goodbye to all that...hair

I am in seriously in love with my new haircut.

After years of living with and loving long hair, it was time for a change. I showed my hairdresser, Alise, a photo of Michelle Williams for inspiration. Alise worked her magic.

And now I'm ready for summer.

book/shop oakland

Read instead... screen print from an original watercolor painting by BOOK/SHOP founder Erik Heywood

BOOK/SHOP is an intimate, well-curated book store/experience in Alley 49 next to Temescal Alley. As well as first editions and other fine volumes, they carry bookish prints, lovely book bags, and other book-related paraphernalia.

Book/Shop book bag, $15

"The Habit of Reading" print, $18

At the end of March they started featuring five new arrivals on their site a week which are only available for online purchase. A few recent gems:

Richard Brautigan's Trout Fishing in America, The Pill Versus the Springhill Mine Disaster and In Watermelon Sugar. First Edition of this printing. $250

Claude Cahun, Photographe. First Edition. $200

Adrienne Rich's Of Woman Born. First Edition. $35.

BOOK/SHOP blog. And Instagram.

[all photos: book/shop]

beer tasting at hog's apothecary

One of my gifts to Jordan this Christmas was a beer tasting. I contacted the great folks at Hog's Apothecary, a newish beer hall in Oakland, and they loved the idea of select beer flights with food to highlight the beer flavors. Last night we went in for our tasting and food pairing and the beverage director at Hog's provided a little backstory and commentary about each of the beers as they were brought to us. We loved the interesting bits of beer information and hearing about, and then tasting, the flavor notes of each.

Beer highlights included the Heavenly Hefe (Craftsman), and for us hop-lovers Simcoe Galaxy IPA (Cellarmaker) and our favorite of the night, Double Tap (Berryessa). We also tasted Craftsman's Holiday Ale (a nice red ale with spruce tips) and Old Ale (an oak-aged ale that tasted too much like a sour wine for our liking), and the 2013 Smoked Porter (too smoky for our taste) from Alaskan Brewing Company.

Food highlights were the Hog's Head Terrine, an Avocado and Citrus Little Gems Salad, Marrow Bones with toast and tomato jam, and Smoked Ham Hock Collard Greens. 

We had such an awesome evening, and we can't wait to go back! Next time I'm trying the Lamb Poutine and housemade sausages for sure...

a few weekend links

YUM.

I turn 35 in November. Gah! I think I'm going to make this ice cream cake to celebrate. Nothing says happy birthday like an ice cream cake, right?!

Eat, Pray, Love, Get Rich, Write A Novel No One Expects.

Super cute kids sandals.

I'm seriously crushing on these Ali Golden bags. My friend Melissa has one and every time I see her I covet it...

Saying goodbye at preschool has been a challenge. I appreciated this Motherlode post on easing the transition and separation anxiety.

This adorable book is one of our favorites at the moment.

TED Talk 2012 Flashback: Chip Kidd. Designing books is no laughing matter. OK, it is.

Can't wait to go to this new Oakland beer hall.

Fall is in the air. The dusklight sweater.

Domino Magazine is back.

[photograph credit: ashley of not without salt]

oakland gnomes

This weekend I was reminded about this NPR segment on the gnomes of Oakland, the anonymously-painted little wooden creatures nailed to the bottom of utility poles around the city. Walking up a side street by Lake Merritt on Saturday I saw at least seven of these guys. They add cheer to the Oakland streets; every time I see one I smile. Isn't this guy cute?

ferry :: oakland to sf

Yesterday we took the ferry from Oakland to the Ferry Building in San Francisco. I'd never taken the ferry across the bay before. In truth, I've never even been to Alcatraz or Angel Island either. We'd been thinking about taking Stells for awhile, and in seemed like a perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Although it was a little cloudy, the ferry ride was super smooth, and so fast (we were at the Ferry Building in 30 minutes). We browsed and read books at Book Passage, we wandered through Sur la Table (not the best place to take a kid), ate lunch at Plant, took a walk along the Embarcadero, threw pennies into the Vaillancourt fountain, grabbed a coffee at Blue Bottle, and then rode the Ferry back home. It was such a fun excursion. We're definitely taking the ferry again...

weekend pics

"Unstoppable" at Boot and Shoe Service on Saturday night.

