T parked on campus. I fell in love like I'd never fallen in love before. I couldn't get that bike out of my mind! Spandy was fun, but that Honda was the coolest bike I had ever seen. Suddenly I wanted to go faster up hills, hug corners, and wear leather. I wanted a motorcycle.

Right now it couldn't be better timing for me to invest in a motorcycle. I live in a relatively safe neighborhood, ie. not the Tenderloin; there's ample parking in front of my house; and I have amazing friends who know everything about motorcycles. More pressingly, I have a hole burning in my pocket for that very model I fell in love with a couple months ago. I was scouring Craigslist, checking upwards of fifteen times a day. I was determined to find my motorcycle soulmate again! Meanwhile I signed up for the motorcycle class to teach me the basics of riding a clutch and bypass the driving test for my M1 license. June 28, 30, and 31 I'll be in class, and while I'm a bit nervous about it, I feel as though my experience riding Spandy prepared me for the feel of a motorized vehicle between my legs. hah.

I called a guy about a 1972 Honda CB350 cafe racer last Thursday, which I ultimately didn't have a desire to buy. I expressed my desire for a 350 or 360, and just my luck, he happened to be selling a 1975 Honda CB360T! Sonja and I rushed over to check it out. I couldn't believe my eyes...it was in perfect shape! Less than 1300 original miles, no rust, seat in great shape, ran well. Sold for $1800 - it was mine!


My dad and Sonja's boyfriend Jhase suggest I keep the fairing (windshield) on because it's a collector's item and will be helpful during long rides, which I plan on taking. Jhase is hooking me up with his painter so I can match it to the rest of the bike. I'd rather not look like a '70s police woman cruising around town! The plastic shield on the fairing is etched with an odd, flowered tribal design, resembling that of a tramp stamp. Jhase also suggested I name the bike Tramp Stamp because of the ridiculous etching. Love it! This name will probably stick because it's that hilarious. There are a lot of things I have to get done before I start riding it everywhere, and while Jhase started rattling off a long list of things for my to-do list, I only really remember that a paint job and new tires were among them.


view of Tramp Stamp from my window
Now with a new motorcycle comes leather. While its purpose is protection, who says you can't be safe AND be stop-dead-in-your-tracks hot? I have to do some boot shopping before driving class and I'll be looking for a killer lace-up, leather pair. Girl on a Motorcycle will serve as inspiration.

Finally, I've gotten a job at a rad, local café like I'd always imagined I'd be doing at this time of my life. Now that I'm finished with school, living on my own with nice, sane roommates, and back to crafting and baking, life couldn't be better. In a matter of two days I was hired at Mojo Bicycle Café, a bike shop/café combo that serves strong lattes, yummy sandwiches, and repairs bikes all in one place with great music. Oh and the staff? Amazing. Genuine, sick people. I'm stoked! And, for the first time ever, I have a job where I get tips for work that actually should be tipped...unlike the café in Barnes & Noble or at Kara's Cupcakes. Mama's bringing home the bacon, Margot!

Rebounds: sometimes rule, never pan out.

Should be asleep but instead I find myself listening to his music. Non stop.

This gives me a good feeling.

So this is how it's supposed to feel.

I wish the ex would stop thinking he is a character in some backwards romantic French novel who is being tortured by the loss of his lover.

Where was this book when I was a child? All I got was a lousy mouse and his cookie. Ok, so the moose and his muffin (top) are quite adorable, but nothing beats cats and baking.

Being financially strapped is no fun. Every purchase incited buyer's remorse, regardless of need. For the past few months I've been nannying one day a week and using the small bit of savings I have left to live. I had too much free time and was wasting it away doing...well, I'm not sure exactly. Much of that time was quite possibly spent working on my new food blog, so I won't count it as a total loss. I was scouring the domestic gigs and childcare listings on Craigslist, only to come up with a couple random babysitting jobs. A whole lot of ads I'd e-mailed myself, which means a whole lot of ads to which I didn't bother responding. Basically, I hadn't been helping my cause. The defeatist attitude hadn't helped.

One day while I was searching Craigslist, Dallas suggested that I apply for a part-time position in which I'd actually be interested. Though I love children, I've been yearning to increase my vocabulary and communication skills rather than teach toddlers how to speak. Kara's Cupcakes were looking to hire a part-time Cupcake Ambassador and Karavan driver, and I immediately jumped at the opportunity to send in my resume.

So what if it's not in social work? I'll be happy being surrounded by baked goods...for the time being. I'm graduating in less than a month (let the heart-attacks begin) and grad school is a mere sparkle of a thought in the distance. There are plenty of opportunities available to me, and these last couple years I've come to realize that life is short, so why not enjoy it! An ex-boyfriend of mine was always telling me this and he's always truly practiced this. If only I weren't so stubborn I would have learned this lesson several years ago. Well, the past is the past and I'm just happy I started to embody this trite saying. There are plenty of people who go about each day working a miserable 9-5 job, never having experienced...life.

Getting back to Kara's, after two interviews (the second being with Kara herself!) I've been hired as Kara's Cupcakes newest employee. I'm pretty sure my nearly-overbearing enthusiasm for baked goods and open availability post-graduation helped me land the position. Yay retail experience! Yay no more babies! Yay cupcakes!

I have started a new blog called so.fancy.free at Wordpress. It is a fresh start for my entrance into the food blog world, and I think it's going pretty well so far. Please let me know what you think! This blog at Blogspot will remain active for general thoughts and photographs I come across that tickle my fancy.

My mom is getting married in September to her high school sweetheart (total Lifetime flick material) and I've offered to make the wedding cake. Being that the land of tiered cakes is new to me, this is going to take a lot of research and practice. Martha Stewart's wedding section on her website is a helpful reference, but The Knot and Once Wedare even better. The color scheme is green and brown, and she wants fresh figs on the cake. Luckily she is open to suggestions with regard to the style, type, and other specifications of the cake. I love new baking challenges!

