went to hear lianne last night at the swedish.

her voice is like a dream/out of this world.

rosé
if something is made of glass & has pretty packaging,

there's an 80% chance i'll end up buying it..

one of those nights where you are so

incredibly delirious, but you still bus it to

your art class and sit in a dark room with strangers

to view a 2 hour slideshow presentation from the 90s

narrated by your unintentionally hilarious instructor

who only wears purple sweaters.

my current state of car-less-ness has

caused me to witness several beautiful sunsets

this is me now.

i've become a morning person:

 now, i design and create glass windows,

practice vinyasa yoga, strum on a ukulele,

and empower children to be

creative problem solvers of the world
(whilst growing my powers as a child whisperer)

~*~*~*~

 the many unexpected occurrences

that happened throughout the day 

guided me to take the most glorious

walk through different neighborhoods

and i stared at buildings and their windows

for a very long time, in awe.

today, allyson and i watched 3 different types

of lemurs lounge in the sunday sunshine.
they stretched out on the grass and reached
their arms towards the sky in
#bliss

i used to dissect birds,

but now i liberate them

(from barn ceilings).

after 8 hours of work + 2 hours of PD,

i walked to my favorite ice cream store and...

stared at the "we are closed early" sign

taped to the door.

so, i did the most sensible thing:

picked flowers from a neighbor & baked a cake at 10pm.

i was late this morning because of my taking

a thousand pictures of the amazing GLOWING sunrise

and all the frosting/garnishing that had to be done.

but it was okay, because i brought a cake to work.

we ate brunch, then lunch
(shortly afterwards).

**poached eggs w/ crab,scallions,hollandaise + lettuce

**beef pho w/ herbs

today, thea and i watched cuttlefish +

itty bitty puffer-fish hover around and went to a

crystal + gem fair where we ended up purchasing

more rocks than we both initially anticipated..

"pick the one that calls to you"

we overheard a middle-aged woman say,

so we did.

~russian tea cookies~*

i spent a very long time hand-chopping pecans,

but it was worth it!

today, i found this amazing ukrainian cookbook

on mega sale; i can't wait to make

fermented & stuffed things!

i successfully bargained for an even greater discount

because 2 corners are slightly dented 
(thanks to my selective-consumerism OCD issue...)

on my day off, i made

blueberry banana cinnamon buckwheat pancakes!

the world breathes inspiration

>>window designed by Frank Lloyd Wright<<

>Feather Cape of Queen Lili'uokalani<

today, i restored native plants (coastal sagewort)

and weeded some invasive species (ice plant)

i planted each one with meticulous care, then stood back

to admire the landscape of all our efforts

first time i've picked up a stringed instrument

since elementary school. i can now play a song that
is starting to melodically resemble skinny love.

alot of wonderful people have
touched/played my ukulele, so it
is now covered in positive energy.

i named it "Liliuo" after Queen Lili'uokalani,
the last queen of the sovereign Hawaiian monarchy.

HOW WE ARE HUNGRY

i got to meet dave eggers today!!

he is soft spoken and has a gentle humor,

just like his books.

thank you for all the lovely handmade cards
throughout the years. this one took a journey
of it's own, but alas,
it has reached it's destination :)

~*~*~*~

this week has been filled with ambulances,
fainting coworkers, and a few sad and sudden departures.

but also ukuleles, teamwork, flow,

and hilarious interactions with tiny humans. 

~ 
before she left, G left us with some kind words:
"you all do such inspiring work and the staff has a
real energy and wonderful collaborative culture"

 TGIS(Saturday).

 i have been alive for 1/4 of a century!

"it looks like i don't

know how to use utensils"

-marie

wherever we go, kala and I always find

a way to rendezvous:

mini trip home for the holidays

highlights:

1. bought an excessive amount of xmas decor/lights

2. gave dog a 3 hour bath/haircut

3. ate kumquats from the yard

it drizzled & poured all day, so after work,
i ate pastries at a cute bakery
and did some resume updating,
(and by "some", i mean i rephrased one
bullet line, called it a day, and then walked home)
~*~*~*~*~

"do something each day that scares you."

some of the best things that i have made happen,

is due to following through with this quote^

"be accessible, be easily reachable, be welcoming.

keep the door to your life open so new breezes

bringing new ideas and new people

can enter and enrich it."

holiday work par~tay
i feel happy and fortunate to have

very wonderful, down-to-earth coworkers.

i feed them blueberries;

they give me endives + doughnuts.

we find ways to enjoy rat-infested breakroom

lunches together and sometimes watch the

ocean sunset together while sipping wine.

"remember why you started."

~2015~

this year, i decided to pack
all my belongings (for the 3rd time),

and move to san francisco,

where i now wander around,
admire endless stunning views,

and weave at work.

 it has been exhilarating.terrifying.magical
and i can't wait to do more.

uku has arrived!
~*~*~*~*~*~

the city glows

my newest hobbies include:

indoor rock climbing,

playing the marimba for strangers and their children,

& attempting to learn to play the ukulele
(which was initially inspired by 
this cover i heard years ago,
and recently re-inspired by my
coworkers//living here in the city
surrounded by the bay) 

watched a pulitzer-prize winning play
at the Berkeley Rep, ate pizza at Zachary's,
engaged in a thoughtful conversation
about cultural appropriation.

twas a good day.

we live/work in a beautiful place

"After a rough crossing that left most of the passengers cold and terrified, Nujeen seemed calm and happy. Speaking fluent English, she described the journey: "I enjoyed it. I have never been on a boat before. It was very beautiful. I didn't know if I was going to live or die, but thanks to God we are here." 

 

~Syrian refugee Nujeen, 16

this song started playing during yoga flow,
and in the midst of it all,
somehow, i became inexplicably happy~

tis the season to wear orange wool sweaters &

scarves purchased w/ money gained from gambling in vegas!

meanwhile while buying a burrito:

Hannelore, a tiny soft-spoken German artist

(who may have been born in Prussia
when it still existed)

said I was "a natural teacher"

and that she "loved me"

and "learned so much by watching me"
during a weaving program using
natural & found materials.

allow yourself to brew and marinate

and

"it's okay for your dreams to change,

it doesn't mean you're giving up."

skypping with dog.

when i called his name,

he looked towards the door..

:')

one year ago, we were watching an athenian sunset

by the acropolis. happy birthday diana!

eating rice crackers, seaweed + strawberries

in creaky giant old wooden houses

#veganmidnightsnacks

~*~*~*~*~*~

i love when you try to make a meal out of

whatever you find in the fridge, and it

actually tastes good together.

my lunch=
garlic rainbow chard, baked beans,

1 chicken nugget and 1 latka.

ALAMERE FALLS. PT REYES

i climbed up/down a treacherous slope with jagged rocks

 and also got poison oak in my eye.

i walked into the break room and my jaw dropped

at the sight. our costco-sized bag of dried cranberries

had been viciously ripped, gnawed, and clawed open.

hundreds of crimson cranberries were scattered wildly

all over the table, chairs, and carpet.

i can only imagine the feast that took place

after work hours....

#rats

i found a rooftop garden where i can eat and read

and admire the towering buildings around.