My parents took Stella for a ride on the carousel at Tilden Park. I love her smile in this picture. Half excited, half terrified.

A morning cup of Ritual coffee in one of my favorite Marimekko mugs.

I made a delicious country apple galette with apples from my mom's tree.

I embarked on a new sewing project: a pillow case and duvet cover for Stella's new toddler bed. Here's the adorable fabric I'm using for the pillow case. Sweet, right?

sunday sunday

I don't know about you but I love quiet Sunday mornings. I especially love Sunday mornings when I'm up early and J and Stells are still asleep. I'm able to drink a cup of tea in one sitting. Read the paper. Listen to Bill Evans. And look forward to the day with my loves. Sundays usually mean a trip to the Temescal Farmer's Market (if we haven't made it to the Grand Lake market on Saturday) for mango lassi (Stella's favorite), bread sticks (J's favorite), fresh produce (my favorite), and music. We usually run into someone we know so that's a bonus. Today we also have a birthday party on the agenda and an early dinner at our place with friends. We're getting some pizzas from Boot & Shoe and I'm going to make Suzanne Goin's Fresh Goat Cheese and Radicchio Salad with Figs and pumpkin cookies and our friends are bringing beer and sorbet.

Happy Sunday!

michael chabon & brokeland records

Diesel transformed

Dave Eggers introducing Michael Chabon

Michael Chabon reading from Telegraph Avenue

My dear friend Melissa was in town this week for work which was awesome for me as I really don't get to see her enough because she lives in Portland. In addition to some great meals out (Bar Jules, Axis Cafe, Pizzaiolo) we went to the release party/reading for Michael Chabon's new book Telegraph Avenue. It seemed only natural that we would attend the event given that we met as booksellers at Diesel years ago. As I mentioned in a previous post, Diesel was transformed into Brokeland Records as an homage to the fictional record shop in the book. For the event on Wednesday night the store was PACKED and there was a line of people out the door waiting to be let in to enjoy Chabon's reading from the book, cake and beer, and a raffle for 826 Valencia (soon to set up shop in Oakland!). We went, we listened, we chatted to old friends and regulars of Diesel, and then we went for Pizzaiolo pizza... a darn-near perfect evening.

telegraph avenue

 I can't wait to read Michael Chabon's newest book, Telegraph Avenue. I've been a fan of Chabon since high school when I read The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, and he used to come into Diesel, A Bookstore when I worked there years ago and buy books (some that I recommended!). His newest is set in Oakland/Berkeley and has a rockstar marketing campaign backing it, including a record store pop-up shop at Diesel.

The novel, planned for a Sept. 11 release, is set in Oakland, Calif., in 2004, and in it, main characters Nat and Archy run a used-records store called Brokeland Records that is threatened by plans for a new megastore nearby on Telegraph Avenue.

To launch the book, the Harper imprint's marketing team plans to convert Oakland bookstore Diesel into a pop-up store called Brokeland Records. From Sept. 7 to Sept. 14, the pop-up store will sell used jazz records provided by an independent record dealer named Berigan Taylor. - Barbara Chai, The Wall Street Journal

To read and excerpt of Telegraph Avenue, head over to NPR.

sfmoma trip

Jim Campbell's Exploded Views at SF Moma

My friend Anne who owns Maribel (where I've bought many things including all my Lila Rice earrings) and I have been talking about taking our girls on a field trip to SFMOMA for months. Well we finally managed to make a date (Tuesdays are free admission!) and took the girls to see the Cindy Sherman exhibit this morning. After the exhibit we went upstairs to the roof deck and ate some snacks in the sunshine while Stells and G played amongst the sculptures. We had a blast.

