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Secret except to those who stumble upon it (never advertised, to maintain illusion of secrecy), find me, occasionally, on Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/elizakinrose

My so called "Bucket-List" begins...

Back in the day, like in Elementary School and Middle School - before our dreams could be crushed and scrutinized by reality (sorry for the pessimism) - we had dreams and made daring goals for ourselves. I remember actual projects where we had to write out all of our goals and things we wanted to do in life. My list was grand, to say the least, but does "grand" mean unrealistic? Why should I stop dreaming and striving to do the things I want to do? Lately I feel like we "dream big" when we are young and when we are old; what about in between?

During this "in between" time where I constantly feel like I am stuck in a rip-tide struggling to make it out alive and find smoother waters, I've realized that my priorities may be a little off. I'm so focused on trying to achieve/figure out/defy/accomplish that I haven't really thought about things that I want to do, not to "get ahead," but to be happy and to feel vital (I really like that word these days). I know I can't be in lala dream-land, but why can't I continue to dream and strive to check off some of my "life goals" right now?

So while it's on my mind, let's start that "Bucket-List." But instead of rushing to tick everything off during the last 10 years of my life, I think I'll start now...

1. Take cooking classes...(go big or go home)....in Paris!

• Become an excellent, creative, and innovative chef who can whip up something like this:

Pumpkin Gnochi: Photo courtesy of Broke Ass Gourmet

2. Travel to Singapore (see my last post!)

3. Do "Yoga on the Water"

...This of course is just the beginning. I'll add to it whenever I feel inspired.

Next on my list...

...is Singapore!!!! I just learned that it is one of the world's happiest places to live 

(along with San Luis Obispo, CA!). I have actually been to Singapore's airport, 

which was in-and-of-itself, sublime.

Photo courtesy of National Geographic

Singapore Airport - "10 Best Airports in the World"

Incredible

(Let it load all the way first...full screen, sound, AMAZING)

Landscapes: Volume Two from Dustin Farrell on Vimeo.

Hardly Strictly

Hope everyone in SF found some time to enjoy the sun, music, food, and most importantly, people watching(!), at the Hardly Strictly Blue Grass Festival this weekend! I am fortunate to live directly across from the festival, which I must say, is pretty awesome. I never had to use a porta-pottie and didn't have to worry about parking. In fact, after seeing the long bathroom lines I was toying with the idea of charging to let people use my bathroom. But I decided against my "get rich quick scheme," for obvious reasons...

Lily!

I went out for two solid days. We got some blankets together, bought some cold beer and took in the festivities. It was lovely. I also had my cheat day! How could I not? This festival is known for having some delicious grub - I couldn't pass on the gastronomy.

The highlight was Robert Plant and the Band of Joy! People packed in to see them, and for good reason; they are amazing. My cousin and I also saw Broken Social Scene and even though I wasn't familiar with their music I was impressed. They had something like 11-12 instruments on stage, good vocals, and a great sound all around.

Contemplating plum.

Eating Plum.

Another highlight is of course, the people watching...such a diverse crowd at this particular festival. There are the hippies (who are always fun to watch) families, older folks enjoying the blue grass, indie/pop people (like my description?) crowding the stage to see Bright Eyes perform, and those who just love a good festival! The beautiful sunny weather added to everyone's good mood as well. Hope the sun sticks around for October....looking forward to the next festival season!

A Crooked Face

Hello. My name is Eliza, and I have a problem. You see, I have a crooked face apparently, and can't seem to find sunglasses that fit my face. This is a problem on a daily basis. So if you see me roaming the streets - yes, I know my sunglasses are crooked....

Just because I'm a "vegan" doesn't mean I can't make Sangria!!

Day 3 of being a Vegan and I am having no problems at all. Seriously, and I'm feeling good! I got out to the Civic Center Farmer's market today and picked up a few tasty items. I'm really into mint these days - in salad, smoothies, perhaps a mojito to celebrate the beautiful sunny weather that has finally hit SF!

I threw some into a smoothie today. I highly recommend this recipe, it was so yummy:

frozen mango (about 2 cups)
1/2 of a banana
1/2 cup soy milk
a few mint leaves
a touch of raw agave syrup

Being a Vegan seems like it may be limiting, but hey, at least I can make sangria, which I will be enjoying momentarily up on the roof....

