Sunday Brunch & some Stalktalk!

In a valiant effort to postpone the end of summer, I spent pretty much the whole weekend eating and drinking with friends.  From a dive bar with my teacher friends on Friday night, to a biker breakfast on Saturday morning (you heard that right!), to an impromptu Japanese dinner in Berkeley on Saturday night with my friend Helen, to today's brunch with my college friend, Tara, at what I think might be my new very favorite place:

Chop Bar, Oakland, Jack London Square

my friend Tara with her bloody mary

she's from the northeast, she can't help her snark ;)

ask me what I'm drinking and I'll tell you:

BEN F'S EVOLVE WINE

see?

Not only was Sauvignon Hottie delicious, but so was the food!  Tara and I shared chilaquiles & eggs ala cazuela with a grilled veggie mojo sauce . . . YUM.  I confessed to the waitress that I ordered the Evolve as part of a Ben F. stalking mission, and she said, "That's so funny, he was just in here a couple weeks ago!"  I'll catch up to him someday.  It'll happen.  And if you're curious as to whether I tweeted that picture of me drinking Evolve wine to Ben F . . . the answer is immediately.  

isn't it cute in there?

Hope all of you had as decadent a weekend as I did.  Lord knows I'm making up for it now, since it's the  last day of my 20s and the first day of school.  Wish me luck with my '11-'12 monsters!  Can't wait to meet them. :)

Man Candy Monday: Stalker Edition

So Ashley picked JP, which I think is fitting, given both of their propensities for whining and effusive displays of insecurity, but my heart belongs to the fiiiiiiiiine Ben F:

hottie with a body

duh, I'm way better for you than that beezy!

He's dark, he's shaggy, he makes wine, and he allegedly lives in my vicinity.  And so, of course, I've put my stalking skills to use, and found out that this is his winery.  Who's up for a Sonoma trip?  I'm not kidding. ;)

link up with Leeann!

All I wanna do is watch the Bachelorette

So I've been talking about tv a little too much for my own comfort on this little blog of mine. But I've always been an escapist in times of serious stress--nothin' like some foolish richies on Real Housewives of New Jersey or some down-home frat boys on the Bachelorette to distract me from my professional (and emotional and financial and physical) sorrows!

And so let's talk Bachelorette:

Ali Fedotowsky

I kind of hate her. She's about my age (okay: she's even a little younger than me), she lives in my city, and she has my same hair color. The difference between us, however, is that I'm sitting on my couch watching idiotic reality shows and searching for jobs while Ali "Fedotowsky" (seriously?) galavants around the world with 25 hotties vying for her attention (and in amazing clothes). WHAT???

Moving onto my favorite contestant from this season:

Kasey Kahl: "I'm going to guard and protect her heart."

Homeboy must have uttered that ridiculous phrase 184 times on the few episodes he hung around on the Bachelorette, and THEN he felt compelled to get a tattoo on his wrist indicating his desire to "guard and protect." Bless his heart.

All that said, I hope she picks Chris from Massachusetts. Roberto is, without question, the finest thing I've seen in a loooong time, but Chris has got staying power. And his daddy? Cutest man alive.

So my goal is to send out five resumes & cover letters each day (ay yay yay). Today I maxed out at three, but hopefully I can make up for it tomorrow. I've applied to all different types of jobs so far (copywriting, teaching, nonprofit managing, and perhaps most thrilling: investigator! yesssss), and I've felt kind of so-so about most of them, but I did happen to stumble upon the perfect job for me the other day (sent in my stuff today!), so hopefully they'll interview me despite my lack of an official California teaching credential.

What are y'all watching on tv these days?? (See, I'm feeding my sick addiction).

A San Francisco Summer Day

Today was one of those perfect summer days when you sit at an outdoor cafe with a friend in the city and yammer on and on with each other . . .

My dear friend Brady (child therapist extraordinaire + go-go dancer by night!) and I met a few years ago at Balboa. He's the AB 36-32 therapist for many of the same kids I teach. They're classified E.D.--Emotionally Disturbed--doesn't that sound like such a primitive label? In any case, we immediately bonded over wild kid stories (as well as each other's fashion sense). Brady has become one of my favorite people in San Francisco! He's fun, adorable, versatile, dynamic, and so zen. What a package.

Brady and I had lunch at Cafe Flore, a sweet little restaurant right in the middle of the Castro Distict of San Francisco. We sat on the patio, overlooking Market St., and started out with these:

Shortly thereafter, the waiter brought us our avocado salads--pretty much the most ideal lunch for a sunny/breezy summer day:

(I love salads as big as my head)

So delicious. There is literally nothing like California avocados in the summertime.

We sat in the sun for a couple hours and talked about love and dating and friendships and dancing and jobs. This is exactly the kind of afternoon that brings calm & happiness to my soul. I'll tell you what: amid job insecurity and a roommate moving out and dating woes, I am so grateful for my friends (near and far). Where do you go when you need to be restored?

**On a totally unrelated note: What on EARTH did The Bachelorette do tonight?? I can't believe she sent that dear boy home. I wish I could swoop him up and make him feel better. ;)