Slice of Pink

My Desk

Do you guys like the My Desk feature in Vanity Fair? I find it fascinating!

{Click over to see eight desks, including the desks of Martha Stewart and Oprah.}

Someday I'll take a photo of my desk for you, but I can assure you it is not nearly as interesting.

I have: a jar of multivitamins, a globe pencil sharpener, a cup of coffee, a Rolodex, legal pads, a stapler, clementines, a Mason jar filled with pens, a California Code book, a rootbeer scented pencil, and a big stack of legal files.

So Punny

Oh, you all KNOW how I love a good Valentine pun and I'm absolutely beside myself over these free fruit pun stickers from Twig & Thistle. There are stickers for apples, pears, oranges, bananas, passion fruit, berries and even a general sticker for everything else! So cute!

P.S. Here's the giant list of puns my high schoolers and I put together a few years ago. There's more pun talk over at Style Lush, too.

Three People Who Annoy Me

I'm pretty tolerant. I like most everybody. I've been practicing being kinder than necessary. But, gosh, there are some people that get on my nerves and I'm using this space to get this off my chest. Here they are, in no particular order (and these don't apply to anyone in particular, at least no one who reads this blog, so please don't take offense!):

Facebook Snipes

Let me introduce you to the Facebook Snipe. For starters, this is a person that you have no idea why the two of you are friends--or maybe you are friends because you have to be friends for some reason. In any event, this person never congratulates you on good news. No thumbs up for graduating college or getting married or finding the home of your dreams or getting a new job. When it comes to good news, the Snipe doesn't even care that you exist. But as soon as you post anything remotely controversial with which the Snipe does not agree, the Snipe will engage in a full on hostile debate on your Facebook status update. They get vitriolic and belligerent and write lengthy dissents as if it were possible to sway your opinion via a Facebook comment. You can't have an opinion in peace with a Snipe around. I'm all for healthy debate (please, I'm a lawyer after all), but don't only come around to be disagreeable. Snipes: didn't your momma teach you any manners? Sometimes it's best to just mind your business.

Wi-Fi Leeches

Dudes, a coffee shop is a business. Which means that a person is supposed to buy a coffee when they go there. And, also, if the person stays much longer than the time it takes to drink the coffee, they should buy a refill. It is not proper to set up camp for eight hours in a coffee shop without making numerous purchases. It is not proper to spread thousands of pieces of paper over a table meant for a foursome. It is not proper to set out a lunch brought from home, pulling out various Tupperware containers of leftover green curry with rice. It is especially not proper to bring in a beverage from home. If you don't want to spend $2 an hour or so for the privilege of using the Wi-Fi at a private business, there's a place for you: it's called the public library.

Know-It-Nothings

There are some people in the world who have something to say on every topic. They'll provide you with facts, plenty of them. Sometimes they even take issue with something you say, disagreeing on some petty detail or providing you with unsolicited advice. These people know everything. Everything! Except, the fact is, they know nothing at all. They are full of bad facts, erroneous details, backwards information. You would think that the proliferation of the iPhone and similar devices, which make facts verifiable from nearly anywhere in the world, would have curbed know-it-nothings from mouthing off about things they don't actually know anything about. And yet, totally not the case. Maybe it's because nobody challenges the know-it-nothings or maybe it's because we're just too polite to call them out on their bullshit. Know-it-Nothings, just know: I Google all the crazy things they say.

I feel so much better now, y'all. Thanks for letting me vent.

Resolved

I believe it is my duty as a blogger to discuss New Year's Resolutions. I think what I am supposed to do is tell you that I am not usually the type to make resolutions and then proceed to make ten or so grand, sweeping resolutions like "Be a Better Person" and "Get in Shape."

The truth is, I am exactly the type of person who makes New Year's resolutions and, then, like 90 percent of Americans, I promptly forget about the resolutions until 340 or so days later. (Oh hey! I resolved to stay off the Internet after 8 PM last year. I can't even remember how long that lasted. Two weeks?) I like specific, measurable goals and grand, sweeping ones, too.

Here's the plan for 2011.

1. Increase Productivity. I'm pretty dang productive by nature, but I have a bad habit of letting things build up and fester until my to-do list grows unmanageable. I then scramble to get done the millions of things that have accumulated (but which I am unwilling to forgo). Will bought me a Moleskine planner and each day I am writing down 5 small goals--things like send a thank you note, make a dental appointment, pick up a birthday gift--and checking them off by the end of the day. I also plan to make a weekly goal that I'll jot down at the top of the page and cross off by Sunday (this week it is to get my address book in order as it is currently chock full of wrong addresses and people that I met once in 1999).

2. 10 Minute Daily Clean Up. Okay, the plan is to spend 10 minutes per day cleaning, so that I can spend Saturday morning sitting at a coffee shop reading Vogue instead of scrubbing the sink. You'd be amazed at how much can get clean in 10 minutes a day, if you scrub and mop and fold and sweep in super-fast motion. Seriously. Will and I both participate which means 20 minutes per day, which means 140 minutes per week, which means 600 minutes per month. That's 10 hours per month, people. If I can't get my house sparkling in 10 hours per month, I'm gonna hire a cleaning service.

3. Be Kinder than Necessary. This is a lesson I learned in 1996 when I was working my first job, taking orders at Round Table Pizza. People who order pizzas can be, um, difficult and mean. I stuck a Post-it with the phrase "Be Kinder than Necessary" on my register, a reminder to be nice even to the meanest of customers. You know, people generally can be pretty difficult and mean. Where's the love, y'all? I'm bringing it back in 2011. A few days ago, I got the best compliment: somebody reported that somebody else had said, "Janet is the nicest person." (She said it with italics like that. Nicest.) I'll tell you, that is absolutely NOT TRUE but I would like to be a nicest-in-italics kind of person and so I resolve to practice kindness like a religion in 2011. Especially to the people taking my pizza order.