This batch was especially fantastic! I discovered a new recipe you see...

1 bottle white wine (I used sauvignon blanc)
1 bottle red (cab for me!)
1 orange sliced
1/2 apple chopped
1 pear
1 kiwi
a bunch of grapes (halved)
1 mango sliced
1 lemon squeezed
about a 1/3 cup of rum, gin, or brandy (I used rum)
1/3 cup sugar
top off with some juice - orange, tangerine, pineapple...whatever you've got!

Let it all marinate for a couple of hours (or until you just can't wait any longer!)

Although my current situation is temporary, I'm trying to enjoy it, and really can't complain. Today was hot and glorious so I joined the other "odd-hour" workers at the beach. Ahhhhhh, I haven't been to the beach in my bikini in probably over a year, which is a huge crime in my book, so I was a very happy girl today : )

Going Vegan

After a wonderful and relaxing, albeit gluttonous few days at home in Ventura, I'm back in SF and looking for a new cleansing challenge. So I've decided to try being vegan for a month. My plan however is to allow myself one cheat day, and if my cheat day comes and goes without my noticing, well that will be even better. So how does a girl who loves meat and all things dairy become vegan? And how will it make me feel? I will keep you updated! But don't expect me to post nearly naked pictures of myself to "display" my progress...hell to the no, thank you!

Yesterday was Day 1:

For breakfast I had 2 pieces of whole wheat toast with organic peanut butter: remember to stay away from processed foods and buy organic whenever possible; seriously it's so much better! There is a fantastic whole wheat bread at Trader Joes - with only three ingredients: organic whole wheat flour, filtered water, and sea salt - this bread is delicious!

I thought it would be a good idea to make a delicious lentil soup that I could enjoy for days...so I went to Trader Joes (my fave aside from farmers markets) for some ingredients. Here is what my first ever all vegan shopping list looked like (again, organic whenever possible):

soy milk

mint tea

vegetable broth

onions

celery

carrots

oregano

cilantro

1 can diced tomatoes

arugula 

grape fruit

corn

lemons

meatless balls (they are surprisingly very yummy)

brown rice

sunflower seeds

bananas

plums

frozen mango

garbanzo beans

sunflower seeds

While I shopped my lentils were soaking in water, so they were ready for me when I got home. I got out the crock-pot (never used one before) and threw all the necessary ingredients in. Just google any lentil soup recipe and you'll find a good one. I let it simmer for 8 hours and it came out delicioso! I was very pleased. 

For lunch I made a yummy raw salad with arugula, garbanzo beans, grape fruit slices, corn, avocado, sunflower seeds, cilantro, and carrot. I'm really into easy home-made dressings so I'll usually just squeeze half a lemon, some olive oil, and a little raw agave syrup directly onto my salad with salt and pepper. mpwah! (fingers together on lips and explode outward...mpwah!)

om nom nom

For dinner I ate that scrumptious soup and made some brown rice to go with it (you could also have that whole wheat bread {pictured above} with some almond butter spread). I also drink lots and lots of tea and water all day long.

Day 2 (today):

I got my social media education on and watched a live webinar via MarketingProfs while I drank tea and ate cream of wheat with soy milk, chopped up banana, and cinnamon. 

I went for a long run (70 min. wooo!) all the way down to the beach and did a bit of interval walking - it has been glorious (I never use that word but find it appropriate at the moment) weather here in San Francisco. I can't believe I was in southern California and all I got was a week of nothing but fog; then I come back to SF and find the sun. It must have been hiding here all along! What are the odds? I guess this is the Indian Summer everyone talks about. I love it! I actually saw surfers down at the beach; "surfer speak" was music to my ears : )

I snacked on a granola bar, and then for lunch had a salad (much like the one from the previous day). For dinner tonight I plan on eating my soup and maybe making some sweet potato fries! I have the best and easiest recipe:

1 - 2 sweet potatoes sliced (to look like fries)

A whole lotta: paprika, cinnamon, and kosher salt

Olive oil

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Throw the ingredients into a bowl and mix it all together then spread evenly on the sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Be sure to toss and turn ingredients every 10 minutes. Voila! Perfection. Your welcome.

