life of pi

it's not every day that you get vip treatment.......... at the zoo! i had so much fun today, petting porcupines, ferets and legless lizards and feeding a giant asian rhino. and we didn't have to walk the extensive grounds, but got driven around in a golf cart with our personal guide. we even took a trip on the carousel. it was a great day spent with the greatest friends. i dont really have anything else to say because im tired and feel lazy/sleepy. maybe later.

M is for Monday. M is for Music.

i easily forget that one of the things that makes me happiest is enjoying live music. a band that I love. a new band that is great. a friend's band. my sister's. and i stand there (well, i was sitting tonight but i usually stand) soaking it up. it's true i don't understand what they're saying half the time, but it's the bassist giving that beat and the drummer giving that energy and the singer giving that voice, which can be so filled with love and hate and sadness and jealousy and fear and excitement and surprise... it's all these elements together, live, in front of your very eyes that can be so very amazing.

often, i'll cry.

not necessarily because i'm sad or upset or even "feel their pain", but because that's the only way to express what i'm feeling listening to the music. sometimes i bob my head. sometimes i dance and rock out. but sometimes i cry.

tonight was Emily Haines and the Soft Skeletons at the Great American Music Hall. her voice just dives right into your heart. her lyrics can be a little weird, but i know she's being satirical some of the time. that's one of the things that makes her great-- she's not all serious all the time.
and the other half she has some pretty interesting things to say, which is more than you can say about a lot of groups out there, which i'm sure i'll vent about it some future blog. so, to help point you all in the right direction i thought i'd post a few upcoming shows that hopefully i can go to and you all can, too:

2.2/3 The Blow, also at Great American Music Hall.
2.9 Mirah, Bottom of the Hill
2.13 Cake, Zellerbach
3.3 Earlimart, The Independent

let's cry together.

The First Bite

...is always the best. Isn't it? Especially when you've been really craving something, like a yellowtail handroll, prosciutto sandwich or creamy polenta! (I love food, and yes, I know I can have random cravings). But, another craving I've been having is to Do something. Create something my own. I'm tired of working my ass of for free for people who don't appreciate it. I'm tired of not creating for my own sake.

At 22, near the end of my college career I don't know what the fuck is next. For the first time my life isn't planned. It's nerve racking. And yeah, I know this is completely normal for most other 20-somethings. But nonetheless... So perhaps, something will come out of this. I don't even know what it is yet, but you have to start somewhere. There has to be a beginning-- a first. So I'm just going to throw myself out there and
go.

the theme for this entry will be firsts...

best place for a First date:

* Brazen Head: you can shut up if you think I'm biased, but this truly is a great date place. And with a friendly staff, awesome bar, it's got the perfect atmosphere for a first date.

* if you can't be taken sailing like a friend of mine did (major points for that first date), try a ferry to Sausalito or Tiburon for the afternoon. any first date where you can actually talk, is a good thing. the whole movie thing only works AFTER you've been together for a while and don't feel like talking to one another-- but for a first date it's just plain awkward!

* me and my girlfriends have talked about this before. why do dates always have to be at night? why can't they be, say, in the morning? i think breakfast or brunch would be a great date and a good spot for that would be Zazie because it's just too darn cute. you can sit outside on the little patio. (anywhere you can sit outside gets automatic points in my book) the service may not be too hot, but you know what i've been noticing lately? you can't find good service anywhere anyway.

first thursdays...

...at 49 Geary: if you can ignore the slightly pretentious vibe and actually get a chance to see the art, then it's well worth it. there are a bunch of galleries in here that open their doors on this delightful day. often times the artists are there. plus free wine in fancy plastic cups.

...at Frisson: a new art installation plus cocktail reception from 7-9-ish. they have fun cocktails and it's got that good loungey vibe. and perhaps good food? i don't know, haven't eaten there yet. but i'm willing to bet it has horrible service.

fun first facts~

1st mayor of sf: john white geary, who geary st is named after

1st documented discovery of the sf bay was on november 2, 1769

1st hotel was called "city hotel" on kearny and spanned from clay to commercial

and while i'm at it, might as well mention some of my own firsts-- in foods:

the first time i had escargot was on a carnival cruise to mexico with my grandparents and cousin. each night the restaurant on the ship served a different cuisine. i thought it was so much fun and when i heard we were getting snails for dinner i was... delighted! at 10, you'd think snails would be gross but i grew up eating dishes i still don't have names for.

the first time i had prosciutto was in carmel with my parents. we went to a local deli and got a bunch of cold cuts for our picnic sandwiches. i had one with prosciutto and have been in love ever since.

the first time i had frog was this past summer in taiwan. yup, tastes just like chicken.

well, that's it. that was my first blog. thanks for reading

(ps- what do you like to read in blogs? whatwould you like to see here? what's fun about these kinds of sites? just curious...)