One More Trip Over the Bridge

Yesterday started out like any other Saturday: slowly.  All I'd really accomplished was a run, some yoga, and a shower when around noon I received an invite to go stay with Justine over on Sausalito for the day.  Realizing this would most likely be my last trip over there, I threw some things in my trusty backpack and used my now fully-fledged public transportation skills to navigate my way across the bridge.

Justine's family just got two new King Charles puppies, and we spent the majority of the afternoon and evening cuddling, playing, and baby-talking with them.  For only being 12 weeks or so, they are very friendly and well-behaved little loves!

We did, of course, go out for dinner.  Another friend suggested checking out Sol Food, a Puerto Rican restaurant in Mill Valley.  I personally have never had Puerto Rican food before, but one look at the menu and I was sold.  I ended up getting a Cubano sandwich with fries and I can only describe it as spectacular.  It was juicy and flavorful, greasy enough to satisfy, but not unnecessarily so.  I would definitely go back any time I happen to be in Marin!

We ended the evening with some wine and Pellegrino and lime (I don't drink and just happen to have very thoughtful friends that know my alcohol-alternative drink of choice!) and chatted about life now, during school, and the upcoming year.  It's really hard to believe we've graduated and are all moving in different directions.  Justine is currently deciding between getting her Masters in Psychology at the University of Edinburgh and attending a ballet fellowship in Moscow.  Christine just signed a lease on her first solo apartment in the city and is currently working one of her dream jobs in a corporate hospitality office.  And in just three short weeks, I will be moving out of San Francisco for good, taking one last trip down to Southern California where I will begin law school in the middle of August.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that time moves incredibly quickly and that I encourage everyone to really make the most of what time you have.  Hang out with friends, explore the places around you, take pictures, laugh lots, and always eat what sounds good.  Because even though I know I will be back in the Bay Area for a visit before I know it, I still can't believe I'm leaving it and these lovely ladies behind.

And I'm really going to miss it.

Wontons, Your Consolation Prize

I was originally planning out a College Confidence post for today, but never actually got around to writing it.  The last few days have actually been fairly busy and as I am writing this I am sitting at San Francisco International Airport, waiting to catch my flight home for the weekend.  My little brother Trevor is graduating from high school, and I could not be more excited for him.  I'm sure there will be a post of pictures from this weekend coming soon!

Long story short, I didn't write the post I planned.  I did, however, take some pretty fun pictures of my grandmother making pork and shrimp wontons, and thought I'd share those instead.  Warning: they will make you hungry.

Blaze Pizza

After graduating, I went home to Southern California and spent about two weeks in what I've been referring to as "hibernation mode."  This basically means I did pretty much nothing except read, play with my puppies, and recuperate from what was possibly the most grueling semester of my life.  Oh, and I also did lots and lots of eating.

It was my dad's idea to go to dinner at Blaze Pizza, a newer restaurant that recently opened near his office.  I think I have been once before, but something this time was different.  Blaze is basically a "DIY pizza joint," where you can order either one of their pre-fixed pizzas or go down the line and build your own.  Think Subway, but with pizza.

Let me tell you, I will definitely be frequenting Blaze when I move back to Southern California and I knew I had to share this find with you guys.  The crust is thin yet chewy enough to satisfy a crust-lover like myself, and they have so many options for sauce, dough, toppings, you name it.

Just thinking about it is making me hungry!

College Confidence: Skinny Girl Insecurities

As kind of a continuation of the last (and first) College Confidence post, today I want to talk about skinny girls.  Something I've noticed over the years is that most of the time, when we talk about body image and confidence, these discussions are always directed at larger women.  Our message for these larger women is that they should learn to embrace their curves and feel confident in their bodies, and yet there is something that we always seem to forget:

Skinny girls can be insecure, too.

I can speak from experience when I say that often, when thinner women express insecurities about their bodies, social discourse ignores them or dismisses their concerns.  Why are you complaining?  You're already skinny!

However, skinny or not, we're still women being confronted with the same body expectations and pressures.  I know that when I was in high school, I had one friend in particular who was quite a bit larger than me and obsessed with trying to be smaller.  She was always trying to diet and exercise and although she rarely complained about her body, she made it clear that she thought I wouldn't understand what she was going through because, well, I was as thin as a toothpick and a whopping 88 pounds.  She was wrong.  I was just as uncomfortable in my skinny body, precisely because it was skinny!  I thought my legs looked like toothpicks and my arms childish because I lacked any muscle definition.  I didn't enjoy wearing shorts or skirts because I felt like I was revealing my stickish body to the whole world.