I am also brewing my very own Kombucha...you heard me! Kombucha! This stuff is like $4.00 a bottle, but it is so easy to make. All you need to get going is a scobi, which supposedly isn't easy to find but if you know someone who makes Kombucha you're good. The scobi basically expands each time it's brewed and you can simply peal off a layer and give it to anyone who wants it!

My cousin is a Kombucha expert. Check out her blog (if you've gotten this far...geeezus sorry about the long post) to learn more about it and how to brew your very own:

http://pipperipembo.tumblr.com/post/6649455132/kombucha

Also, you may be asking yourself, "what the hell is Liza doing?" Well I'm not so sure I can answer that at the moment. All I can say, is that if my persistence pays off my patience will as well.

A lot has been going on, and I promised to always be real, honest, and personal with you all and I intend to do that, so I'll be playing catch-up on here for a while...stay tuned.

Dance

I never even knew this picture existed! And in a newspaper none-the-less. View the 

online publication and read the article. (That's me on the left.)

Ventura College Dance Dept. presents Dancing on the Edge (2007)

Hilarious giggle fit

This is probably old news, but if anyone hasn't seen the clip of Anderson Cooper loosing it on national television, you have got to watch this! It gets me every time....

Sushirrito

Okay, so there's this new place -  just opened in January - 

and I think it could possibly take over the world...just sayin.

It's sushi and a burrito. What? I know, it sounds strange, but here it is.

El Tigre Sushirrito - Photo courtesy of Pop Sugar SF

Sushirrito lovingly creates "sushi-burritos" or "sushirritos," with super fresh ingredients brought together in an innovative way. This is not your average sushi roll...or burrito. 

For example, I had the Casanova: Steelhead Salmon, baby arugula, avocado, daicon radishes, tomato salsa, green onions and toasted pumpkin seeds (yum!). Sounds like an odd combination of ingredients but I thought it was very tasty and the sushi was fresh and had that "melt-in-your-mouth" quality. I'm anxious to try some of their other options, including a vegan roll.

Sushirrito is an eco-friendly company as well, which is great. They buy local and organic whenever possible, and actually describe where their produce comes from (how it is caught) and more about ways they implement sustainable practices in their restaurant. It is on the website under "impact."

It is lighter and much healthier than your average burrito. However, a friend of mine tried Sushirrito and found it to be a bit too much, because sushi is supposed to be, well, sushi. So for purists this may not satisfy your palet. I however am a huge fan of hand-rolls, so to me it is a ginormous hand roll. I also think the ingredients and recipes are very different from your average sushi roll, so the distinction makes it something entirely unique and something I can appreciate and enjoy.

I say yum and yes please!

Happy Birthday to the woman who gave me life

Hehehe thanks for that Mom ; )

Happy Birthday to the greatest Mom in the world - the support, encouragement, and love you've shown me throughout the years has kept me going. Seriously, I couldn't do it without you. You've always pushed me to be ambitious and live life vigorously, while also being their to lend an understanding ear and a shoulder to lean on (and in my 20's - to cry on. a lot. jeeezuss). You've always encouraged me to do the best thing for myself and I can't tell you how much I appreciate that and appreciate you.

I love you Mom!

sister, mom, me

My cute Mom

Sassayyyyyy!!

3 day weekends would make the world a much better place.

.....That is my theory and I'm sticking to it!

Day 1 to run errands, day 2 to just relax/take it easy/be lazy/do nothing/RECOVER from the shenanigans of the night before, and day 3 to get out and play!

This weekend was lovely and relaxing and I discovered a few new places around the city. And when I say "discover" I mean, for god's sake, where have I been all this time whilst all these great little gems were just sitting there being enjoyed by everyone but me!??

I finally tried Philz Coffee and was not disappointed. I had the "Philharmonic" - it is not an understatement to say that upon first sip I had a symphony in my mouth. Yes. I went there. It was the most amazing coffee I've ever had. They brew each cup individually and stir it into frothy, creamy perfection. Yum.

