i had a really amazing long weekend, full of lots of highs and too many lows i wasn't ready for yet. it's sunny and beautiful here in san francisco, but i can't help wishing it was pouring out. i was sort of dreading coming back here-- since i'm feeling so melancholy and all, but this morning i did some of my blog reading rounds and was completely recharged and inspired by thesethreeladies. i love this online blogging community, not only for lifting my heavy heart a bit but for all the contagious inspiration it brings.
I'm hijacking Christina's blog while she's busy with her out of town visitor. My name is Jean that's all I'm telling you about me because I'm not used to this sharing of personal details on the world wide web and I'm terrified my mother will see this one day.
I love my mother. I really do. She is a great person and part of me feels guilty about posting this. But it's not my blog and if she ever finds it I'll say I have no idea who 'Christina' is or why she would post an embarrassing video of her at my brother's wedding.
Yes, this is about my brothers wedding, which I was mildly excited about until my girlfriend and I broke up. Then, whatever visions I had of enjoying the irony of a cheesy wedding in rural Pennsylvania ended as abruptly as my illusions that we could “work it out”.
Arriving at the B&B, I was even more disappointed to not have a date as the frilly white comforter and antiques call out for some dirty raunchy sex. Instead, I start crying. My mother tries to comfort me “Yeah, my friend, who doesn’t know that you were with X or just broke up, was asking me if it was going to be hard for you that your little brother is getting married.”
Well, thanks Mom. Up until now, I was simply mourning the demise of my 4-year relationship but now I’ll also be self-conscious that everyone will be regarding at me as the old-maid sister. Especially since they all think I’m perpetually single since you can’t fess up that your daughter likes girls.
As we’re getting ready, mother starts nagging me that my hair is always in my face and that I look so much prettier when I pull it back which makes me feel like its 1987 and I’m THAT KID, you know the one who hides behind their hair but tries to pass it off as a cool skate ‘do. But I have an $85 haircut and I’m not about to look like this again no matter how much it will please my mother.
At the wedding, I am forced to chitchat nicely with all my parents friends. Howard has been obsessed with me for the past 10 years because he considers himself some sort of socialist radical battling against the homogeny of suburban Boston and thinks we are kindred spirits since I live in the Bay Area. He loves the fact that I worked at Good Vibrations and tells me he still has the catalogues, which makes me incredibly uncomfortable because who wants to talk to their parents friends about sex toys? “Wow,” I say, “that was 7 years ago. I’ve done a lot since then” and excuse myself for a glass of wine.
But despite my tendency to turn back into an adolescent whenever around my family, I act like the perfect daughter all weekend. It is only now that I will become 12 and get my revenge by posting this: I tried to explain to my mother that this song is a gay anthem but she pretended to not understand.
i've got a house guest coming into town today.. so i may not be around here much the next few days. i'll be back soon. eat lots of cupcakes and don't miss me too much. ** and you may have a visitor here in the next few days - i've always wanted to do a little guest blogging from my smart and funny friends- looks like i suckered someone into doing it! yay. **
how very cool- two things i'm a part of got voted 'best of the bay' in the SFBG readers poll. and i totally agree.
BEST LOCAL BLOG
Whether waxing poetic about random city blocks or ranting about the ever-beleaguered San Francisco Municipal Railway, the fabulous minds behind sfist.com always tell it like it is with love.
BEST LOCAL PUBLISHING HOUSE
When it comes to sheer variety, you can't beat Chronicle Books. Want to build a wet bar in your home? Pick up a hot boy in São Paulo? Explore the year 2033? Whip up some mole poblano? Chronicle's publications offer pic-heavy, very readable instruction in these areas and many, many more.
First spotted Richard Saja's work on the Craft blog a while back. You can see more of his brilliant embroidery on Toile over at his blog Historically Inaccurate.
i've been obsessing over jezebel which is a sister site to the infamous gawker, but kind of better if you ask me. not only did they have that amazing clip from the Facts of Life posted today, but a few days ago (when i was actually having a really bad day) they posted the real cover of Redbook and compared it to the airbrushed one that actually made it to newstands. i'd make this required reading for all women if i had the power- check it out here.
Japan town is just packed with stuff I don't really need but just have to have. So I guess it's good my first time in the mall there was this weekend. I can't imagine how much money I would have spent there over these 8 years had I known all the glories it held. Chris and I spent the day oohing and ahhing the way only adorable Japanese things can make you ooh and ahh..
And I bought a bunch of stuff I probably didn't really need, but oh my god it's all so cute. One of my favorites is this Japanese craft book on making mini felt mascots. If you could have resisted buying this you're a better person than me.