There are some other things I'd like to do--workout on weekdays, be a better connecter, read more good books, so something fun every single day--but the three above are a pretty good start for the decade. Here's hoping 2011 is productive, sparkling, and kind.

Two Thousand Ten

I resolve to not go on the Internet after 8 PM (spoiler: massive fail). I cross some items off my 30 Before 30 list, including finding a good eyeliner, going on a hike, making an article of clothing, and wine tasting. I get annoyed at Facebook Fan Pages (but later create one for Slice of Pink! The hypocrisy!). I tell you seven random things about me and all about Will's polite contest. I teach you how to make healthy morning muffins.

I almost complete my 30 Before 30 list, and create a 31 Before 31 list. My friend Jenny organizes a perfectly pink Vegas extravaganza for my 30th birthday, complete with pink glittered cupcakes. I blow out 30 candles. I run a 5k, make some decisions, and knit yarn hearts on a chain link fence in Oakland. I get swindled.

Y'all taught me how to buy a dress on E-Bay. I get labeled crazy. My friends and I set up a photo shoot and I take pictures of all of our professors for the annual law school auction. I attend a conference in Denver to discuss the topic of mothering. I make another decision. The lovely Janet and I celebrate a very merry unbirthday at Crown and Crumpet. I introduce you to Greg.

I star in the law school movie. I help throw a bridal shower for my cousin, Katie, and discover the most perfect-ever bridal shower gift. I watch Katie and Greg tie the knot, then do a routine on the dance floor. I am very proud of my hair and dress. I eat at Fat Face, attend Picnic Day (and enjoy some drama), and make Blueberry Cows. I make some decisions. I complete my last law school class and then go watch the Depraved Hearts play for the last time. The law school coffee cart burns to the ground. My sister turns 20.

I take my final final and graduate from Law School (with an awesome hairdo). We make a trip to the Ferry Building, eat at Tartine, and do some shopping. I cross #17 off my 31 Before 31 list, make Fleur de Sel Caramels.

I gather macaron recipes for you. Nintendo throws a Wii party at my house. I launch Pink University, a series of posts from wonderful guest bloggers who cover Slice of Pink while I study for the Bar Exam. I am an Aunt! Apple caused me to fall even more in love with them.

This is the single existing photo of me from July 2010 as I spent the entire month studying for, taking, crying over, and talking about the California Bar Exam. I basically lost a month of my life. I also answered a few of your questions, did some decidering, and told you some random places I've stood.

I celebrate finishing the Bar in Santa Barbara, where I eat fancy figs and drink champagne, then end up at a club dancing to Pitbul. I make Brown Sugar Cherry Cakes and a bracelet. I sell things on Craigslist, do 13 things on Friday the 13th, and overuse the exclamation point. My mom calls to make sure I'm packing boxes. Instead of packing boxes, I go to San Francisco to pick up a bridesmaid dress and eat at a bakery. I eat a piece of bacon. I attend a gorgeous, lavender-filled wedding.

We move to the beach! My couch does not make it into the U-Haul (which just means we have to buy an awesome new one). I invite you over to shower. I eat a lot of Ben and Jerry's, buy a rocking chair and credenza, and live without a microwave (still going strong!). We celebrate our 7th wedding anniversary, late but in style. Some cute frat boys save the day at the annual Margarita and Avocado Festival. Will turns 35. I buy him a bread machine, get involved in a dangerous enchilada incident, and buy a big cake. I start the Black and Gray experiment. I attend the wedding of the beautiful and graceful Femme Curieuse.

I join the Style Lush team. I wear Black and Gray. I help Kickstart Ben's band. I buy an iPhone (and, even better, a Kate Spade case!). I find out that Buster Posey is, like, 12 years old. I complete the Isla Vista Loop and live to blog about it. We get caught in the rain and eat a lot of pumpkin pancakes.

I start teaching myself about wine (and provide you with some lessons as well). I make a Mighty SLO List and start crossing things off by going to the Drive-in. I make Ginger Molasses Cookies. I buy red shoes from a consignment store and jeans with stirrups from Gap. We go to see the 5 Browns. I check out Dinosaur Caves park. A salesperson talks me into some super fabulous sheets. I pass the Bar Exam and Jenny buys me a cherry pie to celebrate.

I guest post at Gen Pink and give you some more wine lessons (and a champagne lesson, too). I buy a defective Ikea dresser (they've since sent the missing part). I am surprised to find out that not everyone eats green Jell-o salad with their holiday meals. I fix my hair into a side bun, go a little crazy on the holiday treats aisle at Trader Joe's, and start re-reading Little Women, one of my childhood favorites. I find gift shopping complicated, as usual, and vow to simplify next year, as usual. I make some potpourri pies and give you a for realz last minute shopping list. I go to Ojai to ring in the New Year.

Good times, good year (minus July). Thanks for reading about all these adventures, dear friends, and for all the sweet comments! You make my world go round! See you in 2011!