Other highlights of the weekend include happy hour at the Burritt Room in the Crescent Hotel, Shanghai King for gastronomical deliciousness, going to The Old Clam House with my nor-cal family, seeing Rise of the Planet of the Apes, the Bali exhibit at the Asian Art Museum, Civic Center farmers market, and a little exploring in Pacific Heights (love that neighborhood).

What am I looking forward to in the coming months? Well for starters, how about a summer? I feel as if I was robbed of that this year - maybe it's because I literally got to enjoy 3 summers last year (due to traveling around the world), so now Mother Nature is going, "Hah! This year you'll get no summer at all!"- hmmm. So I am looking forward to an Indian Summer in SF, which I've heard so much about and am anxiously for (if it doesn't come I may want to kill myself) (jk) (but seriously). 

Happy week! Hope it's a sunny one.

Some Italiano please

Friday after work Katie and I came over to Bernal Heights to try Vinorosso, an authentic Italian wine shop, bar, and eatery, home made pastas and all. I've been wanting to try this place for the longest time because it looks so cozy and inviting from the outside and I love wine and Italy so.....duh.

We split the cheese plate: 3 delicious cheeses for $10, not bad! To some people the portions may seem a bit small, but to me it was perfect, and hey, that's how they do it in Italy - indulge regularly but modestly.

We also shared an order of dates, which were amazing. It would be nice if they offered one of those delicious stuffed date options that some restaurants do so well - you know, when they're stuffed with blue cheese, drizzled with honey and served warm - any variation on that will do. Mmmmmmm.

The wine was perfect. We tried the Lambrusco, a deep red sparkling wine. If you've never had it, you must try. It's light and so refreshing. We also had a glass of red and unfortunately I can't remember what I had - something described as being full bodied with plum and blueberry notes (often my favorite) - and Katie had the Chianti which was a little too dry for her, and maybe not for drinking on its own, however with a little cheese or a hearty meal, delish.

We unfortunately missed their happy hour, which is every day from 4:00 - 6:00, but will definitely be back to enjoy more wine and try the homemade baked pastas. Happy happy hour everyone!

"Summer in SF"

It is depressing and it's making me sick. Literally I cannot stay healthy for longer than a couple months! I blame Muni, the grossly excessive overuse of air conditioning in most buildings, AND the fact that it's freaking windy and cold all the time.

BUT, due to my illness, today I got to do something cool - work from home! (or WFH as the cool kids call it). I had a very productive day, just like being in the office, except I was in pajamas and close to my kitchen, all day long : )

It's exciting that working remotely is increasingly more common and even encouraged in some cases. I think that that is exciting. Because truth be told, I may have been a little worried that I would get too distracted working at home, but I wasn't. I had stuff to do, calls to make, etc, etc, and it filled my day exactly as if I had been in an office. But the beauty is that for some people the standard hours of 9:00-5:00 are just not possible for their lifestyle. If you have kids, another job, things that must get done during the day, whatever, you can do it because the hours are flexible when you work from home. As long as you don't abuse the special privileges and continue to work hard, everyone will be happy and everyone wins.

I like that work is evolving into a more accommodating and less rigid structure. Some people don't like to  be sucked into a monotonous routine, and the ability to work remotely allows us the freedom to be a little more inventive with our time. Sounds good to me! What do you think?

Sweet Cheeks: SF Edition

go Marcus, go Marcus, go go!

Last night I got to see an old friend from high school do what he does best, and that's to bring love, soul, variety, and tantalizing beats to the dance floor! He has always loved music and has been DJ'ing for as long as I've known him. I remember back in the high school days he used to put some crazy things together, like Mr. Rogers and Michael Jackson! Always inventive and creative...

Marcus rocks! Or I should say, MAWCUS. 

When I arrived to Madrone Art Bar (love this place!) he was already in the zone, and it was amazing to see what he could do and hear how his style has developed since his Ventura days. I was impressed and I wasn't the only one...every time he transitioned to a new song the crowd would acknowledge it by looking around at their friends as if to say "can you believe how awesome this guy is!??" And they echoed their approval, in awe of his inspired choices. One girl shouted, "this DJ is sick!" And I wanted to be like, "that's my friend!"

Currently in San Diego, he's always loved SF and wanted to bring his creation, Sweet Cheeks to the music loving people of the bay. I think it was well received so hopefully I'll be seeing my musical friend more often! I had a great time, thanks Marucs! <3

Who wouldn't want to work here!?!?