Looking back on it now, I also realize that I probably suffered from food anxiety from sophomore year of high school until the end of my first year of college.  I spent a lot of time feeling guilty about being able to eat whatever I wanted while my friends were off dieting and exercising.  Every time we got together for a meal, I would eat just a little and end the day feeling hungry or eat and then immediately feel sick afterwards.  I distinctly remember asking myself after each meal I actually finished, Was that too much food?

Although this food-centered anxiety was still an issue for me when I first started college, today I am glad to say it no longer seems to be a problem.  I think the biggest thing for me was that my friend group changed and with it, the emphasis.  The friends that I've made in here in college are all fairly athletic, whether they did sports or intense dance training during high school.  Because of this, I've actually gotten into exercising myself, taking up running and yoga over the past few years.  This has also changed my outlook on the ideal body: rather than being skinny, my ideal is to be strong, and this is something that I am still working toward today.  But exercise has provided me with a healthy outlet through which I can transform my stickish-appearance into something strong.

So what I'm trying to say (in my very typical, talkative Marisa manner), is that when you go to college, you will meet girls (and boys) of all body types.  And every single one of these girls is entitled to her body-insecurities, no matter if she is fat, thin, tall, or short.  Their body-concerns are just as valid as yours, and you should try not to cheapen someone's personal feelings by ignoring or neglecting their concerns.

Think about it and pass it on.

Mid-Semester Slump

Half of last week was fall break, which means I got to go home and visit with my puppies and family.  It was absolutely beautiful at home which made it feel like summer all over again.  Which was fun for a few days, but now I have run into a problem: the unavoidable mid-semester slump.

Getting back to school even after those few days off, it's been difficult to focus.  I'll have a really productive day, generally sandwiched between a few really unproductive days.  I think the problem this year is that not only do I have school work, but I'm also slogging through test-prep for the LSAT in December, which is actually rapidly approaching. I can't wait until I'm actually being paid to work on the same thing for hours on end!

I did have a nice break this weekend, when some friends threw a pasta-bake.  Yep, that means we sat around eating amazing Italian food for three or so hours.  Seriously, this was a fantastic way to decompress.

Good luck with your Monday, folks.  Any tips on mid-semester motivation?

Delarosa Pizza

It has certainly taken me a long time to get to this post, so without further ado, let's talk about some awesome pizza!  While out shopping in the Marina last month, my friend Christine recommended that we try a small restaurant called Delarosa on Chestnut Street.

I'm not really sure what I was expecting when we walked in, but I was definitely not expecting it to be quite so busy!  Delarosa has a very modern interior in bright oranges and futuristic grays.  There is a bit of bar seating available, but for the most part the restaurant is one large room full of long wooden tables.  I believe they call this dining "Roman style," when multiple parties share the same large table.  Overall, it was a totally different, really fun environment.

Now on the to the actual menu.  My only problem with it was that there were too many amazing-sounding options!  Seriously, it took us forever to decide what we wanted.  In the end we ended up getting their pizza with spicy Fennel sausage, onions, and scamorza.  It was fantastic balance of all of the ingredients, thought be warned: when they call the sausage spicy, they really mean it!

Christine also ordered a cocktail (I'm not entirely sure which it was... maybe the Salty Dog?).  She was a bit disappointed that it didn't come in a fun glass, but it was quite tasty.  And yes, that does mean that I had a little sip and, as someone who doesn't drink at all, thought it was quite good.

And just in case you need one more reason to go check Delarosa out, it's just down the street from Kara's Cupcakes.  So naturally, we stopped there as well for our favorite red velvet cupcakes.

The moral of this story?  Chestnut Street is a food-lover's paradise!

El Rancho Grande

I have always believed that - Mission District or not - the only way to get really good Mexican food in San Francisco was to hold out until my next trip home.  But today I have the pleasure of announcing that I have found a restaurant that not only has amazing tacos, but is also perfect for the college budget!

Yesterday, after shopping all day with my good friend Christine, I suggested that we simply grab something to eat on the way home as neither one of us felt like cooking.  She directed us to this little taqueria, El Rancho Grande.  Located on Divisadero right on McAllister, it's a little hole-in-the-wall with bright paint, friendly staff, and a constant stream of South-American soccer.  It is a clear favorite of many, as just after we ordered the restaurant filled up with patrons of all ages.  I ordered just their Regular Taco with carne asada filling (pictured above) and was happy to find it completely delicious.  The portion is also large enough that if that's all that you want, that's all that you need.  But next time I think I might explore the menu a bit.  I have it on good authority that their Super Taco is killer...