Ten Things for a Tuesday

1. Find the library
2. Read the New York Times
3. Run a mile (then text Lauren to check in--we're holding each other accountable)
4. Call regarding a rocking chair
5. Buy four succulent plants for my little succulent garden (the only thing I think I can keep alive)
6. Remind you to enter to win $150
7. Put together an Ikea rack (should only take, like, four hours)
8. Edit some photos
9. Find a Target
10. Take my bike out for a ride

13 Things I Did on Friday the 13th

1. Hit snooze
2. Drank Pepsi (and lots of it)
3. Started a new book {thanks Jenny!}
4. Looked at beach houses
5. Considered raising chickens
6. Wore a suit
7. Went for a drive
8. Ordered a gift
9. Watched Giants baseball
10. Ate lunch creekside
11. Crossed items off a list
12. Talked gardening
13. Found a lucky penny

On Standing

Places I've stood:

+ In Governor Schwarzenegger's Smoking Tent
+ In Times Square on New Year's Eve
+ In the Oval Office
+ At Ground Zero
+ Next to George W. Bush, in a photograph
+ At the top of the Eiffel Tower, Space Needle, Empire State Building

How 'bout you?

On Making Lists

Several of my friends and family members are creating some variation on the 30 Before 30 list, compiling a list of great stuff to accomplish before their next birthdays roll around, and they are looking for ideas to add to the list.

Of course, one of the great places to find inspiration is Maggie's Mighty Life List and the many Mighty Lists of her readers, where there are literally thousands of amazing ideas. However, these lists are often comprised of great adventures that either a) take substantial time to complete (read all the Pulitzer Prize winning books, visit every state) or b) cost substantial amounts of money to complete (take a cruise around the world, own a ranch).

Lists to be completed in a year can (and should!) include a mighty adventure or two, but typically should also include some more manageable mini-adventures or smaller parts of larger life goals (read five Pulitzer Prize winning books, visit two new states).

So, here's the question for you: what are some mini-adventures that can be completed in a year? Do you have a 30 Before 30 list (or something similar) that could inspire others as they put together their lists? Any links to lists or ideas in the comments would be very much appreciated!

Top Five: The Movies I Never Get Sick of Edition

Lovely Jamie posted the top five movies she never grows tired of and instructed us to play along. Here goes:

No. 1: Breakfast at Tiffany's

It's useful being top banana in the shock department.

No. 2: Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain

Amelie has a strange feeling of absolute harmony. It's a perfect moment. A soft light, a scent in the air, the quiet murmur of the city. A surge of love, an urge to help mankind overcomes her.

No. 3: Office Space

So I was sitting in my cubicle today, and I realized, ever since I started working, every single day of my life has been worse than the day before it. So that means that every single day that you see me, that's on the worst day of my life.

No. 4: (500) Days of Summer

Most days of the year are unremarkable. They begin, and they end, with no lasting memories made in between. Most days have no impact on the course of a life. May 23rd was a Wednesday.

No. 5 (embarrassingly unexplainable): Big Daddy

They go together like lamb and tunafish.
Lamb and tunafish?
Maybe you prefer 'spaghetti and meatball'? Be more comfortable with that analogy?

Mature Tastes

Things I despised as a kid that I now love:

+ Mushrooms
+ Spinach
+ Rye bread

Things I despised as a kid that I now tolerate:

+ Iced tea
+ Cooked onions
+ Green beans
+ Watermelon

Things I despised as a kid that I still despise:

+ Seafood, all varieties
+ Tomatoes

Hello Miss Dahl

+ Sophie Dahl is a model-turned-writer.

+ Her ad for Opium Perfume caused all sorts of controversy.

+ Her maternal grandfather was Roald Dahl, author of James and the Giant Peach, The Fantastic Mr. Fox, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and other splendid sorts of tales.

+ Her book looks delightful.

Valentine Recipe Roundup

+ Love Potion No. 50
+ Bitter Heiress
+ Burning Love
+ Venus Blush Cocktail

+ Chocolate Ganache Tartlets
+ Pear Raspberry Heart Pie
+ Meringue Message Cones
+ Fourteen Layer Cake

+ Valentine Savory Handpie
+ Heart-shaped Egg in Nest
+ Beet Goat Cheese Pasta

My Punny Valentine

In 2007, my students and I put together a big list of Valentine puns. With this list, you can turn lots of weird things into silly and sweet Valentine treats, including tons of things that you can pick up at the grocery store for under five bucks.

If you are stuck trying to find the perfect Valentine gift for your sweetie pie, download the list and turn cans of peas (peas be mine!), jars of honey (bee mine!), and lemons (pucker up!) into lighthearted Valentine surprises.

Seven More

I've told you eight and six random facts about me, and now I've been tagged to tell you seven more, which, if you do the math, will be a whopping 21 random facts about me. Y'all are very demanding.

1. I was tagged to do this, like, two years ago.  I started the post in October 2008, but never filled in the seven items, instead saving a draft blank list. And then I added a few things in October 2009, but saved a draft again.

2. I wait until the last possible moment to do most everything. This is because I am perpetually a day behind on my to-do list. Sometimes a week behind. Sometimes more. I am extraordinarily overextended.

3. I've been eating wheat toast with smashed avocado for lunch lately. Except that I wrote that in October and I'm not eating wheat toast with smashed avocado for lunch lately, actually. I'm eating yogurt, berries, and granola for lunch lately.

4. I think it would be awesome to have a "uniform" à la Steve Jobs or Dean Kamen, except it would have to be something incredibly fashionable à la Audrey Hepburn. 

5. If I don't finish this in three minutes, it will be deferred until tomorrow (or later) due to the no-Internet after 8 PM rule in this house.

6.  I prefer my Coca-Cola fountain-style.

7. I'm taking a class on Law and Popular Culture this semester. We're gonna find out what you all non-lawyers think about us lawyers, based on our portrayal in pop culture. Do I even want to know?

