really next on my to buy list. a product of Chronicle Books, the best book publisher out of San Francisco.
(images via Google)
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Pretty Polaroids stationery
really next on my to buy list. a product of Chronicle Books, the best book publisher out of San Francisco.
(images via Google)
Friday, March 9, 2012
around the town: how Liza and i do not waste a sunny day
gorgeous day out in San Francisco!
missed my Friday class, it was inevitable that it would be missed-- but i did have the good intentions to go that morning! it was just such a lovely day to not ignore.
Liza and I met up at the Powell BART station and began walking past the Metreon (progress is looking great! cannot wait until ALL the eateries are open, and just blown away by the new Chronicle Books store on 4th) into SoMa towards AT&T Park for a Panera in the area there-- i hadn't eaten breakfast yet.
suddenly, we made a 360-- it was nearing 11 and i was feeling in the mood for lunch. and Popeyes was really close to my school...
never had Popeyes before. always heard the debates between KFC and such, but didn't think that it would be that good. Liza and i leisurely enjoyed our meals at the location on Hayes and Divisadero. by the time we finished i declared that at 11:52 am, i wouldn't go to class.
we walked along Divis back towards the 5 line back to downtown. god! did we have fun upon seeing this-- a public chalkboard for passerbys to scribble thoughts, notes, and their issues; you can't see my print. this sure was something though. imagine all the folks who walked by and turned around wanting to leave some sort of impression here. the basic drawing board for a great story that intertwines many lives, i'd say. very French. or in this case San Franciscan! made my heart skip a beat.
don't know what else to say about skyscrapers. i love them. it's one of man's greatest arts and Wilde would be proud as they lean towards the aesthetic and away from base utilitarian. furthermore it's just the sublimity in them, and a love for man as this was something he has accomplished after such a long lifetime of existence.
THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NOWHERE ELSE LIKE THE WATERS OF THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY.
at last it was to home, a romantic getaway back to BART on the F line streetcar. it's undoubtedly one of my favorite lines of Muni, especially the incorporation of old-fashioned streetcars. the one we took, light was everywhere.
always look forward to Fridays, and if you don't, take it upon yourself to make it a remarkable day.
missed my Friday class, it was inevitable that it would be missed-- but i did have the good intentions to go that morning! it was just such a lovely day to not ignore.
Liza and I met up at the Powell BART station and began walking past the Metreon (progress is looking great! cannot wait until ALL the eateries are open, and just blown away by the new Chronicle Books store on 4th) into SoMa towards AT&T Park for a Panera in the area there-- i hadn't eaten breakfast yet.
never had Popeyes before. always heard the debates between KFC and such, but didn't think that it would be that good. Liza and i leisurely enjoyed our meals at the location on Hayes and Divisadero. by the time we finished i declared that at 11:52 am, i wouldn't go to class.
we walked along Divis back towards the 5 line back to downtown. god! did we have fun upon seeing this-- a public chalkboard for passerbys to scribble thoughts, notes, and their issues; you can't see my print. this sure was something though. imagine all the folks who walked by and turned around wanting to leave some sort of impression here. the basic drawing board for a great story that intertwines many lives, i'd say. very French. or in this case San Franciscan! made my heart skip a beat.
don't know what else to say about skyscrapers. i love them. it's one of man's greatest arts and Wilde would be proud as they lean towards the aesthetic and away from base utilitarian. furthermore it's just the sublimity in them, and a love for man as this was something he has accomplished after such a long lifetime of existence.
THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NOWHERE ELSE LIKE THE WATERS OF THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY.
at last it was to home, a romantic getaway back to BART on the F line streetcar. it's undoubtedly one of my favorite lines of Muni, especially the incorporation of old-fashioned streetcars. the one we took, light was everywhere.
always look forward to Fridays, and if you don't, take it upon yourself to make it a remarkable day.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
change in the setting of "By Your Side"
i'm moving the setting of the Starlight Palms-- June's family-owned motel-- out of the deserts of Riverside County and up the coast to Pismo Beach. the desert was a great place to get the story in motion, but i feel that i'm not too familiar with the sights so well. with the central coast, i have more fond memories spent on road trips with my family, and i'll be frank-- it's my spring break approaching, and i just want to write about beaches.