All in all, probably not the best Mexican food I've ever had, but definitely the best since coming to the city!

Trying That Tandoori Chicken

So, remember back when I first started blogging and I was having a very hard time eating both in new situations and new food in general?

Well, I think it is safe to say that those days are finally behind me.

This past weekend, my family got together with a friend's family for dinner at Royal Khyber Fine Indian Cuisine.  Now, I had never had real Indian food up until this point and was actually quite nervous about how the meal would go.  All I could think of was horror stories told by friends who experienced some, shall we say, digestive discomfort during their first foray into such "exotic" food.  What?  I didn't say all my neurosis were cured!

I am happy to report that the food could not have been better!  The servers were friendly and willing to explain dishes and ingredients and the restaurant smelled simply amazing.  I ended up ordering the Tandoori Chicken (picture above) and a side of Basmati rice.  It becomes abundantly obvious that I am no food critic because I have absolutely no words to describe how delicious this dish was.  The meat was so tender, slid right off the bone, and had a slight smoky taste.  Just thinking about it makes me want to go back again!

To recap, yes, I did just write an entire post about Tandoori Chicken.  But at least I'm getting back to posting!

Neighborhood Favorite

Even as I'm writing this post, I cannot believe that I haven't posted about Mel's before!  I went last night with one of the directors of my academic program and a couple of friends, and it was only then that I realized that this is a post that needs to happen.

If you've never heard about it before, Mel's Drive-In is basically your classic diner.  It's a California-based restaurant chain, with locations in both the Northern and Southern regions of the state.  What I love about it is that it has great basic, classic diner food like breakfast until lunch, hamburgers, onion rings, etc.  I personally love Mel's for any meal; it's a favorite of mine for breakfast/brunch dates, a quick lunch, or dinner with friends.

As for food quality, it's pretty darn good.  The burgers aren't gourmet or anything, and I don't think I'll ever call it my favorite burger.  (For those of you from SoCal, you will probably understand when I say that Islands burgers have ruined me for all other burger joints!)  That being said, they're still delicious and you really can never go wrong with the Famous Melburger, which is what I got last night.  I wish I had snapped a quick picture for you guys, but I was so excited that I just dug right in!  They have good steak fries, decent onion rings, and you just really have to love their huge selection of items.  I have never had a bad experience with their wait-staff, who are all super friendly and helpful.

 

Oh, and their dessert's pretty good too!

Christmas Treats

Christmas this year was absolutely perfect.  It was relaxing, low key, and way more about giving than getting.  Even my dogs got into the spirit!  The day ended with an absolutely fantastic meal made by my hard working dad.

Hope your holiday was equally has fun and family-filled!  Any fun dishes that you tried?

Back to Haight

When wondering what I was going to do with my afternoon, I realized that I hadn't been to Haight Street in a while.  So I took a walk in the sun, enjoying the always eclectic crowd as I headed to Mendel's Craft Store. I was completely surprised to find it jam packed with other college students, all buying some finishing touches for their Halloween costumes.

Now I know for sure that I'm not embarrassed to buy knitting supplies in front of other people my age!

 I managed to limit myself to only these two skeins of Lion's Pride Wool Ease Yarn, and I have big plans for them!  I bought this highly suggested Vogue Stichionary a couple of weeks ago, and I plan on going through it and knitting little squares of each and every stitch in the book.  I'm hoping that after I've finished going through the book, I can crochet the squares together in a sort of variation of the granny-square blanket.

I finished up my jont among the hippies and excited college students with a Chicken Pesto Panini at the little shop called Panini.  My friends and I discovered this place our freshman year and it was great to finally satisfy a serious craving.

My plans for this Halloween weekend?  Keeping happy and keeping busy - more specifically on a lit essay for next week.  Anyone doing anything more exciting?

Back in the Sand

When I first started this blog, I was a scared 17-year-old who did not know what to expect going into her very first year of college.  Today, I'm a more confident, more knowledgable, and more inspired twenty-year-old who is halfway done with college.

Isn't that terrifying?  Only two more years before I will be tossed out into the real world, and it will take all of my skill to survive.  Okay, well, that might have been a touch dramatic.  Can you tell I'm a fiction writer?