I certainly would, and did! This is where I've been freelancing. 

This space epitomizes the trendy and cool, uber design-centered, urban work environment that comes to mind when thinking about San Francisco'ans at work....take a look!

Mekanism - courtesy of the San Francisco Egotist

Video: Stewie welcoming me home!!

But first, a little rant followed by an uplifting "pat on the back / keep your chin up" sort of thing...(insert winky face and cheeky grin here)

Today was tough, not gonna lie. It's interesting....I feel like it's hard to be passionate and truly involved in your work unless you really get to know your organization, but this doesn't happen over night. There are road blocks up right now and I just want to take a sledge hammer and tear them down; instead I have to be satisfied with slowly chipping away - eventually I will break through but it will take time.

I'm frustrated because I'm not picking things up as quickly as I'd like to at work. Computer language is difficult for me. I have a hard time filling in the blanks - I need to know all of the background information, I need to fill in all the gaps and understand "why." Some people just get it, they speak the language and it comes naturally. We all have our strengths. I know I'll get there, I'm confident in that, but for now I can't be afraid to make mistakes and ask questions - it's the best way for me to learn, honestly. 

I try not to get down on myself when I don't understand something right away; I know I'm trying my best and that's all I can do, but it's hard not to feel critical sometimes. And I know I can be way too hard on myself.....and for what!?? At the end of the day, what really matters is that I tried my best; and what really really matters is that I'm happy and living each day with joy. Besides how can I be unhappy when I think about this little bundle of joy....

I went home for 10 days this month. I am so blessed to have such a loving and seriously awesome family. Some of my best friends were also in town making my time at home truly feel like the good 'ol days. And of course, my puppy! 

This video is the greeting I received when I came home and saw Stewie for the first time in 2 1/2 months. Now this is a homecoming done right! (Sorry about the lame edits - it ran a little long...and I'll try to get a better quality video up later -- read "i don't know what i'm doing")

Blogger's block...

Blogger's block....much like writer's block. I feel less than inspired these days to continue writing the way I have been - I'm feeling like my style/content/overall feel needs to be reinvented. I'm thinking about switching to wordpress, but am not quite there yet. Regardless of whether one person is reading my blog or 100, I like to write and will definitely continue. I just need a little direction, I think. 

Hoping for a good week; just got back from a beautiful weekend in Yosemite where I went on a 13.5 mile hike and camped with my awesome fam. It's always hard when times like that come to an end - in fact, I really struggle with trying not to feel so sad and depressed when transitioning from great times with friends and family to facing a difficult work week (or the like) - I need to learn how to let the good times fuel and energize me rather than bring me down (because ultimately, I would just like to be on vacation with my family and friends for the rest of my life....can I get paid to do that?? Obviously I can not). 

Happy birthday to my gorgeous, awesome, and freakishly adorable cousin! You are amazing and I loved spending the weekend with you. Looking forward to an interesting week ahead....good luck facing the monday blues everyone!

Juggling jobs!

Quickly, I want to say that this girl (me) has been juggling 3...no 4 jobs and hasn't had a day off in....I don't even remember the last time I had a day off! I know this is rather uncharacteristic of me - I happen to believe in days off, relaxing, and recreational fun time - but it seems, finally, that my hard work is paying off.

My job as a server is no more (thank god almighty I hated that job!), and I actually turned down an offer with my current internship to transition into a permanent role, which was an extremely difficult decision to make as I really like the company and people I work for. So why the hell did I turn it down? Well, I landed a second internship with a company I am over-the-moon happy to be working for. The company is Viator.com! Viator is Latin for "travel" and so, obviously it's a perfect fit! I'm a marketing intern and learning so much already about social media strategy, online marketing, and am even getting to do a bit of writing. I'm so happy with this position it's ridiculous. It hasn't been an easy road to get here though, and I am thanking the Universe for delivering something that really excites me. Thank you!

So now I am working full-time between the two internships; nights and weekends belong to me again....so grateful for the opportunites that are coming my way. I finally feel like I believe in myself again - I mean, I must have been doing something right to get to this place!