Love Comes in Spurts + My Weekend

On Saturday I convinced my dear friend Anna to take a walk with me from my house in north Oakland to Raleigh's in downtown Berkeley.  There were three incentives: 1) a 5 mile walk, 2) girl time, and 3) the enormous salads and beers at Raleigh's.  It was a gorgeous bay area day and the perfect way to spend a Saturday.  First thing we ordered upon arriving at Raleigh's:

Anna's cider on the left, my Shock Top on the right

and then I hungrily ordered this, aka the best salad I've ever had in my life (well, I've had it a bunch of times, but it's always the best salad):

you can't tell from this picture that it's bigger than my head

We sat outside on the big, sunshiney patio and talked about jobs, dating, travel, etc.  I want to do this every Saturday.  It was perfect.  

On the way home, I remembered that there's something written in the concrete that I love to pass by.  I want to blow it up and frame it and hang it in my home (okay maybe I want to frame a better photo of it):

So true, right?  This little piece of "street art" has me thinking a lot about love . . . and if it truly does "come in spurts," and if we can will it into being, and what it would take to beckon a love spurt.  I am ready!

On Sunday I headed up to Marin to take care of the Freitag boys while their parents were on a mini-getaway for JJ's 40th birthday.  We made this sign for JJ:

and presented it to him, along with the above photo in a frame, upon their return (they went to Cavallo Point Spa, the "lodge at the Golden Gate," for those in the Bay Area who might be seeking an escape). And check out my Judebug eating pizza and watching Finding Nemo:

Ha!  I love that baby so much.

Hope your weekend was just as lovely.  I turned in my grades, but still have a long road ahead of me, preparing for my students' big event Thursday night, and mentally getting ready for babysitting five kiddos on Friday night.  I'll be packin' valium & a bottle of wine. ;)

The Beautiful and the Damned

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about my very favorite photographer, Sally Mann.  I was so obsessed with her in college that I wrote my thesis (which was a collection of poems) in response to her work . . . which meant I spent a lot of time with her photographs.  Sally Mann is a Virginia photographer whose evocative (and arguably, provocative) work is steeped in the South, and challenges traditional notions of privacy and propriety.

Night Blooming Cereus

Night Blooming Cereus might be my favorite of hers, though I definitely think that Mann's work is best taken in as an entire body (and not just as individual photographs).  She is best known for her haunting, beautiful, black & white images of her three children, who are often nude and photographed at their home or in nature surrounding their woodsy home.

Candy Cigarette

Untitled

(reminds me of Juliet)

Gorjus

Sunday Funnies

And this last one is from her book At Twelve, which explores girls in her town on the brink of womanhood, in that delicate balance between childhood and sexuality.  The photos in this collection are so eerie and so gorgeous, and perhaps speak more about the viewer's interpretation than the subject's intent:

Untitled, from At Twelve

Although Sally Mann's work is controversial--and there are many who virulently condemn her photographs as "child pornography"--I think she's fearless and brave and that her art is exquisite (google "Popsicle Drips" for an example of her more provocative work).

And now in weird news . . . 

Justin Bieber is now aka "Shawty Mane" and has released a rap video.  

And I'm not kidding.

Art Murmur

Oakland Art Murmur is yet another amazing thing that my fair city has to offer.  The first Friday of every month, all the galleries on Telegraph open their doors and have exhibits (often with wine & snacks!) for the public to see.  There are folks selling handmade things in the streets, people making music, and crowds gathered to see the latest local artists' work.  I saw an incredible exhibit on the prison system at Rock, Paper, Scissors one month.

Sadly, Art Murmur is precisely where I won't be tonight, as instead, I am sitting at my dining room table saddled with a bazillion papers to grade (all before 6 week grades must be submitted--11:59 pm tonight!).  How's that for the perfect way to ruin a Friday night?  Ughhhhhhh.  In case you're interested, this is my current view:

Pray that I come out alive.

It's Friday and I am decidedly not in love.

Sweet Sweet Giveaway!

Recently, I was lucky enough to stumble upon Chicago artist Robyn (robayre) on Etsy.  I was looking for cute stationery, and voila--she had exactly what I wanted!  Look what I bought:

bunting stationery set with handmade envies

I emailed Robyn to ask her to do something custom, and she couldn't have been sweeter.  She made my listing (perfectly!) right away and shipped it out in the blink of an eye.  She even included a lovely little letter and some extras in my package!  We began emailing back and forth, and--you guessed it--Robyn has offered to give away two of her amazing products to one of you readers!  Here's what's up for grabs:

1. One bunting stationery set with handmade envies

(20 pieces of stationery, 10 envies, 10 address labels)

2. One of her gorgeous reproduction prints!  Here are my two favorites:

Wing and a Prayer

You Are My Favorite

but you can choose from several others here!