Fan Club

For those of you who don't have a Facebook account, one of the many things you can do on the site is become a "fan" of something. So, for example, a band or company or sports team or author makes a Facebook page and then you can become a fan of that band or company or sports team or author. As a fan, you get updates, tour dates, coupons, news stories, and so on. Makes sense, right?

(I'm a fan of Mireille Guiliano, the Oakland A's, Curly Girl Design, and the San Francisco Ballet.)

(Doesn't that make you want to go out and get a Facebook page right away?)

Anyway, I have a Facebook pet peeve (no, you don't say) and it is this: people keep becoming fans of things that aren't really fan-worthy type things. Like, for instance, pineapples. The fruit. You may like pineapples. You may love pineapples. You may want to make out with pineapples behind the bleachers. But becoming a fan of pineapples is just, well, kind of weird. Pineapples don't have updates to make to you, they don't have news to report or tour dates to share. Pineapples have nothing to say to you.

(And, notice: a pineapple did not get online and make the pineapple fan club. Pineapples don't go online. A weird person with too much time and too much love for pineapples made the site.)

But here's the thing: when people become fans of stupid, generic things and I get the update, I sometimes sort of want to join the club because hey! I also like pineapples! I like them at least as much as you do!

But I don't join, because then I would be a fan of a bazillion ridiculous generic things. I am above that. But I like things and I am not above telling you all the things I like.

Things Over which Will and I Disagree

1. Whether we need a nutmeg mill
2. The deliciousness of cheese
3. The perfect thermostat set-point

{Proof that a good marriage does not require agreement on every issue}

Two Thousand Nine

January

I was quoted in the AV Press, we smashed up our car, I was interviewed by the lovely Hope, and I taught y'all how to bike in a dress.

February

We were bailed out of our ridiculous tab at the Rouge Brewery. I turned 29, attended the My Bloggy Valentine Meetup in San Francisco, saw Lance Armstrong and, perhaps more excitingly, stood next to Christian Vande Velde. I attended the law school auction and went on a very girly getaway to San Diego.

March

My girlfriends and I partied with Nintendo in a hip San Francisco loft and I received a big box of marzipan cookies via emergency same-day courier. I met some Playboy Bunnies, got mad at the Bunnies, started a 30 Before 30 list, and went on another girly getaway to San Diego. I fought crime on a police ride along.

April

I made decisions about Twittering, colleges, high school club advising, concerts, gym-going, wedding hair. I milked a cow, attended the Doxie Derby, danced at the Battle of the Bands, and drank a ton of beer on Picnic Day. Some friends and I visited the De Young Museum in San Francisco. I met the Easter Bunny and attended the Oakland A's home opener. I gave you some legal advice.

May

I won a bet (and am pretty sure my husband still owes me the $100). In a moment of great irony, I did not bike to work on Bike to Work Day. I hula hooped with my community, ate a lot of Fage yogurt, and met Gavin Newsom (swoooon) at the Farmer's Market (and only slightly made a fool of myself).

June

I was interviewed by the gorgeous Love is Blonde. Will and I went to see a science comedian (nerd alert!), ate a ton of olives, and biked to a "biker" bar. I took photos of an adorable engaged couple. I drank some champagne (and some more champagne) at Zanon and Lisa's wedding.

July

Many of you ask why I'm vegetarian, so I answered (and then I answered some more of your questions about eating green). I celebrated the 4th of July in Davis. I whipped up a raspberry peach crisp using fruits I picked by hand and dragged seven family members out to the tennis courts to make sparkler art, which was awesome until the cops shut us down. I attended the Renegade Art Fair in San Francisco, built a fort in the living room, and bounced at Sky High. Our friends came to visit and Jenny and I drank wine while our husbands shopped for and cooked dinners for us (ah, the good life).

August

Will and I celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary. We traveled to the Yucatan Peninsula, visiting Merida, Chichen Itza, and Cancun. Our luggage was lost. We took our annual trip to the Cheshire Cat in Santa Barbara. I drank Black and Tans in an Irish pub, forgot to go to jury service, and tasted local ice creams at the Eat Real Festival in Oakland. We witnessed Lauren and Monty tie the knot and I visited Santa Barbara to attend Stacey and Todd's wedding.

September

For the month of September, with a few exceptions, we ate only foods grown and produced within 100 miles of our home. We traveled to Las Vegas to celebrate my sister-in-law's 21st birthday. Will turned 34. I asked y'all to fill out the Proust Questionnaire.

October

I answered the Proust Questionnaire and you did, too! I asked the Typepad Question of the Day. I actually baked for a potluck, rather than picking up something on the way. I visited Washington, DC and celebrated Halloween at the San Francisco Opera.

November

I attended Viv & Ingrid's 10th Anniversary celebration at Miette. I made beer and cheese soup, bought a ticket for BlogHer 2010 in NYC (are you going?), and met up with some girlfriends in Chicago (also: Michael Vick).

December

Oh, yes, I had some law school finals at some point, but even that didn't stop me from putting up the Christmas tree, hosting an eggnog party, and making reindeer food. I visited with family and friends at Brent's Deli, The Palace Grill, Sambos, Schooner's, and Panera Bread (and now I need to go for a run).

Good times, great year. Hello 2010!

VF: A Decade in Covers

Have you been voting for the Vanity Fair covers of the decade?

Not to taint your ballot, but I've voted as follows:

2000: Gwyneth Paltwow
2001: Brad Pitt

2002: Kirsten Dunst
2003: George Clooney

2004: Jackie Kennedy
2005: Nicole Kidman

2006: Geroge Clooney, again! I had no idea that I was such a Clooney kind of gal.

