a ginger by the bay

I Know What I'm Kicking Away

2009-11-27T01:10:00.000-08:00

So, my resolution to be a better blogger fell flat. All my blog wants is my love and attention, but I just can't commit.

You know what else I can't commit to? My graduate school. It turns out that the program I'm enrolled in is not a good fit for what I want to do with my career, so I decided to take a step back before I toss more money at something that's not working for me. At the end of this semester, I will be taking a leave of absence from CCA. This means that if I change my mind, I can come back in Spring of 2011 without having to reapply.

I am going to take some time to get out in the working world and build my portfolio before I take up school again. The unfortunate part is that I already have a job, but am resigning my position at Cumulus because I cannot afford to continue living in SF without student loans. Until I figure out when and where I want to finish my degree, I will be moving back to PA and looking for another job.

It was a really difficult decision to make, especially since I like my job and I am already attached to my new friends out here. A few of us were even planning on getting an apartment together in the next few weeks. But, I think all in all, this is the best decision for me.

I guess I won't be a ginger by the bay anymore!

Snazzy Shoes!

2009-11-15T12:29:00.000-08:00

When I Googled "cioce" to see if my wix site would come up (it does not. darn.) i stumbled across an interesting article that references "la ciocia," the shoes that the peasants of Ciociaria (a region in Italy) wore in ancient times:

La ciocia, plural cioce, was the traditional footwear of the contadini (peasants) and pastori(shepherds), being worn by both men and women alike. It consists of a tough treated leather sole which is bound to the foot and ankle by means of leather thongs.

I always thought I was a Goody-Two-Shoes. But I guess I'm actually Paulina Peasant-Shoes.

This footwear is still worn as part of the traditional attire of the region. The zampognari, musicians who play an archaic type of bagpipe, can be seen wearing "le cioce"

When I was writing a journal entry for one of my classes, I decided to adapted a classic lighthearted Sicilian song I like. I only changed a few words, to make the verse about a zampognaro rather than a barber or famer like in some of the traditional verses. But considering I don't know Sicilian, I'm sure I butchered it (sorry, Nana).

Here's a rough translation. It's like a conversation between mother and daughter:

- There's a moon in the middle of the sea. Mother, I must get married.

- My daughter, who shall I choose for you?

- Mother, I leave it up to you.

- If I give you the bagpipe player, he will come and he will go with a bagpipe in his hands. If he gets the idea, he will bagpipe you my daughter.

It makes more sense with the original verses (like the barber, who might "razor" the daughter). It seems like one of those morbid comical folksy songs like Darling Clementine.

If this all sounds strange and you just don't get it, listen to Louis Prima's "Angelina/Zooma Zooma." It's a medley and he starts singing "C'e la luna" after a few verses about Angelina. I bet it'll make you smile! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIJzpdJIdmI

It Pays to Clean

2009-11-14T19:55:00.000-08:00

When I was sorting through a bunch of papers (that stuff definitely multiplies when i'm not looking), i found 20 bucks! Ka-ching!!

Name That Muppet

2009-11-13T23:22:00.000-08:00

This post would have been up yesterday if I hadn't fallen asleep in the middle of writing it. bummer.

I really don't have any breaking news, so wasn't sure what I was going to write about yesterday. But then Katie sent me this link: http://www.nationalpost.com/muppets/index.html

This page has a nicely illustrated interactive compilation of 101 Sesame Street Muppets. You can roll over the image to see the names of the characters.

I'm not going to lie. I love children's programming, so my first thought was, "How many of these can I name before rolling over the image?" The answer? A mediocre 51! Keep in mind that I spent my formative years in house where children's programming played round-the-clock, most of which was Sesame Steet, Disney, or Warner Brothers cartoons. I should have done better than that! Anyway, here are some of my favorites:

Lefty is a Rosemont favorite. My roommates and I enjoy this clip ("So buy-dee-O and take it home tonight"): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajHVLJG0298

Although he looks kind of similar to Guy Smiley, this guy is more of the tortured artist type. With Kermit's help he wrote a lovely ditty that goes, "Mary had a bicycle. It was painted red as fire. But whenever Mary wanted a ride, the bicycle had a flat tire." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RZ33NW-KFE

Sully is a testament to the expressiveness of Jim Henson's characters. Sully doesn't need a voice (or eyes?). The faces he makes say it all!

I think Sesame Street has been so successful because they throw in jokes and parodies that adults can appreciate, too. This guy was modeled after Vicent Price (who was the guest in a great episode of the Muppet Show)

Someone who forgets everything? Now who does that remind me of? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQ9g62YE1N4

Have you ever seen a Muppet packing heat? It's probably best that they opted for milder monsters: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOkJYurtECI

One of my favorite Sesame Street skits involves this guy busting in to the middle of an otherwise low-key rhyming session. Dig that crazy drumbeat! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ei1DvIgW_PU

Yay for Veterans!

2009-11-12T20:27:00.000-08:00

I know yesterday was Veteran's Day, but I'm going to do a little tribute today. Thank you to all of those who have served and protected our country! Your brave actions preserved the many rights that I often take for granted.

My maternal grandfather fought in WWII and although he has only mentioned it to me a few times, I know it made a lasting impact. When I saw him at Virginia Beach, he was wearing proudly wearing this tshirt.

Last year my grandfather was invited to go to Washington D.C. with a bunch of other veterans to honor their service to our country. I actually found an article from one of my grandparents' local newspapers that explains the Honor Flight event.

http://www.timesjournalonline.com/details.asp?id=18067

Best Soda? Yes it IZZE!

2009-11-11T23:11:00.000-08:00

I've had IZZE drinks once or twice before, but never took the time to really evaluate the product.

Today while grabbing a yummy veggie Mexican salad at Chipotle, I bought a bottle of Sparkling Blackberry IZZE (and felt slightly guilty for not choosing the bottle water).

Then when I looked at the label, I found that there is no refined sugar in the drink. Score! Plus it's delicious! The drink is "70% pure fruit juice with a splash of sparkling water." (The design is great, too, which never hurts).

Of course, drinking plain water would save a bunch of sugar and carbs that come from the fruit, but if you're craving something fizzy, IZZE is it!

Also, there is a similar product on the market called Fizzy Lizzy, which I tried a few years ago when I worked at a cafe in Rosemont, PA. Same idea, mostly juice with sparking water added. When I looked them up online, I saw that they've gone through a big label change, and they have a cool website, too. http://www.fizzylizzy.com/index.html Supposedly there are a few places in the Bay Area that carry it. Maybe I'll have to track down a bottle for old times sake.

Carnival Squash: A lot of work ... for not that much fun

2009-11-11T00:04:00.000-08:00

When I was search of some healthy eats at Whole Foods recently, the display of colorful fall gourds caught my eye. The most vibrant of them all were the carnival squash. They were too hard to pass up! I bought one, and tried to prepare it last night. There weren't too many recipes online (which should have been my first clue) but from the options I saw, I decided to bake it.

After cutting the squash in half and scooping out the seeds, I seasoned it with olive oil and spices and placed the two halves on a baking pan and popped it in the oven. I was expecting it to take about half an hour to cook, but it was over an hour before it even started to get tender. I'm not patient enough for that kind of time commitment!