Aren't those things lovely?  I can tell you first-hand how awesome her stationery is.  It's the perfect size, colorful, and the envelopes are beautiful.  My favorite one is made out of a music sheet print. ♥

So you can win both the bunting stationery and a lovely print by leaving a comment below!  Here's the deal:

1. for one entry, be a follower of Bicoastally

2. for a second entry, "like" Robyn's shop on facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/robayredotcom?ref=ts

(just let me know that you did--if the clicky link doesn't work, copy and paste the http!)

3. for a third entry, blog/tweet/etc. about this giveaway

(let's promote Robyn's shop!)

I will draw a name the old-fashioned way and announce the winner next Monday, 9/27.  So hop to!  XOXO.

The Last Weekend Ever

Okay, it wasn't really the last weekend ever, but the last weekend before teachers have to report back to school. So it kinda feels like it.

Saturday:

My friend Missy, her friend Sogol, and I went to dinner at one of my favorite Thai places in San Francisco: Citrus Club. It's sandwiched between the eastern edge of Golden Gate Park and the intersection of Haight and Ashbury, and if you haven't had their garlic edamame, you haven't really lived.

After dinner, we walked a couple blocks up to RVCA, where there was a photo exhibit going on. Missy's friend's cousin was showing some pieces in the exhibit, so we checked it out before heading to a party later that evening. We all gave the experience mixed reviews: the photography was really interesting (though it was a small exhibit), the music was pretty terrible (hello, screamo!), and the place was crawling with the hippest hipsters in the world. Speaking of hipsters, isn't this funny?

from

And maybe even funnier?

(For Christmas that year--Freeman was 6 months old--I got him a hipster outfit. His mama dressed him up in it and sent me this amazing pic. BTW, that's a miniature plush bike lock in his pocket, courtesy of my talented friend Helen. It's for his fixie.)

We made a quick pit stop at my friend Truong's house (which is an art gallery in and of itself)--who by the way literally lives at the corner of Haight and Ashbury--and then trekked to the outer Sunset to bid farewell to one of my grad school friends, Susanna. The party involved persecco, some poetry, old friends, and good convos, so it was all in all a grand ol' time.

Sunday:

This morning I woke up feeling terribly about having spent something like 50 of the past 75 hours watching Friday Night Lights, so I decided to be productive. I dealt with some landlord stuff, mopped the floors, cleaned up a little around the house, and then sat down and transcribed one of my Voice of Witness interviews (the last woman I interviewed in Alabama). Though transcribing audio recorded interviews is incredibly tedious, it was kind of amazing to relive that experience. I remembered this woman telling me about being abandoned, molested, arrested, and incarcerated, and once again reveled in the feeling that I am so lucky.

But then it was all fun and games as I headed out to The Melting Pot for dinner with some girlfriends. When was the last time you had fondue? I hadn't been to a fondue restaurant since I was a kid, and let me tell you . . . it is an intense experience. So incredibly delicious, but I'm pretty sure I'm gonna have to run a marathon to burn off the calories I consumed tonight. Swiss cheese fondue, spinach and artichoke fondue, vegetable fondue, chocolate peanut butter fondue . . . goodness gracious alive. Next time, I'm gonna skip the main course and stick to the cheese and chocolate. ;)

How was your weekend?

All Things Pretty

Check out these gorgeous things I'm swooning over right now:

Karen Millen Extravagant Frill Satin Court Shoe, asos

So it's no secret that I love over-the-top stilettos. But these might just take the cake. I mean, they're like Mercury the messenger God (winged sandals) meets ballerina (pink satin). I don't know why I think it's such a good idea to browse shoe sites when I'm in no shape to purchase fancy footwear, but I just couldn't help falling a little bit in love with these beauts.

from Mae Chevrette's etsy

It's all thanks to Faiza that I found this print on Mae Chevrette's etsy. Faiza won it in a giveaway, and when she blogged about it, I had to pull a copycat move and go order the same print immediately. First, because art that incorporates text is my fave. Second, because this quote is like my dang motto! I was so excited when it came in the mail today. Can't wait to find the perfect frame + space on my wall.

A Literate Passion tank from Every Little Counts

Today I'm wearing this tank that Micaela sent me in honor of my love for Anais Nin (mine is flamingo pink, just couldn't find a pic I could snag!). Everything about Anais--her life, her writing, her ridiculous love affairs--is so captivating. Particularly her long and tumultuous romance with Henry Miller, around which this shirt was designed. LOVE IT!