weekend

I hope you all had a lovely weekend. Ours was pretty great. I stopped by the big Erica Tanov sale on Saturday morning and scored a pair of gorgeous Chie Mihara heels (above) on super sale (I'll be wearing them to a wedding in Mexico City in a few weeks). We ate tacos at Tacubaya. Went to a bbq at my parents house in Orinda and went for a swim in the pool. Wandered around the Temescal farmers' market where we picked up some goodies for the week and ran into Celia and Stella's friend Cheech, and Jamie. As a prefect end to the weekend we had our new friends Devon and Simon and their son Ari over for an early dinner (grilled salmon with mango, peach, cucumber salsa + roasted veggies with a sour cream cilantro sauce + quinoa, spinach, feta, olive salad + an ah-mazing peach tarte with buttermilk ice cream by Devon) last night.

scenes from sunday

Taking a break from the 3-mile walk around Lake Merritt

Stella getting tossed around my parents' glorious 90-degree pool

love is the law

homemade pizza dinner al fresco

I made two tasty pizzas last night, a carmelized balsamic onion and gruyere pizza, and a simple margarita (recipe taken from Ruth Reichl's The Gourmet Cookbook) with basil from my garden. The weather was so heavenly and warm we sat outside and ate dinner on our back deck. Summer, I love you.

(The carmelized onion and gruyere pizza was my fave).

i heart you, oakland

Oh my god, Oakland. You are killing me with this amazingly beautiful weather. Seriously. I might never leave you again (until actual summer hits and the weather goes all mopey again). 

Walking up and down the stairs and carrying around a 21-pound Stella is the extent of my exercise routine. But this week my girls Shayna, Celia, and Joey convinced me to walk the 3 miles around Lake Merritt (2 days in a row!), which was totally awesome and fun. Except on the second day when Stella started crying half way around the lake and I had to carry her the rest of the way. But whatever. It was great to be out with the ladies getting some exercise and enjoying the sun. It reminded me how much I love Oakland. 

Really. Oakland, I heart you.

happy weekend

It has been a long, hot day, complete with homemade blueberry pancakes, a delicious iced coffee from Boot & Shoe (where Stella ran the length of the cafe greeting everyone and moving the bar stools to and fro), a trip to Fairyland, a successful lunch of leftover spinach and mushroom lasagna (Stella now "feeds herself" with miniature spoon and fork), a meager 45 minute nap, some backyard water-play (Stells) and weeding and watering (me), lots of stories and stickers and dancing and block building (and tearing down) and marching around the dining room table playing the harmonica, and an hour-long goodnight (I seriously have a new appreciation for this book). 

As I write this I'm savoring a Lagunitas Little Sumpin' and hoping Jordan makes his plane home from Seattle...

Happy weekend!

oakland zoo sky

lovely weekend

How was your weekend, friends? 

Ours was lovely. My friend Melissa was in town for a post-conference visit and we spent the weekend catching up, drinking tea, talking about books and kids, and sharing some of our favorite Oakland haunts. We ate tacos at Cosecha, browsed through popuphood, enjoyed a girls dinner with Andie at Camino, shopped for books at Diesel (where we met and became friends), relished sorbet from Scream, brunched at Plow in the city, and wandered through Flora Grubb on the way to the airport.

I would have had more photos to share, only I spent the whole weekend enjoying the company of my friend so much that I forgot to document it. I think that's a sign of a really great weekend...

the alameda flea

On the first Sunday of every month folks all around the Bay descend on the Alameda Flea. I met my friends Andie and Darcy at the entrance at 7:30 yesterday morning. We came with ideas of what we were each looking for, but Andie was the only one who crossed an item off her list. She scored a lovely mid-century side table. Shoes were not on my list. But it was hard to pass up these old beauties ($20!).

Here are some more shots from our outing: