vegetarian rainbow chard

& sprout quesadillas!

i claim responsibility for getting my roommates

hooked onto jigsaw puzzles:

"lindaaaaaaa"

i turn around and see x-tina standing there.

of course we would both be at j crew

on a rainy day after work, both deshoveled,

and trying on stuff we both can't afford.

 i hope you bought that floral velvet vest.
 ~ ~ ~
a while back, we miraculously got a table
at NOPA, and celebrated being alive,
with lamb olive pasta + roe avocado toast 

dreaming of vines, tiles, squash blossoms,

and the sea the sea the sea. 

can it be june already? i am ready, tuscany.

have you ever seen a cloud atlas so perfect?

"you're a sweet little puppy,

so so sweet,

so so sweet."

lounging in the gardens

my beautiful friends

i meet the most extraordinary people

in the most mundane and unexpected places.

 *

thank you kind stranger in sausalito

for letting us use your lighter to

make our cupcakes glow. 

when on the verge of losing my mind,

i always think of the time i successfully

memorized a samoan poem (in samoan),

survived and passed edTPA,

recovered from a collapsed lung,

and remember that i can do anything

~ ~ ~

“For me, I am driven by two main philosophies:

know more today about the world than I knew yesterday

and lessen the suffering of others.

You'd be surprised how far that gets you.” 

― Neil deGrasse Tyson

"linda, with your gratitude"

is what dave eggers wrote inside the title page.

i've waited for years for the right time

to read this, and today in a cozy cafe in Oakland,
with a rainy drizzle, is the day!

melissa and i spent all day experimenting with

screen printing to prepare for rolling out

the new workshop.

~isthisevenwork?

~now i have some new room decor :D

YEAR II:

THE SEARCH FOR THE PERFECT TREE.
~*~*~*~*~

bridges have become a big part of my life.

now that i can be a human being again

(aka not work weekends),

i can go to the farmer's market and

drink all the floral frescas i want.

first time i've picked up my camera in over a year!

~ ~ ~

this camera has trekked across a volcano,

navigated through venetian canals,

and frolicked through the tea hills of tanah rata.

picking the neighbor's flowers

to garnish our rainy day cake!

when your roommate desperately wants to go see her

favorite band, but the tickets are $$$

then your ex-coworker says her cousin's band is in

town & wants to know if you want to go with her to their show.

and the band is the same band your roommate worships.

then you all go to together and

have a jolly good time

today, a stranger thanked me for the work I do.