Hope everyone's had a wonderful week. I've been sending out so many letters! Speaking of which, I'm a little obsessed with card-making and letter-writing, so if you want one, let me know!

Thank you Micaela!

It's so rare that we meet someone and instantly connect to them in a deep, profound way. Someone whose soul is clearly so similar to our own, who is moved by the same things, makes the same mistakes, experiences the same love, and giddiness, and excitement, and sorrow. These connections are SO SPECIAL to me!

Which is why I cherish my friendship with Micaela so much.

Most of you who follow my blog probably follow hers as well, but if not, then go to her page immediately and experience how beautiful, thoughtful, open, and full of heart she is!

Imagine my delight when I found this on my doorstep yesterday morning:

My excitement made me squeal! I was on my way to a stressful, long afternoon at San Francisco City Hall, to once again beg the Budget Committee to reconsider funding my job. But when I opened Micaela's package in my car before I drove off, I was too amazed to be worried about the meeting . . .

Micaela just finished reading Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. Everyone says that this book is all about the timing--where you are in your life when you read it--and Micaela was at the exact right place. There's a line in the book about how snails carry their homes with them wherever they go, so she got me this sweet glass snail, and included a note that said: "from one snail to another . . . "

For years, I've been enamored with the relationship between Anais Nin and Henry Miller. There have been so many times in my life when I've been so inspired and/or comforted by reading Anais Nin's journals--especially the parts about her illicit, romantic, wonderful, and destructive relationship with Henry Miller. Can you believe Micaela found this tank top for me at one of her favorite online boutiques?? It's perfect! (Excuse the poor quality of the picture, though--it's hot pink!)

Coffee from her favorite local cafe, and an old mug . . . I'm drinking the coffee right now and it's delicious! I might be hooked.

Micaela remembered that I'd written a blog post about wanting some new art for my dining room wall, so she got me this incredible, perfectly-me print. Two (of many) reasons why it's so perfect: 1. My favorite art is that which incorporates text; 2. It's written by THE American female poet. :)

M and I are both nostalgic about our home states (I'm from Georgia; she's from Texas). She sent me this adorable Georgia plate--can't decide whether to hang it on my wall or use it as a serving platter or put my perfumes on it or what! Whatever I do with it, I LOVE it (and everything that reminds me of home).

Micaela loves all things Italian, and we both love all things love . . . I fell asleep too abruptly to start this book last night, but I can't wait to start reading it today.

Just as much as I love all those incredible gifts, I love these sweet notes that M included with each of them. We're both writers/talkers/explainers, and I love that she so sweetly wrote little explanations to go with each present. ♥

I can't stop gazing at all of these wonderful gifts from my darling friend. My heart is so full and grateful today; thank you so much sweet Micaela!

Homemade Grits + Down and Out Chic

Go check out this giveaway that involves two of my beautiful, real-life friends:

Lesley at Homemade Grits is my oldest friend in the world. She has gorgeous wavy red hair, an adorable and stylish toddler named Matilda, and makes all kinds of pretty things. Our mamas have been bffs forever, so Lesley and I grew up like sisters. She is offering a giveaway--beautiful little mum earrings--made by . . .

Christina at Down and Out Chic, another lovely girl I've known for years and years! We all grew up in the same home town, and Christina has only become more and more beautiful and talented as the years have gone by. If you don't already follow her blog, hop to, as its chock full of exquisite design and affordable fashion (along with the sweet jewelry she makes).

Click here for the giveaway (2 pairs of handmade earrings!).

In other (Spring Break) news, it was really nice to wake up slow, make some strong coffee, and leisurely catch up on email and blogs this morning, but this is where I really wish I was . . .

Also, anyone have some great ideas for affordable art? I'm feeling like my walls need some more love. Big changes (roommate moving out + new roommate moving in) inspire me to redecorate a little . . . yesterday I bought a living room rug (I braved Ikea, the best/worst place in the world), and when I got home, I rediscovered this beautiful, kind of lonely piece of art I won at an art auction in the city a couple years ago (please excuse the heavy things weighing down the corners):

It's watercolor + embroidery (the "arbitrary" is red thread). This one will definitely be going up (omg, I might have to BACK to Ikea to get another frame!!), but I need some more pieces for my apartment's spacious walls . . . ideas for quirky, possibly mixed-media art are strongly encouraged!!

xoxoxo, and happy almost-weekend! I'll be skipping through the day as one of my bffs (Lane!) comes into town tomorrow!