When I couldn't wait anymore, I pulled it out of the oven. It looked pretty yummy, but didn't really taste that great. It had the texture of an undercooked baked potato, but more stringy and not much flavor even with the added spices. hmm. Clearly I've done something wrong here. Hoping to redeem myself, I cut out the inside and mashed it up. It didn't improve the texture much. I also baked the seeds, which were kind of like pumpkin seeds. Not bad, but not worth the time it took to clean them and then scrub at the strainer for ten minutes trying to get the little fibers out.

Is my lack of culinary savvy to blame for this failed attempt? Certainly. Will I be running out to get another Carnival Squash to hone my skills? I'd rather join the circus.

Do You Have a Time Surplus?

2009-11-09T12:15:00.000-08:00

I can help!

Go to http://dada.cca.edu/~pcioce/circles/

Here's what you do:

Move your mouse around the black screen

to create a flare.

Hit any key on your keyboard to fade the circle trail.

Also try holding down a key while you move the cursor.

Watch as all of your extra time magically disappears!

I coded this simple applet in a program called Processing.

yay school!

Web Work

2009-11-07T22:52:00.000-08:00

After a minor panic attack this week about my poorly crafted website, I finally revised it...and revised it...and revised it. I'll probably just keep on making little revisions, so I welcome your comments and criticism. http://www.wix.com/paulinacioce/design

Speaking of the web, I haven't said much about my job yet, so here goes...

I work for the Corporate Web Manager at Cumulus Media. She's really sweet and funny and quirky. The days go really fast because Cumulus owns hundreds of radio stations and there's a lot of turnover, so there's always lots to do with web and graphics maintenance. Mostly, I've been doing technical stuff, like organizing, cleaning up and formatting existing logos and layouts for the web. But my boss really wants to have me start doing more creative work so I can add to my portfolio. Yesterday I got to create a button for a Gospel radio station in Tallahassee. http://heaven1410.com/

It's only a little web graphic but it was exciting to see something I made somewhere other than blogger or facebook.

The other great part about work is I actually work at the station. KFOG, The Bone and KNBR all broadcast from the building where I work. So, on my first day, I got to sit in on a private performance by Snow Patrol that radio listeners won tickets to go to!

Also I can work promotional events and concerts for the radio stations, which is pretty cool. I worked at a football viewing party in Dublin, CA, giving out promotional materials for The Bone and the SF 49ers. I got to drive "the rig" which I was expecting to be a huge tractor trailer, but was really just a large van/truck/suv thing with the station's logo on the side.

Virginia Beach!

2009-11-07T20:59:00.000-08:00

I had a splendid time at Virginia Beach last week! It was great getting to spend a few days back on the East Coast with some of my family.

Here are a few highlights of my vacation:

- watching my grandparents' first experience with Skype

- girl-talk with my aunts

- playing hostess in my hotel suite, which was the designated party room

- my southern taxi driver's view on weather: "Mother Nature can do whatever she wants, wherever she wants, and she don't have to ask the Weather Channel, the president, the UN, or nothin."

- walking on the beach

- eating lots and lots of food

- my grandmother telling me how worried they were when i first went out to the West Coast because i was like a "poor little lamb" in the big scary world. now she thinks i can handle myself. yay!

if you want to see more photos of the reunion, click here.

Resolving to be Resolute

2009-11-07T14:49:00.000-08:00

oh, my poor neglected blog! i love you really. i've just been so busy!

but i realized that i'm coming home in less than 6 weeks, so starting today i'm resolving to be a better blogger. barring widespread power outages or natural disasters,

i will be posting at least one photo and one paragraph per day. starting....

Ginger Tracker

2009-10-30T23:56:00.000-07:00

Since I haven't posted in weeks, some of you might be wondering where the heck I've been. I feel like I was sick for the majority of the month, and it really owned me. Then I had to play catch-up with schoolwork, and balance my time with my new job (I'll get to that describing that some other time).

Right now, I want to tell you how I bounced around the country to make my way back to the East Coast. Last week, I made an impulsive decision to travel to Virginia to celebrate my grandparent's 60th wedding anniversary.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to see the cities I stopped in other than the wandering around the airport. People often comment on the fact that all airports kind of look the same. Not so! Here are the unique places where I caught connecting flights on the way to Virginia Beach.

Las Vegas!

The city lights were stunning flying into Vegas. Then when we entered the airport, the first thing I saw were row of slot machine and a giant neon sign. Very showy.

layovers are great excuses for snacks. Ethel's chocolate is locally-made deliciousness.

Chicago!

O'Hare had a different vibe. Rather than all the glitz and glamour of Vegas, the Chicago airport was very artsy. There was psychedelic corridor with flashing rainbow lights above the moving walkway, colorful wavy walls, and soothing music.

whoever designed this must've been a fan of Gaudí.

there were translucent painting on the wall in one of the corridors

one of many hand-painted benches. love the Alice in Wonderland theme!

LÄRABAR!

2009-10-10T05:08:00.000-07:00

okay, so i just posted a few mintues ago, but i had to jump right back on again.

whenever i can't sleep (or when i used to pull a lot of all-nighters in college) there would always come a point of no reTU-URN (cue Kansas music) when it was like, "well, there's no point in going to bed now!" often i'm more tired if i get just a little sleep rather than none at all. so, i figured since i have to wake up in about 3 hours, i had reached that point (of know reTU-URN! - i just can't help myself!)

so, aaaanyway, i went to the kitchen to grab a little breakfast...i love Larabars and stock up regularly. they have all the satisfaction of a granola or bready bar, but they're unprocessed, mostly raw fruit, nuts, and spices. sooo delicious. i just took a bite of a new flavor, Apple Pie, and discovered it tastes just like a McDonald's apple pie, one of my childhood favorites! the texture's different, but it has that lovely cinnamony apple flavor! i love finding great alternatives to unhealthy food.

Wide-Eyed and Wired

2009-10-10T03:37:00.002-07:00

always something interesting going on here in california! this week i had a visit from an old friend, my asthma. when i came out here, i didn't pack an inhaler because i haven't used one in so long, and whatever i had at home would have been expired anyway. evidently getting sick aggravated my asthma, and by the end of classes on thursday evening, i decided to go to the hospital because my chest was so tight. my kindhearted professor gave me a ride because public safety couldn't get a cab on the line for me.

the people at the hospital in the castro were super nice! i got a breathing treatment and they checked my lungs. in addition to sending me off with an inhaler, the doc also gave me a prescription for the steroid prednisone. After watching one of my friends bravely trudge through many rounds of the unpleasant drug, i was not thrilled with the idea and asked if it was absolutely necessary. he told me that he would only put me on it for three days to reduce inflamation in my lungs while i get over my cold. well, okay.

when i picked up the pills at walgreens today, i was warned by the pharmacist, "prednisone may make you jittery or have difficulty sleeping." uh-oh. that's the last thing i wanted to hear. sleeping? that's one of the most important things about getting over an illness. i've already been having trouble these past few days because of the constant coughing. i don't need any help not sleeping.

so, big surprise, after taking the pills this evening i am super jittery and cannot sleep. i did have two hour-long naps this evening, but they were actually rather unpleasant. so, now it's after 4:30am here, and i'm looking at very little time left to sleep before i have to go conduct an interview for design research class. (jeez, another weekend assignment??)

one thing is for sure. i'm going to have get some rest sometime this weekend, because i'm starting my new job at Cumulus Media on monday! more on that later.