Perhaps my new blog focus will be baking, crafts, and kitties.


My new kitchen. Plants and fresh flowers (thank you, Dallas!) make me so happy - and want to bake even more...if that's possible.


Fresh flowers every week. Lovely.


I found these porcelain canisters at my favorite thrift store in Redwood City. Don't think I'll disclose the name as I'd hate for this little gem to be tainted by an influx in customers.


Dallas and I have become obsessed with these ice cream bars, and it doesn't help that our local corner store has an entire freezer case devoted to them. So far my favorite is the strawberry, though that is really TBD until I've finished all these.

Lately I've become inspired by the many fantastic food (esp baking) blogs I follow. Lovely photos, annotated recipes, and life updates. I do like my blog, don't get me wrong. It's just a little unorganized, and being that I've a type A personality, I'd like to focus in on a couple interests: baking and kitties. Pretty things too, but that's a given. Haven't decided if I will start anew, but I'll keep you (the whole handful of you who actually read my blog) updated. Love you, supportive friends!



Margot is 10 months old this March!


Monster hunting.


Margot is quite the Nosy Nelly from her new apartment window. Birds a plenty!

Dear Allyson,

Allocate more time for creative endeavors.

Love,
Your secret admirer






PS - Please cook more delicious meals.


PPS - Good girl.

drool.

Once again I have found a new fixation: buying a motorcycle. Ever since I purchased Spandy I've been experiencing intermittent feelings of bad-ass and total wimp. I walk around carrying this full-faced helmet which misleads people into believing I ride a motorcycle. Tricked you. I ride a scooter. While Spandy is ridiculously fun to ride, she tends to be too slow and makes me feel like a (cute) pansy.

This comes to the part where I decided I need (read: want) a motorcycle. I came to this conclusion when I was minding my own business walking to the school of social work office on campus. Since purchasing Spandy I've become a dirty old man, eyeing every motorcycle in sight and sizing up their specs (which are purely aesthetic as I've no understanding of much more...I leave that up to my friend Constantine). Last Thursday my eyes feasted upon the beauty that is the Honda CB360T. Turns out it belongs to a friend of Constantine, and check this, she's a chick. Yeaaahh. This lady is awesome.


See what I'm talking about?
My dad calls the other day and I tell him about my new found love for this motorcycle when he tells me he JUST SOLD HIS FOR FUCKING PENNIES. Sure, it was a real project bike but I figure if I'm going to be riding one I should know how to fix it. This, of course, broke my little excitable heart. His broke more.

These Honda CBs cost anywhere from $800 to $2000 on Craigslist. Before I spend such bills, I must determine if I indeed want a motorcycle or simply fancy myself a killer set of leathers.


vintage ad

I don't believe the three slices of bacon, three-egg omelette, and two whole wheat pancakes I made myself for brunch will help me to lose this double chin rapidly growing on my face.

I've enrolled in a nutrition for wellness class at SFSU, and I'm enjoying it already. It's making me think twice about what I eat (and after thinking, I usually eat it anyways). But that's not the point. The point is that the professor introduced us to a handy pyramid tracker which allows a person to determine the nutritional information of the food they eat each day. It truly is an awesome tool for learning to lead a healthy lifestyle. Chances are I'll only use it a few times after quickly tiring of it, but it may just help me lose this second chin.

Margot threw up her first hairball this morning. At SIX O'CLOCK AM. And I stepped in it. Many thanks to Constantine for bringing me a towel so that I didn't have to traipse about the house with kitty spit between my toes.

prick.

For a while a was a real wild child. I'm calming down now. For the time being.

In unrelated news, I bought a 1983 Yamaha Riva80. That's a scooter in layman's terms. Meet Spandy:



I've had cat hair stuck in my throat for the last hour. Can humans get hairballs?

over it. almost.

Every so often I get an idea stuck in my head and just can't get it out. That is, until I have researched and thought about said idea to the point of exhaustion. Or until I've actually gone through with the idea. Both have equal chances of happening. I'll figure out the statistics once I've passed that dreadful class.

This week it's scooters. On my recent, second trip to Portland, I had a dream in which my friend bought a vintage scooter on Craigslist for $25 and, needless to say I, in the dream, immediately fancied the idea of '50s dress-wearing Allyson cruising around town on two motorized wheels. Since awakening from my dream, I've had this burning desire to be fancy free about town. With the ever-increasing monthly Muni passes, it seems like being the proud owner of a 60mpg scooter might be an economically sound decision. Besides, I think I'd look pretty fucking rad (though more likely just insane) traveling about town wearing Margot in my leopard-print kitty backpack. Brainstorming ways to make a buck here and there so I can pay for a good quality scooter that will last me a while. Might actually resort to asking the grandma for miscellaneous paid chores about the museum, err, her home.

The following sums up pretty well how I envision myself looking with this new scooter.**


Here I am in color-coordinating outfits with my scooter gang of beautiful female friends. We're on our way to peruse vintage bakeware before snagging ourselves equally beautiful boyfriends over delicious microbrews. "I've only had two officer," as I hold up my index and middle fingers, combined with the brightest smile.


**Disclaimer: I often imagine myself living in a 1950s bubblegum fantasy world where I run around in a wardrobe consisting strictly of pretty dresses and hot ruffled bikinis. "Where the beer flows like wine and beautiful [men] instinctively flock like the salmon of Capistrano." A girl can dream. Shiiit.

In all reality, I'll end up looking like this minus the supportive yet fearful boyfriend on back:

Wanting more has gotten me nothing, for what is it that I desire?