2007: The Africa Issue

2008: The Hollywood Issue

2009: Tina Fey (I usually toss the magazine after I read it or drop a stack off at the local coffee shop, but I still have this issue floating around. What a great cover!)

Go vote!

Lighten Up

Some people don't get my humor and, in fact, so don't get my humor that they post four or five paragraph comments explaining to me why the things I say make no sense and I am therefore going to be in dire straits when "the flu pandemic, union strikes, inflationary gas prices, or natural disaster" hit(s).

Watch out Slice of Pink! You're screwed because of that irreverent humor of yours!

This is all just a warning, because I have been following the unseen prequels trend on Twitter and I think some of the people are pretty clever. I thought I might list a few here.

But your humor and my humor? Might be a little different. Might be a lot different. You might not like the idea of unseen prequels. Most of you are probably wondering who would give a hoot about unseen prequels. Me, too. But hey! People have strong feelings about things and could take offense. Take dried fruit, for example. Dried fruit could save the world from a nuclear holocaust! Save the world! And, if you have some frozen yogurt, it makes a pretty good smoothie, too. How could I joke about such a thing?

Satire is so obnoxious!

Anyway. If you have strong feelings about pretend unseen prequels, you should probably go someplace else for the moment. Maybe to the grocery store to stock up on canned goods for the impending doom! Coming soon to real life near you!

(Oh great. Now I've gone and built up this post like it is going to be something hilarious. Which it is not. The upcoming crap is only moderately funny and really not irreverent at all.)

(But, I've spent the past 10 minutes composing the above diatribe. In law school and life, TIME IS MONEY! Especially one month from finals. So you get this or nothing (some of you vote for nothing (me, too))).

(This is exactly what a law school final is like, by the way. You type and type and type and then, halfway through, you realize that what you are saying makes no sense, that it is going nowhere, that everything you have said thus far is bungled fluff. But you keep on typing, keep on trying to pull it all together in a way that might earn you some points. No looking back! No backspacing!)

(You keep right on digging yourself into a hole, is what I mean.)

Without further ado (or parentheses): Unseen Prequels.

The idea: People are making up names for unseen movie prequels.

Some I think are funny:

15 Candles
Ocean's 10
The Undergraduate
Dallas Takes Debbie to Dinner
Thursday
Kane Applies for Citizenship
Schindler Buys A Pen And Some Paper
Snakes in the Baggage Check Line
The Pelican Rough Draft
12 Reasonable Men Waiting in a Queue at the Post Office
500 Days of Spring
Thursday the 12th
Meg Ryan Chooses AOL As Her Internet Provider

You can find more here. Or disapprove of my humor in the comments. But trust me, I already know.

Halloween Dinner

Purple mashed potatoes
Garlic green beans
Pumpkin ale

My Etsy Favorites

What's more fun than studying trademark law?
Finding favorites on Etsy!

There's more here!

Proust Questionnaire, The Answers

I have finally finished pondering love, death, happiness, and the meaning of life. Here it goes.

1. What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Self actualization

2. What is your greatest fear?
Fear itself (really, though, I can't actually say my greatest fear because I am afraid that saying it might make it come true. Sort of like telling your wish after blowing out the candles)

3. What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Indecisiveness

4. What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Entitlement, narcissism

5. Which living person do you most admire?
President Barack Obama

6. What is your greatest extravagance?
Reading blogs when I should be reading textbooks

7. What is your current state of mind?
Hopeful, preoccupied

8. What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Blind faith

9. On what occasion do you lie?
When it keeps me out of trouble

10. What do you most dislike about your appearance?
Currently, my hair, which is at that annoying stage between short and just long enough

11. Which living person do you most despise?
Rush Limbaugh, et al.

12. What is the quality you most like in a man?
Compassion

13. What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Grace

14. Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
"Do you know what I mean?"

15. What or who is the greatest love of your life?
My husband

16. When and where were you happiest?
Eating ice cream on the Ile De La Cité

17. Which talent would you most like to have?
To dance flawless classical ballet

18. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I would deliberate less over insignificant details

19. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Being happily married six years later

20. If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
The legendary and mysterious Mona Lisa

21. Where would you most like to live?
Santa Barbara, California

22. What is your most treasured possession?
My wedding ring

23. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
When politics and religion prohibit humanity

24. What is your favorite occupation?
Museum curator

25. What is your most marked characteristic?
My inability to say no

26. What do you most value in your friends?
Friendship without judgement

27. Who are your favorite writers?
Robert Hass, Kurt Vonnegut, Dorothy Parker

28. Who is your hero of fiction?
The Little Prince

29. Which historical figure do you most identify with?
Audrey Hepburn

30. Who are your heroes in real life?
People who do the right thing, even when nobody is looking, especially when nobody is looking

31. What are your favorite names?
Liam, Liliana, Violet, Claire, Madeleine

32. What is it that you most dislike?
Fish, tomatoes

33. What is your greatest regret?
Not learning Italian and French when it mattered

34. How would you like to die?
I wouldn't

35. What is your motto?
Be always kinder than necessary

According to The Interactive Proust Questionnaire, I most resemble Joan Didion. I am excited to read her answers in Vanity Fair's new book, released tomorrow!

More on Proust

I'm still working on my answers to the Proust Questionnaire, and encourage you to answer, too, if you haven't already done so. In the meantime, I wanted to let you know about a few more fun links.

+ Martha Stewart answered the questionnaire this month. She claims to deplore "any type of indecision" (which is the trait I most deplore in myself), but then goes on to be rather indecisive throughout (although, perhaps if I didn't labor over all the questions and simply answered indecisively, I would already have mine completed).