I finished finals on May 17th, and after catching a weekend baseball game with my family in San Francisco, my dad and I made the long drive home.  I have to admit, I didn't realize how much I've missed Southern California until I got back.  The weather has been glorious, my local friends happy to see me, and my dogs just as cuddly as I remembered.  And even if I have no definite plans for summer aside from finally, finally getting my driver's license, I'm loving being back.

Relaxing on Laguna Beach after lunch

A few friends from high school and I decided to celebrate my return to a trip to Laguna Beach for lunch and a little chat on the sand.  If any of you happen to be looking for a quick and easy lunch while in the area, you should check out Coffee Pub.  The service is great and the food even better!

Walking on Crystal Cove Beach.  No one else was there!

Beach bouldering?

Hopefully there will be a lot more beach trips this summer!

30DDC: Day 3 - Favorite Food

Here's my post for Day 3.  The prompt was to draw your favorite food, but I couldn't decide, so I kind of cheated.  This drawing features bread, bacon, strawberry, eggs, pasta, hamburgers, and rice.  What does that say about my diet?

Of Baguettes and Art

For my first weekend back, it has been fairly relaxing so far.  Justine and I have early classes on Friday, and after we decided to go out for our first lunch back in the city.  We went to this little restaurant called Food Inc. Trattoria.  

Now, I've personally heard mixed reviews about this place.  My roommate Christine, our resident foodie, was not really impressed with their dinner.  I personally thought they had good food, but I went for lunch, so take away from this what you will.  Maybe it's more of a lunch place.

I got their Italian Panini, with mozarella, tomato, basil, olive oil and vinegar. It was amazing!

Justine got their pear and brie sandwich, which she loved and absolutely devoured.

All in all, it was a good meal.  We were in the neighborhood to visit a cute little yarn shop called Atelier Yarns.  I'm getting back into knitting, as I discovered over break that it was a good replacement for chewing my nails while watching TV.  Hopefully I will get enough of my scarf done to post pictures of soon!

And in keeping with my New Year's resolution to finish projects before starting new ones, I did a new large drawing last night.  It's a little bit different than anything I've ever done, inspired by some of the mythological pictures I'm studying in my Impressionism class.  I like it a lot, although I'm not sure how I feel about subjects like this for future work.

Happy Weekend, everyone.

Little Ladies in the Kitchen

This past Friday, I took another trip to Sausalito with Justine, to surprise her dad with dinner.  We battled the wind and rain to get there, and when we did, immediately took over the kitchen.

The cupcakes were amazing, especially after we added homemade cream cheese frosting!  And aside from a slight mishap with the chicken, our dinner plans went well, too.  I now know not only to double check the date on meat before you buy it, but also to bring a cooler-bag if you plan on taking said meat on an hour long jaunt from city to city.  That's what college is about, right?  Learning from experience?

Wishing you a good week, friends.  Look for more food pictures as Thanksgiving approaches!

A Sunny Day for a Birthday

Yesterday was an amazing day. Not only did I turn a whopping 20 years old, but it was probably the nicest day we've had so far. This made it the perfect day for my friend Justine to complete what was possibly the greatest assignment ever: walk through Golden Gate Park to the beach. I tagged along while she took beautiful pictures in sunny weather. We looked at the trees...

petted adorable dogs...

played with balloons...

and got lunch at the cute little cafe called the Java Beach Cafe. Even though they were recommended to us based on their coffee, we were happy to discover that their sandwiches are just as tasty. Their menu is seriously impressive, with tons of sandwiches, pastries, and both hot and cold drinks. I personally enjoyed the ice tea, though it was a little bitter. Over all, it's good food in a cute, beachy atmosphere!

Have a great week, everyone!

Sweet Little Things

I am officially done with my freshman year of college. My dad arrived on campus early to help me move out, and by noon we had all my possessions packed and in the car, albite in a highly unorganized fashion. Now it's all piled in my grandparent's living room, awaiting further organization and storage in their garage. We spent the end of the day at one of the Giants' many dugout stores, where I treated myself by purchasing a rather pricey jacket. What can I say? I thought I deserved it.

We then decided to buy little treats for after dinner, and were wondering around when we came across a very cute, boutiquey bakery. We couldn't decide which of these looked better, so we decided to just get them all. Don't they look amazing? It was a bit of a shame to cut them up and eat them.

Wishing you sweet things in your future.