We had a great day, as exhibted by Chris pretending to take a shit in someones yard. We sat around the mall and drank coffee and it felt good to be in a really low budget, low tech space. Was it all of the cute things we saw that put us in such a good mood? Or all the exciting things we both have on the horizon? I don't know, but we couldn't stop cracking each other up, and of course soon I'll be able to add Chris to my long list of friends living in NY as she's moving in a month, pulling my heart like salt water taffy across the country. With so many people I adore spread out all over this map I'm used to it by now- but the initial pull always leaves a little twang at first. Safe travels my friend.
so many things to do today but you know how it goes, and since it's a Sunday i thought it was OK to not get through my list. instead i sewed up these pillows. i started embroidering that little guy a year or so ago, my boyfriend at the time drew on the fabric and i stitched over it. i found it half finished and thought it looked too good to leave folded up in a box, i was thinking of framing it and sending it to him but made a little pillow instead. i don't think he reads this here blog- at least i hope he doesn't because i plan on sticking it in the mail and surprising him with it-- just to sort of say 'i forgive you' or something like that.
what you're looking at are the fruits of my labor from two craft nights with molly and danica. molly and i played with resin (with no face masks!! to the shock of many!) the first time we all gathered in molly's studio. and last night the ladies came over and we sat in a little circle on the floor of my craft room, swapping stories, laughing, and sipping on wine. it was really lovely and i even managed to make some earrings. close ups below. i think i craft better when i'm in good company, so thanks ladies.
I was hoping this would have come out better, it's a little dude I saw on the bus this morning- he was wearing a Wolverine sweatshirt with Wolverine's face on the hood. Hood up, face turned away, in the corner, I did a double take- what a great sweatshirt. Didn't want to freak the little guy out by pulling out my camera, so this will have to do.
The same stylish friend that brought me all that delicious chocolate from England came in on Monday wearing this amazing necklace. I have to get the designers name from here again and as soon as I do I'll post it here-- isn't it just amazing? Thanks JJ- of course you would know that this is a creation of French designers Servane Gaxotte. Here are some more of their amazing pieces.
I've got a post on SFist today on how to make these lovely earrings from last month's fast pass. It's the first of a monthly feature I'll be doing on what to do with old fast passes and bus transfers. My co-worker snatched this pair from me since they match her outfit perfectly and they look pretty cute! Read the post here.
I feel a little funny posting a picture of this pillow, mostly because it's not mine. I saw this sweet little pillow on the 4th, at a friend of a friend's bbq. It feels funny because even though I was in the room of the person who owned it, it was sort of obvious she didn't really want anyone in her room- I really wanted to ask her the story behind it, did she make, or did someone make it for her? Was it made from old sheets? If so, what a brilliant idea. I didn't ask her anything though-- because like I said she didn't seem all that happy- but I can understand, I never like lots of strangers in my house, and even when my house is full of lots of people I know, I still get stressed out. I admit I couldn't resist taking a picture of the pillow without asking but it's because I just thought it was so sweet - from the wonderful stripped fabric to the tiny little seals in the background. And what an excellent embroidery job, far better than anything I've ever stitched. I love it.. and I hope no one beats me up for posting it here!
against our better judgement we went to the park tonight. .. i'm glad we did.
chris wouldn't let us leave even though i had to pee and refused to wait in the ridiculously long line for the dirty bathroom. i'm glad she made us stay. . . even if i did get scared all the drunk people playing with fire works were going to blow our heads off.
I got these great old Golden Books from someone on Etsy. This Childrens Picture Dictionary is from 1948 and the Animal Dictionary is from 1960. Can't wait to start using them on wallets and other goodies!
Ok Kiddies-- have a good 4th and don't blow your hands off!
What you see before you is what I came into this morning at work. A spattering of candy bars brought to me by my oh-so-sweet British co-worker who just returned from a trip to London. Before she left she asked what I wanted, and I reminisced about how when I lived in London my favorite thing (well one of them) were all the Cadbury vending machines in Tube stops. I told her like beer, the chocolate was just better over there. And so she brought me back these pretty little babies just begging to turn into fat on my thighs. I had a couple of Smarties but they kind of made me feel like I was eating medicine so I gave the rest to my Canadian friend who I know loves them. And than, at around 3pm today I opened the BOOST bar. Oh my god. It was good. Really good. Crunchy and gooey with a chocolate log type thing in the middle. I had resigned to just having a bite or two, but I don't think I've ever had a candy bar that good. So I ate it all. Except for the last bite, which I threw in the garbage, as if that could negate all of the calories and fat I had just consumed.
If you ever meet a BOOST bar I suggest you eat it.
I adore these little felt houses from Bella Dia. I can't remember where I first saw them, maybe Craft? She's created quite a few of them, click here to see all the darling details and descriptions.
I didn't really like the movie Garden State, I wanted to like it-- trust me, as a product of the lovely state starring in the movie, I felt I had a certain responsibility to love it. But there's always been something about Zach Braff that's sort of bugged me. Until I saw him profess his love for his home state in the SNL monologue below. Sure, I may have been a tiny bit drunk last weekend when I first saw it, but I just watched it again and it still holds up. Is it too much to tell you it even makes my little heart swell up with pride? OK, well than forget I said that, but do watch this, it's even sung, naturally, to the tune of a Billy Joel song, and you all know my secret shame in that.