+ Kaleigh and Ally completed it, clearly not an indecisive duo.

+ Vanity Fair is now letting you take a modified Proust Questionnaire to see which of the 101 luminaries you most resemble and even letting you compare your answers with friends on Facebook.

I promise to finish mine this weekend and hope you will, too!

Proust Questionnaire: The Meme Original

I am beyond excited about this forthcoming book, Vanity Fair's Proust Questionnaire: 101 Luminaries Ponder Love, Death, Happiness, and the Meaning of Life.

Since July 1993, the back page of Vanity Fair has been devoted to the Proust Questionnaire, in which a noteworthy person answers a series of personal questions. The questionnaire has its origins in a parlor game popularized (though not devised) by Marcel Proust (1871–1922), the French essayist and novelist, who believed that, in answering these questions, an individual reveals his or her true nature.

Check it out! It's the original meme! And it's not a bunch of silly questions about your favorite color or your dog's middle name. This is serious business. These are questions that will reveal your true nature, for goodness sake, which is why I think we should all get busy answering the questions right away. I know, I know. Another meme, right? But this one is the real deal, used long before teenagers started making up Facebook memes on the Internetz. And, since it will reveal your true nature, allegedly, it may save you many years and many thousands of dollars in therapy (or, alternatively, could compel you to seek therapy, I guess).

For inspiration, you can find the interviews conducted between 2005 and 2009 on VF's website. Among my favorites are Jasper Johns, Julie Andrews, and (ha!) Marcel Proust's own answers to the questionnaire.

If you do answer these questions, please let me know! I'd love to put together a post with links to all of our questionnaire answers.

The Proust Questionnaire is after the jump, if you dare!

Eat Real Ice Cream

I say, if you are gonna go to a food festival of some sort, you might as well make it an ice cream festival.

Will and I spent Friday night at the Eat Real Festival in Oakland, visiting with Sarah and Ben while crossing #28 off my thirty before thirty list.

We bought scoops from two vendors, Scream Sorbet and Ici Ice Cream, both offering lists of scrumptious, unusual flavors.

I had scoops of:

+ orange chocolate chip
+ pistachio
+ lemon shiso

And licks of:

+ coconut thai basil
+ blackberry lavender
+ saffron candied almond
+ vanilla almond

And there were still so many flavors left to sample. I think we should declare every Friday an Ice Cream Friday.

You Need 17 Cards to Celebrate Properly

At my local Hallmark, there are Father's Day cards available for:

Uncles
Nephews
Sons
Son-in-laws
Husbands
Mothers
Grandfathers
Great-grandfathers
Godfathers
Stepfathers
Like-a-fathers

You really have to weed through to find a basic dad card.

I Can Teach You

I love these I Can Teach You badges from last Friday's Creative Mornings event in NYC.

I think this is a great exercise: thinking about what you can offer to the world.

Here's what I can teach you:

+ Color wheel basics
+ How to wrap a gift the way the White House does it
+ How to make a camera from an empty oatmeal canister
+ The difference between their and there, it's and its
+ Some interesting things about Art History
+ Fair use
+ Darkroom photo developing
+ How a bill becomes a law

What can you teach?

Thirty Before Thirty

I've been 29 for over a month now and it has suddenly dawned on me that this last bit of my twenties is just flying by. I'm not crying over the loss of my twenties or anything--it's been a fabulous journey--but I am thinking that there are a few things that I need to get done before I meet thirty.

You know, I usually suck at following through on these sort of lists, instead letting the adventure of life sort of unfold on its own before me, but I am going to try really, really hard to accomplish these thirty things.

Here they are: thirty things to do before I turn thirty.

1. Enjoy a Kir Royale at Crown & Crumpet
2. Go wine tasting in wine country {01/24/10}
3. Go to an art museum that I have not yet visited {03/03/09}
4. Go on a hike{01/10/10}
5. Go on a police ride-along {03/24/09}
6. Run a 5K {02/07/10}
7. For a month, be a locavore {10/01/09}
8. Ride the Winter's Davis Loop
9. Jump at Sky High {08/07/09}
10. Go to an A's Game {04/10/09}
11. Take a Jelly Belly Factory Tour
12. Learn to and play Liar's Dice
13. Buy a really amazing eyeliner {12/29/09}
14. Attend a symphony or ballet in San Francisco {10/31/09}
15. Do an act of pure service {Two, actually!} {12/23/09}
16. Make French lemonade
17. Read a non-law book
18. Attend a lecture outside of the law school
19. Bake something for a potluck {10/10/09}
20. Build a fort in the living room {07/21/09}
21. Drink beers at an Irish pub {08/13/09}
22. Finish the A to Z Album
23. Visit a foreign country
24. Make an article of clothing {01/27/10}
25. Create a Hockney-style photo piece
26. Bet at the Doxie Derby
27. Update Slice of Pink (fix broken links, update About Me, etc.)
28. Attend a food festival {08/28/09}
29. Make Cocoa Candy Cane Marshmallows {12/25/09}
30. Celebrate the last night of my 20s in style

I have less than 11 months to complete these tasks, so I better get started.

Five Things I Currently Just Don't Get, But Would be Willing to Consider if Someone Provided a Compelling Argument

1. Bling H20

2. Strawberry marshmallows

3. America's Next Top Model

4. Fixed-gear bicycles (why would one purposefully get rid of the ability to coast?)

5. Hiking

My Punny Valentine

In 2007, my high school students and I came up with a long list of Valentine puns. While we can all agree that it is wonderful to give your sweetheart an alligator for Valentine's Day, it is even better if you can tie a cute punny tag (All-I-Gator say is I love you!) around the gator's neck with a thick satin ribbon. I mean, right?

If you're not the do-it-yourself type, Hoopla has a pack of punny Valentines.

November Love

Fifty People, One Question: New York, the Protein Salad at Urban Cafe, slices of pie, Gramma's Jell-o salad, wtf  broccoli?, going to the movies with my sister, peppermint tea, The Cherry Blossom Girl, Cig Harvey, The End.

She Better Be Hot

One of my classmates, Dave, found this list in a coffee shop and posted it on his Facebook page.

Let's judge and dissect.

Things that Really Snuck Up On Me

November

The Election

Saturday Night's Cosmopolitans

One Word

Lesli tagged me with this one-word-question quiz:

1. Clothes: Black Clothes, Flat Shoes 

2. Furniture: Ikea, World Market

3. Sweet: Ginger cookies, Chocolate

4. City: Santa Barbara, Paris

5. Drink: Red Wine, Basil Vodka Gimlet

6. Music: Jason Mraz (Geek in the Pink!)

7. TV Series: Entourage, Sex and the City, Friends

8. Film: Amelie, Breakfast at Tiffany's

9. Workout: No

10. Pastries: Oh, yes, please

11. Coffee: Pumpkin Spice Latte

My Platform

Five things I will make illegal if you elect me President:

1. McRib Sandwiches
2. Hummers
3. Warming up last night's tuna casserole in the lounge microwave 
4.  Dry Clean Only
5. The exorbitant markup on coffee beverages   

What would you make illegal? 

Juggling

So law school is back in session this week and it would have been no big deal except that this is also the week that I had to:

a) purchase Ikea furniture 

b) assemble Ikea furniture

c) rearrange furniture

d) participate in the law school fashion show

e) watch the convention 

f) add and drop some classes 

g) go to a job interview

h) greet the first-year students

i) start an art club

j) karaoke* 

It won't always be so hectic. No, wait, it will always be so hectic, that is how I design my life, but rest assured that I will be back to more regular blogging pronto. In fact, I will be posting my final entry for the Whip It Up Challenge tonight** and this time I am going ALL GOURMET. I even bought a new cookbook, that's how great this entry is going to be. 

* Journey, Don't Stop Believing

** Or tomorrow. I might go get Sangria tonight with Michelle, in which case, definitely tomorrow.

July Love

Marc Boutavant, visiting with friends and family, fresh basil, the incredibly tacky Photo Basement, Jello Time, Jessica Battram Apple Slicer, Santa Barbara, giraffes, bottle cap tripod, the Starbucks club card (free soy upgrades!), One Lucky Helen.

Ten Things You Can Still Legally Do While Driving Your Car in California

1. Eat noodles with chopsticks

2. Blog

3. Shop jcrew.com

4. Watch reruns of Three's Company

5. Text

6. Read The New Yorker

7. Clip your fingernails

8. Attempt to find enough dimes and nickels to purchase a milkshake

9. Clean out your purse

10. Apply false eyelashes

June Love

Currently, I am loving:

The Evolution of Dance, Yeondoo Jung's Wonderland photographs, playing Banangrams at the kitchen table, 41 real science experiments, ripe raspberries, Shop-a-matic, margaritas (on the rocks, please), Swirl, receiving (and sending!) snail mail, The Giving Life, iced Strawberry Milkshake Coffee from Harry & Davis (sadly, no longer available online), meatloaf cupcakes with mashed potato frosting.

{photograph from fine furious life}

Five Times Five

Five things I purchased this weekend: Costco bottle of Jose Cuervo Golden Margaritas, headboard, shampoo, sandals, striped skirt. 

Five things I read this weekend: People, Us Weekly, Martha Stewart Weddings, In Touch, blogs.

Five tasks I accomplished this weekend: booked a hotel room for BlogHer, made a dental appointment, finished up a memo, found a missing Netflix DVD, bought a bike helmet.

Five things we ate this weekend: Mango yogurt at Swirl, Chipotle, fried green onion bread, Ultimate English Muffins, homemade Chinese food.

Five things on-deck for the upcoming week: hair appointment, work projects, lunch dates, carpet steam-cleaning, 4th of July fun.

Forty Something

Nicole posted a prompt whereby we are supposed to list 40 things that happened in the last month and then look back and discuss our favorite. 

I can never follow a program precisely, so following are 40 things that have happened so far in June, a task that took decidedly longer than I anticipated.  Furthermore, being too indecisive to choose one favorite among the list, I propose this: if there is anything you need to know more about, please say so in the comments and I will prepare an extended discussion after which you will officially know everything about my life. Well, almost.

So far this June, I have: 

