*extra credit

oh yeah, extra credit to those that guessed my halloween costume correctly. frida kahlo of course and most of them got it. by the end of the day the unibrow was almost rubbed off as you can see by the last student camera phone pic of the day. i started to look more like groucho marx as i depleted my stock of candid expressions. halloween is for sure one of the holidays enjoyed more fully with kids.

francophile?!

this morning i opted to get a cup of coffee and enjoy a view of the bay as i polished my class syllabus instead of working at school. met a french guy and it made me want to move to france asap. while i have been contemplated working abroad in a few years the urge had remained below the surface until today when french became comforting. not sure why. one friend decided i fit the profile of a francophile and i wouldn't go that far. anyhow i managed to avoid enough distractions to complete my course syllabi and meet a few new people in teh process. including a few people from the south end row club and they tried to lure me into train to swim around alcatraz or at least come down and check out the club. i think i will soon i am interested in rowing and sailing right now but swimming in the bay when it's this cold. you never know. after my 2 hour coffee camp out i caught a glimpse of alcatraz on my way back to school and i have decided to train for a marathon on land first.

harvest festival!

noe valley harvest fest had an abundance of local artists, food vendors, wagon rides, a pie eating contest, pumpkins, little kids, candy, art, and festive decorations everywhere. after the pie eating contest the host announced that he hoped that this would not leave any lasting effects on the kids that did not win? i love outdoor events and this one was super fun.
the door above reminded of how cute people can be.
p.s. i see a move to noe valley in the future

bring on the pumpkins

fall is here... well sorta.
went to the bernal hill farmers market.
it was in the 70's today and i needed to put on my boots and surround myself with cider, fall vegetables and squash to convince myself that it is in fact october.

omg

O, is for oh my goodness the british guys were so much fun
M, is for fresh mint mango mohito
G, is for fresh grapefruit grey goose greyhound

so we met these british guys last night. they will be in sf for 6 months for work.
until they email pics this is what i have.

twice a week, maybe more if i'm lucky

the beach is soooooo close right now that i have to visit as often as possible. of course i see the water from school but to take time for myself and breathe it in is something different. peak at the birds still migrating and the little sail boat heading out to deeper water. my new shoes (below) are in fact deck shoes and i have told several people about my plans to go aboard a sail boat soon. oh yes it will happen. i will keep you posted

hey pumpkin

after saturday in the mission, the sun belt. the rest of the weekend was spent in a foggy haze. suddenly fall had arrived even in sunny california.
time to nest, bake squash, make soup, earl grey tea, and build a chocolate stash with a few adorable peanut butter cups to share.

fully operational

*photos above are from an online source
i really wanted you to see princess leia
the once revolving top was thrown off track after the jump
and became a little more like a grey packman


ended up at the soap box derby. i am a fan of anything going down hill. i use to ride my bike down the steepest street in town. yelling the whole way. oh yes, the derby. it was at dolores street/park with about 75,000 people. so if you showed up late, and i did then you can borrow a strangers shoulder and meet up with friends after. my favorite entree was "fully operational" with an r2d2 craft and a star wars entry video (i will post it when they do). the sun was shining and it probably hit 80* and felt like summer.




it was a long walk after the derby. passed through the cavernous bart passage way that exposed this delicate worn surface of cement and layers of time. i love city walls. they often remind me of archaeology excavations, layers of earth or Rothko.


it's the little things.

fell in love with 4. brought home 2

went out friday night, started out at a little bar on filmore and then down to the marina. had a fresh grapefruit juice greyhound, yummy. that woke me up for a bit but after a night in heels and a dress i wanted to spend the rest of the weekend in cozy flats, jeans and my favorite tee.
woke up early considering the late night and long week and headed straight to the nordstrom rack where i fell in love with my new pair of sperry top-siders (less than $35)! and navy faconnable loafers.

p.s. new addition to the field trip list. a stop at the elk's club on polk to view the oldest register (in this country). the bartender told me about it when he noticed i was gazing at their old register. i was also looking at st. paul on the menu, my mind drifted to minnesota. later that night i ended up on the phone until 2'ish with a friend in mn.

every step of the way

spent the weekend catching up on much needed rest.
listened to the radio, including KMHD form pdx on sunday, keeping the tradition alive thanks to live web broadcasting.
stocked up on good food and smiled at the pumpkins. it is time for pumpkins and cider!
went to the beach today and fell in love with the fire pit sculptures. gotta love a siesta on the beach in october, did you catch that... sunbathing in a bikini in october! awe yeah

roshambo

'went to santa rosa last night after school and it felt good to leave the city and sprawl out into the countryside.
spent the evening with kents family. we took the dogs on a hike crunching oaks leaves at our feet, breathing in the intoxicating smell of warm eucalyptus in the air. i forgot how beautiful it is. we shared stories over dinner and red wine, my favorite sonoma county wine that you really have to shout, here it goes ROSHAMBO. roshambo is french for rock, paper, scissors soon they will unveil the new tasting room and i will be waiting with an empty glass.

today i wore my favorite sleeves yellow shirt with little white polka dots, white shirt underneath and a black skirt. this always makes me feel sunny. everything is always changing and i feel like i am growing and able to handle the changes with more ease these days and things should only continue to get easier with time. i have made amends, revealed all secrets and have a fresh start honest start with the world. things just seem right.
today a friend said "hey, you look really happy", my response was "thank you, yes i am happy". more changes in the near and distant future and i am excited, i feel like things will keep getting better.

p.s. just caught up on mister michaels tel aviv experience via his new blog, totes hella bloggin', he is hilarious. you should read it

lands end trail always feels like the beginning

always get out of school early at 1 on tuesday, today we had a meeting after but i was still out with plenty of time to enjoy the 72 degree sunny october day. decided to postpone plans for emeryville and stay in the city instead, but a little oasis within the city. put on shorts and a tank, grabbed my fanny pac, camera, and kombucha and i was merrily on my way to the lands end trail, past the legion of honor, wild fennel reminiscent of towering sugar cane, and trees that grow at the ocean winds beckon call. around every bend there is a view of the ocean that tries to trick you into believing that it goes on for eternity.
i love that this was my after school walk in my neighborhood.