Pismo Beach is such a charming rustic little beach resort in the middle of the state, but it feels pretty remote. San Luis Obispo is the big city to the north, and that's about it. along Highway 1 past Pismo is all little towns that wind through valleys and along the shores until coming to Santa Barbara. it's a rarely-known treasure that's filled with unique shops, plenty of eateries, and a delightful modest ocean-front. the ocean's always been a romantic feature, has it not? it will, i feel, embellish the relationship between Kirk and June in the story. and with Pismo, it's still a faded rustic spot not unlike the desert of the Coachella Valley-- the Starlight Palms is still that, a small quirky motel way past its heyday of the 1960's "surf culture" of California.
it's not much of a drastic change, and it's all for how comfortable i feel with this story that i'm so passionate about. stay tuned, look out for new additions to "By Your Side" as they come, and now importantly appreciate the lovely little setting which now hosts this wonderful little romance.
photos via Pinterest
Pismo Beach is such a charming rustic little beach resort in the middle of the state, but it feels pretty remote. San Luis Obispo is the big city to the north, and that's about it. along Highway 1 past Pismo is all little towns that wind through valleys and along the shores until coming to Santa Barbara. it's a rarely-known treasure that's filled with unique shops, plenty of eateries, and a delightful modest ocean-front. the ocean's always been a romantic feature, has it not? it will, i feel, embellish the relationship between Kirk and June in the story. and with Pismo, it's still a faded rustic spot not unlike the desert of the Coachella Valley-- the Starlight Palms is still that, a small quirky motel way past its heyday of the 1960's "surf culture" of California.
it's not much of a drastic change, and it's all for how comfortable i feel with this story that i'm so passionate about. stay tuned, look out for new additions to "By Your Side" as they come, and now importantly appreciate the lovely little setting which now hosts this wonderful little romance.
photos via Pinterest
note to self:
when i can move to Berkeley, i will change the name of The Heroine Addiction to A Girl Writes in Berkeley.
Berkeley has a stigma for being a dirty crazy- hippy place so close to dangerous Oakland. but that's not the case; i've been in the most beautiful neighborhoods and seen so many splendid sights to this other city by the bay. it's not as wild as San Francisco, but it's not suburbia either. it's a great middle ground i want to settle down in.
A Girl Writes in Berkeley would be the ultimate homage to my favorite book of all time, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Just as the tree in the story refuses to die and persists in growing again (no matter no many attempts have been made to remove it/ cut it down), I will continue on with writing, and in the place that first inspired me to write. Francie Nolan in Tree refuses to live a dismal life in poverty, rising up in the end to enter college and move away from the slums of her shabby Brooklyn neighborhood in Williamsburg.
Perhaps it will take me forever to rise up past setbacks, but nothing will keep me down in the ashes. i will continue writing for the rest of my life, and i will bring my creations to life in the little city i love so dearly.
Berkeley has a stigma for being a dirty crazy- hippy place so close to dangerous Oakland. but that's not the case; i've been in the most beautiful neighborhoods and seen so many splendid sights to this other city by the bay. it's not as wild as San Francisco, but it's not suburbia either. it's a great middle ground i want to settle down in.
A Girl Writes in Berkeley would be the ultimate homage to my favorite book of all time, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Just as the tree in the story refuses to die and persists in growing again (no matter no many attempts have been made to remove it/ cut it down), I will continue on with writing, and in the place that first inspired me to write. Francie Nolan in Tree refuses to live a dismal life in poverty, rising up in the end to enter college and move away from the slums of her shabby Brooklyn neighborhood in Williamsburg.