1. Made orange creamsicle smoothies.
2. Ordered bananagrams.
3. Went to the post office at least four times.
4. Watched Maxed Out.
5. Visited the local library.
6. Bought delicious strawberries at the Farmer’s Market.
7. Found Will’s missing wallet. It was at Wendy's.
8. Studied rural drug addiction.
9. Started reading Confessions of an Economic Hit Man.
10. Watched all three seasons of Arrested Development.
11. Witnessed a game-winning grand slam.
12. Sewed some fabric birds.
13. Ate at Chipotle. Four times. So far. 
14. Had some picnic dinners in the park.  
15. Shared a bottle of wine with Mary. 
16. Met friends for coffee. 
17. Saw Indiana Jones, which was bad. Really bad.
18. Edited things on Wikipedia. 
19. Watched Walmart: The High Cost of Low Prices. 
20. Went on a 15 mile bike ride.
21. Found a nearby fruit stand that makes incredible fruit freezes.     
22. Listened to some live music. 
23. Met up with some old robotics friends for lunch.  
24. Bought some Spotted Dick pudding. 
25. Wrote some memos.  
26. Bought a new mop.
27. Baked banana bread. 
28. Ruined a batch of brownies.
29. Baked a replacement batch of brownies. 
30. Slept in. And in. And in. And in.
31. Called the number on the back of receipts to get free things. 
32. Neglected the 10 minute clean up. 
33. Ate free popcorn.
34. Watched the Lakers lose. 
35. Walked to the gas station to get Strawberry Shortcake bars.
36. Bought fabric to sew an A's jersey for my cat. 
37. Went to the Outlet Mall. Bought nothing. 
38. Wore skirts and dresses.
39. Made mint ice cubes. 
40. Drank beer at Sophia's Thai Kitchen.

Emergency Situations

1. Our grocery store does not carry the White Chocolate Pudding mix that is necessary to make my favorite-ever pie. It's tragic, really. I think I might have to order a case from Amazon. How long does pudding mix stay fresh, anyway? 

2. I've got a ticket to BlogHer and no hotel room booked yet. I'd totally like to stay at the Westin, but only if I can get someone to split the bill. Otherwise, I might commute in--which would mean no cocktails, omg--or stay nearby at a cheaper hotel.  Decisions, decisions. Anyone need a roomie?

3. How long, exactly, does an opened bottle of red wine stay fresh? And must it be refrigerated?

May Love

Artquirk, visiting with good friends, homemade banana bread, Silvia Stella illustrations, watching old episodes of Arrested Development on DVD, having time to actually watch some Netflix, Costco flower bouquets (bright, cheery, and cheap!), ultra-fine Sharpie pens, frozen yogurt, graduations, Flavour Design.

   

Grown-Up Grilled Cheese Party

April is Grilled Cheese month. I know this because my trusty sources, Hi Monkey! and LAist, told me. If you live in the Los Angeles area you can participate in Melt the Vote at Clementine, otherwise you should definitely host your own grilled cheese party.

If you want to get real fancy, send out invites like these from Real Simple, editing to note that it's a grown-up grilled cheese party. Or just call your friends up and tell them to come on over.

Choose four or five recipes and create a ballot for voting.

Add some gourmet potato chips and some good beer.

Voila! Grilled cheese party!

The Recipes:

+ The classic grilled cheese.

+ The classic grilled cheese made with an iron, by Hi Monkey!

+ A fancy grilled cheese sandwich with fig jam, basil, and goat cheese at Family Style Food.

+ Martha's favorite grilled cheese sandwich which is packed with chorizo, roasted red peppers, and saffron.

+ Simply Recipes has a grilled cheese with bacon and pear.

+ A sautéed jalapeño and aged jack grilled cheese at Chow.

+ This recipe at Food & Wine combines three of the world’s most popular sandwiches—bacon, lettuce and tomato; fried egg; and grilled cheese.

+ Mario Batali's grilled mozzarella sandwich calls for fresh thyme and nutmeg.

+ Whole Foods Market claims the ultimate grilled cheese.

+ The "Gossip Girl" $50 grilled cheese sandwich recipe.

+ A white cheddar and roasted pepper grilled cheese can be found at The Food Channel.

+ Honey-Basil Grilled Cheese from YumSugar.

There are plenty more fancy grilled cheese recipes available with a simple Google search and you can certainly make your own creations--or allow your guests to make their own fancy grilled cheese sandwiches by offering a variety of breads, cheeses, and fillings. I think Hi Monkey would approve.

Happy Grilled Cheese Month!

March Love

Maybe it was Spring Break or the warmer weather, but March really flew by. Here are a few of my favorite things this month:

Longer days, cheap spring dresses, having house guests, Unruly Things, Peeps, hotels that give free coffee and cookies in the afternoon, San Luis Obispo, watching old episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm, these cute bento lunch boxes, watching a A Year with Frog and Toad at the community college theater, warmer days for bike riding, drinking a pitcher of pear cider with my best friend forever.

Things I Now Know

1. What a Shoofly Pie is {via PomJob}.

2. What a $16,500 per month apartment in the Plaza looks like.

3. That beer is healthy.

Wednesday was highly informative, no?

Five Questions That Need Immediate Answers

1. Are True Religion jeans as fashionable if you can purchase a pair at Costco?

2. If I go to BlogHer, will I be sitting alone at the back of the room or will I be drinking champagne with friends?

3. What is your favorite cheese?

4. If your significant other had spent $85000 on high end prostitutes, wouldn't you be just a little bit too busy packing up his crap to put on a strand of pearls and attend a press conference with him?

5. Did you refresh your browser to see the new Slice of Pink banner?

February Love

My favorite things this month include:

Ruth Green Design, new highlighters (nerd alert!), 3191, watching the 1989 miniseries Lonesome Dove with Will, fresh flowers on the dining room table, studying outside in the sunshine, the gleaned-from-Girl-Scouts Banana Boat recipe, David Ichioka's Sleep Pix.

Peas Be Mine

Last year, my students and I put together a great big list of Valentine Puns. With this list, you can turn practically anything into a silly and sweet Valentine treat, including tons of things that you can pick up at the grocery store for under five bucks.

If you are stuck trying to find the perfect Valentine gift for your sweetie pie, download the list and turn cans of peas (peas be mine!), jars of honey (bee mine!), and lemons (pucker up!) into lighthearted Valentine surprises.

{the cute images above are from rock scissor paper}