Last Resort Soup

2009-10-08T00:59:00.001-07:00

being sick is a drag. i dashed home right after my morning class because i felt too awful to try to do work in the studio. when i got back to the apartment, i was craving something yummy for lunch, but coughing so much kind of upset my stomach. so, i figured a light soup would be the way to go. however, i was out of my favorite Pad Thai soup, and only had lentil soup, which although delicious, was too heavy for the occassion.

so, i decided i had no choice but to make my own soup. i've never made soup, so i wasn't sure how that was going to go, because i've always heard it's such a long, complicated, and labor-intensive process to make soup from scratch (which i guess is why most people buy canned soup). not true! after referencing a few different online recipes, i made my own version of vegetable soup. it was quick, easy, and wonderful for a sick day. i didn't even have to measure or time anything!

i just boiled some water, chopped and sauteed whatever veggies i had in the fridge in a little olive oil (celery, carrots, tomato, zucchini), then added the boiling water once the veggies cooked for a little bit. to kick up the flavor, i snatched some pieces of dill and cilantro from an herb salad mix i had, added some tamari soy sauce, sea salt, spices, and some crushed up cashews and pecans. i boiled it for a few minutes, served it up and threw in some roasted seaweed flakes. the veggies were plenty soft without cooking them for hours (although i do like my soups on the crunchier side). voila!

best of all, it happened to be enough for two big bowls full, so tomorrow i'll just have to heat up the leftovers for an instant replay!

Hello Moon!

2009-10-06T13:27:00.000-07:00

The moon festival was lots of fun. We even we climbed up a little metal ladder to the rooftop to say hello to the moon. The view from the rooftop was awesome but it was chillllly! I know I've complained about this already, but for how warm it gets during the day, the morning and nights are COLD. Thanks to these drastic changes, I now have a miserable cough which has been messing up my much needed beauty sleep.

Monday morning I woke up freezing at 3am and couldn't fall back asleep. The apartment where I'm living is very old and stays very cold. I couldn't manage to drag myself out of bed until 5:30 to finish my paper for writing class. By 7:30 I finally made it to the kitchen to boil some water and was surprised to look out the window and see a very bright moon in the colorful morning sky.

It has always frustrated me that I can't take a good picture of the moon without special equipment, so the moon doesn't look as large or impressive as what I saw.

In other news, yesterday took the train down to visit Sophie and move the rest of my stuff back to San Francisco. We had a lovely dinner of fish and chips in downtown Campbell at Katie Bloom's Irish Pub. Good food, good laughs, good jams (while we were eating on the front patio of the restaurant, a strange man walked by with a boombox that was loudly playing "Wish You Were Here").

Every time I've been to the San Jose area, I've been struck by the beautiful mountains that look like swirling mounds of sand.

Easy Bake

2009-10-03T18:47:00.000-07:00

Tonight my friend Jerry and his roommates are hosting a party for the Chinese moon festival. Perfect excuse to bake some treats! I went to Whole Foods today to get the ingredients for coconut macaroons, one of my all-time favorite desserts. Then as I was making them, I realized I would have extra egg yolks, so I found a recipe another recipe to use them up.

Both came out pretty well, and now they are all ready for the party. If you want to try the recipes follow the links below.

Click here for the Coconut Macaroon Recipe!

Click here for the Pecan Pie Cookie recipe! (They're actually called "Skillet Cookies," but I thought the with the pecans and the caramel-like taste of the dates, it tasted like pecan pie. Also, I changed the recipe a bit when I made it. I crushed up some Puffins Honey Rice cereal, and rolled the cookies in cane sugar rather than powdered sugar, and greased the cookie sheet with vegetable oil spread because I didn't have parchment paper).

mmm, look how perfectly golden brown the bottoms toasted in the oven...hopefully they'll be a hit at the party... speaking of which, it started already, so what am I still doing here? see ya!

That's a Wrap!

2009-10-02T23:25:00.000-07:00

I didn't forget that I promised more pictures of my school, but it's been a busy week. So, here are two more for now, and more to come.

Below is the lounge directly outside of the Grad Design studio, where on any given morning you will come in to find at least half a dozen undergrad students sprawled out on the couches that they've rearranged to create makeshift beds.

This is the door to the Grad Design studio. Pretty exciting, I know. It's locked so that no one can come in and steal our stuff. However, if one of the other design students goes klepto on us, then all bets are off!

But who wants to talk about school on the weekend? I know what you really want to hear about are more interesting things like what I had for dinner, right?

A few weeks ago, I had bought this sushi kit from one of the little markets nearby. Little did I know what a delicious meal it would make. Inside the box is a rice bowl that steams when you microwave it. It also comes with little crispy seaweed pieces and a packet of soy sauce. Then you take whatever ingredients you want and make your own sushi.

I put together a bunch of ingredients to test out what tasted the best. Although I love raw fish, I thought that might be too advanced for me to start off with. Also, since Live Sushi is so close, I figure I can get my fix anytime, so why risk making myself sick on improperly prepared fish?

My favorite wrap was smoked salmon with avocado and carrots. Delicious! ... However, in the future I will probably just buy seaweed and cook my own rice to save money.

After dinner I went out to the back porch to photograph the lovely view of the city at dusk.

A Happy Medium?

2009-10-01T16:40:00.000-07:00

I have to say, the weather here is not fun.

I would always complain about weather in the northeast because it seems like half the year is really hot and the other half is freezing cold.

Now, I get both of those extremes in one day! At night and well into the morning, it is sooo cold. But just a few hours later, I am sitting in the sweltering design studio. The temperature fluctuates 20-30 degrees (or more!) throughout the day. Also it seems like air conditioning is not used anywhere in San Francisco. I am not a fan.

Surprisingly though, it has been mostly dry since I arrived. Maybe I'll wish for this weather back when it starts raining!

This Bird Tweets

2009-09-29T17:07:00.000-07:00

i never thought i would get a twitter account until today when i read the following on their about page:

Twitter is a privately funded startup with offices in the SoMA neighborhood of San Francisco, CA. Started as a side project in March of 2006, Twitter has grown into a real-time short messaging service that works over multiple networks and devices.

then i thought, "hey! i lived in SoMa."

so, to dive deeper into the san francisco culture, i decided it was time to start tweeting.

i had definitely considered getting a twitter account before, but i didn't think i could possibly have anything interesting enough to write about on a regular basis. i mean people CONSTANTLY update their twitter. i'm lucky if i can think of anything to say for my facebook status.

nevertheless, i'm going to give it a shot. so, if you really can't get enough of the paulina process, check out

my twitter to follow me throughout the day.

Monday Morning, Sitting in the Sun...

2009-09-28T16:56:00.000-07:00

hoping and wishing for the mail to come!

I would like to announce that I finally got myself a mailbox. So if you would like to send me anything

- fan mail, love mail, hate mail - please address it to the following:

Paulina Cioce

PMB 207

1459 18th Street

San Francisco, CA 94107

Note that it's not a PO box, so I can receive mail from USPS, FedEx, UPS, etc.

The End of Productivity

2009-09-26T17:38:00.000-07:00

I would like to announce that I will not be doing any more work this semester. My wonderful parents took pity on my poor wretched guitarless self and decided I could go get myself a new instrument for an early Christmas present! I went to Guitar Center today and picked out a little 3/4 sized Laguna guitar. It's so cute and tiny, perfect for the grad-girl-on-the-go! I especially love the spruce top and the abalone inlay.

In other news, while I was waiting for my laundry to be done earlier today, I scurried over the Good Life grocery, a lovely little market near my apt, and picked up some of my new fav Japanese food for lunch: inari.

I had it for the first time yesterday at Wolfe's Lunch right down the street from my school. I had never eaten there before because it didn't look too promising, but when one of my classmates came into the studio with some delicious smelling takeout, so I decided to give it a try.

I got a delicious teriyaki salmon with salad, rice, two little california rolls, and something I didn't recognize. It looked like a little golden-brown pillow and was filled with sweet gingery-flavored rice. I learned that it's called inari when I saw it today at Good Life. After doing a quick internet search, this fried bean curd pocket filled with seasoned rice seems like a pretty popular/common Japanese food, so I don't know how I've missed it up until now. I guess I'll just have to make up for lost time.

Walking Tour

2009-09-25T22:00:00.000-07:00

Now that I'm settled into my new place, I thought I'd give you a glimpse of my commute to school.

It's a nice short walk. It gives me a few minutes to think and if I'm late, to scarf down some breakfast as I go. Since I live on pretty high up on Potrero Hill, there's a pretty nice view of the city, too. Today was a little foggy, but it's actually usually pretty clear in this part of San Francisco.

The times that I've wandered around the neighborhood, I've felt like I was on a tour of the country because most of the north-south roads in Potrero have state names. I live on Connecticut Street (just when I thought I left the north-east).

The funny thing is that there's no geographical correspondence to their order. For example, if you started all the way east near the water and walked west on 18th Street, you would cross Illinois, 3rd St, Tennessee, Minnesota, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Mississippi, Texas, Missouri, Connecticut, Arkansas, Winsconsin, Carolina, DeHaro, Rhode Island, Kansas, Vermont, etc.

Anyway, that doesn't have much to do with my walk. I just walk north on Connecticut until I reach 17th St. at the bottom of the hill. I turn left there, then right at Wisconsin when I reach Parkside, a CCA hangout.

Now the homestretch. My destination is the building at the end of the road, where Wisconsin meets 8th Street. I haven't timed it yet, but the walk is well under ten minutes - maybe 7 minutes there and closer to 10 back since it's uphill.

And here we are. I spend most of my time in this building because the Graduate Design studios are here, as well as other studio spaces, the library, cafe, galleries, lecture hall, classrooms, labs, woodshops and other workshops. Tune in next week and I'll take you inside the building for a closer look.

Mochachino

2009-09-24T23:10:00.000-07:00

i was going nuts in school today. not only are thursdays a drag, but also, i couldn't stand my nails any longer! i was so relieved to clip my nails nice and short when i got home. it's amazing what a difference just a few millimeters can make. the bonus was that i cut off the parts of my polish that had chipped since this morning.

i love the color of this Sally Hansen Insta-Dri nail polish:. I'm very into dark and earthy-colored polishes. in addition, it was on sale and i already knew i loved this particular line of polishes because i had used soph's bright purple one at college a few times.

the shape of the brush totally makes or breaks the polish in my opinion. i remember as a kid struggling with these thin round brushes with stiff bristles that didn't hold much polish or distribute it evenly, so it would take like a dozen strokes to cover each nail. The Insta-Dri polishes have a wide flat brushes that coat the nail using the often-recommended three strokes.

even though it had already chipped since this morning, i think it was because i only had time for one coat. and yes, i could put a top coat on, but that's the reason i buy quick-dry polish in the first place - i'm just so darn impatient! (my college roommates can attest to the fact that i hate to wait. i would sometimes use "patiently yours" as my closing for letters/emails to them as a joke).

speaking of patience, i'm already starting to cave on the guitar thing. i've been searching craigslist with an increased fervor because i don't actually think i can wait another 11 weeks and 5 days to play guitar.

Long Long Long

2009-09-23T07:38:00.000-07:00

My nails are beginning to get long. In my case, "long" means that more than just a sliver of white is showing beyond the nail bed. It's strange because when I was younger, I always had loved growing my nails as long as I could. But, when I started playing guitar they became really annoying so I have always kept them short since.

I still think long nails are really pretty, the feeling just bothers me. But I haven't been able to bring myself to cut them. It used to be kind of a ritualistic thing. When my nails got too long, I would clip them before playing guitar. But now I have no guitar to play.

I've been keeping my eye on craigslist, and I even saw a used backpack guitar for sale at the local Guitar Center, but I just can't justify spending the money. My financial priorities are rent, food, and school-related expenses. I'm a foodie and I won't eat ramen just to save some money. So, buying a guitar would not only be financially unwise, but I should be spending more time on homework, not less.

So, for now, my nails can breathe a sigh of relief, knowing they will escape the clippers for yet another day.

The English Language: Handle with Care

2009-09-21T23:50:00.000-07:00

Despite the fact that my writing class is at 8:30am Monday mornings, it is actually one of my favorite classes this semester. We are studying an interesting book called On Writing Well by William Zinsser, who encourages concise and precise language. He wants us to cut the fancy jargon and cliches, and get to the point! It seems that people try to weave eloquent complex sentences, but just end up losing their audience in a sea of muddled language.

I find the Oxford dictionary very helpful when it comes to choosing the right words. Conveniently, it comes pre-loaded on macs, and I have it on my dashboard because I use it all the time! For example, the dictionary explains the difference between the precise meanings of words that are similar, but not quite the same, like scold, chide, berate, upbraid, revile and vituperate.

However, I was very offended to find the word "irregardless" in the Oxford dictionary!!! I LOATHE that word, and people say it all the time. I've heard it at least twice from professors on campus this semester (it may have been the same guy twice, I don't remember).

Here's the entry:

irregardless |ˌiriˈgärdlis| adjective & adverb informal regardless.

ORIGIN early 20th cent.: probably a blend of irrespective and regardless .

USAGE Irregardless, with its illogical negative prefix, is widely heard, perhaps arising under the influence of such perfectly correct forms as : irrespective. Irregardless is avoided by careful users of English. Use regardless to mean 'without regard or consideration for' or 'nevertheless': : I go walking every day regardless of season or weather.

So, even though definition does say it's an illogical compilation, what I really want is for them to say it's WRONG. Perhaps you think ranting and raving about the English language is a bit out of my field of expertise. I certainly wouldn't try to match wits with my English-major roommate from undergrad, but I do think our language deserve a little less abuse. Comedian Ed Byrne would surely agree.

In this video my classmates showed today, he explains how Alanis Morissette clearly doesn't understand the meaning of the word "ironic." It is hilarious! (it's a little long and he doesn't start that joke until about 1:43 on the counter).

Prioritizing

2009-09-21T01:22:00.000-07:00

Hmm...homework or shopping, homework or shopping, homework or shopping...

I didn't make it to the 10am Mass at the church on the corner, so I decided to make the trip out to St. Patrick's church again, where they have Mass times that are much more suitable for lazy students such as myself. Conveniently, the church is located right smack in middle of downtown shopping, so I decided that afterwards I would finally get around to getting some of the things on my list.

Before hitting the stores, I had an awesome lunch at Bangkok, a Thai food place. I had broad rice noodles with tofu, mushrooms, topped a spicy peanut sauce, and a bubble thai iced tea. I really like bubble tea, but combined with thai iced tea which is amazing to begin with, sooo yummy. the food was reasonably priced and the bubble tea was so filling that I brought most of my lunch home for left-overs.

It's a good thing I'm trying to stretch my food dollars because I gave my credit card quite a work-out. It's not that I went on a shopping spree, it's just that stuff adds up so quickly, especially in the city! A few shirts, a pair of pants, boots, and a few other assorted items can really whale on your wallet.

Probably the most exciting of my purchases was this pair of little black boots from Aldo. It was so frustrating at first because I was wandering around from store to store, searching for just the right pair. I didn't want rain boots. I didn't want snow boots. I didn't want heeled boots. I didn't want bright colors or crazy patterns. I didn't want suede or anything else that would get gross in the rain. I didn't want boots that came up to my knees. Just plain little flat boots that would be comfortable for walking.

The best part is that for the past few days I've had Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots are Made for Walkin'" stuck in my head, and now I actually have a reason to sing it!

Staying Put!

2009-09-15T22:08:00.000-07:00

Today marks four weeks since I arrived in California, and the first day in my new room! Last night I carted my things to the nearest MUNI station and said goodbye to SoMa. The people I stayed with at the last two apartments were undoubtedly awesome, but I was glad to have a change of venue. As my CCA advisor put it, SoMa is kind of a ghost town. It's a desolate industrial area that apparently became a no-man's-land after the dot com crash.

Now until the end of the semester, I'll be living in Potrero, just a few minutes walk from school! The apartment is lovely and I have the beautiful front room facing the street with 3 big bay windows, a big bed, desk, and shelving. Since it's up on the hill, you get a beautiful view of the city!

Last night after I arrived, I went for dinner with my landlady, her daughter, and the woman upstairs to Dos Piñas, my favorite lunch spot near school. Cheap delicious Mexican food. Yes, please!

I can't believe how quickly the time has passed since I arrived on the west coast! I won't deny that there have been more than a few times when I wanted to get the h-e-double-hockey-sticks out of here, but, it seems like I really haven't gotten to know the city very well yet. So, I'm hopeful that once I do some exploring, I will really enjoy living here.

I've got to admit, it's getting better.

It's getting better all the time.

It can't get no worse.

No One Expects the Rhetorical Triangle!

2009-09-14T00:30:00.000-07:00

Ah, yes. Now I remember why I decided to go to art school. I don't like writing long dissertations, spending hours researching a theorem, or carefully monitoring an experimentation. I like to make things out of construction paper instead.

So, here is assignment #1 for writing class: constructing a Rhetorical Triangle...Well, I also have a paper due tomorrow for my 8:30 (ugh) AM writing class. But, it was only a 2 page paper and on top of that, it was a MOVIE REVIEW! Fantastic! I must say, for as worried as I was about having a graduate level writing course, it is now the least of my concerns.

With those two assignments out of the way, I can direct my attention to more pressing issues, like the second round of object studies we have to do for Form Studio. My objects are sequins and plastic clamps. No, I did not choose those items knowingly, it was a random drawing. Yes, I am utterly confused.

Whirlwind week

2009-09-12T14:14:00.000-07:00

Workin hard or hardly workin? It's hard to tell. This week has been a blur. It feels like I've spent a lot of my time at school, but I can't say I feel like I've been very productive. Nevertheless, I think by the time the end of the week rolled around, all the design students were pretty drained.

This is why it was such a relief to spend Friday evening relaxing. There was a Grad student barbeque where we mostly huddled in a little group of our own, but also chatted with a few really nice 2nd year students who were able to give us some advice about our courses.

After the barbeque a bunch of the first years went to a party at our classmates Kate's adorable apartment. I forgot my camera in the studio, so I wasn't able to capture the festivities including the fire-juggling performance that happened in her backyard toward the end of the party, but I swiped these pics from my friend Alice's facebook page:

In addition to having a sweet place (I don't even want to know what she pays for rent!) there is a really awesome table which Kate refinished, creating a interactive table/design surface. Check it out!

Alemany Flea Market

2009-09-06T14:43:00.000-07:00

"So this weekend, we would like you to..."

I can't help but grumble to myself when I hear a professor start off an assignment this way. But, when this is accompanied by phrases like "go out and find" and "group project," that is when I begin to curse my very existence. I'll admit it, I hate collaborative assignments. Not because I'm completely anti-social (I don't think), but because it has largely been my experience that whenever I have to work with other people, I end up having to do the bulk of the work.

But, this isn't high school biology, so perhaps working with other designers will prove to be a better experience, right?...RIGHT! This is actually one project I'm glad I didn't have to do alone. My two classmates and I went to the Alemany Flea Market to observe face-to-face sales interactions and interview some buyers and sellers as part of our first assignment for Design Research class. It was quite an interesting experience - not to mention a little intimidating -because it seemed clear that we were "outsiders" in this environment and most people were not so willing to divulge information to us.

There was quite an interesting array of items that varied from vendor to vendor. There were antiques, clothes, electronics, power tools, areas that looked like a yard sale transplants, and even a vendor that just sold shoes.

So, for "investigative purposes" I decided to get in on the action and buy something at the market. Although a violin at one table caught my eye, once I learned that it was $85, I decided that a table full of jewelry market as $1 per item would more up my alley. After sifting through the hodgepodge of necklaces and bracelets, I narrowed it down to three. Intending to buying two, I asked the vendor's opinion on which suited me best. "Ah," he said, "with my pricing system you can have 3 items for $2." "Sold!" I replied, wondering if I had just unintentionally haggled for a better price.

The best part was afterwards, the three of us went over to the Dolores Park cafe to discuss our thoughts about the marketplace, and of course, have some lunch! I had a delicious inside-of-a-sandwich with veggies, hummus and kalamata olive tapenade, which I trucked through before thinking to snap a picture of the lovely arrangement. But here is the yummy Thai iced tea I had!

Thank you, Dr. McDougall!

2009-09-05T13:22:00.000-07:00

I'm glad I thought twice before stocking up on mass amounts of Ramen on my last grocery trip. Delicious as it may be, I was looking for some healthier options in the cheap, quick, easy, and won't-go-bad-in-a-few-days department. I wish I could eat only fresh foods, but it's just too hard to stay on top of. Even the small bunch of kale I bought was quite wilty by the time I got to the end of it.

Luckily, while looking for shelf-kept soup/noodle options, I came upon Dr. McDougall's nice big individual-serving cups of dry soup. Besides the fact that McDougall is a fantastic name, I noticed that several of the flavors were gluten-free and vegan, so I decided to buy a few different kinds. The first one I tried was Tortilla soup with baked chips. I was not impressed, so the other 3 cups have been sitting around for awhile.

But, since my food supplies have been seriously dangerously low these past few days, I decided I had little choice but to quiet my rumbling tummy with another soup option. It was that, or eat plain hummus, almond butter, or raisins. hmm...So, I went with the Pad Thai noodle soup...Delicious! It was spicy and filling with delicious rice noodles! (So, needless to say, when I make a trip to the grocery store today to get some additional food options, I will also be pick up some more of Dr. McDougall's Pad Thai soup!)

Apartment Shuffle

2009-09-02T21:32:00.000-07:00

For those of you who are concerned that I've become a nomad, wandering through the streets of San Francisco, let me assure you that I now have the rest of the semester planned out, in terms of housing.

On Friday, I will be moving to another part of the SoMa neighborhood, a few blocks from where I'm staying now (and just down the street from the wonderful Rainbow Grocery!). Then in the middle of this month, I will be moving to a longer-term sublet in beautiful Potrero Hill, very close to where my school is located! I will stay there until I fly home for Christmas. I think that should give me time to line up something for the spring semester, whether it be an apartment of my own (so expensive!) or another sublet.

I was a definitely skeptical at first, but I have to say, thank goodness for craigslist! That was how I found all of my housing here, and it all worked out pretty well. I don't know how useful it is for other parts of the country, but in SF, it's definitely a good way to find a place.

Now You're Speaking My Language!

2009-09-01T21:20:00.000-07:00

Whether it be listening to different types of music, learning about languages, or trying a different kind of dancing, I love learning about other cultures! Since Spanish is one of my language loves, I was excited that there is a large Latino population in the area. Hopefully I can find some people to practice with so I can brush up on my rusty Spanish!

Also, there are a bunch of international students in my MFA program, mostly from different parts of Asia including Taiwan, China, Thailand, and Korea. One of my classmates from China even wanted to do a language exchange with me! I am helping him work on his English pronunciation, and he will teach me some basic Chinese phrases. I only have about 6 down so far, but he promises me that by the end of our 2-year program, I will be conversant in Chinese. I think it's a bit of a stretch, but even if I know just a few things, that would be awesome!

Cake Occassion

2009-08-30T19:52:00.000-07:00

As annoying as it may be to wake up to the sounds of a three-year-old running and stomping upstairs at 9am, I took consolation in the fact that it was SUNDAY. This was the first day since I've been here that I haven't been mapping out bus/train routes, going to school, or hustling around town looking at apartments.

The past few days have been particularly hectic, starting on Tuesday where we had two long days of orientation, followed by a three-day digital storytelling workshop for the design students, which culminated in a reception and screening of the 40-some videos on Saturday night. By the time all was said and done, we were at school yesterday for a little over 12 HOURS!!! But it was awesome to see and hear everyone's unique stories and styles of work. Would you like to see my video??

Click here.

So today, being that I had the whole day ahead of me, and nowhere I HAD to be, I had a leisurely breakfast, got ready for the day, and strolled over to St. Patrick's Church for Mass.

Walking along Mission Street, I headed toward the church. Once I had gone a few blocks further east than I had ventured in past days, I noticed something in the distance....Bloomingdales!!! Speaking as someone who has never purchased anything at Bloomingdales and whose budget clearly will not allow for that in the foreseeable future, you may wonder why the sight of their sign was so exciting. It's because in the rather desolate-looking area where I am currently staying, I have not seen any mainstream stores or shopping options other than Walgreens.

Bloomingdales was a sign that I was entering a more upscale/touristy/commercial part of town. So after Mass, I began to wander around, looking at the different stores. I even came upon an upscale multi-level mall called Westfield. Most of the stores were too rich for my blood, but I did have lunch in the food court and picked up the most delicious mini chocolate cake EVER from the bakery at a market called Bristol Farms.

This little unassuming 3" round chocolate cake didn't do much to grab my attention other than the fact that it was labeled "flourless chocolate cake." I'm not a big plain-chocolate-cake fan, it's usually too dry and airy, and this one wasn't even frosted. There were many more exciting-looking options, but since I'm on a gluten free diet, this was about the only thing I could have from the bakery, so I decided to give it a shot...Wow!! They really need to rethink their labeling system. They should call it "So-amazingly-fudgey-and-delicious-you-can't-help-but-finish-it-in-one-sitting-(flourless)-chocolate-cake." It tasted like a rich and moist brownie blended with chocolate ganache.

After leaving the mall, I found a Ross down the road where I was able to pick up a warm sweatshirt, which I've had my eye out for since I got here. Friday and Saturday were unusually hot, but when the cool bay breeze starts a-blowin' I'll be ready!

sushi bar-none

2009-08-27T21:06:00.000-07:00

despite my undying love for wegman's and how miffed i am that they do not exist on the west coast, i have to say that recently their sushi has failed to impress. wegman's sushi, in my experience, has always been top-notch, but the few times i indulged this summer, i found the rice to be dry and the fish not so tender.

so, i've been eager for some really killer sushi, and was delighted to hear people rave that san francisco had the best in the country. i've kept my eyes peeled since i arrived, but have not stumbled across any restaurants in my wanderings (although, i did find a few good mexican places).

but, today as i was walking along 17th street in potrero hill, i stopped mid-sentence while on the phone with my mom to exclaim "suuuussshhhhiiiiii baaarrrrrrr!!!!!!" (very much the way a child might point out an animal at the zoo, "mommmyyyy...eleeeephaaaannttt!!!")

needless to say, "LIVE Sushi Bar" (on the corner of 17th and Kansas) was where i chose to have lunch today. PHE-NOM-E-NAL!! basically, THE BEST sushi meal of my life! best of all, it was affordable. i chose one of the lunch specials, which came with 12 rolls, miso soup, salad, a large ball of rice, and an orange wedge - $9.50. it was so good that i downed it all in one sitting, but in the future (because obviously i'm going back), i would definitely take like half of it home.

best of all, it's about a 5 minute walk from campus!

Bizarro World

2009-08-26T21:52:00.000-07:00

Flying over the seemingly alien terrain of the mid-west should have been a red-flag that I was not just passing from one coast to another, but in fact crossing into an alternate universe...

When I saw a girl at the Comfort Inn & Suites in South San Francisco who was a dead-ringer for one of my college friends, Bridget, I thought it was just a coincidence. But everywhere I go, I find people who are eerily similar to other people I know from the east coast, either in looks or personality.

Usually something is off, like the face is right on but they have a different voice. A Taiwanese student resembles me of a Latina classmate from college, or the Russian public safety officer reminds me of the Albanian one from Rosemont.

As a matter of fact, many of the folks from back home who I'm finding west-coast-counterparts for, are from my Rosemont College community. Our design department chair could very well be my undergrad art history professor with a blonde curly wig. The studio manager looks and talks like my admissions counselor from four years back. Maybe it's a signal from my subconscious that I'm starting to miss my "old life" as an undergrad.

Rainbow Grocery

2009-08-25T22:25:00.000-07:00

Whenever I return to the apartment where I'm staying, I am greeted by a cheerful chorus of "Pa-la-leeeena"s coming from the upstairs loft. That's my landlady's three-year-old calling for my attention.

This evening, he insisted on helping me cook my dinner. So I brought out a block of firm tofu and let him chop it up with a butter knife before I pan-fried it with some teriyaki marinade. He also eagerly grabbed a piece of my seaweed salad and stuffed it in his mouth. It was very salty, so he quickly spit it out declaring, "I don't like that!" and since I clearly was making the salad wrong, he threw in a couple of his baby carrots to improve it.

Surprisingly though, he actually ate about half of the tofu I cooked. He also enjoyed the fresh vegetable chips that I got from the bulk section of the hip local vegetarian grocery store called, Rainbow Grocery Co-op. It has a massively wide selection of all types of healthy and delicious foods, which softens the blow of not having Wegman's at my fingertips. Fortunately, I had to limit myself to how much groceries I could carry, or I would have bought up half the store!

What is Wattis?

2009-08-24T20:24:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow begins graduate orientation, and I will hopefully get a better understand of what I have gotten myself into. When I arrived on campus last week, I noticed a big orange logo with scripty white letters: Wattis. I second guessed myself for a moment, thinking I was in the wrong place, but in fact, Wattis refers to the "CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts," which is the school's gallery of international contemporary art.

So, orientation will be going on tomorrow and wednesday, and after that we have a three-day-long digital story-telling workshop (thurs, fri, sat), followed by a screening and welcome party Saturday night.

I looked into the organization that hosts these story-telling workshops, and most of the videos I watched were interesting and poignant tales about their lives (watch some for yourself). So, it sounds like we are going to have to put together a similar presentation in a short period of time that will then be shown to the group. No pressure, right? ...I can just hear the instructions now, "Okay, you have the next three days to produce something that will dazzle us...Go." I sure hope there are other incoming mfa students that are as clueless as I am.

In other news, I have a bone to pick with AT&T...I mean Cingular....I mean at&t. Whatever it is they're calling themselves these days, they're coverage is atrocious. Years ago, my family had Verizon, and I don't remember reception ever being an issue. With our current plan, however, I have had problems in a bunch of places. But I have to say, being in San Francisco, I have experienced the most problems of all. I could stay in the same spot and my signal strength will vary dramatically from moment to moment. It's very frustrating, so I'm going to try polling the people I meet to see if there's a provider that has better coverage for this area. So, for now the best way to get in touch with me is by email: paulina.cioce@yahoo.com

Mission: Possibly

2009-08-23T23:02:00.006-07:00

I am happy to say that I have a place in the city where I can stay for a few nights until I find a more permanent arrangement. I believe my landlady referred to it as the Mission, but I'll have to take that one up with her, because looking at a map, it seems that I would have to be in the SoMa (South of Market) area. In any case, I'm all set up in a cute little guest bedroom in an apartment which she shares with, her energetic 3-year old, her cute cat, and another tenant.

Speaking of her cat reminds me that earlier today I was looking at a room in an apartment in Potrero Hill. As the landlord showed me around, he was surprised that his cat quickly sought me out and began to nuzzle my shoe. My landlady was similarly surprised that her cat immediately took a liking to me and then stretched out his paws to reach up to me and beg for attention. I guess now there is no denying my fate: I will be the stereotypical crazy old spinster with about 40 cats that follow me around.

Here's what the room looks like:

Potrero "Hill"

2009-08-22T20:28:00.003-07:00

I was well aware before moving to San Francisco that the terrain is very hilly in places. In fact, some of the neighborhoods even have "hill" in the name, such as Nob Hill or Portrero Hill. However, I was not physically conditioning myself for rigorous climb, as evidenced by a tall, thin old man who marched spryly past me up a steep incline. But hopefully, I will have "legs of steel," as sophie predicts.

When I was running around Potrero Hill today looking at apartments, my usual brisk stride was reduced to slow labored steps on the way up, and slow timid steps on the way down, confident that i would soon tumble head over heels to the bottom of the steep slopes.

Perhaps there is already a fitting term in existence, but it seems to me that the English language is not equipped to describe such dramatic landscape. I suppose you can't really call them mountains (although my sore legs would beg to differ), but the word "hill" doesn't quite prepare you for the physical undertaking of the San Francisco streets. How about hell-hills?

Once I get more settled, I'll start taking/posting pictures of the city, but for now, I think wandering around with a camera will make me seem even more like a clueless tourist!

carry that weight

2009-08-20T14:58:00.002-07:00

if there ever were a time when I could have abandoned all my material possessions in pursuit of simplicity and happiness, it was yesterday. After battling with my usual indecisiveness, I decided to check out of my smelly hotel room (more on that later) and pay a visit to my friend Sophie, whose family so generously welcomed me to stay at their house in the San Jose area for a few days.

So I checked out of south san francisco's comfort inn & suites, and headed out in what direction I thought the Caltrain station was, with two rolling suitcases piggybacked and a heavy bookbag. Turns out that I got confused somehow between the less than precise google maps directions, the desk clerk's broken english, the confusing road signs, and my own general directional ineptitude, i managed to go in the wrong direction several times. After asking a few people on the street for directions and calling sophie like 10 times, I finally made it to the station (where I began boarding the wrong train until the conductor corrected me).

Needless to say, I very quickly got tired of dragging around almost 100 lbs of luggage over bumps in the sidewalk, trolley tracks, and on/off of buses and trains. In order to lighten my load until I find a place, I will be leaving more than half of my stuff at Sophie's house so I can be a little more mobile.

The deal with the hotel was this: The building, grounds and set up of the room were all nice. I was helped with my bags on the free shuttle from the airport and greeted by a very friendly front desk clerk. I felt very safe at the hotel. But none of that could make up for the fact that my room had a horrible sour moldy smell! I thought the room was kind of stuffy so I opened the window to let in the fresh breeze. Then I tried turning on the air conditioning to purify the air. I even went to the front desk, borrowed a can of Oust and doused the room, but it didn't help. The room seemed clean enough, but I just could not get over the smell. The problem was that when I inquired in the morning, the guy at the desk said they were very full and there were no clean rooms available. So, I did not lament ending my stay early!

Having made it through yesterday's adventures, today I am exploring San Francisco! I am on campus for the first time and searching for local housing options. Surprisingly, the area seemed rather desolate when I first arrived, but it has picked up as the day goes on, and it seems like it will really be hopping once school starts. The buildings that I have seen have a kind of minimal-modern-industrial-chic thing going. There's also a nice little cafe when you first walk into the classroom building, so I had little spicy salad with baked tofu and a soy latte for lunch. very yummy!

see ya!