Perhaps it will take me forever to rise up past setbacks, but nothing will keep me down in the ashes. i will continue writing for the rest of my life, and i will bring my creations to life in the little city i love so dearly.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
tuesday musings: california the best, wind the worst
IT IS SO WINDY IN THE BAY TODAY. the horrible part about it all is that my hair is down and it's sunny outside. if it weren't for this wind my walk to Starbucks blocks from classes would have been lovely. well, still will be lovely, as i always fancy a walk around the streets of San Francisco--
in other good news, San Francisco was ranked as #3 of the happiest cities in America . in an earlier study, California was ranked as the most hated state in the US. i proudly say there is a correlation here, and in truth there really is nowhere else like California. you can't just hate a state because it's lined the vast majority of the west coast in beaches, trendy famous cities, and amazing weather, as well as a great amount of tolerance and diversity for everyone here. you can't just hate these things-- unless you don't live there. i have been to other states and i did enjoy my visits there, but in the end i missed home and it felt great coming back. the poll isn't negative, it's a positive thing-- it really puts California on a pedestal and makes me admire my home so much more.
i remember when i used to want to leave for college in England. still love England! it's a beautiful fairytale-like setting and quirky culture that fascinates me so much. but i didn't want to be in California, i pined for being in Britain. it wasn't until i got into college at San Francisco that my eyes were opened up to how unarguably unique this place was-- how special the Bay Area was and how it was not like anywhere else. getting older meant becoming more realist and embracing your home as the sole inspiration for your written words. all that i've experienced in the Bay has undoubtedly influenced my works in some way. if all goes well, i'll be abroad in London by September, but for now, i enjoy every minute i have with this place.
in other good news, San Francisco was ranked as #3 of the happiest cities in America . in an earlier study, California was ranked as the most hated state in the US. i proudly say there is a correlation here, and in truth there really is nowhere else like California. you can't just hate a state because it's lined the vast majority of the west coast in beaches, trendy famous cities, and amazing weather, as well as a great amount of tolerance and diversity for everyone here. you can't just hate these things-- unless you don't live there. i have been to other states and i did enjoy my visits there, but in the end i missed home and it felt great coming back. the poll isn't negative, it's a positive thing-- it really puts California on a pedestal and makes me admire my home so much more.
i remember when i used to want to leave for college in England. still love England! it's a beautiful fairytale-like setting and quirky culture that fascinates me so much. but i didn't want to be in California, i pined for being in Britain. it wasn't until i got into college at San Francisco that my eyes were opened up to how unarguably unique this place was-- how special the Bay Area was and how it was not like anywhere else. getting older meant becoming more realist and embracing your home as the sole inspiration for your written words. all that i've experienced in the Bay has undoubtedly influenced my works in some way. if all goes well, i'll be abroad in London by September, but for now, i enjoy every minute i have with this place.
photo via Tumblr
Sunday, March 4, 2012
By Your Side: "By Your Side"
He wasn’t trying to get sprayed with the soapy water. But
he wanted so dearly to be close to her. The tub was too small for a couple
anyways; another body in the porcelain would cause too much splash and
commotion for her parents to hear.
June was getting tanner the more she soaked. Perhaps it
was coming on even before he’d arrived in that afternoon. She’d probably been
lying out for days under the scorching blaze of the bulb in the blue sky,
nothing standing between them. Everything else was beneath her— beneath everyone’s—feet,
everything that was only sand and chalky reddening dirt.
She’d come into the room he’d checked out to bathe in,
the small orange-painted one at the end of the hall. It was her way of showing
gratitude for visiting.
“It’s a charming place, I guess,” Kirk said to her,
sitting reversed on the desk chair he dragged into the small bathroom and
rested against its steel back.
“The charm goes away after 22 years here,” she replied,
in the middle of shaving. “Actually, it’s not a bad place, but I guess it just
depends on the mood I’m in.” He was marveling the sharpness of those blades,
but more the slenderness of her legs stretched into the air, the neon-red
painted on her toes, like cherries, curling under towards her heels. It didn’t
seem to bug her that he was watching something so intimate.
“So this solves one thing,” she went on, smiling up at
him and lightly shaking bubbles away from her brunette locks coming out of her
loose bun.
“And that is?” he answered. He removed his t-shirt
stained with his sweat. He’d have to find a tub of his own soon, to meet this
lovely gal’s standards. She surely couldn’t long for a man who’d driven 400
miles against the heat and dust to watch her shave those long browning legs of
hers.
“You’ve shown me yours, you gotta see mine.” She giggled
and buried herself behind the edge of the tub, like she’d never said something
so naughty before. “It’s behind the office up the stairs, between the linens
closet and my parents’ room. Has a water bed, too.”
He couldn’t help but smile.
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