2009-08-18T10:18:00.002-07:00

well, i finally got my act together and i am sitting in my terminal at philly International! My friend kristina was nice enough to let me crash at her house last night so she could drop me off this morning and i've been enjoying the free wifi (if you show you're student id at the information desk, they will give you a pass to connect for free; otherwise it's like $8). i tend to be late for just about everything in life, but today kristina got me here bright and early, so it's been quite a relaxing morning playing with my new macbook pro and listening to some good pandora jams.

well, we're boarding in just a few minutes, so off i go!

let's get pack-a-lackin'

2009-08-16T19:17:00.003-07:00

probably my least favorite part of any trip or move is deciding what i'm actually going to need. like seinfeld's george constanza, i tend to overpack and struggle with planning my outfits in advance. let us revist that part of the episode "the trip part 1" shall we?

Jerry's apartment. George walks in with several stuffed suitcases and backpacks.

JERRY
What is this?

GEORGE
What?

JERRY
We're going on a two day trip, what are you, Diana Ross?

GEORGE
I happen to dress based on mood.

JERRY
Oh. But you essentially wear the same thing all the time.

GEORGE
Seemingly. Seemingly. But within that basic framework there are many subtle variations, only discernable to an acute observer, that reflect the many moods, the many shades, the many sides of George Costanza.

JERRY
(referring to George's outfit): And what mood is this?

GEORGE
This is morning mist.

fortunately, katie came over this afternoon (equipped with many tips gleaned from What Not to Wear) in order to help me weed through my piles of clothes and choose the most versatile items. i really appreciated her eye towards practicality and brutal honesty (as i modeled one of my shirts, she remarked, "Not your best effort." of course, i was quick to remind her that she was there when i purchased said shirt).

if left to my own devices, i probably would have packed several pairs of jeans and a dozen subtely different black shirts (in actuality, my wardrobe is quite varied, ranging from conservative to crazy, but there has been a not-so-inexplicable influx of black shirts. i can't help it, they're just so darn slimming). however, katie forced me to include some color in my suitcase, which is probably for the best, since i hear black is not so big in SF as other cities like NYC where it's more of a staple. with katie's help, i will now be prepared to dress in morning mist, cherry blossom, honey pie, or moonlit path, as the mood strikes me.

seriously??

2009-08-15T21:47:00.004-07:00

during the past few days i have been diving into san francisco research, and as luck would have it, the public transportation system BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) which i was anticipating would be my main method of getting around, is going on STRIKE starting Monday! figures that something dramatic would happen in the Bay Area the day before i arrive! let's hope they clear this up in the next day or so...fortunately, there are many other ways to get around the city!

so, other than trying to do some spring...er...summer cleaning, i have been spending my time saying *sniff* my goodbyes to friends/coworkers, and playing with my new IPOD TOUCH! Apple is running a special: Free iPod touch with rebate when you purchase a Mac for school. I had to buy a Mac for school anyway (and it's scheduled to arrive Monday!) so I figured why not? I'm having a little trouble with the rebate, but hopefully it will work out. In any case, I didn't realize how amazing the iPod touch would be! I think it will be a great traveling tool. In addition to playing music, you can keep a list of notes, a calendar, list of contacts, check weather, and easily connect to the Internet at free wifi hotspots to map out your trip, check email, etc. There are also lots of free applications you can download. My when I was first fumbling with my iPod, my friend Katie set me up with a bunch of games and even some full-text books to read! I think Apple sums it up best when the label it "The funnest iPod ever."

I am still amazed at how far technology has come in the past few years. When I was cleaning out my room, I came upon a box that had some old electronics, including a CD Walkman and a "Cassette Personal Stereo" that played tapes AND am/fm radio. Most people nowadays would laugh at the idea of carrying around a big fat CD player nevermind something that plays *gasp* CASSETTE TAPES. These things seem so archaic, but it wasn't so long ago that i was rumaging through cassettes in the music store at the mall, or that my anti-skip CD player was high-tech. Now even CDs are an inconvenience. We just rip the music and toss the physical media in some drawer where it will rarely see the light of day. Such is the life of technology; they love you one day, and the next day you're sitting amongst a bunch of junk in a curbside box that's labeled in Sharpie, "FREE."

same game, different arena

2009-08-12T14:56:00.005-07:00

because my senses were constantly bombarded with NHL minutia (thanks to my roommates jess and soph), i was eventually converted to hockey fandom around the time of the 2008 playoffs. i'm certainly not a PHanatic (insert canned laughter here), but i do enjoy going to/watching games now and again, especially when it involves my fav teams, the Flyers and the Sharks (i would include the Red Wings in that list, but in reality, i just love their logo).

so, i'm a little sad to be moving so far away from Philly, where it was fairly easy to catch a few Flyers games at the Wachovia Center and the Phantoms at the Spectrum. but, conveniently, i will soon be relatively close to San Jose, CA, where the Sharks' home base is, so perhaps my hockey lovin' will not come to an untimely death. i hope to catch at least one Sharks game in the coming season.

however, it will be significantly more difficult to keep up with all of the goings-on in the hockey world when it is not being filtered and spoon-fed to me by my roommates...incidently, check out jess and soph's witty hockey blog,

Slightly Saucy.

Above you can see a photo of Flyers hotty Joffery Lupul getting down on one knee to propose to me during warm-ups...or did i just dream that?...well, no matter, because even if he had, i wouldn't even get to sell goody bags at next year's carnival with the other Flyers' wives because Lupul was traded to the Anaheim Ducks! it was certainly a tough pill to swallow until jess reminded me that the Ducks are in California, so i could visit him more easily than if he were still a Flyer. cya Philly, i'm off to California and i'm taking Lupul with me!

whether the weather be cold

2009-08-11T11:50:00.005-07:00

i'm trying to be frugal with how much clothing i pack so there's room for other things, but i also want to be prepared for different types of weather. i've heard several complaints of how cold it is in SF. now, i understand that being by a bay makes a place windy, cold, and damp, but from the statistics i've read, it seems like SF doesn't get much colder that the mid-40s throughout the year. compared to the extreme highs and lows of the northeast, i think i will enjoy the temperate climate! perhaps some complaints come from people who go to SF with tank tops and booty shorts expecting 90 degree beach weather?

all this weather nonsense reminds me of a vocal warm-up from acting class that went something like this (see how fast you can say it!)

whether the weather be hot
whether the weather be cold
whatever the weather, we'll be together
whether we're young or we're old.

whether the weather be cold ,
whether the weather be hot,
whether the weather be fair,
whether the weather be not.

we'll weather the weather,
whatever the weather,
whether we like it or not.

in any case, two things that will definitely make the cut are my rainboots and umbrella. all is need now is a warm rain jacket and i'll be ready for bayside weather!

these boots are made for walkin'...in the rain!

tgio ... thank god it's over!

2009-08-10T15:39:00.005-07:00

now that we've stacked the chairs and folded the tables on banana island, i can finally celebrate the end of musikfest! now i have just a few more days of work at the banana factory and then i'm off to "the best coast," as one of my rosemont roommates put it (she lives in california, so maybe not the most unbiased source?)

i'm flying out august 18th from philly international into san francisco. i've never been to california, but it seems that i've been hearing nothing but good things about the city. i can't imagine how i could not love it! sure, i don't have a place to live yet, but don't bother me with minor details, i'm headed to the west coast!